Horizon Elementary APRIL 2016 Comet Courier Horizon Elementary School 46665 Broadmore Drive • Sterling, VA 20165 • Telephone 571.434.3260 • Fax 703.444.7418 Absentee Line 571.434.3261 Absentee Email [email protected]Horizon Elementary School website: www.lcps.org/horizon Principal: Mrs. Jennifer Ewing Bookkeeper: Mrs. Holly Buehler Assistant Principal: Ms. Stephanie Baran Attendance Secretary: Mrs. Violet Sowa-Badders APRIL EVENTS Thursday, April 7 Science Fair Parent Night, 6:30 pm Thursday, April 14 2 nd Grade Native Lands Field Trip End of 3 rd Quarter Friday, April 15 No School for Students (Teacher Work Day) Monday, April 18 WordMasters Challenge Spring ASEP Starts Wednesday, April 20 2 nd Grade Musical, 8:30 am and 6:30 pm Friday, April 22 Comet Walk (Rain Date, April 25) Tuesday, April 26 Volunteer Luncheon, 11:30 am Sterling Area PEP Event (see flyer, p.6) Thursday, April 28 4 th Grade Egg Drop Friday, April 29 4 th Grade Field Trip to Harper’s Ferry (extended day) ************************************************* LOOKING AHEAD… May 2-6 Teacher Appreciation Week Wednesday, May 4 DARE Graduation A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL… Greetings Comets! The third quarter is quickly coming to an end on Thursday, April 14. There will be a Student Holiday/Teacher Work Day on Friday, April 15. Report cards will go home on Wednesday, April 27. As we prepare for the weather to warm up, please be reminded that clothing worn by students should be appropriate and modest. Spaghetti-strapped shirts/blouses and flip flops are a couple of examples of inappropriate attire. Please review the Dress Code Guidelines which can be found on p. 10 in the 3 rd – 5 th Agenda books, the Student Handbook, and p.11 of the April Comet Courier. All students have physical education and/or recess each day. Wearing inappropriate footwear can lead to injury and/or non-participation in physical education classes. We need your help in monitoring the clothing choices that your children make each day. Parents/guardians may be contacted in the event a student needs to change inappropriate attire. In the month of May, we will begin the student placement process for next year’s classes. We invite you, our parents, to share information about your child or family that we do not have access to at school that you believe would impact your child’s educational placement. Should you choose this option, please complete the Parent Placement Information Form for 2016-2017 (found on p. 13) or send me a letter; I respectfully request that you send your input on or before Friday, May 6 th . Your input should not request a specific teacher. It is impossible to grant those kinds of requests and I know that it can be disappointing when your child does not get into the classroom of the teacher that you request. Please do not approach your child’s current teacher to ask who he/she thinks would be the best teacher for your child. That could potentially be an uncomfortable situation for both the parent and/or teacher. Please be assured that a great deal of thought and consideration goes into placing children into classes at Horizon and we do our best to make the correct placement choices. We look forward to a fantastic fourth quarter! Sincerely, Jennifer Ewing
Transcript
Horizon Elementary APRIL 2016
Comet Courier
Horizon Elementary School 46665 Broadmore Drive • Sterling, VA 20165 • Telephone 571.434.3260 • Fax 703.444.7418
Horizon Elementary School website: www.lcps.org/horizon Principal: Mrs. Jennifer Ewing Bookkeeper: Mrs. Holly Buehler
Assistant Principal: Ms. Stephanie Baran Attendance Secretary: Mrs. Violet Sowa-Badders
APRIL EVENTS
Thursday, April 7 Science Fair Parent Night, 6:30 pm Thursday, April 14 2nd Grade Native Lands Field Trip End of 3rd Quarter Friday, April 15 No School for Students (Teacher Work Day) Monday, April 18 WordMasters Challenge Spring ASEP Starts Wednesday, April 20 2nd Grade Musical, 8:30 am and 6:30 pm Friday, April 22 Comet Walk (Rain Date, April 25) Tuesday, April 26 Volunteer Luncheon, 11:30 am Sterling Area PEP Event (see flyer, p.6) Thursday, April 28 4th Grade Egg Drop Friday, April 29 4th Grade Field Trip to Harper’s Ferry (extended day) ************************************************* LOOKING AHEAD… May 2-6 Teacher Appreciation Week Wednesday, May 4 DARE Graduation
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL…
Greetings Comets! The third quarter is quickly coming to an end on
Thursday, April 14. There will be a Student Holiday/Teacher Work
Day on Friday, April 15. Report cards will go home on Wednesday,
April 27.
