Union Pacific 844

Wednesday 11-9-11 at 12:45 the last working steam locomotive made a stop in Lordsburg, and stayed overnight before moving on. This served as an excellent opportunity for our students to see a piece of history in action. The students walked over to the railway to see the locomotive somewhat up close and personal.

October Newsletter

Battle of the Books

Transportation arrangements will need to be made for students who participate.

Tuesday 3:15 – 4:00 Central

Thursday 3:15 – 4:00 Southside

Family Book Night

November 7 is our third Family Book Night for this school year. We will be hosting it at the Southside library at 5:30. This month’s book will be Thank You Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Please join us with your children for an hour of fun as we enjoy the story behind celebrating Thanksgiving and how it became a holiday.

Remember there will not be a Family Book Night during the month of December.

FAMILY BOOK NIGHTS

November 7 Southside

January 9 Central

February 6 Southside

March 5 Central

April 2 Southside

May 7 Central

Upcoming Events

 

Nov. 4, 2011 SLI Early Release

Nov. 6, 2011 Daylight Savings ends

Nov. 10, 2011 District Inservice, NO SCHOOL

Nov. 11, 2011 District Inservice, NO SCHOOL

Nov. 23 - 25, 2011 Thanksgiving Holiday

Word Count Updates

READ! READ! READ! READ! READ! READ! READ! READ!

CENTRAL

5^th 4,459,876

6^th 5,297,458
School total so far: 9,757,334

SOUTHSIDE

3^rd 4,808,365

4^th 5,118,911

School total so far: 9,927,267

Central Read-a-Thon October 31, 2011

Students in all classes at Southside and Central took time to sit down and read. The purpose was to encourage a long stretch of reading to increase the students’ reading stamina. Ms. Lark’s class took advantage of the beautiful weather to read outside.

Turkey Dinner at School

A turkey dinner will be served in the school cafeterias on November 17^th. You are welcome to join your child in eating this meal together. The cost of the meal is:

Adults - $5.00

Children - $3.00

All students will receive this meal according to their meal designation, so if your child receives a free/reduced meal, the same is true for the turkey dinner. If you would like to bring a non-enrolled child to join you, then the $3.00 charge will be assessed.

Librarians

Types of Libraries to work in as a librarian:

Academic Library – this is usually a library on a university or college campus and serves the students and faculty of that institution. Some universities and colleges have more than one library on campus. The average academic librarian salary is $46,000.

Public Library – this is a library open to all who live within a city or town. The city government supports this library with funds for books, salaries and expenses. Anyone can use this library to read books, check out movies and use the Internet. The average salary for a public librarian is $47,000.

School Library – this is a library for schools that serve students from PreK – 12. They are in both public and private schools and are part of the school system. The average school librarian salary is $40,000.

Special Library – this libarary is found in specialized areas such as museums, corporations, hopitals, military bases, private business and the government. These libraries are open only to people working in these places.

The average salary for a specialty librarian is $52,000 All information is according to : http://www.simplyhired.com/a/salary/search/q-corporate+librarian

Social Skills

We are focusing on learning social skills to help us interact respectfully and courteously with each other. We are providing you with the steps we use in school, so you can use these skills at home with your children.

Getting Permission

When you need to get permission from someone, you should:

1. Look at the other person.
2. Be specific when you ask permission. The other person should know exactly what you are requesting.
3. Be sure to ask rather than demand. “May I please…?”
4. Give reasons if necessary.
5. Accept the decision.

Attendance Policy Reminders

At this time of the year many students have been absent from school for a variety of reasons. Some confusion still lingers regarding the attendance policy we are following in the district. Please take a moment to read through these reminders.

A note signed by the parent/guardian must be in the school office within 48 hours of the first day of absence. If you child is sick with a virus and is absent on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday a note must be in the office by the end of business on Thursday in order for Tuesday to excused. If the note states the days the child will be out and is turned in on time, then it will be sufficient for that absence.

For award purposes only, 3 tardies will prevent a student from receiving a perfect attendance award for the 3^rd and 4^th nine weeks.

Parents and guardians only may sign out students from school. For a grandparent, aunt/uncle, sibling or other family member to sign out a student, a signed letter from the parent must be presented to the office giving permission to that person. We want to make sure we are keeping our students safe.

