Simis Scoop
November 3, 2023
Principal's Letter
A Note from Mrs. Murray
Hi Simis Families,
I would like share my appreciation for each family that took time to attend conferences. Almost 100% of parents attended conferences this year! Thank you for making this a priority, and allowing us to share updates with you about your child's progress at school.
This week, the Arizona State Board of Education released the school labels for the 2022-2023 school year. Simis continues to be an "A" school! We are proud to have a tradition of academic excellence at Madison Simis. The partnership between our students, families and staff is a key element of that success. Thank you for supporting our IB Primary Years Programme, and the work we do to ensure a high quality education is expected and realized at Madison Simis. I am honored to be a part of this great community.
With gratitude,
Lindsay Murray
What's Happening in Classrooms?
Writing Strategy: R.A.C.E. Writing
Students are often asked to write a response where they cite text evidence to support their answer. The R.A.C.E. strategy helps students write a constructed response. Students learn to change the prompt or question into a statement, then answer the question, cite evidence from an outside source (a story, picture, video, article, etc), and explain how the evidence proves their point. It's a step-by-step approach to writing a response. When students respond using the R.A.C.E. strategy, they learn to not only answer a question, but to justify their thinking in each response.
Reading Strategy: Orthograpic Mapping
Did you know: Orthographic mapping, also known as sound spelling or phoneme-grapheme mapping, is how words become sight words. Orthography involves recognizing each letter of the alphabet and understanding how each letter represents a specific sound. For example, if a student correctly identifies the letter "O" as the one that says its name, it means they have developed orthographic mapping for that sound and letter. Orthographic mapping is a mental process that occurs as students learn to read. Students practice orthographic mapping as a way to support explicit reading instruction in the classroom.
Math Visual Strategies: Number Bonds
Did you know: Number bonds are pairs of numbers that always add up to a larger number. They are also known as fact families or math facts. Number bonds show the relationship between parts and the whole. They help students develop number sense. Starting with number bonds to 10, children can learn to calculate bonds for other multiples of 10. Number bonds show how a whole number is made up of parts and help develop number sense. This is a strategy often seen in primary classrooms to support students in visually representing math facts and building fluency.
Student Wellness
Agency: Approaches to Learning Skills
The IB approaches to learning skills (ATL) are grounded in the belief that learning how to learn is fundamental to a student’s life in and out of a school context. In broad terms, IB programmes support learners in developing:
Thinking skills
Communication skills
Research skills
Self-management skills
Social skills
The approaches to learning and associated sub-skills support students of all ages in being agentic and self-regulated learners. This is evident in student's IB end of unit reflections on Seesaw. Students demonstrate metacognition by communicating about thinking that took place throughout the unit and reflecting on their ability to incorporate the ATL skills.
Advocacy: Being an Upstander
- Talk to students about tattling vs reporting. Stress to your child that emotional and physical safety are always a priority. If they see someone being harmed, it is always acceptable to report this to an adult. This is not the same as tattling, which is trying to get others in trouble when they aren't hurting themselves or others. We use Stop, Walk, and Talk to report to an adult at Simis.
- Talk to students about empathy. Bystanders often don’t intervene because they don’t want to make things worse or assume the victim doesn’t want help. Research shows that if witnesses know a victim feels upset or wants help they are more likely to step in.
PBIS: Grade Level Boosters
Here at Simis we use PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) to improve student outcomes and school climate and culture by fostering positive behavior. This month, each grade level identified a skill areas to focus on, such as following directions the first time or using manners when speaking to others. Teachers taught lessons targeted on the focus area and students were awarded with tickets for demonstrating these skills. Next week we will draw tickets, and 15 students from each grade level will win free pizzas and tokens from Peter Piper Pizza. Booster winners names will also be read on the announcements. We are proud of all of our cyclones for participating in the fall PBIS booster!
Important Dates
TCT 1pm Early Release
Wednesday, Nov 8, 2023, 01:00 PM
Dad's Club Movie Night and PATS General Meeting
Thursday, Nov 9, 2023, 05:00 PM
No school-Veterans Day
Friday, Nov 10, 2023, 07:00 AM
TCT 1pm Early Release
Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023, 01:00 PM
Turkey Trot and Fall Book Fair
Saturday, Nov 18, 2023, 01:00 PM
No School Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, Nov 22, 2023, 07:15 AM
No School Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, Nov 23, 2023, 07:15 AM
No School Thanksgiving Break
Friday, Nov 24, 2023, 07:15 AM
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Notes from Mrs. Powers
Madison Simis’ International Mindedness Day
What is International Mindedness?
According to IB, an internationally minded person is “open-minded about the common humanity of all people and accepts and respects other cultures and beliefs. The internationally minded person takes action through discussion and collaboration to help build a better and peaceful world.”
As a school community, we want to celebrate this!
March 7, 2024, is the tentative date for our first International Mindedness Day! Similar to Culture Day in years past but a bit different as we look ahead.
We invite all parents, relatives, and community members to share something about a country with us.
Maybe you lived in that country, or maybe you are from there, or maybe you are just passionate about the world- we would love to hear from you!
Go to the link below to sign up. A future meeting for all participants and helpers will be held in the Simis library to answer all questions and give lots of examples and help.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F084BA9AA2EA2F85-45456099-madison
Library Information
Did you know?
Families can browse through all the selections in the electronic library by browsing in the Destiny Discover website.
Simis Site Council Updates
General Announcements
Updates from the Health Office
Notes from Nurse Megan
- Health Office reminder
Students must stay home for a full 24 hours after any fever, vomiting or diarrhea. They should also stay home from school if they have a persistent cough, redness/swelling or signs of infection to their throat, or an unidentified rash that hasn't been cleared by a medical provider. You will be asked to pick up your student from school for any of the above symptoms.
When in doubt, please keep your child home. If you have questions/concerns about whether your student can be at school, please call the health office at 602-664-7322, or email mbefort@madisoned.org. Thank you for being considerate of our school community and keeping your student home when sick.
Parent/Guardian Opportunities
THRIVE Parent Information Series
Madison School District just placed 4 new modules in our THRIVE section of the Madison website. These short and informative videos with experts in the field provide families with resources to approach and support their child in ways that align with the students of the Alpha and iGeneration.
School Lunch Visitor Registration Form
Sign up for a lunch visit here! Please read the details on the sign up form for more information.
As a reminder, we ask that all parents sit with their child at the visitor's table in the cafeteria and say goodbye as students head out to recess.