Dear Palo Verde Families:

February is here, so hard to believe. Today was the 100th day of school and many classes celebrated the day with a variety of academic activities regarding the number 100. It was a fun day for everyone.

THANK YOU!

I would like to thank all the classrooms that have provided the staff with wonderfully delicious lunches and snacks for our staff meetings. It is always a special treat and very much appreciated by everyone. I would like to send a huge thank you to all of the third grade families for our December luncheon and also to Mrs. Ghiorso, Mrs. McCandless and Ms. Rose’s families for January’s feast. With all this great food, we are all happily breaking our new year’s resolutions, and we love it! Also, I can’t forget Susanne Papp who organizes, sets up and cleans up the luncheons each month.

PTA SOCIAL AND AUCTION IS COMING

The PTA annual social and auction will be held on March 3rd from 7 to 10 PM at Michael’s at Shoreline Park in Mountain View. This year’s auction Passport to Fun will include food, dancing and many wonderful prizes on which to bid. Don’t be left out of the fun. Attendance is limited, so get your tickets as soon as possible. It is a great date night activity and a fabulous way to help out the school. I look forward to seeing you all at the auction.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!

Welcome back. I hope everyone enjoyed a restful and wonderful vacation with friends and loved ones. 2012 will be a fabulous year. We have much work to accomplish in the next six months.

As your child gets back into the swing of being in school, it is important to remember to get back into the routines of going to bed early, eating a healthy breakfast and setting time for homework in the evenings. Have your child set an attainable, measurable and appropriate New Year’s resolution regarding something he/she wants to accomplish at school. It maybe to get all homework turned in on time; getting to school on time each day; reading 20 minutes each night; or making his/her own lunch the night before. Whatever the goal, track the progress and celebrate the successes.

PAUSD district is in the process of revising the district Homework Policy. The district homework committee is seeking input from all PAUSD stakeholders, which includes the families, students and staff of Palo Verde Elementary School. Please plan on joining me on Wednesday, January 11, at 8:15 am in our MP room during the monthly principal’s coffee to take part in an activity that will allow you to provide the district with your input regarding homework. Paula Watson and Lisa Swaggerty will be leading the discussion. Together we will compile information about the homework appropriateness and effectiveness. Now is your time to let your voice be heard regarding your thoughts about homework.

This year the School Site Council will be developing and asking all parents to take a survey for all families to give feedback on the work we are doing as a school community. Please look for more information regarding the survey in the coming months. Your feedback is extremely important to us as we develop our next three-year School Site Improvement Plan.

The Palo Verde PTA has lined up quite a few activities in the coming months.

Please join the PTA at the Winter Lodge this Friday the 6th for our annual ice skating party.

We will hold our Annual PTA Auction at 7:00 PM on March 3. This is a fun and enjoyable adult evening out that raises a great deal of money for our school. Please plan on attending. More information will be coming in the following weeks.

We will hold our annual disaster drill, weather permitting, on April 16.

Finally, I’m pleased to announce the addition of Jenny Hsiung to our Palo Verde staff. Jenny replaces Joan Jennings as our school clerk. Jenny has been working with our school district for the last five years. Recently Jenny worked at Duveneck School, where she was a classroom aide.

Jenny is a CELDT tester for the district and Mandarin primary language tutor for many of our PAUSD students. Jenny moved to the USA twenty years ago from Taiwan. She speaks mandarin and Taiwanese fluently. She is a parent in the district with a daughter at JLS and a son at El Carmelo. In her free time Jenny enjoys Qi Gong, a form of mellow martial arts. We are very excited to have Jenny join our staff. If you have the time, stop by the office to welcome her to Palo Verde.

Anne

Dear Palo Verde Families:

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your loved ones. Among many personal reasons for giving thanks this year, I continue to be so thankful to be working with such a dedicated staff and supportive community.

I would like to send a thank you to the families of room 19, Mr. Lindner’s room for providing the staff with refreshments at our last staff meeting. It was so thoughtful and delicious. After a long day of teaching, it was a special treat. Thank you.

Once again, thanks to Chris, Palo Verde is participating in the Family Giving Tree toy drive for the needy children in our area. If you would like to buy a gift for a child, please come check out the gift tags on the wall in the office. If you see something you would like to buy, take the tag off the wall and return the toy to Chris with the tag by December 9th. Together we can help make holiday wishes come true for many of our local children in need.

