DRAGON DISPATCH
Daybreak Primary Family Newsletter - April 7, 2024
PRINCIPAL MESSAGE
Dear Daybreak Primary Families:
We hope you all had a wonderful spring break! After a full week away from school, we’re looking forward to having students back with us this week.
Whenever we return from a break, we always spend some extra time reviewing what it means to wear our Dragon ARMOR. If you could review with your students what ARMOR means and what it looks like at school and at home, we’d really appreciate your support. As a reminder, here’s what it means to wear our Dragon ARMOR:
A = Always safe
R = Responsible
M = Making good choices
O = On task
R = Respectful to all
This month our PurposeFull People character trait is cooperation. When we talk about cooperation across grade levels, we’re defining it as “working together to reach shared goals.” As a family, you could talk about how this definition applies to how you work together at home. What are some goals you share? Throughout the school, students will be developing skills like perspective-taking, conflict resolution, and leadership. Here are some additional questions you might use for conversation at home as students learn about cooperation at school:
What does cooperation mean to you?
Can you name some things you do at school that require cooperating? At home?
Can you share or show what cooperation means?
Why do you think it is important to show Kindness and practice cooperation?
How do you think being good friends or practicing conflict resolution helps us be more cooperative?
Our first Daybreak Primary PTO fundraiser was a great success (more on that below), and we want to thank everyone who organized and participated. In its first year, our PTO is growing! We invite you to attend the group’s next meeting on Tuesday, April 16, if you’d like to learn more or get involved!
Finally, a couple of appreciation opportunities are coming up! The week of April 22-26 we get to celebrate our secretaries (Nicole Hoffman and Tami Dyer - who is currently filling in for Leanna Rudolph) during Administrative Professionals Week. Then in May, from May 6-10, it’s teacher appreciation week! We are so grateful for all of our staff, and we look forward to recognizing them in special ways during the coming weeks.
See you all soon!
Krishna Smith, Principal
Joe Manning, Assistant Principal
THE WEEKS AHEAD
April 16: Daybreak Primary PTO Meeting - Library - 6 pm (doors open at 5:45 pm)
NEWS & REMINDERS
Students i-Ready testing in Grades 1-4 during April
Throughout our first two weeks together in April, our students in Grades 1-4 will be taking their spring i-Ready diagnostic for reading and math. i-Ready, as you recall, is an online program that helps our teachers determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready provides us with data to inform instruction.
As we shared earlier in the year, the i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.
As students get ready for their diagnostic, here are some things we share with them that we’ve loved for you to share at home as well:
Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will get only about half of the questions correct.
Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
Smarter Balanced testing calendar set for Grades 3 & 4
In May, students in Grades 3 and 4 will participate in state testing. Students will take the Smarter Balanced assessments in English Language Arts and Math. Here’s a list of testing dates for each grade so families can plan appointments or time away from school around these important attendance days:
ELA CAT: Wednesday, May 1
ELA Performance Task: Monday, May 6 & Tuesday, May 7
Math CAT: Tuesday, May 14
Math Performance Task: Thursday, May 16
Additional testing information was sent to families of students in Grades 3 & 4 just before spring break. If you have any questions about state testing, please contact Joe Manning, our assistant principal.
PTO Dine-out Night at Burgerville a great success!
Our very first Daybreak Primary PTO fundraiser at Burgerville was an incredible success! Our Daybreak families were showing up nonstop, and Burgerville was completely packed! We had wonderful cheerleaders and sign holders spreading the word outside and awesome helpers inside running food to customers and bussing tables. A HUGE thank you to everyone who attended and supported our school! We were able to raise over $700 to get our Daybreak Primary PTO rolling. This money will help toward our goal of supporting our school, families, and community. Way to go Daybreak families!
Recycled art supplies needed for art classes this month
To celebrate Earth Day (April 22nd), students will be creating 3-D art sculptures in their art classes using recycled materials. Do you have any of the following that you can donate for our recycled art projects?
Paper towel or toilet paper cores
Cereal, oatmeal, or shoe boxes
Egg cartons or styrofoam trays
Old CDs and cases
String, ribbon, yarn, lace, buttons
Cardboard pieces
Plastic tubs and tins
Items can be brought in from April 8th - 30th. Ms. Nelson, our art teacher, thanks you for your support!
Teacher appreciation week to be held May 6-10
We look forward to celebrating our wonderful teachers from May 6 through May 10 as part of National Teacher Appreciation Week. Established in 1984, Teacher Appreciation Week is set aside as a special time to honor the individuals who lend their passion and skills to educating our children. If you wish, feel free to have your child or family offer a sign of appreciation (a note, card, kind words, etc.) for our teachers during that week.
Daybreak participates in monthly safety drills
Our school participates in monthly safety drills, including fire, earthquake, lockdown, and shelter-in-place. Each drill provides us the opportunity to practice procedures, assess problems that develop, and respond in ways that improve our procedures.
In March, we had a fire drill. In April, we will discuss and practice with students our in-building response should an intruder enter one of our buildings. During the classroom discussion, teachers will convey to students that schools are one of the safest places to be, and it is unlikely we will ever need to implement these procedures. But if it becomes necessary, we will do what is needed to keep students safe. Our primary students students will hear the following messages:
During all emergencies, students should listen and follow staff members’ directions.
A staff member may tell you to go someplace other than your desk or classroom.
When the adult is talking, listen very closely and do exactly what they say.
If you have questions, save them until the adult says it is time to answer questions.
If you hear or see anything concerning, please report it immediately to an administrator or staff member.
Preparing our students for in-building safety responses and emergencies is a priority. More information about Battle Ground Public Schools’ emergency practices is on the district website.
