Overview of Upcoming Events

September 27, 2010

Dear Families,

The Academy of Tucson Elementary School will be hosting a number of events for students and families in October. There will be two fundraising events in October 2010 to support the library and the 4^th grade classes for their Grand Canyon Trip.

On Oct. 1st we will have the Book Fair Family Fun Night from 5:00-7:30 with an all you can eat chili dinner. Dinner will be served from 5:30-7:00 for a cost of $5.50 for adults and $4.00 dollars for children. The general book fair continues from Oct. 4th-7th and will be held in the Art Room from 7:30-8:15 in the morning and from 2:30-4:00 in the afternoon. Remember though that we have early release days on Oct. 6th and Oct. 29th. Also on Oct. 29^th families are welcome to join the Academy of Tucson Elementary School at Skate Country on 22^nd/Pantano from 5:00-7:00 pm. This will be another fundraiser to help support the 4^th grade classes and their Grand Canyon Trip. Picture retakes are on Oct. 27 instead of Sept. 27.

If you wish to review the letter from Mr. Stewart in regards to our asbestos free buildings, please refer to the letter on our website.

Best Wishes,

Michelle Poppen

Principal

Volunteer Opportunities and Events for the 2010-2011 School Year

September 21, 2010

Dear Parents,

             Now that we are back in full swing, I would like to inform you of some of the Academy of Tucson Elementary School community events and volunteer opportunities  for the year. Please note that the dates are tentative.

Through out the Year: 

• Traffic Monitors
• Lunch Monitors
• Playground Monitors

October

• Bookfair ( October 1- October 7)
• Skate Country (October 29^th)

November

• Tentative Star Gazing Night (Nov.10)
• Tentative Winter Concert

December

• Winter Field Day (December 8)

January

• Bookfair (January 28^th - February 4^th)
• Carnival (January 29^th)

February

• Love of Reading (The entire month of February)
• Rodeo Round-up (Friday, February 25^th)

March

• Teacher Appreciation (All Month)
• Skate Country  (March 18)
• Science Fun Fest-Date TBD

May

• Water Day (May 19^th)
• Spring Concert Date TBD

If you would like to help plan, organize, or send in supplies for any of the events, please send in the volunteer slip on the following page. Thank you for all your support!

Sincerely,

Michelle Poppen

Volunteer Opportunities

Name of Parent:___________________________

If you are interested in keeping our pick–up and drop-off process run as smoothly as possible, while keeping our children and families safe, volunteer to become a traffic monitor. Mr. Webber is the coordinator

_______ Morning Traffic Monitor (7:15-7:45)

               Dates available:  _____________________________________________

               ___________________________________________________________

______ Afternoon Traffic Monitor (2:15-2:45)

             Dates available: _______________________________________________

              ____________________________________________________________

______Lunch Monitor (10:45-12:20) Mr. Webber is the coordinator of this he can also

            make you aware of some needed items for lunch.

            Dates available:________________________________________________

______Playground Monitor: Mr. Webber is the coordinator

            AM (7:15-7:45)___________

            Dates available:________________________________________________

            Lunch (10:45-12:20)____________

            Dates available:________________________________________________

_______Bookfair (October 1st-October 7th) Mrs. Teitelbaum

              Dates available:________________________________________________

_______Bookfair (January 28th-February 4th) Mrs. Teitelbaum

              Dates available:________________________________________________

_______Bookfair and Carnival (January 29^th) Mrs. Teitelbaum/4^th Grade Teachers

_______Rodeo Round-up (February 25^th)

_______Science Fun Fest (March) Specific Date TBD

______ Water Day (May 19^th)

There will be more opportunities to volunteer and we will notify you of those events as the year goes on. Please return these forms to the classroom teacher or the front office.

September Bear Cub Newsletter

Bear Cub News

Academy of Tucson Elementary School

September, 2010

*Very Important Update: The newsletter that came home with students on Friday the 17th had the incorrect date for curriculum night. The correct date in Sept. 21, 2010 instead of Sept. 22, 2010. This newsletter has been corrected with the appropriate date.

                Principal’s Column

        What a wonderful start to the school year! As the new principal, I have enjoyed getting to know the students and families of the Academy of Tucson school community. We have had a busy two weeks at the Academy with the celebration of Grandparent’s Day and the completion of picture day.  We have a few more featured events for September, which I have highlighted throughout this newsletter. I also wanted to inform you of the four primary ways in which our school community will be communicating with you: 1) Friday Folders, 2) Website and links to staff blogs, 3) PASS, and 4) Student Planners. I also want to encourage you to get involved in your child’s education through supporting their academic endeavors, participating in school events, and volunteering when you can. Thank you for choosing the Academy of Tucson for your child’s education!

 School Day Schedule

Start Time: 7:45 for grades Kindergarten-4^th

Lunch Break Times:

         Kindergarten: 10:55-11:35

         First & Second Grade: 11:20-12:00

         Third & Fourth Grade: 11:45-12:25

Dismissal Times:

        Kindergarten: 2:15 (dismissed from back parking lot)                                      

        1^st & 2^nd grade: 2:25 (Pierson, Purdy and Siath dismiss from

                                          circle, Lakavage, Birkholz and Sanchez

                                          dismiss back parking lot)

        3^rd & 4^th grade: 2:35 (Mitchell and Thompson dismiss from

                                      circle, Van Hise, Brown, and Fata

                                      dismiss from back parking lot)

Early release dismissal times:

        Kindergarten: 11:15 (dismissed from back parking lot)                                      

        1^st & 2^nd grade: 11:30 (Pierson, Purdy, and Siath dismiss from

                                        circle, Lakavage, Birkholz and Sanchez

                                             dismiss from parking lot)

        3^rd & 4^th grade: 11:40 (Mitchell and Thompson dismiss from

                                            circle, Van Hise, Brown, and Fata

                                             dismiss from back parking lot)

Parking Lot 

Please help us keep our parking lot safe! Do not pass cars waiting to pick up or drop off children.  If you have children being dismissed at two different times, please park your car in a designated parking spot and walk to their dismissal spots.  Remember to be kind, courteous, and patient with one another; we are role models for our students. 

