Chief Joseph School Newsletter
We love our students, staff and families!
CHIEF JOSEPH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, February 2022
Phone (208) 350-4200
Absence Reporting Line (208) 350-4201
Gretchen Hart, Principal
Kym Everman, Head Secretary
MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL, MRS HART
Dear Chief Joseph Families,
Thank you for helping your children participate in the districtwide ‘Remote Access Capacity’ test in mid-January – results helped us determine which of our students could access Microsoft Teams or SeeSaw and who needed additional support. While in-person learning is always our preference, we also want our students able to access Teams or SeeSaw from home as needed. Thanks, too, for sending charged devices to school each day!
If haven’t yet, please make sure you check out your child’s grades and progress on PowerSchool and then celebrate their growth! All West Ada elementary schools use standards-based grading to assess students; this link gives more info:
https://www.westada.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=245348&dataid=242013&FileName=WASD Elem Parent Guide final.pdf
Ensuring that your children get to bed on time on school nights, so that they’re well-rested and ready for each day, is noticed and appreciated! Thanks, too, for continuing to read at home; making reading time a family routine is ideal. Reading also helps kids develop stamina, a skill that relates to their ability to focus and complete schoolwork.
In our kindergarten through third grade classes especially, fluency is still a priority. Reading with accuracy and enough speed to understand the text takes practice; students always benefit from reading with someone at home. All K-3 students recently took the Winter iStation/IRI (Idaho Reading Indicator); your child’s results will be shared soon, if haven’t yet. Our teachers and instructional coach can give you tips to improve your child’s fluency and comprehension – just ask.
Last but not least, we love when our students are on time for the 9:05 (9:20 on Wed) start to the school day! Arriving on time makes such a difference in children’s mindset and success!
Wishing everyone well!
Mrs Hart, Principal
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Mon, Feb 14 - Valentines Day...school IS in session! Know that your children are LOVED here at Chief Joseph!
Mon, Feb 21- President's Day, No School for Students/Staff
Fri, Feb 25 - Staff Collaboration Day, No School for Students
First Semester Grades
First semester grades are now available for viewing through PowerSchool. Use the PowerSchool app or the web-based version through an internet browser. Once in PS, click on the 'Standards' tab to see your child's grades!
Thank you for having a conversation with your child about progress made, and goals for further learning and improvement...we are proud of our students' growth and hard work!
Please talk with your child's teacher if you have questions. Additional resources about grading and reporting are available on the West Ada webpage, under the 'Parents and Students' tab.
Welcome New Staff
They join the others on our amazing school safety team - Heather Robinson, Annie Adamson, Karen Biles, Jill Gabica, Misty Strong, Quinn Trakel, Megan Case, Kristen Johnson, Deanna Stockham, Robin Slagel, and Jen Golen - who help our school operate safely and smoothly! If you spot them on our playground or crosswalks, please let them know how much they're appreciated!
Lost and Found - please check!
Items unclaimed by spring break will be donated to charity.
Volunteers Welcome!
If in the classroom, please review the Volunteer Guidelines on the district site: Volunteering / Volunteer Guidlines (westada.org) and sign and return the final page to our main office before volunteering begins.
If no classroom opportunities but still hoping to volunteer in person, please contact our main office (#350-4200) - volunteers who'd like to help in our library or lunchroom are also welcome!!
Health Office Reminders
Quick reminders from Nurse Tara Cole and Health Tech Kim Paige in our Chief Jo Health Office:
- Keep children at home if ill.
- Update PowerSchool with current phone #s and emails.
- Health Office staff will do their best to address injuries/illness that take place during the school day; please do not send your child to our school Health Office for injuries or illness that occurred outside of school.
End of the day messages
The courtesy practice of relaying “End of Day” messages to students is intended for emergency situations only. Please be sure your child knows his/her “go-home” plans BEFORE leaving home in the morning; that helps our office staff and helps prevents classtime interruptions.
Thank you for making sure your children know what they are to do at dismissal time!
Updating your email address
The vast majority of our school-to-home communication is done via email. Please make sure our office has your current email address(es).
