COUGAR COURIER
April 18th, 2019
From the desk of Principal Ruiz
In honor of the Good Friday holiday, there will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, April 19th. We look forward to seeing our scholars back on Monday, April 22nd. We wish our families and scholars an enjoyable holiday weekend.
Be sure to ask our Kindergarten scholars about their "Egg-periments" in science this week. The Kindergarten scholars tested the strength of an egg by trying to break it with their bare hands. They even asked our guest from Ireland to help! The scholars made an egg float in water and put an egg in a narrow necked bottle . The class watched as the bottle sucked up the egg as the egg fell into the second bottle. The scholars also learned how to tell the difference between raw eggs and hard-boiled eggs. Be sure to let your Kindergarten scholars share their egg-citing love for Science!
Did you know that our 1st grade scholars earned their doctorate this week? Each of the scholars spent time at the "Contraction Hospital" learning the proper way to dissect and analyze two words that can be used to create one word. Be sure to ask our scholars about their work in the surgical center this week!
Students from Ireland, in their third year of elementary education, visited CIA this week. The Irish visited Kindergarten, 3rd grade, and 6th grade. Music, language, sports, and dance from Ireland were included in the presentations. Our 6th graders wanted the Irish to experience a true United States moment and taught them the Cha-Cha Slide!
Our 7th grade scholars attended Manufacturing day to explore potential career opportunities for the future. It is never to early to invest in the conversation about how the next generation will use their time and talents.
Malik Davis, an 8th grade scholar at CIA, wrote the lyrics, music, played the piano, drums, saxophone, and sang the vocals to create The Genius of CIA, shared in this week's edition of the Cougar Courier. Be sure to listen to the musical production, produced by Mr. Gish.
This week Mr. Gish, our Digital Integration Specialist (DIS), and Mrs. Schena, our Kindergarten teacher, were nominated at the Teacher of the Year ceremony. Congratulations to Ms. Schena for being in the top ten in the South Bend School Corporation.
Dr. McCormick, Indiana's State Superintendent, presented to the St. Joseph County at Adams High School this past Monday evening. Her compelling message about needing community support for schools can be found on the IDOE website for those that missed this opportunity to hear the compelling call for help.
Be sure to check out the free LaCrosse and Soccer clinics and opportunity for free bowling this summer. South Bend has many exciting opportunities for our scholars to stay active after school and throughout the summer. Be sure to see the flyers included in this week's newsletter for more details.
Be sure to check out the Great Day at CIA video performed by our very own Cougar Cast! You will not want to miss this way to "view" CIA. Click the link below...
Have a wonderful weekend - as always, it is a great day to be a Cougar!
Serving with scholars in mind,
Ms. Angela Ruiz, Ph.D. Candidate, Ed.S.
8th Grade Trip!
We are thrilled to announce our 8th grade field trip to Chicago! The scholars will be leaving Wednesday morning, May 22nd for Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. This event filled day will include a day at the amusement park and the evening at Dave and Busters for dinner and games. The evening concludes at the Chicago O’Hare Marriott Hotel. The following day, the scholars will visit Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Once the game is over we will make the journey back to Clay International Academy.
Wednesday, May 22nd
Six Flags Great America
Dave and Busters
Overnight Hotel Stay
Thursday, May 23rd
Chicago Cubs Game at Wrigley Field
If you have any questions please email Mr. Summers.
INTEGRITY award recipients!
CIA continues to reward scholars through the Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) plan. In March, our team introduced and taught the second of the five consist school-wide expectations. The CIA staff was dedicated to identifying scholars that consistently display attributes of INTEGRITY to be the award recipients. As challenging as the task is to identify only one scholar from each class, the following scholars were identified: Robert Armentrout, Olivia Wilfing, Anna Tucker, Tiffany Newcomer, Joseph Fox, Josiah Gustine, Riley Burgett, Christian Davis, Braydin Michalski, Kaila Yohn, Korbin Hughes, Shayla Alexander, Morgan Roach, Anna Tucker, Riley Dishong, Eli Bouskill, and Olivia Smith. Congratulations to the scholars for consistently displaying INTEGRITY; we celebrate you! During the month of April, team CIA will introduce and teach DEDICATION from the P.R.I.D.E acronym.