As we prepare for the weather to warm up, please be reminded that
clothing worn by students should be appropriate and modest.
Spaghetti-strapped shirts/blouses and flip flops are a couple of
examples of inappropriate attire. Please review the Dress Code
Guidelines which can be found on p. 10 in the 3rd – 5th Agenda books,
the Student Handbook, and p.11 of the April Comet Courier. All
students have physical education and/or recess each day. Wearing
inappropriate footwear can lead to injury and/or non-participation in
physical education classes. We need your help in monitoring the
clothing choices that your children make each day. Parents/guardians
may be contacted in the event a student needs to change inappropriate
attire.
In the month of May, we will begin the student placement process for
next year’s classes. We invite you, our parents, to share information
about your child or family that we do not have access to at school that
you believe would impact your child’s educational placement. Should
you choose this option, please complete the Parent Placement
Information Form for 2016-2017 (found on p. 13) or send me a letter; I
respectfully request that you send your input on or before Friday, May
6th. Your input should not request a specific teacher. It is impossible
to grant those kinds of requests and I know that it can be disappointing
when your child does not get into the classroom of the teacher that you
request. Please do not approach your child’s current teacher to ask
who he/she thinks would be the best teacher for your child. That could
potentially be an uncomfortable situation for both the parent and/or
teacher. Please be assured that a great deal of thought and
consideration goes into placing children into classes at Horizon and we
do our best to make the correct placement choices.
April Notes from the Library April is School Library Month
The American Library Association has declared April as School Library Month, to
celebrate the important role that libraries play in our student’s education. We provide resources and educational programs to help our students become empowered with the skills they need to think critically and become life-long learners. Students are taught lessons that help them evaluate the information they have around them and to use information effectively so they can navigate the technological world they now live within. Here at Horizon Elementary School, we look forward to seeing all of our students during their classes, and welcome them every day as they search for information, new books to read, and work to make the library a welcoming place for everyone to visit. National Library Week is celebrated the week of April 10th so don’t forget to visit the public library as well. They offer many programs and the opportunity to provide your children access to even more resources and books. April is a great time to look through your book shelves and stop by the library in order to “Spring” into a new reading adventure.
What are we learning?
Kindergarten and First Grade – Kindergarten will be reading African folktales and stories based on Japanese characters to support their social studies curriculum on Kenya and Japan. In first grade we are reading about friendship and will begin reading fractured fairy tales and making comparisons to the original stories.
Second Grade – All of the second grade classes will be reviewing dictionary skills and using the alphabet in the library to locate entry and guide words. We are also talking about how important the alphabet is in locating books on the book shelves in the library.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade – During library time, we will be using the different books from the reference section of the library to locate information. Students will use atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias to search for facts. Understanding how each reference source can help them evaluate the information sources and resources available to them.
Music Notes
Horizon's Second Grade Class will perform "The Magic Fish & The Little Red Hen" on Wednesday, April 20th at 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. There will also be a final dress rehearsal for viewing by the afternoon Kindergarten only on Tuesday, April 19th at 1:30 p.m. Our 2nd graders will get a chance to show off their acting, narrating, singing, a little dancing, and instrumental skills in these two dramatized folktales arranged and edited by Ruth Boshkoff. That's right, this year we will add some percussion instruments like xylophone, cymbals, triangle, drums, and many more into the mix! Please spread the word about this musical to your friends and family so that we can get a big crowd to come support our students in this fun rendition of two very old folktales made new again.
Raising courteous, caring, cooperative Comets at home takes a village, patience and many resources! One PBIS-related resource you may like to look into is a book called What do You Stand For? For Kids : A Guide to Building Character. Barbara Lewis walks families through the importance of character and breaks the book into chapters of positive character traits. She provides definitions, activities and true stories to learn from. At our home we sometimes use the “what if” situations for dinner discussions. It’s a nice opportunity to share your family values and guide them through challenging situations before they happen. If you’re interested in learning more about this book on character (or the one for TEENS) you can take a look here: http://tinyurl.com/j7extny . And feel free to reach out if you’re interested in more resources! [email protected]
POETRY MASTERS Poetry Masters in April celebrates National Poetry Month! Each month a selection of poems is available for children in grades 1-5 to memorize and recite. Any child in those grades who wishes to participate may pick up the poem selections from the office any time after April 4. He or she will memorize a selected poem for his or her grade category and recite the poem to the poetry coordinator on Thursday, April 21. In celebration of National Poetry Month, students may choose one poem from the selections, choose a favorite of their own, OR try their hand at writing their own poem. Be sure to bring us a copy so that we can read along! During National Poetry Month, April 21 is also Poem in Your Pocket Day. People throughout the United States celebrate poetry by selecting a poem, carrying it with them, and sharing it with others throughout the day. So whether you participate in Poetry Masters or not, bring a poem in your pocket on April 21 and celebrate your favorite poem with others.
