THE PANTHER PRESS AUGUST 2013

PAGE 1

Important Dates

August 30 First Day Packets DueSeptember 2 No SchoolSeptember 5 No School September 11 SAC/SAF/PTO MeetingSeptember 16 Picture DaySeptember 20 Interim Reports IssuedSeptember 26 Early Release Day

Village Elementary School2100 Northwest 70th Avenue, Sunrise Florida, 33313

Phone : 754-322-8750Facsimile:754-322-8790

Web Address: village.browardschools.com

Village Elementary School 2013-2014

Welcome back to all of our returning students and their families as well as to all of our new students and their families to Village Elementary School. We are happy to have you as a part of our Panther family for the 2013-2014 School Year. As we embark on this new school year, our goal is to continue to grow and provide a strong academic program for all students, helping each individual reach his or her highest potential. As a school, we are committed to ensuring that each child is working to reach their goals, in a safe, caring environment.

Village Elementary School provides various academic and extra curricular activities through which, we encourage all students to find their passion by gettng involved. Our school clubs include Student Council, Kiwanis Club, Chorus, Glee Club, Photography Club, Honor Society, Math Club and Band, just to name a few. Meeting dates and further information about joining these clubs will be forthcoming.

At Village Elementary, we encourage a strong home-school connection and look forward to parents becoming active participants in their child’s education. There are many different ways to get involved at Village Elementary. You are encouraged to

become a school volunteer by first completing the volunteer registration form that can be found at www.getinvolvedineducation.com. Then notify the school that you wish to volunteer.

You are also encouraged to participate in our ongoing school improvement process through the School Advisory Council (SAC) and the School Advisory Forum (SAF). Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is another way of getting involved in your child’s education. There is always a need for more parent participation. For more information please contact me.

My door is always open to address any concerns or share ideas for the improvement of our school. I look forward to another outstanding school year!

Respectfully Yours,

Deborah A. PeeplesDeborah A. Peeples

!

THE PANTHER PRESS AUGUST 2013

PAGE 2

Arrival SCHOOLBEGINS8:00a.m.

Parentsaretomakesurethattheirchildrendonotarriveatschoolbefore(7:15a.m.)anddonotremainonschoolgroundsafter(2:15p.m.)sincesupervisionisnotprovided. Adultsupervisionisonlyavailablefrom7:15a.m.through2:15p.m.Ourcafeteriaopensforbreakfastat7:15a.m.

DismissalAllstudentsaredismissedat2:00p.m.andshouldimmediatelytravelhome.Studentsmustnotbeleftatschoolafter2:15p.m.towaitforarideortobepickedup,asthismayresultinaveryunsafesituation.Pleaseassistusinseeingthatyourchildarrivesandleavesschoolontime.Regularschoolattendanceisimportant.

Tardy Policy & Absences

Beingontimeforschoolisavaluablepartofachild'slearningandshouldbestressed.Schoolistheworkplaceofourstudents.Bybeingpunctual,eachstudentwillhavetheneededtimetopreparehimself/herselffortheday'sworkinarelaxedmannerandwillensurethat,theydonotmissdailyinstruction.

Astudentisconsideredtardyifhe/shearrivesinclassafter8:00a.m.Studentsarrivingafter8:10a.m.mustbeescortedtothemainofficeandparentsmustsigntheirtardypass.Tardinessmayalsocounttowardestablishingapatternofnon‐attendancethatmayindicateearlysignsoftruancy.

Pleasereportyourchild’sabsencethedayoforwithin2schooldaysfollowingtheabsenceoritwillbeconsideredunexcused.Absencesmaybereportedtoour24‐hourattendancehotlineat754‐322‐8750.Astudentmaybeestablishingapatternofnon‐attendancewhen1)heorshehasanaccumulationoftardiness,earlysign‐outs,and/orabsences(excusedandunexcused)thatexceed5daysinonemarkingperiodor10daysin2markingperiodsorwhen2)heorsheisabsentanunexcused5daysin30calendardaysor10daysin90calendardays.

