April Bear Cub News

 Bear Cub News

        Academy of Tucson Elementary School

April, 2011

Principals Message

This is our second month for sending out the Bear Cub News electronically. We learned from the March mailing that we needed to adjust a few formatting issues so that the newsletter could be read more easily for those families who are online users. For those of you who are not on the list to receive mailings electronically, you can still join by filling out a form in the front office.

It was another very busy month of activities at the Academy of Tucson Elementary School. We had a fantastic day on March 11^th with “Science Fun Fest.” The students were involved in various science projects and presentations throughout the day. The culminating event was launching rockets from the field with the entire school looking on. We also had students from our high school volunteering to help along with many dedicated parents and community members. The PAC committee also sponsored a family fun night at Skate Country on March 18^th in conjunction with the middle school. Then the following Saturday the PAC organization had their first rummage sale which went very well. It was successful because of all the hard working volunteers and families who donated items to be sold. On March 31^st we had parents, Daisy Troop 1619 and associates from Kohls at the school to work on a campus clean-up project. They did a wonderful job raking, shoveling sand, trimming trees, cleaning up trash and sweeping.

A special note of congratulations goes out to two of our fourth grade students who placed at the Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Anthony Cariseo placed 1^st with his project titled “Does Water Pressure Increase with Water Depth?” and Alexis Cruickshank-Taylor who placed 2^nd with her project titled “Don’t Go Breaking My Hair!” We are very proud of their hard work!

Now that we are in April there are some important events to put on your calendar. The first one to remember is that we will be taking AIMS/Stanford tests the week of April 11^th.  The second event to take notice of is the PAC organization will be hosting a McDonald’s night on April 20^th from 5-8 pm. Our Drama Club will be performing their play on Friday, April 8^th at 8:30 am under the ramada and then again at Saguaro Canyon Church on April 15^th at 6:00 pm.

We will have a break towards the end of the month to help tide us over until Memorial Day. Have a terrific April and restful Spring Break!                                                          

Calendar

April 5^th:  Open House 3:30-5:00

April 6^th:  Early Release Day/College Dress Spirit Day

April 8th: Parent Advisory Meeting 8:00 am/Drama             Presentation 8:30 am            

April 11^th-15th: Stanford/AIMS Testing

April 15th: Evening Drama Presentation 6:00 pm

             Saguaro Canyon Church

April 18th: Kinder Promotion Pictures

April 20^th:  1^st Grade Field Trip-Agua Caliente

             Family McDonalds Night 5:00-8:00 pm

April 22^nd-25^th: Spring Break

April 28^th-29^th: Fourth Grade Field Trip-Grand

                  Canyon

Physical Education Update:

Dear Parents and Students,

Thank you so much to all of you who participated in Jump Rope for Heart! Your generosity and support helped us raise over $2,000 to support the American Heart Association’s efforts to create healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

We blew away our goal of fifteen hundred dollars, which earned us a one hundred dollar U.S. Games gift certificate. It will be used to buy new dodge balls J Super job Academy of Tucson students and supporters!

Mrs. Mitchell

AIMS/Stanford Testing:

The week of April 11, 2011 our 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th grade students will be taking either AIMS and/or Stanford 10 tests. It is imperative that students arrive to school on time and are well rested and fed. We need to test all students in those grade levels so please arrange your schedules to not be gone or have your child out during that time.

McDonald’s Family Night:
The PAC organization will be sponsoring a McDonald’s Family Night on April 20^th from 5:00-8:00 pm. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the school. Members of our PAC organization will be assisting to work the event. If you are able to help out, contact Liz Larsen at 751-9376 or at esb24@yahoo.com. If you unable to volunteer, please stop by with your family for dinner. The event will be held at the McDonalds on Broadway/Camino Seco.

