Dolphin Parent Connection
May 2020 Volume 5, Issue 9
A Message from the Principal
This week, we are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week. Mrs. Keros and I want to take this opportunity to publicly tell the entire Red Mill staff how much we appreciate their dedication and hard work. We know these past 7 weeks have been unnerving and strange for all of us. Our teachers have worked hard to provide their students with as much normalcy as possible and keep students engaged in learning all while balancing their own family needs and uncertainties. We also want to say great job to all of our parents as you also have been forced to take on some of the teaching load this spring. So Happy Teacher Appreciation to you, as well. Even though I am a professional educator, I personally know it is not easy teaching/tutoring your own child.
This Friday, Red Mill is taking part in OPENPhysEd's National Virtual Field Day. Students are encouraged to complete at least 4 of the suggested activities/games. Don't worry. All the games use basic household items and materials. Below, you will find more specific information from Ms. Parker as well as the specific activity cards. Our students and staff members love Field Day so even though we know this is not the same thing, Ms. Parker wanted to at least provide the students with an alternative. We encourage you to email Ms. Parker pictures and/or post on Social Media. We will highlight pictures in next month's newsletter.
Lastly, I am not sure what happened to the formatting of my weekly check-in email last Friday so I am reposting last week's Student Spotlights below.
Upcoming Events and Important Dates
· Monday, May 4--Friday, May 8th: Teacher Appreciation Week
· Wednesday, April 6th: Nurse Appreciation Day
· Friday, May 8th: OpenPhysEd Virtual Field Day
2019-2020 Yearbooks
Yearbook Presales have closed. Once yearbooks are delivered later this month, parents will be sent pick-up instructions. If you have any questions regarding yearbooks, please reach out to Ms. Knight at morgan.knight@vbschools.com
Click below to see Red Mill Students' Spring Art Work
Click below to see Mr. Cordero's Video Editing Music Creation
SCA Elections and Class Representatives
OPEN National Field Day May 8th
Dear Red Mill Families,
We’re excited to announce that our school community will be participating in the OPEN National Field Day event on Friday, May 8th!
Field Day is an important tradition at our school. It is a significant day for our students and our staff, and we feel that in these incredibly challenging times this national event is a unique way that we can stay connected as a community and support one another in a fun and meaningful way.
OPEN (Online Physical Education Network) is a national public service organization that provides curriculum and training support to more than 90,000 teachers in all 50 states. We will be using their resources and social media network to help us organize our school’s participation in #NationalFieldDay.
All #NationalFieldDay events are designed to be done indoors or outdoors using common household items. You won’t need to purchase any specialized equipment or supplies.
Here’s how it will work:
Our school is now registered as a participant in this event. Families can choose to register as well, but it’s not a requirement.
The event website is www.openphysed.org/nationalfieldday.
You can also find updates via social media using #NationalFieldDay.
Your family will be asked to choose a minimum of 4 events to complete on Field Day. However, you may complete as many events as you’d like to.
From May 3 thru 7, you can follow #NationalFieldDay on social media and watch the Field Day Torch travel across the country in preparation for the main event.
On May 8, our entire school will participate in events, complete an official score card. We would love for you to share photos and videos with your teachers and post on social media using #NationalFieldDay.
Every student that completes at least 4 events will receive an OPEN National Field Day certificate. After the event, your student will submit their scorecard via email to Ashlyn.Parker@vbschools.com.
We are hopeful that your entire family will use the OPEN National Field Day event as a fun and meaningful way to be physically active together and with our entire school community.
Stay well,
Ms. Parker
School Counselor Corner
Greetings from your School Counselors!
We hope that your family is safe and well, and that you are continuing to prioritize self-care. As we continue to remain in close quarters with our loved ones, you may start to notice an increase in some not so lovable feelings and behaviors. While anger, frustration, and acting out are natural and understandable reactions to a very unusual and unexpected situation, they certainly make our current circumstances that much more stressful. We hope you find the below resource helpful in navigating these emotions – be on the lookout for a student lesson regarding self-regulation this month.
