TLC Charter Chatter - Week of August 26th 2013

Charter Chatter

A weekly newsletter written to parents of the Tracy Learning Center

                 

Aug. 30, 2013                                                                                         Vol. 13 No. 4

Virginia Stewart

Students have a very important job, they are preparing for their future.  The most important thing we teach them is to love learning.  It really does not matter what they learn as much as they find joy and satisfaction out of learning something.

Learning should feel like the time a child learns how to balance a bike, or learn to skate.  It should feel like the time a child discovers something on his own, like adding two numbers together or realizing that fractions are part of a whole number.

We can foster learning by appreciating what students are doing in school.  It is important for students to know that we are interested.  I like to begin my after school conversations with, “What is something you learned today?” I then extend the idea presented and let the student know something else about that subject or ask the student to explain more.

It is also a wonderful thing to read a book together.  When students are older, have a sort of book club. Reading the same book and discussing it is delightful and will give you a chance to talk about characters and values that would be hard to address with a overly sensitive teenager if not through literature!

Look for ways to explore learning something new together. It is important for students to see that all of us are actually “life long learners”.

Misc. Announcements

Visitors

All visitors coming on the school grounds must be signed in and signed out at the office and must wear a school lanyard (new) during his/her visit.

Dismissal Time Change for Homecoming Friday, Sept. 27^th only

Please note students will be dismissed early for our Homecoming Parade on Friday, Sept. 27, 2013

PCS – 2:30pm (Snack Club will be open but Study Club is canceled)

DCS, PHSA and MHS – 3:00pm

(MHS Students who are on the list for participating at all Float Building events will be dismissed at 12noon)

Pick up and Drop Off

Unfortunately, we have had numerous complaints from our neighbors about our parents parking in their driveways. These neighbors are very frustrated and are ready to call the police. Remember you would not want someone blocking your driveway so please be considerate and park legally and responsively.

ELAC

We are doing our second annual ELAC committee on Friday, September 6^th.  We will meet in the front office. Any parent who would like to share an opinion regarding English language learners is invited.  We will meet five times a year.  We will focus on discussing what resources are available and how to further support EL students.  Your input is greatly appreciated.  If you have further questions, please contact Rosario De La Torre at rdelatorre@tracylc.net.

El Segundo comité anual se llevará acabo el viernes, 6 de septiembre.  La junta tomará lugar en la oficina principal de la escuela.  Cualquier padre que esté interesado en compartir su opinión sobre los alumnos aprendices del inglés (English learners) es bienvenido.   El comité consiste de cinco juntas por año en donde se discutirán los recursos disponibles de la escuela y cómo ayudar mejor a cada uno de nuestros alumnos aprendices del inglés (English learners).  Si tienen preguntas, por favor de contactar a Rosario De La Torre al correo electrónico rdelatorre@tracylc.net.

Next Parent Council Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 19 4:15 in P5

                                                                           

PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week  Sept. 2-6 Mon. –   Holiday Tues. – Pizza Wed  – Beef or Bean Nachos Thurs. – Chicken Taquitos Fri. –  Beef Hot Dog

Primary Charter

Any parents who have not ordered Spirit Wear should order it ASAP because it is quickly running low! Order forms are in the office.

Sapphire PCS

We have had a productive week in the SAPPHIRE SCHOOL.

Room 1 has earned their first “Sea Creature” party of the year! This means that the students have been working hard, following directions, and earning SWO’s.  Next Tuesday they will celebrate with some really cool activities. Room 1 is also proud to add new students to the AR program.  That means that we have both new and returning students reading!!!!   Please remember to finish dressing your weather dolls and bring them back on Tuesday.  We can’t wait to see the completed projects.

Room 6 students have been busy writing super sentences and paragraphs using great adverbs and adjectives. Ask your student about the animal scavenger hunt and animal reports that they did in class this week.  We will be learning all about birds next.  Please ask your child how they are progressing toward their AR goal. 

Room 5 is half way through their first AR goal period.  Check your child’s reading log. What books are they reading?  What progress have they made towards their goal?  Next Friday, September 6^th, we will be walking to the Tracy Historical Museum. Please make sure that you have returned your permission slip.  Our library trips will begin soon. The 3 fourth grade classes rotate so that each class will go to the library once every 3 weeks.  Our first trip will be Thursday September 19^th. Make sure that you take your child to get a library card before this date.   

