Newsletter, May 18

Principal’s Message

Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos

If you were at school today, you may have run into a celebrity, a Nobel Prize winner, or a famous historic person. Fourth graders have been applying all their research, writing and theatrical skills to bring the Fourth Grade Wax Museum to life. Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Eva Peron, General Ulysses S. Grant, Amelia Earhart, and many, many others were in attendance. Thank you fourth graders! You provided an engaging learning opportunity for your schoolmates and parents.

Our fifth and sixth graders enjoyed a spectacular day San Luis Obispo High School at Tiger Olympics. Students had a chance to tour the school, learn about STEAM, the agriculture program, music and an array of sporting events. A special thanks to the parents who attended and a very special thanks to the Tiger Olympics team at the high school. This has become a highly anticipated event for our students.

We have a very special school wide event coming up next Friday, May 25. We will host our first Cardboard Challenge. Please read more details below.  Every student, every class will participate. Students can start at home in addition to building something at school. Please remember that we are a latex free school. Projects with duct tape will not be allowed. We will be using masking tape. We are looking forward to seeing our students' creativity, ingenuity and collaboration! All projects will be on display in the multipurpose room from 2:50 - 3:30 p.m.  

Please stop by if you have any questions or concerns. 

For your Calendar

5/25            Entry for Roadrunner T-Shirt Contest Due

5/25            Cardboard Challenge  10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

5/28            Memorial Day / No School

6/1              Bike Parade and Hunger Awareness Day 
6/4              End of the Year Assembly 9:45 a.m.
6/7              Last Day of School - Full Day
8/20            First Day of School for 2018-2019

Library Reminder:

All library books are due the week of May 21 - 25. Outstanding loss and/or damage notices
will be mailed home by June 1st to those students who have not returned their library book
by May 25th. As stated in the Annual Parent Notice, “Library book processing standards
prohibit the school district from accepting donated copies of a library book that has been
lost or damaged in lieu of payment.”  Encourage your students to return their library
books on time!

Cafeteria Reminder

Please check to see if your student has a balance on their meal account for the cafeteria. If you currently have a balance, please return a payment on line or to the office so that we can clear all lunch accounts by the end of the school year. Any remaining balances on accounts will transfer to the next school year.

Newsletter, May 11, 2018

Principal’s Message

Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos

All of the staff here at Los Ranchos are feeling very loved and supported. Thank you for your generous gestures of appreciation! We were showered with daily treats, coffees, cards, flowers, hugs and a luncheon or breakfast everyday of the week! Thank you all!

I hope you have a lovely Mother's Day weekend. 

Sincerely,

Marlie

For your Calendar

5/25            Cardboard Challenge  10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

5/28            Memorial Day / No School

6/1              Bike Parade and Hunger Awareness Day 
6/4              End of the Year Assembly 9:45 a.m.
6/7              Last Day of School

Library Reminder:

All library books are due the week of May 21 - 25. Outstanding loss and/or damage notices
will be mailed home by June 1st to those students who have not returned their library book
by May 25th. As stated in the Annual Parent Notice, “Library book processing standards
prohibit the school district from accepting donated copies of a library book that has been
lost or damaged in lieu of payment.”  Encourage your students to return their library
books on time!

Los Ranchos’ Cardboard Challenge

• Inspired by the short film, ‘Caine’s Arcade’, the Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual event presented by the Imagination Foundation to celebrate child creativity and the role communities can play in fostering it.  Kids of all ages are invited to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination.

  
  
  
  

  This year Los Ranchos students will have the opportunity to do the Cardboard Challenge!  The event will be held on Friday, May 25th from 10:30-12:00 in the quad, but you can begin work at home now (NO DUCT TAPE PLEASE! NO MAILING TAPE EITHER. NO RUBBER BANDS WITH LATEX. WE ARE A LATEX FREE SCHOOL) , and throughout the month.  On Friday, May 25th students will bring materials or their creation to school. We will set aside about one hour that day for students to work on creating a new project or finishing up an old one.  All of our creations will be on display from 2:50- 3:30 in the gym. We need 1-2 parent volunteers per classroom to work at the cutting station.  All families are invited to come take a look after school at 2:50.  Parents - please help by bringing in any of the supplies below to your child’s teacher along with masking tape (no duct tape) ON the morning of Friday, May 25th. Help with clean up after school is also welcomed
• Here are the guidelines to get started at home:Build a creation using recycled materials only.  Use what your family recycles from home. There is no need to go out collecting large items. Keep your creation under 3ft. by 3ft. Please do not buy things other than binding materials such as tape (no duct tape please!) or glue.  
• Here are some suggestions: Used cardboard boxes * Cereal boxes * Shoe boxes * Tissue boxes * Paper towel or toilet paper tubes * Milk cartons * Empty egg cartons * Empty plastic bottles, strawberry containers, yogurt containers * Lids * Fabric scraps * newspaper * Brown bags…. You get the idea. What can you put together? You may work alone, with a partner,or a small group.
• Why participate in the Cardboard Challenge?
• Bring families and the community together to foster and celebrate child creativity.
• Teaches valuable skills like design thinking, resourcefulness, perseverance, teamwork and problem solving
• Let children explore their interests, passions, and imaginations.

