January 2011 Newsletter

 Bear Cub News

          Academy of Tucson Elementary School

January, 2011

Principals Message

Happy 2011! We have had a great start to the New Year and hope you have as well.  As I have walked through the classrooms, the teachers continue to develop lessons that are thought provoking and actively engaging to students. Once again, we have many activities that students will be participating in this month. Please keep updated on these events by reviewing the various modes of communication that we have established for families. (Newsletters, PASS, Blogs, Marquee, Bear Cub E-Mails)  The Academy of Tucson schools are in the beginning phases of establishing their school communities for the 2011-2012. We have asked families to please return their Declaration Forms to us, as soon as possible, to let us know if their child will be returning to one of the Academy schools for next year. We have also scheduled open houses throughout the remainder of the school year for prospective families. Please spread the word if you know of anyone who is looking to make a change in their child’s academic environment.

In closing, I would like to let you know that we acknowledged the events of the weekend at our morning flag ceremony on Monday. We accomplished this by talking with students as to why the flag was being flown at half staff and discussing what constitutes being a good citizen through peaceful means. Our student council chose to send an outreach letter to the school community of Mesa Verde Elementary School. This letter was heartfelt and expressed the thoughts of the wonderful students at the Academy of Tucson Elementary School. 

                                                                       

Calendar

January 14th: Parent Advisory Meeting 8:00 am

                3^rd/4^th Grade Field Trip-TCC

January 17th: No School Martin Luther King

January 18th: Jump Rope for Heart Presentation

                Start of the Bookman’s Reading

                Challenge

January 21st: 3^rd Grade Field Trip-Agua Caliente

                Champ Dance Assembly

January 25th: Middle School Open House for 4^th

                Graders-6:30-8:00 pm

January 27^th: 4^th Grade Field Trip-Old Tucson

January 28^th: Book Fair Begins/Spirit Day

January 29^th: Carnival/Book Fair/Open House at

                Elementary School-10:00 am-1:00 pm

Physical Education Update:

A note from Mrs. Mitchell: Thank you so much for taking the time to volunteer for the Winter Field Day. It was truly appreciated and all the kids had such a great time. I could not have done it without you!

Students are also gearing up to participate in the Jump for Heart event in the next week or so.

Fun Events: Carnival/Book Fair/Open House:

Come and join us for the festivities of this one event on January 29, 2011 from 10:00-1:00. Books will be for sale to help support our school library. There will also be food booths, games, and an inflatable obstacle course. Proceeds from the carnival will go towards deferring the cost of the Grand Canyon Trip for the 4^th Graders. The campus will also be open for prospective families to take a tour of the campus and to learn more about our school.

 

Parents Corner
There will be a parent advisory meeting under the ramada at 8:00 am on Jan. 14. The February meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11 at 8:00 am. Please come and join us if you can. Sorry for the late notice for the Jan. meeting.
Bear Cub E-mails Update: Mrs. Garlund has the class e-mail lists completed. We sent out the first round of messages and discovered a minor glitch which we are working on to correct. I am planning to have the February newsletter sent via e-mail to those families who are participants in the e-mail program.
REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR JUNK MAIL TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY E-MAIL MESSAGES FROM PAC. MAKE SURE TO UNBLOCK THE PAC E-MAIL ADDRESS. pac@ateschool.net 
The Science Fun Fest event will be on March 11, 2011. More information will follow in later e-mails and newsletters. For those of you interested in learning more about this event or to volunteer please contact Jaime Lines at jandjlinesfam@hotmail.com, Mindy Seagraves at dnmeseagraves@yahoo.com. or Trish Anthis at trishanthis@hotmail.com.



Tardiness 
Timely arrival to school and class is essential for student learning.  Since tardy students interfere with the learning of those who come on time, late arrivals are considered discipline violations. 
The first bell rings at 7:45 AM. This is the signal for students to line up with their classes.  The second bell rings at 7:55 AM. All students arriving after the second bell must be signed in by an adult.
Open House For Prospective Students/Kindergarten Screenings:
We will be having open house events for prospective students who are new to the Academy of Tucson Elementary School. This is a designated time to tour the school, get questions answered about the school, meet teachers/principal and complete registration forms. The following are the dates and times of the Open House Events through May:
Tuesday-February 8^th 4:00-5:30 pm
Tuesday-March 1^st 5:00-6:30 pm
Tuesday-April 5^th 3:30-5:00 pm
Tuesday-May 3^rd 5:00-7:00 pm
Kindergarten Screenings will be held on March 5^th and then on an as needed basis after March. PARENTS WILL BE MAILED A LETTER DESIGNATING THEIR CHILD’S SCREENING TIME. Note: The screenings are not used for admittance purposes.
Please Note: If new families are unable to attend any of the open house events, call to schedule a tour of the school in order to become familiar with the Academy of Tucson. We accept registration packets year round.