Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Volume 9, Issue No. 4 December 2016
Principal’s Page
Dear Sierra Verde Community,
As Winter Break nears, I would like to wish each of you and your families a most happy,
healthy holiday season! I hope you had a chance to relax and enjoy quality time with your
loved ones over the well-deserved Thanksgiving Break. In
reflecting on all we have to be thankful for at Sierra Verde,
I’d like to share some moments of gratitude and celebration
with you. First, a special thank you to everyone who
participated in our annual Veterans Day Assembly. Thank
you for your generosity in bringing packages for our sol-
diers, writing letters, and sending in pictures to honor our
veterans. We are grateful for our 2nd grade and middle
school choir students
who displayed their
patriotism through sweet voices under the direction of
Mrs. Showers, accompanied by Mr. Eddington. We are
also thankful to the O’Connor Color Guard for presenting
the colors while 8th grade student, Ava Terry, sang the
Star-Spangled Banner. And of course, we are so apprecia-
tive of our guest speakers, Colonel Robert Sylvester and
Chief Master Sergeant Todd Kirsch from Luke Air Force
Base. Their words were both inspirational, and made the
day so meaningful.
Sierra Verde is also thankful for the special visitors
during the month of November. Sierra Verde
welcomed home Sergeant Turner, who is returning
from an 11-month deployment in Kosovo. Sergeant
Turner surprised his 1st grade daughter in her
classroom as the students were learning about
veterans and sharing cards they had written. After an
extremely adorable Q&A session, Sergeant Turner
left the room to be greeted by the entire Sierra Verde
staff and student body who applauded him at the
flagpole. To say he was overwhelmed is an under-
statement. We are beyond thankful for those who
serve that we might have the freedoms we are afforded on a daily basis.
This touching experience was followed by our annual Kindergarten Thanksgiving Play. There
2
is nothing that says Thanksgiving quite like 5 year-old turkeys, Native Americans, pilgrims,
and preachers singing their little hearts out.
Finally, we are continuously thankful for our students who make us smile every day.
Thank you again for a fantastic first semester. We have so much
to be grateful for, and are looking forward to another strong
semester when we return in January. We wish you all a
wonderful winter break filled with lasting memories. See you in
the New Year!
Sincerely,
Paula Tseunis
Principal
3
CCV Love Our Schools Day
"On Oct. 1st and 8th, 10,000 volunteers from Phoenix area churches adopted over 275 schools representing 30
school districts to impact our community in a positive way," reported Tracey Beal, DVUSD School Connect repre-
sentative. "Initiated by CCV, the goal was to transform the valley through painting, grounds clean up, light repairs,
and words of encouragement at our schools. Businesses and churches and families all worked side by side. Giving
was in the air.", said Ms. Beal.
Kevin Hanson of Christ Church of the Valley Campus Operations said, " We have already received amazing
feedback from our efforts in schools through countless stories of changed hearts, bridges build and measurable
progress being made on the front lines of our community schools.”
Sierra Verde STEM Academy was no exception to the reception of this outpouring of community spirit. Activities
on our campus included fixing the desert tortoise habitat to make it ready for its new resident - Dash. Classrooms
were disinfected and playgrounds cleaned and raked. Trash picked up and windows washed. Dr. Tseunis said,
"Inspirational notes were left on the blackboards in classrooms and the teachers and staff felt honored."
Dr. Tseunis also shared, "One of the biggest impacts of the day was the new and renewed relationships that were
created. First time volunteers on 'Love Our Schools' day are now helping our students one-on-one to reach their
reading goals. Eighth grade students kicked off their own service projects inspired by this day. Our SV families' fa-
miliar faces were part of this initiative as well."
Want to be a part of next year's Love Our Schools Day? Look for more info in our monthly newsletters and thank
you to all that participated. Love Our Schools Day made a difference.
4
STEM comes alive
in the classroom
First Grade Pumpkin project- we predicted and estimated pumpkin seeds, made volcano pumpkins with vinegar and baking soda, and graphed pumpkin data.
Moxie Girls attended the UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Conference in Scottsdale. They got to test out some of the latest technology and see how business leaders are using drones to advance their busi-nesses.
2nd graders investigate parachutes.
Alex Palmer from Local Motors took some time out of his busy schedule to have a private Q & A with the Moxie Girls. Alex Palmer's greatest advice to the Moxie Girls:"Math! I cannot stress the importance of being great at math if you are going to get into this field."
5
December Safety Update This month our safety page is dedicated to Digital Citizenship. Whether you are thinking
about purchasing a device for your child, or your child already has access to a device, talking
about safe and responsible technology use is valuable for all ages. Listed below are several
traits of a digitally– responsible citizen. For more tips on how you can help your child be
tech savvy and safe, visit www.commonsensemedia.org. Thank you for your support in
helping guide our students to make safe, respectful, and ethical decisions in the digital world
where they live, learn, study, and play. Together we can make a digital difference!
