North Elementary

Dear parents and students:

 

It is hard to believe that we are fast approaching the last day of school!  It seems like we just started this year, and here we are finishing up!  I just wanted to take a minute and update you on some of the happenings here at North:

First, I just wanted everyone to know that after looking over some data, I am proud to announce that since Spring of 2007, our overall End-Of-Year test results have gained an average of 7% each year!  This is far above our targeted goal of a 2% gain each year.  Way to go, students, faculty, staff and parents!  To see charts outlining our progress in End-Of-Year testing for Language Arts,  click HERE.  For math data, click HERE.

Our soccer nets, graciously provided (along with the goals themselves) by our NES PTA volunteers, are here, and we are just trying to find time in our custodian’s busy schedules to install them.  This is difficult with getting boilers shut down, coolers started, sprinklers fixed and started, lawns mowed, hedges trimmed, etc.  Please note that for liability reasons, we will need to remove them when school is out and lock the goals together on the fields.  They will be in place when school starts again, ready to go!

Curtains for the gym, also provided by our wonderful PTA, are ready to install, and will be put up over the summer by our custodians. 

We are very excited to note that our new Title 1 math specialist, Mr. Fred Rowley, is beginning the process of transitioning into his new role.  You will have a chance to meet him and learn from both of our wonderful Title 1 specialists at our Meet the Specialists night, May 17 at 6:30 in the gym.  There will be a brief opening session, with breakout sessions in both literacy, taught by Ms. Paula Burgoyne, our reading specialist, and math, taught by Mr. Rowley.  Every parent who attends will walk away with 2 books per child that tie into the reading and math curriculums, as well as summer activities based around those books that will help your child to maintain the progress he or she has attained this year in school.  Refreshments will be served, as well, and supervised activities will be provided by some of our teachers for any children who come along with parents.  Put this very special event on your calendars now, and plan to be with us on May 17^th.

The last day of school will be May 28^th, and school will dismiss on that day at 2:30pm. 

Our school was the best represented of all 9 area elementary schools at the Lion’s Club Kite Flight for Sight celebration at Park Discovery on April 24!  We had over 40 students turn in reading calendars and claim their free kite!  The class with the most participation was Mr. Garfield’s 4^th graders, and they have earned a pizza party this Friday, immediately following the Lion’s Club check presentation assembly for the Kite Flight at 2:30pm in our gym.  Congratulations to Mr. Garfield’s class, and to our school as a whole.  Well done!

Please remember our Dairy Queen fundraiser this Friday, May 7^th.  From 5 to 10pm, 25% of all proceeds from sales at our local Dairy Queen will be donated to our PTA.  Thanks so much to our great business partners and to our PTA for this wonderful event, that helps our school so much.

AYSO registration will be held in our gym on Thursday, May 6, from 6 to 8pm, Saturday May 8 from 10am to 2pm, and Saturday May 15 from 10am to 2pm.  Please use the south-facing gym doors when you come for this.

Our very talented orchestra members will be performing under the direction of Mrs. LuAnne Brown on May 18 at 6pm in the auditorium at Cedar High School.  We are looking forward to hearing their superb performance.

Our Stellar Students for the month of May will be honored with a lunch courtesy of our local McDonald’s restaurant on May 21^st at 11:30pm in our gym.  If the weather cooperates, we will be eating ‘al fresco’ on the lawn of our school!  Big thanks to Mr. Brent Thatcher and his great crew at McDonald’s for helping us out every month with this fun way of recognizing great citizenship and scholarship in our school.

Field day will be May 26^th.  We will be having fun outside activities for our students all day long.  Please be sure your students wear sunscreen, a hat, and appropriate shoes on that day.

Be sure to watch for notes from your child’s teacher concerning programs and end-of-year events.

Dear Polar Parents:

I speak for all of the staff of North Elementary when I say how FUN and EXCITING it is to have your children here at our school.  We are dedicated to bringing the very best education possible to your children, and want to partner with you in every way we can to make this happen.

There are always ups and downs in a child's day, but few 'ups' can compare to getting the day started right, being on time and ready to go.  Also, few 'downs' compare to being late and unprepared for school.  Such seemingly small events can set the tone for the entire day, and have a great impact on how well a child learns that day.  These are also things that a teacher has very little control over, but parents do.  I believe there are 3 critical things a parent can do with their child that will help to promote success in school, and by extension, success in future life:

1. Read to and with your child EVERY DAY.

2. Help your child with homework, and

3. Help your child get to school prepared and on time.

I tell students that school is their job right now; just like moms and dads get up and go to work on time and prepared to do their job, students need to do the same.  When a student says, "Yeah, but mom and dad get PAID to do that.  I don't get PAID to go to school.", I suggest they look at this chart compiled from US Census Bureau data, showing the average yearly household income based on the level of education that the householder has attained:
north.ironk12.org/images/docs/Education_Income.jpg
As you can see, even though they are not getting paid NOW to go to school, they are getting paid later, and the wages are pretty good!  $15,000 a year difference between a person without a High School Diploma and a High School Graduate, times an average 46 years of career time (from age 19 to retirement age 65, adjusted for an average of 3% a year inflation, is . . . . . $1,436,723.90!!!  That is $1.5 MILLION DOLLARS a person WOULD NOT EARN over a lifetime if they didn't finish HIGH SCHOOL!

So, encourage your children to get to school, do their best and stay in school, and you will be giving them a brighter future.

We're in it to win it, so let's work together!

Mr. B

You can download the audio from our January 8, 2010 School Community Council meeting at this link :north.ironk12.org/images/docs/Jan 08 10 SCC.zip

Unzip the file, then listen with Quicktime player or RealPlayer.