STAR GAZER GAZETTE
March 2022 Star Lake Newsletter
Greetings Star Lake Families,
Wow, March is sure coming “in like a Lion” with all this RAIN! Our students are being so flexible as we are literally deciding recess by recess if we can be inside or outside…and, of course, our students much prefer outside even if it’s a little wet. Please continue to have your children dress for the weather with shoes that can withstand the wet and a coat with a hood…our springs tend to stay a bit wet around here.
As I daily visit classrooms, I am so proud to see students being kind, safe and productive. I am seeing teachers providing strong learning targets and success criteria and examples and models that help our students move to stronger independence as learners. I hear students talking with each other about the content, and I see solid progress and growth on our IRLA and iReady assessments. There is a great deal of learning going on here at Star Lake every day!
Please watch for information coming soon from your child’s teacher regarding Student Led Conferences. Conferences will be held on March 24th and 25th and we will be sending details about format and how to sign up very soon. Your child, and their teacher, are excited to share progress with you.
I will also be communicating details about masks and updated social distancing as soon as I receive specific details from our district…again, please stay tuned and watch for emails, remind app messages and call outs coming soon.
Amazingly, we are getting close to entering the last third of our school year and time will fly between now and June. We are excitedly making plans for our move to the new school, registering kindergartners, and digging into instruction to continue our positive, strong end to this school year.
I wish your family continued health and happiness, and a wonderful spring!
Kris Rennie, Principal
krennie@fwps.org 253-945-4007
Mark Your Calendars
MARCH
9 - Early Release - School ends at 1:45
11 - NO SCHOOL - State Inservice Day
11 - Choice Enrollment Closes
18 - Disney Spirit Day
24-25 - NO SCHOOL - Student Led Conferences
28 - Last Day to Order Yearbooks/5th Grade Ads
30 - Early Release - School ends at 1:45
APRIL
4-8 - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
13 - Early Release - School ends at 1:45
22 - Sports Spirit Day
27 - BOB Competition
Storming The Sound With Salmon!
This year Ms. Withrow’s intermediate grades Functional Core class have teamed up with 4th grade students in Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Decker’s classes in creating the first Star Lake Marine Biologist Team!
In addition to maintaining daily tasks of feeding the fish, taking data on salmon growth, learning about and creating informational fact posters on how we impact the salmon life cycle, the team are forging new friendships and opportunities for inclusion in the Star Lake community.
Yearbook Orders & Dedications Due March 28th!
Now is the time to preorder your Star Lake Yearbook by March 28th. Cost is $15.00 for a 36 page color yearbook. Order forms have gone home. Please make checks payable to Star Lake Elementary. Online payments are available as well. (Instructions are below in English & Spanish) Yearbooks will be delivered during the last week of school in June.
5th Grade Dedications will be available for $10. Please include a photo, short note of 50 words or less to your student and your payment. Only two dedications allowed per 5th grade student.
If You're Going To Be Late:
As a reminder, if you are going to arrive late at 3:25 or after for student pick-up, please call our office to give us a heads up. Then make sure to come to the front of the building and NOT in the parent pick-up loop. The other school in our building begins using that parent loop by 3:30 and you may get stuck in their line. We will bring all students who have not been picked up by 3:25 back into the office. Please call 253-945-4000 when you are at the school entrance and we will bring your child out to you.
Scholar-Led Conferences March 24-25
Kindergarten Registration Is Open
Do you or a friend or neighbor have a child that will be age 5 by Aug 31st? If so please visit http://www.fwps.org/kiosk
If this is your first student attending Federal Way Schools, then please click on Student Registration and Create a New Account.
If you currently have or have in the past had a student registered in any Federal Way Public School , this includes Preschool & ECEAP, then you already have a ParentVue account. Just click on “ParentVue” to access your family's information. If you forgot your password you can click the “More Info” button. DO NOT make a new account for each student. If you need help recovering a forgotten User ID, please contact Kathy Miller at 253-945-4002 or kamiller@fwps.org. If you need additional information please go to: https://www.fwps.org/Page/7199
5th Graders Should Begin Thinking About Middle School
5th grade parents, it is time to start thinking about the transition to middle school!
For most Star Lake scholars, the home school is Evergreen Middle School. Evergreen had their parent informational meeting last week and students are now registering in their 5th grade classes for their electives. Watch for a summer 6th grade orientation meeting coming from Evergreen later this year. If you have any questions about registration, please call Evergreen at 253-945-5100.
