A Message from the Principal

Dear Sunrise Drive Families,

Welcome to September! Our schedules have settled with instruction beginning at 8:00. Parents may walk their child to the playground or class between 7:40-7:55. At 8:00, students need to sign in at the office and walk to class on their own.  Parents are asked to say good-bye to students in the office who arrive after 8:00.  We thank all the parents who support student safety by closing the gate firmly when leaving the campus as the second bell rings.

Our students and staff extend a special note of gratitude to the volunteers who worked many days to organize our library following construction, “Thank you, Ms. Dubois, Ms. Barber and Ms. Moeller!” Due to the combined efforts of these committed volunteers, our library and science materials are ready for students and teachers to use.

Over the first 23 days of school, we have learned a great deal about your child.  Teachers have administered a collection of assessments to determine your child’s performance level in math, reading, and writing. Teachers are tailoring instructional opportunities to support the students’ growth across the content areas and are able to share information with you.

In English Language Arts we administer a variety of assessments to learn about your child’s current performance.  In writing, students complete an assessment for each of the 3-4 units studied throughout the year. Teachers collect data at the beginning of the unit to make instructional decisions. The summative writing assessment takes place at the end of the unit and provides information about the students’ performance toward mastery of the writing standards. Reading is a complex process and includes phonemic awareness (sounds in words), phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Multiple assessments are used in August and throughout the year to provide accurate information about a student’s reading progress.

Kindergarten through Grade 2:

• Students’ ability to read sight words is assessed using the Fry Sight Word List. Examples of sight words include the following: the, was, are, and, that, and could.

Kindergarten through Grade 5:

• The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA 2) is used to measure each student’s student’s fluency and comprehension.
• Students are assessed three times per year using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), which measures early literacy skills related to fluency, letter names, and letter sounds.
• Daily classroom performance also provides insights to each students reading in context of learning information and reading for pleasure.

Families are encouraged to read with students daily.  Reading to your child offers an opportunity for your child to be exposed to concepts and vocabulary that might be above their level of reading. Children reading to others supports their fluency skills as they read with expression for the audience. You may ask, “What is the impact of daily reading?” The chart following this message offers a visual representation of the impact of daily reading.

Your family may enjoy the following daily reading activities with your child

•       Read recipes, food labels, menus in restaurants, maps

•       Read traffic signs and signs in stores

•       Show your child how you look up information in cookbooks

•       Show your child how you look up words in dictionaries or online

•       Read greeting cards, emails, letters from relatives and friends

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/mnschenk/why-read-20-minutes-poster-english-and-spanish

The Catalina Foothills School District Foundation believes, “Quality Teachers Lead to a Quality Education.”  The CFSD Foundation is committed to supporting teacher development and retention in our schools.  On Friday, September 30^th the CFSD Foundation will host a Taste Sensation for Education at Saint Phillips Plaza from 6:00-9:00 PM. I look forward to seeing you there! During the event, I hope you will consider bidding on the reserved parking space located in the staff parking lot.  This space can be yours to use whenever you visit our campus. 

We thank you for your support as we work with your child.  It is an honor to be partners with you as we support their growth.

Sincerely,

Andrea Davidson

Principal