Southside Elementary: March 2010

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