crestwood elementary
Orca Soundings
April 2012
April Dates to Remember
- 9 - 13 Spring Break
- 17 Crestwood Battle of the Books 9:30 a.m.
Reader of the Month Lunch Lunch time
PTA General Board Meeting/Elections 4:30 p.m.
- 19 Talent Show Practice 3:45 p.m.
- 22 PTA Art Auction 6:00 p.m.
Student Placement
In May, our staff will begin the process of placing students in classes for the 2012-2013 school year. If you have information that might be useful in that process, please put it in writing and turn it into the office no later than May 1. Please keep in mind teacher assignments may change prior to the beginning of the school year. If you are planning to move and your child will be attending school elsewhere, please notify Crestwood's office as soon as possible.
Information to share
Be sure and check out Mrs. Larberg's, Web site that is linked from our Crestwood Web page. Mrs. Larberg is one of Crestwood's school counselors. There is a lot of great information and parenting support resources. You can find her page under the "Teacher Web Pages" link on the right side of our Crestwood home page.
Reflections Program
There were eight Crestwood students that had a PTA Reflection project that qualified for the state competition. These students are:
Olivia Castro, Faith Fullerton, Megan Dill, Bridgette Dawson, Kaylee Coatney, Shaynah Fullerton, Alyson Deaver and Ella Verhoff. Congratulations to all!
School Supplies information for 2012/2013 school year
In order to help make school supply shopping easier for our families, we are going to continue with the plan we had this year. We are again asking each student to donate $20, and we will do the shopping for you. Our hope is we help you save time and help teachers with the consistency of classroom supplies. In the fall, we will be asking for the donation to be given to your child's teacher. If you would rather do your own shopping, a supply list will be available upon request. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call our office at 253-891-4550.
from the office
Please help the office staff out by making any phone calls regarding a different dismissal plan for your child (parent pick-up instead of bus, etc.) before 2:30 pm. Last minute phone calls and note deliveries can be very disruptive to valuable classroom time. It is also hard to guarantee that the message will get to your child at the last minute of the day when it gets very busy around here. Thanks for being considerate of this.
Reminder…
For the safety of your children, please do not drop students off before 9:10 a.m. in the morning because classroom doors don't open before then. We have had a lot of students showing up early. If you arrive before then, please wait with your child in your car. On Wednesday’s, please do not drop off students before 10:40 a.m. Thanks for being conscientious regarding this request.
Future Testing Information
The Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) testing will be held during a window of April 30 - May 31 for grades 3, 4 and 5. Please limit absences during this time. There is a scheduled calendar at the end of this newsletter.
Save the Date
June 2 – Fun Run at Allen Yorke Park. All Elementary students and their families are invited to attend the Sumner/Bonney Lake Fun Run. There will be events for all ages. More information coming as time gets closer.
Volunteer Application Now Online
The Sumner School District has a new online volunteer application process. All
volunteers are encouraged to complete the online application before May 1. The
application is linked from our school Web page by clicking on Volunteer Information.
The process should take approximately twenty minutes. To apply as a volunteer, please complete the following steps:
- Fill out the online application; please be sure to complete your profile and checklist.
- Complete the items in the checklist, including the mandatory disclosure. A State Patrol background check is conducted on all volunteer applicants.
- Once approved, all volunteers must annually resubmit an application to volunteer.
If you need help scanning documents to upload or access to a computer, please call Human Resources at 253.891.6025, or stop by the school office for assistance. Thanks so much for your willingness to serve the students of the Sumner School District.
Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant Information:
If your child is in PE, s/he may be randomly selected to participate in a fitness data study. This study is a great opportunity for participating students to have fun while learning about their current fitness levels. Students will be notified by a PE teacher if they have been selected. All data is submitted anonymously for federal reporting purposes. In return for our participation in this study, we are provided with curriculum, PE teacher training, and major equipment resources which could not be purchased without this grant funding. These resources will benefit all students in our PE programs. If you have any questions regarding PEP Grant data, please review the attached documents or contact Brenda Kuehlthau at 891-6053. Thank you for helping us make student health a priority in the Sumner School Distinct.
Congratulations to our recent Orca winners!
Crestwood's Orca winners for the second trimester are as follows…
Kindergarten – Alexa Swarthout, Max Balentine, Savannah Goble, Merik Hjelmstad, Abi Hinrichsen, Madison Schmitt and Mallory Gabrielle
First Grade – Braeden Herda, Lauren Bloomquist, Kenza Cramer, Madyson Wetzel and Luke Peterson
Second Grade – Alex Iverson, Brayden Vandenberg, Cooper Dill, Chloe Hansen and Mason Kelly
Third Grade – Jackson Ballard, Eve Shires, McKenzie Price, Kate Jung, Lane Bloomquist and Abby Acuna
Fourth Grade – Carson Taylor, jaycee Phillips, Kaytlinn Taylor, Austin Malaspina, Brandon Skavinsky, Lauren Thrall and Michael Miller
Fifth Grade – Wade Capps, Joshua Solorzano, Alyssa Oman, Alex Beringer, Tyler Spees and Jerryn McKinney
Music Awards – Luke Peterson and Sophia Wasson
PE Awards – Weston Gillispie, Aspen Katzer, Carson Taylor and Kaylee Coatney
Library Awards - Logan Englehart and Alee Defedericis
Kids and Stress
Stress has become a commonplace phenomenon in our society. It is accepted fact that all adults experience stress, and less attention has been paid to the fact that children also experience stress. Some children experience stress related to tests and homework, grades, parental expectations, peer pressure, family financial concerns and environmental stress.