This last Wednesday, Palo Verde students were pleased to welcome Ms. Karen Gedig Burnett, author of Simon’s Hook, to our school. Simon’s Hook was the second book read by our Asset Building Champion readers in every room this year. Ms. Burnett, also known as Grandma Rose, discussed the five strategies for avoiding taking “the bait” of a teaser. Karen Gedig Burnett’s assembly primarily focused on the message in Simon’s Hook: a tease is like a hook; learn not to bite. She encourages everyone to recognize what they can control: their own attitude and actions; and not waste time on what they don’t control: the other person and their attitude and actions. Ask your child to tell you the five strategies for staying a “Free Fish.”

This week I concluded my Kid-by-Kid conversations with the teachers. Kid-by-Kid meetings take place at every elementary school in the district during the fall semester. At Palo Verde, each grade level has a day to meet with me and discuss each and every child in their class with their grade level teaching partners. We discuss strengths and areas for improvement for each child. The time together is incredibly educational and useful. This collaboration allows every teacher to learn about every student in their grade level. Kid-by-kid is priceless for me, as I get to hear from year to year about each child’s growth and development as learners. We have a wonderfully, smart and caring group of students here at Palo Verde.

December 5-9th marks the 11th anniversary of Inclusive Schools Week, During this Week, school districts across the country are working to educate their staff, students, and parents about what it means to be inclusive. Inclusive is not about being politically correct. It is about making sure that our country’s educational system works for all students including students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, students of low socio-economic status, and students with disabilities. Research has consistently demonstrated that inclusive teaching practices are not about teaching to the lowest common denominator but rather ensuring that the classroom offers opportunities for ALL children to succeed.

Inclusive teaching means presenting information in ways that are relevant and meaningful to each and every student. Discussion, hands-on learning experiences, and inquiry-based projects are all examples of inclusive teaching practices that have, again and again, been shown to improve academic achievement for all students.

PAUSD School Board plans to issue a proclamation supporting Inclusive Schools Week, Dec 5-9, 2011. The kick-off event will be a showing of the film Including Samuel in the 25 Churchill Boardroom on December 5th 7-9 pm. (The film has been purchased by the Special Education CAC, which is co-sponsoring the event. For more info about this award-winning documentary film see www.includingsamuel.com). School Board Member Camille Townsend and PAUSD Special Education Director Holly Wade have graciously agreed to facilitate discussion about the film and about inclusion in PAUSD schools after the film, and Addison Rep Susan Diaz has offered to provide live Spanish translation.

Our December break is coming near. Please remember that Friday, December 16th is a minimum day and all students will be dismissed from school at 1:25 pm. The office will also be closed at 1:25 pm that as well, so please make arrangements for your child to be picked promptly at 1:25 pm.

The staff and I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season and a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It is hard to believe, but November is here, and the New Year is just around the corner. Before 2012 begins, we have many things to accomplish and enjoy at Palo Verde School. Here are some of the things we are looking forward to for the month of November.

• PiE will be holding its Fundraising Drive event that will include three days of morning advertising to help generate donations, from November 16 to 18. If you haven’t had a chance to donate, this is a great time

• Walking Club will begin for kindergarteners on November 9. Don’t forget to wear your tennis shoes on Wednesdays.

•  November Book Fair – the PTA will be hosting a book fair from November 14 to the 18. This year the book fair will be brought to us from Books Inc. There will be an evening book fair event on November 15 from 5:30pm-7:30 pm. Fifth grade will be selling pizza, so plan on having dinner at Palo Verde and then shopping at the book fair.

•  On Nov. 17 and 18 noon art activities will be held. Students love the noon art activities. They made marble mazes, Halloween decorations and learned to weave among other wonderful crafts.

I would like to thank fifth grade parents for providing a staff breakfast on October 25. The entire staff would like to thank everyone who donated to the fabulous breakfast. We enjoyed many healthy treats throughout the day. It is wonderful to be treated so well by such great families.

Parent/Teacher conferences are beginning and may continue through December. Teachers spend countless hours reviewing your child’s work in order to complete the progress report card and to prepare for the conference with you. Please make it a priority to attend your child’s conference to get informed about what your child is doing in his/her class.

Here’s what you should expect at your parent-teacher conference:

•  The teacher will review your child’s strengths and areas for continuing development.

• Samples of your child’s work and the results of various assessments will be shared.

• The teacher will refer to the report card and will indicate your child’s progress toward meeting the standards that we expect students to know and be able to achieve by the end of the school year. Is s/he making expected progress? Is s/he making limited progress? If so, is there a need to put increased attention on a particular skill or concept? Has s/he already met or exceeded the standard?

