Monday, February 22, 2016

Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos,


Parent conferences will be here soon. They are scheduled for the week of March 7 - 11. During that week you children will have minimum school days. In addition, February 25th and 26th will also be minimum days.  Everyone, except T-K, will get out at 1:00. TK students will end their day at the usual time, 12:20 p.m.  


Parent Conferences are a wonderful time for parents and teachers to discuss a variety of topics. First and foremost, the goal of a Parent-Teacher conference is to provide valuable time to communicate, celebrate and plan for your child’s progress. This communication works both ways. It is a time for us to share evidence of progress and observations, but it is also a time for us to learn from you. What are you noticing at home? How is homework going? Second, conferences are also a time for parents  to learn more deeply about the content that was covered over the last trimester and content that is on the horizon. There is a lot to be learned about the new state standards in reading, writing and in math. Learning about them through examples of your child’s work can make it more meaningful and relevant. And third, we are most effective when we team up. Parent-Teacher conferences are a powerful opportunity to celebrate your child’s successes and collaborate over the next set of goals.
Not all of you will be required to have a conference this trimester. In the fall, all parents attend. In the spring, students who are receiving all 3’s (meeting academic expectations) and C’s and U’s (Consistently and Usually meeting behavior expectations) do not need to attend. Your child’s teacher will let you know. A parent can always request a conference even when it is not required.


Sincerely,
Marlie Schmidt


Open Enrollment Registration:
Our Kindergarten Registration, TK Registration and Open Enrollment period begins on Monday, February 29th through March 25th. You will need to enroll at your home school, so, if Los Ranchos is your home school, please come by the office for the appropriate enrollment paperwork.


Parent Education:
Parent Social Media Presentation:
Parents are invited to attend a presentation regarding Social Media in our Multi-Use- Room on March 22nd from 6-7:30pm. This is a parent-only meeting which will provide you with important information on how to keep your children safe in the new world of social media.


Release of Identifying Student Data:
There is a recent court decision involving the California Department of Education (CDE) and the release of identifying data regarding students. SLCUSD is not a party to the litigation and is not required to disclose any student information, nor does it intend to do so. However, while SLCUSD will not directly release any information, the data requested in the litigation will be that which has been collected over the years from California School Districts by the CDE and stored by CDE. The CDE may release this information unless parents fill out the "Notice and Objection" Form (see link below).
Regarding the case: The California Department of Education (“CDE”) is currently engaged in litigation with two non-profit associations comprised of parents and guardians of children with disabilities. The plaintiffs in that litigation have requested numerous documents, as well as student data collected and stored by CDE, which may include personally identifiable student information.
To comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”), CDE has been ordered, among other things, to inform parents and students of the disclosure of such information.
CDE has requested that school districts and SELPAs post the following link to CDE’swebsite:
The link provides a Notice and Objection Form to allow parents to object, by April 1, 2016, to the disclosure of personally identifiable information related to their children.

Instructional Materials Review Committee Seeks Parent Input
San Luis Coastal Unified School District has formed an Instructional Materials Adoption Panel (IMAP) to review kindergarten – 5th grade English Language Arts materials for possible adoption. The committee is requesting community input in this process. Interested parents and community members are invited to visit our school during regular business hours to review English Language Arts textbooks and complete a School Community Evaluation forms. Textbooks and materials will be on display at the school from February 22 to March 4, 2016. We encourage you to participate and value your input. All completed School Community Evaluations will be reviewed by the IMAP prior to making a recommendation to our School Board.

Thursday, February 4, 2016


Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos Elementary,

As you know we had a very successful fundraising event with our Walk-a-thon.   As a result our PTA thought long and hard about finding the best ways to spend the extra dollars.

In December, our PTA reached out to the Los Ranchos staff. Every teacher was given the opportunity to submit a proposal for their grade level and they did! Everyone had great ideas to enrich and extend learning. Even our librarian, Mrs. Sabo, had some great ideas to update our library. Our art teacher, Mrs. Johnson, also provided some suggestions in order to maintain the richness of our visual arts program. The variety of proposals was impressive. They included: music lessons, a new kiln, science-focused field trips, ipad apps in primary classes and many more.  The PTA examined and debated every proposal anxious to ensure that all students would benefit from your generosity. In the end almost every proposal was entirely, or partially funded.

I want to thank the PTA for the thoughtful process and thank you again for your contributions. I know teachers will be providing updates about the ways your children are benefitting.

Our PTA meets once a month at lunch. You can learn about upcoming meetings on the calendar on our website. I hope you can join us.

Sincerely,
Marlie Schmidt

Favorite quotes from the week  . . .
“I have written so many books I can hardly put them in my folder!”
Corinne, Knder author
“I wrote two books in one day. I wrote about soccer because I love soccer!”
Tanner, Kinder author
“I like the 'Give and Take' strategy. It gets me to a number that is easier to add.”
Dylan, 4th grade mathematician
“Now that I know the 'Give and Take' strategy, it is one of the best ones. It really helps me because it really makes it easier to add really big numbers.”
Gavin, 4th grade mathematician
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PLEASE REMEMBER

THERE IS

IN THE BUS ZONE!!!
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Instructional Materials Review Committee Seeks Parent Input
San Luis Coastal Unified School District has formed an Instructional Materials Adoption Panel (IMAP) to review kindergarten – 5th grade English Language Arts materials for possible adoption. The committee is requesting community input in this process. Interested parents and community members are invited to visit our school during regular business hours to review English Language Arts textbooks and complete a School Community Evaluation forms. Textbooks and materials will be on display at the school from February 22 to March 4, 2016. We encourage you to participate and value your input. All completed School Community Evaluations will be reviewed by the IMAP prior to making a recommendation to our School Board.
The Los Ranchos Talent Show is ON.
Thanks to several parents who have graciously volunteered their time, we are able to once again offer your wonderful children the opportunity to showcase their talents. The date of the event will be the evening of Friday, March 18th, 2016.
Tryouts will be March 2nd, 3rd, and 4th during lunch periods. Children should be prepared to discuss what they will be doing, do a brief 1 minute audition, and submit the music they will be using during the show. Maximum time for every act should not exceed 2 ½ minutes. WE get it... there may be some time exceptions but let’s not get too carried away. More information will follow this week so look for that in the brown envelope.
The theme will be SUMMER SLAM. So parents start helping your kids think big. Let’s allow them to be bold, be audacious, and bring their best musical, instrument, comedy, athletic showcase to present. Think of this as a prelude to the best summer ever. “BE Epic” is our mantra.