STAR GAZER GAZETTE FAREWELL NOTE FROM MR. SMITH: FREE DRESS DAY ON MARCH 9TH FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE EARNED A GREEN WRISTBAND.

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1 STAR GAZER GAZETTE FREE DRESS DAY ON MARCH 9TH FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE EARNED A GREEN WRISTBAND Students will bring home a lime green wristband the day before Free Dress Day if they have worn their uniforms everyday and who have no unexcused absences for the month of February will be able to participate on Free Dress Day. Students MUST wear the lime green wristbands on Free Dress Day if they wear non-uniform clothing. Also make sure that your child s free dress outfit is school appropriate. Monthly Newsletter February 2016 Star Lake Elementary UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, February 26 SPIRIT DAY Moustache Day Monday, February 29 COMMUNITY FORUM TJHS 5:30 pm Wednesday, March 9 FREE DRESS DAY FOR THOSE STUDENTS WITH 0 UNEXCUSED ABSENCES & EARLY RELEASE FROM SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16TH & 30TH Don t forget that school will be dismissed early on March 16th and 30th so teachers can meet in Professional Learning Communities. School will be released at 1:05 pm. Breakfast, lunches and lunch recess will remain the same as usual, but there will be no afternoon or morning recesses on those days. Students who ride the bus will have regular bus service transportation at 1:05. Parents who usually pick up their students may pick them up at 1:05. If there is a hardship, please contact our Star Lake Office. FAREWELL NOTE FROM MR. SMITH: After 25 plus years as your Head Custodian, I will be retiring! My last day as your Head Custodian will be Friday, February 26th. Over the years I have strived to make sure Star Lake is sanitary and safe for you students. The biggest thing I will miss is of course you, the students here at Star Lake. I will miss the "Hello Mr. Smith", the waves and the smiles all of you do to greet me! If there is one piece of advice that I would like to give, it is to always do the right thing in life! As you get older and mature all of you will face bigger challenges in life. It is with happiness and sadness that I announce my retirement to you! So in closing and I am shouting as I say this: "GOODBYE STAR LAKE! I LOVE YOU!!" Forrest Smith Head Custodian Star Lake Elementary 0 UNIFORM VIOLATIONS WEAR YOUR GREEN BRACELETS! Friday, March 11 NO SCHOOL Teacher In-Service Wednesday, March 16 EARLY RELEASE FROM SCHOOL AT 1:05 pm Tuesday, March 22 PTA MEETING 6-7:00 pm Library Thursday, March 24 BATTLE OF THE BOOKS 1:00 2:00 Gym LOOKING AHEAD: Friday, March 25 PARENT COFFEE HOUSE WITH THE PRINCIPAL 8:05-9:00 am Library Friday, March 25 SPIRIT DAY Western Wear Tuesday, March 29 CLASS PICTURE DAY Tuesday, March 29 MULTICULTURAL NIGHT 6:00-8:00 pm Gym Wednesday, March 30 EARLY RELEASE FROM SCHOOL AT 1:05 pm

2 Greetings Star Lake Families, Our first semester is behind us now and we are continuing the daily instruction, practice, skill and concept building necessary to increase academic growth and move all of our students toward meeting standard. Last month, our students were retested with district reading and math assessments and you received your child's report card. The report card showed the standards on which your child is working and their current progress. I was so pleased to see the growth so many of our students have made in reading and math since September! Your Child's Future: How Big Can You Dream? What should our schools do and be for all of our children? Tell us your hopes and dreams for your child's academic learning. Please join our Superintendent, district representatives, and me at our Community Forum on Monday, February 29 th from 5:30 7:30 p.m. in the Thomas Jefferson High School Library. Please see the flyer in this newsletter for more information about the forum and how you can access transportation to and from Thomas Jefferson if needed. I look forward to seeing you there! Our Star Lake teachers met yesterday in our Professional Learning Communities to analyze student performance data, dig into instructional strategies and develop plans to best meet our students academic needs. Thank you for supporting our district early dismissals which provide our teachers with this important time to meet. Please make sure to check the revised district calendar containing the remaining early dismissal dates on our Star Lake website and at fwps.org. Over the next few weeks, our 3 rd -5 th grade students will be taking practice Interim Block assessments in preparation for the upcoming State Smarter Balanced Assessment. These practice assessments are about minute chunks of sample assessments that mirror what students might see on the SBA and provide the opportunity for students to practice the on-line tools and keyboarding skills they will use on the actual assessment later this spring. We will be sending our Smarter Balanced Assessment schedule home to you mid-march and students will begin taking the assessment in April and May more details to come! Spring is just around the corner and I love the growth and blossoming that it brings; both in my garden and in our school with our children! Best Regards! Kris Rennie, Principal EAGLE ACADEMY NEWS: Hi families! Starting February 29th families will need to come into the gym to sign out their students. Please keep an eye out for the letter home. As always feel free to call Miss Amy with any questions ( ). Also, March 10th & 11th Eagle Academy will be cancelled since no bus is available. We are having so much fun this session, especially with all the science classes. That reminds me... Please join us for the Science Extravaganza happening during Eagle Academy on February 29th. We need you to come in to sign out anyway so you may as well come a little early and look at the science booths. Perhaps there will be treats! We'll begin planning for session 3 classes on March 14th so be sure to talk to your student about what they hope to learn then! Thanks families for sharing your amazing children with us. Miss Amy FROM THE SAFETY PATROL: Please note that when the weather is rainy, windy or exceptionally cold, traffic congestion during drop off and pick up is greatly increased. Remember that school starts at 8:05 AM and dismissal is at 2:35 PM. Please allow additional time for heavy traffic on these days and remember that our Adult Traffic Control supervisors are there to assist you, as well as for the safety of our students. Congratulations to our Safety Patrol Member of the Month, Jackson F. Jackson is a leader in many ways. He is always on time and ready to help our pedestrians use the crosswalk safely. We appreciate his hard work and dedication to our team.