Sincerely,
Erin Whitt and Karen Racicot
Online Registration for the 2020-2021 School Year Now Open
PTA News
Red Mill families,
Your PTA wishes you and your family health and strength during these tough times, and we want you to know we will continue to share useful info and helpful ideas on our Facebook page. Behind the scenes, we’re already working on planning events for next school year. We recently met through video conference and are getting ready to turn over to a new board whose members are excited to help Red Mill students however possible. Please keep an eye out for more announcements regarding events and volunteer opportunities for the Summer and Fall.
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8. The PTA would love to show appreciation for our awesome teachers and staff. We will be doing a daily raffle. The winner for each day will be posted on our Facebook page. We also wanted to provide you with some ideas that you can do during the week.
· Have your child make a video saying thank you and email it to your child’s teacher
· Have your child write a thank you note or draw a picture and email it to your child’s teacher
· Have your child write a letter with the "Top 5 Reasons" why he/she loves his/her teacher and email it to your child’s teacher
· Send a free online greeting card from sites like Bluemountain.com
· Send a virtual thank you by going to the website: thankateacherva.com
Poetry Contest:
April was National Poetry Month. The PTA held a contest for the students. We did not receive entries from each of the grade categories, so we chose winners from those who submitted. Congratulations to: Nivan Ramdass, Hayden Dixon, Sonya Dabbs, and Kiley Gilligan!
5th Grade Events: Unfortunately, at this time, we can’t plan these events, but we want you to know we haven’t forgotten about them. We know the end of the school year is a very special time for 5th graders. For the end-of-year celebrations, the PTA normally hosts a social, helps with the crossing over ceremony, and oversees the 5th graders painting their handprints on the school walls. At this time, those happenings are on hold. We will not be doing an organized luncheon at Ocean Breeze on the last day of school as usual, but the PTA hopes that later in the Summer, we can put get the students together for something fun, perhaps an informal meetup at the waterpark.
PTA Executive Board for 2020-2021:
President: Emily Desouza
Vice President: Megan Tereshko
2nd Vice President: Anna Campbell
Secretary: Kimberley Turner
Treasurer: Andrea Swihart
Contact us:
E-mail redmillpta@yahoo.com or go through our Facebook page – Red Mill PTA - with any questions or for the latest updates.
Need Access to Digital Chapter Books?
Mrs. Barrios' Silly Friday Class Meeting
Accessing Resources from Home
Not Receiving Text Messages from the School?
Our records indicate that we still have some families not receiving text messages from the school with important reminders and transportation changes. If you have not received any text messages from Red Mill this school year, you may have not yet Opted in to receive text messages. See below for directions on how to Opt In or Opt Out of text messages.
How do I know if I have Opted-in?
You can check if you are opted-in by texting “Y” or "YES" to 67587.
How do I opt-out?
You may opt-out at any time by texting “STOP” to 67587.
What if I opted-out but later decide I would like to opt-in again?
As long as your child’s school has your text-enabled phone number on record, you may request to begin receiving text messages by texting “Y” or "YES" to 67587. If the school does not have your text-enabled number on record, you will need to contact the school.
Destination Graduation
Students and their parents are encouraged to visit the Academic and Career Planning webpage to view and engage with K-12 career resources, middle and high school academic and career planning documents, and career pathway guides. Likewise, the Destination Graduation site offers students and families grade-level specific information and resources to help students and families navigate the journey from preschool to high school graduation.
Free Access to Virginia Beach Public Library Digital Resources
Did you know that Virginia Beach students have digital access to the Virginia Beach Public Library? Through a partnership between Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) and Virginia Beach Public Library (VBPL), all K-12 students have year-round public library digital access.
Browse for resources using this link VBPL's Digital Library or access the Virginia Beach Public library through Clever. When prompted for a library card or account number, enter the following:
Login: S + VBCPS Student ID number. Example: S1234567
Password or "PIN": Date of birth in MMDD format. Example: a Jan. 1 birthday would be 0101
Details
- Students only need their login and password to access digital resources 24/7. No physical library card is issued.
- Student accounts include public computer access at all VBPL locations except for the TCC/City Joint-Use Library.
- VBCPS accounts expire 30 days after a student graduates or leaves the VBCPS district.
- Access to Hoopla and Newsbank resources is not included in VBCPS student accounts.
- Students may also hold a Youth Library card (with parent signature) to check out physical items from the library.