Berthoud Eagle

Principal to Parent
Dear Families,

February 2012

For the past 15 years Colorado students participated in the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). This year, as students and educators adopt the new Colorado State Standards, we will be testing with the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP), (I had always thought educators were enamored with acronyms until I looked at the engineering, medical and aerospace professions they win!) At the end of this month we will begin testing our third grade students with the reading TCAP. It is so important for students to show what they know on these assessments as many kinds of decisions about programming, interventions, curriculum and even funding and accreditation depend on each of us doing our best. For more information you can access the website included here: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeassess/parents_guide.html Berthoud is a wonderful community with many families that have been here for generations as well as those of us who moved here to raise the current generation of children. In fall of 2012 Berthoud Elementary School will celebrate its 50th anniversary! We are just beginning the conversation about what we would like this celebration to look like and would appreciate your participation and/or leadership with a planning committee. Please contact the office to leave your name and contact information if you are interested in being a part of planning this special celebration. Through the amazing efforts of our PTA members, VITAL volunteers, Thompson Schools Fund (the Berthoud BASH group) and our school community, we now have Promethean boards in all kindergarten through fifth grades, and our Intensive Learning Center and music classrooms! When we counted the cost at the beginning of the project it looked as if it would be a process over five years, but by the determination, resolution and generosity of this community we have completely achieved our goal in just three years! Our staff, students and I cannot adequately express our appreciation for the support of our community, what an amazing blessing you all are to our school! Please find a copy of the calendar for 2012-2013 on our website, at the end of the week, to aid in planning family vacations during the set vacation days. It looks like we will also continue the two testing days at the beginning of the new school year, and in April/May.

Camilla LoJeske

Kindergarten Registration NEW DATE Amazing as it seems, it is time for our incoming Kindergarten children to register! If you or your neighbors have a child that will be ready for kindergarten this fall, please bring the childs birth certificate and latest immunization record to the school during our registration time from 3:00 6:00 PM on Wednesday, February 8th. Kindergarteners must be 5 on or before October 1, 2012.

Summer Bridge Workbooks We will have order forms available at conferences for parents who would like to purchase Summer Bridge workbooks. These are a wonderful tool to help students work on their math and writing skills during the summer break.

How About This Weather! Wow!! We have had quite variable weather this winter! Please make certain that your child/children dress appropriately for the changing temperatures and snow. We want students to be able to go outside, as the weather permits, but they must be dressed warmly enough for them to be safe and comfortable.

Reporting Absences Just a reminder to call our attendance line 613-7590 to report your childs absence. You can call this number to leave a message any time during the day or night. We need a message each day that your child is out and the reason for the absence. Also, if your child will be tardy and would like a hot lunch, please call and leave a message on the attendance line before 9:00am. Thank you!!

District Spelling Bee Berthoud Elementary was well represented at the Thompson District Spelling Bee at Walt Clark Middle School on January 28, 2012 by the following students: Adrian Reghitto, Amber Holt, Peyton Schroeder, Blake Haan, Caden Grimditch, Abby Franke, Sydney Holden, Kayelee Schmidt-Lockhart, Curtis Peacock, Jeromiah Lewis, Saquora Glasser and Stuart Reckase. Carly Rafferty and Kaitlynn Hanes served as alternates ready to participate in the event a speller had to cancel unexpectedly. The competition consisted of a 50-word written test given to the over 200 contestants who participated. The top 25 scoring students won the right to compete in the following oral round. Berthoud El's lone third grade speller, Adrian Reghitto, was one of the top spellers and joined the other 24 on stage for the exciting oral round. Adrian went all the way to Round 8 where the word "sponge" soaked up his spot in the top 10. Congratulations to Adrian and the rest of the Berthoud El Spelling Team. We are proud of you and the dedication and effort it took to reach your place among the best spellers in the Thompson School District!