School Uniform PolicyStudentsmustwearuniformsonMondays,Tuesdays,WednesdaysandThursdays,butonFridays,studentscanweartheirVillagePantherT‐Shirtsortheirfavoriteoutfit,aslongastheDistrictDressCodeisbeingfollowed(allshirtsmusthavesleevesandnoskincanbeexposed;no“short‐shorts,”miniskirtsormidriffs).Alsotheycandressaccordingtothedesignatedschoolspiritday.Forexample,oneFridaywas“PinkDay,”studentsworepinkforBreastCancerAwarenessMonth.Studentsarerequiredtoweartheirreduniform

shirtsorredPantherShirtsforfieldtrips.Atalltimes,studentsmustwearclosed‐toedshoeswithrubberbottomsandcoveredheels—nosandalsorflip‐flops.Rememberourschooluniformcolorsarered,white,blackandkhaki.Onlythesecolorswillbeconsideredinaccordancewiththeuniformpolicy.StudentsintheS.T.A.M.P.Programwillfollowtheiruniformschedule.

THE PANTHER PRESS AUGUST 2013

PAGE 3

Cafeteria Breakfastandhotlunchesareavailabletoallstudents.Thesemealsarewell‐balancedandnutritious.Studentsalsohavetheoptionofbringinglunchfromhome.Studentsarenotpermittedtoleaveschoolduringlunchtime.

Inordertocontinuetoreceivefreeorreducedpricebreakfastand/orlunch,theFreeandReducedpricemealsapplicationmustbecompletedbeforetheduedate.Theseapplicationsareavailableonlineatwww.applyforlunch.com.

Ifyouneedassistancecompletingtheapplicationorhavequestions,pleasecontactus.YoumayalsocontacttheFoodandNutritionServicesOfficeat754‐321‐0250.

School Advisory Council (SAC)

WhatisSAC?SACstandsforSchoolAdvisoryCouncil.SchoolImprovementisanabsolutepriorityforallBrowardCountyschools.EveryschoolhasaschoolAdvisoryCouncil(SAC).Purpose:• Studytheschool'strackrecordandcomeupwithanannualplantoimproveeducationinvitalareassuchas:• studentachievement• curriculum•safety• discipline

•TheSACcommitteeprovidesaplacewhereparentscanvoicetheiropinionsandprovidesuggestions.

• SACmembershaveanactiveroleinmakingdecisionsthatwillbestservethebestinterestofallstudents.

• TheSACalsogivesparentstheopportunitytoactivelyparticipateinsettinggoalsandmakingplanstoachievethosegoals.

• SACallowsforparentstoidentifyissuesthatneedtobeaddressedconcerningtheschoolclimate.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

WhatisthePTO?PTOstandsforParentTeacherOrganization.ThemissionofthePTOistomakeeverychild’spotentialareality.Purpose:•Powerfulvoiceforallchildren.•Relevantresourceforfamiliesandcommunities.•Strongadvocatefortheeducationandwell‐beingofeverychild.•Serveasatypeofforumwhereparents,teachers,administrators,andotherconcernedadultsdiscusswaystopromotequalityeducation,strivetoexpandthearts,encouragecommunityinvolvement,andworkforahealthyenvironmentandsafeneighborhoods.Involvement:•JointhePTO•Attendmeetings•VolunteertosupportPTOactivitiesandprojects

VillageElementaryPTOwillberecognizedbytheCityofSunriseonSeptember10thattheCityCommissionMeetingwhich

THE PANTHER PRESS AUGUST 2013

PAGE 4

Title One News

WhatisthePurposeofTitle1Funding?AccordingtotheU.S.DepartmentofEducationthepurposeofTitle1funding,“istoensurethatallchildrenhaveafair,equal,andsignificantopportunitytoobtainahighqualityeducationandreach,atminimum,proficiencyonchallengingstateacademicachievementstandardsandstateacademicassessments.”

ThebasicprinciplesofTitle1statethatschoolswithlargeconcentrationsoflow‐incomestudentswillreceivesupplementalfundstoassistinmeetingstudent’seducationalgoals.Low‐incomestudentsaredeterminedbythenumberofstudentsenrolledintheFreeandReducedMealsprogram.ForanentireschooltoqualifyforTitle1funds,atleast50%ofstudentsmustenrollinthefreeandreducedlunchprogram.

Common Core State Standards

Thecommoncorestatestandardsareasetoflearningskillsthatallstudentsshouldachieve.Theysetthebenchmarksandguidelinesforwhateachstudentshouldlearn,nothoworwhatteachersteach.Ingeneral,standardssetaprogressionofskillsthatstudentslearnastheymovethroughschool.Studentswilldelvedeeperintocoreconcepts.

Thecommoncorestatestandards,ontheotherhand,focusonthemostimportanttopicsthatstudentsneedtoknow.Inmath,thatmeansthatstudentsfocusonreallyunderstandingnumbersinelementaryschoolbeforetheystarttoapplythatunderstandingofnumberstodatainmiddleschool. AsthecommoncoreisimplementedinReading,studentswillbeexpectedtoreadmoredifficulttextsooner,anddiscusswhattheyreadatamorecomplexlevel.Forexample,insteadofpullingoutindividualtextelements,suchascharacters,plot,andsetting,studentswillbereadingorlisteningtovariousstories,andwillcomparestoriesusingtheirunderstandingoftextelements.www.definingthecore.com

Give with Target!Target Corporation is on track to give 1 BILLION dollars back to education by the end of 2015! In an effort to give back they have launched a Facebook campaign give away. To give back to Village Elementary School: log onto Facebook and go to the Give with Target page and select Village Elementary School. For every 25 votes Village Elementary gets a $25 gift card up to $10,000. Voting ends September

THE PANTHER PRESS AUGUST 2013

PAGE 5

DO THE MATH!

Thisyearmathinstruc/onwillaligntotheCommonCoreStateStandards.Youcanfindinforma/onforyourchild’sgradelevelath=p://www.commoncoreworks.org/domain/149.Clickonthe“roadmap”forthespecificgrade.

Youcanalsohelpyourchildunderstandtheimportanceoflearningmathema/csby:• Discussingwhichsizeisthebe=er

buyinthegrocerystoreandwhy• Askingyourchildtocalculatethetax

onapurchase

• Calcula/nghowlongitwilltaketodriveagivendistanceorhowmuchgasolineitwillrequire

• Askinghowmanydifferentwayscanyoumeasureacupofflour?

• Sharingsportssta/s/csanddiscussinghowtheplayerschangeovertheseason

• Recognizinghowdifferentjobsusemath—pharmacist,hardwarestoreworker,teacher,builder

CAREER DAYFebruary 28, 2014

CareerDayisheldannuallytoallowstudentstolearnaboutdifferentjobfields.Itisourintentto

demonstratewhattypesofcareersmaybeavailableintheircommunityandhelpthembuildgoalsforthemselves.Weareaskingthatyou

considerjoiningusinthisveryimportantspecialevent.IfyouhaveanyquestionsorwouldliketopresentyourcareerpleasecontactourCareerDayCoordinator,LaurenBrownat754‐322‐8750oremaillauren.brown@browardschools.com.

Box Tops for EducationBoxTopsforEducationisanationalschoolearningsprogramthathasbeenaroundsince1996.Sincethen,schoolsacrossthecountryhaveearnedoverhalfabilliondollarsfromBoxTopstobuywhatevertheyneed.YoucanhelpourschoolearnmoneybyclippingBoxTops,foundonhundredsofproducts,andsendthemtoschool.EachBoxTopisworth10¢forourschool!YoucanvisitBTFE.com/marketplacebeforeyoushoptofindproductswithBoxTops.

