Tiger Tales Newsletter
September 19, 2022
Upcoming Dates
September 19 - Picture Day
September 30 - Jog-a-Thon Fundraiser
October 13 - TCE PTA Membership Meeting @4:00
October 21 - No School, Teacher Inservice
October 24 - Picture Retakes
October 27 - TCE PTA Trunk or Treat @6:00-7:30
Principal's Message
I am excited to share with you the great things that are happening in our classrooms. We have been prioritizing building relationships and classroom agreements so that all students at Twin City Elementary feel safe and included. Staff have begun introducing our English/Language Arts and Math curriculums to students and begun working on grade level standards. We have been assessing students using AIMSWEB and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) so that we get a baseline of what students know and can set goals for what to work on next. This school year feels great with lots of happy students and families as we return to a new normal!
I want to remind you that we have returned to full paid breakfast and lunch this year. We have many students who are wanting to purchase meals that do not have money on their account. As a District will allow students to charge a negative balance, so please check your child's account to see their status.
I would encourage you to consider filling out a Free and Reduced Meal Application. If you are unsure if you meet the guidelines, click here for more information. The application has benefits beyond meals. We receive funding and grant opportunities based on our Free/Reduced status that help to support our intervention programs for students. Students can access reduced athletic and academic fees and other financial benefits in middle and high school. Click HERE for Application Materials and Information.
Thanks,
Jennifer Allen, Principal
School Pictures
For any students who miss pictures or would like retakes, Firefly Images will be back on Monday, October 24.
ASSIST
Since this is a new classroom, Mrs. Cobrea is building her classroom inventory. If you have any Duplo blocks, wooden puzzles, dolls, manipulative toys, or toys for young kids you'd like to donate, please drop them off at the front office. We have also set up an Amazon Wishlist if you prefer to purchase something new to donate: https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/7sFs512?ref_=wl_share
We so appreciate your help to set up this classroom for success this year!
Volunteers
If you would like to have your picture take for a volunteer badge, please come between 8:45-9:15 on Monday, September 19.
We are in need of 10 volunteers for our K-2 Jog-A-Thon on Friday, September 30 at 10:00 and an additonal 10 volunteers for our G3-5 Jog-A-Thon at 1:00. Please sign up on the Get Movin' website https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/events/6310a5704cfd0/volunteer-jobs or email twincitypta@gmail.com to help!
All volunteers must be cleared through Washington State Patrol background checks. Once HR has completed the background checks and you have been cleared, your name is added to our cleared list. You may contact the office to see if this process is completed. All volunteers must also do the HIB training. This is now available by watching a short video and submitting your agreement electronically.
The following are needed to complete the Volunteer Application:
Volunteer Application (must be completed every two years)
Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Training (must be completed every year)
TCE PTA News
Membership Drive
Our annual membership drive takes place this month and we'd love you to join the TCE PTA. Membership is $12 or two for $20. You can sponsor a staff member or another TCE family. Pay online using https://jointcepta.cheddarup.com
PTA Membership Meeting
Our first PTA Membership meeting will be held on Thursday, October 13 at 4:00 in the library. We will also broadcast the meeting over Zoom. We will be approving our budget and new board, discussing fundraising and planning events, so we look forward to seeing you there!
Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser
Our Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser takes place on Friday, September 30. K-2 students will jog from 10:00-10:30 and grades 3-5 from 1:00-1:45. The Twin City Elementary PTA wants to make this year as FUN as possible for students. Please help us raise funds to purchase individual recess equipment, games for indoor recess, movement break materials, and hands-on learning center materials.
Grocery Outlet Fundraiser
Please save your Grocery Outlet receipts and send them to school with your student. The PTA earns 5% back on all purchases, excluding alcohol. Please make sure the date is intact on the receipt. Thanks!
Counselor Corner
September’s focus is on the character trait of respect. A newsletter came home with your child this week with great information about how to reinforce at home the lessons your child is learning here at school about respect. I will be in classrooms this week to introduce myself to students and help them understand more about the role of a school counselor. I look forward to this precious time with kiddos!
If you have any questions about the school counseling program at TCE, please don’t hesitate to reach out. My email is jschwarze@stanwood.wednet.edu and my extension at school is #2338.