• Conference topics will include academic growth and performance, as well as study skills and social/emotional development.

• The teacher may suggest ways in which you can assist and support your child’s progress at home.

• The teacher will give you an opportunity to ask questions and share reflections about your child’s growth and achievement.

It is our common goal, as parents and teachers, to work together in the best interest of all our children.

Finally, thank you to everyone who came out to our Halloween Parade on Monday. It is always such a joy and treat to see the children, and adults, in their costumes. Thank you to Lauren Aspegren for once again being the Master of Ceremonies for our annual parade. I hope you all had a wonderful evening out with your ghosts, goblins, fairies, ninjas etc. Thank you to all the parents who helped with the various classroom activities and parties. I hope you all enjoyed your Halloween Evening!

Anne

Dear Families:

It is hard to believe that it is October already. As the weather begins to change, please make sure your children have their names written on their jackets and sweaters. It is also a good idea to get in the habit of checking the lost and found weekly for missing items.

Parent-Teacher conferences are just around the corner. Your child’s teacher will be in touch with you to schedule a time to meet in the coming weeks. This is the time to ask questions and share your concerns and goals that you have for your child. Home and school-everyone shares the goal of helping children learn and feel successful. Research has proven that when parents and teachers work together, everyone benefits: students tend to earn higher grades, perform better on tests, attend school more regularly, have better behavior, and show more positive attitudes toward themselves and toward school.

Please make sure you take some time to read this month’s Helping Children Learn newsletter that is included in your child’s Friday folder.

Dear Families:

The 2011-12 school year is off to a great start. We have one empty chair in the entire school. We have a grand total of 419 students in attendance this year. As we welcome many new students and families to Palo Verde this year, everyone is getting to know one another and getting back into the school routine.

I would like to thank the PTA for supplying the coffee and treats at the Welcome Back coffee on the first day of school. It was wonderful to see so many of you in attendance.

I hope you all were able to attend Back-to-School Night last Tuesday. Our fabulous staff is very dedicated to your children. I was very pleased to have such a great turnout for the entire event. A big thank you goes to Gwynn Metweyer for speaking on behalf of PiE and to our new PiE parent volunteers. It is going to be a great year.

Included in today‟s Friday folder are two newsletters from the Parent Institute that we have subscribed to this year. Once a month, you will be receiving the newsletter „Helping Children Learn‟. Each quarter you will also receive a Daily Learning Planner with ideas that you can use to help students do better in school. I hope you enjoy these newsletters. They are easy to read and full of wonderful ideas and suggestions.

Next week we will have two special assemblies. On Tuesday, September 6, we will have an assembly about our local water shed. On Wednesday, September 7, a cow and a calf, sponsored by the Dairy Council of California, will visit Palo Verde. Make sure to ask your children what they learned at each assembly.

Early/Late Reading 

On September 12, Palo Verde will begin the early and late reading schedule. Please be mindful that classes are in session from 8:15 a.m. until 2:50 p.m. It is imperative that all children leave campus at the end of their school day. Please do not stay on campus and let your child play on the playground after school, as this disrupts the students who are still in class. If your child rides the bus or has a sibling in the upper grades you may sign up for before or after school care provided by the school in the MP room. Please sign up early, space is limited.

School Photos 

Class photos will be taken Thursday, September 8 and individual photos will be taken on the Friday, September 9. If you are ordering pictures, each child must have a completed form with payment on the day the individual pictures are taken. Re-takes and make-ups will be scheduled at a later date. Flyers and order forms for picture day are coming home today.

One final note, the one comment I consistently hear from our teachers as the year progresses is; “My class is so sweet! I have a great class!” It is so true, we are so lucky to be working with your children here at Palo Verde. Thank you in advance for supporting your child/children and our staff throughout this year.

Anne

Dear Families and Staff:

I’m sure that it is as hard for you as it is for me to realize that the end of the school year is less than one week away. The year seems to have just flown by. It is my hope that your children have had a challenging and rewarding year to date.

Closings are always bittersweet and today I write with great affection for you and our community.    The work we have done this year was single mindedly focused on our children and it makes me proud to be a part of this community.

It is in the midst of a tinge of sadness that we send you off with the hope of a joy filled summer. Please take time to rejuvenate yourselves. I know for some of you this means being with friends and family, while for others it will be climbing mountains and biking through Europe. The time will fly.

I would like to take just a moment before we all depart for the summer to both reflect on this year and look forward to the fall.