September Newsletter

Battle of the Books

We are ready to start working on Battle of the Books with students. All students are invited and encouraged to participate in Battle of the Books. There will be practice once a week at each school starting on October 18. For all students coming to Battle of the Books practice transportation arrangements will need to be made.

Tuesday 3:15 – 4:00 Central

Thursday 3:15 – 4:00 Southside

Upcoming Events

Oct. 7, 2011 District In-service, NO SCHOOL

Oct. 10, 2011 COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY, NO SCHOOL
Oct. 21, 2011 Parent Teacher Conferences,
No school for students
Oct. 31, 2011 Read-a-Thon

Family Book Night

October 3 was our second Family Book Night for this school year. We had an amazing turnout again with standing room only in the Central library. We read the book Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin.

Family Book Night for the November book will be on November 7 in the Southside Library. Please join us as we read another terrific book together and engage in a fun activity with parents and students.

FAMILY BOOK NIGHTS

August 29 Southside

October 3 Central
November 7 Southside
January 9 Central
February 6 Southside
March 5 Central
April 2 Southside
May 7 Central

Reader of the Week

Southside and Central Elementary Schools are continuing to track the number of words each student is reading and combining their words to create the schools’ totals. At both schools we already have some students who have read at least 100,000 words. At this point in time we have one student who has read 1,000,000 words! KEEP READING!

CENTRAL

5^th 3,263,346
6^th 3,800,797
School total so far: 7,083,927

SOUTHSIDE

3^rd 3,482,057
4^th 3,430,044
School total so far: 6,865,480

Book Fair at Southside Library

It is once again time for the Book Fair at Southside. Mrs. Salinas will set up the displays of books in the library for you to browse for books for your children. Students can purchase books at any time during the week of the fair while in school. Parents we encourage you to come by and browse with your child, and buy!

The Book Fair runs for a week from October 17 through October 26. Mrs. Salinas will be hosting a Book Fair Night on October 18^th from 5 – 8pm when the library will be open to the public to view the books. Please come by and see the many wonderful texts that are available for our students.

Bullying Issues

The following are more tips on bullying. Please take a moment to read through them and discuss them with your child.

5. Encourage your child to seek help and to report bullying incidents to someone s/he feels safe with at the school:

• Adult in charge of a specific activity or area (such as the playground, lunchroom, field trips, bus lines, gym, classroom)
• Teacher
• Counselor
• Principal

6. Use school personnel and other parents as resources in finding positive ways to encourage respectful behaviors at school.

• Volunteer time to help supervise on field trips, on the playground, or in the lunchroom.
• Become an advocate for school-wide bullying prevention programs and policies.

7. Encourage your child to continue to talk with you about all bullying incidents.

• Do not ignore your child's report.
• Do not advise your child to physically fight back. (Bullying lasts longer and becomes more severe when children fight back. Physical injuries often result.)
• Do not confront the child who bullies.
• Do not confront the family of the child who bullies.

Taken from: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_What_Do_About/

Film Industry Careers

Producers and Directors

A producer can do many different things: write, invest, come up with ideas, and manage things. The executive producer is responsible for every part of the movie from beginning to end. Directors are the boss of a film. They make the movie the way they want it to be and so they have a say in who is hired to work on a movie. They decide on everything involved with how the movie will look and sound. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lumps producers and directors together, so the average annual salary of film directors in 2006 was $92,920.

Screenwriters

Screenwriters write the movie. They decide what the actors say and do, where it takes place and what happens in the movie. Sometimes they work on the script by themselves or they work with other screenwriters. BLS statistics for 2006 put the average salary of a film screenwriter at $95,250, higher than both directors and producers.

Film and Video Editors

Editors make the film. Most people don’t know who they are or what they do, but without them there would be no movies. They take the many hours of filming and cut out most of it to leave just the best for us to watch on the screen. They work very closely with the director to make sure the finished product is exactly what the director wanted.

According to BLS, the average annual salary for a film editor is $68,980.

BLS statistics taken from: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/highest-paying-jobs-film-industry2.htm

Central and SouthsideTimes

Battle of the Books

This year
the students will be able to participate in a state-wide competition that
celebrates the power and enjoyment of reading books. This competition requires
students to read at least 10 books from the selected list of books for the 2011-2012
school year. I expect every student to read several of the books on the list
during the coming months and I will outline more details about forming our
Central and Southside teams in later newsletters.

