Wednesday, April 20, 2011

It's Over!/Playground Help/T.V. Showcase

Everyone--- take a deep breath! AIMS is behind us! A huge THANK YOU to parents who worked with us supporting their student(s), and allowed great kids to do their best!!! Your support was felt and appreciated by all. As soon as I get information on when and how AIMS results will be released I will let you know.

Are you willing and available to help us out on the playground during the month of May? If you have just "one day" and can volunteer between/from 11:30-1:00 we can sure use your help.
If just 3 parents per GRADE-one parent per class-volunteered in the month of May, these extra set of eyes, ears, and hands will further ensure our student's safety.
If you are interested, Mrs. Schulman, (DT parent) is willing to coordinate this endeavor.
Please email her at dtschulman@yahoo.com Thank you!

SMART FAMILY CHANNEL 15 AT DESERT TRAILS-- where they interviewed our Kindergartens in preparation of Kindergarten Appreciation Day on April 21.
The Smart Family program will aire the D.T. students at 3:30, Thursday, April 21.
You won't want to miss it!!!!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Parent Input Form

Each year right after AIMS I have been sending out the Parent Input Form. Why? Because I value your input. This is a vehicle that parents can use to help us with placement for the upcoming school year, IF, you feel your child needs special accommodations. As you know, we do not take teacher requests, but will try our very best to place all student according to several factors: academics, gender, behavior, special needs, medical needs, etc...
The Cluster rooms are also one more consideration that we deal with. As we work with the district and the formula they provide, I have once again invited Dr. Brulles, District Gifted Director, to join us during placement so we ensure balanced & strong learning communities.
Your form must be turned in by April 25th to be considered in our placement. Feel free to write on the back of the form to provide more information. The information you provide is held confidential and is only viewed by me. Please keep in mind although I value your input, that doesn't necessarily mean I can meet all desires. However, I give you my word we will do our very best. Please refer to the Student Handbook posted on-line for more information regarding Student Placement.
For those of you reading this blog through your inbox, you will need to go to the actual blog site where all links are available. Thank you!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Almost Finished/Welcome & Goodbye/6th gr. Parents

Monday and Tuesday this week will be AIMS make-up! We have several students involved in completing their testing. With that in mind, we will continue to ask volunteers/parents to not come into school, so once again we can provide a quiet/no distraction environment.
On that note~ THANK YOU for allowing us to accomplish just that last week. I know it was hard to stay away, but it was greatly appreciated by all.

Welcome new PTO Officers~ Mrs. Bakkila & Mrs. Porambo & Mrs. Wheelock & Mrs. Shiel. These ladies are excited and ready to bring fresh ideas, family events, and new ways of fundraising to Desert Trails. Please be sure to join the PTO with our new school year. Your support is every important in these difficult budget days. We can't do the great things we do, without you!!

Good-Bye & THANK YOU~ As we welcome incoming parents, we must also say goodbye to those who have served on the PTO. Jen Mozilo, out-going President has done a wonderful job. I have appreciated her support and dedication to the students and staff for the past 2 years.
She has earned a well deserved rest!! Thank you Jen, for all you have done! Also, we will say good-bye to Lisa Henderson & Linda Powell. Both ladies have done a great job and been very supportive. They too are looking forward to a well deserved rest! Thank you ladies for your hard work, support, and dedication to the students and staff!

Monday, April 25 at 7pm we will be holding our Human Growth & Sexuality course for all parents of 6th graders. This very important information is presented to parents first so you can make a knowledgeable decision about having your child take part in the program. No students allowed at Parent Night.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Friday, April 8, 2011

AIMS/Student Placement

AIMS reminders: Grades 2-6 Dates~ April 10-15. To create the best testing environment as possible we will not be having K-6 parent helpers, K-6 volunteers during AIMS. We want to provide every child the opportunity to do their best with the least interruptions as possible. We also ask that you not make or to please reschedule appointments during the week of AIMS that would cause your student to come/go or arrive late. Our testing protocol takes all students into account for the best results. Thank you for your understanding and support.
Should your child experience "pre-butterflies" regarding AIMS, please suggest to them Study Island. This is a service provided to our 2-6 students, that is correlated to AIMS. Students can do Study Island in the "game" mode or "test" mode or "both!"
Achieving Blue Ribbons is a good way to build confidence & skills!
Also, a good breakfast and restful night's sleep is always helpful when students need to be at their best!

Parent Input forms will be coming out right after AIMS. I will post the form on this blog through a link. You will actually have to go to this site (instead of reading through your in-box), to reach the link. Your input is a valuable piece to our process of Student Placement. I appreciate hearing from you. Please remember we do not honor teacher requests, but do our very best to build cohesive, balanced classrooms. Be looking for more information after AIMS.