Did you know that Study club is every day of the week, except Wednesday; this is a great place for your child to come and get homework completed with a teachers help.

Do you know your students reading level?  Did you sign up for Home Connect?

Gold PCS

Save the date! Homecoming is September 27, 2013. The theme this year is Pixar. Primary Gold has picked the movie A Bug’s Life for their float. More information about this event will be coming soon.

 Primary Gold has been doing an excellent job saying their new cheer. Students practiced over the weekend and now have it memorized. Please join us for Unity in the mornings to hear it.

Did you know we have an afterschool program called Study Club? This is a great program run by Primary Gold teachers where students can complete homework and get extra practice with other subjects. Study Club is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Each session is $5.00. Please remember, that if a student charges 2 sessions, they cannot attend until the $10.00 is paid.

Reminder

September 2- Holiday – No School

PCS ART

This week in Art, the K/1’s have been busy cutting and gluing buildings to create a cityscape. 2/3 Art & Literature classes painted the backgrounds and completed their “Manana Iguana” artwork.  4^th grade Multicultural Art is putting the final touches on their Yarn Paintings from Mexico. 

The student’s artwork will be available for viewing on our web-based school art gallery, Artsonia.  Parents, watch for a notice to come home giving you the security code to access your child’s portfolio.

PCS PE

The days seem to be getting warmer so please remember to send your child with a water bottle that has their name on it.

Thank you to The Lew family for their generous donation.

The following students received shoe tokens for going above and beyond when demonstrating Respect and Responsibility in PE: Logan Tyler, Shiven Reddy, Colin Credo, Devin Coates, Ian Desena, Cadrie Graden, Harold Ferea, Johnathon Hendrick, Edgar Rios, Tatum Kusy-Penirian, Breanna Tyler, Ashley Romero Ledesma, Steven Mendoza-Diaz, Marisol Orosco, Mya Vernon, Alan Chavez, Diego Ruiz, Carson Edwards, Ronin Tsang, Julio Gabby Hernadez, and Sahejroop Sethi.   

Primary PE also has their own facebook that is updated with our weekly activities so check it out when you get a chance:  www.facebook.com/mskvpehealth

DCS 5^th/6^th

The physical challenge has begun! Students have started running a timed mile in P.E. It will be exciting to track their fitness goals over the course of the school year.

Student Store:

Students have been receiving Discovery Dollars to spend at the DCS student store. The Discovery Dollars are a way to recognize positive contributions to our school culture. Our wonderful leadership team has been busy setting up shop. Please contact Mrs. Beckner if you would like to donate prizes to spice up the inventory.

Picture Day:

DCS picture day was Wednesday, August 28. If your child was unable to have a photo taken the retake date has been scheduled for October 15.

Carline:

We have noticed that many students are purchasing snacks at the end of the day while parents are waiting in a very congested Carline. If your child is not present when you are ready you may be asked to drive through a second time to ease the flow of traffic. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

PHSA 7^th and 8^th

This week has been a busy one academically.  Students had  a part of their SWO project due.  It was great to see so many responsible student working hard.  Remember we have extra help during workroom and ARP time if students want help revising or brainstorming.

The highlight of the week had to be an experiment for Ms. Powers science enrichment class.  It involved testing how many marshmallows one can hold in their mouth at one time.  A true Kodak moment! :)

1) Please make sure students have all of the needed supplies for class.  Being prepared is the first step to a successful, productive day.

2) Preparations are beginning to be made for the fall homecoming parade; we continue to gather supplies and are always looking for any ideas or materials parents might be able to help with.  Please contact Mr. Mitri andsmitri@tracylc.net if you are able to help out.

3) The school website has been updated and is up and running! You can access all kinds of valuable information from teacher contacts, student grades, homework assignments, and calendar events! Go towww.tracylc.net and follow the link on the left hand column to PHSA gold or garnet.  GO TIGERS!

4) It is Science Olympiad time again!  The event lists are not online yet but we have copies and will be holding an informational meeting for 5/6 DCS team and 7/8 PHSA.  

It will be held in Room M1 on Wednesday September 4th at 6pm.  We hope to see our returning Olympians as well as some new faces.

The team will be run an after school/at home with parents and Science Olympiad teachers assisting.  There will be some time during school but we want anyone interested to come to the meeting - you will not be excluded if you are already in band or academic pentathlon.

		MHS
	We have officially completed our first month of school and things are looking great!  The staff and students are positive, focused and school spirit has never been better! With nearly 500 students at MHS we have generated a lot of really good energy in our classrooms and in various school activities and programs. Upcoming Events First Home Football Game: Saturday, August 31st, 2013 7pm (Kimball) Ping Pong Nest Competition: Tuesday, September 10th-Thursday, September 12th (lunch) Homecoming Events ·         Powder Puff Practice and Game: Monday, September 16th-Tuesday, September, 20th ·         Powder Puff Game: Wednesday, September 25th. 6pm-7pm. (MHS Soccer Field) $5 adults, $3 children and students ·          with ID card ·         Rally: Thursday, September 26th ·         Homecoming Parade: 4pm (Downtown Tracy) ·         Homecoming Dance: September 27th @ 7:00pm- 10pm Counseling Thank you to the wonderful visitors we had this week in the Career Education and Senior Internship  classes: Yvonne Martinez from University of Massachusetts Lowell, Kenneth Faulkner  - Marketing Development, Arable One, and Donna Baker – At Home Real Estate Group Community Service We recently updated the community service page on our new website of upcoming events for the months of September and October. Visit our website at: http://www.tracylc.net/community-service.html  to print community service forms and to see the opportunities where students can volunteer. Hours are all updated and can now be found in Aeries Grade Book.  Community service will appear as a “Class” listed among all the other classes that your child is scheduled in.  To view the hours, you must click on the class list to open for details. Deadline extended!!! Kids in a Box is still accepting participating applications.  Students interested in volunteering in this great community service and fundraiser for the McHenry House can visit http://www.mchenryhousetracy.org/kids-in-a-box.html to find out more information and to register to participate.  College Info September 11th and 12th – 3:00pm – 5:30pm SAT/PSAT Prep classes through the ZAPS Learning Company will be back by popular demand. Signups are now available at www.zaps.com  - Cost is $99 for the two day preparation workshop which includes test prep materials.  Senior Info Senior information packets were mailed out yesterday.  Duplicates of the information mailed can be found on our website at www.tracylc.net in the Senior Scoop section of the Counseling/Guidance webpage or click here: http://www.tracylc.net/senior-scoop.html Counseling News Counselors are excited to start this new school wide App called Remind 101. Remind 101 is a safe way for  teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents. We have a different code for each grade level. Counselors will be using this app for updates on community service events, senior email blasts, meetings,  and much more! How to sign up: Please send a text message to 747-233-4120 and enter the code for your grade level in the message box. Remember each grade level has their own code. Seniors- @07fd0 Juniors-@cb9 Sophomores-@82d7d Freshmen- @fab05 For other questions please visit their website at www.remind101.com . .

TLC Charter Chatter - Week of August 19th 2013

Tracy Learning Center

Charter Chatter Weekly Newsletter

                                                    www.tracylc.net 

                                                                  Volume 13 / Issue 3

A message from the Director...

Many students and parents are often heard saying things like, “He learned this last year.” Or “She already learned this and it is not challenging for her.”  I believe there is a lack of understanding about curriculum and learning when these kinds of comments are made.

Learning is on-going and requires more depth and understanding as it is presented over time.  For example, kindergarten children are introduced to the idea of fractions when they cut up a pizza or realize a clock is divided into quarters…. But that is hardly the whole concept of fractions.  Students in fifth grade are taught operations of fractions but once again, that is hardly the end of fractions, since they are used extensively in higher level math courses for solving equations.

Many ideas are presented in social studies such as democracy, yet the philosophy behind it continues to be a theme throughout the study of history.  The influence of John Locke continues to resurface even in our modern times.

Real learning takes years to gain full insight.  Realization and application come over time with age and experience.  It is up to the teacher working with students to continue to draw upon previous knowledge and to extend learning.  The instructional strategy name for this is “right is right.” It means that teachers continue to draw more and more out of students as they exam an idea rather than simply accepting a simple one sentence answer.

Please do not think we teach the same things over and over again…. We spiral learning to bring more depth and understanding as we continue to present same ideas over a period of several years.  It is not the same old, unchallenging thing!