Upcoming Events

Sept. 2, 2011 District Inservice, NO SCHOOL
Sept. 5, 2011 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY, NO SCHOOL

Sept. 7, 2011 Picture Day SS, CES

Sept. 9, 2011 Report Cards go home

Sept. 23, 2011 EARLY RELEASE, SLI

Sept. 23, 2011 LHS Homecoming Game

Walking Clubs have been
started at both Central and Southside. We want to see how many miles we can walk each nine weeks. We will then change it into distance across the United States. Students can walk before school, at lunch time and are walking during PE. Pedometers are available for students to check out and use.

Reader of the Week

Both Southside and Central Elementary Schools have set a school
goal to read 10 million words this year. We are tracking the number of words
each student is reading and combining their words to create the schools’
totals. The students’ first goal is to read 100,000 words. Once students have
read 100,000 words, we will take their picture for the newspaper and place
their name on our Wall of Honor. Look for your child’s picture in the coming
weeks and support your child by insisting on reading at home.

Family Book Night

August 29 was our first Family Book Night for this school
year. We had an amazing turnout for our first celebration with reading books.
We read the book Charlie Cook’s Favorite Book by Julia Donaldson. Please stop by either
Southside or Central to read the responses to this book. They are posted
outside each library.

FAMILY
BOOK NIGHTS

August 29     Southside

October 3    Central

November 7    Southside

January 9    Central

February 6    Southside

March 5    Central

April 2    Southside

May 7    Central

Bullying Issues

We continue to have issues with bullying at both Southside and Central. Please take a moment to read the following tips on how you can help your child and the school combat this problem. Each month more tips will be given.

1. Encourage your child to report bullying incidents
to you.

• Validate your child's
  feelings by letting him/her know that it is normal to feel hurt, sad,
  scared, angry, etc.
  
• Let your child know that
  s/he has made the right choice by reporting the incident(s) to you and
  assure your child that s/he is not to blame.
  
• Help your child be specific
  in describing bullying incidents: who, what, where, when. (Look for
  patterns or evidence of repeated bullying behaviors.)

2. Ask your child how s/he has tried to stop the
bullying.

3. Coach your child in possible alternatives.

• Avoidance is often the best
  strategy.
  
• Play
  in a different place.
• Play
  a different game.
• Stay
  near a supervising adult when bullying is likely to occur.
  
• Look for ways to find new
  friends.
  
• Support
  your child by encouraging him/her to extend invitations for friends to
  play at your home or to attend activities.
• Involve
  your child in social activities outside of school.

4. Treat the school as your ally.

• Share your child's concerns
  and specific information about bullying incidents with appropriate school
  personnel.
• Work with school staff to
  protect your child from possible retaliation.
• Establish a plan with the
  school and your child for dealing with future bullying incidents.

Taken from: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_What_Do_About/

Criminal Justice Careers

Crime scene investigators are trained to examine the
evidence and elements that comprise the scene of a murder, robbery, rape, or
other crime. To become a crime scene investigator, you will need to be an
experienced police officer who receives specific professional training. If you
aren’t already a police officer, you will need to have at least a college
degree.

Average yearly salary = $58,750

As a forensic psychologist, you may work in
the court system as a jury consultant or as an expert witness testifying on the
mental state of a defendant when a crime was committed. You may provide
evidence regarding the competence of a person to stand trial. As a forensic
psychologist, you are combining psychology with law and may work with
correctional facilities, psychiatric hospitals, or community agencies in
performing risk assessment of future behavior of an individual. You may also
provide psychotherapy or agency referrals to alleviate psychiatric symptoms
that led to criminal behavior. In addition to an undergraduate degree in
psychology, you will need a Master’s Degree to qualify for a career position in
forensic psychology.

Average Salary = $59,440

The requirements for becoming a paralegal vary based on the
work environment you wish to work for. Some law firms may require you to have a
complete four-year degree in paralegal studies, while other offices may only
ask applicants to have earned an Associate’s degree or shorter professional
program from a business school or trade school. Paralegals may want to consider
taking the national certification exam for legal assistants, but it usually
isn’t needed.

