April 26, 2013

Staying Sharp

Next week will be May already, can you believe it? Testing is over are there are only 25 school days remain in the 2012-2013 school year, but that doesn’t mean your child’s learning should stop on the last day of school.  In order for your child to benefit the most from what they learned this year in school, it’s important that their minds remain active during the summer months. There are many different ways this can be done, however, a consistent schedule of 30-60 minutes of reading and math practice every day can make a huge difference in your child’s ability to retain knowledge.

In the purple folder is a summer learning idea sheet to give detailed suggestions on how to practice reading and math for the summer, but there are a couple of suggestions I would like to highlight:

·         Scholastic summer reading challenge: www.scholastic.com/summer

Your child’s username: ___________

Your child’s password:____________

·         Summer Express workbook to maintain your child’s learning over the summer. Workbooks are available through your classroom teacher for grades K-6. An order form is attached to the packet. Orders are due Monday, May 6.

·         Pima County or Santa Cruz County Library summer reading programs.

·         Simple, interactive, real-life applications of math and reading, such as buying things at the grocery store, making a recipe, etc.

Thank you!

Thank you very much to the parents who drove for the field trips and volunteered to clean and walk with us. Thank you also to those of you who donated items for the auction and Cookies for Cancer. The sign-up sheet for May will be up by Monday. Your support means so much to us. We wouldn’t be able to do it without you!

Reminders/ Events

·         Parent-teacher conferences are next Thursday and Friday, May 2^nd and 3^rd. If you have not already signed up for a time, please do so as soon as possible. If you have a scheduling challenge, please see Ms. Beth or Ms. Cori. Free child care is provided during your scheduled conference.

·         Due to parent-teacher conferences, May 2^nd and 3^rd are both early release days. Please plan on picking up your child at 11:30.

·         Don’t forget, the talent show will be tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, at the DeAnza RV Resort, at 2869 E. Frontage Rd., in Amado. The silent auction will run from 5:30 – 7:00 PM and the talent show will begin at 7:00 PM. If your child is performing in the talent show, they need to be at the RV Resort by 6:00 PM.

Please bring a dessert to share for the dessert bar. Hope to see you there!

·         This is the final opportunity to order books from Scholastic Book Clubs for this school year. Orders are due Monday, May 6.

April 19, 2013

One Week Down…

 

One more to go. Congratulations to the third graders who worked so hard this week on the AIMS testing!  Now that they are finished, third graders are going to the zoo on Monday. Please send them with walking shoes, a water bottle, a hat and a lunch in a paper sack.

Second graders have Stanford 10 testing on Monday and Tuesday. Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats a good breakfast.

Looking Ahead

May and the summer are nearly upon us, so we are looking ahead to birthdays that fall in May, June or July. If your child has a birthday in one of these months and they want to celebrate with the class, please talk to Ms. Beth or Ms. Cori about setting up a day. The best week to do celebrations will be the week of May 6^th.

Reminders/ Events

 

·         Earth Day assignments are due on Monday!

·         There is no spelling next week due to testing.

·         Wednesday, April 24, is Spring Picture Day. It is also an early release day. Please plan on picking your child up promptly at 11:30. If you plan on ordering pictures, please make sure to send your child with the order form and payment.

·         Remember, Cookies for Cancer is on Friday! If you are planning on donating cookies towards the cause, please bring them by the end of the day on Thursday. Thank you!

·         Don’t forget, the talent show will be on Saturday, April 27 at the DeAnza RV Resort at 2869 E. Frontage Rd., in Amado. The silent auction will run from 5:30 – 7:00 PM and the talent show will begin at 7:00 PM. If your child is performing in the talent show, they need to be at the RV Resort by 6:00 PM.

·         The parent-teacher conference sign-up sheet for May 2^nd and 3^rd will be up by next Friday. Please keep an eye out for it.

·         A summer reading information sheet will be going home next Friday. Please take the time to read it carefully so we can discuss any questions at conferences.

·         Mark your calendars! Our annual Mother’s Day Celebration is coming up on May 14^th, and our Father’s Day Celebration will be on May 22^nd. There is also a Garden Salad party planned for May 16^th. More information will come as we get closer to the events.

It’s That Time of Year

Testing season has arrived and that means that second and third graders will be taking the Stanford 10 and AIMS tests. It is very important that 2^nd and 3^rd grade students are here on all testing days. We encourage all students to get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast, and be on time to school, so that they are ready to do their best. Snack is being provided for testing student by parents who signed up. Thank you very much!

Third graders will be testing on Tuesday through Thursday next week (the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th of April). They, along with the upper elementary students, will be testing at the school, while the pre-K through 2^nd grade students take field trips around the community and to the Reid Park Zoo. The Zoo trip for the 1^st and 2^nd graders will be taking place on Tuesday. Please see the permission slip in the purple folder. We will need three or four 1^st and 2^nd grade parents to volunteer to drive. Please see the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.

Second graders will be testing on Monday and Tuesday of the following week (the 22^nd and 23^rd of April). They will also be testing at the school, while the 1^st and 3^rd graders will be sharing the pre-primary and upper elementary classrooms. That Monday, the 3^rd graders will have their turn to go to the zoo. We will need two drivers for the 3^rd grade trip. The sign-up sheet for the third grade trip will go up on Tuesday.

If you have any questions, please see Ms. Beth or Ms. Cori.

Earth Day

Earth Day is coming up on April 22^nd. We are planning to pick up trash and discuss ways we can take care of the Earth. As part of our efforts we want the children to practice looking at old things in new ways, so that they can recycle or “upcycle” different things. All students should make their own recycled or upcycled project and bring it in on April 22^nd to share with the class

Reminders/ Events

·         Wednesday, April 24, is Spring Picture Day. It is also an early release day. Please plan on picking your child up promptly at 11:30. If you plan on ordering pictures, please make sure to send your child with the order form and payment.

·         We are still taking item donations for our silent auction. Please see Ms. Carol if you think you can help.

·         Mark your calendars: Parent-teacher conferences are coming up on May 2^nd and 3^rd. The sign-up sheet will go up a week before conferences. If you know you have a scheduling conflict, please see Ms. Beth or Ms. Cori

·         Remember, the Timeline of Self assignment is due on Monday!

·         Permission slips and the $2 for the 1^st and 2^nd grade students’ field trips are due on Monday! Permission slips and $2 for 3^rd graders are due Friday, the 19^th.

·         The walk on April 19^th will be at 10:00

·         There will be no spelling for the next two weeks due to testing.