Rocketeer Newsletter
Rock Creek Elementary - February 6, 2020
Weekly Newsletter for Rock Creek Elementary School
Rock Creek is a candidate school for
the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
"We empower all students to achieve post-high school success"
Upcoming Events
2/7 PTC Movie Night- (Secret Lives of Pets 2) 6:00 pm
2/11 Tuesday Jump Rope Club (Last Day)
2/12 Wednesday Jump Rope Club (Last Day)
2/14 Valentine's Day Class Parties
2/17 No School- Presidents Day
2/18 No School for Students -Staff Development Day
2/20 3rd grade Field Trip (Neal/Dams)
2/21 3rd Grade Field Trip (Fitz/Hood)
2/24 Final OBOB Battle
2/25 Art Lit Training 7:00 pm (Art Lit Portable)
2/26 Art Lit Training 9:00 am (Art Lit Portable)
Washington County Letter on Flu, Measles and Norovirus
Staff and students need to stay home from school and activities when they are sick to prevent passing the illness to others. School districts follow Washington County Public Health and Oregon Health Authority school exclusion guidelines, which state that a child with flu-like symptoms, vomiting or diarrhea should stay home from school until 24 hours (medication free )after their symptoms have gone away.
Cell Phone, Smart Watch & Electronic Device Policy
As stated in the Rock Creek Parent-Student Handbook, cell phones and other electronic devices such as apple watches, are not to be brought to school. If a student needs a phone for safety, it must be turned off and put away as soon as students arrive at school. If they bring out their phone/apple watch to use during school hours, staff will take it to the office and a parent will need to come pick it up.
News from the library
We have library books that have been discarded out of the library for all different reasons. Some are in rough shape, others haven't been checked out in a very long time, or duplicates of some titles. You may see your student bring some of these home. They will have a discard sticker on them and also be stamped with discard. Our hope is to find new homes for these still good books.
Also January overdue notices are out. Please help your student find these books and return them to the library.
Connie Hilger
Rock Creek LMA
PTC Movie Night - Secret Life of Pets 2
Volunteers are needed. Please sign up on better impact.
Important Attendance Information
Attendance is important! It’s the ticket to your child’s success at school! Research strongly supports the connection between academic achievement and attendance. Regular and punctual attendance in school is essential to a student’s success. Families, schools and community members must work as a team to support school attendance. In elementary schools, parents are key players in reinforcing the habits of good attendance and punctuality.
Thank you for making school attendance a priority. It is extremely important that children begin good attendance habits early in life- starting in kindergarten. Here are just a few of the reasons why your child needs to be in school each day:
- Students need to be in class to learn.
- The teaching/learning process builds on lessons previously taught.
- Lessons usually involve hands-on and teacher facilitated activities that cannot be duplicated with paper and pencil assignments outside of class.
- Students who miss a day of school suffer because that day of instruction cannot be retrieved.
- Students develop the habits of good attendance and punctuality for future careers.
The importance of an education cannot be underestimated. A student who is 10 minutes late every day will miss 30 hours of instruction during the year. Children can make up an assignment, but they can never get back what’s most important: the discussions, the questions, the explanations by the teacher and the thinking that makes learning come alive.
We ask all parents to join with us and make REGULAR ON TIME ATTENDANCE an expectation and SCHOOL a priority each and every day. Schools are responsible for teaching your child, but schools can’t do their job if your child is absent. Learning builds day by day. A child who misses a day of school, misses a day of learning.
Counselor's Corner- Click Link Below
OBOB Information
The top 16 battles will be continuing Tuesday, February 4th through Thursday, February 6th.. Parents are welcome to come and watch.
OBOB "Sweet Sixteen" Battles!
Thursday, February 6
3rd grade time (Hood)
12:20-12:40 The Invader Readers vs. Ankle Breakers (5th grade team)
(none at 4th grade time)
5th grade time (Beil)
1-1:20 Rock, Paper, Scissors, Read vs. Super Soccer Readers (3rd grade team)
Elite 8 schedule will be posted Monday, February 10 to start Tuesday, February 11.