JoAnna Schwarze, Counselor
The Reading Nook
As our teachers and students are building routines, relationships and a classroom culture together, we are learning so much about our students, their abilities and their interests. Just as we are building positive routines and experiences in our school, it is also important for families to develop positive experiences around reading and literacy at home. My goal is to provide information and ideas to help you build positive experiences around literacy with your child. Please check back here weekly to learn more.
Learning About Literacy Together
Last week we learned about Phonological Awareness, which is the umbrella term including all of the sounds in words, and the ability to manipulate them. Today, we wil focus on one component of Phonological Awareness, called Phonemic Awareness.
Phonemic Awareness is the ability to understand and manipulate the sounds, or phonemes, in spoken words. Every word is made up of sounds, also called phonemes. The word cat has 3 individual phonemes: /c/ /a/ /t/. Because letters and letter combinations are designed to represent spoken phonemes, phonemic awareness is essential for reading and writing. Our students learn that a phoneme can be represented by one letter (the /d/ sound in dog is spelled with the letter d), or a group of letters (the long ī sound in night is spelled with the letters igh.) Helping children to listen for the sounds in spoken words can really help them as they learn to read, spell and write.
Some things you can do at home:
Sound Isolation: Ask your child questions like, “what is the first sound you hear in the word kid” (/k/). “What is another word you can think of that starts with the sound /b/?” (banana).
Sound Blending: You can play a game to blend sounds into whole words. You would say: /c/ /r/ /a/ /sh/ and your child says crash.
Sound Segmenting: You can say, tell me all the sounds you hear in the word table. Your child responds /t/ /ā/ /b/ /l/. You can also ask them to count the number of sounds in words (happy has 4 sounds: /h/ /a/ /p/ /ē/).
Sound Addition, Substitution or Deletion: say the word horse, add the sound /s/ to the end (horses), say the word porch take away the /ch/: (pour). Say snap, change /p/ to /g/ (snag).
These kinds of activities can be done in a very short amount of time (less than 3 minutes) and can have a huge impact on your child’s literacy development in the long run. Thank you for reading!
COVID Health Guidelines
The Washington State Department of Health has issued updated COVID-19 health and safety guidance for schools this fall. Following these safety measures reduces the spread of COVID-19 in our school community.
Health and safety requirements for this fall:
Students and staff who show symptoms of COVID-19 are required to stay home, or go home, if they become ill at school. Individuals with COVID-19 symptoms must have a test to rule out COVID-19 before returning to school.
Students, staff, and families seeking testing should contact their schools directly. All COVID-19 testing at school will still require paper or digital consent to be signed or on file.
Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate themselves at home for 5 full calendar days. After day 5, if symptoms improve and they have had no fever for the past 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, students and staff can come back to school.
It is recommended, but not required, that students and staff returning to school after their 5 days of isolation:
wear a well-fitted mask from days 6 to 10, and
remain masked for sports and other extracurricular activities on days 6 to 10.
Students and staff who test positive after 5 days of isolation must stay at home for the full 10-day isolation period.
We will continue to communicate cases and outbreaks to families and staff in our weekly COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard will be updated weekly on Wednesdays. These requirements are in place for all public and private K-12 schools and childcare facilities in Washington state. Schools and childcare facilities are required by state law to follow these guidelines.
Families are encouraged to test as needed at home. Students, staff, and families may access tests at no cost from all of our schools. Additionally, in Washington state, you can receive free self-tests from Say Yes! COVID Test program. Most insurance covers the costs of up to 8 self-tests per individual per month.
COVID-19 vaccinations remain the best protection for everyone against hospitalization and severe disease from COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children 6 months and older. Booster doses are also available for children 5 years and older. You are encouraged to vaccinate your children if they are eligible, in consultation with your healthcare provider.
Contact Us
Jennifer Allen, Principal
Email: tceinfo@stanwood.wednet.edu
Website: https://tce.stanwood.wednet.edu/home
Location: 26211 72nd Avenue Northwest, Stanwood, WA, USA
Phone: 360-629-1270
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwinCityPTA