principal michelle berger gopher gazette

SAN ANTONIO ELEMENTARY 32416 DARBY RD DADE CITY, FL 33525 352-524-5300

Important Dates

February

17th President’s Day NO SCHOOL

19th

8:00 am SAC Meeting Media Center

20th

SAES Night @ Beef ‘O Brady’s

26th

SAES Day @ Al’s Pizza

28th 8:45 am

Student of the Month Breakfast

March

13th End of 3rd Quarter

14th

Teacher Planning Day NO SCHOOL

17th-21st Spring Break NO SCHOOL

Dear Gopher Families, As I write this, the time is 12:30 am, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and it is still only 53 degrees out! We expect it to be spring in Florida, but it is still cold and the wind just blows right through us. Please make sure your kiddos are dressed appropriately for the weather and remind them to check Lost and Found for their missing sweaters and jackets. I'd like to say a big thank you to our PTA for a wonderful Father Daughter Dance. The cafeteria was transformed into a vision of red and pink, the music was extraordinary, and the food was yummy. There was also a photo opportunity where each father-daughter pair was able to have a beautiful photo taken to remember the wonderful night! This is the time of year when School Choice applications are due to the district office. The window for those applications is Feb 1 – March 1. Please see the article inside our newsletter for more information. We will be celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss on March 3rd. If you would like to read your favorite Dr. Seuss book to a class or two, please let your child's teacher know. You're never too old, too wacky, too wild to pick up a book and read to a child!

Michelle Berger

Principal

San Antonio Elem. School [email protected]

A message from the principal

Gopher Gazette

Principal Michelle Berger Assistant Principal Stan Mykita

FEBRUARY 15, 2014


San Antonio elementary – home of the gophers

PTA NEWS

. The Father Daughter event was quite a success. What a wonderful evening for our

dads and daughters! ~~

The Mother Son Event is coming up soon. Please mark your calendar for

April 11th. ~~

The annual Auction/Dinner will be held May 3rd. More information will be coming

out soon. ~~

It is never too early to think

about joining the PTA board. We are looking for officers for the 2014-‐2015 school year. If you are

interested, please contact Jane Hancock at

[email protected] Voting will be held in May.

~~

Thank you for all you do for

our children.

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Counselor’s Corner Hello Gopher Families! Are you ready for Spring? I know I am! Warmer weather often means more activities for your children, which can lead to an increase in peer conflicts.

Monthly Theme and Focus: For the month of February, students are learning about “conflict”. For the primary grades, defining conflict can be slightly difficult. The definition we used was, “a disagreement between two or more people.” Students learned that conflicts can be small, large, or any size in between. They also learned about common mistakes that we make when we are in a conflict: things like yelling, demanding, blaming, name-‐calling, using put-‐downs, and threatening. We call these things “Conflict Escalators”. Instead, students are encouraged to use different strategies to de-‐escalate their conflicts. These strategies include steering clear, choosing by chance, stating your feelings, apologizing, getting help from an adult, compromising, agreeing to disagree, and not “sweating the small stuff”. Students were able to role-‐play and practice using these strategies during their classroom Guidance lessons.

Student of the Month: For the month of January, students were chosen to be Student of the Month because they demonstrated exceptional Compassion. These students have a way of putting the needs of others ahead of their own needs, going the extra mile to make sure everyone feels welcomed at school:

• 5th Grade: Emma Whited and Joseph Yann • 4th Grade: Alexis Payne and Jordan Gibbs • 3rd Grade: Danielle Simmons and Sebastian Bak • 2nd Grade: Kaylee Reese and AJ Robledo • 1st Grade: Savanna Polk and Rafael Davila • Kindergarten: Hope Feleppa and Kyler Nelson

These students will be recognized at our Student of the Month Breakfast, which is sponsored by local businesses and families. For more information on how you can sponsor a breakfast so that we may continue to honor our Great Gophers, please contact the administration or myself.

Food For Thought: Peer conflict is a normal part of child development. However, the choices that your children make when in a conflict can have lasting effects on both them and the others around them. Take time to talk with your children about these issues. Discuss a variety of options for addressing a disagreement with a peer or a group of peers. Your guidance during these important milestones is extremely valuable to them. Take care, Lorynn Gutierrez [email protected] 352.524.5352




IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS Dear Parents/ Guardians, Please remember to check your child for head lice on a weekly basis as part of his/her regular personal hygiene routine. Since our primary business is education and because head checks in school are inappropriate and ineffective, we are requesting that you check your child’s head at home. Please review the Pasco School District brochure “Nice People Get Lice”, which contains useful information about prevention and treatment of head lice. There is a link to the brochure located on our website just under the link to this newsletter. Please click on “Referenced Attachment” to access the brochure. If you need additional information, contact the office, and we will have the registered nurse get in touch with you. For more information, please see the attached brochure. Thank you for your cooperation.

my coke rewards

Our school has joined the My Coke Rewards for Schools program. That means by drinking the Coca-‐ Cola products your family already enjoys, you can get My Coke Rewards points and donate them to help our school or just send in your Coke product lids or box code. It’s easy to donate: 1) Purchase your favorite Coca-‐Cola products to

get codes. They are on hundreds of different packages, in a variety of sizes and flavors).

2) Go to mycokerewards.com/school & sign in. (Register if you are not a member).

3) Enter your codes to collect points – then search for our school to donate points.

4) Enter the amount of points you would like to give and then click “Donate”.

MATCHING GIFT OPPORTUNITY We are actively soliciting donations to purchase materials for Leveled Literacy Intervention. A single grade level kit costs $4500. All checks for this project must be written to the Pasco Education Foundation. The Foundation will match any funds donated. Please contact Ms. Berger for more information. Thank you for your consideration.

PAGE 3 OF 22


Applications for the 2014-‐2015 School Year will be available February 1 -‐ March 1 School Choice Open Enrollment The District School Board of Pasco County’s School Choice Open Enrollment initiative provides an opportunity for a Pasco County student to attend a public school outside the student’s assigned boundary area, as well as public schools in neighboring counties, as long as the requested school is not critically overcrowded. The parent/guardian of a student wishing to attend a school outside his/her boundary area must submit a School Choice Open Enrollment Application to the District School Board of Pasco County during the established open enrollment period. Submitting an application does not guarantee that the student will be approved to transfer to the requested school of choice.

Open Enrollment Timeline School Choice Open Enrollment Applications for the following school year will be accepted February 1 -‐ March 1. Applications must be received electronically no later than March 1st. Applications for multiple children, multiple schools or incomplete applications will not be considered.

NOTE: If your application was received prior to the March 1 deadline, you may expect to receive notification regarding the status of your Open Enrollment School Choice request prior to the end of the current school year.

Requests to attend a Pasco County school, if you live in another county, will require a release from your HOME county. The approved release must be received within the Open Enrollment period.

Applications School Choice Open Enrollment Applications may be completed and submitted electronically by going to the district website. http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/ed_choice/school_choice/registration/

Notice While the school district makes every effort to accommodate all school choice requests, many of the district schools are critically overcrowded (at or above 100% of capacity) and are deemed “frozen”.

Transportation Transportation to a school that is outside the student’s attendance zone is the responsibility of the parent/guardian.

Hardship/Special Consideration Requests A parent/legal guardian requesting school choice due to special circumstances or a hardship situation must submit a written explanation and, as necessary, provide supporting documentation, along with the School Choice Open Enrollment Application.

Parental Agreement/Information If enrollment at a school of choice is determined to negatively impact the student’s education, school choice approval may be revoked.

Please see the district website for more information. http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/ed_choice/school_choice/registration/

principal michelle berger gopher gazette

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