STAR GAZER GAZETTE
November 2022 Star Lake Newsletter
Greetings Star Lake Families,
October has been a busy and productive month here at Star Lake! All of our students in grades 1-5 have completed the iReady diagnostic assessment in reading and math. This sets the level for students’ mypath lessons so that they are working on “just right” skills. Students have an opportunity during the school day to access mypath lessons, and you can always access them from home as well. Students in grades K-5 have all had their reading leveled in IRLA, and kindergarters have been taking WAkids assessments. Phew! All of this assessment data gives our teachers prime information about students’ areas of strength and growth and help us to determine interventions and extensions.
READ, READ, READ! Now that our students have been leveled in IRLA they each should be bringing home books to read EVERY DAY. Students who read 30 minutes a day will encounter 13.8 million words by graduation! And all those words lead to higher comprehension of new text because students are exposed to a huge variety of topics and vocabulary. Please help your child find a good place to read at home, and someone to read to…it can be a parent, a sibling, a grandparent, even a stuffed animal! I am excited to see the growth our students make as readers this year!
Here are some important details and events coming up:
1. Student led conferences are next week November 9th and 10th. Teachers need to meet with EVERY family, and are excited to talk about your child’s progress with you! Please follow the link your child’s teacher sent you via email to sign up for a conference time. We are highly encouraging families to come to face to face conferences, so your child can share their work, their classroom and their goals with you in person. If you are unable to come to the school, we are also offering zoom conferences. Please reach out to your child’s teacher with questions.
2. And, don’t forget on conference days to go visit Mr. Garcia, Mr. Mullins, and Ms. Nelson, they will be in their classrooms 7-7 on Wednesday and 8-11 on Thursday.
Please be sure to take a look at our school calendar as we have a number of early dismissals and non-school days in November. I wish your family a healthy November, and if you celebrate, a Happy Thanksgiving!
Best Regards,
Kris Rennie, principal
253-045-4007
Mark Your Calendars
NOVEMBER
7 - Drama Cast & Crew Announced
9-10 - NO SCHOOL - Scholar-Led Conferences
11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
14 - Drama Practices Begin - pick up at 5:00
16 - Early Release - School ends at 1:35
16 - Picture Retake Day
18 - Sports Spirit Day - Popcorn sold at lunch
22 - Coffee With The Principal - 3:30-4:30
23 - Early Dismissal - School ends at 1:05
24-25 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
30 - Early Release - School ends at 1:35
DECEMBER
8 - Meet With The Principal - 6:30pm on Zoom
14 - Early Release - School ends at 1:35
16 - Holiday Wear Spirit Day - Smencils & Popcorn sold at lunch
19-Jan 2 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break
Scholar-Led Conferences November 9th & 10th
Teachers will be sending home times they are available to meet with you. Please set aside time on Nov 9th or 10th to meet with them. We want to meet ALL our parents!
There is NO SCHOOL on these days.
Disney Musicals in Schools
This spring, we will be putting on a live production of Aladdin Kids. Auditions for the play were held on November 3rd and our cast and crew will be announced on Monday, November 7th.
Our first practice will be on Monday, November 14th and we will continue to have practices on Mondays and Thursdays after school 3:15-5:00. There is no school transportation available so all students will need to be picked up by a parent at 5:00pm.
Drama Wish List:
Aladdin-themed Halloween costumes (check after holiday sales)
White sheets that can be painted for backdrops
Genie Lamp
Fake gold coins/jewels for cave of wonders
Gold costume jewelry or gold belts
Bright colored scarves
Gift cards to JoAnn’s, Walmart, Michaels, etc to purchase the following items:
T-shirts, costumes, fabric, set materials
Snacks (qty 50) Prefer packaged in individual serving sizes (granola bars, fruit snacks, animal crackers, goldfish, etc) - NO candy or homemade items
Volunteers needed for:
Sewing costumes
Building/painting sets
Help at rehearsal practicing lines
If you are able to help with any of these items, please contact Mrs. Rieger at drieger@fwps.org or 253-945-4001. Thank you!! Your help is much appreciated!