If you would like to use the Choice Lottery option, FWPS has other options for middle school. Click on the web address below to locate their individual webpages. These schools are:
Evergreen Middle School https://www.fwps.org/Domain/37
Illahee Middle School https://www.fwps.org/Domain/31
Kilo Middle School https://www.fwps.org/Domain/32
Lakota Middle School https://www.fwps.org/Domain/33
Sacajawea Middle School https://www.fwps.org/Domain/34
Sequoyah Middle School https://www.fwps.org/Domain/36
Nautilus K-8 https://www.fwps.org/Domain/19
Woodmont K-8 https://www.fwps.org/Domain/30
TAF@Saghalie https://www.fwps.org/Domain/1360
Federal Way Public Academy https://www.fwps.org/Domain/45
Please visit https://www.fwps.org/page/434 for Choice application and more information.
Choice Enrollment Available Through March 11th
"Choice Enrollment" allows parents of scholars who live within the boundaries of the FWSD the option to apply to "choice" their child into a school other than their resident area school for the 2022-23 school year.
Prospective Choice families:
The 2022-23 Choice Registration will be available for ALL grade levels beginning February 14 and ends March 11 by 4:30 pm. The Choice Lottery will take place on April 20, 2022 at 5:30pm. To submit your online application, visit: www.fwps.org/Choice
Lots of Library Learning
Library Donation:
We would like to thank the Owens Family (Abe and Samuel) for a monetary donation to the Star Lake library. With their donation, eight books were added to the library for students and staff to read and enjoy. The titles are: The Birthday Book; The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids; Lots of Knock- Knock Jokes for Kids; More Laugh Out Loud Jokes for Kids; Wakanda Forever; This is Black Panther; Meet the Quokkas and A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Pumpkin Monster.
Star Lake Battle of the Books News:
Star Lake will be holding its annual Battle of the Books competition on Wednesday, April 27th at 9:00am in our gym. Students in grades third through fifth grade are reading the twelve battle books now and are attending practices once a week at lunch recess in the library. Ms. Nelson, our librarian, is helping them form teams of four for the competition. Teachers also love this event and are reading the titles and will compete against each other. For the first time, Mrs. Rennie is reading the books and will be competing. The winning student team from Star Lake will be competing at the district competition on May 19th on zoom.
First Graders Reading is Fundamental Book Celebration:
Mrs. Clark and Ms. Thomason’s classes will have book celebrations on Wednesday, March 23rd at the library. Every year, Reading is Fundamental organization in Washington, DC donates new books for first graders all over the country. Each first grader will receive three new books, bookmarks, bookplates for their books, and information for parents on reading aloud at home together. Story time and book selection will happen in the library for 40 minutes. First graders will take home their books to read and build their own personal libraries.
National Reading Month:
There is also a Read Aloud with Dr. Pfeiffer on Friday, March 18. You will be able to access a special read-aloud from Dr. Pfeiffer who will be reading an exciting book nominated by one of our amazing district scholars! Please go to: https://www.fwps.org/Page/1 for more information.
Happy Reading!
Ms. Nelson
253-945-4010
Counselor's Corner
The Importance of Sleep to Our Children
There are many benefits of getting a good night’s sleep for adults, but this is especially important for children. There are many reasons why, including:
· Sleep promotes growth. Growth hormones are secreted during deep sleep.
· Sleep helps the heart. Blood glucose and cortisol (stress hormone) decrease at night.
· Sleep affects weight. The hormone leptin is secreted when our brain tells us that we are full. Sleep deprivation may alter this process and make kids continue eating. Children also crave higher-fat and higher-carb foods when they are tired, and can also increase the tendency to be more sedentary (burning fewer calories).
· Sleep helps beat germs. Proteins known as cytokines are produced during sleep, and these help our bodies fight infection, illness and stress. They also make us sleepy, which forces us to rest.
· Sleep reduces injury risk. Children tend to be clumsier and more impulsive whey they are tired.
· Sleep increases kids’ attention span. Tired kids can be impulsive and distracted even without having ADHD. Adding as little as 27 minutes of extra sleep makes it easier for kids to manage their moods and impulses, allowing them to focus on schoolwork.
· Sleep boosts learning. Studies show that children actually learn in their sleep. All of the things we learn during the day are either stored in our memory or discarded during sleep. Taking naps can also aid in the retention of information.
See below for specific age recommendations.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html
Tiffany Williams, School Counselor
(253) 945-4005
PBIS: SAFE, KIND AND PRODUCTIVE!
Happy March from PBIS! We have been busy learning about BIG problems vs. small problems and how to solve small problems. Students are taught to report BIG problems to adults, so they can help problem solve and keep everyone safe. Students are busy practicing Kelso’s Choices for how to handle small problems. These choices include: talking it out, walking away, and telling them to stop. Small problems can come with strong emotions. It is important to learn how to stop, name the feeling, and calm down, so that we don’t do or say something we will later regret. Students have been practicing breathing and counting strategies to help them calm their strong emotions so that they can problem solve.
