If you would like to read any of these particular articles in the newsletter, click on the title:
Contact Information Student Wellness Student Drop Off Health Office Parents Make a Difference Taxes
Dear Estrella Families,
As Principal of Estrella, I want to thank you for making me feel so welcomed as part of the Estrella family. The school year is off to a wonderful start. We had a great turn out for meet the teacher night and also curriculum nights. Thanks!
The Estrella staff would like to welcome you to another exciting school year. We look forward to working with you and your child to enhance their academic, social, and emotional growth over the course of the year. At Estrella, we believe the best way to accomplish our goals for your child is to work collaboratively with our parents and students. For this reason, we encourage you to be active by attending parent-teacher conferences and meetings, supporting our school programs, and visiting our school.
The Kyrene School District is committed to protecting the health and safety of our students and staff. Kyrene School District has now set heat index guidelines and procedures that each building will follow for the safety of our students and staff members. You may hear your child say, “Dr. Williamson said we were on a heat advisory day.” This means that at Estrella outdoor activities will be monitored closely and time outdoors could be limited.
Parents we will be getting our site-based team up and running this month. This team meets every month and determines where our 301 tax dollars are spent for the school year. The team also discuss and advise the school on overall school issues. We may be in need of new members, so if you are interested please call me at 783-1800.
We appreciate your interest in our efforts to create a positive and safe learning environment for all our students. Please contact us if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns.
Dr. Jeff Williamson
If you would like to leave a message for your child’s teacher, the voice mail numbers are (480) 783-18 plus the two digit room number. (Example, room 1 would be 783-1801. If you need to check on lunch accounts, the cafeteria number is 783-1896 and the Kids Club office is 783-1887 if you would like to contact Carlos Yanez. If you would like to look up an email address, you can go to the district web page at www.kyrene.org, go to employee search at the bottom of the page and follow the prompts.
Nutrition Guidelines:
Children with adequate nutrition are better able to focus on learning, and they have improved behaviors and fewer absences. To support the health of our students, and to meet requirements outlined in the Arizona Revised Statues, all foods and beverages made available to students at school during the school day and as part of Kyrene’s before and after school programs are to be consistent with the Arizona Nutrition Standards. The Arizona Nutrition Standards limit the percentage of sugar and fat to be consumed by children in their diet and the overall number of calories to be consumed by children daily. These standards were developed to meet the requirements of ARS 12-242.
In order to meet the Arizona Nutrition Standards, staff members are to refrain from providing students with foods that do not support the nutritional standards. Foods high in sugar and/or fat do not meet these nutritional guidelines. The one exception to the nutrition standards permitted in the statute will be for the four designated classroom parties/celebrations per year (Fall party (Oct) , Winter party (Dec), Friendship party (Feb) and the end of the school year.
When planning for snacks for the four classroom parties/celebrations, state law requires that no home-cooked food be distributed to students during school hours. This practice is intended to protect students from the spread of communicable disease.
Physical Activity:
It is important that students develop the knowledge and skills to participate in physical activities and to maintain their physical fitness. Grades kindergarten through fifth will have recess and/or physical education classes daily. PE should not be considered as a replacement for recess; on days that PE is offered, recess should not be eliminated.
Because physical activity is important to students’ overall health, teachers are discouraged from removing a student from PE in order to complete assignments for another class or keeping a student from more than one recess per day in order to complete assignments.
Below is a short list of food items that appear to meet the new nutrition guidelines . Many other foods and snacks may meet the guidelines as well.
Pretzels Pretzels Rods Cheese Nips Wheat Thins Goldfish Crackers Baked Snack Crackers Bananas Tortilla Chips (baked) Low-fat popcorn String Cheese Cheetos Cheese Puffs (baked) Graham Crackers Fruit Cheerios Low-fat Pop Tarts Rice Cakes Nutri Grian Bars Pringles Reduced Fat Chips
Thank you to all our families for ensuring the safety of our students by following Estrella’s established Student Drop Off Procedures. Here are just a few reminders as we proceed into the second month of school:
· DO pull all the way forward to the drop off area (after the second crosswalk) before releasing children from the car
· DO NOT leave your car unattended for any reason while you are in the drop off area
· DO have children exit from the passenger side of the car only
· DO NOT drop off or pick up children from the parking lot. Parent must park their car and escort their child using the crosswalk. Please do not leave your car unattended in the middle of the parking lot to get your child. It is important that we follow this rule or we may not be able to enter the front parking lot in the future.
· DO use the crosswalks and sidewalks at all times.
We appreciate your continued help in keeping all of our Estrella students safe! We need everyone’s cooperation and patience for this system to run effectively.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Please take a moment to put your child’s name on their jackets and lunch boxes, that way we can get them back to their owners. Also the Health Office can always use any clean clothing donations such as: shoes, socks, shirts, pants or shorts and underwear. We’d also like to remind our parents when it is a good idea to keep your child at home due to illness.
1. Fever—a child should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school
2. Persistent cough.
3. Sore throat with fever and or spots on the tonsils.
4. Rash with fever, such as chicken pox, measles, etc.
5. Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
6. Red, itchy and draining eyes; if pink eye is diagnosed, child must be on medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
7. Prolonged headache and stomachache.
8. Swelling or pain at a level that may interfere with learning.
9. Earache or toothache.
10. Head lice; children must remain at home until treated and all nits are removed. Must check in with the health office before returning to the classroom
Please call the Health Office anytime, your questions and comments are always welcome! Thanks, Michele (480) 783-1884.
Make Homework Time More Productive This School Year
The beginning of a new school year is the perfect time to create positive homework habits. Try these ideas:
1. Set homework goals. At the beginning of each homework session, ask your child, “What do you need to do today?” This simple question will help your child get focused on the task ahead. Later, have your child write a homework goal at the beginning of each study session.
2. Get comfortable. Some kids can need absolute quiet to study. Others can tolerate lots of noise. Some need to sit at a desk, Others work best when they’re sprawled on the floor. There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to do homework. Let your child experiment and see what works best.
3. Set a schedule. For most kids, homework time should average about ten minutes for each grade (20 minutes for second grade, 40 minutes for fourth grade). If they don’t have that much homework, they can read for pleasure, review, or work on an independent project. Block out homework time every day.
4. Identify learning styles. Children learn in different ways. Some learn primarily through their eyes—visual learners. Some learn through their ears—auditory learners. Some need to involve their entire bodies—kinesthetic learners. Experiment to see what type of learning is best for your child. Then help her plan homework activities that support her learning style.
5. Do a five-minute check. At the end of each homework session, have your child get in the habit of checking homework. Is his name on his paper? Has he proofread the essay?
Support Kyrene Schools
Save on State Taxes
Donate to Kyrene Schools and receive a dollar-for-dollar credit of up to $400 on your 2008 Arizona State taxes!
Here’s how it works
Under Arizona State Law ARS43-1089.01, Arizona taxpayers can get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit when they donate up to $200 per year ($400 for married couples filing a joint return) to public schools. Simply make your check payable to the Kyrene School District and either take it to the school office, mail it to 2620 E. Liberty Lane, Phoenix, 85048 or log on to our website at www.kyrene.org/ksdporta/taxcredit. We will mail you a receipt for your records and report your donation as required by Arizona State Law ARS43-1089. Donations postmarked after December 31, 2008 will apply to the 2009 tax year. Please consult with your tax consultant regarding this contribution. This information should not be considered legal advice.
Thank you for your generous donation.