Congratulations to the following students who successfully recited poems in March: Liam Tully Jahzara Shabazz Martin Kanchev Arianna Martin Monica Goswami Hayden Manor Ainsley Love Lacey Martin Mathew Cogbill Colleen MacGoy Pranika Gaddam Juline Salahi Liam Sheridan Edward Christopher Sahar Miakhel
Ellie Boehmcke
THIRD AND FINAL WORDMASTERS CHALLENGE
The last WordMasters challenge of the 2015-2016 school year is scheduled for
April 18th for interested 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. Copies of the words are
available from your child’s teacher. Information about the WordMasters
Challenge and resources to help students learn the words and practice for the
challenge are available on the PTA tab of the Horizon website. For more
Hey, Comets! Can you help with Horizon’s Food Rescue Program?
You may have heard of Horizon’s Food Rescue Program. We collect uneaten food in the cafeteria that would otherwise be tossed in the trash and donate it to LINK. The program is in its second year and has been a big success. Parents, you can also help by volunteering to deliver our food to the local shelter. Just go to our sign up genius page at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4ea8aa292-horizon1/21784920 and pick a date and time that is good for you! If you have any questions, please contact Amy Sandridge at 571-434-3260.
Let’s do our part to help conquer hunger in Loudoun County!
Here’s the schedule for Horizon’s Science Fair/Invention Convention:
Project Drop off: Wednesday, April 6th 4-6 PM Science Night: Thursday, April 7th 6:30 - 8:30 in the
Multi-Purpose Room (for Parent viewing) Student viewing: Friday during the school day
Please make arrangements to come take your child’s project home on Friday afternoon if they can’t do it on
their own.
Winter Food Drive Thank You!
Thank you to all the Caring Comets who donated food to the Comet Council Winter Food Drive! We
collected a mountain of food for families in need in our community.
Congratulations to Ms. Sheehan‘s class who brought in the most food and enjoyed extra raffle tickets for
The primary responsibility for the proper dress and grooming of students rests with the parent or guardian of each student. The school has the responsibility; however, to see that the cleanliness, dress, and grooming of students does not present a danger to the health or safety of themselves or fellow classmates. Clothing must be in good taste, of a comfortable fit and follow school standards. Students should dress for the “business of school.” Inappropriate attire consists of any clothing that disrupts the learning environment because it is distracting or ofeensive.
Clothing students should refrain from wearing to school: Short/tight skirts, shorts and/or dresses (must be at least fingertip length) halter or spaghetti string tops without a shirt/sweater over it mid-drift tops that expose the stomach area excessively baggy shorts or pants mesh/see-through athletic shirts without a T-shirt underneath clothing that displays inappropriate language, artwork, symbols, alcohol/drug messages a bandana and/or hat while at school Heelies and/or shoes with wheels Shoes must be worn at all times
Children must wear sneakers/athletic shoes with solid, rubber soles for all physical education classes.
Parents will be called if their child arrives to school dressed inappropriately. It may be necessary for a change of clothing to be brought to school for the child.
Are you moving?
For planning purposes, please let us know if your child will not be attending Horizon Elementary next year. If you are moving, we wish you the best of luck!!!!
Return to Mrs. Sowa-Badders, Attendance Secretary. Thanks!
Horizon Elementary
Parent Placement Information Form for 2016-17 The information you provide will be considered when placing your child in his/her class next year.
Please fill out one form for each child. Return to Mrs. Ewing by Friday, May 6, 2016 with your letter.
Student _______________________________ Current Teacher _______________ Grade NEXT Year _____
Check the descriptors that apply to your child.
Classroom Setting: ____ needs a highly structured classroom ____ needs a free flowing classroom
____ needs strong routines ____ needs hands on activities
____ prefers to work independently ____ prefers group/partner work
____ other:
Instruction and Learning Style:
____ enjoys reading ____ enjoys math
____ enjoys science and/or social studies ____ enjoys music and/or art
____ enjoys problem solving ____ enjoys hands on activities
____ is an auditory learner ____ is a visual learner
____ needs additional time to complete assignments _____ other:
____ needs frequent opportunities to interact with others
Behavior: ____ is able to work independently without a lot of teacher assistance
____ needs close supervision and support from teacher
____ is able to work cooperatively with peers
____ accepts responsibility for his or her behavior
____ needs frequent feedback/reassurance from the teacher
____ needs to be pushed by teacher to reach potential
____ able to remain focused
____ follows directions
____ completes assignments
_____ is easily frustrated
_____ is easily motivated _____ other:
Medical concerns or special needs for consideration:
Social needs to consider:
What other information should we be aware of regarding your child that will help with their placement for next year?