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Have you heard the news today...?

Visitors

All visitors coming on the school grounds must be signed in and signed out at the office and must wear a school lanyard (new) during his/her visit.

Lunch (other items) Drop Off

DCS, PHSA and MHS students who have had items dropped off in the office will not be called. These calls are very distracting to the learning environment so please be sure and communicate to your child if you are dropping off his/her lunch, class items or lunch money. Students may come to the office at lunch time to pick their items up. The office will not be responsible for any items not picked up.

Parent Cabinet Meeting

Thank

Picture Days

MHS Picture Day is Wed. Aug. 21, 2013. Order forms will go home on August 16^th. Students without a first period must pick up his/her picture packet in the office.

PCS, DCS/PHSA Picture Day is Wed. Aug. 28, 2013

Order forms will be coming home soon.

Chili Cook Off  - Oct. 5, 2013

“Summer break was fun but I really glad to be back (to school).  My teacher's are awesome and we have a lot of fun while we learn.” – PHSA Student

What's Cookin'?

PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week  Aug. 26  – 30

Mon. –   Pizza

Tues. – Beef Tostadas

Wed  – Chicken Fettuccini

Thurs. – Chicken Patti Sandwich

Fri. –  Beef Hamburgers

ELAC

We are doing our second annual ELAC committee on Friday, September 6^th at 4:15 pm.  We will meet in the front office. Any parent who would like to share an opinion regarding English language learners is invited.  We will meet five times a year.  We will focus on discussing what resources are available and how to further support EL students.  Your input is greatly appreciated.  If you have further questions, please contact Rosario De La Torre at rdelatorre@tracylc.net.

El Segundo comité anual se llevará acabo el viernes, 6 de septiembre a las 4:15 pm.  La junta tomará lugar en la oficina principal de la escuela.  Cualquier padre que esté interesado en compartir su opinión sobre los alumnos aprendices del inglés (English learners) es bienvenido.   El comité consiste de cinco juntas por año en donde se discutirán los recursos disponibles de la escuela y cómo ayudar mejor a cada uno de nuestros alumnos aprendices del inglés (English learners).  Si tienen preguntas, por favor de contactar a Rosario De La Torre al correo electrónico rdelatorre@tracylc.net.

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PCS - A Great Green Week!

Primary Gold

Did you know that there is a Gold Pod study club?? After school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays Gold Pod teachers offer support to students with homework, reading, sight words, and more. You can sign your student up for study club and pay just five dollars (cash only) a day and that includes a snack. Students do not have to come every day; parents can pick the days they wish their student to attend. Students must be picked up from study club by 4:30.

Reminders:

Picture Day is Wednesday, August 28, 2013!

The office is still in need of paperwork, please be sure to turn in all paperwork such as emergency contact forms and other paperwork as soon as possible.

If you are picking up your child in carline they need to be able to buckle their seatbelt by themselves. Parents need to stay in cars so that carline can run quickly and smoothly.

Golden Highlights:

Students have been working hard on creating a new cheer for unity. Ms. Chaves and Mrs. Hill held tryouts on Wednesday morning. It was difficult to pick a winner because all of the cheers were awesome! Great job Gold students! The winners were announced on Thursday! Congratulations to Mysha, Mackenzie, and Carrie! Gold pod students are excited to practice our new cheer! Parents are welcome to come through the gate at 8:13 to join our unity!

Here are the words for our new golden cheer:

WE ARE THE GOLD SCHOOL, A REALLY, REALLY, SMART SCHOOL.

WE TRY OUR BEST, ON EVERY SINGLE TEST.

WE ARE RESPECTFUL, AND RESPONSIBLE.

WE FOLLOW 4 SWO’S, WHICH WE ALL KNOW.

GOLD, GOLD, GOLD, RULES!!!

Sapphire PCS

We have had a wonderful week in the SAPPHIRE SCHOOL.

The new unity chant is special to all the Sapphire students and they are busy learning the words. Please join us for unity and see our spirit!

We have purchased lots of new technology and the students are pleased to be using it to learn.

Room 1 is busy using their new IPad minis; as education in technology continues to grow so do our students. We are working hard to get on Sapphire each day and very much looking forward to the 2013-2014 Homecoming festivities.  Room 1 appreciates all the most generous contributions to our classroom.