After-school basketball opportunity available to Daybreak Primary students
Battle Ground Community Education and QuickStart Sports will offer an after-school basketball program to students in Grades K-4 beginning on Monday, 4/15. For more information and to register, open this QuickStart Sports flyer.
Action requested: Family preferred language
Beginning in fall 2024, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction will require school districts to report a family's preferred language for communication, in addition to the language that they speak at home. Whether your family's language is English or a language other than English, please make a selection in Skyward Family Access following these steps.
Hotspots and bus Wi-Fi to end
This summer, Battle Ground Public Schools will stop receiving federal dollars that allowed us to provide additional support for students during the pandemic. As a result, we will not have the funds to continue lending out hotspots for home use or to maintain Wi-Fi on school buses. These resources will no longer be available starting on June 17. We regret this inconvenience. If you have a district-issued hotspot, please return it to CASEE C by June 17. Learn more.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
Minimizing distractions from cell phone, smart watches, and other devices
Reminder: To minimize distraction while at school, students are expected to keep their cell phones, smartwatches, and other smart devices in their backpacks and powered off during school hours or leave them at home. If there is a medical or social-emotional reason for the device, please contact our school counselor, Mrs. Wallace, so we can discuss next steps. If you need to communicate with your student during school hours, you can call our office at (360)885-6950 and we can relay the message to your student. We understand the convenience of smart device communication, but we need to provide all our students with a focused and non-disruptive learning environment throughout their school day.
Personal toys and playground equipment to remain at home
Reminder: Personal toys are expected to remain at home unless a special in-class opportunity is being provided by your child’s classroom teacher (class sharing opportunity, an earned privilege, etc.). Personal playground equipment (basketballs, footballs, etc.) should also remain at home. These expectations are in place to prevent items from getting lost or damaged during the school day and to keep class time distraction free.
Enroll now for kindergarten next fall
Any child who will be 5 years old by Aug. 31, 2024, is eligible to enroll in kindergarten this fall. Enroll now to make sure your child can attend kindergarten orientation in the spring.
Transitional kindergarten eligibility form available to families
Battle Ground Public Schools also offers Transitional Kindergarten for children who will turn 4 years old by Aug. 31 and meet certain eligibility requirements. Visit our Transitional Kindergarten webpage to learn more about the program and fill out an online eligibility form by Wednesday, June 12. Families will be notified by the end of June regarding their eligibility status.
Enrollment is open for district’s alternative learning experience programs
Battle Ground Public Schools’ specialized and alternative learning experience programs are accepting enrollment applications for the 2024-25 school year. The district offers specialized and alternative programs for students in kindergarten through high school. Learn more about these educational options.
2024-2025 school calendar
The 2024-2025 academic calendar is available for next school year. Here are some of the key dates:
First day of school: Tuesday, Aug. 27
Kindergarten Smart Start begins: Tuesday, Sept. 3
Thanksgiving break: Nov. 27-29
Winter break: Dec. 23, 2024, through Jan. 3, 2025
Spring break: Monday, March 31, through Friday, April 4
Last day of school: Tuesday, June 10 (assuming no added days for weather-related closures)
NOTE: Additional in-service dates may be added following approval from the state superintendent’s office. Russian and Spanish-language versions will be released soon.
Questions about curriculum?
We value partnerships with parents and guardians, and believe in working together to provide a quality education for each student. If you have questions about teaching or learning materials, please contact us at school. We are happy to share information regarding what your child is learning. Thank you for your collaboration.
New digital school menus
Sodexo, the district’s food services provider, is excited to announce that they are transitioning their menu system to Nutrislice. This switch will provide an enhanced user experience, better navigation, filters for dietary and allergen restrictions, language options and much more. Check out the Nutrislice menus.
FirstView app makes it easy to see where your student’s bus is
The FirstView bus tracking app from First Student is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store for parents looking to stay in the know about bus arrival and departure times, delays, schedule changes and more. Instructions for installing and using the app are available in English, Spanish and Russian. The district code to use the app is LWKL.
Report incidents anonymously with SafeSchools
Please report bullying, intimidation, harassment, threats and safety concerns using our anonymous reporting system. Reporters can remain anonymous. Emergencies should always be reported to 911. Learn more about emergency procedures and safety protocols.
Russian, Ukrainian, and Spanish translation and interpretation services
Услуги по устному и письменному переводу на русский и украинский языки 360-885-5433
Servicios de Traducción e Interpretación en Español 360-885-5431
Employee Recognition Award
Do you know an amazing staff member? The new Employee Recognition Awards will highlight staff members who reflect the district’s strategic plan goals. Three nominees will be selected each month and recognized at a board meeting. Everyone is welcome to submit a nomination.
Looking for something to do?
Be sure to check out our Community Events page for fun ideas of things to do throughout the local community.
QUICK LINKS
ABOUT US
Daybreak Primary School Mission:
We will encourage students to strive for personal success and to enjoy learning. We will challenge them to believe in themselves as individuals in a safe and nurturing environment.
Email: info.dbp@battlegroundps.org
Website: https://dbs.battlegroundps.org/
Location: 1900 Northwest 20th Avenue, Battle Ground, WA, USA
Phone: 360-885-6950
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daybreakdragons/
BGPS Non-Discrimination Statement:
The Battle Ground Public Schools provides equal opportunity in programs and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin/language, creed/religion, sex, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, HIV/Hepatitis C status. The district provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Contact the following regarding questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Tom Adams, Director of Student Services, adams.tom@battlegroundps.org, Title IX Compliance Officer, 360.885.5415; Michelle Reinhardt, Executive Director of Human Resources, reinhardt.michelle@battlegroundps.org, Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator/Section 504/ADA Coordinator, 360.885.5481; or a letter may be submitted to the designated coordinator at the Battle Ground Public Schools, PO Box 200, Battle Ground, WA 98604