Please note that this form is for informational purposes only and placement with a specific teacher is not guaranteed.
Horizon Students Honored for Achievement in the Arts
Ashley Helfrich (Second Grade), Liliana Rossi (Fifth Grade), and Saba Banaii (Fifth Grade) have been honored by the Hunt District PTA for achievement in the 2015-2016 National PTA Reflections arts in education program.
Ashley Helfrich’s choreography titled "Drag Me Down" received 3rd place in the Primary, Dance Choreography category. Liliana Rossi’s choreography titled “The Duel" came in 1st place in the Intermediate Dance Choreography category and her work is now being judged as part of the VA state competition. Saba Banaii's photography titled "My Miniature Scenes" placed 3rd in the Intermediate Photography category. These awards honor imagination, creativity and interpretation of this year’s theme “Let your Imagination Fly.
Please join us in congratulating these students on their achievement!
The National PTA Reflections program encourages students of all ages and abilities to explore and be involved in the arts. Through the program, PTAs across the country urge students in preschool through grade 12 to create and submit original works of art in the medium of their choice— dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. Students are recognized each year for their artistic ingenuity to bring the theme to life in a way that is personal and meaningful.
2ND GRADE IS COLLECTING USED CRAYONS
As a continuation of our fall Project Based Learning experience, 2nd grade will be collecting used/broken crayons from the Horizon community. Each
classroom at Horizon will be placed on a team to see who can collect the most used crayons. The collection started on March 14th and will continue through May 20th. Additional information was sent home the week of March 7th. The
2nd grade students would greatly appreciate any crayon donations!
Potomac Falls Cluster Clothing Drive
Spring has finally arrived and with that comes the annual cleaning out of the closets. We are collecting gently used out-grown clothing, including
shoes and jackets, that are taking up valuable space in your home. Please bring only clean, gently used or new items in all sizes to Horizon for our
Cluster Clothing Drive.
Horizon will collect different items each week of the drive. See the schedule below.
Horizon is collecting clothes for distribution to the families within the Sterling community during the month of May. Each cluster school will collect clothes, and will come together at Potomac Falls High School for a cluster-wide no-sale clothing sale
on Saturday May 21st starting at 9:00 am until 12:00 pm! Help our students and their families, and help your closets.
All clothes can be dropped off into one of the boxes in the front entrance of Horizon during the month of May.
Week 1 (May 2nd to May 6th) Boys Summer clothing
Week 2 (May 9th to May 13th) Girls Summer clothing
Week 3 (May 16th to May 19th) Young Adult and Adult Summer clothing
In March, MSAAC held a wonderful Academic Symposium - Putting Educational Equity First. We had an opportunity to visit tables around the room representing a wealth of resources for the families of Loudoun County. Among those represented were: Parent Resource Center www.lcps.org/prc LCPS Monroe Technology Center LCPS Gifted Education PEP (Parents as Educational Partners) www.loudoun.k12.va.us/domain/17411 AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) www.lcps.org/page/103504 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, Development) www.steaminc.com Mobile Hope www.mobilehopeloudoun.org LCPS Academies of Loudoun www.loudoun.k12.va.us/Domain/16159 And many more! Please contact us if you’re interested in more information or resources. In addition to the community resources, Paul Gorski spoke on equity in education and the community. Equitable education would mean all students had access, opportunity and fair distribution of implicit and explicit resources. He called on us as administrators, educators, parents and members of the community to work within our “sphere of influence” to recognize and respond to inequity and help sustain equity. Please reach out to us if you’d like to learn more or look into his books on Amazon! He is a wonderful and local resource. http://edchange.org/ Upcoming Meetings: 4/20/16 5/18/16 Meetings are held 7-9pm in the LCPS Administrative Building - 21000 Education Court, Ashburn Facebook: www.facebook.com/lcpsmsaac On the web: www.lcps.org/Page/164836 Horizon Representatives: [email protected] , [email protected]
April is underway and we have lots going on to end the year on a high note! I so enjoyed those cherry blossoms and the beauty Northern Virginia brings in the spring. The Chuck E. Cheese fundraiser was a huge success both financially and in the FUN category. I know my kids had a blast! Thank you to all who came out to support our Comets that night. Speaking of Fun, how much FUN were the Harlem Wizards?! Horizon had the honor of Big J meeting the kids during lunch on the day of the game. We had a huge Comet turn out for the event and our teachers were a hit! Thank you Mr. Patterson, Mr. Funkhouser, Ms. Baran and Mrs. Sibley for bringing the skills. For sure, it was a night of great family memories. I have to send this plea - we still have a HUGE need for volunteers for our events coming in the spring. Many of our larger events will be held then and are successful because of wonderful volunteers! An hour of your time means so much to the Horizon PTA and the school. We can’t do it without you! Please see Facebook for more opportunities to get involved or contact me directly at [email protected] More great events coming this and next month - keep an eye on Facebook for more information! But here are some to put on your calendar NOW! Comet Walk - April 22. Every pledge is greatly appreciated and makes a huge difference for our ability to provide myriad services to our classrooms, teachers and students. Fun Fair - June 3. STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS Have a great April! Go Comets!
