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FOXY TALESFOXY TALES DOROTHY FOX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER MARCH/APRIL 2016
I N S I D E T H I S N E W S L E T T E R
SMARTER BALANCE TESTING INFORMATION
TIPS FOR MAKING READING A HABIT FOR KIDS
MARCH 24 Winter Report Cards Home in Backpacks
MARCH 25 PTA Cookie Dough Sale Ends
Please Send Order Forms Back to School
MARCH 25 Smokey the Bear Assembly—Grade 1
MARCH 31 Swingin’ Ukes Performance @ CHS
MARCH 31 1/2 5th Grade Field Trip to Steigerwald
APRIL 1 1/2 5th Grade Field Trip to Steigerwald
APRIL 1 Red Spirit Day
APRIL 4-8 Winter Report Cards Home in Backpacks
APRIL 15 2nd Grade Field Trip to Portland Theater
APRIL ? 9:15am PTA General Meeting
APRIL 20 SPIRIT DAY—COLOR WAR
APRIL 22 PTA Book Exchange
APRIL 24 Charity Food Collection @ QFC
Sign-Up Genius will come out for participation.
UPCOMING DATES: (Can go to Fox School Website for Calendar Information) http://schools.camas.wednet.edu)
D o n ’ t F o r g e t t o T u r n i n Y o u r P T AD o n ’ t F o r g e t t o T u r n i n Y o u r P T A
M o n t h l y F o x y R e a d i n g C a l e n d a rM o n t h l y F o x y R e a d i n g C a l e n d a r
All Fox students should be reading at home. Families
should record daily minutes read. Students earn points
to spend at the Foxy Depot at the end of the trimester.
From the Principal, Dr. Cathy Sork: Spring has sprung everywhere around Dorothy Fox and as the buds on the flowers and tress are
blooming, so are the students in so many ways. We are so proud of their accomplishments and
growth this year.
I am very pleased to announce that Dorothy Fox has received five mini-grants from the Camas
Educational Foundation written by Fox staff and PTA totaling just short of $8000. One is for new
library research material to support fifth grade curriculum, one will subscribe to Library Guide materials and another
for MP3 players in our Resource Room. I also wrote a grant to bring a program called Walk, Talk, and Rock Like a
Leader to all the 4th and 5th graders next fall and our PTA got $2000 to expand the Fox garden. Way to go!!! A
special thank you to all of the parents and community members who contributed to or attended the CEF Auction. It
is great to see those donations coming back to Fox kids and programs.
Dorothy Fox would also like to acknowledge Logitech who has provided $500 in technology devices to support our
Chromebook carts and to Washougal Lumber and Sherman Williams Paint who have both donated materials to
support an Artist Project coming to Fox kids following Spring Break. We are so grateful for the generous support
from our community that allows us to do innovative and exciting things for kids.
Parents in grades 3-5 received letters discussing the upcoming Smarter Balance Assessment that their children will
participate in starting in mid-April. See the schedule below. This is a state requirement for all students and provides
us valuable information about how well students are mastering the Common Core Standards. Last year was our first
year with this new assessment and it went pretty well. This year will be even better. Please contact your child’s
teacher if you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming testing plan. Information about this assessment
is available to all parents at http://www.smarterbalanced.org/.
I want to take a moment to thank the many classroom volunteers and PTA supporters that work to make Dorothy
Fox a better place for all of our students. Our kids benefit from the time and talents of so many adults at school and
at home. It makes a difference in our student’s success.
SMARTER BALANCE TESTING Grades 3-5 Attendance is very important. Our kids are ready for this experience.
English
Language
Arts (ELA)
ELA CAT Computer Adapted
Test
1-Day
ELA PT Performance
Test
1-Day
Third Grade April 18-19 April 21-22
Fourth Grade April 25-26 April 28-29
Fifth Grade May 2-3 May 5-6
Math Math CAT Computer Adapted
Test
1-Day
Math PT Performance
Test
1-Day
Third Grade May 9-10 May 12-13
Fourth Grade May 16-17 May 19-20
Fifth Grade May 23-24 May 26-27
Science
MSP
Paper/
Pencil
Exam
NEW DATE
Fifth Grade May 17th
Tests are not timed. A student can pause their ELA or Math test and come back another day to finish. They
can not go back to previously answered questions, but can complete unfinished portions. If a student needs
more time, they will be scheduled time in subsequent days and given the opportunity to finish.
Subscribe to the weekly PTA Newsflash emails:
Visit Http://teacherweb/com/wa/dorothyfoxelementary/pta/newsflash.stm
Click on the bottom of the screen to subscribe.
You will receive an email every Friday describing upcoming events and opportunities for kids.
WAYS TO STAY
The The
following following
is news is news
from from
the Fox Gym the Fox Gym
with Coach with Coach
During the month of March, all students participate din a variety of floor hockey activities and games . Later , students will be working on fitness skills and concepts leading into spring break.
Troy Dunn
Fox PE, [email protected]
Please bring in books for reading grades K-5. We
will be collecting books through April 18th. Then
on April 22nd, all students at Dorothy Fox will get
to take home a new-to-them book.
Establishing the Reading Habit
As a busy parent, I know that sometimes it is tricky to fit in that 20 minutes of reading a day our
students need. Especially for emerging readers, reading at the end of a busy day can be a
challenge. Here are some tips for helping your child establish a daily reading habit (without
causing tears).
Choose a time that works for everyone. Many students enjoy reading before bed as a way to unwind. However,
for students still working to decode words, it might be better to choose a time for independent reading when
your child is more awake, like after breakfast, after school, or in the evening before dinner. Then bedtime reading
(by an adult) can be a fun activity for everyone rather than a frustrating way to end the day.
Let your children see you read. This sends a message that reading is important and enjoyable for an entire
lifetime, not just during childhood.
Talk about what you’re reading. Share what’s interesting about what you read, and ask what’s happening in what
your child is reading.
Create a “reading space.” Whether it’s a comfy reading corner in a bedroom or a window seat, or the kitchen
table, having a space that’s comfortable and quiet with good reading light helps kiddos stay focused on their
reading.
Let kids pick what they read. When your child is reading the same book for the zillionth time, or chooses a book
you know is below their reading level, it is tempting to try to steer your child to a different book. However,
research supports letting students choose their own recreational reading material. Your goal is to establish a
habit of reading. What they read is less important than the fact that they are reading.
Find “reading moments” in everyday life. Whether it’s reading the grocery list or reading recipe instructions out
loud, there are lots of opportunities for kids to read outside of recreational reading time.
Always have books or magazines with you. In the car, in your bag—if you always have child-appropriate reading
with you, then your child can read while waiting for appointments or in line at the store. Check out eBooks from
the public library so you can always have a book on your mobile device!
Let them read to animals. Pet are great listeners. They don’t care if your child makes a mistake or reads slowly,
and children are often calmed by an animal’s presence. If you have a pet (or can borrow one), encourage your
child to read to it. It might be the “hook” needed to get them interested in reading.
Remember that reading is supposed to be fun. If it’s becoming a chore, then change something to make it fun
again. Go back to parent reading out loud, listen to an audio-book together, change the venue, or grab a new
book from the library or bookstore.
Make it non-negotiable--except when it’s not. Ideally, all kids would read at least 20 minutes per day. However,
sometimes it just doesn’t work. Give yourself (and your kiddos) permission to skip it every now and again.
Sometimes sleep or family time takes priority. Sometimes your child is not in the right place to
enjoy reading. Knowing when to make an exception can make the habit easier to sustain in the
long-term.
I know at the end of the day, sometimes the last thing I want to do is read a Captain
Underpants book (again). However, I know that investing in reading with kids at a young age
pays off in the long run. In fact, reading at home has a huge impact on student learning,
particularly in terms of reading fluency and vocabulary development. Encourage your child to
read for at least 20 minutes every day!
Notes from the Fox Library with Mrs. Logan:
From the PTA……….. It is hard to believe we a Best Wishes, Stacey Kim President Dorothy FoxPTA [email protected]
NEWS FROM THE
STAY CONNECTED! Check out our website for up to date information!
www.dorothyfoxpta.org
Find us on Facebook! Get those last minute reminders for Spirit Day,
school activities and volunteer opportunities!
https://www.facebook.com/dorothyfoxpta/
VOLUNTEER! You are a valuable part of our team!
If you are interested in finding volunteer opportunities at Dorothy Fox,
please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Michelle Farley@ [email protected].
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CEF CONTRIBUTIONS.
Dorothy Fox contributed
Greetings from the Music Room! Greetings Dorothy Fox Families!
March is “Music in our Schools” month (MIOSM)! Music educators from around the nation will be drawing more awareness to the musical talent of kids everywhere in our schools. We started it out with a bang at Dorothy Fox with our second grade informances! Parents were witness to all the fun and learning that we have every day in music, and they were treated to some beautiful music as well! Third Grade informances occurred on March 14th and 15th.
To end the month, The Fox Pack Swingin’ Ukes group will perform in our annual MIOSM concert. The show will take place on Thursday, March 31st at 6:30pm at Skyridge Middle School. This year, because we are all growing so much, we will only be performing with the groups from Grass Valley and Prune Hill. We’ll be playing pieces by Miles Davis, Louis Jordan, and one we are writing ourselves!
Lastly, I want to introduce my student teacher to you all. Her name is Lauren Aiken and she comes to us from Portland State University’s FANTASTIC graduate teacher education program. She has a BA from Fresno State in Choral Education and is already a big hit with our kids. She’ll be slowly taking the reigns here with many of our classes and refining her skills with our great kids here. Welcome to Dorothy Fox Lauren!
Dustin Hunley, [email protected], (360) 833-5700 x78184
Dorothy Fox Elementary Music Specialist
http://staff.camas.wednet.edu/blogs/dustinhunley/
Dorothy Fox Health Room News
We have health rooms staffed primarily by health assistants to be used for emergencies/urgent situations. We
do recognize that children may become ill while at school; in that case, you would be notified to pick up your
child. (See “Guidelines for Keeping Ill Children Home from School”). If changes occur in emergency contact
information, please notify your child’s school.
Head Lice: School is in full session and it is time for parents to start checking their child’s head every day for head lice and/or
nits. If you discover that your child has lice you will need to take steps to ensure proper treatment. You may refer to the Camas
School District’s web page under Parent Corner/Health Services or contact the health room for a complete list of factual infor-
mation on head lice and proper treatment, as well as our head lice policy.
We do not routinely check for head lice at school. It may be helpful to discuss some proactive steps for avoiding head lice with your child at home, they are:
Avoid sharing personal items such as hats, combs, brushes, coats, hair accessories, and pillows. Consider keeping long hair pulled back in a braid or a pony tail.
Ill Children: Keep sick children at home 24 hours fever free without the use of medications (with a fever of 100° or above), and
24 hours symptom free with vomiting or diarrhea.
Medications: Adults must check in all medications to the health room, please do not send medications (even over the counter
medications such as cough drops or Tylenol) to school with your child. All medications, including over the counter medica-
tions such as cough drops or Tylenol, require a medication authorization form completed by your child’s health care
provider to be on file in the health room.
Counseling Report Written by Chris Baxter, School Counselor.
Save the Dates! April 21, 28 and May 5
Come learn how to be your child’s EMOTION COACH Have you ever asked yourself, “If I can do one thing for my child that will help them become the best they could be now and in the future, what would it be?” John Gottman of the Gottman Institute suggests that helping your child understand and manage their emotions is that one thing. He has extensively studied the issue for many years and states, “Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) is a much better predictor of how children will turn out than Intelligence Quotient (IQ) or achievement test scores.” The good news is that he has also developed a program to help parents develop their skills to help their children become better at un-derstanding and managing their emotions. His program is called Emotion Coaching, the Heart of Parenting.
Here are a few of the Gottman Institute research findings of what happens to kids when their parents emo-tion coach.
The children had better reading and math scores at age 8 than other kids, even when IQ was controlled for.
These kids demonstrated self-regulation.
The kids had fewer infectious illnesses.
They could better focus their attention.
They were better at motivating themselves.
They could cope better with life’s ups and downs.
They require less discipline.
Do those sound like good goals for you and your child? Then, join myself and Edie Hagstrom, counselor at Helen Baller and learn to become an emotion coach for your child. This program complements what we are doing in the classroom when we teach skills such as how to to identify feelings, manage feelings, and prob-lem solve. But, it takes it to a much deeper level and allows us to become partners in supporting your child.
According to John Gottman, at the end of this program you will be able to:
Understand the importance of Emotional Intelligence,
Learn how to recognize, respond to, and validate what your child is feeling,
Learn how to be an effective Emotion Coach using the 5 steps of Emotion Coaching with children of any age,
Discover ways to express understanding and empathy,
Learn how to set limits and problem solve with your children.
This video and workbook based training will take place at Dorothy Fox Elementary over three nights: April 21, 28, and May 5. We will start promptly at 6 PM and end at 7:30. Make sure to look for a Sign-Up Genius on email so we can save you a seat and order a workbook. We just wanted to get this out in the newsletter
so you can begin to look at your schedule and SAVE THE DATE!!
Finally, if you want to do some research on this program on your own, visit the website www.gottman.com. Feel free to email me if you have questions or are interested in this program as [email protected]