The Journey of creating the CIA Mission Statement:
The CIA staff presents the Clay International Academy Mission Statement and the steps taken with stakeholders in creating the mission.
In order to craft a statement that best represents our beliefs about educating our scholars, we engaged in several work sessions. First, we listed all the outcomes that would comprise the ultimate purpose of education. We thought about this from the perspectives of teacher, parent and community member. Next, we described the optimal scholar. If we were successful in our purpose, how would we describe our scholars at the end of 8th grade?
Finally, we considered the International Baccalaureate Mission Statement and Learner Profile Attributes: Inquirers, Knowledgeable , Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced and Reflective. We thought about the overlaps in our language and that of the IB. We were also sure to include language that we felt reflected the unique qualities of CIA.
In general, we agreed on the "big ideas," but it took a bit of negotiation to work out the fine details. We reviewed, reflected on, and revised our statement. In the end, our Clay International Academy Mission Statement represents the goals and aspirations we have for our scholars, as well as the mission of the International Baccalaureate. It drives our work everyday at CIA!
Clay International Mission Statement
Clay International Academy aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring lifelong scholars by fostering academic, creative and social skills.
CIA scholars will be:
thoughtful decision-makers who welcome, value, and respect other people and their differences.
engaged in an ever-changing multicultural local environment.
globally-minded citizens who collaborate to create a more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
A Letter to the Principal:
Should we have a therapy dog visit Clay International Academy? The 6th grade scholars are requesting permission to invite Ms. J Matlock’s dog, Zeus, into the 6th grade classrooms at CIA.
Research shows that having a therapy dog in the classroom improves students’ self-esteem.
Having Zeus in our classroom would provide the scholars emotional support by reducing blood pressure, providing physical stimulation and assisting with pain management. This would provide an atmosphere that promotes better attention to school work which results in improved grades and behavior for the scholars.Many schools in the United States have teachers bring in their dogs to offer emotional support for the students and staff. Ms. J Matlock's dog, Zeus, could help scholars with emotional problems and hyperactivity.
As a reward, students would be able to sit next to Zeus, after completing their work. Therefore, having a dog in the classroom would help students remain focused on their work. It has been empirically proven that therapy dogs stimulate memory and problem-solving skills.
These are some of the reason we think think we should have Ms. J. Matlock's dog, Zeus, visit CIA. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Camden, 6th grade scholar
Indiana Fever!
My name is Jamie Ingram and I am the Director of Operations for Butler Women’s Basketball. I am reaching out to invite your students and their families to a once in a lifetime experience. Coach Kurt Godlevske, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Butler University has been working very hard to continue to grow women’s basketball here in Indiana. Coach G recognizes the best way for the sport to grow is for all of us to work together. He has built a relationship with The Indiana Fever to offer you this awesome opportunity. Please feel free to pass this email and flier on. I greatly appreciate your help spreading the word. We want to make sure that every child has an opportunity to enjoy this awesome experience.
Click here to register for this once in a lifetime experience-D1 Coaching on WNBA courts. Bring your family and friends to watch you train and cheer on The Fever at the game.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Hope to see you and your students at the camp.
Jamie Ingram
Reading Appreciation Month Challenge:
More than 40 PYP scholars from CIA returned their reading calendar totaling 19,665 minutes read throughout the month of March. Way to go Cougars! We applaud your love for literacy.
