Anchor Weekly
A newsletter for Alta Vista Staff~Week of May 1, 2017
Don't Forget! Next Week's Calendar
- Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week is Monday-Friday! Look out for details on daily treats.
- Mrs. Logan's Birthday is Monday, May 1
- Fifth Grade Science Blitz on Monday, May 1 **Library and computer lab closed**
- Kindergarten Zoo Field Trip on Tuesday, May 2
- Mrs. Helton Starts Leave on Wednesday, May 3
- Faculty Meeting on Wednesday, May 3 **STAAR Training**
- Reading PLCs on Thursday, May 4
- STAR Celebrations on Thursday, May 4
- Summer School Letters (signed by parents) due to Maynard/Boggess on Friday, May 5
- Cinco De Mayo Celebrations (Including Cake Decorating) on Friday, May 5
Coming Up: MORE Safety Drills coming soon; STAAR (5/8-5/10), PK Roundup (5/16), Family Science Night (5/23), Field Day (5/26)
STAR Celebrations
8:30 – 8:55 1st grade
9:00 – 9:25 3rd grade
9:30 – 9:55 5th grade
10:00 – 10:25 2nd grade
1:15 – 1:40 Pre K
1:45 – 2:10 4th grade
2:15 – 2:40 Kinder
Tally sheets for the next S.T.A.R. Celebrations are due Monday, May 1 by 8:00 AM
Reading PLCs
Cinco De Mayo Plans
Cake Decorating (PK-2)-Parents Welcome
8:30-9:00 PreK
9:00-9:30 1st Grade
9:30-10:00 Kindergarten
10:00-10:30 2nd Grade
Pre-Kindergarten
Time: 8 am
Activity: Making a Pinata: A parent will read a book on pinatas. Then the parents and students will create their own pinatas.
Kindergarten Plans
- Time: 2:00
- Activity: Making Maracas: We will read a CInco de Mayo book and parents will help students create their own maracas.
1st Grade Plans
Time: 9:30-10:00 am
Activity: Salsa Taste Test: Students & parents will taste test mild and medium salsa and graph which they prefer. *Optional* Student will create and decorate a sombrero.
2nd Grade Plans
Time: 2:10-3:00 pm
Activity: STEM Project-Make your own mini pinata. Students will design and create their own mini pinata based on criteria, parents are invited to help (Optional Class Potluck)
Cake Decorating Procedures (PK-2)
- Cakes will be delivered Thursday afternoon to the stage by HEB.
- HEB will arrive early Friday morning to set up other supplies on stage.
- Set up for cake decorating will be 8:00-8:30 am.
- Teacher have an envelope with their cake decorating rosters and stickers. The sticker is each student's "ticket" to decorate the cake. No sticker=no cake. Please put stickers on students' shirts BEFORE they come to cafeteria to decorate their cake. When they finish decorating, they will put the sticker on their cake.
- If a student is ABSENT, bring their sticker down with your class so Mrs. Ruiz can set aside a cake and icing for the student to take home on Monday. We do NOT want to have to issue refunds.
- ALL PreK students have cakes paid for.
- Pair up with another teacher in your grade level; one teacher can bring down cake decorators and the other teacher can supervise the students in the classes that are not decorating.
- Teacher should come down to the cafeteria ON TIME at the scheduled time. Because lunches start at 10:50 and we have to clean up, there is not time for running late. Classes may leave the cafeteria as soon as they are done decorating.
- Parents are welcome to attend at their student's designated time. We will NOT be pulling students from upper grade levels to participate with their siblings. We will NOT be selling extra cakes for parents to take home.
Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences
We are highly encouraging you to try student-led conferences. Mrs. Spark is an excellent resource for learning more! At minimum, students should be invited to attend the conference so that they understand their end-of-year progress. Please see Mrs. Logan if you have additional questions.
From the Captain
Don't forget to get your parent conferences for summer school and applications completed and turned in to Ms. Boggess AND Ms. Maynard by Friday, May 5.
Our school safety depends on making sure that our campus is secure; keeping exterior doors and gates closed at all times is critical. We failed our "Intruder Test" on Friday because the intruder was able to get in the building from a propped open door and made it down to the gym with no badge and without being questioned. If you see a door propped open, close it. The person that propped the door open can knock if he/she needs back in. If you see an adult without a badge, please stop them by saying "Hi! How can I help you? Have you signed in at the office yet?" Make sure you tell students to NEVER open doors for adults unless they work at Alta Vista.
RTI Updates
Students in RTI Tier II and Tier III need progress monitoring forms opened and completed in Eduphoria / Aware, including goals and interventions, for the 6th six weeks. Notes on progress towards goals are due at progress reports and end of six weeks for Tier II. Notes on progress towards goals are due every week for Tier III. The classroom teacher is responsible for maintaining RTI forms. Thank you for all your efforts in supporting student success, especially those with identified needs in academics and behavior.
Conscious Discipline Update
Our school commitment for this week is "I will be respectful at recess by using gentle touches."
Next Book Study presented by 5th Grade on Wednesday, May 17. Read Chapter 10...almost done!
MakerSpace
Science Fair!
Ms. Sparks' students will be displaying their learning from a science PBL on trash, so make sure to check out those projects.
Here is the link to my Google Drive folder with lots of resources for science fair. It includes a rubric with expectations for the displayed project and a template that students can use to plan and create their science fair project. Email Mrs. Helton if you have any questions.
Google Drive Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzPtZw5xT-LdTHBCT2VKN2xtRWc?usp=sharing
Summer Professional Development
The link for Region 12 is: https://txr12.escworks.net/ Make sure you create an account/login using your WISD credentials.
Waco ISD has started listing PD in Eduphoria Workshop. You can currently sign up for some of the following opportunities:
- GT Basic 30 Hour Training OR GT Update
- ESL Academy (Highly recommended for all teachers that do not have their certification in order to become certified)
- TEA/Region 12 Math and Reading Academy (You need to sign up in Eduphoria AND through Region 12!)
- Waco ISD ELAR Academy (Gr 3-5)
- Gretchen Bernabei Writing Training
Check back regularly for more updates, including district math training.