NEWSLETTER WEEK: April 23 - 27, 2012

We hope everyone had a great weekend!  

 It was very nice to see so many parents and students out Friday night for the annual Family Night.  
We hope everyone had a good time!  

Here's what's going on this week:

SPELLING: Words with /ed/ or /ing/.

MATH:  We continue with our unit of Measurement by focusing on centimeter, meters,; cups, pints, quarts, liters, and volume.   

R/W: We are continuing with our study of the Mystery genre as students gather into their Reading Detective Clubs to solve different cases.  This week, the students will continue writing their mystery story, with a focus on using quotation marks and word choice. 

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students continue their Economics Unit by understanding and applying the concepts of supply and demands, goods and services. 

DOL (Daily Oral Language): Self correct sentences.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

EARLY DISMISSAL WEDNESDAY – There will be a half day on Wednesday, April 25th.  Students will be going home at 11:45 a.m. Your child only needs to bring a snack to school that day. 


ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL – We would like to remind all parents and students that the first bell rings at 7:55 a.m. The second bell rings at 8:00 a.m. By this time, all students should be in their classrooms ready for instructions. If your child is late, he/she misses important information and disrupts the rest of his/her classmates. 


PERSONAL HYGIENE TALK FOR ELEMENTARY – Ms. Ivonne has invited a guest speaker to talk to our elementary students about taking good care of their body, personal grooming and hygiene (4th and 5th graders will have the same topics plus some developmental changes that children their age will go through).   


MAP TESTING – We would like to remind you that the second graders will be taking the MAP assessments starting the second week of May.  You can practice the various MAP skills by asking your child to play the online MAP reading and math games.  They can be found under the "Links" heading. 


FROM THE CAFETERIA - ELEMENTARY PARENT LUNCHEON – Take your parents to Lunch Day Friday May 11th. Our school cafeteria will be hosting the second student and parent luncheon soon.  Flyers with menus will be going home with your children this week.  Please return with payment - exact change is preferred - by Monday 7th.  The latestdate the cafeteria will take orders is Wednesday 9th as the staff needs to prepare and have all ingredients on hand to ensure food for everyone.  Students love to spend time with their parents at school, and this is a good opportunity to share lunch with them.  Parent involvement helps children perform better academicallly and behaviorally.


DISCOVERY SCHOOL WEEK OF THE ARTS – The Discovery School week of the Arts will begin next week!  A whole week dedicated to the wonderful artists at Discovery School!  Join us!

Here is the schedule for the week:

        SCHEDULE:

        Monday - Wednesday    Selected Readings by Students and Staff at the Cafeteria (During Break and  Lunch Time)

        Thursday 3:15 - 5:00   Visual Arts Exhibit Open until Friday 7:00  p.m.

        Friday 7:00 p.m.    "Chronicles of Discovery Gala" Presentation of the Chronicles Awards 

Semi Formal Dress - Gentlemen, Suit and Tie

Reserve your tickets now with Carolina (Receptionist)!

Adults Lps. 200; Students Lps. 100

NEW DISCOVERY SCHOOL T-SHIRTS & POLOS – The new "Home of the Wolves" t-shirts and polos are now available for purchase in our Finance office.  T-shirts are sold for $7 (L140) and polos for $13 (L250).  With every shirt sold, we are contributing to the Choir in their effort to raise funds for their San Francisco trip this summer.  Let's pitch in and build our school pride by wearing the Discovery School shirt on Friday!  


DRESS CODE – Reminder to all parents and requesting support in this matter:  All students should be appropriate dressed in a manner that promotes academic seriousness.  The following is NOT ACCEPTABLE, among others (please refer to the Parent/Student Handbook, page 30 and 31):

• Drug, alcohol or tobacco related cltohing, jewelry or paraphernalia
• Clothing promoting sex, racism, violence or profanity
• Clothing which, because of its briefness or tightness of fit is deemed distracting to the academic atmosphere
• Strapless tops or tops with either shoulder bare
• Shower-type flip-flops
• Shorts or skirts that are shorter than mid-thigh

The school stresses the avoidance of extremes and reserves the right to request a student to change into more appropriate attire or call home to acquire more suitable dress. 

GUIDANCE LESSONS –

"Sometimes we feel good, and sometimes we feel bad. Both kinds of feelings are normal. Of course, we all enjoy good feelings. But when we don't like the way we are feeling, sometimes we don't know what to do about it." 

--"Dealing With Feelings," 

by Dr. Eric Dlugokinski

Our school guidance counselor, Mrs. Ivonne Casco, continues to meet with our 2nd graders to talk about how fear and other feelings are normal, and that appropriate sharing of our feelings is healthy.  Your child is involved in learning-activities designed to develop good character and empower them to make good choices for themselves. 

Here are some things you can do at home to support the lessons: 

• Ask your child to tell you about the weekly lessons and what he or she learned from it. 
• When your child behaves emotionally, don't overreact. Your calmness is the best model. When your child calms down, talk about the feelings and discuss appropriate ways of dealing with them.
• Affirm to your child that strong feelings are normal, that we all have them and must learn to deal with them. It is part of growing up.
• Encourage new or unfamiliar activities. Confidence is a product of successful experiences; applaud the little victories.

LINKS
MAP Reading
BBC.co.uk
Giggle Poetry- funny poetry for children
MAP Math
IXL-various math skills activities

Fun Brain- various math games
National Geographics for Kids

Science Kids


Have a nice week! 
Mrs. Elena & Ms. Muriel