It is also vital that we always have your current phone number(s) on file.
It's best to update student information via your Powerschool parent account every spring, or whenever there is a change in contact information. If you don’t remember the username or password for your parent account, please contact our school office.
Shout outs
Sharing positive vibes helps us all, and makes us a stronger, kinder school community!
Meeting Goals
All of our students set learning goals and work with their teachers to meet them.
We celebrate goals met, post descriptions of them in our hallways, and then move on to our next!
Art News, Mrs Antilla
February will be a LOVELY time in the Art Room!
All classes, K-5, will be creating art for Valentine's Day and the Lunar New Year! 🏮❤️💟
Kinder - All kindergarten classes will learn about Lunar New Year and make a red paper lantern to celebrate. Kdg classes will also create a mixed media painted heart just in time for Valentine's Day!
1st Grade - All 1st grade art classes will learn about Lunar New Year and paint their own fireworks! They'll also be creating a valentine robot with crayons and liquid watercolors!
2nd Grade - All 2nd grade classes will learn about Lunar New Year and make their own painted tiger. They'll also make an oil pastel resist heart for Valentine's Day!
3rd Grade - All 3rd grade classes will enjoy "Light the Candle, Bang the Drum", a children's book about holidays around the world! Third graders will also make a Koi fish (watercolor) scroll painting, and a valentine heart with rainbow lines!
4th Grade - All 4th grade classes will make a painted tiger for Lunar New Year, and a Jim Dine-inspired valentine grid painting for Valentine's Day!
5th Grade - All 5th grade classes will make a detailed drawing of a tiger (for Lunar New Year) and an intricate tissue paper heart for Valentine's Day!
District Art Contest Info
Physical Education News, Mr Schabot
During the first couple of weeks in February, students in Physical Education will be participating in movement activities connected to the Winter Olympic Games. Students will engage in events such as “ice skating,” “freestyle skiing,” “Olympic torch relay,” “bobsledding/luge,” and “cross-country skiing"...not quite what you might see on TV, but great exercise and lots of fun!
At the end of February, our school will kick off its annual Kids Heart Challenge. This optional program is run in conjunction with the American Heart Association, and all money raised helps support their mission of educating people to live heart healthy lifestyles and treatment of people with heart problems. More info will be distributed at the end of February.
Please make sure students are dressed properly for participation in PE - the most important item is safe footwear! Students are highly encouraged to bring refillable water bottles to PE. Though the school's drinking fountains are shut off inside and outside, the water bottle filling portion of the fountains allows for refilling water bottles.
Library News, Mrs Hill
Did you know you can log into the Library Website from home??
Our library system is called Destiny. I have shown students how to locate it on the Chief Joseph school website. Once a student has logged in, they can search for books, put books on hold, and listen to E Books. You can also easily see what books are checked out and when due dates are. Please contact me at hill.heidi@westada.org if I can help, and do keep reading!
Music News, Mrs Pratt
In Music classes, students are learning so much and growing in their music-reading skills - I'm so proud of them!
In Kdg, we're exploring opposites in music such as high and low, fast and slow, and loud and quiet. In Gr 1, we're learning how to create our own rhythms. In Gr 2-5, we're finishing assessments on playing melodies and reading notes! Next, we'll learn about composing our own rhythms and melodies!
Our song of the month for January is "Snow Day." The students are hoping that if they sing it well (and enough times), we may have one of those days! Ask them to sing it to you!
Computer News, Mrs Hedquist
The first week of February, our Computer Lab will be used for ACCESS testing, an important (and state-required) assessment of the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills of our students who are also English learners. We're excited for these hard-working students to show what they know! Computer classes that week will be held in classrooms, giving all students the chance to participate in Typing Club and improve their keyboarding skills!
When the Lab re-opens, we'll talk about healthy media choices and media balance and will then tackle Excel in all grades. We do very simple projects to help students enjoy learning about the functions of Excel!
iReady Math at home
Our goal is that ALL students make progress - ideally, we'd like all to be on grade level (or above!) in their math ability. Even just 20min/week of iReady Math work at home can help boost students' skills!!