Dear Meadow Point Families,
The “No Child Left Behind” federal law created higher standards for teacher
qualifications in public schools across the United States. Under the new federal
law, all parents of children attending a school which receives Title I funds have
the right to know the professional qualifications of the classroom teachers and
paraprofessionals who instruct their children. We are proud to report that 100%
of all Cherry Creek School District regular education classroom teachers met
the “highly qualified” standard during the 2014-2015 school year.
Should you wish to request information regarding the license and degrees held by your
child’s classroom teacher or the qualifications of a paraprofessional, you must complete
a Teacher/Paraprofessional Qualification Request Form. This form may be obtained
from the Cherry Creek Office of Human Resources by calling 720-554-4327.
Please join us for Donuts for Dad on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 8am in the
library!!
Have you ordered your 2014-2015 Meadow Point Year!! Attached you will find
instructions on how to order the yearbook through TreeRing. It is getting down to
the wire so if you want a yearbook, you need to get it ordered. Be sure and check
out how you can do your own personal pages in the year book!! If you have any
questions, feel free to call Dustin Vick at 720-886-8659 or email him at
[email protected].
We are looking for volunteers to help shelve books in our library. If you have even
a few hours in your week and would like to help out, please get in touch with
Rebecca in the library.
Kindergarten Round-Up is starting February 1st. If you have a child or know a child
that turns 5 before Oct. 1, 2015, you may go to District Admissions after the 1st
and register them for next year. Attached is more information on it.
Student Drop Off Lane: Parents using this area must drop their child off along the
curb. This area is a single lane wide so that parents can stop along the curb and then
pull forward when exiting. Students should only exit the car on the passenger side.
Parents using this area should always drive as far forward in the lane as possible
before stopping. When picking students up in this area, parents SHOULD NOT
double park NOR leave the car unattended. Students should, again, only enter the car
on the passenger side from the curb. There is to be NO PARKING in the drop off lane
as it is an emergency vehicle access lane.
We are going to a new morning procedure on bad weather days. On those days,
from 8:25 to 8:35, students will come into the door they usually come in. That door
will be watched by a staff member and the students will walk to their classroom. If
students are eating breakfast, they will be dismissed when they are ready and go to
their classroom. At 8:35, all students should enter through the front door. A few
details to know about this procedure:
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Students will not be allowed in the building before 8:25 unless they are
eating breakfast or are part of a club (choir, inter murals).
Parents and students will know that it is a bad weather day because the staff
members at the door will invite them in.
Parents wishing to visit on bad weather days must still come to the front
office and follow our sign-in procedures. Only students will come into the
building during this process.
Reminder: Students may not be at school before 8:10 if they are eating breakfast and they should
enter through the cafeteria door.If they are not eating breakfast, students should not be here before
8:25 for morning line-up.
No students will be allowed in the building before 8:35 unless they are attending choir or on
Safety Patrol. If you need your child to come earlier than that, please sign them up with our Kidz
Klub.
Calendar of Upcoming Events:
Feb. 5 Donuts for Dad
Feb.10 PTO Meeting 6pm
Feb. 14 Valentine's Day
Feb. 16 President's Day - No School
Feb. 17 No School
PTO Update
Hello Meadow Point community! I wanted to update you on how our PTCO
fundraising dollars were spent As of this week they have approved a little over
$9,000 worth of great ideas and new resources to help better our kids learning
environment! MEA grants:
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7 Chrome Books – for interventionists working with small groups of kids
Special Education will be receiving 12 sets of headphones for use in the
classroom. The students use technology (computers and iPads) on a daily
basis for learning skills and communication.
Junior Great Books for Gifted and Talented- Junior Great Books is an
engaging program that brings high-quality literature and student-centered
discussion to the classroom.
6 Ipod shuffles for a Walking Classroom - The concept behind the
Walking Classroom is that students need opportunities to learn and move
at the same time. The iPod Shuffles would be used to deliver audiobooks
and student created podcasts so that students can continue their learning
while taking a movement break.
Boomwhacker books for music class to go with Boomwhackers (tuned
percussion tubes) purchased last year.
Morning Announcement Materials - The morning announcement
materials include a backdrop support system that will be used to hold up
the chro-makey green screen that students will sit in front of for the
morning announcements and/or a project
Cloudbits - Technology class - The Cloudbits, are the easiest way to
create internet-connected devices. Having Cloudbits will extend the
learning we are doing Computer Programming with Scratch, Code.org and
Java
Guided reading, leveled text books for kindergarten.
