Alto All Star Gazette
October 1, 2021
School Begins at 8:45 a.m
HALF-DAY DISMISSAL 11:55 a.m. DISMISSAL TIME 3:38 p.m.
24-Hour Attendance Line 987-2625
News from the desk of Principal Papes
Dear Alto Families,
Happy October! It is hard to believe that we are already transitioning to the month of October. September provided a highly successful start to the school year, and we look to continue building on this success!
PBIS Alto All Star Celebration
We celebrated our AWESOME start to the school year with a PBIS celebration today! Students enjoyed an extra recess with popsicles and dance music. It was a perfect day for it. I overheard a 2nd grade student say, “This is the best party ever!” We’re proud of the efforts of our students as they continue to be Alto All Stars (Safe, Thoughtful, Accountable, Respectful).
MAP Reports
Grades 1-5 took the NWEA MAP assessment this fall in the areas of Math and Reading. Our 5th graders also took the Language assessment. A Family Report will be provided next week and Parent/Teacher Conferences provides a great opportunity to understand the report and ask your child’s teacher any questions you may have. The report will provide information regarding your child’s past performance as well. Percentile rankings indicate your child’s achievement and growth in comparison to all students taking the test nationally.
MAP assessments are computer adaptive achievement tests. This means the difficulty of the questions is adjusted throughout the test so that each student essentially completes a unique set of questions based on responses to previous questions. As a student answers correctly, questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. By the end of the test, most students will answer approx. half of the questions correctly. However, the adaptive test will identify each student’s level of achievement (RIT score). The RIT score has the same meaning regardless of a child’s grade level or age. This is very beneficial information that guides instruction for our teachers in the classroom. Furthermore, MAP results provide excellent information to measure student growth over time. 1st-5th grade students will take a Fall and Spring MAP assessment. The results of these assessments are analyzed to measure student progress over time.
M-Step Reports
M-Step reports were sent home at the end of last week for current 4th and 5th grade students. These are the results from the 3rd-5th M-Step last Spring. Please ask your child’s teacher any questions you may have about these assessment results.
Substitute Teachers Needed!
Have you considered being a substitute teacher? We are in need of more substitute teachers at Alto Elementary! Being a substitute teacher is a very flexible position. You can choose what days you want to work and what schools you want to teach in. In fact, we have some substitute teachers who choose only to teach at Alto. No prior experience is required. However, you must have at least 60 credit hours from an accredited community college or university. Please see the attached flier and contact Leslie Flickinger (lflickinger@lowellschools.com) or Paul Papes (ppapes@lowellschools.com) if you are interested.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences are next week. Our teachers are excited for the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress in school. Both virtual and in person conferences have been made available. In accordance with the current mask mandate for our elementary schools, all persons will be required to wear a mask inside the building during in person parent/teacher conferences. Parent/Teacher conferences provide an important opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher to discuss his/her progress in school. Thank you for partnering with us in support of your child!
COVID-19 Mitigating Measures
Thank you for your diligence to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our school. We ask students and staff to stay home and seek a healthcare evaluation when exhibiting any one of the following symptoms: New cough, Loss of taste or smell, Shortness of breath.
We ask students and staff to stay home and seek a healthcare evaluation when exhibiting two or more of the following symptoms: Fever (measured or subjective), Chills, Headache, Extreme Tiredness/Fatigue, Sore Throat, New congestion or Runny nose, Body Aches, Nausea/vomiting or Diarrhea.
If a healthcare evaluation is indicated, a clear alternative diagnosis or negative COVID-19 test will be needed before returning to school. Additionally, not fully vaccinated household members should also stay home until test results or healthcare evaluation results are back.
Kent County Health Department COVID-19 Toolkit for Schools and Childcare
https://www.accesskent.com/Health/CommDisease/pdfs/SchoolChildcareToolkit.pdf
K-12 COVID-19 Symptom and Testing Protocol
https://www.accesskent.com/Health/CommDisease/pdfs/K-12-COVID19-SYMPTOM-TESTING-PROTOCOL.pdf
Have a great weekend!
With Care,
Paul Papes
Principal
Alto Elementary
Lowell Area Schools
PBIS Celebration!
Breakfast and Lunch menu week of 10/04/21
10/04: Mini Cinnis or Apple cinnamon beneFIT bar
10/05: Mini blueberry pancakes or Blueberry muffin
10/06: English egg muffin sandwich or Cocoa Puffs cereal bar
10/07: Strawberry cream cheese bagel or Blueberry muffin
10/08: Apple frudel or Apple cinnamon beneFIT bar
*each breakfast served w/ fresh fruit and choice of milk
Lunch:
10/04: Carolina bird dog or PB&J fun lunch
10/05: Mini turkey corn dogs w/ fries or Cheddar, grapes and cracker snack lunch
10/06: Cheese pizza cruncher or Muffin, goldfish & fun lunch
10/07: Orange chicken stir-fry w/ rice or Nachos fun lunch
10/08: Chicken strips and mozzarella sticks or PB&J fun lunch
*each meal served w/ veggies, fresh fruit and choice of milk
*Breakfasts and lunches continue to be free, however, there is a $0.50 charge for just milk.
Mark your calendar!
10/06: 3K to WWC
10/07: Parent/Teacher Conferences
10/07: 3S and 3W to WWC
10/08: 1G to WWC
Alto Elementary
Website: lowellschools.com
Location: 6150 Bancroft Avenue Southeast, Alto, MI, USA
Phone: 616-987-2600
Facebook: facebook.com/altoelementary