Week 5 September 1-5, 2014

Dear Parents,

I hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Next Thursday, September 12th, the school will be having the Independence Day celebrations starting at 9:00 am. We will begin the celebrations by having a traditional Honduran breakfast in the classroom. Each student is responsible to bring in his/her assigned food item. These items will be assigned next Monday and a note will be sent home in your child's folder. Please check the folder. This is a half day. Students will be going home at 11:45 am. Your child does not need to bring in a snack for break or lunch that day. Your child is encouraged to wear traditional Honduran clothing or blue and white. There will be no school Monday, September 15th, and Tuesday, September 16th. Classes resume on Wednesday, September 17th.

Thank you for having your kids practice IXL,Keep up the good work !!

 This week, your child will inquire into the following:

Language Arts

•Working With Words -This week´s words are will, their, other, out, about. Your child will be learning the spelling and meaning of these words plus reviewing other High Frequency words through various activities and chants.

Reading- This week your child will begin reading Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff. Your child will be learning the reading skills making predictions, identifying characters, setting (when and where), sequencing (beginning, middle, and end), using context clues to understand the meanings of words within the text.

•Writing Your child will continue writing an Opinion Piece in which they introduce the topic they will be writing about, supply reasons for the opinion and provide some sense of closure.

Math- This week your child will be starting Chapter 2. Your child will be learning how to solve joining/ addition problems, write an addition sentence, write an addition sentence using zero, write sums vertically and horizontally. There are math on-line activities under the 'Links' heading that your child can play to practice addition.

 Social Studies- This week your child will embark on a journey around HONDURAS. We will visit the beautiful Copan Ruins, and learn about the Mayan Civilization.

IXL SKILLS FOR THIS WEEK : B.5, B6, B.8

Practice at least 3 times a week for 15 minutes.

Monday

·  Reading- read for 10 minutes and fill in the Reading Log

· Math- Work on page 47-48 from math book.

· WWW- Write words in ABC order

Tuesday

· Reading- Read for 10 minutes and fill in the Reading Log.

· Math- Do practice on level worksheet p.2-3.

· WWW – Fill in the blanks.

Wednesday

· Reading- Read for 10 minutes and fill in the Reading Log

· Math – Do pg.51-52 from the math book.

· Espanol- Do worksheet.

Thursday

· Reading- Read for 10 minutes and fill in the Reading Log

· Math – Do pg. 53-54 from math book.

· WWW- Which is the correct word?

PLEASE REMEMBER

Independence Day Celebration- Friday, September 12th

Early Release- Friday, September 12th, 11:45 am

No School- Monday, September 15th and Tuesday, September 16th.

MIDTERM AND PROGRESS REPORTS – This Friday, September 5 marks the middle of the first grading period. Midterm Progress Reports will be sent next Friday, September 12.

DESAYUNO CATRACHO – To celebrate Honduran Independence, there will be a Pot Luck Style “Desayuno Catracho” in each classroom on Friday, September 12, from 8:00 to 8:50 a.m. We ask our parents to help us organize this, and contribute with healthy typical foods. Honduran cultural and festive activities will follow the breakfast. We encourage our students to come dressed in a Honduran outfit that day. We also want to remind parents that this is an early dismissal day (11:45 a.m.) and that the following Monday and Tuesday are holidays!

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

As a responsible educational community, the safety of our students (and parents) always comes first. Our concerns stem out of 1) external security and control of access to the school, and 2) the dangers inside the school when parents drive and pass each other in the parking lot.  Keeping that in mind, we have established the need to modify the procedures during the dismissal of our students at 3:00 p.m. Please read these carefully, and take note of the changes. We ask that you make the necessary adjustments, and we know we can count on your support in making our dismissal run smoother and safer. It is possible that we will make further minor adjustments, but for this week, we will stay with the following procedure for stacking cars, loading, and moving through the school.

Entrance to the school – We will allow a limited number of cars at a time in a single driving line into our school campus. This decision was made in order to prevent the security liability that entails having the entrance gates open at all times. If you wish to arrive before 3:00 p.m. you may park in the designated parking spaces in the middle and lower areas of the parking lot. Cars that stop in the yellow, striped loading zone must 1) form a single line, and 2) have a driver present in the vehicle at all times. These cars may be asked to move and/or park as circumstances determine.

Exiting the school – Vehicles will be allowed to leave the school in a single line, limiting the number of cars leaving at a time. This will enable the teachers and guards to check the vehicles and make sure our students are leaving with the adequate permissions.

Permissions – Students leaving the school with other adults (i.e. on play dates) will need a pass from the office. Written consent from parents must be emailed or turned into the office (Ms. Carolina) before 2:00 p.m. Students will not be allowed to leave with other adults without written consent and with our necessary pass. Permissions via phone will only be granted in case of emergency.

Loading Zones – The areas marked with the yellow stripes in front of the administration building and the gym are areas destined for students to aboard their vehicles, and should not be used for parking or extended waiting. If a student is not in the established dismissal areas, or not yet ready to board the vehicle, the driver of the vehicle will be asked to circle the parking lot though level 3 (in the area between the two gates on the top level) or to park if there is space in level 2 (the middle areas of the parking lot).

Awaiting Vehicles – No vehicle should be left unattended during dismissal time, unless it is properly parked in a parking space.

Driving Etiquette - It is of outmost importance that the following rules be observed:

a.         Do not pass other vehicles unless directed by a staff member or guard;

b.         Wait patiently as the teachers on duty identify and dismiss the students, and as the students board their vehicles;

c.         Abstain from using a vehicle’s horn as communication or a signal; it is for warnings!

d.         Follow the instructions the teachers on duty direct during dismissal;

e.         Follow the instructions given during dismissal time (parents are responsible for their drivers).

f.         Park in the designated areas, and be willing to move to the middle area of level 2, if there is a parking space available.

Teachers’ Duties – Each teacher has specific assignments during the dismissal of students. Teachers will be proactive in calling the students to be ready to board their vehicles, ensuring that the necessary passes have been granted, and watching over their safety at all times.

We thank you in advance for your support in making the dismissal time as safe as we can for our students. Safe driving is a duty of good citizenship, which we attempt to teach and model here.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school administration.

Thanks,

Ms. Nora, Ms. Colette and Ms. Andrea