Principal's Post
Today marks the 100th day of school for this year. This is a very big deal for our TK and Kindergarten students, and they participated in lots of fun centers to celebrate being 100 days smarter. Fun fact: it's also the 1000th cumulative day of school for 5th grade students. In case you are wondering about the math... 180 school days each year for K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th plus 100 days so far this year adds up to 1000. It's fun to think about how much they have learned and grown in that time.
On February 8th, we are hosting our Family STEM night. We had a great turnout for our Family Literacy Night in the fall. This event will be similar, but all the activities will be about STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math). Plus, there will be an art activity for families to create a family charter. Charters are a key tool of the RULER approach to social-emotional learning. A charter is an agreement we make to act in ways that help us to feel the way we want to feel in our school or in this case at home. Everyone has a voice in creating a charter and everyone has a responsibility to uphold it. Our school Counselor and Behavior Specialist will be facilitating this activity. I hope to see you there!
Keep being awesome!
Principal Estrada
#growwithgratitude
 |  |  |
TK Fashion Show Students dressed in crazy, creative t-shirts with 100 items attached. | I Can Count to 100 Students practiced counting to 100 and fine motor skills by stringing 100 fruit loops. | 100 Cup Challenge Students attempted building the tallest tower possible with 100 cups. |
TK Fashion Show
I Can Count to 100
100 Cup Challenge
Spotlight on Safety - GoGuardian App
GoGuardian for Parents, which I mentioned in January's E-notes, is now up and running. This document can help get you started: GoGuardian Parent App Directions in English and Spanish.
Newport El is an "early adopter" of this program which will eventually be expanded to all school sites. NMUSD's EdTech department would love your feedback and questions so that we can help improve the experience for everyone. If you have questions or feedback, please email it to ineedhelp@nmusd.us
If you are looking for additional resources regarding online safety, NMUSD is hosting a virtual parent education session on "Raising Digital Citizens" on February 15th from 6-7pm. You can register for the webinar by visiting https://bit.ly/3ksC3V6.
Shout Out for Fourth Grade
Fourth Graders have been busy working on their writing skills. We continuously practice using a variety of Thinking Maps across curriculum to support students’ critical and creative thinking. We recently applied our skills with thinking maps to construct a visual pattern of the pros and cons of zoos during our research based opinion writing workshop. Students studied multiple sources to gather information and evidence that would support their opinion on whether zoos are helpful or harmful to animals, then wrote a five paragraph essay stating their opinion and correctly citing evidence from the sources. It was amazing to see their final published writing!
In Social Studies we are currently studying the California Missions! Students are learning about the uniqueness of each of the 21 missions. They have been assigned one mission to research and report on its founding, how it was built, Indian tribes that lived in the mission’s area, and the uniqueness of the mission. Next week we will begin reading our favorite California history adventure novel, By the Great Hornspoon by Sid Fleishman, to prepare for our super fun and exciting field trip to Irvine Park at the end of the month where we will experience life as a miner during the 1849 California Gold Rush!!
 |  |  |
Important February Dates
February 3 - Foundation Meeting after Flag Deck
February 8 - Family STEM Night
February 15 - Theater Info Meeting @ 6:30pm
February 17 - Flag Deck @ 8:15
February 20 - 24 - Presidents' Week - No School
February 27 - March 3 - Read Across America Week - flyer with info about themes and special activities coming soon
March 3 - Flag Deck @ 8:15
School Volunteers
All interested volunteers are asked to complete these 3 steps annually:
- Read through the Newport El Volunteer Orientation slide deck.
- Complete the Newport El Volunteer Agreement.
- Complete the district's volunteer approval process.
As always, every teacher utilizes volunteers in different ways. Teachers will be communicating with the approved volunteers from their class about their need for volunteers and scheduling.
Our Office Staff is Here to Help
Main Line: 949-515-6965
Absence Line: 949-515-6832
Attendance and enrollment questions:
Debbie Kandel - dkandel@nmusd.us
Health, medications, and immunizations questions:
Dana Hansen - dhansen@nmusd.us and
Nurse Sarah Hacker - shacker@nmusd.us
All Other Inquiries:
Susi Mendoza - ajimenezmendoza@nmusd.us
 |  |  |
The Point The Point is a weekly communication from Newport El's Foundation and PTA. Sign up to receive weekly email newsletter. | PTA Joining PTA is a great way to get involved and support our school. | Foundation The Newport El Foundation supports enrichment programs that benefit all students. Direct questions to contact@newportelfoundation.org |
The Point
Sign up to receive weekly email newsletter.
Foundation
Direct questions to contact@newportelfoundation.org