3 STAR LAKE TRACK ECEAP REGISTRATION OPEN ECEAP and Head Start registration for the school year is now open! If you have a child that will be 3 or 4 by August 31, 2016, and have limited financial resources, you may be eligible for free preschool. All students are invited to participate in this year s track program. In order to participate, all students must have a signed permission slip and medical history before the first practice. Forms are available in the office. Also, if your child normally rides the bus home and will need to ride the activity bus home from Track, please let us know before March 1st. Practice Dates: Kindergarten-2nd grade: March 10 and April 19 at 2:40-4:30 pm. 3rd-5th grade: March 17, April 7 and April 21 at 2:40-4:30 pm. Track Meet Dates held at Federal Way Stadium: Saturday, March 26 K-2, 3:30-5:30 pm 3-5, 1:15-3:15 pm Saturday, April 30 K-2, 2:30 pm 3-5, 8:00 am Saturday, May , 8:00 am Championship Meet We look forward to seeing you there! Ms. Runions, Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Nelson ECEAP and Head Start classrooms are located throughout the Federal Way school district; both full day and part day sites are available. Please saanders@fwps.org or call to get more information, or pick up an application at the front office! CHOICE ENROLLMENT All 5th grade students wanting to CHOICE into a different Middle School next year can apply online. You must submit your application electronically before 4:30 p.m. February 29 th. Go to: fwps.org/page/434. Paper Choice Enrollment applications will be available at all schools and the Educational Service Center. WHAT IS CHOICE ENROLLMENT? Choice Enrollment is a placement at a school which is located outside of a student s resident service area or district. The placement requires a minimum 1-year commitment by the student. The choice enrollment placement requires students to reapply as they advance from one level to the next, relative to priority and space-availability issues. Please be aware that any student accepting a choice placement is giving up their space at their resident school. Returning to the resident school would require participating in the choice enrollment process. KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION HAS BEGUN Kindergarten Registration for began in January. If you have a child who will be turning 5 by August 31, 2016, they are eligible to enroll in Kindergarten. A registration packet is available in the main office. The following documents need to accompany the completed registration packet: Proof of Residence Copy of Birth Certificate Immunization Record Please pass this information along!

4 Multicultural Night is Coming and We Need Your Help! The Multicultural Night Committee would greatly appreciate any of the following donations to help make the evening a big success. We are excited to celebrate our diverse Star Lake community. Please send the items to school with your child or drop them off in the office by March 25th. If you have a student in: Kindergarten napkins 1st Grade paper or plastic cups 2nd or 3rd Grade paper plates 4th or 5th Grade plastic forks or assorted silverware We hope you will all join us on March 29th for this fun event. Yearbook orders are due TOMORROW, February 26th. Their cost is $12. Please make checks payable to Star Lake PTA. Attach your student s name, teacher and grade to your payment. Yearbooks will be delivered at the end of the school year. They will not be available for purchase at that time, so order them NOW! 5th Grade Parents, you may also purchase an ad for $10. Please send in a photo of your student and note to them of 300 characters or less. Come To Our Coffee House We will have a Coffee House Meeting with Kris Rennie, Principal, and Family Liaison, Marcus James, on March 25 th from 8:05-9:00 in the Library. The focus of the March Coffee House is the Smarter Balanced Assessment, but there will also be time for general conversations about the school during this discussion. This Coffee House is mainly geared towards parents of 3 rd -5 th graders, but all parents are welcome and of course, coffee will be served. Library News: Star Lake Battle of the Books is Thursday, March 24th from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm in the gym. Parents are welcome to attend. Scorekeepers are needed. Students are reading the BOB titles and attending practices in the library this month. Please call Ms. Nelson at if you have any questions or would like to be a scorekeeper. Thank you! Book List: Loki s Wolves by K.L. Armstrong Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis Escape from Mr. Lemoncello s Library by Chris Grabenstein Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo Middle School: My Brother is a Big, Fat Liar by James Patterson The Creature Department by Robert Paul Weston Never Say Die by Will Hobbs Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown Jinx by Sage Blackwood Serafina s Promise by Ann E. Burg The Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson One for the Murphy s by Lynda Mullaly The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz Rump by Liesl Shurtliff The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley

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