The work we did this year provided opportunities to increase the support and collaboration we have among our staff members. Our professional learning opportunities provided us a framework for looking at best practices for teaching and learning. We continuously ask ourselves:

• What do we want kids to know and be able to do?
• How will we know if they’ve learned it?
• What do we do if they haven’t learned it?
• What do we do with students who already know it?

Our focus next year will be to continue to learn more about the processes for strong professional learning communities and specifically, reader’s workshop and our response to interventions. We are a staff who looks at children and responds to their needs. We don’t put them in preconceived squares and triangles. We should all be proud of how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time.

Some of our accomplishments include:

1. Adopted and implemented the Asset Building Champion (ABC) portion of Project Cornerstone. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to be a part of this project. With out you, there wouldbe no ABC program.
2. Received and installed Smart Boards, Hover Cams, and new sound systems in every room. It is amazing to watch the teachers and students using the smart board. There are so many amazing ways that the boards are being used throughout the school.
3.  Established playing before eating at lunch. Children are eating more, and are more focused in class after lunch.
4. Continued to implement Every Day Math with the use of Smart Board technology.
5.  Continued to refine our skills in teaching language arts using reader’s workshop and guided reading.
6.  Had 100% participation by our staff in raising funds for PiE.
7. We walked 4,368 miles as a school during Wednesday’s walking club.
8. Many students participated in Green Wednesdays and carpooled, walked, or biked to school.

These are just a few of our accomplishments this year. I could go on and on.

End of the Year Activities and Celebrations

Whiffle Ball Game: Teachers vs. 5th Graders

Monday, June 6th at 1:00 PM. All are welcome to come observe.

Fifth grade Promotion will be Wednesday, June 8th at 9:00 AM

Thank you to the fourth grade families who will be providing treats after the ceremony. Now lets just hope we have good weather.

Last Day of School, June 9th

All students will attend from 8:15 AM to 1:25 PM. Please make sure you have made arrangements for your child to be picked up at 1:25.

Please encourage your children to read and write during the summer. Make visits to the library and encourage them to keep a journal during the summer.

Lastly, I would like to wish our fifth graders the best of luck in middle school. I know they will represent Palo Verde Elementary School very well no matter what school they attend in the fall. We will all miss their energy, spirit, and leadership.

Again, thank you for a wonderful first year. I wish you all a wonderful and relaxing summer vacation. See you in August.

Sincerely,

Anne Brown, Principal

Dear Families,

School Site Council Members Needed For The 2011-12 School Year
I would like to thank Diane Jakubowski and Joanna Schloss who have served on the School Site Council (SSC) at Palo Verde for the last two years. They have been very supportive and I know Lupe Garcia and I appreciate all they have been able to do to help Palo Verde achieve in the last two years.

Since Diane and Joanna’s terms are up as SSC members we are in need of two new parents to fill their spots.

What is School Site Council?
School Site Councils were set up as a result of a statewide program begun in 1990 called School-Based Program Coordination (SBPC). The goal was to enable those individuals closest to the students to be involved in making significant decisions affecting the school’s instructional programs, curriculum, and budget. It was a way for those in the school community to work together toward the common goal of improving the school for all students by coordinating and directing the use of supplemental funds.

The School Site Council (SSC) is composed of representatives from all segments of our school community: the principal, 4 staff members, and 4 parents. The SSC comes together to develop a comprehensive school plan to ensure that students of all ranges of ability are best served.

At Palo Verde, the SSC meets generally at 3:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Staff Lounge. Meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend. Members serve fortwo years, with terms staggered so that about half of the council is re-elected each year to insure continuity. The Site Council is an important communications link between parents and teachers to ensure that we all work together to meet the needs of all students in the school. The Site Council also works closely with the PTA to set priorities and coordinate our expenditures to benefit the maximum number of students. Community members are welcome to attend.

If you are interested in running for a seat on the council, please submit a letter of interest to me with the following information: name, grade levels for your children, with a brief statement for the reason you want to be a member of the School Site Council by next Friday, May 13th. The election of new parent representatives to the SSC will be held at Open House on the 17th. Don’t forget to stop by the SSC table and vote for your new parent representatives.

Teacher Appreciation Week
I’d like to take this time to thank the PTA and all room parents for making this week a wonderful week for all our teachers. The door decorations, basket of goodies, delicious lunch, scrumptious desserts and of course the coffee cart, were all wonderful. It has been a fabulous year at Palo Verde School with amazing support and generosity by the community. This week has been no exception.

