Eagle's Nest
The official e-newsletter of Corona Elementary
November 2, 2020.
I hope this communication finds you safe, both physically and mentally. There is no doubt that we have had to make numerous adjustments to our way of life and learn how to do things differently so we can continue to improve our situations. It is definitely not easy, but every day we hear stories from our students and parents of resilience and grit to overcome the challenges brought on by COVID-19. One of our challenges is fully engaging our students in Online Learning to continue their academic progress. The end of October marks the official end of the first trimester of the 2020-2021 school year. It is also time for Parent Teacher Conferences and our students’ first report card. As established at the beginning of the school year, we will be using a standards-based report card that will reflect the results of numerous academic tests and assignments. This report card will also reflect attendance, participation and students’ engagement in Online Learning. Teachers have already started posting on Class Dojo their process to schedule conferences that will be held virtually on Zoom during the week of November 16-20. During this conference, your child’s teacher will also give you an update on their progress in Reading, Math and other subject areas. Of most importance is becoming familiar with your child’s Lexile based on the Reading Inventory (RI) and on i-Ready. Your child’s teacher will demonstrate how their Lexile level corresponds to their current grade level and make recommendations on how your student can improve. One recommendation you will hear repeatedly will be to have your child participate in Reading Counts. The Reading Counts program encourages your child to read books independently, take comprehension quizzes based on the book they read, and earn points. The program tracks students’ points and total words read. We update schoolwide word counts weekly on Class Dojo when we share Word Count Wednesday. All of our teachers are promoting the use of free online books from Epic, Follett Shelf and the local libraries. Below you will find a few tips to help you have a successful Parent Teacher Conference:
- Schedule date and time with your child’s teacher as soon as possible to reserve your conference preference. Block this time out in a calendar and set a reminder so that you do not miss your appointment. Rescheduling a missed appointment will be difficult since the teacher would have already scheduled all his/her other students’ conferences.
- We recommend securing a close friend or relative to assist you if you need translation services. Our ongoing demand for translators exceeds the amount we can provide. Appointments that require the teacher to provide a translator will be very limited in time and availability. We would truly appreciate your efforts to secure a translator.
- Be prepared with a pen and paper so that you can capture the main points that will be discussed during the conference. Taking notes will help keep important information, recommendations, and resources in one location to refer to when needed. The district will be mailing copies of reports to all parents through the U.S. mail. Teachers will be using the “share screen” feature of Zoom to show report card and other reports to parents during the conference.
- After the conference, set a plan for ongoing improvement. Set small goals that will lead to changes in behavior that promote positive learning outcomes. Establish rewards and praise along the way to provide motivation and to acknowledge effort and improvement.
Parent Teacher Conferences are designed to give you a summary of your child’s progress for the first trimester of the school year. We hope that our efforts and intentions prompt continued attempts to improve academic progress and the overall well-being of our students and community.
Dr. Sal Flores
Principal, Corona Elementary
News is All in the Family
From his 6th grade classroom at Corona Elementary, Spanish filmmaker-turned-teacher Mr. Vizcarra, set out to try something new. Armed with a camcorder and VHS tapes, Mr. Vizcarra dispatched his team of students to document the events of the school day and deliver the Corona School News. "We would record assemblies, a science project another class was working on, interview the Student of the Month, the basketball coach Mr. Smith..." recalls fondly Ms. Luz Chavez, former Corona student/current Corona parent. Ms. Chavez served as co-anchor along with her friend Mayra Gutierrez, reading her scripted lines off papers her classmates would switch under Mr. Vizcarra's strict and watchful eye. "Every classroom had a TV, the teacher would turn off the lights, and for five minutes we watched the news," she shared.
"I loved my Corona experience, it was 'plain Jane' in those times, but they [teachers] tried their best" said Ms. Chavez, "there was no color [throughout campus] and you didn't have all the things Corona has now." She reminisces about the annual talent show, where students showcased their Backstreet Boys-inspired dance moves, and students would burst into "The Ernie Song" at the first sight of Corona's beloved mascot. Ms. Chavez now happily encourages her daughter, 3rd grader Arianna Mendez, who serves as Eagle News Network anchor for the second iteration of Corona school news. She is thankful for the experience Mr. Vizcarra was able to provide and is thrilled that Arianna is following in her footsteps. Current Eagles can look forward to a blast to the past... "I think I still have some of those old VHS tapes, I'll have to find them."
Reading Counts Update
Corona's total words read: 2,922,402
Students can take Reading Counts! quizzes at home by clicking "Reading Counts Login" tile at omsdstudent.symbaloo.com You can check how many Reading Counts! points your student's books are by checking Book Expert Online. Students can use the CloudLibrary app to read e-books from the Ontario City Library. Click below to sign up for a library card.
