Park Orchard
Elementary School
11010 SE 232nd Street
Kent, WA, 98031
253-373-7473
Kindergarten through 6th Grade:
9:30 A.M. - 3:38 P.M.
Line up to enter class at 9:25 A.M.
Instruction begins at 9:30 A.M.
A.M. Preschool
9:00 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.
P.M. Preschool
12:30 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
Be Safe. Be Respectful. Be Responsible. Be a Learner. Volume 24 Issue 20 Jan. 26, 2016
A Letter from Mr. Richards
January 27
This week’s data shows how many of our students have reached grade
level proficiency this year from October 5th to January 21st in Reading.
The first bar tells us what percentage of our students were at grade level
on the Individual Reading Levels Assessment (IRLA) in October, and the
third bar is where we were on January 21st. In kindergarten for example, you can see our students have grown from 29% to 86.5%. There is
tremendous growth across most grade levels. We will continue to help
all students grow this year by teaching students their grade level standards and intervening where they are currently performing to get them
to standard.
January 29
Hello Park Orchard Families,
Grade Level % Toward Proficiency
120
Preschool Monthly Parent/
Guardian Engagement
Activities-Mandatory Parent
Participation
February 2
ELPA21 Testing Begins
February 3
LATE START DAY
K-6 arrive at 11:25 P.M.
No AM Preschool class
PM Preschool at 12:30 P.M.
February 5
Family Movie Night
100
Doors open at 6:00 P.M.
80
February 8 - 12
Elementary Conferences
60
K-6 dismisses at 12:38 P.M.
40
February 9
PTSA Meeting
20
6:30 P.M. in the library
0
K
10/5/2015 % Proficient
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
11/24/15 % Proficient
1/21/16 % Proficient
End of Year Target: 100 % Proficient
At home, keep reading 20+ minutes a night and talking to your child
about what they are reading. Make sure and discuss your students’
NO SCHOOL
TEACHER’S WORKSHOP
(continued on page 2)
February 10 - 12
No Preschool
ELP - by invitation only
M, W, & F: 8:30 A.M. - 9:10 A.M.
Tu, W, & Th: 3:40 P.M. - 4:25 P.M.
Panda Paw Winners
A Letter From Mr. Richards (continued)
Week of 1/20/16
reading progress with their teacher at Conferences the second week of February. This is the perfect moment to reflect on achievement of goals and set
new ones for the remainder of the year. Together we will get all Pandas to
grade-level standard.
Prabhsimar — Mrs. Barney
David — Mrs. Barney
Diego — Ms. Lawson
Madisyn — Mrs. Holder
Charles — Mrs. Balza
Ana — Mrs. Morfitt
Ella — Mrs. Heilman
Ian — Mrs. Krier
Yasin — Mrs. Gray
Braley — Mrs. Hill
Our health room is in
need of clean sweatpants and new underwear. If your child
borrows clothing
from the health room,
please wash and return them.
ELPA21 testing
begins Feb.2
Visit our website at
http://www.kent.k12.
wa.us/PO for school
information.
My best,
Eric Richards
Principal — Park Orchard Elementary
2016-17 Student Transfer Process
Students are expected to attend their boundary school, however
sometimes parents wish to request a transfer to another school in the
district. The school district will only consider requests that meet one or
more of the criteria below. There is limited space for transfer students
at a school other than their boundary school. The District tries to honor
as many requests as we can but there is no guarantee your request
will be granted. Please note that you may only request a transfer if you
are able to transport your child to the requested school; no district
transportation is provided for transfer students. If you are requesting a
transfer for a student who will be entering kindergarten please register
your child at your boundary school first.
Transfer criteria:
• The student’s siblings are currently attending the requested
school.
• The student receives child care from a provider in the requested
school’s service area and the provider does not transport to the
student’s boundary school (Elementary Only).
• The student has completed at least their first year of high school
and wishes to remain at that school until graduation.
• Student wants to enroll in a unique curricular program (i.e. ROTC or
International Baccalaureate) that is available in another school in
the district, but not available in the student’s resident school.
• Students who have at least one parent who works for the district.
• The student’s educational, safety or health condition would be
or are being severely impacted at their boundary school and the
transfer would improve the identified condition.
We are excited to announce that our transfer process is moving online.
Beginning February 1st at 8:00 AM through February 29th at 5:00 PM you
may apply by visiting the Kent School District webpage and selecting
the story on Student Transfers www.KentSchoolDistrict.org. A separate
application will need to be completed for each of your children who
you wish to request a transfer. If you do not have access to the internet
please contact Student and Family Support Services at 253-373-7235 for
assistance.