Room 6 students are having fun continuing to learn all about different classifications of animals in Science.  We are starting our new AR goals on Monday; please look in your child’s folder for their reading level and goals.  Also, if you should happen to have Iphone chargers that you no longer need, we can use them in our classroom.

Room 5 is continuing to work on their California geography projects.  We will soon be in need of the tennis balls to make globes. The tennis balls don’t need to be new or even need to bounce, if you can contribute more than one that would be great!  We are in need of a parent to recycle water bottles from our classroom; this would consist of picking up the empty bottles weekly and taking them to the recycling depot.  The money made from the recycling goes directly to the classroom to purchase supplies.

We will be starting a student leadership team this year (1-4), please look for information that will be coming home in the folders next Friday.

Did you know that Study club is every day of the week, except Wednesday; this is a great place for your child to come and get homework completed with a teachers help.

You will be getting information about Homecoming festivities in the next few weeks; Sapphire will have a float in the parade. We will be asking for donations and parents to help make the float amazing!  The parade will happen on Friday September 27, mark your calendars!!!

Reminders

August 28, 2013- PCS Picture Day

September 2-  Holiday

  

Primary Music

 All students in grades K - 4 are learning or reviewing musical notation and symbols.   They are having fun learning about beat and rhythm.  They already know several songs and games.  Ask your child to sing you a song!

PCS ART

This week in Art, the K/1’s have finished their scissor practice and have started their first art project of the year.  It’s called City at Night, and gives them a great chance to use their new scissor skills.  The 2/3’s heard the story “Manana Iguana” and are creating a desert landscape featuring one of the characters from the book.  4th grade Multi-Cultural Art classes are working hard on their Yarn Paintings from Mexico. Discovery Elective has finished their Contour Line Sunflowers and are learning about contemporary artist, Keith Haring. The Discovery Art Club is completing their Dragons in Ice Caves. PHSA has begun work on Ceramic Castles.

PCS PE

The days seem to be getting warmer so please remember to send your child with a water bottle that has their name on it.

Thank you to The Lew family for their generous donation.

The following students received shoe tokens for going above and beyond when demonstrating Respect and Responsibility in PE: Logan Tyler, Shiven Reddy, Colin Credo, Devin Coates, Ian Desena, Cadrie Graden, Harold Ferea, Johnathon Hendrick

Primary PE also has their own facebook that is updated with our weekly activities so check it out when you get a chance:  www.facebook.com/mskvpehealth

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DCS is The Best!

5^th/6^th

We survived a hot third week of school! It was great to see DCS students reducing the plastic waste on campus by bringing reusable water bottles and recycling the disposable containers.

Unity:

 This week during Unity several DCS students presented interesting facts about the world around us. We encourage parents to ask children to share this daily trivia when they get home. It can inspire exploration into new learning and is an opportunity for families to speak with children about evaluating sources and gathering information.

Picture Day:

DCS picture day is next Wednesday, August 28. Staff can’t wait to see the DCS family picture ready!

When I say 'PS' you say 'HA'.  PHSA, Go Tigers!

PHSA 7^th and 8^th

-Emergency contact forms are PAST DUE.  It is important we have current contact information every year in case we have to reach you.

-Students should have now completed the first step in the SWO project (due today).  We were encouraged by the number of students who took the time to come in to workroom and get the extra help they needed.  Great Job PHSA!  We are proud of your hard work.

-TLC is still looking for few more participants in the 1st Annual Ribs and Chili Cookoff.  Stop by the front office for more details.

-Preparations are beginning to be made for the fall homecoming parade; if you have a flatbed trailer which can be used to construct the float on, please contact Mr. Mitri at smitri@tracylc.net. Also, if you would like to assist in any way, please contact Mr. Mitri.

-Be sure to visit tracylc.net.  Head on over to the PHSA gold or garnet page and be sure to look at the calendar.  It contains important due dates as well as copies of handouts and study guides that apply.

Week of August 12th, 2013

Tracy Learning Center

Charter Chatter Weekly Newsletter

                                                    www.tracylc.net 

                                                                  Volume 13 / Issue 2

A message from the Director...

This week I thought I would take the opportunity to explain why our schools have the names they have. 

