Preparing Today s Students for Tomorrow s Challenges April 2014 Chief Joseph Journal Chief Joseph School of the Arts 1100 E. Chateau Dr, Meridian ID 83646 Phone (208)350-4200 Absence Reporting Line (208)350-4201 Fax (208) 350-4209 Gretchen Hart, Principal hart.gretchen@meridianschools.org Julia Woodall, Secretary woodall.julia@meridianschools.org Dates to Remember: Dear Chief Joseph Families, April 2: SBAC Testing begins April 8: PTO Meeting 4pm, Library April 10-11: 5th Gr ISAT Science testing April 16: NO SCHOOL Grades K-8; Inservice Day April 25: District Art Show, 6:30-8:00 April 26: District Fun Run, 10:00, Meridian High April 26: District Fun to be Fit Festival, 10:30, Meridian High April 29: MAP Testing begins April 30: IRI Testing begins (through May 2) May 8: Last day for the afterschool learning program May 12-15: Book Fair, library May 13: PTO Meeting, 4pm, Room E9 May 14: New Student Orientation & Tour, 6:00-7:00 pm May 20: Field Day May 20: Election Day (CJ s gym is a polling place) May 21: Volunteer Tea, 4:00-4:30, gym May 22: Spring Art Walk, 11:50 1:15 May 27: Idaho History Bee, 1-4 pm, CPAC Report cards went home with students two weeks ago, and I m hopeful that time has allowed you to review the card, and have a conversation with your child about the good that you see. Children need to know that we recognize and appreciate their efforts here at school! If a grade is less than you d hoped or expected, make sure you and your child know why it s so, and how you can work with teachers to make it better. Please call or email your child s teacher if you d like clarification or help to make improvements.there is still plenty of time left in the school year! Beginning in mid-april, our students in grades 3-5 will take the SBAC tests in Math and English Language Arts. These tests are considered a pilot, replacing the ISAT, and our district has chosen to shorten their length so as to not lose instructional time. More info is included in this newsletter. In late April, students in grades 2-5 will take the MAP test in Math and Reading. This test gives teachers and parents information about the kind of growth students have made through the school year, and students themselves look forward to meeting their growth goals from Fall to Spring. Last year, Chief Jo students had the second highest growth rate of all 31 elementary schools in the district! Your help is appreciated as you keep track of student testing dates, and let your children know that you want them to take their time and do their best. Ensuring they get a restful night of sleep and have a healthy breakfast also certainly helps! Thank you for helping with homework and reading nightly we see the difference! Best wishes for a fun and relaxing Spring Break! Sincerely, G Hart Gretchen Hart, Principal (hart.gretchen@meridianschools.org) June 4: Last day of school (dismissal time @ 3:50)
Attendance Line: 208-350-4201 Please call our 24-hr automated Attendance Line by 9:30 a.m. to notify us when your child(ren) will be absent from school (or late due to an appt). Why Study Music? Elementary age children who are involved in music lessons show greater brain development and memory improvement within a year than children who receive no musical training. Roaring Readers Reading Charts are due to teachers when we return from Spring Break. Check with your child s teacher for exact due date. Late submissions will not be accepted. WHY DOES AN ARTS EDUCATION MATTER? Arts Education is just the Beginning The arts provide an important avenue where children can develop a passion for learning. Many children discover their talents and interest through the arts and are inspired to pursue careers in artistic fields.
Saturday, April 26 10:00 a.m. Meridian High School Join us for the 23rd annual Meridian School District s Fun Run/Walk! Registration forms now available. Register by April 10 th! Every student will receive a medal and snack at the end of the Run/Walk. Then stay and enjoy the FUN TO BE FIT FESTIVAL with your family from 11:30 3:00. Butter Braids Fundraiser: All orders due Monday, March 31. Top two sellers for the school get TWO Roaring Springs tickets each. All sales participants will be entered in a drawing for a $10 credit towards a Scholastic book order (one winner per class!). Delivery the week of April 15. The PTO thanks all the wonderful families and staff who supported the March Family Fun Movie Night! It was great fun!
PARENT INPUT FORMS NOW AVAILABLE If you have a concern or suggestion regarding your child s learning style or environment that you would like to share with the principal and teaching staff as they prepare to organize class assignments for the 2014-15 school year, please stop by the front office and ask for a PARENT INPUT FORM. Forms are due back to the school no later than April 18. END OF THE YEAR BOOK May 12 - May 15, 2014 FAIR May 12. Monday - 10:00am - 4:00pm May 13, Tuesday - 8:30am - 4:00pm May 14, Wednesday..Family Night... 8:30am - 7:30pm May 15, Thursday - 8:30am - 10:00am (Book Fair closes at 10:00am) Please make checks payable to Chief Joseph and remember to add 6% Sales Tax Cash, Credit/Debit will also be accepted. All proceeds from the book fair will be used to purchase much needed library books & materials. Reading Books over the summer will help your child continue to advance in his/her reading skills.