THE PANTHER PRESS AUGUST 2013

PAGE 6

Exceptional Student Education (ESE)ESEAdvisoryCouncilMeetingwillbeheldon

August28,20136:00PM–9:00PM

PleasefeelfreetovisittheESEAdvisoryCouncilWebsiteatwww.browardeseadvisory.com

Forquestionsorconcernsyoumaycontact754‐321‐2252oremail:browardeseadvisory@gmail.com

S.T.A.M.P PROGRAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ARTS, MATHEMATICS & PREPARATORY)

WelcomebacktoourreturningS.T.A.M.P.familyandawarmwelcometoournewS.T.A.M.P.family,welookforwardtoayearfilledwithinnovation.

AsareminderpleaseensurethatyourchildhasreturnedtheirPre‐ParticipantPhysicalforms.Yourchildwillnotbeabletoparticipateinanyphysicalactivityorattendfield‐tripsuntilthisformhasbeencompletedandsubmittedtotheirclassroomteacher.

Volunteerserviceisarequirementofthisprogram.Parentspleasecompleteourvolunteerregistrationformatwww.getinvolvedineducation.com.

Guidance DepartmentThemissionofourguidancedepartmentistoimplementaproactiveprogramthatfostersacademicachievement,careerawareness,personalgrowthandapositiveself‐imageforallstudentswithinasafeandsecurelearningenvironment.IfyouhaveanyquestionsorneedanyassistancepleasedonothesitatetocontactMs.DavisourGuidanceCounselorat754‐322‐8750.

School Improvement PlanVillageElementarySchoolstrivesforcontinuousgrowthandimprovement.Stayup‐to‐dateonourschool’simprovementgoalsandstrategiesbyvisitingourDistrict’sSchoolImprovementwebsiteat:http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/schoolimprove.

PARENTAL INPUT FOR INSTRUCTIONAL AND SCHOOL-BASED ADMINISTRATOR EVALUATIONS Parentshavetheopportunitytheprovideinputintothefacultyandadministrationperformanceevaluations.Ifyouareinterested,pleaseprovidethePrincipalwithyourinputinwritingbyApril30,2014.

THE PANTHER PRESS AUGUST 2013

PAGE 7

Parent Teacher CommunicationParents,pleasebemindfulthatteacherscannotacceptphonecallsduringclasssessions.Ifitisatrueemergency,pleasecontacttheofficeat754‐322‐8750,andtheywillmaketheinitialcontactwiththeteacher.Thankyouforyourcooperationinthismatter.

Parent ConferencesParents,itisimportanttoconferencewithyourchild'steacher.Aconferencecankeepyouinformedofyourchild'sprogressandidentifyanyareasthatmayneedanyassistance.PleasefeelfreetocontactMs.Dickensat754‐322‐8750toscheduleaconference.

VolunteersSchoolvolunteersareextra‐specialpeople.Asavolunteeryouwillworkdoingactivitiesthatmatchyourskills,orevenlearnnewskillswhilehelpingstudents.Anycontributionwillmakeadifference.

Whetheryouareastudentseekingcommunityserviceopportunities,aparentorgrandparentseekingtobecomemoreinvolvedintheeducationofyourchildrenorgrandchildren,aretiredorseniorcitizenseekinganoutletforyourtalents,experiences,andskills,oracorporationwishingtogiveyouremployeesgreateropportunitytobeinvolvedintheircommunity,theVillageElementarySchoolVolunteerProgramhastheanswertoyourneeds.Toregisterpleasevisitwww.getinvolvedineducation.com.

Somevolunteeropportunitiesavailablethisyearare:

•ReadingAloudtoStudents•ChaperoningFieldTrips•ComputerMonitor/Assistant• SpecialProjectsHelper•BulletinBoardHelper•ClericalDutiesHelper•AssistingwithScienceProjects•Helpingsmallgroupsofstudentreaders

The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure, which results in discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identify, gender expression, national origin, marital status, race, religion sex or sexual orientation. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and/or harassment complaint may call the Executive Director, Benefits & EEO Compliance at 754-321-2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158. Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, (ADAAA) may call Equal Educational Opportunities (EEO) at 754-321-2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158.