JEWELL JAGUARS. March 23, 2011 DATES TO REMEMBER SCHOOL CLOSURE NOTIFICATION. Reminder

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1 JEWELL JAGUARS Jewell Elementary is a place where we ensure that all students grow and reach their highest potential. March, 2012 Mark Rodie, Principal Linda Velikaneye, Secretary March 9, 2012 March 12, 2012 March 13, 2012 March 19, 2012 March 20, 2012 March 23, 2011 March 26 April 2 DATES TO REMEMBER Last Day for 3rd Quarter Teacher Workday NO SCHOOL CiCi s Pizza Day 6:00-7:00 p.m. PTO Art Room Grade Two Field Trip 9:30-2:00 half of B3 and B4 Grade Two Field Trip 9:30-2:00 half of B3 and B2 NO SCHOOL - Spring Recess SCHOOL CLOSURE NOTIFICATION If our district closes schools or delays start times, announcements will be made on local television and radio stations saying that Aurora Public Schools will be closed. They will not list Jewell Elementary or any other individual schools. This information will also be listed on our district website home page at PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE OFFICE FOR THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE LISTEN TO THE T.V. AND RADIO. A delayed start means your child is to report to school at 9:55 a.m. If the district is on a delayed start schedule, the general education buses will be delayed at the bus stops one hour and the special needs buses will be delayed picking up students at their homes by one hour. Reminder Parents/guardians, We d like to remind you about the importance of talking with your child in regards to getting home after school. If you haven t done so, please take the time to agree on the best and safest way to get home. - If your child walks home, agree on the route that he/ she should take home. - If your child waits for you at school, identify where he/ she should wait for you to be picked up. - If your child takes the bus, identify the correct bus (school or daycare) and what he/she should do upon arrival. - When there is a change in plan, please remind your child before school starts. - Discuss a backup plan in case something changes unexpectedly. Student safety is a priority and planning ahead of time helps ensure a positive experience. Jewell Elementary thanks you for your collaboration and concern. OFFICE HOURS: 7:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. OFFICE TELEPHONE #: ATTENDANCE LINE:

2 Visiting the Classroom Parents are encouraged to visit their child s classroom throughout the year. Arrangements should be made in advance with the child s teacher. Short, well-planned visits provide a better understanding of the child s school experience than long, unscheduled visits. We ask parents not to bring small children when visiting, in order to minimize distractions to learning. For the safety of students, all visitors are required to sign in at the office before visiting. Visitors must wear a Visitor badge and must sign out at the office before leaving the school. 1. What is the Bully Prevention Campaign in Aurora Public Schools? The Bully Prevention Campaign is a systematic, district-wide process for dealing with bullying at school sites. 2. How will this process be implemented? Each school site will designate a trainer, who will be trained by the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBiS) team. This trainer will then train all staff members at the school. Next, each school will determine how the curriculum will be taught to students. Students will be trained prior to Thanksgiving break. 3. What is Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBiS)? PBIS is the application of evidence-based strategies and systems to assist schools to increase academic performance, increase safety, decrease problem behavior, and establish positive school cultures. 4. What are the steps for bully prevention? Students and staff will be taught a 3-step process: 1. STOP: A universal stop signal will be used districtwide. If bullying occurs, the student being bullied will use the signal and will say, Stop. Adults at each site are trained to look for students who are using the signal and assist them. 2. WALK: The bullied student is encouraged to walk away from the situation, as is the bully. 3. TALK: If the bullying does not stop with steps 1 and 2. the student will immediately talk to an adult to report the bullying incident. Bully Prevention Q and A 5. How can I be sure that the adults will follow through when my child talks to them? All staff members are being taught the importance of following through once an incident is reported. Depending on the situation, the adult might deal with the incident directly or report the incident to administration. 6. As a parent, how can I help my child? Please ask your child about the bully prevention process and the universal hand signal. Encourage your child to use the process when confronted with a bullying situation. If your child reports that he or she has used the process to no avail, contact the school. 7. What should I do if I suspect that someone is bullying my child or if I witness bullying? Report your concerns to Aurora Public Schools through one of the following anonymous reporting procedures: Online: Go to APS SafeNet at aurorak12.org/aboutaps/school-safety/aps-safenet/ Phone: Call the Safe2Tell tip line at SAFE Text: If you have witnessed a crime, report it via Text-a-Tip by texting your message to with the subject DMCS More information can be found at aurorak12.org/pbis/bully-prevention/. SCHOOL HOURS ARE 8:55 A.M 3:25 P.M. Students are asked to arrive at school no earlier than 8:40 a.m., ten minutes before the bell rings. There is NO supervision for students before that time. Children cannot be brought to school early to sit by the office because a parent has an appointment or needs to go to work. Our office staff is busy in the morning and cannot watch students. You must make other arrangements or contact Mrs. Sherry with Kids Adventures Daycare Program to drop off your children early. You will need to make arrangements with Mrs. Sherry, before the day you want the student to start. Before your student can participate in the daycare program, you will need to complete information papers. You will need to pay the fee.