Parents Corner
There will be a parent advisory meeting under the ramada at 8:00 am on Friday, April 8th. Please come and join us if you can.
The PAC organization had four very successful events in March. Science Fun Fest, Skate Country Family Night, Rummage Sale, and Kohl’s Associate Community Outreach Event.
The Science Fun Fest Committee would like to “Thank” the following people for all their support:
Jaime Lines, Mindy Seagraves, Trisha Anthis, Susan Forrer, Mary English, Lori Huggins, Czarina Hurn, Mindy Blevins, Elaine Thompson, Chelse Martin, Sandy Cariseo, Sean Granica, Michael Coleman, Tracey Shupe, Cindy Curtis, Tina Thomas, Mark Bowers, Robert Tramblay, Sue Babcock, Kristen Stuck, Daniel Hurn, Stephane Joubert,Sharon Tramblay, Mark English, Drew Mork, Konrad Brayer, Krista Brayer, Ed Moll, Shanna Blair, Wendy Allardice, Christina Apalategui, Brianna Banuelos, Blake Rhodes, Brandon Corkill, Alexsis Espiriti, Alexis Freeman, Rachel Hapner, Joelle Joosten, Stefan Mixton, Jackie Montagu, Matt Montoya, Erik Peterson, Drew Petzer, Danielle Smith, Yolana Villaescusa, Alex Carr, Beth Davis, Bobby Conser, James Kanyor, Annetra Geier, Melissa Saunders, Jill Mausert, Ariel Chuang, Jennifer Bell, Tanisha Kaina, Patty Scozzarella, Johanna Erbe, Sarah Fata, Brenda Simpson, J.P. Feddick, William and Valerie Hentig,  and Beverly Cadwallader.  
As you can see, there were over 60 people who either donated or volunteered and in some cases, both!  Awesome! 


Special thanks also goes to the Rummage Sale Organizational Committee: Margie Laube, Stephanie Werner, Liz Larsen and to all the volunteers who helped to coordinate the event as well as all the families who donated items to be sold. We could not have done it without you!     
Special appreciation goes to Mindy Seagraves for all her footwork in organizing the Kohl’s Community Campus Clean-up event and to those parents who assisted in the clean-up efforts: Gwynn Nakamura, Jan Gardlund, Mark Bowers, Stephanie Werner, Jamie Lines. Also we are thankful for  the Kohl’s Associates who came to help redistribute the sand on our playground.

Tardiness/Attendance at School: 
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.
It is also important to have students be at school. The only time a student should not be at school is if they are sick or a family emergency. The teachers plan to have all of their students in class on a daily basis.

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-April 5^th 3:30-5:00 pm
Tuesday-May 3^rd 5:00-7:00 pm
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.

Spring Dress Code:
Since it is getting warmer outside, we are allowing students to wear plain colored T-Shirts until the end of the school year. Students still must wear the appropriate   blue, black, or khaki colored pants, shorts, or skirts.  Jeans are only allowed on designated Spirit Days. 

Parent Reminders:
Parents please make sure to pick-up your child in a timely manner from school and after school enrichments. Also, please do not allow your child to stand on the swings or adjust their height by twisting the chains on the swings. Please monitor your child at all times while on the playground.

College Spirit Day:
The Academy of Tucson Elementary School Student Council is encouraging classmates to think about where they might want to go to college after they graduate from high school. In an effort to celebrate “College Days” we are allowing students to wear a shirt of their favorite college on Wednesday April 6^th. Students can wear jeans if they have a shirt representing a college. (Refrain from wearing professional sports teams gear)

Brownie Troop 1131 Water Bottle Presentation:

On Mon, Apr 18 after the Pledge of Allegiance, Brownie Troop 1131 will share their Wonders of Water presentation to the school, “For Plastic Don’t Settle, Use Metal!”  This year they’ve focused on the environment and are encouraging students, teachers and parents to use a reusable, metal water bottle, instead of a one-time use plastic one.  They are creating a Public Service Announcement and will give each student and teacher their own stainless steel water bottle donated by singer, Jackson Browne.