Castle Heights Elementary School
Castle Heights Chronicles--March 2009March promises to be another exciting month. Leaving on Friday, February 27 and returning Sunday, March 1, many of our 5th graders will be going to Astrocamp. This program focuses on astronomy and other physical sciences. On Tuesday, March 3 our 4th graders begin the California Standards Testing process with the Writing Assignment. On that day, it is important that all 4th graders come to school on time. Students are restricted from bringing cell phones, beepers and other electronic recording devices into testing classrooms. If a device is found, the student will have to leave the room and will not be able to complete the test. Please have your children leave these devices at home on our state testing days. This is a STATE requirement.
On Wednesday, March 11, several of our grade levels will be performing in our "American Song Fest." There will be three presentations: 8:45 AM, 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM. We invite parents to attend either the first or last presentation. On Friday, March 13 all of our students will be participating in the Annual Castle Heights Walk/Jog-a-thon. Our "Ready, Set, Gold" program Olympians will also be present to warm up with the 5th graders. This is always a very exciting event and the students have the opportunity to earn various prizes. On Friday, May 20, the PTA will hold a family movie night showing "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and having a taco dinner theme.
Our most important event in March is PARENT CONFERENCE WEEK, March 23-27(daily schedules will vary throughout the week to accommodate conferencing). Progress reports will go home at this time. We highly encourage all parents to attend. This is a "milestone" reporting period as we prepare for grade level promotions and possible retentions, as well as mandated intervention. Students must be working at grade level to be successful throughout their academic career. Parent conferences provide an opportunity to discuss with the teacher your child's achievements and needs while there is time to modify academic behavior, if necessary. During Parent Conference Week we will be having our Annual Art Faire in the Hallways and Library. The Library will be open until 4 PM every evening except Wednesday, March 25. That evening we will have our GALA with an Italian dinner provided by Girl Scout Troop # 68. They will also offer a special ARTISTIC DESSERT BAR to commemorate the occasion. More information will follow. There will be no "Coffee Talk" this month due to Parent Conferences.
Please remember that Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 8.
All of our parent councils and committees are active and welcome your participation.
Agendas for all meetings will be posted in the school office entry 48 hours in advance of the meeting. Contact the school if you need additional information.
Friends of Castle Heights will be having a meeting on Monday, March 2 at 7:00 PM in the school library. Castle Heights PTA will be meeting on Thursday, March 5 at 8:30 AM in the staff lounge. Many exciting activities are being planned for the remainder of the school year including the Walk/Jog-a-thon, PTA Movie Nights, Spring Event and Auction, the Book Fair and an Art Fair/Show just to name a few. Plans are also being made for our School Beautification Day on Saturday, April 18 and our Annual Spring event on Saturday, April 25 as well as an exciting Book Fair. Be sure to mark your calendars so you will be able to participate in all the wonderful activities planned. Be sure to check out website www.castleheightselementary.com and its link to www.friendsofcastleheights.org for any additional information or if you wish to contact someone specific.
Community begins with each of us--individuals who feel a strong connection to people and places, and who have a desire to make our communities a healthier place to live. We first want to thank all our students and their families for raising $2360.26 through the St. Jude's Math-a-Thon for Children's cancer research and treatment. Another way we serve our communities is through the LAUSD Consolidated Charitable Campaign, which began on February 6 and will run through the first week in March. The campaign allows employees, students and their families an opportunity to contribute to community organizations of their choice.
In 2008, approximately $360 was raised by LAUSD employees, students and parents; this in turn was distributed to the twelve participating agencies representing over 700 nonprofit groups. Our goal this year is to raise $1,000. Your support helps sustain services that serve families and neighborhoods by:
The LAUSD Consolidated Charitable Campaign is a wonderful opportunity to support those less fortunate. Please be sure to return your Student Donation Envelope by March 6. Any donation will help and will be accepted in any type of envelope. Thank you in advance for your generous participation.
We want to thank all of our parents who are cooperating with our Visitor Policy as stated in our previous newsletters. We are still having difficulty controlling the number of parents who are using the staff parking lot for pick-up and/or drop-off of students. Please remember that students can be safely dropped off at our Beverwil "Kiss and Drop" location. Parent volunteers provide this service to assist all of you.
womens health careDO NOT USE THE FACULTY PARKING LOT AS A DROP OFF AT ANY TIME. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND AGAINST CITY AND DISTRICT POLICY. Your children are our greatest concern, but we need your cooperation to keep ALL of them safe.