For any Kindergarten parents interested in carpooling, please contact Liz Larsen (Parent) at esb24@yahoo.com. Liz has kindly offered to establish carpools to help cut down on the congestion in the parking lot.

Lunch Menu

Monday : Kentucky Fried Chicken (chicken strips)

Tuesday: Cousin’s Subs (Hot Dog)

Wednesday: Bianchi’s (Mac & Cheese)

Thursday: Eegees (Grinder)

Friday: Domino Bianchi’s (Pepperoni Pizza)

All lunches brought from home will be stored in a classroom refrigerator until lunch time.

Parents Corner

• There will be a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting at the ramada on October 14, 2010 at 8:15. The Parent Advisory Committee’s main purpose is support the endeavors of the school community by assisting with fundraising and special event coordination.
• Please make sure to go through the office to check-in if you are volunteering on campus or need to drop something off for your child. If you will be on campus for a period of time you will be issued a visitors pass.
• We appreciate your efforts in getting your child to school on time. If for some reason your child is late to school they need to check-in at the front office before going to their classroom. Thank you for closing the front gate when you come on campus.      Upcoming Events:

1. Curriculum Night-September 21, 2010 from 6:00-7:30 pm
• The Kindergarten teachers would appreciate students attend this event with parents.
• The 1^st-4^th grade teachers would appreciate having parents only attend this event because they will be discussing specifics about the curriculum and expectations in the classroom.

Schedule for Curriculum Night:

·         6:00-6:10 Park and get to designated areas.

·         6:10-6:30 Kindergarten/1^st Grade in classrooms

                   2^nd/3^rd/4^th Grades under the ramada

·         6:30-6:35 Kindergarten/1^st Grade transition from classrooms to

                ramada.

                2^nd/3^rd/4^th Grade transition from ramada to classrooms

·         6:35-6:55 Kindergarten/1^st Grade under ramada

                2^nd/3^rd/4^th Grades in classrooms

If you have children in multiple grades split your time according to your needs.

2. Bookfair: October 1^st- October 7^th in the Art/Music/P.E. Room

·         Family Night for the Bookfair will be October 1^st from 5:00 pm-7:30 pm

·         All you can eat chili dinner will be served, by the 4^th graders, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Proceeds will go towards their Grand Canyon field trip. $5.50 for adults and $4.00 for children. (Includes: chili, cornbread, and a drink)

·         October 4^th-7^th the Bookfair will be open until 3:30 pm.

·         Volunteers are needed for this event please contact Mrs. Teitelbaum for more details. steitelbaum@ateschool.net or call at 886-6076.

News From Our Specials Teachers

ART:

In art, we will be learning about the seven elements of art: line, shape, color, texture, value, form, space. It would be very helpful if you talked to your child about the primary colors: red, yellow, blue and the secondary colors: green, orange, purple. We will be learning about each element and then making a piece of art using one of the elements. I am looking into an 'online student art museum' called Artsonia. More to come...........


Library:

The students are learning about the library process. They checked out books the first week of school and are learning how to return books,get on a wait list for a book, book care, and how to locate a book in our library. We will also be talking about the Dewey Decimal System and looking at each section. We are preparing for our bookfair 'Here's To Our HEROES! Reading Saves The Day!' This bookfair will run from October 1st through October 7th and it is a Buy One, Get One FREE. This is a great time to purchase books for gifts or to increase your home library. Please look for fliers coming home in Friday folders.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15th through October 15th. I will be reading 'Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez'. National Mix It Up at Lunch Day will take place on November 9, 2010. We will be encouraging the students to eat lunch with a person they don't generally eat lunch with. It's a great time to get to know someone that you may not know.

Back To School Family Letter

Dear Families of The Academy of Tucson Elementary School,

It is an exciting time at The Academy of Tucson Elementary School because September 7, 2010 marks the start of the 2010-2011 school year. We appreciate the patience of the students and families of our school community with the later start to the school year.

As the new principal at the school, it was wonderful to introduce myself to those of you who attended the meet and greet event on September 3, 2010. It was also fantastic to see the eager and smiling faces of the students who will be attending the school.

The teachers have been working diligently to prepare their rooms for the students who will be in their classes. The staff at The Academy of Tucson Elementary School, look forward to assisting you and your child throughout their educational journey during this year and the years to come.

Please realize that we encourage the individual development of our students while focusing on the academic excellence of students in a college preparatory environment. We are hard at work on a daily basis developing great minds and responsible citizens.

We encourage you to participate in your child's education and have created many opportunities for you to assist in their academic experience. My door is open to you for any points of discussion and we look forward to an awesome school year!

Sincerely,

Michelle Poppen
Principal AOTES

Welcome Back To School

Looking forward to a fantastic year!