School Supplies for the  2018-2019 School Year
You have options for school supplies. We are working with 1st Day School Supplies, a online site  where you can order a box of supplies for your student and have the supplies mailed directly to your home (the link is below).  You also have the option of purchasing supplies at any of our local retail stores.  The lists of classroom supplies are on our webpage lr.slcusd.org. or use this link Los Ranchos School Supply List



1st Day School Supplies

Newsletter, May 4, 2018

Principal’s Message

Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos

Thank you for joining us at Open House last night. It was great to have so many friends and family members join us. Our 6th grade band and percussion groups kicked off the evening with a rousing performance in the quad.  The amazing growth of the year popped off every wall and shined through each display. A very special thanks to the teachers and staff who spent many extra hours to create this memorable evening. 

Please call, email or drop by if you have any questions or concerns. I appreciate when parents take time to provide their insights.  

Enjoy a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Marlie

For your Calendar

5/7              Blue Ribbon Committee Outreach Forum - MBHS Library - 6:00-8:00 p.m.
57-5/8         Kindergarten Round Up
5/8              Free Parent Mindfulness Workshop 6:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.

5/8              PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.
5/28            Memorial Day / No School
6/1              Bike Parade and Hunger Awareness Day 

Library Reminder:

All library books are due the week of May 21 - 25. Outstanding loss and/or damage notices
will be mailed home by June 1st to those students who have not returned their library book
by May 25th. As stated in the Annual Parent Notice, “Library book processing standards
prohibit the school district from accepting donated copies of a library book that has been
lost or damaged in lieu of payment.”  Encourage your students to return their library
books on time!

Newsletter, April 27, 2018

Principal’s Message

Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos

We just wrapped up another exciting Battle of the Books. Over eighty students participated. Some read thirty books to prepare for today's competition. The Battle inspires many students to read beyond their perceived abilities. This event requires dozens of parent volunteers and a couple dedicated leaders. I want to thank all of the parents who participated during the event and leading up to the event.  A very special thanks to our dedicated leaders: Barbara Beckett, Melissa Allen and Kristy Sabo. They were instrumental in supporting students throughout the year and for today's special event. A county level Battle is coming up on June 9th at the County Office of Education. Please see below for more information. 

Thursday, May 3 is Open House.  We look forward to seeing you. Please make sure  your kids are with you at all times. The 6th grade band will be performing at 5:30 in the Quad along with a couple 6th grade percussion groups. Classrooms will be open from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 

   

Please call, email or drop by if you have any questions or concerns. Have another beautiful weekend on the Central Coast.

Sincerely,

Marlie

For your Calendar

4/30            Blue Ribbon Committee Outreach Forum - LOMS Library - 6:00-8:00 p.m.

5/3              Open House 5:30 p.m. - 7:00, 
                             5:30 - 6:00 - 6th grade Band performs in the Quad 
                             6:00 - 7:00 - Classrooms are Open
5/7              Blue Ribbon Committee Outreach Forum - MBHS Library - 6:00-8:00 p.m.
57-5/8         Kindergarten Round Up
5/8              Free Parent Mindfulness Workshop 6:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.

5/8              PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.
5/28            Memorial Day / No School
6/1              Bike Parade and Hunger Awareness Day 

Mindfulness for Parents and Teachers:

This free one hour workshop  will be held on May 8th from 6:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. before the PTA meeting.  You will explore how the practice of mindfulness can support parents and teachers to stay meaningfully connected to themselves  even as the demands and complexities of life increase. The practice of mindfulness teaches us to stay more present to ourselves and our children and increases our capacity to respond rather than react to the challenges of life. Mindfulness also grows our ability to meet conflict with compassion and increases our capacity for self-awareness, humor and love. This workshop is an introduction to mindfulness and how to practice it, as well as a discussion on how to specifically apply mindfulness to the rich experience of parenting and teaching.

Deborah Halpern, MEd, MATP, spent 8 years practicing and studying yoga and meditation full-time in retreat. She has earned master’s degrees in both Education and Psychology and has taught mindfulness practices to both children and adults. She is an instructional assistant at Los Ranchos!

WOMENADE Project

Hi! My name is Jill Goldsmith and I was a former student at Los Ranchos. I am now a freshman at SLO High School. In my Ag Biology class, we have to do an SAE project, which stands for Supervised Agricultural Experience. I am doing this project along with two of my good friends, Sophia Lindvall (a former student at Los Ranchos), and Sadie LaChapelle (a former student at Bishop's Peak). For our project, we are working with Womenade to collect donations that are needed for their backpack program. We are collecting items such as diapers, food, and books for young children and families. We are setting up a donation bin outside of the front office. The donation bin will be there from April 30th - May 14th. Below is a flyer listing the items that Womenade is in need of. Thank you for considering to donate to this great cause. Anything helps!

