Friday, October 24, 2014

Message from the Principal

Dear Sunrise Families,

We are thankful for your participation in conferences over the last week.  We value the partnerships we have with each family as we support our students in their learning.  It is important to continue to communicate with one another. As the grading period ends on October 31, teachers will prepare report cards for distribution on November 14.  Report cards are another way for us to share information with you. Please know that our teachers are committed to being your partners as we support your student’s learning.

Students are engaged in mathematical lessons that integrate the eight mathematical practices.  Our math teachers are working to develop our students’ ability to apply the mathematical practices. It is our goal that students will learn the mathematical content and transfer their knowledge and skills to real world situations. The eight mathematical practices are listed below:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

If you are interested in reading more about the mathematical practices, please refer to the document in this edition of the Friday Flash.

Sunrise students in first through fifth grades will participate in the Scripps Spelling Bee.  There are four levels of competition.  All students will take the first written test of 20 words.  Each class will have students move on to the Spelling Bee Club, which is voluntary, to meet at lunch on Fridays in November. Our school wide spelling bee will take place on December 12. We thank the FFO for sponsoring the school fee for our students’ participation. More information is included in this edition of the Friday Flash.

The Lego Club will begin in November on Mondays during the lunch recess.  Ms. Fugate is the faculty sponsor who will make the Lego Club available to all grade levels.  Students will coordinate with their teacher to participate. We thank the FFO for the generous support of the Lego Club by purchasing the materials.

The Sunrise Site Council will begin meeting in November.  If you are interested in participating please contact me directly via email.  We are fortunate to have many past members willing to continue their service to the community.

This version of the Friday Flash is being published on the day we celebrate Spiders and Cider.  I wish each of you a fun evening as we enjoy the event together. 

Sincerely,
Andrea Davidson

Mathematical Practices at Sunrise Drive

Mathematical Practices

Mathematical Practices
The mathematical practices are integrated into the curriculum. For example, using appropriate tools strategically takes place in math as students learn to use a ruler, yardstick and tape measure. They then learn multiple contexts for using the tools in math lessons.  As students acquire the mathematical content and mathematical practices, they are able to transfer their knowledge to novel settings.  For example, in science a student may need to identify the proper tool to use when measuring the circumference of a pumpkin or the height of plants in the garden. 

Examples
Fourth Grade: Students may learn procedures for solving multi-digit multiplication and focus on attending to precision as they multiply, regroup and add to find the product. 

Second Grade: Students describe the attributes of three-dimensional shapes, using the vocabulary (e.g. faces, edges, vertices).  As they study the shape they are looking for and making use of the structure of the shapes. 

Kindergarten: Students may learn to count and write numbers.  As they are counting and writing they are looking for and expressing regularity in repeated reasoning.

Questions to Ask Your Child
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
·     What kind of a problem is it?
·     What do you know about the problem? What did you need to figure out?
·     Does your answer make sense? Does your strategy make sense?
·     What did you do if you were stuck?

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
·     What quantity does the number represent?  For example, how many bagels in a dozen?  How many bagels in a baker’s dozen?
·     What is the relationship between ______and ______?
·     Could you have used another operation or property to solve this task? Why or why not?

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
·       What mathematical evidence would support your solution?
·       How can you be sure that...? How could you prove that...?
·       How did you decide to try that strategy?
·       Does this argument make sense?

4. Model with mathematics.
·       What are some ways to represent the quantities?
·       What is an equation or expression that matches the diagram, number line.., chart..., table..?
·       How would it help to create a diagram, graph, table...?
·       What are some ways to visually represent...?

5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
·       What information do you have?
·       In this situation would it be helpful to use...a graph..., number line..., ruler..., diagram..., calculator..., scale?
·       Why was the tool helpful to use...?

6. Attend to precision.
·       What mathematical vocabulary did you use in this situation?
·       How did you know your solution was reasonable?
·       Explain how you might show that your solution answers the problem.
·       What would be a more efficient strategy?
·       What mathematical language..., definitions..., properties can you use to explain...?

7. Look for and make use of structure.
·       What observations do you make about...?
·       What do you notice when...?
·       What patterns do you find in...?