In other news, Corona's library is getting a makeover. We've moved the location of the library to be centrally located in preparation for our return to in-person instruction. We have also purchased over 1,400 books which will be available as part of our Grab n' Go library coming soon. Lastly, we also purchased additional new eBook titles which are available for checkout now via GoFollett. Below is a sampling of available titles, all with Reading Counts points.
Drive-Thru SOAR Store Now Open
Corona’s Drive-Thru SOAR Store is open for business. Eagles that have been following our PBIS expectations and earning ClassDojo points can now redeem those points for SOAR store rewards! Students can check out the SOAR Store catalog posted in their Google Classroom. or click below. There are several prizes at different redemption levels to choose from, check out the Google Slides presentation. The Drive Thru SOAR store will be open during lunch 11am to 1pm, scheduled as follows:
11/2...Preschool, TK, and Kindergarten
11/3...1st grade
11/9...2nd & 4th grade
11/10...3rd & 5th grade
Eagle Eye On...
Mr. Eric Valencia
Corona Custodian
I am currently the six hour custodian at Corona Elementary. As a custodian my job is to keep the campus clean for the students and staff. When I was younger I was a student at Corona Elementary from Kindergarten to third grade. I was actually taught by two teachers that are still staff at Corona, Mrs. Hutton and Mr. Smith! The thing I like most about Corona is the staff. Everyone is very kind and willing to have a conversation. I have worked at many other school sites and no other staff can compare to the staff at Corona. The only piece of advice I can give to parents is to make sure that they stay involved in their kids day to day life. Even being present for their most basic day to day activities can make a huge difference. Due to the nature of my job I have very little contact with the students at Corona. Despite that I have observed students employing PBIS when they are respectfully walking to class or to the MPR for lunch. I work at Corona because as I have previously stated I have ties to the school and staff from my childhood. It is a great school to work at and every day is a joy. As for my interests and hobbies, I like to play videogames in my spare time and I also love sports. My two favorite sports are football and soccer. I am a big fan of the Arizona Cardinals football team. For soccer I watch a ton of Liga MX where my favorite team is Chivas from Guadalajara. Before the pandemic I would go play soccer with family and friends every Sunday.
November Calendar of Events
- 2 - Drive-Thru SOAR Store (PK/TK/Kinder) @11am-1pm
- 3 - Drive-Thru SOAR Store (1st Grade) @11am-1pm
- 5 - GATE: TED-Ed Club @12:35pm
- 9 - Drive-Thru SOAR Store (2nd & 4th Grade) @11am-1pm
- 10 - Drive-Thru SOAR Store (3rd & 5th Grade) @11am-1pm
- 11 - HOLIDAY - Veterans Day
- 13 - Fire Drill @1pm
- 13 - Chat with the Principal @2:30pm
- 16-20 - Parent-Teacher Conference Week
- 19 - GATE: TED-Ed Club @12:35pm
- 23-27 - HOLIDAY - Thanksgiving Break
This Month's SEL Theme
SELF-MANAGEMENT: Self-Motivation and Organizational Skills During the month of November, your child’s SEL instruction will dive deeper into Self-Management focusing on self-motivation and organizational skills to help your child set and achieve goals. Students will also learn to use positive self talk to recover from a setback or challenge.
Register for the Ontario 5K Reindeer Run & 1K Dash
Corona families, please plan to join us for the 8th Annual Reindeer Run and Rudolph Dash to support Promise Scholars This event will be VIRTUAL and held on Saturday, Dec. 12th. Take part from the comfort of your home or a local park trail. Our virtual event is a fun way to exercise with family, take a walk around the block with your dog dressed up in a holiday outfit, or jog around the neighborhood to support our students through Promise Scholars.
Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @OntMontPS with photos of you and your family dressed up in holiday gear or your dog friend on the day of the virtual event for chances to win prizes. It is about 6,250 steps to equal a 5K, so plan your route and get on the move. Don’t forget to wear a mask to protect your friends and family and have fun!
For adults the City is doing a $20 5K Run/Walk. To register, link here: http://www.ontario5krun.com/
For students we are doing a $5 1K Dash (link below). There will be prizes drawn from the 1K Rudolph Dash participants and after Dec. 1 students can pick up Dash bibs at their school sites during meal pick-ups. https://bit.ly/34DPgyE
Contact Us
Please note that you must wear a mask and we are implementing COVID-19 safety protocols including temperature checks.
Website: http://corona.omsd.net
Location: 1140 North Corona Avenue, Ontario, CA, USA
Phone: 909-984-6411
Twitter: @Corona_OMSD