Thursday, April 25, 2013


Highlight of the Week
Teacher Runs Her Final Marathon Mile
The school cheered on fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Holtzer, as she ran her final marathon mile.  Mrs. Holtzer participated in the Boston marathon, but she was unable to complete the race due to the events that unfolded.  Please note that we did not share with students the reason why Mrs. Holtzer was unable to complete the marathon.  We simply stated that she was unable to finish and that we wanted to celebrate her as a larger school community.

Sock Hop
Students shared their favorite events from Friday’s sock hop throughout the week.   I too had a wonderful time!  The care that went into each detail made the night a truly special one.  I thank our PTO for making this honored tradition possible.  See pictures from the sock hop below.





 


Choir Concert
In preparation for their evening concert, our choir students performed for the whole school.  The students amazed us with their unbelievable talent!  The choir is looking forward to performing for their parents this evening at 7 PM.

Mark Your Calendar
·      No School – Friday, April 26

·      School Advisory Council Meeting – Thursday, May 9 @ 5:30-6:30  

·      Open enrollment is open from now until August 15, 2013.  Please note that if you moved outside of our school’s boundaries you must open enroll for next school year.

·      Kindergarten Round Up is May 16th from 6:30-7:30.  Round Up is an opportunity for our future Gold Rush students to explore their new surroundings and meet the kindergarten teachers.  If you know families with incoming kindergarten students who have not enrolled for next school year, please encourage them to contact the school office.

PTO News
PTO Presidential Elections
Gold Rush Administrators will be holding PTO presidential elections on Friday, May 3. If you are interested in running for this position please contact Jenny Brown.

PTO Board Positions
The PTO is also looking for volunteers for the other board positions including the vice president, secretary and treasurer. These positions will be voted on at the May 14th PTO meeting.  For a description of these roles visit the GRE website/ PTO.  You can express your interest by emailing goldrustpto@gmail.com.

Friday, April 19, 2013


Highlight of the Week
Sock Hop
The Sock Hop is here and the students are ready!  The children have been asking me for months when this favored event would arrive and they expressed their excitement throughout the day.  We hope your family will be able to join us this evening from 5:30-7:30 for a cakewalk, face painting and most of all dancing!  We thank the PTO and our many volunteers for making this event possible.

Students' Artwork Displayed at the ArtFair



Reading Assessment Development
This month teachers have been focused on creating grade level assessments that they will use next year to assess students’ ability to demonstrate mastery of key reading strategies.  Creating these common assessments provided teachers with additional clarity regarding what it looks like for students to demonstrate higher level reading strategies.  For example, teacher teams have discussed in depth what it looks like to determine importance, infer, or use clues from the text and background knowledge to read between the lines and synthesize or reflect on how one’s thinking changed over time given new information.  We look forward to continuing this work throughout April by analyzing how the assessments progress across the grade levels.

Mark Your Calendar
·      Earth Day will be recognized at GRE on Monday, April 22nd. Students can wear green.

·      Parent input regarding your child’s class placement for next school year must be submitted to the principal in writing by Thursday, April 25th.

·      No School – Friday, April 26

·      Open enrollment is open from now until August 15, 2013.  Please note that if you moved outside of our school’s boundaries you must open enroll for next school year.

·      Kindergarten Round Up is May 16th from 6:30-7:30.  Round Up is an opportunity for our future Gold Rush students to explore their new surroundings and meet the kindergarten teachers.  If you know families with incoming kindergarten students who have not enrolled for next school year please encourage them to contact the school office.


Drop Off  & Pick Up Reminders
·      Please pull all the way up to the first staff member when dropping off or picking up your child.
·      Please remain in your car when dropping your child off.

Friday, April 12, 2013


Highlight of the Week
We enjoyed welcoming the students back to school after spring break!  It was wonderful to hear how you spent your time with your family over the break.  I was proud of the children for their ability to settle into classroom routine so quickly.  We look forward to our final months together!


Class Placement Process

Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult job that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators, and other staff members. We take this responsibility very seriously. The process for creating class lists is as follows:

· First, teachers think about the social and academic needs of each of their current students while recording pertinent information to assist in the decision making process.

· Next, teachers meet together as grade level teams to form class lists that are balanced in terms of academic, social, and emotional needs.  Teachers consider each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they match each individual child. Learning specialists and the specials team collaborate with classroom teachers throughout the process and share their insight as well.

· Each grade level team types a draft set of class lists that are then submitted to me. One at a time, I will consider each student and his/her placement. At this time, parent input is also considered. Any changes in the draft lists are reviewed by the classroom teachers to ensure balance. 

· Class lists are finalized in August to reflect all new student enrollments. This process happens across grades K-4. Our 5th grade team also collaborates with teachers at Cimarron Middle School to ensure students’ success in 6th grade.

We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act which takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children. Our goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child. Please know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons and that our process benefits all students. Because of the input and thought given by teachers, parents, and administrators, we are reluctant to make changes once this process occurs.  While it may seem difficult to imagine, moving just one child can disrupt the balance of an entire classroom.

I welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style. I will take into consideration pertinent information about your child’s learning style and needs, received on or before THURSDAY, APRIL 25thWhile we welcome your input, specific teacher requests will not be honored. Please put your thoughts in writing and address them to me (Jenny Brown).  I will accept either a hard copy letter or email (jebrown@dcsdk12.org).

I cannot express enough how important it is that your thoughts are in writing. As you can imagine, we receive lots of parent input, and verbal information is nearly impossible to track. Further, please direct all of this communication to me as I am ultimately responsible for reviewing final class lists in July when teachers are not working.

Mark Your Calendar
* April 12 – April 20: Elementary School Art Show –  @ Park Meadows
* April 19: Sock Hop  @ 5:30-7:30PM
* April 26:  No School – Teacher Comp Day

Opportunities
* Volunteer to help at the sock hop! Contact the PTO.