Dear Beaverton Parents and Community Members,
What you do at Night, on the Weekends, and on Vacation Can Make a World of Difference to Your Child's Academic Success: Practical Advice for Families from a Leading Literacy Expert Grades K-8
Join Dr. Mary Ehrenworth on Wednesday, February 12th at Springville K-8 to find out how parents can make a tremendous difference in their children's academic success, now, and as they mature. You'll learn about what you can do to help your children become more powerful readers, which helps them be more powerful students in every class. You'll find out more about what kinds of 'work' outside of school make a tremendous difference. You'll learn about different kinds of reading aloud and reading experiences that can add to your children's language acquisition and knowledge. And you'll learn about use of time, including the kinds of commitments, trips and family projects that can help students do better not only with reading but in science and social studies.
Dr. Ehrenworth is Senior Deputy Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, a global literacy think tank at Columbia University. She has been an admissions officer at an Ivy League university. Dr. Ehrenworth is the author of dozens of books, including The Power of Grammar and the best-selling Pathways to the Common Core, and most recently, Essential Research Skills for Teens, Critical Literacy, and, forthcoming, The Civically-Engaged Classroom: Teaching in Times of Strife and Discord. Among her more recent articles in Educational Leadership are: Revisiting Reading Workshop: Autonomy, Liberation, and Love; Growing Extraordinary Writers; Why Argue? and Unlocking the Secrets of Complex Texts. She is also a parent of two children who are widely diverse learners.
Dr. Ehrenworth will be speaking at Springville K-8, starting at 6:30. There will be light refreshments and time to answer questions at the end. If you are interested in attending, please register here.
If you have any questions, please call Susan Ouellette at 503-356-4431.
Estimados padres de familia y miembros de la comunidad de Beaverton:
Lo que hagan por la tarde, los fines de semana y en las vacaciones puede
marcar una gran diferencia en el éxito académico de sus hijos: consejos prácticos,
para familias, de una destacada experta en alfabetización de los grados K-8
Únase a la Dra. Mary Ehrenworth el miércoles, 12 de febrero en Springville K-8
para aprender cómo los padres pueden lograr una gran diferencia en el éxito académico
de sus hijos, ahora y a medida que maduran. Aprenderá sobre lo que puede hacer para
ayudar a sus hijos a convertirse en grandes lectores y lo que les ayuda a ser mejores
estudiantes en cada clase. Descubrirá más sobre qué tipos de 'trabajo' fuera de la escuela
hace una gran diferencia. Aprenderá sobre diferentes tipos de lectura en voz alta y
experiencias de lectura que pueden aumentar la adquisición y el conocimiento del
idioma en sus hijos. Y aprenderá sobre el uso del tiempo, incluyendo los tipos de
compromisos, viajes y proyectos familiares que pueden ayudar a los estudiantes a
mejorar no solo en la lectura sino también en ciencias y estudios sociales.
La Dra. Ehrenworth es subdirectora principal del Proyecto de Lectura y Escritura
de Teachers College, un grupo de expertos de alfabetización global en la Universidad de
Columbia. Ha sido oficial de admisiones en una universidad de la Ivy League. La Dra.
Ehrenworth es autora de decenas de libros, incluyendo The Power of Grammar, y su
libro más vendido Pathways to the Common Core y más recientemente, Essential
Research Skills for Teens, Critical Literacy y próximamente, The Civically-Engaged
Classroom: Teaching in Times of Strife and Discord. Entre sus artículos más recientes
en Liderazgo Educativo están: Revisiting Reading Workshop: Autonomy, Liberation,
and Love; ; Growing Extraordinary Writers; Why Argue? and Unlocking the Secrets of
Complex Texts. También es madre de dos niños que son alumnos que aprenden de
manera muy diversa.
La Dra. Ehrenworth hablará de este tema en Springville K-8, a partir de las
6:30 p.m. Habrá un ligero refrigerio y al final, tiempo para responder preguntas. Si está
interesado en asistir, inscríbase aquí please register here.
