Dolphin Parent Connection
September 2018 Volume 4, Issue 1
And We Are Off...
We are so happy to have our students back in school with us. We know the last week has been a little crazy, and our students and teachers are all getting back in the swing of things, but we are ready to hit the ground running this week. As I have stated numerous times, we take our responsibility to develop the whole child very seriously. At Red Mill, we focus on ensuring our students are developing their reading, writing, and math skills, but we also spend time helping your child develop important life skills like communication, collaboration, citizenship, critical thinking, and creativity. We will continue to push our students to take ownership of their learning through goal setting and self-reflection, allowing for student choice and personalization when appropriate, and developing good work habits. Through our daily televised announcements and classroom morning meetings, we discuss and develop leadership qualities and social-emotional skills. Additionally, through our Positive Behavioral Supports and Interventions Program, we focus on providing consistent school-wide rules and procedures, giving specific positive praise and recognition, and helping students who need additional behavioral support. Below you will find a short video describing our PBIS program. In summary, we want the best for your child, and we know that by working together your child will grow as both a student and a person this school year. Let's have an amazing year.
Upcoming Events and Important Dates
Hispanic Heritage Month
Library Card Sign-up Month
· Monday, September 17th: Constitution Day & Citizenship Day
· Tuesday, September 18th: PTA Board Meeting @ 12:30 PM
· Friday, September 21st: PTA Summer Reading Logs Due
· Friday, September 21st: 5th Grade Field Trip to Oceana (returning around 5:30 PM)
· Monday, September 24th: Scholastic Fall Book Fair Preview Day
· Tuesday, September 25th-Wednesday, October 3rd: Scholastic Fall Book Fair open
· Tuesday, September 25th: Girls on the Run @ 2:50-4:00 PM
· Wednesday, September 26th: Technology Night/Open House @ 6:00-8:00 (see flyer below for specific times)
· Thursday, September 27th: 4th Grade taking IPT Test at 8:30 AM
· Thursday, September 27th: Girls on the Run @ 2:50-4:00 PM
· Friday, September 28th: PTA Summer Reading Challenge Ice Cream Social @ 2:00 PM
· Tuesday, October 2nd: Girls on the Run @ 2:50-4:00 PM
· Wednesday, October 3rd: Vision/Hearing Screening for all Kindergarten and 3rd Graders
· Thursday, October 4th: Fall Picture Day
· Thursday, October 4th: 5th Grade Gifted Screening
Technology Night/Open House Wednesday, September 26th
Fall Scholastic Book Fair
Our Fall Book Fair will be held September 26th through October 3rd. We will also have extended hours during our Open House on Wednesday, September 26th from 5:30-7:30 PM. You may also shop our online fair at
http://www.scholastic.com/bf/redmillelementaryschool. Thank you for supporting our book fair.
Jennifer Marshall, Library Media Specialist
School Counseling Program Notes
Classroom lessons in September will focus on becoming familiar with the role of the school counselor, and students will be meeting their new counselor, Ms. Whitt. Please visit bit.ly/MeetMsWhitt for more information, and feel free to contact me by phone (648-3572) or e-mail (erin.whitt@vbschools.com) if you have any questions or concerns. I am looking forward to having a great year and meeting all of our students and families!
PTA News
- Due to the school closure last week, Summer Reading Logs are now due no later than Friday, Sept. 21st. Students can turn in their logs to their homeroom teachers or to the PTA mailbox in the front office. Students should write down 5 or more books which they read over the summer. There is no particular form; They can print a template or hand write all of it. As a reward for their reading, the PTA will hold an ice cream social on Friday, Sept 28!
- Please consider joining the PTA. Membership is only $5.00 per person. Your membership dues support all students. The Membership application is below.
- Every year, your child has the opportunity to participate in the Reflections art contest. This is a nation-wide competition put together by the PTA. The 2018 theme for the National PTA Reflections contest is “Heroes Around Me.” Entries from all grades and all abilities are welcome. The entry categories are dance, film, essay, music, photography and art. A deadline date has not been announced, but we will keep you updated. It is often at the end of October. Learn more about getting involved at PTA.ORG/REFLECTIONS. If you still have questions after reviewing the website above, our chairperson, Maribel Cabrera, can be reached at: mcabrera1222@gmail.com.
- Are you interested in volunteering at Red Mill? Are you familiar with "Dolphin Academy?" It's a short-term program that introduces students to a variety of fun, after-school activities. RMES has an awesome coordinator, Terry Ann Stevens; however, we need an assistant chairperson to help her this year and to take over the program next school year! We can't hold this program without a volunteer chairperson. For more information, e-mail: terryannstevens@hotmail.com or redmillpta@yahoo.com.
- We are always looking for help in the copy room. If you aren’t already trained, but are interested in helping, please email Anna Campbell at anna7campbell@hotmail.com.
School Safety Reminders
Below are a few reminders to ensure the safety of all children.
- Parents and guests should NOT be taking pictures or videotaping while at school, including in the cafeteria. We have some children that are not allowed to be photographed. Please help us honor that request from parents.
- Parents and guests must have an ID with them when visiting the school and picking up his/her child.
- Visitors should ALWAYS use the front entrance to enter and exit so that they can check in and out at the front desk. Visitors should not use side doors to exit from the cafeteria or other areas of the building.
- Please note that Red Mill's food policy has been revised slightly for the 2018-19 school year. Attached you will find the revised policy. The policy now states that all food items brought to school must be store-bought and cannot be homemade. The items must also be brought in its original container or packaging.
Gifted News
Please see below for important dates and application deadlines. If you have any questions, please reach out to Tamyra Natividad, Red Mill's Gifted Resource Teacher at tamyra.natividad@vbschools.com
Grade Level Screenings:
- 5th grade gifted screening (all 5th grade students) Thursday, October 4
- 1st grade gifted screening (all 1st grade students) Tuesday, November 27
ODS Parent Information Nights:
- Current 5th grade students--January 3, 2019 5:30 p.m.
- Current Grades 1-4--January 8, 2019 5:30 p.m.
Gifted Application & Deadlines (all applications due by 4:00 p.m. on deadline date)
https://giftedapplication.vbcps.com
- Gifted Identification (current grades 2-12) application deadline November 13, 2018
- Dance Education Program at ODS application deadline February 1, 2019
- Visual Arts Education Program at ODS application deadline February 1, 2019
- ODS (current grades 2-7) application deadline February 1, 2019
- All 1st grade referrals (current grade 1) application deadline March 1, 2019
Spirit Wear Sales
5th Grade Strings & Chorus Opportunities
If your child would like to participate in Strings this school year, permission slips for strings will be accepted through Friday, September 21st. A meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 19th for all students interested in joining Strings. Please see the attached information letter and permission slip for more information. Information about 5th grade Chorus will be passed out to 5th graders this week and is also attached below.
School Cafe
- Make Payments
- Set up Auto Pay
- Set Purchase Restrictions
- Get Low Balance Alerts
- Submit Applications
- View Purchases
- View Menus
Destination Graduation
Students and their parents are encouraged to visit the Academic and Career Planning webpage to view and engage with K-12 career resources, middle and high school academic and career planning documents, and career pathway guides. Likewise, the Destination Graduation site offers students and families grade-level specific information and resources to help students and families navigate the journey from preschool to high school graduation.