6
SV Traffic Update: Front Loop Morning Drop-Off
Reminders!
We are almost half-way through the school year, which is a perfect time to revisit
our protocols for drop-off and pick-up. This month we will be featuring morning
drop-off procedures, and how YOU can help make our system run as smoothly
and safely as possible each morning.
Drop off in your “zone”!
Kinder students are dropped off before the first cross walk and
enter through the Kinder gate.
1st-4th grade students are dropped off between the two crosswalks
and enter through the Main gate.
5th-8th grade students (and their younger siblings) are dropped off
AFTER the second crosswalk and enter through the Sports gate
by the modular building.
Keep moving! The dr ive through loop is not for parking. If you arr ive
before 8:25, please park in the parking lot rather than stopping and waiting in
the front loop and causing additional traffic.
Please pull forward! Do not leave significant space between vehicles, or
try to drop your students off right in front of their gate. Pull forward to the
end of your designated drop off zone so there is room for everyone.
Stay tuned for our Afternoon Pick-Up Reminders coming in our January
Newsletter!
7
The Apex Fun Run is coming to our school
in JANUARY!! Dear Parents,
Thank you for your support of Sierra Verde STEM Academy and the investments you make in your children’s
lives. We are so excited to announce the Apex Fun Run will be coming to Sierra Verde again!! The Apex Fun
Run this semester’s major fund raiser, will last for 2 weeks and will kick off with a Pep Rally on Monday,
January 23rd at 9:00 a.m.
We will have emails coming from your teachers as the event gets closer. Please feel free to visit
www.apexfunrun.com to learn more about this interactive program that helps schools all over the country raise
money, while promoting leadership and fitness in the classes. This year’s character theme is Apex Legends!
Students will follow Tikes, Seeds, Specs, Jazz and Wheels through pages of their legendary adventure to
discover JJ Cortez’s hidden treasure. Along the way these five friends discover what it truly means to be a
Legendary leader.
APEX Legendary Leaders:
Learn!
Engage!
Give!
Empower!
Never Quit!
Do!
Stay tuned for more information. We are excited to work with Apex and our community another year for this
exciting fund-raising event! WHAT’S YOUR STORY GOING TO BE?
Sincerely,
Sierra Verde PTSO & APEX Fun Run Team
Dec. 1st - Home Basketball Games @ 4:30 pm Dec. 9th - Early Release @ 12:05 pm
Dec. 1st - PTSO Board Meeting @ 5:30 pm Dec. 9th - PTSO Parents Night Out 5:00 pm
Dec. 1st - DVUSD Strategic Planning Stakeholder
Focus Group @ 6:15 pm
Dec. 12th - CIT Meeting @ 4:00 pm
Dec. 5th - Hour of Code Dec. 15th - Home Basketball Games @ 4:30 pm
Dec. 6th - Volunteer Training @ 9:00 am Dec. 22nd - Winter Parties @ 2:45 pm
Dec. 6th - Winter Choir Concert @ 6:00 pm Dec. 23rd - Early Release @ 12:05 pm
Dec. 9th - Choir trip to Disneyland Recording Studio Dec. 26th - Jan. 6th - Winter Break
Dec. 9th - Spelling Bee @ 9:00 am Jan. 9th - First day back after Winter Break
8
The Reindeer Run is coming soon!!!! Saturday, December 10
th, 2016
10:00 am
Come join the Sierra Verde staff, students and community members as we spend the morning having some fun and exercising through the Sierra Verde neighborhood. The event starts outside the basketball courts by the modular buildings. Great raffle prizes will be drawn at the end of the day as well. If you own a business and would like to donate raffle prizes for the event, please contact Coach Connolly, Coach Thomas or Coach Potts (see contact info below). We would appreciate any help in acquiring large numbers of exciting prizes for the event. Hope to see everyone at the Reindeer Run!!! Steve Connolly - [email protected] Michelle Thomas - [email protected]
Deann Potts - [email protected]
Late Lunches In an effort to minimize classroom interruptions, late lunches dropped off prior to 11:00 AM will be taken to the cafeteria in our “Late Lunch Bin" for students to pick up. We will not be delivering lunches to the classrooms. Our lunch monitor and teachers on duty will remind students to look for their lunches when they enter the cafeteria. If a lunch is delivered to school after 11:00 AM, we will ask parents to deliver the lunch to the cafeteria themselves. You are always welcome to sign in as a visitor and join your child for lunch.
Dismissal Reminder!
Just a reminder, students will not be dismissed from the office between 3:15-3:30pm. If you need to pick up your child for an appointment, please plan to pick up your child prior to 3:15pm. This ensures we are minimizing classroom disruptions as teachers wrap up their lessons and prepare to dismiss their students.