8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
·       Explain how this strategy works in other situations?
·       Is this always true, sometimes true, or never true?
·       What do you notice about...?
·       What patterns are evident?


Auditions for the Sunrise Drive Talent Show are coming up!

!!!!!!TALENT SHOW!!!!!!
November 20th (Time TBA)

Calling all Students!

Do you have talent? Do you like to perform? Solo acts? Group acts? Come one come all!



Auditions for the Sunrise Talent Show will be held on 
November 5th and November 6th.
November 5th auditions will be from 6:00 till 7:30 
November 6th auditions will be from 1:45  to 3:15. 
You must audition in order to perform. 

 Auditions will be allowed 5 minutes.
 Performances must be kept under one minute and a half.

Any recorded music must be on a CD 

Please make sure that music and dress are school appropriate.

There will be more information coming soon. So have your kids start practicing!! We can’t wait to see all the talent that we have flowing through our school!!  (below you will find the link to sign up)


Please contact MCouch1023@gmail.com (Mindy) if you have any questions.

Mad Science Night is coming to Sunrise Drive!


Scripps Spelling Bee starts at Sunrise Drive


Sunrise Drive will participate in the Scripps Spelling Bee.  There are four levels of competition.

Step 1: All students will complete a spelling test of 20 words in class on Tuesday, October 28.  The words are not studied.

Step 2: The top spellers from each class will be invited to participate in a voluntary Spelling Bee Club to be meet during lunch recess on Fridays in November.  The club members will choose to attend and will be given a list of words and vocabulary definitions to study. On Friday, November 21, the Spelling Bee Club members will take a second written test. 

Step 3: The top spellers from each grade will move forward to the school wide oral spelling and vocabulary bee on Friday, December 12 from 3:00-4:00. 

Step 4: The Sunrise Drive Spelling Bee winners will move to the CFSD Spelling Bee held in January at Esperero Middle School.  Once this date is announced, we will share it with our spellers.

We look forward to having fun and learning together.


Box Tops for Education Notice

Keep ‘em coming!!!

Thanks to all who've turned in Box Tops.  Remember, we’ll be paid in December for all the Box Tops we turn in during October, so let’s gather as many as possible. 

If you have questions, please contact Shirley Parks at shirleyaz@comcast.net or Marty Pritz at pmpritz@earthlink.net.

Friday, October 10, 2014

The New Friday Flash

Dear Sunrise Families, 

You will find the Friday Flash is now published using a different format.  The new format will offer the ability to post announcements in a timely manner.  We look forward to seeing you on campus over the next few weeks during the following events:

Conferences
Class Garden Planting
Spiders and Cider
FFO Meeting

I wish you a wonderful weekend!

Warm regards,
Andrea

Message from the Principal

October 10, 2014

Dear Sunrise Families,

We are looking forward to meeting with you next week for conferences.  If you have not connected with your student’s teacher to set up a conference time, please send us an email.  We look forward to a collaborative discussion with you about your child’s learning.  We will follow the conference schedule for October 13th, 14th, and 15th.  First through fifth grade students will attend school from 8:00-11:30.  Kindergarten sessions are from 8:00-9:30 and 10:00-11:30.

If you have not accessed the newly published Deep Learning Proficiencies (DLP), you may find them on the CFSD website at www.cfsd16.org.  Click on Academics and Programs and then select Deep Learning Resources using the drop down menu.  You will find the rubrics for each of the Deep Learning Proficiencies: Citizenship, Creativity & Innovation, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Systems Thinking. These are the rubrics that we will use with your student as we integrate the Deep Learning Proficiencies with the content to provide high quality learning experiences.

The CFSD strategic plan, Envision 21 Deep Learning Goal 2 includes a commitment to the following as we raise student engagement:

Develop positive academic mindsets so students are more confident
learners who feel they belong to the CFSD academic community,
succeed in their learning, grow their competence with effort, and find
value in their work.