Multi-Service Center's Holiday Schedule:
November Is Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month, or as it is commonly referred to, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. Star Lake Elementary sits on the ancestral land of the Muckleshoot people. They lived in villages here before settlement. The Muckleshoot people are still here today, alive and strong!
It’s time to celebrate the rich histories, diverse cultures and important contributions of our nation’s first people. If your family has photos or other items that you would like to have included In our displays, please contact Mrs. Hilderbrand (jhilderbrand@fwps.org), Ms. Nelson (jnelson@fwps.org), or Mrs. Williams (tiwillia@fwps.org).
Coffee With The Principal
Parents, please join us Tuesday, November 22nd, at 3:30-4:30 for coffee & treats. This is your chance to get updates on how our schools year is progressing, as well as upcoming events. Bring any questions you may have for Mrs. Rennie.
Picture Retakes November 16th
Birthday Celebrations
Library Learning
This week of November 1 through 4, Star Lake’s very first ofrenda was on display for Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead. The hallway outside the library was decorated with paper garlands in bright colors, paper skulls, butterflies and students made paper marigolds. Staff and students added photos of passed loved ones. This holiday started in Mexico and is celebrated in USA and Hispanic countries. A book display of library books on Day of the Dead were highlighted.
Later this month, third, fourth and fifth graders will learn all about this year’s Battle of the Book titles by watching book trailers and listening to book summaries. Star Lake students will sign up on Battle teams in January. The Battle books make great birthday and Christmas presents for students. Here’s the list of the 2023 Battle of the Books titles:
* Accidental Trouble Magnet IRLA: Black level
* Anti/Hero, level 3.0
*The Barren Grounds IRLA: Orange level
*The Candy Caper, level 3.6
* Clean Getaway IRLA: Orange level
* The Fuzzy Apocalypse IRLA: Black level
*The Magic Misfits IRLA: Black level
*Midnight at the Barclay Hotel IRLA: Black level
* We're Not from Here IRLA: Purple level
*Weird Little Robots, Level 4.2
*When Stars Are Scattered IRLA: Orange level
* When You Trap a Tiger IRLA: Orange level
Counselor's Corner
During the last week in October, our district has been delivering the Bullying Prevention social-emotional curriculum from the Second Step program. This will further help our school be a safe and respectful place where everyone can learn. In the lessons, your child has learned specific skills to help stop bullying. Students have learned how to:
· Recognize when bullying is happening
· Report bullying to a caring adult
· Refuse to let bullying happen to themselves or others
· Be a bystander (upstander) who stands up and is part of the solution to bullying
Bullying contains four major elements:
- It is mean or hurtful on purpose. (It was not an accident.)
- You cannot make it stop on your own. (It keeps happening.)
- It is unfair. (Making fun of you for things you can’t control.)
- It is one-sided. (You are not engaging the bully.)
For bullying prevention to work, everyone needs to be involved. That means we need your help too! Please let us know if you hear about bullying at our school, and make sure your child knows to tell you or someone at school if he or she is being bullied. Also, please give your child the clear message that it is never okay to bully others.
If you have any questions about the Bullying Prevention Unit or the Second Step program, please contact me. Thank you for helping us make our school a safe, respectful place where everyone can learn.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Williams
School Counselor
(253) 945-4005
Nurses News:
Hearing and vision screening occurred on October 28th. If your child did not pass the vision screening, you will get a referral letter asking your child to be seen by an optometrist specializing in vision, not your child’s family doctor, because they don’t have the tools needed to see inside the eye. An optometrist/vision doctor will be able to do a complete exam and make a good diagnosis.
For those students who did not pass their hearing screening an additional hearing screening will take place within the next two months. A referral letter will be sent home following failure of the second screening. Those students may follow up with their family doctor as their doctor is able to visually inspect the ear canal, screen hearing and determine if medical management is necessary.