Five Weeks Left
With just five weeks left to the school year, I recently visited each classroom and discussed with students the importance of staying focused in class for the rest of this school year. We reviewed school rules, including zero tolerance. I reminded the students that squirt guns, water balloons and other “fun” hot weather toys are never allowed at school. No weapons pretend or FAKE are every allowed at school and there are serious consequences, including suspension, should a child choose to bring one to school. So after that camping trip, or trip to the beach, make sure your child empties his/her backpack of all such items before coming to school.

Open House Date Change
Open House at Palo Verde will be on Tuesday, May 17th. The night will begin at 6:00 PM with families bringing picnic dinners to school to enjoy spending time together as a community. Also, at 6:00 PM there will be a presentation from our Project Resiliency teacher in the multi-purpose room for all 4th and 5th grade parents who would like to attend. Then at 6:30 PM the classrooms will be open for your children to show off their classrooms to their families. We hope to see you there!

Can You Spare a Box of Tissue?
With spring in the air and everything blooming, the noses at Palo Verde have been on the run and we are using facial tissue faster than we can buy them. If you are able to donate a box of tissue to your child’s classroom, this would greatly help our little noses stay dry.

- Anne Brown

Dear Families,

It is hard to believe that spring is here. With the longer, warmer days ahead it is important that our students continue to get proper nutrition, sleep and exercise each day. Encourage your child to play outside when the sun is up and eliminate screen time within the hour before bedtime. This should help them fall asleep quicker and have a better night’s sleep.

DRIVING ISSUES – HELP KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE! With the warm weather coming and our children bursting with energy, our thoughts have turned recently to their safety- particularly coming and going to school.

Here are a few reminders to keep our children safe.

1) Always have your children cross in the crosswalk. Don’t drop them off opposite the school to have them dart across the middle of the street.

2) Drive around the school in a clockwise direction. This allows you to drop your student off on the right side of the street. This is especially true on Rorke Way. We have had some close calls between cars, and cars and pedestrians on Rorke Way.

3) Do not double-park. We need to remember that this type of parking is actually illegal, and discourteous to other drivers. It blocks the driver who is single parked, and those in line on the road.

4) If your children bike to school, please make sure they are on the right side of the street and wearing a helmet. Please also provide them with a chain and lock to secure their bikes at school.

STAR TESTING WINDOW BEGINS AFTER SPRING BREAK STAR testing will be administered starting April 20th and run through May 13th. Please make sure your 2nd – 5th grade children are well rested, fed and in school on time each day of testing.

PROJECT CORNERSTONE ‘S APRIL BOOK: THE RECESS QUEEN The Recess Queen, by Alexis O’Neill is our ABC Project Cornerstone book for April. In this story, Mean Jean the “Recess Queen” rules the playground with an iron fist. No one dares to cross her path for fear of being hit, punched, or kicked. One day, a new girl shows up on the playground and catches Mean Jean completely off guard. Katie Sue is not the least bit intimidated by Mean Jean. Katie Sue actually invites her to join in a jump rope game! In no time, Jean and Katie Sue become friends. This book helps our students think of creative ideas to handle bully behaviors during lunch and recess and how to solve conflicts peacefully. We will review how to avoid “taking the bait” and how to stay a “free fish.” To understand more about “taking the bait and staying a free fish” ask your child.

PALO ALTO CHIDLREN’S THEATER’S PRESENTS: PINOCCHIO Last night was the opening night of Pinocchio, presented by Palo Alto Children’s Theater, staring Palo Verde students. If you were unable to attend last night there will also be performances tonight, Friday the 1st at 7:00 PM and Saturday the 2nd at 2:00. The students have been hard at work preparing for the performance for weeks now. All the music you will hear in the play will be performed by our Palo Verde students don’t miss it!

SCIENCE FAIR, A HUGE SUCCESS I was very impressed with the Palo Verde Science Fair last week. The variety and number of projects was spectacular. Students did a fabulous job on the displays and write-ups on their projects. I would like to thank Pandu Niyak and Pavan Desikan for their hard work over the past few months. The two of them wrote the grant for Palo Verde to receive the presentation boards for each student, held two assemblies for our students to get them motivated for the event and a parent information night regarding the science fair.

DISASTER DRILL, MONDAY APRIL 4TH AT 1:00 This coming Monday, April 4th, we will be conducting a brief duck and cover, and fire drill at 1:00 pm. The entire district will be participating in a disaster drill on Monday. Some schools may be conducting full drills, but at Palo Verde we are doing a short drill. As you may recall, we held a large disaster drill in the fall. With the recent earthquakes throughout the world, it is a good time to review your home disaster plan with your family. Are you prepared?