   
            Primary         

Primary Charter was given this name because we viewed it as the first and most important building block for all future learning.  It is of primary importance that students learn good student habits and learn how to be an excited and dedicated learner.

            Discovery

                        Discovery Charter was given the name because we recognized that this was the time that students are very busy discovering themselves.  It is a rocky and emotional time when students are leaving childhood and are starting to want to do things on their own.  They are wondering who they are, what they will be and what they value.  We felt it was important that the staff was available to help these students transition from childhood to adolescence well.

                        As the years progressed, we realized that our fifth and sixth graders were in the early phase of discovery and transition and needed a different approach than our older students in grades seven and eight and therefore we made two discovery parts: middle school and PHSA (pre high school academy.)

             Millennium High School

                        We gave Millennium this name because we felt it was the ‘golden age of learning”. We wanted it to be a time when students gained a clear sense of direction beyond high school by giving them a chance to observe and learn about the world, the workplace, and life through experiences and academics.  We designed a high school that provides opportunities for community service, career education, and a work internship along with chances to attend college classes before actually graduating from high school.  In addition we wanted to provide for the arts and athletics.  Finally, we wanted to provide a great academic education.  We believe we are providing a golden opportunity.

Students who take advantage of a Tracy Learning Center Education should have a firm foundation, a great understanding of themselves and a clear direction with the skills needed to pursue desired life goals.

Have you heard the news today...?

Visitors

All visitors coming on the school grounds must be signed in and signed out at the office and must wear a school lanyard (new) during his/her visit.

Lunch (other items) Drop Off

DCS, PHSA and MHS students who have had items dropped off in the office will not be called. These calls are very distracting to the learning environment so please be sure and communicate to your child if you are dropping off his/her lunch, class items or lunch money. Students may come to the office at lunch time to pick their items up. The office will not be responsible for any items not picked up.

Parent Cabinet Meeting

Our next meeting is Thurs. August 22, 2013 at 4:15 in P6

We still have many openings available and look forward to seeing new parents at this meeting.

We are dividing up groups who will be responsible for specific jobs and will have  small group meetings less frequently. Some of these groups are Appreciation, Safety, Political Action, Campus Beautification and Fund Raising etc. We are very excited and appreciative about this new attempt at getting parents more involved in areas they are interested in.

Picture Days

MHS Picture Day is Wed. Aug. 21, 2013. Order forms will go home on August 16^th. Students without a first period must pick up his/her picture packet in the office.

PCS, DCS/PHSA Picture Day is Wed. Aug. 28, 2013

Order forms will be coming home soon.

Chili Cook Off  - Oct. 5, 2013

“Summer break was fun but I really glad to be back (to school).  My teacher's are awesome and we have a lot of fun while we learn.” – PHSA Student

What's Cookin'?

PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week  Aug. 19  – 23

Mon. –   Pizza

Tues. – Beef Tacos

Wed  – Beef Lasagne

Thurs. – Chicken Quesadilla

Fri. –  Hot Dogs

PCS - A Great Green Week!

Sapphire

We have had a fantastic week in the Sapphire pod. We all talked and learned more about the SWO’s (school wide objectives); ask your child how they can earn a bracelet.

Students have been busy practicing for the auditions for the unity cheer. We should have a new cheer next week. Parents, as always, are welcome at our unity.

The K-1 class is very excited about learning all about hermit crabs, their classroom pets, and next week they get to name them. The students were also very happy about spending the money that they earned throughout the week at the student store.  We are extremely proud of those students that know the value of a penny, nickel, dime and quarter. Great Job!   

The 2-3 graders also started their Science unit on habitats and animals this week; the students seem to get such enjoyment out of learning Science. We will be learning about different classifications of animals and their habitats.  We have also started our Language Arts and Math centers. Our classroom is full of beautiful butterflies; ask your student what that means.

Fourth grade has started reading the novel The Secret School.  Ask your students what has happened in the book so far! 

All students have started Math assessments and fourth grade has already started multiplication.  In Social Studies the fourth grade has also started working on latitude and longitude and where California is located in relation to the rest of the world.  They need tennis balls (it does not need to bounce and does not need to be clean) to be used as a globe.  Please send in as soon as possible.

The year has started out well for the Sapphire team and we are hoping that all students can earn their way to  sapphire this year.

