Friday, February 22, 2013


Highlights of the Week
First & Second Grade Musical Performance
Our first and second graders put on another wonderful performance Wednesday evening!  Our students’ singing, dancing and artwork proved just how talented they are!  See the artwork below.  We thank our teachers Ms. Dazzio, Mrs. O’Day and Ms. Heitmann for a wondering evening.  We look forward to the last presentation next Wednesday!





Parent Math Night
We were excited to share information regarding our math program - Investigations - with parents on Thursday.  We showed assessment data that confirms that our program provides students with critical thinking strategies, a strong mathematical foundation and knowledge of key concepts. The evening was focused on how parents can help support their children at home.  Primary and intermediate teachers shared specific strategies and suggestions on how to best work with their children at home.  Click on the primary and intermediate videos below if you are interested in the information, but were unable to attend.

Primary 

Intermediate 



Stephanie Harvey Defines “Grade Level Texts”
We all enjoyed hearing national reading expert, Stephanie Harvey, speak on Friday during our staff development day!  One of the topics that we explored was the concept of what are “grade level texts.”  This is an important topic as our new Common Core Learning Standards require students to apply strategies and skills using “grade level texts.” Stephanie shared that while several leveling companies focus only on the length of texts (i.e. How many words are used?, Is it a chapter book?), she encouraged us to look at complexity of the topics / themes presented.  She showed how short articles and visual images can be used to engage students in higher level thinking by presenting multiple perspectives, figurative language (i.e metaphors) etc.  This was a particularly important, especially as we think about how we are preparing students for a more digital age that will require students to access more information through pictures and short passages.  The moral of the story… sometimes less can offer so much more!


Yearbook Sales/Picture Donations
* Click here to purchase a yearbook for the 2012-2013 school year for $18.50.  Make sure to choose
   additional elementary items when ordering.  The deadline for ordering is March 15.
* Click here to donate pictures to Gold Rush's yearbook!


Honoring Talent
We are looking forward to honoring Gold Rush Apple Nominees first grade teacher, Mrs. Aldridge, and Instructional Assistant, Mrs. Wilson, at a District event on Saturday!  We think they are well deserving of the recognition!

Mark Your Calendar
* PTO Book Fair – February 25 through February 28
* Parent Teacher Conferences – February 28 & March 7
* State Testing for Grades 3-5 – March 5 – March 14: Additional information to come

PTO
* Calling all Box Tops! Please turn in your clipped Box Tops by February 26th.  This is the last submission of this year.  Every top counts as we raised $1,404 alone this fall! 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Highlights of the Week:
Valentines Day
Students enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day with their classmates and teachers!  They shared how much they appreciated one another with cards and well wishes.  The day was definitely a sweet one!



We LOVE Gold Rush!
Click on the video link below to see why students, staff, administrators and parents know that Gold Rush is a wonderful school!




Stephanie Harvey Works with Staff
Gold Rush staff members are looking forward to learning with national reading expert, Stephanie Harvey, on Friday during our professional development day!  Mrs. Harvey will be sharing strategies that support readers at all levels and the best ways to assess reading strategies across grades K-5.  I look forward to sharing what we learned with you next week!

Mark Your Calendar!
·      No School – Friday, February 15 – Staff Development Day
·      No School – Monday, February 18  – Presidents’ Day
·      K-5 Math Parent Night – Thursday, February 21 @ 7:00-8:00PM
·      Parent Teacher Conferences – February 28 & March 7
·      PTO Book Fair – February 25-March 3 @ Gold Rush Library                                                                 * Click here to learn more about a change challenge held during the fair.

Welcome!
Cara Jeffers as our newest member of our office staff!  Cara is our new health room and office assistant.  We are fortunate to have Cara join our Gold Rush family this year!



Yearbook Sales/Picture Donnations
* Click here to purchase a yearbook for the 2012-2013 school year for $18.50.  Make sure to choose
   additional elementary items when ordering.
* Click here to donate pictures to Gold Rush's yearbook!

Reminders
We thank the Parker Police Department for helping us ensure that our drop off and pick up procedures are efficient and safe for all students.  Please note that the Police Department will begin ticketing families next week who do not demonstrate safe driving.  Please make sure that you are waiting patiently, driving slowly and refraining from passing other vehicles on the wrong side of the road.  Parents are also able to drop off students on the north side of the sidewalk once you are stopped in the car loop as we have staff there to support children as they exit the car.  As always we appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school a safe one!