PTA Executive Board Members
Cathy Reidy, President
Jill Pope, SVP, Educational Programs
Teresa Demangos, Treasurer
Kristen Sirois, Recording & Corresponding Secretary
The Horizon staff is dedicated to improving our strategies for increasing student achievement and in closing the achievement gap. A formal School Improvement Plan is developed by staff, with parent input. If parents are interested in participating in this process please contact Jennifer Ewing at 571-434-3260. The plan is reviewed and revised throughout the year according to the results achieved.
The updated 2012-2013 SIP will be
posted on the Horizon website.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (SIP)
The Horizon staff is dedicated to improving our strategies for increasing student achievement and in closing the achievement gap. A formal School Improvement Plan is developed by staff, with parent input. If parents are interested in participating in this process please contact Jennifer Ewing at 571-434-3260. The plan is reviewed and revised throughout the year according to the results achieved.
The updated 2012-2013 SIP will be
posted on the Horizon website.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (SIP)
The Horizon staff is dedicated to improving our strategies for increasing student achievement and in closing the achievement gap. A formal School Improvement Plan is developed by staff, with parent input. If parents are interested in participating in this process please contact Jennifer Ewing at 571-434-3260. The plan is reviewed and revised throughout the year according to the results achieved.
The updated 2012-2013 SIP will be
posted on the Horizon website.
OFFICE REMINDERS
Students are permitted to enter the building each morning at 7:30 am. Those students ordering breakfast may go straight to the cafeteria. All other students will go straight to their classrooms to start unpacking and start their morning routines. The start bell will sound at 7:50 am. The school day begins promptly at 7:50 AM. Students MUST be in their classrooms at 7:50 AM; arriving after that time results in an UNEXCUSED tardy, unless a doctor’s note is provided. Students coming in after 7:50 AM must be escorted into the building by an adult. School dismisses at 2:35 PM. Parents picking up students prior to dismissal are required to sign them out in the main office. All visitors to the building should begin their visit in the main office. Once in the office, you may sign in using the computer located on the front counter. Any forgotten items should be brought to the office. This will cut down on interruptions to the class.
ABSENTEE/TARDY Please email the Horizon absentee email at [email protected], or call the absentee line at 571-434-3261 to report the absence or late to school information for your child.
AFTER SCHOOL PLAN Anytime your child has a change in his/her after school plan, please send a note in with your child in the morning. The office cannot redirect children after school on the basis of a phone call. If an emergency necessitates a
change during the day, you may fax the instructions to us at 703-444-7418.
LOST AND FOUND
Horizon Elementary has areas designated for lost items such as lunch boxes, and clothing. Students who misplace their belongings can check in the Lost and Found that is located outside the cafeteria by the water fountains. Items of value or importance such as glasses, jewelry, and keys are kept in the front office. If your child has lost an item, please encourage them to check in the Lost and Found or with the office secretaries. Items that go unclaimed will be donated to a local charity at the end of the
quarter.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (SIP)
The Horizon staff is dedicated to improving our strategies for increasing student achievement and in closing the achievement gap. A formal School Improvement Plan is developed by staff, with parent input. If parents are interested in participating in this process please contact Jennifer Ewing at 571-434-3260. The plan is reviewed and revised throughout the year according to the results achieved.
The 2015-2016 SIP can be found on the Horizon
website at http://www.lcps.org/domain/7051.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
If, due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate meaningfully in any of our school programs, please contact Mrs. Ewing, Principal at 571.434.3260 at least five working
days prior to the activity.
HORIZON NOW ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER!
Visit Horizon's new Facebook page to keep up to date on school events and happenings! Check us out at: facebook.com/HRZSterling and be sure to Like our page to get your updates.
We are also on Twitter. Click the links below our calendar to follow us!