Primary Gold

Primary Gold had a great 2^nd week of school! They’ve mastered walking in lines and transitioning to different centers.

Students have been working on creating a cheer for Primary Gold. Auditions will be held Wednesday August 21^st right after Unity.

Primary Gold has started a Leadership Committee. This group will be run by primary students. We will be selecting a student from each classroom to join this group for the year. They will attend monthly meetings to discuss ideas they have for the school.

We’d like to thank the Su family for their donation to P.E.

Did you know we have an afterschool program called Study Club? This is a great program run by Primary Gold teachers where students can complete homework and get extra practice with other subjects.

Reminders

August 28, 2013- PCS Picture Day

September 2-  Holiday

  

Primary Music

 All students in grades K - 4 are learning or reviewing musical notation and symbols.   They are having fun learning about beat and rhythm.  They already know several songs and games.  Ask your child to sing you a song!

Primary Art

In Art this week, the K/1s continued to practice their scissor skills.  They also learned how to participate in the art activity centers.  The 2/3s completed their group Line Designs and made mini drawings of curved and angled lines.  They also made beautiful drawings of a Saguaro Cactus.  The 4th Grade Multicultural Art classes have made their first “trip” to Mexico where they learned about the Huichol Indians and their Nearikas (yarn paintings). The students are creating their own designs to finish in brightly colored yarns.

DCS is The Best!

5^th/6^th

It was wonderful meeting the families of the DCS students on Wednesday’s Back to School Night! We appreciated the opportunity to show you our expectations and plans for the school year.

Agendas:

     Grades will be entered into student agendas today for each core subject. We hope that this will help us build stronger communication about student progress. Thank you in advance for taking the time to look at the grades as they are entered.

Yearbook:

     Yearbook order forms are now available and will be accepted until March 28^th.

Picture Day:

     Picture day is Wednesday, August 28^th.  Look for a picture order form that should be going home with your child!

Attention!!!

Errors were made in the calendar that was distributed at Back to School Night. Please note the corrections.

Monday, September 2, 2013- No School (Labor Day)                      

Wednesday, October 30, 2013- DCS Dance *Correction

Monday, November 11, 2013- No School (Veterans Day)

November 18-22, 2013- Parent Conferences

November 25-29, 2013- No School (Break)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013- Academy of Sciences field trip

December 23- January 3, 2014- No School (Break)

Monday, January 20, 2014- No School (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)

Wednesday, February 12, 2014- DCS Dance

Monday, February 17, 2014- No School (President’s Day)

Wednesday, March 5, 2014- Poetry Fest

March 24-28, 2014- Parent Conferences

March 31-April 4, 2014- Science Camp

April 14-April 25, 2014- No School (Break) *Correction

Monday, May 26, 2014- No School (Memorial Day)

Wednesday, June 11, 2014- DCS Dance

June 16-June 20, 2014 (SWO Interviews)

Friday, June 27, 2014 Last day of school

When I say 'PS' you say 'HA'.  PHSA, Go Tigers!

^7th/8^th  

I would like to thank all the PHSA parents and students who attended back to school night.  We had an amazing turnout and the teachers really enjoyed the opportunity to speak with you.  All the teachers look forward to an exciting year ahead of us.

 

Part one of the SWO project has been assigned.  We have upload all the handouts to the PHSA webpage (under 'additional links').  If your student needs another copy, they can print a new one.  Also, please watch the PHSA calenders for assignments and tests.  This is the best way to stay in the loop. It’s been an exciting week and a half back at the Pre High School Academy filled with lots of valuable information!

Some reminders for everyone:

1) Teachers are still in need of tissue boxes, sanitizing wipes, and hand sanitizer for the classrooms

2) 3 Way Contracts are due back to students’ homeroom teachers

3) Emergency contact forms are due back

4) Please make sure students have all of the needed supplies from their supply lists

5) Back to School Night is Thursday, August 15 from 6:00-7:30 (specific schedules were sent home with students)

6) Preparations are beginning to made for the fall homecoming parade; If you have a flatbed trailer which can be used to construct the float on from September 26-27, please contact Mr. Mitri at smitri@tracylc.net. Also, if you would like to assist in any way, please contact Mr. Mitri.

7) The school website has been updated and is up and running! You can access all kinds of valuable information from teacher contacts, student grades, homework assignments, and calendar events!