Sipley School Parent Newsletter
Week of April 3, 2017
Time spent with family is worth every second.
Welcome to Quarter 4
2017-2018 Registration
1 - 1 Technology Initiative
From the District Homepage: Woodridge 68 is excited to announce that we will expand the 1:1 Chromebook program to grades 4-6 for the 2017-18 school year! Students will have a Chromebook assigned exclusively to them. At this time the devices will remain at school.
This program expansion is due in part to the success we have seen at the junior high. In January Jefferson rolled out a 1:1 Chromebook initiative for 7th and 8th graders. Nearly 45 minutes of instructional time has been gained back PER DAY. Students take ownership over the devices, and a new after-school Tech Club was established to teach students the technology behind the screen and keyboard and the skills to make minor repairs.
We will also be purchasing additional technology for grades 1-3 (Chromebooks) and kindergarten (iPads). This will bring the technology ratio to about 1:2 for these students.
The expansion of our digital footprint in the district brings additional costs through licensing and repairs. Because of these cost increases, the Board of Education has approved a technology fee, which will be part of the registration fees, beginning with the 2017-18 school year. The fee will be $25 per student in grades K-3 and $40 per student in grades 4-8. Most all other districts have a technology fee to help cover these costs, and ours is one of the lowest.
We are excited for the opportunities this technology will bring to the classroom!
Full Day Kindergarten Meeting Presentation
A Return from Spring Break
PARCC Testing Is Coming Up!
Our students are taking their PARCC tests between the following dates:
Third Grade - April 19 - April 26
Fourth Grade - April 10 - April 19
Fifth Grade - April 19 - April 26
Sixth Grade - April 10 - April 18
Test Make-ups may occur on any day following an absence and on April 27 and April 28.
As a parent I have worked with my own children taking the PARCC practice tests together (even though they practiced at school). This seemed to help them gain comfort with the test. Click the link below for PARCC Practice Tests.
Election Day and School Security
Tardies
Staffing for 2017-2018
Some parents are asking about student placement for 2017-2018. Each year around this time I share information about student placement. We begin by seeking input from parents informing us of which students are returning to Sipley for the 2017-2018 school year. In April we will send home a quick feedback form to determine if your child(ren) is or isn't returning to Sipley School. Our staff will begin placing students into classes in May. Teachers will place students into classes using a clustering process that our district requires of us. Teachers make recommendations of student placement and then send those recommendations to me. I hold on to the recommendations and work from them as we complete registration on July 25th. I may move students following registration. It is very important that parents do not request class placement via of current classroom teachers as there is no guarantee that those requests will be granted. If parents have any information to share regarding class placement, it is imperative that the information is shared with me so that I am aware of the request. Any such request can be sent tome via e-mail (mrozikd@woodridge68.org).
I am pleased to announce our 2017-2018 classroom staffing:
Kindergarten - Mrs. Siran and Mrs. Sheets (Curry)
First Grade - Mrs. Dorsey and Mrs. Jackson
Second Grade - Mrs. Goldman and Mrs. Graves
Third Grade - Mrs. Berger and Mrs. Bradford
Fourth Grade - Mrs. Maris and Mr. Serpe
Fifth Grade - Mr. Ceresa and Mrs. Pyburn
Sixth Grade - Mr. Spear and Mrs. Zei
Important Dates
April 3 - Bring in shirts as part of our STP Saver Donations
April 4 - After School Programming Begins
April 5 - Kindergarten Registration - 3:30 - 7:00 at Sipley
April 5 - 2017-2018 Registration Opens
April 10 - Bring in pants, shorts, or skirts as part of our STP Saver Donations
April 10 - 4th and 6th graders begin PARCC testing
April 13 - Quarter 3 Report Cards Go Home
April 14 - No School
April 17 - Bring in shoes as part of our STP Saver Donations
April 19 - STP Meeting at Sipley at 6:45 p.m.
April 20 - 6th Grade Parent Meeting at JJHS
April 21 - 6th Graders Visit JJHS during the School Day
April 21 - Bring in all clothing for STP Saver Donations - Our goal is at least 500 full bags of clothing!