Deliveries We are making a conscious effort to decrease classroom interruptions and promote responsibility in our stu-dents! One way to support our goals is minimizing deliveries to our classrooms. We have identified which items will be delivered directly to classrooms, and which items will be placed in teacher mailboxes. Items delivered to classrooms during the day:
glasses water bottles jackets/sweaters medically required items emergency messages
Items placed in staff mailboxes for pick-up at a later time: Forgotten homework assignments School projects Other messages (non-emergency)
Thank you for helping your child come prepared and ready to learn!
Library News ~Our Voracious Viper Reader board in the library looks amazing! So many students are
taking the challenge to read and fill out their reading sheets each month. There is lots of room for more names on the board. I know students are reading so all they need to do is pick up a Voracious Viper sheet from their teacher or the library, fill it in and return the sheet to the library. Students can turn in their November sheets through December 6th. December sheets have been passed out they can be returned anytime between December 10th and January 8th. Did you know that students can check their library account online? Our library catalog, ebooks and student
accounts can be viewed at Destiny.dvusd.org. First students click on Sierra Verde School. Then sign in using the
same information as their school computer login. The log in is up in the right corner. Next click on the “My Info”
tab to view the title of books that are checked out and due dates. Students can even renew a book one time by
clicking the renew button if the book is not already overdue. Books can only be renewed one time online.
9
CAFETERIA NEWS School Breakfast Facts A great breakfast program is offered at school every day, the doors open at 8:10 am and the cost is just $1.25 Here are some fun facts about school breakfast:
It’s easy! Instead of running around in the morning trying to make sure your children eat a healthy meal, let us do the work. They can get a great breakfast at school, and there will be no dishes for you to wash!
It’s affordable! If qualified, your child may be able to get breakfast at a reduced price or for free. If your child already eats a free or reduced price lunch, they automatically qualify for a free or reduced price breakfast.
It’s tasty! Schools now have more variety to choose from when deciding what to offer your children for
breakfast. Take a look at our menu (available on our website) and view what your child may be eating at school.
It’s good for the brain! Research suggests that not having breakfast can affect children’s intellectual
performance (CDC). Did you know?
We can provide your student with a sack lunch for their field trip. All sack lunches fall under the same guidelines as our site served meals and can be purchased for $2.60, $.40 reduced or free for all meal assistance approved.
From the Nurse’s Clipboard
IT’S COLD & FLU SEASON AGAIN!
It’s not always easy to tell the difference between a cold and the flu, but here are some general symptoms that
may help differentiate between them:
Important note: Symptoms vary from child to child; call your child’s healthcare provider if you suspect the flu.
QUIZ
1. Children get more colds than adults do. True or False?
2. There are more than 200 viruses know to cause colds. True or false?
3. What is the best way to prevent the spread of a cold or the flu?
QUIZ ANSWERS
1. True
2. True
3. Hand Washing!
(Source: www.kidshealth.org )
Flu Symptoms Cold Symptoms
Sudden Onset
High Fever
Severe Exhaustion
Dry Cough
Headache
Decreased Appetite
Muscle Aches
Chills
Usually no sore throat
Slow Onset
No (or mild) Fever
Mild Exhaustion
Severe or Hacking Cough
Usually no headache
Normal Appetite
Usually no muscle aches
Usually no chills
Sore Throat
10
Boys Basketball
Coach Mr. Hayes
Saxon Roker
Aiden Clayton
Austin Clayton
Brayton Wilkinson
Lucas Chu
Jace Anderson
Andrew Carpenter
Phillip Carr
Connor Riley
Jaxson Chettinger
Dylan Totherow
Aiden Goh
Patrick Tyrell
Girls Basketball
Coach Mr. Reynolds
Lauren Maza
Vivian Hull
Lujayn Shami
Cambrea Saldate
Kelci Connolly
Melody Gonzales
Katarina Olesen
Olivia Malone
Kylie Dennis
Managers:
Adelina Munoz
Voracious Viper Winners for October
Naomi Pinzon, Landon Roush and Landen Moriarity
Mrs. Hamblen’s class won for the most readers during 1st Quarter.
Congratulations to all our winners!
Aleena Rafiyath was named a Top Winner in Valley Metro’s 12th Annual Cool Transit STUFF 3rd Grade Art Contest! Congratulations.
Girls on the Run is a North
American non-profit
program that works to
encourage pre-teen girls to
develop self-respect and
healthy lifestyles through
dynamic, interactive lessons
and running games,
culminating in a celebratory
5k run.
Sierra Verde participated in
another successful Girl on
the Run 5K in November.
The group had 22 girls join
this fall.
11