Si tiene alguna pregunta, llame a Susan Ouellette al 503-356-4431.
Valentine's Day Class Parties- Friday, February 14th
Room party volunteers will be hosting the parties in classrooms on Friday, February 14th. Our goal is for students to enjoy their classroom parties and socialize while demonstrating good citizenship and making good choices.
Please be aware, only background cleared volunteers will be able to assist with the classroom parties. Visitors and younger siblings will not be able to attend the classroom parties. All volunteers must sign in on the volunteer computer and wear their badges.
Please let your child's teacher know if you do not want your child to participate in the party. You can pick them up early or they can go to an alternative setting during this time.
CALLING ALL 5TH GRADE PARENTS!!!
The yearbook team is working on the 5th grade yearbook and we need your photos to make this the best yearbook ever!
We are in need of photos from the following events/activities by March 1st:
1st day of kindergarten, Rocket Runs (all years), kindy egg drop, 1st grade winter music performance,
class parties (all years), field trips (all years), 3rd grade innovation fair, choir events, OBOB (all years), field day (all years), Pioneer Day.
We will also need a Kindergarten school photo of your 5th grader, if your child did NOT attend Rock Creek for Kindergarten.
Please also send a baby photo of your 5th grader.
Please label your photos with event/year/student name(s) if possible and send to:
If your photo files are large, feel free to send in multiple emails as needed.
THANK YOU Parents!!!!
Immunization Exclusion Date -Feb. 19, 2020
State law requires that all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified child care facilities have up-to-date immunizations, or have a medical or nonmedical exemption.
State law requires that all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified child care facilities have up-to-date immunizations, or have a medical or nonmedical exemption.
Parents or guardians will receive a letter in early February if their child’s immunization record shows that he or she has not received the required vaccinations. Children will not be able to attend school or childcare starting . February 19, 2020 - Exclusion day. These will be unexcused absences until student has required vaccinations or exemption.
Blast Off Benefit Requests
Dear Rock Creek Families,
On Friday, April 17th, 2020, The Rock Creek Elementary School Parent Teacher Club is hosting its annual Blast Off Benefit. This is a fun community event and also our 2nd largest fundraiser. We will have a Silent Auction, Raffle, Bingo, Cake Walk and more! The funds raised will go to support various enrichment programs throughout the school year such as the Art Literacy program, field trips, additional classroom supplies, and special experiences for our “graduating” 5th graders.
If you own a business or are able to make a personal donation to Blast Off Benefit, the procurement team is looking for donations of items, services, or gift certificates. Some examples may include restaurant or store gift cards, tickets to shows or sporting events, a night's stay at a hotel or vacation home, or technology items such as iPads, Fitbit, Nintendo Switch, GoPro camera etc. We appreciate all donations! Please reach out to Kimberly or Erin at blastoffbenefit@rockcreekptc.org.
Your donation and business name will be on display at the event, making it a great way to gain exposure to the families in our community. The Rock Creek Elementary School PTC is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization. A letter with our tax ID can be provided. The deadline for donations is April 1st, 2020.
Thank you for supporting the Rock Creek Elementary School PTC!
If you need to make weekly changes to your child's after-school plan, please email the teacher with all the dates and details. We ask that phone calls with change of plans be limited to emergencies only.
Please Send a Note. (Please Read)
Please be sure that your child knows what they are doing after school, before they leave in the morning.We cannot stress how important this is. Not knowing the daily pick up plan causes anxiety in many students. If there is a change to their normal dismissal plans, please send a note with your child. If we don’t have a note, students will be sent home per their normal plan.
If your child attends an after school class at Rock Creek, please send a note to their teacher letting them know the class name, time and dates.
We ask that phone calls with change of plans be limited to EMERGENCIES only. Urgent messages should not be left on teacher voice mails during the school day. Teachers pick up after school notes at their lunch time. Calling to change plans after this time, is very disruptive to the class. We cannot guarantee that last minute changes will be delivered before dismissal. Thanks for helping us limit classroom disruptions.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
Please see below for volunteer needs for Movie Night, Art Literacy, Jump Rope Club, and Classroom Parties.
