University Elementary Monthly News
November Newsletter
Principal's Message
Dear University Elementary Families,
I cannot believe it is already November. We have turned our clocks back and with the changing of the seasons comes cold and flu season. Please help your child to remember to wash their hands before eating and to keep their hands away from their mouth, nose and eyes. These are key entry points for viruses. We share so many school tools such as pencils, tape dispensers, scissors, etc. making it important to be mindful of what we touch and the frequency that we touch our mouth, nose and eyes. Here at school we teach our students to cough and sneeze into their elbow rather than their hand. If they can’t help but cough or sneeze into their hand they need to wash immediately.
I want to thank both the teachers and the parents for holding and attending Parent Teacher Conferences. These are such important opportunities for increasing your student’s success factor. The saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” is so true. Research shows time and time again that student academic success is directly related to parent involvement not just with the teacher but with the school community as a whole.
It is my hope that every student from TK to 5th grade understands that coming to school is important, it is their job. We, the educators are expected to educate your student/s so that they, he/she is college and career ready when they graduate from 12th grade. To do this, students must arrive to school before school starts and attend daily, unless they are ill. Parents don’t always realize that 83% of students with chronic tardy and absence rates in TK, Kindergarten and first grade cannot read at grade level by third grade. It is true that we do a lot of relationship building in the early years but we are also setting the stage with reading foundational skills. Every minute of every day counts. Please support your student by making sure they arrive on time ready to learn each and every day.
Building Junk BOTs
Halloween STEM! Student constructed a tower out of tooth picks and marshmallows.
Students were challenged to power a fan along with LED lights as well as include a switch to turn them on and off.
School Rules
Staff and I, along with our Site Council, PTA and ELAC Committee have reviewed and solidified our new and improved school expectation around being Safe-Respectful-Responsible. You will notice that the expectations are directly related to our new social emotional curriculum, TOOL BOX. We have a team that is now working to write explicit lesson plans for each area on the matrix and we are working on poster designs so that we have reminders around our school to help students be successful in supporting the learning environment we expect here at University Elementary. This will be an ongoing project this year and next as we work to create a learning environment that supports positive behavior through positive behavior intervention and supports. We are already seeing great results during school wide assemblies and eating lunch. We are now rolling out walkway and bathroom expectations. I am very excited by this work. Schools that have taken this approach have not only had a decrease in unwanted behaviors but they have also had an increase in student achievement.
PTA Update
Thank you all for supporting PTA through the WALK-A-THON! At the deadline for eligibility of incentive prizes the total amount earned was $7,300.91 and money is still trickling in. We were under our goal amount, $10,000 but very pleased with the earnings. Again, thank you we are extremely grateful for the support of our community.
Have you become a PTA member yet? Why is PTA membership important? By getting involved at your child's school you'll be part of the solution, helping make positive changes. Local PTA's play an important role by supporting building improvements through advocacy and play an important role in fundraising for curriculum-based programs and social events.
Becoming a member shows you are truly interested and invested in our University Elementary Community. You are committed to the ongoing success of our school vision. Many of you, I hope all of you, have enrolled your student at our school in order to provide your student with a hands-on project-based learning environment that is rigorous and relevant. In choosing our school one must understand that this is a community undertaking. The expectation is that you, along with your student, will participate in our community.
PTA Membership is currently at approximately 55%. It is never too late to join but, if we meet the December 12th deadline of 80% I will be grateful to be the recipient of a SLIMING experience at a school-wide assembly. Of course, my dream is 100% membership!
Garden Update
Paint Nite was a success! Our school earned $480 towards garden classes. This fundraiser contributes to the necessary total in order to provide garden classes through May.
Funds continue to trickle in for the garden and we are watching our carrot grow in color, it is posted on the door next to the office. We have reached 58% of the expected funding to allow our garden classes to extend through to May.
Last year our community noted in the April school survey that they valued and supported our garden classes just as much as our students and teachers. If you have not been able to contribute any funding yet, please consider making a donation of any amount so that this meaningful and relevant program does not get cut. $8 a month from November to March would total the $40 donation. $5 a month would total $25. Any amount would be gratefully accepted and extend the length of the program.
Families who are unable to donate please come see me about donating time within our garden and/or Laguna walks. We always need volunteers who can commit to one day a week ranging from two to three hours to assist. This involvement is an alternative way to support our outdoor education.
Students learning the Earth's place in the Universe.
Santa Rosa Symphony Concert at the SSU Green Music Center
Students experimented with spectrograms today as way to visualize sound waves and learn about pitch.
SAVE THE DATE - PBL Maker World
Tuesday, Dec 4, 2018, 06:00 PM
Sonoma State University, California, USA 3rd Floor Ballroom
University Elementary
Website: https://uelf.crpusd.org/
Location: 8511 Liman Way, Rohnert Park, CA, USA
Phone: 707-792-4840