As many of you are aware, one in every four school-age children in California are overweight. Overweight children are at risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Overweight children have uncomfortable peer and social pressure. Healthy children have higher classroom achievement. Our Food Services Branch is making efforts to improve the quality of food served to your children. Meals are less fatty with a greater selection of vegetables and many selections are vegetarian or vegan. Our school provides students with health education and a minimum of 60 minutes a week of Physical Activity through the STAR program. All fifth graders are involved in the Fitnessgram, a state-mandated physical fitness test and our "Ready, Set, Gold" Olympiad mentors have been helping them prepare. Our teachers will also be receiving instructional materials from the Dairy Council of California and the Mobile Dairy Classroom will be visiting on April 15th. We love it when the cow comes to visit!!!
Our students will be participating in standardized statewide testing in May (our 4th graders begin this week). Many parents have asked about testing resources, many of which are available in your local bookstores. However, the California Department of Education has on-line resources that are free. The Blueprints and released test questions for Language Arts and Math (grades 2-5) and Science (grade 5) are available. You can go directly to the Department of Education at http://www.cde.ca.gov. For a more detailed list of websites, please contact the office.
Guidelines on academic preparation for state assessments can be found at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/documents/academicprep.pdf.
Enrollment packets for Kindergarten and Grades 1 -5 (for new students only) will be available beginning the week of April 23. Completed packets will be accepted beginning in May. All children who will be five on or before December 2, 2009 are eligible for Kindergarten. Students who are six years old when school begins in September will be enrolled in the 1st Grade. Requirements for enrollment will be issued with the enrollment forms, and resident students will be guaranteed a seat. Due to the fiscal crisis the district is facing, we are unsure of the school calendar for the upcoming year as well as class size and the permit situation. More information about that will be released as it becomes known.
We will not be having a Pre-Kindergarten sponsored by the district in the upcoming school year. STAR may be offering classes and there are neighboring schools that will still have Pre-Kindergarten classes.
More information about the enrollment process will be in next month's newsletter.
February was an exciting and entertaining month and we have so many people to thank. All of our grade levels participated in presentations for Black History Month during Students Recognition with songs, artwork, reports and essays. Our parent driven "Cultural Awareness Committee" put on a wonderful Family Fair commemorating Black History Month on Friday, February 27. We are delighted that parents are taking such an active part in our curricular activities. The PTA and "Friends" continued to work on school morale with a very successful Spirit Week that culminated with the delightful "Valentine Rock."
A huge thank you to Cathy Glueck, Barbara Kaye and so many others for organizing a "totally awesome" talent show with the theme "Fun in the Sun." So many of our students were allowed to showcase their talents and abilities. We certainly do have some stars in the making.
Locked Campus for Security: For the safety of all students, staff members and parent visitors and in accordance with District policy, Castle Heights has a secure campus. All gates, except the front gate on Cattaraugus Ave., will be locked at 8:15 and will remain locked during the school day. Please know that parents are ALWAYS welcome at Castle Heights, but must follow District procedures. Just remember to enter through the front gate and stop in the office to identify yourself and receive a visitor's pass or volunteer badge before going on campus. Your child's safety is our greatest concern.
Keep our School Safe and Clean: Please help us by reporting any unusual events or trespassers on our campus at night or on the weekend. If you see anyone damaging the school, or involved in any other illegal activity, please call School Police at (213) 625-6631. You will be helping to keep our school safe and clean for all of our students.
Student Safety Guidelines: Possession of guns, knives or toy replicas of guns or knives at school is ILLEGAL and WILL result in expulsion or suspension. There is NEVER a reason to bring a knife to school--this includes lunch, art projects, etc. Please discuss this with your child.
Medicine Guidelines: Any student needing to use medication during school hours must have a statement to this effect on file at the school, signed by the doctor and parent/guardian. The required form is available from the school nurse or office manager. The medication will be kept in the Nurse's office and dispensed as required.
For questions or comments about the school please email the Principal.
For questions or comments about the content of this site, please email Ann Warren.
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