Movie Night
Movie Night at Rock Creek is Friday, February 7th! Join us for The Secret Life of Pets 2 at 6pm. Doors open at 5:45pm. This is a fun and free family event, but we need volunteers for clean up and popcorn sales. Please sign up and thank you! **Popcorn sales shifts are for 5th grade parents/students only as proceeds will go to support their 5th grade send-off activities. This is a great opportunity for you and your child to help support the 5th graders and have fun together!
Art Literacy
There are still many classrooms without volunteers to lead this amazing program that unfortunately can't happen without you. Our kiddos need your help so please sign into Better Impact, click on your child's class, and let's make this happen! We promise that you will love helping all our Rock Creek budding artists create their masterpieces!
Art Literacy is a wonderful program that brings art education into the classroom while enhancing overall literacy. Volunteers will lead a project with a featured artist every other month. Time commitment is typically 1-2 hours per project. Please sign up!
For questions contact Amanda Rust rcartlit@gmail.com.
Valentine's Day Classroom Parties
Classroom parties are on February 14th! Share the love by volunteering in your child's classroom. Party times will be announced soon! If you volunteered for the fall classroom parties in October there is no need to sign up again. You will be contacted by the Party Coordinator soon. If you volunteered for the fall party and are no longer available then please remove yourself from the opportunity in Better Impact. Please sign up if you would like to volunteer and haven't already signed up. Deadline to sign up is Friday, January 24th!
Thank you for volunteering!
Katie & Nancy
Volunteer Coordinators
Connect with your Parent Teacher Club!
Volunteer opportunities, events and fundraising, oh my! Get the latest news on all your favorite PTC activities by connecting with us.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockCreekElementarySchool/
Website: www.rockcreekptc.org
Text: text @rcptc to 81019
IB PYP Corner
One of the special elements of the IB PYP at Rock Creek is that students are encouraged to take action based on their learning. Students might take action by doing, saying, thinking, or feeling something new. In addition, students may have increased their care, respect, knowledge or determination. Most importantly students in an IB PYP school have the opportunity to think and learn in ways that encourage inquiry and wonder. If you see evidence of this learning at home, we encourage you to share this with your child's teacher. We want to know when the learning is impacting students, families and the larger community.
Here are our current units…
Kindergarten- How The World Works: Patterns help us understand Earth and how it works.
First Grade- How We Express Ourselves: People express themselves through the traditions of their cultures.
Second Grade- How We Express Ourselves: People influence change through their actions.
Third Grade- Sharing the Planet: Human choices contribute to global changes.
Fourth Grade- Sharing the Planet: Energy is transferable and it is our responsibility to conserve it.
Fifth Grade- How We Organize Ourselves: Government influences people
Emergency School Closure Plan for your Student
Unforeseen Early Closure Plan completed by parents. Parents were asked to determine, at the
beginning of the school year, specific details and information about where children are to go in
the event of an emergency. Parents should also share this information with children to help
reduce anxiety, as it will be impossible to notify each parent by phone. If your child is on a bus route, we do encourage you to have them ride the bus if possible.
If you do not remember your student's emergency closure information, you can check in ParentVue. Once you open the app, click on your child’s name. Then select Student Info. At the very bottom of Student Info, in the purple border written in white letters it says, “Additional Information”, click on that. Then it should be listed under “Other Data”. If you want to change your plan, you should be able to update it through ParentVUE on the computer. If not, please email Jessica Vogel at Jessica_Vogel@beaverton.k12.or.us with an update request.
Inclement Weather Information
When the weather gets snowy or icy, school schedules may be affected. The District generally posts the announcement of delayed school opening or school closure by 5:30 a.m. All Portland Metro area media outlets announce the information on TV newscasts and online.
The District will notify parents and staff via SchoolMessenger with a Non-School Hours Emergency message. Please manage your communication preferences in SchoolMessenger InfoCenter.
For the latest inclement weather information:
Log on to the District website and a page pop will be posted in the middle of the main page with the status of District operations.