Hokki chairs and easels - 1st grade. Using Hokki chairs during class
time helps students release energy, which then makes it better for them to
focus on the task as hand. It allows students to get the wiggles out! The
mobile easels benefit all learners, especially visual learners, by the use of
chart paper and a dry erase board.
Post Office field trip - 2nd grade. This field trip will give students a
behind the scenes look at how the mail system works in order to provide
communities with this important service.
Lego Story Starter Kits and financial board games - 3rd grade. With
the Lego kits, students will be engaged in collaborative, hands-on, 3-D
creations that boost speaking, listening, reading, and writing achievement.
Novel sets for 5th grade
Professional Development Books for the classroom teachers 1 for
math and 1 for guided reading instruction.
This is all made possible because of our amazing Meadow Point families and all
your wonderful participation! We couldn't do this without all of you!
Nicole Orozco
Parent/Community Liaison
[email protected]
720-886-8655
Like us on Facebook!
Meadow Point Elementary PTO has a Facebook page. Click here to access and like the page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meadow-Point-Elementary-PTO/868545943157367
TEACHING KIDS
THE
FINE ART OF CONVERSATION
In a culture where kids are increasingly immersed in “screen time,” it’s become more important than
ever for parents to teach them how to have meaningful face-to-face conversations.
At PIN’s December meeting, nationally recognized speaker Debra Fine gave practical advice about
the “fine art” of small talk. In a presentation that was filmed by CBS Sunday Morning, Fine
explained that good leaders assume the burden of others’ comfort. A big part of that means being
willing to reach out to someone new. “Stop waiting for others to take the initiative,” Fine
advised. “Instead, be willing to be the first mover, the first to walk over and say hello.”
“Small talk is the way we begin friendships,” explained Fine. But doing it well requires
thoughtfulness and energy. Good listening skills are key to developing rapport. In addition, it’s
important to make sure you’re caring about the person you’re talking to, and that you’re willing to be
seen as human so others can connect with you. “Women like to match each other’s stories, and men
try to top each other. Instead of matching someone (or topping their story), find out more about
them,” she said.
In conversation, “State an opinion, then ask what the other person thinks,” Fine said. “If you skip the
last part, you don’t seem to care.” Fine also recommended avoiding dead-end questions, being nosy,
and asking too many questions.
Questions to Avoid
Conversation that Builds Relationships
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“Are you married?” (nosy)
“How is your spouse?” (nosy)
“How’s work?” (one-word response)
“Do you have children?” (nosy)
Any questions that set you up for
bragging about your kids
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“What’s new with your…(business, family)”
“What keeps you busy outside of work?” or
“…outside of raising kids?”
“What are you looking forward to about the
summer?”
“Catch me up on your life since I last saw
you.”
Parents need to model the importance of relationships to their kids. How often are you on a screen
while your child is talking to you? Parents can also help their children with skills they can use when
they’re out of their comfort zone. Have your kids practice walking up to a coach or adult family
friend, make eye contact with them, introduce themselves and offer a firm handshake .
Find out more at www.debrafine.com. Hear the podcast at www.PINccsd.org.
Mark Your Calendar for Tuesday 2/3 to learn about Anxiety and Stress in Children and what you
can do.
PIN needs volunteers. Call Barb Goettelman at (303) 759-9560 or email [email protected] to find
out how you can get involved with PIN.
The Cherry Creek District Chess Tournament will be held at Overland High School
on February 28, 2015. The tournament is open to any Cherry Creek student, grades K-12.
A completed Registration Form and the fee of $15.00 must be received by February
22nd. Participation is limited to the first 200 students that register. The registration form
and tournament details can be found on the district website: Cherry Creek School District
>District Offices>Gifted and Talented Programming>Chess Tournament. For additional
information, please contact the tournament coordinator:
Todd Bardwick, 303-7706696 or [email protected]
School of Choice
The Cherry Creek School District allows its resident students to apply for
enrollment in the Cherry Creek school of their choice. In other words, you
may request that your child attend a Cherry Creek school outside your
assigned attendance area. The School of Choice applications are an
electronic form that you can access online from January 1st - February 1st
from any computer, at any time -for acceptance to a school starting in the
2015-16 school year.
Please visit the District Admissions website at:
http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Admissions/Pages/SOCandIDT.aspx for more information and to
submit an electronic School of Choice application in January.