Getting Ready for Spring Testing Get a good night s sleep!! Eat a healthy breakfast! THEN - Do your best by working carefully and thoughtfully! ELECTIONS for 2014-15 PTO BOARD Please attend the April 8 th PTO meeting from 4:00-4:45. Voting for next year s PTO Board will take place during this meeting. Your participation is important! Anyone interested in serving on the Board, please email Genevieve Kopping (sopranogen@yahoo.com) by March 31 st. FUN TO BE FIT FESTIVAL Saturday, April 26th 10:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. School Nutrition Services of the Meridian Joint School District No. 2, is sponsoring the Fun to be Fit Festival on April 26, 2014 at Meridian High School. The event, which will focus on fitness and healthy nutrition, will begin at 10:30 am and continue until 3:00 pm. There will be nutritional activities inside the cafeteria which will include cooking demonstrations and healthy fruit and vegetables to sample. Vendors will have booths on the outside lawn offering fun physical activities for children to participate in during that time and information on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There will be special entertainment by local dance and karate groups. This event is free to the public.
A Message from the Idaho Department of Education
Meridian School Clinic Opens! The Meridian Schools Clinic (MSC) is a collaborative venture between the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho (FMRI) and the Meridian Joint School District No. 2 (District). The District is the host site of the clinic at Meridian Elementary school with FMRI as the medical sponsor. The clinic delivers high quality health care to children and adolescents. The clinic is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals including a Nurse Practitioner, social worker, and dietician. The clinic staff works cooperatively with school nurses, coaches, counselors, classroom teachers, and school principals and their staff to assure that the school-based health center is an integral part of the life of the schools served. Our shared goal is to help children succeed in school and in life by keeping them healthy, in school, and ready to learn. Services offered: Treatment of Minor Acute Injury and Illness Well-Child Exam Well-Adolescent Exam (Sports Physicals) Immunizations Routine Laboratory Tests (CLIA) Management of Chronic Illness Behavioral and Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Referral for Drug and Alcohol Assessment and Treatment Health Education and Health Promotion Medications and/or Prescriptions for Medications Referral to Specialist, when necessary Fluoride Varnish Students attending Meridian Middle School, Barbara Morgan STEM Academy, Chief Joseph Elementary, Meridian Elementary, Peregrine Elementary and Crossroads Middle School will have full access to the clinic, including busing to and back during the school day. No student will be sent without parent permission, and parents will be contacted following any clinic visit. Packets with more information will be sent home after Spring Break. What do parents need to do to have their students use the clinic? Just fill out the enrollment forms located here: http://www.meridianschools.org/parents/meridianschoolsclinic/forms%20and%20information/ Forms/AllItems.aspx If you have questions or require assistance with the enrollment forms, just call the clinic (208) 514-2527.
ART WALK THURSDAY, MAY 22 nd Join your child for lunch and take an art walk around world! Chief Joseph will be highlighting culturally inspired artwork that showcases the terrific artwork students have been busy creating this school year! Please plan to attend during your child s regularly scheduled lunch time. Kinder AM Art Walk Time 11:50-12:05 Kinder PM Art Walk Time: 12:35-12:50 1 st Grade Art Walk Time: 11:55-12:35 2 nd Grade Art Walk Time: 12:05-12:45 3 rd Grade Art Walk Time: 12:15-12:55 4 th Grade Art Walk Time: 12:25-1:05 5 th Grade Art Walk Time: 12:35-1:15 LUNCH PLANS: Please feel free to bring lunch for your child that day. If your child will be purchasing lunch from the cafeteria, a sack lunch will be offered instead of a hot lunch that day.
Reading at Home Ideas Everyday Reading Comprehension Activities for Parents and Kids Reading comprehension helps children in all school subjects, gives them an advantage in standardized tests and can turn them into lifelong lovers of literature Parents and their children can do some fun reading comprehension activities at home to help improve their language and reading skills. Here are some everyday reading comprehension activities for you to try at home: Read, read, read! Read to your children every day. Make it part of your bedtime routine, an after-dinner activity, or a fun way to spend time together on the couch. Set a good example by letting your children see you read. Show them that reading is a good choice for leisure activity and sure beats watching TV. Talk about the book you're reading. Listening to you summarize your book teaches your children how to take what they've read, absorb it and condense it. Use pre-reading comprehension techniques. Before reading a book, have your child look at the cover and the inside pictures and predict what the story is about. Read books together and discuss. Read to your children every evening. At the end of each chapter, discuss what happened. Parents can still share books with older children by reading the same book separately. Ask your child every day, "Where are you in the book? Did you get to Chapter 5 yet? What do you think about what happened to Harry?" Allowing children to retell a story that they read lets them practice comprehension skills. Play board games with your children. Board games require putting into action everything that is read, and can help increase reading comprehension. Help your children read the instructions to a new board game or review the rules of an old favorite. Ask if they'd like to change the rules or game play slightly and implement their suggestions. Cook or bake with a recipe. Find a lengthy recipe for something that your children love to eat and make it together. Turn over recipe reading duties to your children and watch them take what they've read and turn it into something delicious. Play Hangman. The simple word game is a good way to build your child's vocabulary. It only requires a pencil and paper and can easily be played while waiting in waiting rooms or the car. Use the book club discussion questions in the back of books. Many chapter books include discussion questions for book clubs, which provide good discussion points for at home book talks. Play with inflection. Try this with your young child: Read a line from a book and have your child repeat it back to you with dramatic expression, inflection and phrasing.