Principal’s Message
Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos,
We have had some amazing after school learning opportunities over the last few weeks. I want to thank our local Amazon office for providing a Coding Club to our second and third graders and now our 4th - 6th graders!
Science Club has also been a huge success. Science Club has been organized and presented by some dedicated and talented young scientists from Cal Poly. We deeply appreciate their time, energy and enthusiasm! The Science Club for 4th - 6th graders is wrapping up today.
Chess is now available on Mondays at lunch thanks to first grade parent Ruslan Arbit. First through sixth graders are invited to play chess in the multipurpose room with their school mates. There was great interest and enthusiasm on our first day. It is great to see students teaching students. It would be great to have more parents get involved. Come join us if you can.
State testing is coming for our 3rd - 6th graders. We will begin the testing after spring break. Your child’s teacher will be sharing more details as we get closer. Please take a minute to learn more with the information below.
Have a lovely weekend.
Sincerely,
Marlie Schmidt
CAASPP
System Assessments 2016–17: Grades 3 - 8
Dear
Parent/Guardian:
California’s
academic standards—the things we want students to know and be able to do—are
designed so students graduate ready for college and a career. One way we
measure their progress is through the California Assessment
of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) assessments. Students across
California in grades 3–8 and high school take these assessments each spring.
These tests were created specifically to gauge each student’s performance in
English language arts/literacy (ELA), mathematics, and science. These tests measure the skills called for by
the academic standards, including the ability to write clearly, think
critically, and solve problems. Students with the most significant cognitive
disabilities, as designated in their individualized education program (IEP),
are eligible to take alternate assessments (CAA).
Because CAASPP
tests are given statewide, they provide an opportunity to measure the skills of
all students against the same academic standards. Given online, the tests are
computer-adaptive, allowing more precise measurement of individual skills.
This year, your
child will take the following tests:
·
Smarter
Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and mathematics OR
·
CAA
for ELA and mathematics
Students in
Grades 5 and 8 will also take the following pilot assessment for Science:
·
The California Science Test (CAST) OR
·
CAA for Science
Smarter Balanced Assessments
The Smarter
Balanced ELA and mathematics tests reflect California’s rigorous academic
standards and allow students to demonstrate analytical writing and critical
thinking skills as well as their knowledge of facts. In 2017, parents will be able to compare results across three years (2014–15, 2015–16, and
2016–17) to determine their child’s progress in meeting the standards.
(Exceptions: Only two years of data will be reported for students in grade 4,
and only one year of data will be reported for students in grade three.)
To learn more
about these tests, please visit CDE’s Test Score Guide Web site at http://www.testscoreguide.org/ca, which provides informative guides and
test score descriptions as well as sample test items at different levels of
difficulty.
Another great
resource are the Practice and Training Tests, which can be found on the CDE’s Smarter Balanced Practice and Training
Tests Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/practicetest.asp. Here, parents can experience the kinds
of questions that students will encounter on the tests.
California Science
Test—Pilot Test (Grades 5 & 8 Only)
California’s
new state standards for science call for students to think and work like
scientists and engineers—asking questions and learning through hands-on
investigation and discovery. Working with science teachers, California is
developing a new assessment that emphasizes scientific thinking and reasoning.
This year your child will participate in the tryout of test items for this
future assessment. While this tryout will not provide scores for your child, it
is an important first step in developing an assessment that will fairly and
accurately measure how students are achieving on the new science standards. For
additional information about the new science tests and sample questions, please
visit the CDE’s CAASPP
Science Assessment Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/caasppscience.asp.
If you have any
questions regarding your child’s participation in statewide assessments, please
contact Cherie Bruce at (805)
596-4075 or email at cbruce@slcusd.org.
Marlie Schmidt
Principal
Upcoming Dates
- Look Alike Day, Friday, March 24th - Grab a group of friends, and dress alike! Wear regular clothing-- this is not a costume day, rather, a "wear the same outfit" day.
- Family Math Night, Thursday, March 30th at 5:30 p.m.
- Spring Break, Monday - Friday, April 17th - April 21ST
Family Math Night
Thursday, March 30, 2017 we will have Math Games and Activities from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The whole family is involved to engage in fun math games and activities. Parents must attend with their kids.
Open Enrollment
Now through the end of March is enrollment for TK and Kindergarten students. You can also apply for Open Enrollment during this time (which includes requests to go to Teach Elementary for 4th, 5th and 6th Grade students). Please stop by the office if you need the forms for this process.
Our Variety Show date is April 28th. It is for students 2nd-6th Grade. Please stop by the office for an application. We will notify you when we have our first practice.