Average Salary = $43,040

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Month for February are: Anisa, Jaycee, Miguel, and Louie.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for Feb. 21^st are: Kyrstin, Santiago, Clarissa, not pictured Martin.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for Feb. 14^th are: Ian, Benjamin, Laryssa, and Santos.

Family Book Night

Central and Southside Libraries hosted a “Family Book Night” on Tuesday, Feb. 7^th. The book “Bad Boys” by Margie Palatini, was read and an activity followed. It was very well attended and was enjoyed by all. This was made possible due to the extended hours that all of our schools are able to offer through the” Improving Literacy through School Libraries Grant”. We encourage all students, parents, and all community members to come and access our libraries during these hours.

The next Family Book Night will be on March 7th at Southside Elementary.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for Feb 7^th are: Katie, Celeste, Joshua, and Brandin

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for Sept. 13th are: Laticia, Analisa, Hope, and Danica

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for Sept. 6th are: Mina, Michael, Angel, and Josiah

Students of the Month for August

Southside Students of the Month for August are: Paulina, Anissa, Ashley, and Oscar pictured with Principal Garcia.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for Aug. 30th are: Mina, Christopher, Caleb, and Valerie

14th Annual Math and Science Day

On May 14, 2010 it was Southside Elementary School’s 14^th year to emphasize math and science by conducting a Math and Science Day. This day has been expanded to also include careers. There were 10 science or math stations in which students participated. Some of the stations included: Water Power and learning about erosion; Math Games and learning math concepts; Computer Math and learning through technology; Bubbles and learning the science behind them; Sound and learning how music is connected to science.

Verla Jorgenson came from the Rock Shop to show her rock collection and to help the students learn about geology.

We are always glad to be able to provide this annual event to further emphasize the importance that math and science has on our lives and learn more about careers that might be pursued in the future by our students.

Students of the Month

Southside Students of the Month for April are: Arrian, Brandon, Malachi, and LaShea.

Fifth Annual Fishing Clinic

April 29 – 30, 2010 was the sixth annual Fishing Clinic at Southside Elementary School. On the first day of the clinic, Ti Piper, a fishing skills educator from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish presented an hour workshop for each 3^rd and 4^th grade class. The students learned about the food chain and what fish like to eat, how to tie knots on fishing line, how to put on weights and bobbers, and the different parts of a rod and reel. On Friday April 30th, the third graders went to Bill Evan’s Lake and put this knowledge to use by going fishing. Rods and reels were furnished by the N. M. Department of Game and Fish. 29 parent volunteers helped students improve their fishing skills by helped supervise students in small groups as they fished and enjoyed being at Bill Evans Lake. Every student became familiar with the sport of fishing, which can be practiced throughout life. Scientific knowledge about fish and how to use some of our natural resources correctly were also gained. Much thanks goes to our 29 parent volunteers for helping to make this educational field trip more fun for everyone.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for April 26th are: Ryan, Layla, Anita, and Xiomara.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for April 19th are: Harrison, Brandon, Horacio, and LaShea.

All "A" Honor Roll

The All "A" Honor Roll students at Southside Elementary were treated to Lunch with the principal. Each student received a kid's pack from Arby's Restaurant and were seated at a special table in the cafeteria to enjoy lunch with Dr. Baca. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to earn all "A"s and we are proud of all these students.

Students pictured are: Laticia Escobar, Brooklyn Kempton, Anissa Plowman, Michael Hernandez,Santiago Troncoso, Brandin Romero, Devin Gomez, Marina Montez, Hope Hood

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for April 12th are: Gregory, Cameron, Oscar, and Nathan.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for April 5th are: Clarissa, Fernando, Manuel, and Margo.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for March 8th are: Hope, Jonathon, Tristan, and Xiomara.

Keeping on T.R.A.C.K.!

Parents and Students:
We had a very successful Geography night. Thanks for all who participated. We started with 21 children and 9 received awards for their hard work.

Testing will begin on March 30th and be over by April 21st. Please have your child here for preparation following Spring Break (March 15-19 returning on March 22nd) so he or she will feel refreshed and prepared by the start of testing. Please avoid scheduling appointments for your child during this time. It is difficult to do make up tests and typically the children do better on assessments during regularly scheduled tests over makeup tests. We appreciate your help in encouraging your child to do their best.