There are many different things that cause stress. Not all stress is negative. Many times stress can also be caused by positive or happy events too.
Teaching young people positive ways to deal with stress will give them skills necessary to cope with stressful situations.
The more practice learning positive coping techniques now, the less likely students will react to stress in negative or unhealthy ways. You can help your child deal with stress.
- Model and practice relaxation techniques so when your child is frustrated or feels anxious they can have a way to calm down.
- Model and have your child positive self-talk to banish those worries or intense emotions. It is important to help children to avoid negative expectations; attitudes and thoughts that unnecessarily generate more stress and undermine their self-esteem.
- Help your child identify their feelings. And encourage your child to talk about their feelings. Be a good listener when they are sharing their concerns. Sometimes just talking about the events relieves stress.
- Encourage your child to find relaxing activities like blowing bubbles, coloring/drawing, running outside, reading a story or playing games when they are feeling stressed.
- Encourage eating the right healthy foods and exercising regularly. Physical activities can reduce stress and a healthy body can handle more stress.
- Get your child to bed on time so they are prepared for school day.
- Help your child plan ahead. At the end of the day, prepare for the next day.
- Help your child to work through challenges for school success. Talk about perseverance. List examples of not giving up, such as finishing difficult homework assignments, learning a new activity or finishing a game when you are losing.
- Assure your child of your unconditional love. Build their confidence and praise them when they make you proud.
Communicate with the school if your child is experiencing stress and is unable to cope in a positive way. We are here to support you and your child.
Written by Mrs. Jeannie Larberg, School Guidance Counselor
“Did You Know” Column
(In collaboration with Crestwood Parent, Courtney Black)
Topic: MSP Testing
While students are tested throughout the year to help gauge their progress, the state-mandated standardized test, formerly known as the WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning), and now known as the MSP (Measurement of Student Progress), is administered in the spring. While the test is used to assess progress at the school and district level, as parents we want to know what the test can tell us about our student’s progress and where to find their test results. Getting to know the tests means getting to know a handful of acronyms, as well the ways the test results are used to help our students and teachers. The answer to many questions can be found at Washington State’s OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) Web site - http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/FAQ.aspx#5. The following is a summary for parents.
What are the tests?
Phased replacement of the WASL (Washington State Assessment of Student Learning) began in 2010. The WASL was replaced by the MSP (Measurement of Student Progress), the HSPE (High School Proficiency Exam) and the EOC (End of Course) Exams. While the HSPE determines eligibility for high school graduation and the EOCs are for grades 7-12, it is the MSP that our Crestwood students will take.
The MSP is administered to students in grades 3-8 in an online format or by paper and pencil. It includes testing for reading, math in 3rd grade and writing is added in 4th grade. In 5th grade students take reading, math and science.
Why are they administered?
Our state’s standardized tests are administered to meet the requirements of the Washington State Education Reform Law of 1993, as well as to fulfill the requirements of the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Act.
What do they tell me about my child’s performance?
Besides their use to evaluate learning at the District and School level, they also serve as a touchstone for individual student progress. A feature that is highlighted as a change from the WASL to the MSP, is that it measures student progress against a set of learning standards (EALR: Essential Academic Learning Requirements), rather than as compared to other students. Test results not only indicate if the student is meeting grade-level appropriate standards, but also whether there is progress relative to their previous year scores.
How do I get my child’s test results?
Every family of a student who takes a state test will receive a score report. Currently they are sent home with students the following fall. A permanent score sheet is put in each child’s permanent record file at school. Students that pass all areas for their grade level get a nice letter from the Governor.
If you have not already logged in to the Family Access system, now is a good time to get started. Skyward deserves its own Did You Know write-up, but for the purpose of accessing student test scores you need to be able to log in to access them. It can be found at https://www2.nwrdc.wa-k12.net/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService%3dwsumners71/fwemnu01.w. Simply click on “Forgot your Log-in/Password” and you will receive an e-mail to get you started. Once in, the left-side column has a link for Test Scores which will take you to a listing of scores for the various tests your student has taken.
What do the test results tell me about my student’s progress?
The Family Access system does not provide the scoring ranges for the tests. In isolation of a scoring range and what a reasonable score is for the grade level, it is just a number. You can find the State Testing Scale Score Ranges here http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/ScaleScores.aspx.
These scores fall into four ranges. Level 4: Advanced, Level 3: Proficient, Level 2: Basic and Level 1: Below Basic. Levels 3 and 4 are considered passing. If you are interested in how your child scored among other students, the OSPI website provides statistical summaries of student performance http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/TestStatistics.aspx.
It is important to keep in perspective that test results are only one tool to evaluate how your student is doing academically. Your student’s teacher can provide a more comprehensive view of their progress utilizing not only test results but daily school work among other resources.
 MSP Calendar
Healthy Kids are Better Students
Research shows the positive effect of moderate to vigorous physical activity and fitness on academic performance. To help students better manage their personal fitness, PE teachers are utilizing new curriculum Five for Life that focuses on the "five components of fitness,” which are: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition.
Fitness measurements in the five areas help students to evaluate their current fitness levels and set goals for how to maintain or improve individual fitness. The result of these measurements is a personal fitness report which provides you with a snapshot of your child’s fitness status and the change in that status over time.
Five for Life will help students to understand how fitness affects general long-term health and will empower students to take charge of improving their personal fitness.
Please support your child’s fitness development by encouraging their participation in all aspects of fitness measurement at school and by joining them in physical activities and healthy eating at home.
Crestwood Elementary
3914 W. Tapps Dr. E.
Bonney Lake, WA 98391
253.891.4550
Fax 253.891.4572
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