MS. SHEPARD AND MS. SHAFFER TO BE HONORED AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING Congratulations to Ms. Shepard, our RSP teacher and Ms. Shaffer, one of our third grade teachers, both of whom will be receiving tenure at the PAUSD Board meeting this coming Tuesday night. Congratulations, we are very proud of you both!

MISS AZA TO BE HITCHED Congratulations to Miss Aza who is getting married on April 9th 2011. We wish her and her fiancé all the best that life can bring.

–Anne Brown

Dear Palo Verde Families:

Simon’s Hook is our Project Cornerstone Book for March
I’m excited to say that we have completed our first Project Cornerstone book and are beginning our second title. Hopefully all of your children have been telling you about “Bucket Filling” from last month’s book Have You Filled A Bucket Today? They may have shared a warm fuzzy or two with you. If you haven’t had a talk about the book with your child by now, ask them this weekend to tell you what they learned.

During the month of March our Asset Building Champions (ABC) parents will be sharing the book Simon’s Hook, by Karen Gedig Burnett, with our students. It is the story of a boy named Simon who is teased because he is having a “bad hair day”. This story helps children recognize that there are many ways to respond to teasing. Simon’s Hook gives children dozens of examples of how to empower themselves and not become a victim of hurtful behavior from others. From discussing this book the students will learn five strategies to keep from “taking the bait” from a teaser.

• Do little or nothing! Don’t react!
• Pretend to agree with the “hook.”
• Change the subject; distract the student doing the teasing.
• Laugh at the “hook” and make a joke of it.
• Stay away from students you know to be hurtful.

Make sure to discuss this book with your child the day he/she brings home the parent letter the day they are read the story.

Good Luck Janet Rose and Welcome Sharon Viggiano
Some of you may already know that Janet Rose will be on leave the rest of this year and that Mrs. Sharon Viggiano will be sharing the teaching of the students in room 8 with Mrs. McCandless.

Sharon received her BA from UCSB. All three of her daughters went to Palo Verde, JLS and Gunn. Sharon received her credential in 1998 and has opted to work part time as a sub in the Palo Alto School District. She loves to travel to Italy, and enjoys tandem bike rides in the hills with her husband Frank. We welcome her to our staff and know that together, Mrs. McCandless and Mrs. Viggiano will provide an excellent program for the second graders in room 8 for the remainder of the year.

We wish Janet a quick recovery on her upcoming surgery. We will miss you while you are gone.

STAR Writing Test Was Given to All 4th Graders on Tuesday
This past Tuesday, March 1st, all fourth and seventh graders in PAUSD were given the STAR writing exam. The 4th grade California Writing Standards Tests addresses the writing applications standards for grade four. The type of writing required for the writing task is not announced in advance and so students must be prepared to respond to the following possible types of writing: fictional narrative (story), a summary of a reading passage, or a response to literature.

Rubrics are used to assess the level of writing skills shown. The writing is examined to determine whether ideas are thoroughly developed and supported with appropriate details and evaluated for organization, word choice, sentence structure, grammar and mechanics (i.e., spelling, punctuation, capitalization).

Parents will receive the results of this assessment with the spring STAR testing results this summer.

March 9th Principal’s Coffee
On Wednesday morning, please join me in a warm cup of coffee and a conversation with the PTA to learn about the many ways parent involvement serves our school. We welcome your participation at Palo Verde. Please plan to join us.

Friday, March 11th is Spirit Day – Tropical Gear
In honor of the Palo Verde Auction on March 12th, we are having a Wear Tropical Gear Spirit Day on Friday, March 11th. All students and staff are being encouraged to participate. Please remember to wear appropriate shoes for PE.

Palo Verde Auction, March 12th at Trader Vic’s
Please mark your calendar and plan to attend the March 12th auction at Trader Vic’s. The invitation and a list of the auction items were sent home with your child about two weeks ago. There are fabulous items to be auctioned and I hope you will all come support Palo Verde at the event.

The event will take place from 7:00 to 10:00 PM. You’ll find a fresh RSVP form attached to this newsletter. I hope to see you all there. Don’t forget your checkbooks!

STAR Testing Dates: April 18th – May 13th
The STAR State Testing window takes place this year from April 18th to May 13th. The first week of testing falls after our spring break in April. Please plan on returning from break on time and schedule doctor and dentist appointments outside the testing window. More information will be forthcoming in the weeks to follow from your child’s teacher and in the Voice.

- Anne Brown