Geography Bee For the 24th year, the National Geographic Society is holding the National Geographic Bee for students in fourth through eighth grades in thousands of schools across the United States and in the five U.S. territories, as well as in Department of Defense Schools around the world. The 2012 Bee is sponsored by Google. The winner of the Berthoud Elementary School Bee is Amber Holt, fourth grade student of Ms. Diane McInturff, Gifted and Talented Specialist at the school. Another fourth grader in Ms. McInturffs class, Anna Brooks, is first runner-up. Miss Holt will advance to the next level of competition, a written examination to determine state competitors. All school winners are eligible to win the national championship and its first prize, a $25,000 college scholarship, at the national competition May 22-24, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Twenty-nine fourth and fifth grade students in the Gifted and Talented Program competed in the BES Bee. A Big Thank You to All of the parents and students who attended PBIS/Wellness Family Fun Night. Thank you to Odyssey of the Mind for sponsoring our Family Movie Night. Many thanks, to Steve Schmidt and Jeff Lorenzen for setting up the movie screen and audio/video equipment for movie night.

The Scholastic Book Fair Book Fair Luau - A Reading Celebration Students will have an opportunity to preview books at the Book Fair on Tuesday, February 14th during the day. ~The book fair will kick off with a special event this year Popcorn for Parents on Tues. Feb 14th from 3:40 pm to 5 pm.~ We are again promoting One For Books this year collecting dollar and spare change donations.~ 100% of all donations will go directly back to our school and Scholastic Books will match each dollar collected with a donated book to charities for children. The Book Fair will also be online this year.~ You will be able to order books online, February 9th through the end of the book fair, in case you are unable to attend. ~The book fair information is at: http://www.bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/berthoudelemsch The book fair luau will be open: Tuesday, February 14th 3:40 pm to 5:00 pm Wednesday, February 15th from 8:00 am 9:00 am and from 12:30 pm to 8:00 pm Thursday, February 16th from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. There will be contests and a very special guest! Come and see the wonderful books for sale from Scholastic! ~All monies from the book fair, including online orders, go directly to the school. ~Our goal this year is $5,000 in book sales! ~If you are interested in volunteering to work at the Book Fair, please contact Suzy Bullett 978-337-2515 sbullett@gmail.com OR Kari Holden 970-690-1831 k_holden@yahoo.com~ You can also choose the volunteer link at the website listed above.

Messages for Students Families may not be aware of how many phone calls occur each afternoon to convey messages to students. As we do not have a receptionist, our secretary and health aide find themselves taking between 15 and 20 phone calls each afternoon. These calls then require a trip to classrooms or an interruption over the intercom which takes them away from the front office duties (which are extensive) or away from children in the health office. Understandably, there are emergency situations that do require students to be given alternate information, but overall these calls are not of that nature. Please keep in mind that arranging end of day plans before school is the best plan and allowing students the responsibility of remembering these plans without additional prompts gives them confidence in their own abilities.

Student Safety We take the safety of our students very seriously and consider this an area of constant focus. The parking lot can be congested during drop off and pick up times and we ask that you please follow the one way signs and the cones when entering and exiting. We do have a large parking lot and it is a much safer choice to park there and walk to meet your child than to park across Bunyan and call your child over through bus lanes and two lanes of traffic. Kindergarten parents please avoid parking in the bus lanes when picking up your children. Buses have a difficult time entering the bus lane when cars are parked there. Children need to stay with their parents while being picked up and dropped off so that they are supervised and remain safe. Thank you for helping us keep your children safe!

Schools On The Move Challenge The School on the Move Challenge logs will come home with your children. The challenge starts February 1st and ends on the 29th, just one month this year. Students and staff need to complete the form and have it returned back to school no later than March 5, 2012 to receive prizes. Anyone who returns and has filled in 30 boxes or more on the challenge will receive a Schools on the Move T-shirt. Classes that have 100% participation will be eligible for an extra Physical Education time. If you have any questions, please contact our PE teacher, Tim Jones at 613-7545.

The Jog-a-thon is Coming! The Jog-a-thon is coming again to Berthoud Elementary! This is one of our main fundraisers and is unique because it not only raises money, but it teaches our students to value health and fitness. Physical activity has been shown to improve academic performance in students and helps to prevent childhood obesity. Instead of selling unhealthy treats, we will have our students run or walk laps and have a blast while raising funds for their school. Parents are welcome and encouraged to watch or participate with their children. Each student and teacher will get a Jog-a-thon t-shirt for free. In addition, a variety of prizes will be provided for any student who brings in pledges, classes that run the most laps and students that run the most laps in each grade. The Jog-a-thon will be held on Wednesday April 11th, Thursday April 12th and Friday April 13th over the lunch hour. Stay tuned for specific times and dates for each grade! Thank you for supporting the Berthoud Elementary Jog-a-thon!