Students who live outside of the Kent School District may also apply
for a transfer to a Kent school based on the above criteria. Non-Resident
transfer requests must also obtain a release from the district where
they reside to be considered for placement in a Kent school. Non-Resident students currently attending a school in Kent should have already
received a letter reminding you to obtain your annual release from you
home school district. If not please contact Student and Family Support
Services.
If you are a resident of the Kent School District and your child is
already attending a school on a transfer, you do not need to complete
a new application to stay in this school unless you have a childcare
waiver. If you have a childcare waiver you should have already received
a letter describing the requirements. A special note for parents of sixth
and eighth grade students currently on a transfer: your child is expected to attend their boundary middle or high school unless you apply
using the online process outlined above.
Money for sixth
grade camp is due on
­February 1st.
Total cost is $90.
Kindergarten
registration packets for next year
are available in the
­office. Children must
be 5 years old by
­August 31, 2016.
Questions, Please Contact - Student and Family Support Services
253-373-7235.
School Attendance
Did You Know?
Chronic absences may lead to significant learning gaps for
your child. Take an assessment of where your child is halfway
through the year. Three times late to school or leaving early
is equal to an absence.
Here’s How You Can Help
When students
­improve their
­attendance rates,
they ­improve their
­academic prospects
and chances of
­graduating.
• If your child is in the red zone, 7-9 absences, contact your
child’s teacher, counselor, or principal to set up a meeting to
develop a plan for better attendance.
• If your child is in the yellow zone, 4-6 absences, pay close
attention and make a family plan to see if future absences
can be avoided.
• If your child is in the green zone, 0-3 absences, great job!
Your child is right on track to have a successful year.
Free Workshop for 3-4 Year Olds
The Kent Valley Early Learning Center is providing a free 3-day Ready
For Kindergarten Workshop at Daniel Elementary to help 3-4 year olds
develop strong brain connections for success in school. Workshop dates
are February 2, March 1, and March 22. Workshops will be held from
6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Call 253-373-7600 to register.
Extended Learning
Pro­­gram by invitation only
BEFORE SCHOOL:
8:30 A.M. - 9:10 A.M.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
mornings in the Library
AFTER SCHOOL:
3:40 P.M. - 4:25 P.M.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons in the Tech Lab
Reminder: We need
ALL FAMILIES to fill
out a free and reduced
lunch application*
form to help us retain
free meals and Title 1
status next year.
*free and reduced lunch application forms are available in the
office.
No Bookfair Conference Week
Hello Park Orchard readers! Sadly, there will be no Book Fair conference
week, 2/8/16-2/12/16, due to constraints on the library. However, we will
have our Buy One Get One Free Book Fair 4/18/16-4/22/16!
That gives you time to save up for your summer reading stock pile!
Kent School District
non-discrimination
statement
Kent School District does not discriminate in
admission, access, treatment, or employment
on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color,
national origin, age, honorably discharged
veteran or military status, sexual orientation
including gender expression or identity, the
presence of any sensory, mental or physical
disability, or the use of trained dog guide or
service animal by a person with a disability.
Student, school district employees, parents/
guardians, and community members will
not be excluded from participation in or be
subjected to discrimination with respect to any
educational program or activity. If you have any
questions, please contact one of the following:
Our Title IX Officer/ADA District Officer is Dr.
Keith Beeman, Chief Talent Officer. He can be
reached at 253.373.7203 or by email at keith.
[email protected]. Our Title IX and State
Law Compliance Coordinator and Section 504/
ADA Coordinator is Randall Heath, Executive
Director, Student and Family Support Services.
He can be reached at 253.373.7081, by email
at [email protected], or via mail
at 12033 SE 256th ST Kent, WA. 98030. Kent
School District will also take steps to assure
that national origin persons who lack English
language skills can participate in all education
programs, services and activities. For information regarding translation services or bilingual
education, contact Student and Family Support
Services at 253-373-7269. Further, the District
complies with all requirements and objectives
of applicable state and federal laws.
Also, we can use lots of volunteers. All volunteers who work get a $5
Book Buck and your child gets a free poster! We also have a volunteer
Book Bucks drawing, $25 for PTSA members, $10 for non-members.
We will need help with cashiers (PTSA members only), floor managers
and help with set-up and take-down. If you are interested, email me at
[email protected] with your name and phone number.
Thanks everyone for your continued support and see you in April!
Latrice TeGantvoort
Park Orchard Book Fair Coordinator
[email protected]
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT is coming up on Friday,
February 5th. Door open at 6pm, and concessions will be sold. We’re looking forward to
seeing you there!
Join us for our next PTSA Meeting
February 9th at 6:30 in the library
Visit us on facebook at facebook.com/poptsa.