3 Strategies to Improve TCAP Scores Third, fourth and fifth graders will take the TCAP Transitional Colorado Assessment Program assessments this year. This statewide testing program has a number of instructional implications for teachers at Jewell. We analyze the results each year and use the data to make decisions about how to change our program so that students will perform better on the tests. Here is some information about what is expected of students on the tests. Parents can use the information to help monitor their child s progress, ask important questions and facilitate strong performances. Reading Students are asked to read some very long, difficult passages and answer comprehension questions about what they have read. Some questions are looking for factual information, but often the items require students to make inferences from their reading. Children are often asked to find the main idea of the test, summarize it or compare two pieces of writing. Parents can help by talking to children about what they are reading at home. During the weeks between February 27 and March 9, 2012, all third grade students at Jewell will be taking the reading portion of the TCAP tests. All fourth and fifth grade students will take the reading portion of the test between the weeks of March 5 and March 23. Make sure your child attends school on ALL TESTING DAYS. Plan ahead and reschedule any appointments that you may have planned on those days. These tests are of critical importance in determining literacy progress at the individual building and statewide level. Parents can assist their child in performing to his/her highest potential by providing the following: Discuss the importance of putting forth his/her best effort on this test. Ensure attendance on all testing days. The Majority of testing will be done in the morning schedule appointments in the afternoon. Ensure a good night s sleep. Prepare a nutritious breakfast; try to include high protein. Provide words of encouragement and support. Have your child make their best effort. Writing Students must show effective use of the writing process including planning, rough draft, editing and publishing. They must also be able to support a main idea with effective details and use interesting words which put voice in their writing. Parents, you can help by being an appreciative audience for your child s writing when it comes home and by pointing out interesting vocabulary or writing styles when you see them in your own reading. These tests for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will be taken during the weeks of March 5 through March 23, Math Students must be able to solve problems in all areas of math including measurement, geometry, patterns, probability and statistics. The Math TCAP test assesses a student s ability to use math in real world applications. A student who is only good at computation will not do well on this test. Parents can help by asking children to solve everyday math problems that arise at home. Shopping, cooking, sewing and building are often good contexts for problem solving. Children must explain their thinking. Have your child tell you how he or she figured out a problem. These tests for third, fourth and fifth grade students will be taken during the weeks of March 5 through March 23, Science The TCAP will be very similar to the CSAP. It will assess all the science standards K-5. Only fifth grade students will take the science portion of the test. The majority of the test (40%) will be based on scientific process and procedures. The rest will be based on content, 20% in each area (life science, earth science, and physical science). This test will be given the week of March 19. Brrrr It s Cold Parents! The district recommends that the temperature must be 20 degrees or below with wind chill, in order for students to stay inside. Students must be outside on the playground as there is no one available to supervise them inside the building. Dress warm.