Girls' Track Schedule
April 17
Dickinson, Clay @ LaSalle
April 22
LaSalle, Jefferson @ Clay
April 29
Jackson, Clay @ Edison
May 1
Navarre, Jefferson @ Clay
May 13
City Finals for Girls @ Clay High School
Boys' Track Schedule
April 17
Clay, LaSalle @ Dickinson
April 22
Navarre, Clay @ LaSalle
April 29
LaSalle, Edison @ Clay
May 1
Clay, Jefferson @ Navarre
May 15
City Finals for Boys @ Clay High School
Baseball and Softball Schedule
Thursday April 18
Jackson @ Clay
Tuesday April 23
LaSalle at Clay
Thursday April 25
Clay @ Edison
Tuesday April 30
Clay @ Navarre
Thursday May 2
Clay @ Jefferson
Tuesday May 7
Clay @ Dickinson
Tuesday May 14
Clay @ Jackson
Thursday May 16
Clay @ LaSalle
Tuesday May 21
Edison @ Clay
Thursday May 23
Navarre @ Clay
Playoffs
May 28 - Top 4 teams in playoffs
May 30 - Championship game
Best record hosts
Battle Club News:
Free Bowling all Summer Long!
ILEARN Assessment for 3rd - 8th Grade Scholars
Frequently asked questions:
Is ILEARN different from ISTEP+, or will it be the same test with a new name?
ILEARN is fundamentally different from ISTEP+. ILEARN is being developed to align to new blueprints and new item specifications. Educator committees will also recommend new proficiency levels and cut scores that will inform how student results are reported.
What standards will ILEARN measure?
ILEARN measures all Indiana Academic Standards, including content literacy and media literacy standards on the English/Language Arts assessments, process standards on the Mathematics assessments, and the new computer science standards on the Science assessment.
How will ILEARN be delivered?
ILEARN is a computer-adaptive test (CAT) for Mathematics and English/Language Arts. CATs individualize the test for students based on their responses to previous questions or sets of questions. This allows for a unique assessment experience for students at their level of mastery, resulting in more precise data outcomes. Science assessments will be an online fixed form assessment for Spring 2019, transitioning to computer adaptive as the item bank increases. Social Studies is an online fixed form assessment.
All Things Student Council (STCO) - Aspiring to Inspire
This summer one of my students, Kyler Misiewicz, has the opportunity to attend the NubAbility summer camp for other youth who are just like him. In order to help he and his family raise the needed funds to attend, Student Council (STCO) will be supporting Kyler and his family. We plan on holding a special “NUT” day in his honor on Thursday, April 18th. Each student who donates a $1.00 will receive a piece of candy. The family is quite excited and stated, “We hope C.I.A. can help us help kids missing limbs to," get out of the stands, off the bench, and into the game." We hope you will join us in supporting Kyler and his family!
Parent Teacher Student Committee News:
We look forward to seeing you there!
Gather your Box Tops to raise money for CIA
BoxTops, BoxTops, BoxTops! Keep clipping those BoxTops! Better yet, download the app! Thank you for showing your Cougar Pride and sending them in because the result was $75.00 raised for CIA so far this year!
NUT day, Friday, April 26th
All funds raised will help our Positive Behavior program at CIA.
Swoop & Stu’s Reading Club Tickets
Attention to all scholar’s who earned their free ticket to the SB Cubs game: You must be accompanied by an adult to the game. Luckily, we are collecting the money for those tickets. Please let your teachers know if you will be attending the game, and who will be going with you by no later than Monday, April 15th. ALSO, make sure you bring in $10.00 cash for each person attending with you, as that is the price for the discounted tickets.
CIA is signed up for a reserved group of tickets on the date of Friday, May 24th @ 7:35. In case you were wondering, yes, there will be fireworks!
Ronald McDonald House:
STCO is now collecting pop tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House of Michiana. Please send in tabs from cans and send them in to CIA with your student. Student Council students will collect and then donate them to this very worthy charity each year in May.
Principal Ruiz
Email: aruiz@sbcsc.k12.in.us
Website: http://clayintermediate.sb.school/home
Location: 52900 Lily Road, South Bend, IN, USA
Phone: 574-393-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClayInternationalAcademy/?hc_ref=ARSPi9IBwtzl5EJdceUcqxSSyItIHbU4cIAKX3ZtMeCZAoKpGJMFSGRmc0FRNLyfIJ0&fref=tag
Twitter: @cia_cougars