IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
- STAFF CHAT - NEW!
- PSP NEWS
- MINDFUL MORNINGS
- FROM MUSIC - A THANK YOU!
- JANUARY - COUNSELOR'S CORNER
- FROM THE AP
- FROM THE PRINCIPAL
- NEW FLYERS
- GIFTED & TALENTED NEWS
STAFF CHAT - THE PRINCIPAL'S PODCAST
NEW: Mr. Miller has posted a podcast for his weekly Staff Chat. Each podcast is available on CTE's YouTube channel - please subscribe and never miss any of the fun! Each week he will have a short interview with one of our staff members. Please enjoy the latest episode of season 2 with Ashley Lewis, 6th grade teacher.
PSP NEWS
Restaurant Night: Want to try some Hawaiian food in Parker? Then head to Hangry Ohana, 10471 S. Parker Rd, on Tuesday, Jan. 29th from 4:00pm - 8:00pm. A portion of the sales will be donated to our school and you'll support a local business! Aloha!
MINDFUL MORNINGS - NOELLE DUNKER
Open to Grades 4 - 6 - SIGN UP HERE!
Start your morning with some mindfulness and see your life change (flyer).
Tuesday and Thursday Mornings - 8:10 - 8:30 AM
In Mrs. Dunker’s 4th Grade Classroom
FROM MUSIC - BOBBY ANDERSON
Many thanks to Kendrick Edwards, Asst. Manage at the Alpine Lumber Yard here in Parker, for his donation of 20 feet of weatherproof TREX planking that will be utilized by our 5th grade classes. They are using the Design Thinking Process to develop a Sound/Music Wall for the kindergarten playground with installation planned for later this spring.
JANUARY: COUNSELOR'S CORNER - JANE STEINER
Reading Aloud to Your Child:
Does your youngster listen actively when you read aloud? It is a key to understanding what’s happening in the story. Try these simple tips to build listening skills:
· Ask your child to retell small parts of the story to you. Or ask him questions while you read. Examples: “What will happen next?” “Why do you think she did that?” Find the answers to the questions together.
· After you’ve read a story together two or three times, skip a word or two. Ask your youngster to fill in the missing word or words. Hint: This works especially well with rhyming stories.
*From 2008 Resources for Educators, a division of Aspen Publishers, Inc.
Visit these sites for more information:
http://www.reachoutandread.org/resource-center/literacy-materials/reading-tips/
http://www.seussville.com/Parents/tips_reading_child.php
FROM THE AP - ROBIN HUNT
Safety First!
As many of you know, Wednesday there was a gas leak in our community at Mainstreet and Motsenbocker. Our HVAC system pulls air, from outside, into the building. Several of our classrooms began smelling the odor associated with a gas leak. Knowing the leak was not within the school property, we connected quickly with our district’s security to follow district protocol. We turned off the HVAC system, utilized our shelter-in-place protocol, and security contacted our local fire department to measure quality of air within the building. The fire department determined that our air quality was fine and district security asked us to continue with the shelter-in-place protocol until the leaks were repaired. We began receiving many phone calls once the email and phone message went out to families. Please know we work very hard to ensure our students’ and staff’s safety and we never take anything for granted. We are diligent to connect with district and outside resources to ensure safety. We want to thank you for your patience, understanding and trust.
Professional Development Day
Just a reminder, students don’t have school on January 18th. Our staff will be involved with professional learning. Classroom teachers will continue their learning with our new writing program, Thinking Maps: Write From the Beginning and Beyond. We are working on expository/informational writing structures. Other teachers (specials, special education and interventionists) will meet and learn with those sharing their same responsibilities throughout the district. It will be a great day of learning.
What's Happening at CTE (calendar)
| 18 |
JAN |
|
NO SCHOOL: teacher work day |
| 21 |
JAN |
|
NO SHCOOL - MLK Day |
| 22 |
JAN |
8:10 - 8:30am |
Mindful Mornings w/Mrs. Dunker |
|
|
2:15 - 3:15pm |
PSP Meeting |
| 23 |
JAN |
7:45 - 8:30am |
Student Council |
|
|
3:30 - 4:30pm |
Battle of the Books |
| 24 |
JAN |
8:10 - 8:30am |
Mindful Mornings w/Mrs. Dunker |
|
|
3:30 - 4:15pm |
Film Club - Library |
| 25 |
JAN |
6 - 8pm |
All School Dance |
| 29 |
JAN |
8:10 - 8:30am |
Mindful Mornings w/Mrs. Dunker |
|
|
4 - 8pm |
Restaurant Night - Hangry Ohana |
| 31 |
JAN |
8:10 - 8:30am |
Mindful Mornings w/Mrs. Dunker |
|
|
3:30 - 4:15pm |
Film Club - Library |
| 1 |
FEB |
2:45 - 3:15pm |
Kids Heart Challenge Assembly |
FROM THE PRINCIPAL - JOSH MILLER
The Principal Chronicles continue ... So we are now into the second week back from break and honestly now is the time it seems as though things go in fast forward. We have two four day weeks and then next thing you know it will be February. February also has a couple four day weeks and is a short month which in no time at all it will be March and the count down to Spring Break. We all know that once Spring break is over then it truly is a sprint for the May finish line.
This time of year is also a difficult one because we begin the planning process for next year. In exactly one week, I'll be handed the budget for the 2019-2020 school year which is crazy to write and will mark my 9th year in DCSD, my 6th year at CTE, and my 21st year in education. Holy cow, where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday I graduated as a young whippersnapper from Colorado State who knew nothing about anything and started teaching at the only school hiring at the time: Pinnacle Charter School, which was located in a shopping mall.
As a first year P.E. teacher, I didn't have a gym or any equipment. Actually I didn't really have space at all except for a desk with a chair. I applied for and received a few small grants to buy equipment which I kept under said desk. I held my daily gym classes that year in the following places: a parking lot, the outfield of a softball field, a super long hallway behind a bunch of retail stores, an abandoned church, a storage closet, a sidewalk, and my personal favorite, a giant grass and dirt hill. The students and I were outside all day every day, rain or shine. Essentially I had to figure out something to do every day for 7 classes with no space, hardly any equipment, and the possibility that we would have to move. I guess I wore my creative pants to work every day. I'll never forget the day I got a job the next year at a public school. It was like I had died and gone to P.E. heaven. My first public school principal told me she had never met a teacher who could teach all the things I did with what I had. The day after I was hired, I went and laid down on the gym floor and just took in all that room and couldn't believe how much stuff and space I had. So long ago but really only yesterday. Crazy to think how long it has been.
Thanks for walking with me down memory lane. Hope you tune in next week when the Principal Chronicles continues....
NEW FLYERS (ALL)
- Strategic Kids Chess at CTE
- Strategic Kids LEGO at CTE
- Chaparral Wrestling Club - flyer
- Drawing Classes from Young Rembrandts - flyer
- after school Spanish at CTE