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UPCOMING EVENTS
2/9/10 Clover Park Bond Election
2/9/2010 Open House Celebrating Black History Month and Martin Luther King's Birthday 1:15 - 2:15pm
2/10/2010 Half Day - Professional Development (No PM Kindergarten)
2/12/2010 No School - Midwinter Break
2/15/2010 No School - President's Day
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Welcome
Welcome to Beachwood Elementary.
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Principal
Josh Zarling
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Beachwood: The Pride of Fort Lewis
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LATEST NEWS
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New Schedule
Dear Beachwood Parents,
As the year has progressed and we are looking for a variety of ways to improve our students educational experience while they are here at Beachwood, it has become very clear that our students are much more focused in the morning, rather than the afternoon. While we do have reading in the morning school-wide, our math times vary depending on the grade level. Due to our current schedule we are not able to have both math and reading in the morning for all grade levels. After doing quite a bit of research, talking with PTA, and working with the teachers and our Site Council, we have decided to change the schedule here at Beachwood. The start and end times will remain the exact same, however during the day the students’ individual schedules will look different starting Monday Feb 8.
Here are some of the changes:
• All students will have math in the morning after reading.
• Specialist time (Fine Arts, PE, and now technology) will be 35 minutes instead of 30 min.
• Our teachers will have uninterrupted time to collaborate with one another about best teaching strategies and how to improve your child’s learning. With the old schedule the teachers had their planning time interrupted daily. (20 min recess, library time, and 30 min planning) With the new schedule this problem will be addressed.
• Our students did not have very much time to eat lunch and have an afternoon recess to run and play. With the new schedule we are moving the morning recess to connect with the lunch recess to make a longer lunch recess/lunch time. This will give the students more time to eat, have some students run in the Beachwood Bowl if they want to, and play organized games. Before the students did not have enough time to play organized games, nor did we have enough staff to take the students down to the bowl. While moving recess may be a concern for some parents, the majority of the Clover Park School District elementary schools and schools around the state no longer have morning recess so they can maximize learning time in the classroom. These schools only have lunch recess. Currently we do not have morning recess on half days and the students seem to be doing fine with the transition. Also the students will have specialist times (fine arts, PE, and or Technology) that will help break up their day. Many teachers are also using snack time as a break in the morning after reading for those classes that need a break.
• We will be able to use the North Fort New Gym across the street. This gym is much brighter, nicer, and larger than our current cafeteria/gym. This will also ensure that our students will receive more PE time. There will be 2 crossing guards (teachers) who deliver the students to and from the gym.
• We will also be able to use the recess teachers more in the classrooms to help struggling students.
Thank you again for all of your support in making this the best year ever for your child’s learning. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Josh Zarling
Principal
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Love and Logic Course for Parents
Betty Frain our Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC) is teaching a 6 week course on Love and Logic for Parents. The course will be every monday morning from 8-9am for 6 weeks (starting 1/25) All parents are welcome to attend as often as they can. Love and Logic provides simple and practical techniques to help parents with kids of all ages:
•Raise responsible kids
•Have more fun in their role
•Easily and immediately (first use) change their children's behavior
Here is their website for more info: http://www.loveandlogic.com
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PARENT SUPPORT GROUP 8-9am
PARENT SUPPORT GROUP
Presented by our new Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC) Betty Frain
Discussion Topics
1/13 * Using Love and Logic for Effective Discipline
1/27 * Enhancing Resiliency in Children
2/3 * Helping Children Express Sadness and Loss
2/17 * Emotional Intelligence Skills for Young children
3/3 * Helping Children Manage Anger
3/17 * Sibling Relationships
4/7 * Reunion: Helping Children Cope with Post- deployment
4/21 * Test Anxiety
5/5 * Coping Strategies for Uncertain Times
5/19 * Sleep and Dreams: The importance of Good Rest
6/2 * Helping Children Handle Change
6/16 * Saying Goodbye
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Highly capable/gifted testing available for students
The Cognitive Abilities test (CogAt) will be administered to students who are recommended to participate in the district’s Highly Capable/Gifted Program. The regular annual testing will take place in February 2010. Third- through seventh-graders at all elementary and middle schools are eligible to take the exam.
Parents, guardians or staff members can recommend that a child be tested to determine eligibility for the program. If you feel your student shows potential for the gifted program and should be tested, please notify their school. For more information related to the test, please contact Jennifer LaShells at 583-5200
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Every vote counts!
Are you a registered voter? Make sure your voice is heard! You can update your registration or become a new voter by completing a simple, one-page registration form. The forms are available in the main office or in the community relations office at the Student Services Center. Remember, every vote counts!
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Do your part stay flu free
It’s flu season and both the seasonal and H1N1 or “swine flu” are still spreading. Here are some easy tips for you and your family to stay flu free:
Get vaccinated against the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu. Vaccination clinic locations and pharmacies offering the vaccinations are listed on the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Web site, www.tpchd.org.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Wash them for as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. Remind children of the importance of good hand washing.
Use alcohol-based hand gel if soap and water are not available. Remember to rub the hand gel into your hands until they are dry.
Stay at least six feet away from sick people.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze (or cough into your elbow).
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Keep surfaces that are touched often clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant. Follow the directions on the disinfectant label.
For more information about the flu, contact the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department at 253-798-6500.
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Thinking Routines
Harvard's Project Zero Thinking Routines
Here is a link to the Thinking Routines that make thinking visible at school.
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State Math Benchmark Assessments
This next week, our Beachwood students will be taking the Math Benchmark Assessment.
The new state Math Benchmark Assessments (MBA) is given three times during a school year Kindergarten-12th grade to assess how well students have learned the skills and knowledge up to specific points. The results from this assessment will give specific information on the progress individual students and classes of students are making towards standard. Teachers, classroom coaches and principals can use this data to inform how instruction should be adjusted or revised to support bringing each student up one level on the state assessment. The purpose of the test is not to give a grade, but instead to provide specific feedback about what students have effectively learned.
When will these assessments be given?
Assessment #1 (“Test Run”)
Tuesday Nov 17 (full administration) and Wednesday Nov 18 (make-up)
Assessment #2
Thursday Jan 21 (full administration) and Tuesday Jan 26 (make-up)
Assessment #3
Wednesday April 7 (full administration) and Wednesday April 21 (make-up)
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Deployment Groups
Military Coach Support in Classrooms: Nancy Zybala has started Deployment groups for students. Please let us know if you would like to have Nancy's support for your children in deployment groups.
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Parent Support Groups at Beachwood Every 2nd and 4th Wed.
Parent Support Group replaces Second Cup of Coffee every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. Times: 8:00-9:00am in room 8 . Groups are run by Nancy Zybala our Military Coach. These topics were voted on by the parents who returned the survey. Every other week, the topic will change. As a new parent, I know how much I appreciate bouncing ideas off other parents about what is working and not. This is a perfect opportunity for sharing and stealing ideas for the following topics.
1.) Effective Discipline for school aged children (9/30)
2.) Children and separation issues of deployment (10/14)
3.) Parent/ Child communication (10/28)
4.) Conflict resolution with children (11/4)
5.) Helping children cope with post deployment issues (11/18)
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