Friday, February 8, 2013


Highlight of the Week
The State of Gold Rush Parent Meeting
I really enjoyed sharing our many accomplishments with families Thursday evening.  For me, Thursday was an opportunity to celebrate all the work that we have already completed and share with you our upcoming learning and goals.  In the event that you were not able to attend the meeting, please click here to view the presentation. 

First and Second Graders Sing, Dance & Create!
We were so proud of our first and second graders who put on a wonderful performance Wednesday evening.  Our students sang and danced to songs from around the world.  They also drew pictures representing different cultural work as well.  We look forward to seeing our remaining performances on Wednesday February 20th and 27th.  Check out our students’ wonderful work below.







Battle of the Books Competitors Advance
We congratulate our Battle of the Books teams who advanced to the next round on Wednesday evening. We wish them the best of luck in the next round!

Mark Your Calendar
* No School - Friday, February 15th - Teacher Staff Development Day
* No School - Monday, February 18th- President's Day

* Math Parent Night – Thursday, February 21st from 7-8PM
The purpose of our math parent evening is to share the philosophy of our math program with parents and the impact it has on children.  We also hope to share with you how our program approaches math concepts so that you are better able to support your children at home.  We will give you tips on how to approach homework and when to expect concepts to be addressed. We hope you will join us on the 21st!

* 3rd Grade State Reading Assessment – February 12th & 13th
Please make sure that your child has plenty of sleep and a good breakfast so he/she can do his/her best on this assessment.

* Parent Teacher Conferences – February 28th and March 7th
Parent sign up will be available on your Parent Portal next Tuesday, February 12 at 12:00AM through Tuesday, February 26. For further instructions, click here. The password is Digger.

* Gold Rush Book Fair – Friday, February 22nd  – Thursday, February 28th  


Reminders
We thank the Parker Police Department for helping us ensure that our drop off and pick up procedures are efficient and safe for all students.  Please note that the Police Department will begin ticketing families next week who do not demonstrate safe driving.  Please make sure that you are waiting patiently, driving slowly and refraining from passing other vehicles on the wrong side of the road.  Parents are also able to drop off students on the north side of the sidewalk once you are stopped in the car loop as we have staff there to support children as they exit the car.  As always we appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school a safe one!

Opportunities
* Click here for information on a Titans Movie Night!
* Click here to donate pictures to Gold Rush's yearbook! 

Friday, February 1, 2013


Highlights of the Week
Spelling Bee
On Monday, sixteen fourth and fifth graders participated in the Gold Rush spelling bee.  The children approached the microphone with confidence as they spelled challenging words in front of their peers.  We were extremely proud of all of the students who participated!  They took the event seriously and gave it their best effort!  Our top speller, Rachel Davidson,  and her grandmother Irene are pictured below.  Rachel is moving on to compete in the District spelling bee and we wish her the best of luck!  We also thank third grade teacher, Mrs. Castro, and building resource teacher, Mrs. Barta, for making the spelling bee possible!



Battle of the Books
The final round of the Battle of the Books competition also took place this week.  Students in our intermediate grades were challenged to answer questions about several books that they read for the competition.  We are pleased to have thirteen third through fifth graders advance to the next round, which will be held at the Parker Library next week!

Teachers Collaborate on Reading Outcomes
During our weekly staff development sessions teachers shared grade level expectations and practices in the area of reading with their colleagues at other grade levels.  Teachers appreciated the opportunity to share their practices with those who taught the grade level before and after them.  We were excited to see how our reading outcomes and classroom experiences prepare students for the next school year.  Teachers look forward to continuing to share their work across the grade levels in the future!

Mark Your Calendar
·      PTO Meeting - Tuesday, February 5th @ 6:30 in the Gold Mine Room

·      The State of Gold Rush Parent Meeting - Thursday, February 7, @ 7:00 PM        
     The focus of the meeting will be on our accomplishments for this school year, our goals for the remainder of the year and our vision for the future.  I look forward to sharing with you many celebrations and outlining several future initiatives.

·     Book Fair - February 25 - March 1st  
    
    Sock Hop – Friday, April 19th @ 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Opportunities
If you are interested in volunteering for the PTO email: goldrushpto@gmail.com

Parking Lot Etiquette
Please wait in line in the car loop and refrain from pulling around other vehicles. Your patience allows us to ensure the safety of our students. As always your cooperation is appreciated!

Yearbook Pictures Needed
Click here to learn how to submit pictures to the Gold Rush yearbook.