Illnesses are up in the District with reports of RSV, influenza, Covid, vomiting and diarrhea. Please encourage your child to wash their hands at school and please keep them home when they don’t feel well.
For Free Covid Vaccine Clinic options, go to: https://www.fwps.org/Page/8337
If you have questions regarding vision screening, please contact Becky Dorsett 253-945-4047. Questions about hearing screening: Katherine Hinkle 253-945-4014.
PBIS: SAFE, KIND AND PRODUCTIVE!
Attendance Update
At Star Lake our school attendance team meets twice a month to review our overall attendance data as a whole and by individual scholar as needed. Our attendance patterns so far this year are trending strong. Our overall average daily attendance rate is 92% meaning 92 out of 100 scholars are at school on average each day. Below is our breakdown by day of the week.
As a way to celebrate our attendance, during each month, scholars who have perfect attendance for the month receive a bonus Star Lake Way ticket worth 10 tickets to spend at our Eagle Mart. Perfect attendance means, no absences, tardy days or early pickups. Each month starts new, so if a scholar misses one day in October, it won’t affect them earning the bonus for November. In September, 96 scholars earned the bonus ticket, and in October, 92.
Let’s go Eagles! Every Day Counts and Every Day Matters.
Does Your Scholar Need Extra Support Academically?
We are happy to announce the FREE availability of Tutor.com for all scholars in grades 4-12. For your scholar's success, Tutor.com will:
· Provide one-to-one FREE tutoring help
· Provide access to SAT and PSAT prep
· Available 24/7
· Scholars may access through Launchpad to Learning
For more information and to access this vital service go to: https://www.fwps.org/Page/8221. It will also be explained in various languages.
Mentor & Me Program
Make a different in a young person's life: Become a Mentor.
Federal Way Public Schools invites community members to be a mentor for the 2022-23 school year!
Mentors nurture, advocate, support, and share the responsibility to ensure their scholars have multiple opportunities to set and meet goals.
To learn more, click here to provide your contact information.
Before and After School Childcare
With Right At School, there are:
- Childcare options, including before and/or after school for K-5 students starting September 6, 2022, between 6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Locations at all elementary and K-8 sites.
- Flexibility to build a schedule for 3 or 5 days and parts of the day when families need care.
- A monthly billing option and they accept state subsidies.
- FWPS district subsidized rates
To register, visit https://www.rightatschool.com/program-finder/ or call 1-855-287-2466.
PTA Updates
Star Lake Parents and Guardians,
Thank you everyone who came out to our first restaurant fundraiser night at Chipolte. We made $279.39!
Mark your calendars for the next restaurant fundraiser: Panera - November 17th at Kent Station all day.
It's membership time! We would love for you to join the Star Lake PTA community! No volunteering is required, but is a plus if you are interested. The membership comes with lots of discounts for rental cars, hotels, and theme parks including Great Wolf Lodge! Get an application from the front desk or apply online at: https://starlakepta.memberplanet.com/Membership.html
Our next PTA meeting will be on Wednesday November 30th at 6 pm in the school library. We hope to see you there. We will be discussing fundraising ideas, book vending machine, and much more.
Star Lake PTA is looking for volunteers to help with Reflections art contest, Popcorn Fridays, and Book Fair!
If you are interested please email us at starlakepta@gmail.com
PTA SPIRIT DAYS:
November 18th- Sports Day
December 16th- Holiday Wear * We will be selling smencils and popcorn
Join our Facebook page to keep up with the Star Lake PTA 9.4.55: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StarLakeElementary
* Remember that a successful PTA needs your participation. We appreciate your support! If you have any questions, please email us at: starlakepta@gmail.com
Staff List:
Volunteer Applications:
Star Lake Elementary
Email: comments@fwps.org
Website: https://www.fwps.org/starlake
Location: 26812B 40th Ave S , Kent, WA, USA
Phone: 253-945-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarLakeFWPS