Walk Somewhere

Next week the students of Roosevelt Elementary will be taking part in the “Start Somewhere Walk”. This is a whole statewide initiative to bring all Iowans together to become the healthiest state in the nation. Students and adults throughout the state of Iowa will walk on Oct. 7th.  We are going to be walking one-kilometer, that’s about six-tenths of a mile. This single walk is not going to make us all healthy, but it is a way for us to come together as Iowans and get fired up to take the next steps to become the healthiest state. We will be starting our walk at 10:00 a.m. so that we can get back for lunch at 11:00 am.
Here are some other tips that will help you and your family become healthy.

1. First, you can eat more fruits and veggies!
2. You can go on walks and bike rides with your family. Help your pets get exercise, too! Take your pets on a walk with you.
3. This is also a great time to test out some sports! Give them a try-basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, and others-and see which ones you like.
4. Play outside instead of watching T.V. or play video games.
5. You can have some fun in the kitchen by helping your family make healthy meals.
6. And, when you’re thirsty, drink water.

Mid Term Reports

Next week you will be receiving a Mid Term Report from your classroom teachers. This

is just a snapshot of what your child is doing, at this time, in their present grade level. Information that is shared with you is to help you have conversations with your child on her/his academic skills and social skills. We have not taken many “grades” at this time but we have done some “probes”. Probes can be short sets of math problems, a one minute reading followed by questions about the story, small writing samples, and of course spelling tests. Social issues are another area that teachers do address on the midterm reports. The teachers will inform you about how your student is getting along with peers, teachers, and other support staff in the building. It will also inform you on your student’s work habits.

We feel it is important to keep parents and students informed on the progress that they

are making within the curriculum. We hope that you take time to visit with your student

about this report. We hope that this report also provides you with information about the

learning environment that your child is in and how you can be a part the school.

Resources

Many parents are looking for activities, strategies, and ideas of how they can help their student at home. There are a number of resources that are now available. The first resource that would be very beneficial is to contact your child’s teacher. All of the classroom teachers have email addresses that can be found on our school website www.ccsd.k12.ia.us. The staff members have found that they can respond to parents on email quickly and effectively. Meeting with your student’s teacher is always a good way to keep communication between home and school open. The next resource that many parents may be interested in can also be found on our school website. If you are a parent of a Roosevelt student you can locate resources under the Roosevelt Elementary Link. There is a variety of resources that are free to our community for students to use. Many students and parents have found the use of some of the technology programs have assisted the students to practice and refine skills. The third resource that would be of value to parents and help with the communication is to access your student's teacher's Lesson Plans. These lesson plans can also be found on our school website under the Staff Links. The lesson plans will show you what benchmark, standards, and skills the students will be doing in the classroom for the week.

In 3^rd and 4^th grade all students have assignment note books. These are very beneficial to you as a parent and to the students. When students arrive to school all teachers look to see if parents have signed and looked at all the work that has been assigned. This is a great reminder to students of their responsibility to do their work.

Last year the Roosevelt Elementary Staff and Roosevelt parents developed a Parent Mentoring Program. Parents and staff members meet and talk about education, learning strategies, and learning opportunities for students. Parents take leadership roles during the meeting, and learn from each other. Staff members are also at the meeting to listen to support and to offer ideas to parents. The setting is very causal, informal, and a time for conversation and exchange of ideas. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 at 5:30 -7:00 pm at the Roosevelt Elementary library.

Welcome Back

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year at Roosevelt Elementary. We are off to a great start this year. The students are adjusting to routines, schedules, and meeting new friends. We have added some new policies to our school this year to ensure the safety of all of our students. We are asking parents to check into the office when they come into school and wear a visitors badge in the hallways. It is difficult to greet and dismiss children with a lot of  extra adults in the hallways.

We are also asking that students only be dropped off and picked up in the West Parking Lot. We use the front area for our buses, and need to keep that clear for students arriving and leaving school on our buses.. Both of these policies are safety measures that we have put into place for the safety of your children.

 Third grade will be going to the Spencer Fair on Monday, September 12th to attend the annual Ag-Citing Experience.  While they are there students will participate in interactive learning stations led by Iowa State University Extension Specialists.  The stations include: grains grown in Iowa, livestock raised in Iowa, agricultural co-products, and where our food comes from.  Additionally, students will have barn walkabout time to see livestock, Grandpa's Barn, agriculture, and natural resource exhibits at the Sundholm Environmental Learning Center.

On Wednesday, Sept. 14 we will be dismissing at 12:45 for Staff Development. During this time teachers will be working together on using a new  software program that will  help us to align our curriculum with the Common Core.

On Sept. 15^th. will be the first Kindergarten Activity Day. This is a day where kindergarten students do not come to school, however the kindergarten teachers will meet with at least 5 students and parents and have a conversation about their student. The students will be given activities to do at home.