Practicing emotional management and how to handle BIG & small problems at school and home will help prepare students for when problems do happen. We LOVE that our students value being safe, kind, and productive at all times, even when emotions run high.
Let’s keep up the good work and continue earning those Eagle Wings and Star Lake Way tickets!
Nurses News:
As families are making choices about vaccinating their children, we would sure appreciate it if you would notify our school nurse if your child has received the Covid-19 vaccination. Please call Sybel Johnson at 253-945-4009 or email syjohnso@fwps.org Thank you!
If you need information about the FWPS Covid-19 Test Sites, please go to: https://www.fwps.org/Page/8338. You can sign up at: www.curative.com
King County also offers additional testing locations. More information about testing sites within the county is available at https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/testing.aspx.
ATTENDANCE: EVERYDAY COUNTS! EVERDAY MATTERS!
Reminder that April 2nd-April 10th is Spring Break
Family vacations are fun and create lifelong memories. We encourage you to schedule family vacations during the scheduled Spring Break. A few extra missed days of school won’t matter will they?
Educational research shows elementary students don’t have to miss much school before their learning is impacted. In early grades K-5, students are mastering reading and basic math skills. This learning may be disrupted with excessive absences. . Being in school consistently at an early age builds a strong foundation of those early skills.
Student absences also impact overall class learning and pacing. Teachers’ are catching students up on missed learning, or re-teaching concepts others have already mastered.
We hope you have a wonderful spring break and are recharged for the last push of the school year!
PTA Updates
Thank you for your support of the library- Star Lake PTA's Online Book Fair was a success- All proceeds are given to the library to buy new books. Final Numbers will be announced in the next newsletter.
Our no-fuss fundraiser is still running. We are asking for donations to continue enriching the students and staff at Star Lake. Please continue to send in donations made out to Star Lake PTA in an envelope. Thank you!
Next PTA meeting will be on Wednesday, March 9th at 6 pm on Zoom. Zoom link will be sent out closer to the date.
The Executive Board is still looking for a Secretary. If you are interested please email us at starlakepta@gmail.com
PTA SPIRIT DAYS:
March 18- Disney Day
April 22- Sports Day
Join our Facebook page to keep up with the Star Lake PTA: 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
Bus Rider Expectations
With so many of our scholars riding the bus this year to our temporary location, our bus drivers are asking we share the common expectations we are using to teach our scholars about the expectations for riding the bus.
Please take a couple of minutes to review with your scholar the importance of a safe bus ride. These expectations are right out of our PBIS common expectations matrix. If you want to know more about our PBIS structures at school please email Mrs. Robinson tbiles@fwps.org or Mr. Geving tgeving@fwps.org
Are You Interested in Working as a Paraeducator Here at Star Lake?
Families, we have one 6 hour general paraeducator positions open here at Star Lake to support students in classrooms, on the playground, and in the lunchroom.
What a great opportunity to work in a job that has benefits and pays between $21-23 an hour. You work the same hours and days that your children are at school, and you get to hang out with great students!
If you are interested please follow this link to apply, or email Mrs. Rennie (krennie@fwps.org) for more information. https://www.applitrack.com/federalway/onlineapp/ click on “locations” under “vacancies” and then choose “Star Lake”.
Nominate an Educator for the Because of You Award!
Any scholar in grades 3-12 has a chance to nominate any Federal Way Public Schools staff member in the district you believe has positively impacted you, your school, and/or your community with the “Because of You” award.
Nominations will be reviewed and selected by the Superintendent’s Scholar Advisory team and each month educators will be honored. Nomination forms can be completed online at: https://www.fwps.org/Page/5018 or you can access it below. Forms should be submitted by the end of the month. Stay tuned as we highlight these extraordinary staff members who make a difference each day in our schools!
Available Scholar Resources
Federal Way Public Schools now offers two new services to support our scholars – Tutor.com and Talkspace.
Tutor.com
Free academic tutoring available for scholars, grades 4-12. These scholars can access Tutor.com through Launchpad to Learning. This free supportive resource provides one-on-one tutoring 24 hours per day, seven days per week through a digital platform. Scholars can use text or voice-to-text to work with their tutor.
Watch this video to learn more about Tutor.com and how it can support your scholar: https://youtu.be/tVe1ZR8LTuU
Talkspace
To support social-emotional health of our scholars, they can take advantage of virtual therapy through Talkspace. The service is completely confidential and allows registered users unlimited therapy support through text, voice, video messages, along with two live video sessions per month. Eligible scholars can access Talkspace through Launchpad to Learning, by speaking with their school counselor, or visiting: http://www.talkspace.com/fwps
Staff List:
Star Lake Elementary
Email: comments@fwps.org
Website: https://www.fwps.org/starlake
Location: 3600 South 344th Way, Federal Way, WA, USA
Phone: 253-945-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarLakeFWPS