Thursday, August 3, 2017

8-3-17 FSE Thursday Blast

Dear FSE Parents,
We are anxiously awaiting your children’s return to school! Please see the below events for the first few days of school and let us know if you have any questions!

Upcoming Events
  • August 8th: Meet at Greet from 3:00 to 4:00 pm
  • August 10th: First Day of School
  • August 14th: Picture Day
  • August 24th: 6-7pm Back to School Night
  • August 30th to Sept. 1st 6th Grade Outdoor Education

Updates
Beginning of School Events
  • Tuesday, August 8th from 3:00-4:00 pm Meet and Greet and Ice Cream Social.  We believe that it is essential for students to have the opportunity to meet their teachers and visit their classrooms prior to the first day of school.
    • Please join us for ice cream at 3pm then visit your classroom.  If weather permits ice cream will be by the flagpole, if not it will be in the dining room.
    • Please come at 3:00 with your school supplies (if you need access to the supply list please see this link) and meet your teacher.  If you ordered supplies through the school they will be in your new classroom.
    • Drop off any any medication students will need during the school day in the office with our health assistant, Cindy Rychlick
  • Grade Level Locations in the building
    • Kindergarten: Between the Blue and Berry Pods
    • 1st and 2nd Grade Classrooms: Blue Pod
    • 3rd and 4th Grade Classrooms: Berry Pod
    • 5th and 6th Grade Classrooms: Green Pod

First Day of School: Thursday, August 10th: Full Day!
  • Students will meet their teacher on the blacktop on the first day of school.  Your child’s teacher will have a sign with their name.  At 9:10 teachers will take the students into the classroom.
  • Please follow our arrival and dismissal policy to ensure student safety as you drop your child off at school  each day.
  • On the second day of school students will enter the building using our rolling start protocol.  Please see procedures here.
Express Check In:  July 28th to August 15th
  • All students must register through Online Express Check In Click here to login.  You will use Online Express Check In to update your contact information, pay school fees and sign up for volunteer opportunities.  All students must register via Online Express Check In by August 15th.  For assistance please contact one of the individuals below:
    • FSE Registrar: Kellie McKenzie at kellie.mckenzie@dcsdk12.org
    • FSE Administrative Assistant: Jennifer Talley at jennifer.talley@dcsdk12.org
    • Student Data and Information Services Summer Hotline: 303-387-0016
IT Support Center: 303-387-0001

Fun Run: Stampede to READ!
This year we will fundraise for books to support student learning in the classroom. Please read more below as to why this is so important for students at Flagstone!

To grow readers who not only CAN read, but WANT to read, you must provide them with materials that they want to read. There are other critical variables, like having parents and a teacher who read and are enthusiastic about reading, providing time and opportunity, and of course, great instruction about the mechanics and purposes of reading. But at the heart of all of that is one kid with one book that he is motivated to read.

We have many good books in our book room, but the vast majority of the books we have there were written before any of our current students were born. Let that sink in for a minute. Many of them are great books, but lots of great books have been written in the past 13 years and our kids deserve access to those books as well.

We use these book sets for book clubs and small reading groups, where critical instruction takes place. When I begin a new round of book clubs in my classroom, I usually have 4-6 groups, and offer 6-8 choices. They each get to rank their top three. Then kids get the choice they need to do their best learning, and I get to match kids to books. Imagine the excitement when those books are great titles their friends have been talking about or the latest book in a favorite series like The Wings of Fire or Percy Jackson. Or new books by favorite authors like Barbara O'Connor, Kwame Alexander, Dan Gemeinhart, Jennifer Nielsen, Lisa McMann... When we can offer students books they want to read, they clamor for book clubs.

If we want kids who are excited to read, we must provide them the books. There is nothing more important that we could spend our money on than growing readers.
--Tamara Jaimes, 5th and 6th Grade Teacher

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