Opt-in for SMS Alerts from SchoolMessenger
Subscribe to Flash Alert for email or text message updates
Like the Beaverton School District on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
The Beaverton School District Inclement Weather Policy and transportation snow routes can be found on the Public Safety webpage.
Smarter Balance Test Update
Last spring, students in grades 3 – 8 and 11 in the Beaverton School District and throughout Oregon took the state tests (Smarter Balanced) in English Language Arts and Mathematics.
In addition to content standards, these assessments are designed to measure critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. The test results provide you, our schools, our district and the state with information about how well we are preparing our students for their next steps including college and career readiness.
Our students will take these tests once between January and June 2020. House Bill 2655 permits parents and adult students to annually opt-out of Oregon’s statewide summative tests in English Language Arts and Math by submitting a form to the school the student attends. The school shall provide any student who is exempted from a state test with supervised study time while other students are testing.
Here is a link to additional information: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Documents/Opt-Out_Form_2019-20.pdf
Middle School Boundary Adjustment
The Beaverton School District has held four (4) community meetings with the Middle School Boundary Adjustment (MSBA) advisory committee. Attendance boundaries for all of the middle schools are being considered for adjustment and the advisory committee is seeking community input from residents in the central and southern part of the District.
The City of Beaverton is planning for almost 7,000 new residential dwelling units in the Cooper Mountain area near Mountainside High School over the next 10-15 years. Which middle school(s) should serve these new developments? Do you have reasons why your neighborhood should attend a different middle school? Do you understand that changes to attendance boundaries in the north part of the District will impact other attendance boundaries? Are you concerned about the potential for the size of student enrollment at middle school?
If you are concerned about any of these questions, or if you have other questions about the MSBA project, please visit the District's MSBA web page (link). Read the materials, visit the advisory committee calendar, and/or submit written comment to the committee. Please come to an advisory committee meeting or watch the meeting live streamed in real time. The district wants and needs to hear from you.
Feb 13 2020
Middle School Boundary Advisory Committee Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Five Oaks Middle School, 1600 NW 173rd Ave., Beaverton, OR 97006
- Meeting Packet
- Video
- 2/13/20 - 2/18/20 Comments
- 2/19/20 - 2/24/20 Comments
Feb 25 2020
Middle School Boundary Advisory Committee Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Whitford Middle School, 7935 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Beaverton, OR 97008
- Meeting Packet
- Video
- 2/25/20 - 3/3/20 Comments
- 3/4/20 - 3/11/20 Comments
Mar 12 2020
Middle School Boundary Advisory Committee Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Administration Center, 16550 SW Merlo Road, Beaverton, OR 97003
- Meeting Packet
- Video
- 2/25/20 - 3/3/20 Comments
- 3/4/20 - 3/11/20 Comments
Check Out the New Rotation Day Calendar- It includes all days that school will be closed!
New Rock Creek Gear is Now Available!
Order Rock Creek gear anytime - pick up at their location on Cornelius Pass or have it sent directly to you. There are tons of fun options in adult and youth sizes too. Visit Gear Up Sports to order today - https://rockcreek.gearupsports.net/index.php?route=common/home.
Email customerservice@gearupsports.net with any questions.
Background Checks
Please be aware: For the safety of our students, we encourage all adults that are on school property during school hours have an approved background check with the Beaverton School District. Please fill one out today, it may take 3 weeks to be approved:
https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/departments/communications-community-involvement/volunteer
For online links to academic and extra-curricular activities offered in the community, please use this link: https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/departments/communications-community-involvement/after-school-activitiesflyers
Rock Creek School Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
No Early Release this year
4125 NW 185th Ave
Portland OR 97229
Main Office-503-356-2450
Attendance-503-356-2451
Fax- 503-356-2455
Principal: Tiffany Wiencken
SAFEOREGON TIP LINE
Keep Rock Creek safe: report any student safety threats to SafeOregon. Tips can be reported by phone or text (844-427-3367), email (tip@safeoregon.com), or online (safeoregon.com). For more information, visit safeoregon.com.