4 SET A GOOD EXAMPLE We would like for you and your child/children to review these crosswalk rules and safety regulations when going to and from school. Lately, we have been experiencing increased traffic flow and parking problems during these brief periods. When dropping off and picking up students to and from school, please have ALL children use the crosswalks AT ALL TIMES. Many are allowing children to run across the street between cars and often in front of oncoming traffic. There have been many close calls. Take an extra minute and have your children cross the streets safely. NO DOUBLE PARKING IS PERMITTED - EVEN FOR A MINUTE! This means no stopping or parking next to parked cars. This activity results in most of our traffic flow problems. When possible, pull forward to make room. Please pull over, drop off and pick up quickly to help keep traffic moving. Try picking a convenient place to drop off and pick up your child a short distance from school. Not only is this easier for you, it will ease congestion and help your child learn how to properly cross a street. There is very limited space for school buses, day care vans and car pool vehicles. Please DO NOT wait/park inside the circle drive. This has contributed to poor traffic flow during these drop off and pick up times. There is plenty of side street parking. Observe the NO U TURN signs on both sides of the school and intersections. U turns are dangerous and they hold up traffic. Park only in designated areas. These laws are enforced by the police and could result in a traffic violation. Be patient. All the safeties and crossing guards are students and adults volunteering their time. It s all about keeping our children safe. We appreciate ALL of you who continuously help show and share responsibility and support. You set a good example! We still are in need of volunteers for the both the AM and PM shifts. Time commitment is only 8:40-8:55 a.m. or 3:25-3:40 p.m. Please call the school at , Ext to speak with Mrs. Linda. We can use your help! The S.T.O.P. Program S - SLOW T - THINK O - OBSERVE AND OBEY POSTED SIGNS P - PROCEED WITH CAUTION In an ongoing effort to keep our students safe S.T.O.P. is being adopted and implemented by the Aurora Police Department in partnership with Aurora Public Schools. Nearly 60% of parents and children walking to school encountered at least one serious hazard. A national survey of speeding in school zones found that 2/3 of drivers exceeded the posted speed limit. In Aurora the number one complaint around elementary schools is child safety due to traffic problems. Please observe and obey posted signs. Remember you may see the child, but the child might not see you. It is better to have lost a few minutes than to endure the civil, criminal, and emotional liability for unintentionally injuring or causing the death of a child. School staff will write down information and report to the Aurora Police Department traffic hotline. If there are repeated calls to the hotline on the same vehicle, a traffic citation will be issued. Citations will be written for parking in the handicap spaces without a proper placard, double parking, not parking in a designated parking space, excessive speed, etc. The safety of your child/ ren is very important to us! With your help we can ensure a safe arrival and dismissal time for our students. CAFETERIA NEWS Every day students with negative balances in their lunch account are given slips of paper to take home to their parents. These slips are reminder notes to parents that they need to send extra lunch money with their children the following day to cover the balances. Please ask your child if they have received one of these notes so you can clear out these negative account balances. If you are waiting for your free-reduced lunch application to be approved, please remember that you are responsible for paying for lunch until this has been approved or denied. Everyone is invited, but please let the office know by 9:00 a.m. if you will be joining your child for lunch. USED CELL PHONES AND INK CARTRIDGES Student Council continues to collect used cell phones and printer ink cartridges for recycling. Every cartridge collected helps bring a few dollars back to Jewell Student Council. Please place your old cell phones or ink cartridges in the entry way between the two front doors of Jewell.

5 ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER CHANGE??? We want to keep in touch!! It is important for Jewell s office to have current information on file for all our students. Please remember to let the office know as soon as possible when you have a change in address or a new home or work phone number. Let us know if any of your child s emergency contact numbers have changed also. You can call the office at to make these changes. BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION General Mills sponsors a program for schools called Box Tops for Education. All General Mills products have coupons that say, Earn Cash For Your School. For each of these coupons we collect, General Mills pays the school 10 cents. If you buy General Mills products, would you please cut these coupons off the box and send them to school with your child. They can drop them off at the office. Or put in the box beside the front door. Thank you for your support of this easy fundraiser and worthwhile program. DO YOU KNOW? The gym, cafeteria and fields at Jewell Elementary are available for rent by any organization. Please contact the school office or call Aurora Public Schools Facilities Rental at for specific information. You can also access the APS website at click on Community on the left side of the page, then select Facilities Rental" at the top of the page. The Customer Packet contains most of the information you will need. Please call with any questions you may have. Please contact us at any time! Facilities Rental Office Judy Rogers, Karen Yanta, Peter Blanco, The APS Parent Portal The APS Parent Portal is part of the Infinite Campus student information system. The portal is a secure, confidential website that allows parents to view current information about their child s attendance, grades, class assignments and other resources. To access the Parent Portal, parents must request a Parent Portal ID from their child s school and then follow the online instructions to set up the account. The computer kiosks are located on the first level of the mall new Guest Services and on the second level in the food court. The kiosks are a joint venture between Aurora Public Schools and the Town Center at Aurora and are provided as a free service to APS parents and students. Fifth Block Information Aurora Public Schools offers a voluntary Fifth Block of Instruction for students who have shown academic growth during the school year and who could benefit most from additional learning time. The Fifth Block of Instruction is designed for any student who has demonstrated evidence of growth in math and literacy and who have the most potential to make progress toward proficiency. Approximately fifty students from each elementary school and 100 from each K-8, middle and high school will be invited to attend. Priority is given to students who are not proficient in both literacy and math, both unsatisfactory and partially proficient. Invitations will be offered to incoming second through incoming tenth graders who are not yet proficient but demonstrate evidence of growth. Fifth Block also includes incoming fourth graders who are low proficient in reading and incoming sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth graders who are low proficient in math. Students must have had continuous enrollment in APS for at least one year, (March to March) consistent attendance and overall good behavior. Fifth Block is provided to students at no additional cost to parents. Students are generally taught in their own schools using district curriculum. Class size is set at a 25 to 1 ratio. The regular school year runs from August 8, 2011 May 23, The Fifth Block of Instruction will be offered from May 29 to June 28 for the school year. School staff will notify parents of recommended students beginning March 1, 2012 and parents must notify the school to accept participation of their child in Fifth Block by April 16, Transportation, breakfast/lunch and nursing services will be available to students. There will be no need to reapply for free or reduced lunch. For more information about Fifth Block of Instruction, please visit fifthblock.aurorak12. org.

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