Alta Vista Voyager Connection
An In-Depth Newsletter for Alta Vista Families
Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, January 15: LIONS Pride Kick-Off at 5:30 pm at Alta Vista Elementary
- Friday, January 18: KID Inventors Day-invent something new!
- Monday, January 21: MLK Holiday-No School
- Thursday, January 24: Parent Huddle at 5:45-7:00 pm at Alta Vista Elementary
- Saturday, January 26: UIL Competition at University High School
- Monday, January 28 - Friday, February 1: College & Career Week
- Tuesday, January 29: Practice STAAR for Gr 5 Reading & Gr 4 Writing
- Friday, February 1: 100th Day of School Celebration
COMING UP: Student Holiday on Monday, February 11
Parent Involvement Opportunities
Join us for our first Parent Huddle on Thursday, February 24 at Alta Vista Elementary. Refreshments will be served at 5:45 and activities will start at 6:00 pm. We will be sharing strategies for parents to use to support their children's reading at home.
College and Career Week is January 28 to February 1. Friends and Family of Alta Vista are invited to speak about their jobs. Contact Mrs. Maynard, Alta Vista counselor, for more information.
Join LIONS Pride Today!
There is a new program in town that's just for men! L.I.O.N.S. (Leaders In Our Neighborhood Schools) Pride is an innovative program geared at connecting adult males in our community to volunteer and service opportunities at our school. The positive impact of male role models in the school setting cannot be overstated, and we are excited to have this opportunity on our campus.
Those participating in the program will be helping our students by:
• Strengthening youth identity
• Promoting positive male leadership
• Building a culture of service
• Investing in a new generation of leaders
L.I.O.N.S. Pride is sponsored by a local nonprofit led by one of our very own Alta Vista fathers, Darryl Thomas, Jr.. Join us at the kick-off, Tuesday January 15, 2019 at 5:30 pm at Alta Vista Elementary to sign up. Please email Darryl.Thomas@sizeofaman.org for more details. See you there!
Monthly Reading Challenge
Fa La La La La
Hour of Code
Gingerbread Day
Math Chat
They also have fun math puzzles like the one shown below. Good luck!
You can find their website here: https://mashupmath.com/
Check out these great reads for PARENTS!
Parenting with Love & Logic
Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline: The 7 Basic Skills for Turning Conflict into Cooperation
Tips for Parents on Helping Children Make Good Decisions & Set Goals
1. Let them make mistakes
As parents, our natural instinct is to shield our kids from all potential pitfalls. But carefully letting your kids learn a hard lesson from their own mistakes and then talking to them about it after the fact will give them great insight.
2. Expose them to the ‘real world’
Our shielding instinct is to hide the cold, ugly world from the eyes of our children. Yet, there is no better teacher than a helpful dose of reality. For instance, maybe you caught your child smoking. Instead of grounding him for two weeks and giving him a verbal lashing, download pictures from the Internet of the lungs of those who smoke. This is far more powerful in their mind than sitting in their room mad at you because they can’t go out on Friday night. You still might ground them, of course, but WITH the real-life example of why you must do so.
3. Teach your child to know herself
One of the greatest keys to wisdom is honestly being able to look at yourself in the mirror and know who is looking back. Children who can distinguish their own strengths and weaknesses are apt to make better decisions based on their abilities.
4. Learn your child’s interests
Maybe they are into football. Maybe music, art, cooking, etc. Whatever it may be, find out or HELP your child find out his interests. Then provide real-life examples of others that share their same likes and who are successful. This teaches that hard work and dedication are the keys to success and those traits lend very well to decision making.
5. Talk to your child
Open communication is vital to parenting. If you can find common areas where you bond and illicit real discussion from your child, you will gain invaluable insight into how he thinks. This, in turn, gives you the ability to know what decision he is going to make before he even makes it. If it’s not going to be the correct one, then you can intervene and guide them to a better one.
6. Get involved
Whether it is church youth groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or any variety of social organizations, having your child get involved will teach her life skills that will grow her wisdom. One of the best ways for you to get involved in your child’s life is to be a presence at his or her school.
7. Money, money, money
One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is to teach them how to handle money properly. If you can teach your child to handle money in a responsible manner, most likely that will follow through into the other parts of his life.
8. Pile on the PRAISE
By praising our children when they do great things, it helps reinforce the desire to make decisions to have similar outcomes.
9. The friends we keep
If we are only as strong as our weakest link, then teaching your children how to choose friendships is a vitally important task.
10. Lead by example
The best lessons in life are caught, not taught, by a child’s parents.
Tips modified from information provided at https://www.allprodad.com/10-ways-to-teach-your-children-to-make-wise-decisions/
Grinch Day
Hour of Code
Collaboration
What is happening in Inspiracion?
Inspiracion is a free, bilingual program for parents or guardians of children 0 to school-age living within the Waco ISD attendance zone. This program is a dual-generation program, in which, both parent and child take part in the session. Our Tuesday/Thursday sessions offer parents the opportunity to learn about their child’s growth and development, connect with other parents and find a community of support! In connection with site-based programming, we offer personal visits customized for the needs of your family under the affiliate of Waco ISD Parents as Teachers. We feel privileged to be a part of the Alta Vista Community and are grateful for your support. If interested, please check out our Facebook page “Inspiracion-Waco” or give us a call at 254-662-3050 ext. 214.
Inspiración es un programa gratuito y bilingüe para padres o tutores de niños de 0 a 4 años que viven en la zona de asistencia de Waco ISD. Este programa es un programa de doble generación, en el cual, tanto el padre como el niño participan en la sesión. Nuestras clases de martes/jueves ayudará a los padres a entender el crecimientoy el desarrollo infantile, y los conectara con otros padres para encontrar una comunidad de apoyo y aprender sobre la educación de su hijo. Inspiración tambien ofrece visitas personales personalizadas para las necesidades de su familia, bajo la afiliación de Padres como Maestros de Waco ISD. Nos sentimos privilegiados de ser parte de la comunidad de Alta Vista y estamos agradecidos por su apoyo. Si estas interesado/a llamanos al 254-662-3050 ext. 214 o buscanos en Facebook “Inspiracion-Waco.”
Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words!
Check out our school photos here: https://www.wacoisd.org/Page/9318
Follow Us!
You can also read more about what's happening and view pictures on our campus website at http://altavista.wacoisd.org
Alta Vista Elementary
Email: karmen.logan@wacoisd.org
Website: altavista.wacoisd.org
Location: 3637 Alta Vista Drive, Waco, TX, United States
Phone: 254-662-3050
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AltaVistaElem
Twitter: @AltaVistaES