PTA Meeting This months meeting will be held in the Library from 4:00 to 5:00 pm on Tuesday, February 8th. Check out the PTA newsletter at the end of this newsletter.

Memory Book Orders Please turn in your yearbook order by February 21st!

Month at a Glance 3 8 13 14 15 16 17 20 21 21 28 29-3/1 Spirit Day: Hat Day Kindergarten 2012-13 Registration 3:00 to 6:00 pm Scholastic Book Fair: 2/14 - 2/16 Valentine's Day Parties the last hour of the day Parent - Conferences in the evening Parent - Conferences/ No School No School for students President's Day - No School Memory Book orders due 4:00 - SAAC meeting 7:30 PTA Exec. Meeting 3RD Grade Reading CSAP

The baskets are always a hit at the Bash! Help make your grade basket be a success!! Reminder...Berthoud Bash items are due!!
The items are due on Friday, Feb 3 Kindergarten - Family Reading 1st grade - Game Night 2nd Grade - Kids Craft 3rd Grade - Chocolate 4th Grade - Coffee/Tea 5th Grade - Movie Night For questions please contact: Amy Hummel 970-988-9277 hummel_amy@yahoo.com

FREE PRESCHOOL FOR QUALIFYING CHILDREN

Thompson Integrated Early Childhood is currently accepting applications for next year's preschool program. Applications will be available at all elementary schools during kindergarten registration on February 8th. If you have a child who will be turning 3 or 4 years of age by October 1st of this year you may qualify. We serve children who qualify for Head Start, Colorado Preschool and Special Education. Our program also has some tuition-paying openings at some of our early childhood centers If you need more information or an application, contact: Diana Klundt @ 613-5052 or Sharon Johnson @ 613-5761 Application available on-line at thompsonschools.org

PTA

E X PRE S S N E WS LE T T E R

Berthoud Elementary School

February 2012

Next meeting March 6 th 4-5 pm in Mrs. Spratts Room

Refreshments and free Child Care will be provided; Members in attendance will be entered to win a door prize

Welcome!
Have you heard about the upcoming PTA elections? Nominations of candidates for 2012/2013 have begun! We will be holding our elections for PTA officers at the general meeting on March 6th, 4-5 pm in Mrs. Spratt's room. PTA Officers help determine and direct the business of PTA sponsored activities at BES. Please let the existing Board members know if you are interested in running for one of the following positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary. There is also a signup sheet in the Vital Room. Not sure if you want to run for a position? Please let us know what your concerns are..well be glad to answer any questions.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Feb. 13-16th- Scholastic Book Fair Feb. 14th- Valentines Day-Class Parties Feb. 15-16- Parent Conferences Feb. 21st- SAAC meeting

NEWS:

Feb. 9 - Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night

Fall Fundraiser: $9499 Carnival Total: $5852 Holiday Gift Shop: $677 th th Box Tops: $1400 Hays Receipts: $135 Caps For Cash: $50 Printer Cartridges: $48

Did you know what your fundraising and collection efforts are doing for our school? th Check out the money we have earned so far this year:

Feb. 16 -17 . - Scholastic Book Fair,

and Parent/Teacherfind out and meeting is a great place to

have your voice heard! See you there!

Questions about where funds go? The PTA

conferences QUESTIONS, IDEAS, OR COMMENTS?

WANTED: MEMORY BOOK PICTURES
If you have fun pictures that you think should be included in the memory book, please put them on a CD (on the CD please write which grade or event the pictures contain) and leave for Julie Bunch in the Vital room. Or call Julie at 970-532-1082 to make other arrangements.

Contact Us:
Pres: Ann Yuska 970-535-4875 Sec: Melissa Barcewski 970-532-3081/Kari Holden 970-6901831 VP: Dawn Williams 970-532-3695 Treas: Susan Worrell 970-532-3802

Dont forget to look at the Berthoud Elementary website. Its a great source of information! www.berthoudelementary.wikispaces.com