Directly related to this is the notion of developing GROWTH MINDSETS in our children.  Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck published a book entitled, Mindset:  The New Psychology of Success.  Dr. Dweck describes a very simple, yet powerful idea – the idea that people can improve through dedication and hard work.  She explains, in a fixed mindset, “people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits…They believe that talent alone creates success---without effort.  They’re wrong.”  In a growth mindset, “people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work --- brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.  Virtually all great people have had these qualities” (mindsetonline.com).


What can parents do to foster a GROWTH MINDSET?  Focus on your child’s effort and the strategies used when completing a task or engaging in learning. This will support your child’s productive motivation and willingness to take risks and persist when facing challenges and obstacles. Be a role model for your child by sharing your own learning.  This can be learning to follow a new recipe, improving your skills of a favorite sport, or learning how to knit.  Share your thinking and insights as you work to develop the new knowledge and skills.  Your child will be interested to learn about your thinking process as you solve problems, overcome challenges, keep trying, and celebrate success.

I will share more information about growth mindset at our upcoming FFO Meeting on Tuesday, October 28 at 8:15.  At our November meeting, we will delve into academic mindsets. In addition, I will be facilitating a book study of Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.  We will convene in the library from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on the following Thursday evenings: November 13, January 8, March 5, and April 9.  We will begin with the selection, The Inverse Power of Praise on November 13. The sessions will be designed to facilitate a meaningful conversation.  All are encouraged to attend, whether you are able to read the selection or not.

It is a pleasure serving the Sunrise Drive Elementary School Community.  I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!

Sincerely,

Andrea Davidson
Principal

Spiders and Cider Announcement


Spiders and Cider Admission Form


Sunrise Drive Talent Show is Coming!

!!!!!!TALENT SHOW!!!!!!
November 20th (Time TBA)

Calling all Students!

Do you have talent? Do you like to perform? Solo acts? Group acts? Come one come all!



Auditions for the Sunrise Talent Show will be held on 
November 5th and November 6th.
November 5th auditions will be from 6:00 till 7:30 
November 6th auditions will be from 1:45  to 3:15. 
You must audition in order to perform. 

 Auditions will be allowed 5 minutes.
 Performances must be kept under one minute and a half.

Any recorded music must be on a CD 

Please make sure that music and dress are school appropriate.

There will be more information coming soon. So have your kids start practicing!! We can’t wait to see all the talent that we have flowing through our school!!  (below you will find the link to sign up)


Please contact MCouch1023@gmail.com (Mindy) if you have any questions.



Thanks to Sunrise Families for a Successful Garden Clean Up/Family Fix Up!

Garden Clean Up/Family Fix Up a success thanks to Sunrise Families!

Thank you to everyone who came out to help clean up the garden and fix up the school!  Everyone worked hard moving compost, tilling the soil, pulling weeds, replacing rocks, sweeping sidewalks, painting lines, cleaning cupboards, and dusting window sills.   

Thank you Kelly, Connor, Emily, Quinn, Ella, Jarin, John, Christy, Jeannette, Carmela, Nicholas, Tim, Valorie, Vivianna, JD, Amy, Eric, Allison, Valerie, Johan, Magnus, Mattias, Andrea, Ella, Lucas, Anne, Sam, Grace, Erin, Kevin, Davis, Brett, Monica, Peter, Sylvie, Lukas, Nikolas, Zakary, Kimberlyn, Andy, Flaminia, Dauree, Donna and anyone else who we forgot to mention!   

Special thanks to Jason Tankersly of the Fairfax Companies/Tanks Rolloffs for donating compost for the garden and the dumpster. We couldn't do it without this generous donation!


Robotics News


Sunrise Fall Book Fair a Success!


CFSD Foundation Flyer


Playdate in the Park!


District Directory Coming Soon!

District directories are on track to be delivered to the individual schools on October 20th, right after our short fall break. Directories will be distributed to your student through their advisory/homeroom teacher sometime during that week. We have a team of volunteers assembled to get your directories to you before the end of the week.

Around the same time, you will receive a welcome email containing instructions for you to log into the online directory. This email will come from the following address:

no-reply@cfsddirectory.com

You might wish to add this email to your address book to make sure it reaches your inboxes.

Calling All 1st-5th Grade Boys! Join Cub Scouts!