Monday, October 28, 2013

Halloween Parties & Parade
Fall is upon us and Halloween is just around the corner. Children are asking about how we will celebrate Halloween festivities at Gold Rush. Listed below is the information you may need to guide your child in appropriate costume selections! I have also included specifics about parties and directions for those not wishing to have their children participate.

Halloween parties are “breakfast parties” scheduled for the first 45 minutes of the school day from 9:15- 10:00AM. It is recommended that party treats be balanced and nutritious with limited “sweets.” For those not wishing to participate in class Halloween parties, parents have the option of opting out, and it is an excused absence. Students will be back to learning by 10:30AM and those students opting out will arrive at that time.

Specific guidelines for Halloween costuming include:
1. Students may come dressed in a costume, but must be able to change into school clothes for the remainder of the day after the party has ended.
2. Costumes may not be demeaning or offensive to self or others
3. The following will not be allowed:
• Face make-up
• Depiction of blood or guts
• Racist or promiscuous dress
• Weapons or facsimile of weapons (swords, guns, scythes)
• Accessories or props such as balls, bats, ropes, etc.

If a costume is deemed inappropriate, the child may be asked to change into school clothes.

When parties are complete at 10:00, we will parade around the school for 15 minutes.  Students will then return to class, change out of costumes and return to learning by 10:30AM.

Watch Dog Dads
Watch Dog Dads is an opportunity for dads to volunteers at Gold Rush.  Our dads will follow a volunteer schedule, which includes monitoring the building grounds and supporting in the classroom and on the playground. Learn more about Watch Dog Dads on Tuesday, November 5th, at 9:30AM. 

Mark Your Calendar
* November 4- 8 – PTO Book Fair
* November 7 & 12 – Parent Teacher Conferences

Conferences Are Coming

We are looking forward to sharing your child’s progress during fall parent teacher conferences, which will be held on the evenings of Thursday, November 7, and Tuesday, November 12. Conferences are a wonderful time to share your child’s accomplishments and goals for the year. Online Conference Scheduling is available through Tuesday, November 5. Click here for the link. The password is “digger”.


Thursday, October 10, 2013

Highlights of the Week

Digger Dash Winners!

We were excited to announce our Digger Dash winners on Thursday.  A Gold Shoe was awarded to the fastest classroom in each grade level and the fastest boy and girl in each classroom received a certificate.  We also honored our promise and let the top 3 fastest runners in each grade level throw pies at us!  Check out the pictures below. We are excited to announce that Ms. Nelson’s classroom raised the most money!  They will be celebrating with a class ice cream party.  We enjoyed coming together and celebrating our hard work and accomplishments before we headed off to fall break!





Conferences Are Coming

We are looking forward to sharing your child’s progress during fall parent teacher conferences, which will be held on the evenings of Thursday, November 7, and Tuesday, November 12. Conferences are a wonderful time to share your child’s accomplishments and goals for the year. You will be able to schedule your child’s conference online starting Tuesday, October 22 through Tuesday, November 5.
Click here for the link. The password is “digger”.

Halloween Parties and Parade

Fall is upon us and Halloween is just around the corner. Children are asking about how we will celebrate Halloween festivities at Gold Rush. Listed below is the information you may need to guide your child in appropriate costume selections! I have also included specifics about parties and directions for those not wishing to have their children participate. Halloween parties are “breakfast parties” scheduled for the first 45 minutes of the school day from 9:15- 10:00AM. It is recommended that party treats be balanced and nutritious with limited “sweets.” For those not wishing to participate in class Halloween parties, parents have the option of opting out, and it is an excused absence. Students will be back to learning by 10:30AM and those students opting out will arrive at that time.

Specific guidelines for Halloween costuming include:

1. Students may come dressed in a costume, but must be able to change into school clothes for the remainder of the day after the party has ended.
2. Costumes may not be demeaning or offensive to self or others
3. The following will not be allowed:

• Face make-up
• Descretion of blood or guts
• Racist or promiscuous dress
• Weapons or facsimile of weapons (swords, guns, scythes)
• Accessories or props such as balls, bats, ropes, etc.

If a costume is deemed inappropriate, the child may be asked to change into school clothes. When parties are complete at 10:00, we will have a parade around the school for 15 minutes. Students will then return to class, change out of costumes and return to learning by 10:30AM.

Mark Your Calendar

• October 11 – No School
• October 14-20 – No School/ Fall Break
• October 21 – School Resumes

Friday, October 4, 2013

Highlight of the Week
Student Raise Money for a Good Cause
Fifth grade students, Brianna, Emma and Jazmine, organized a school spirit day to raise money for red pandas.  Our fifth graders got this idea after completing a technology project that focused on how students can give back.  Students and staff who wore their pajamas to school on Friday were asked to make a donation to support this cause.   Our school raised $912.12!  We thank the girls for their efforts!




Teachers Collaboratively Analyze Students’ Writing
One of our school goals for the year is to study and implement best writing practices across grades K-5.  Teachers have been engaging in conversations around grade level writing expectations and studying national writing expert, Lucy Calkin’s, most recent curricula.  Teachers are currently reviewing students’ narrative writing as a team.  Collaboratively reviewing students’ writing helped teams clarify student expectations and prompted conversations regarding our next steps for instruction.  We look forward to sharing our progress and students’ writing with you throughout the year!

Reminders
·       The office does not open until 8:30AM.
·       Dogs are not allowed on school property during school hours.
·       Students cannot sell home made bracelets at school.

Mark Your Calendar
·       October 11 *  No School for Students - Teacher Work Day
·       October 14-20 * No School – Fall Break
·       November 7th & November 12th – Fall Conferences for Students

Community Events

·       Click here for information regarding an upcoming Avs game!