The Census information can be located for students at http://www.census.gov/schools/ and parents at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/ . The Census form is to be returned by April 1st. There are only 10 questions. Please fill it out immediately. Information from the Census data will be used to determine the distribution of more than 400 billion dollars in public funds, so an accurate count of our community is important! Every census redraws the nation’s portrait. Ask your child what they observe in the posters displayed around the school and what they predict the 2010 Census will reveal. Your child may be too young to be represented in the 2000 data, but they will be an important part of the 2010 Census story. The census counts everyone, no matter their race, ethnicity, or country of birth.

I have noticed that many parents have been calling the office asking to speak with their child. We will get a message to your child; but will not bring the child to the phone. This is disruptive to learning and with testing coming we can’t interrupt testing.

Remember to have your child read over Spring Break. Becoming a good reader is no different than becoming a good athlete – they both require practice. Good readers read often. Please help your child read at home. A reminder of strategies you can use with your child:

Fluency is the ability to read with automaticity and accuracy. The more students see and work with words, the more they are able to effortlessly decode them. Fluency skills are the ability to see the “big picture” rather than reading word for word. This improves reading comprehension by allowing the reader to concentrate on the meaning of words rather than on the reading of them. A fluent reader reads at an appropriate pace, with expression, and with good phrasing. Here are some fluency activities to try at home throughout the school year
Repeated Readings involves your child reading the same books or stories more than once in the same week.

Partner Reading involves sharing reading with your child. You read a sentence and then your child reads a sentence or you read half the page and then your child reads half the page. As reading improves, each partner can read an entire page or section. Try partner reading once a week.

Choral Reading involves reading a story together with your child. Both you and your child will read at the same time. Lead the reading by using expression and appropriate pacing. Use a story that your child has read before or that is easy for him/her to read. Choral read once a week.
Echo Reading involves you reading one line of a poem or story and your child repeating the same line after you have read. Increase the number of lines read at one time as the child’s reading improves. Try to echo read once a week.

Do not forget to change your clocks (spring forward) to Daylight Savings Time on March 14th.





IMPORTANT DATES

March
05 Child Find 9-2 at RVT
14 Daylight Savings Begins
15-19 Spring Break
March 30-April 21 New Mexico State Testing (SBA)
23 Spring Pictures
24 Parent Teacher Conferences

April
01 Census Day
2 Good Friday (No School)
14 Early Release (12:30 pm)
21 Jump Rope for Heart (during PE)
22 Progress Reports
26-May 21 MAP Testing Window Three

May
3 Schools’ Orientation for Transitioning Students
7 District In-service
12 Early Release (12:30 pm)
14 Math & Science Day (Southside)
18 Awards Assembly – Southside 6:00-6:30 pm; Central 6:30-7:00 pm
19, 20, 21 Van of Enchantment
28 Last Day of School
31 Memorial Day Holiday

Students of the Week

Southside students of the week for March 1st are: Laryssa, Margo, Valerie, (not pictured) Serina.

Students of the Month for February

Southside Students of the Month for February are: Raquel, Genesis, Brandon, and Kayla.

Students of the Week

Southside Students of the Week for Feb. 22nd are: Stephanie, Nathaniel, Angel, and Adrian.

Southside is...

Students of the Month for March

Southside Students of the Month for March are: Victoria, Savannah, Cameron, Ashley, and Greg.

Have a Safe and Happy Spring Break

Wild Poppies Near Argenteuil
Claude Monet
(1873)

NIGHT IN THE MUSEUM

This morning Southside Elementary 3rd and 4th graders boarded a bus bound for Albuquerque. They are on their way to spend a night in the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. They will be able to participate in several fun activities at the museum, and will be able to go the the Rio Grande Zoo tomorrow.

Southside Students Plant Trees

The students at Southside Elementary School, got to take part in a campus beautification project. Each of the classes participated in planting trees along the outside edge of the playground. Not only will the trees beautify the school grounds, but they will act as a wind break when they get larger. The students who helped plant these trees today will be able to show them to their children many years from now and be able to say, "I helped plant that one".

Kudos!

Students of the Week for 03-16-09

Southside Students of the Week for March 16 are: Vanessa, Valerie, Deziree, Tommie, and Manuel.