Highlight of the Week
On Friday students gathered at our kick off assembly for
the Digger Dash that will be held on Friday, September 28th. During the assembly students helped me – the
new principal- answer several questions about the honored running event. For example, students and teachers shared
what they thought about the event. Our
school community shared that the Digger Dash is “fun”, “enjoyable” and
“meaningful!” When asked why we do the
event, students shared that it was a healthy activity that also raised money
for our school. Our fifth grade students
showcased how classroom ipads purchased with last years proceeds are used
in the classroom and throughout the school.
We also asked parent and Olympian Mrs. Richesson what she thought about
the event. She shared that engaging in
healthy activities like the Olympics or the Digger Dash is a life long goal
that takes dedication and determination. We closed the assembly by leading the
school in several stretches that we will be sure to use on race day.
You will find this year’s Digger Dash pledge folders in your
child’s backpack. We are excited to share
that we will use this year’s donations to fund reading materials to support
classroom libraries and our existing curricula.
Reading research identifies time spent reading books that match with
students’ interests and readability directly related to increased reading
achievement. We thank you in advance
for all of your efforts to support reading in our school.
Reading Expert Stephanie Harvey Speaks to Staff
Gold Rush was fortunate to have acclaimed reading expert,
Stephanie Harvey, speak to our staff this week. Mrs. Harvey
identified the following four factors cited in research that support students’ reading achievement: volume, response, explicit instruction and
purpose. She stated that the number one
element leading to student success is by far the amount of time, or volume,
that student are reading. She stated
simply, “the more students read, the better they read and the smarter they
become.” She shared that it is also
clear that the more students interact or respond to books, the more they
understand. Mrs. Harvey noted several
ways that students can respond, including talking or writing about what they are
thinking, reacting to, questioning or making a connection to. In addition, Mrs. Harvey pointed to the need
for students to have teacher model thinking strategies and time for children to
practice them and finally the need for students to see the purpose for
reading. We look forward to continuing
our learning about best reading practices and Stephanie’s work by engaging in a
book study using Mrs. Harvey’s The Comprehension Toolkit.
Conference Dates
Mark your calendars….Parent teacher conferences will be
held on Thursday, September 27,th and Wednesday, October 3rd,
from 4:15-8:15PM. Parents will be
able to sign up for conferences starting Thursday, September 13th,
at 12:01 AM through parent portal. The conference window closes on September 25th.
AIMSweb
This week Gold Rush began assessing students in grades K-5
using the Aimsweb assessment. Aimsweb is
a reading assessment that measures students’ accuracy compared to local and national norms. We
look forward to sharing your child’s results with you during parent teacher conferences.
PTO
The PTO is seeking volunteers for both the Digger Dash and
the fall festival. While the PTO is well
on its way with the Digger Dash, parents are still needed for race day. Plans are also in the works for the fall festival in
October. We need many volunteers to make this happen. Please contact the PTO if
you can help out and keep this tradition alive! We can’t do it without you!
School Advisory Committee (SAC)
Our first SAC meeting will be held on Thursday, September 13,th at 5:30 PM in the Gold Mine Room.
Legend Feeder Area
Elementary Instrumental Music Program
Click here for information on Legend High School’s instrumental music
program that begins on September 10.th.