Hunger Awareness Day

June 1, 2018

June 1, 2018 has been proclaimed Hunger Awareness Day in San Luis Obispo County.

“One Day, One Dollar, One Big Challenge to Feed the Hungry”

You can make a significant difference in the life of a hungry individual by donating $1.

1 in 6 people are hungry in SLO County. 40% are children. 20% are seniors.

All are our neighbors. 

Los Ranchos is incorporating our Bike Parade with Hunger Awareness Day!

Newsletter, April 20, 2018

Principal’s Message

Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos

It is almost Open House! It is early this year. We have moved it up to Thursday, May 3rd.
Open House is a delightful community event where we get to showcase students'
reading, writing, science, social studies, technology, music, P.E., art and more. It is also a
lovely evening to connect with your child's classmates and parents. Our 6th grade band will be
performing from 5:30 to 6:00 in the quad. Classrooms will be open from 6:00 - 7:00. Students
will also be able to show off their athletism in the multipurpose room with our P.E. program.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Last week we let parents know about an important meeting about local events in our area that will have a lasting impact on our schools. Our Superintendent, Dr. Prater, will host three different forums to inform parents about the closure of Diablo Nuclear Power Plant. The first will be one offered in San Luis Obispo on Monday, April 23, from 5 - 7:00 at the district office in J2 (where school board meetings are held). If you are unable to attend in town there will be additional presentations at Morro Bay High School on May 7, 5 - 7:00 p.m.  and at Los Osos Middle School on April 30, 5 - 7:00 p.m. We hope you can attend.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Marlie

For your Calendar

4/18            PTA Fundraiser - Eat at SLO Provisions (see the flyer below)

4/20            School Dress Up Day - 80's Day

4/23            Blue Ribbon Committee Outreach Forum - District Office - 5:00-7:00 p.m.

4/24            6th grade Field Trip to Hearst Castle

4/27            1st and 2nd Graders to PAC for a Field Trip

4/27            Los Ranchos Battle of the Books
4/30            Blue Ribbon Committee Outreach Forum - LOMS Library - 5:00-7:00 p.m.

5/3              Open House 5:30 p.m. - 7:00, 
                             5:30 - 6:00 - 6th grade Band performs in the Quad 
                             6:00 - 7:00 - Classrooms are Open
                             6:00 - 7:00 - P.E. Demonstrations in the Multipurpose Room
5/7              Blue Ribbon Committee Outreach Forum - MBHS Library - 5:00-7:00 p.m.

5/8              PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Newsletter, April 13, 2018

Principal’s Message

Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos,
The closure of Diablo Nuclear Power Plant will have a significant impact on the budget of our school district over the next few years. Our Superintendent, Dr. Prater, will host three different forums for our community. The purpose is to inform parents and to gather input and feedback from our community. There will be one offered in San Luis Obispo on Monday, April 23, from 5 - 7:00 at the district office in J2 (where school board meetings are held). If you are unable to attend in town there will be additional presentations at Morro Bay High School on May 7, 5 - 7:00 p.m.  and at Los Osos Middle School on April 30, 5 - 7:00 p.m. We hope you can attend.

Our testing window with the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for 3rd - 6th graders will be from April 23 - June 1. Each teacher has set up a schedule to support a positive testing experience. Your child’s teacher will be sending out his/her schedule. The tests are untimed. Teachers plan in extra minutes so students don’t feel the pressure of time. The schedule may appear that testing stretches on and on. In reality, the estimated time is 6 to 6.5 hours total over five weeks. Fifth graders take an additional test in Science. Please make every effort to make sure your child is at school during the test taking time. We plan for make-ups, but it is best when students are taking the assessments with their classmates. In addition, it makes a difference when students are well rested and well fed. Your help is deeply appreciated.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Marlie

For your Calendar
4/18            PTA Fundraiser - Eat at SLO Provisions (see the flyer below)
4/20            School Dress Up Day - 80's Day

4/24            6th grade Field Trip to Hearst Castle

4/27            1st and 2nd Graders to PAC for a Field Trip

4/27            Los Ranchos Battle of the Books

5/3              Open House 5:30 p.m.

5/8              PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Important Parent Survey
 Dear Parent,
San Luis Coastal Unified School District is conducting a survey of parents who have children attending our elementary schools. Please take a few moments to share your thoughts and opinions about your child’s elementary school.

Please follow this link to access the survey on Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SLCUSDLR2018 

We would like to hear from every elementary parent in our school district. Next week we will be sending home a hard copy of the survey. Please  initial and return the top sheet to your child’s teacher, indicating that you have had an opportunity to complete the online survey. If you prefer, you may complete the paper survey attached to the letter instead and return it to your child’s elementary school. We appreciate you for taking the time to offer us some feedback about our schools. 

Marlie Schmidt 
Principal, Los Ranchos Elementary 
Amy Shields
Director of Learning and Achievement

Cal Poly Build an Engineer Day

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo collegiate section of the Society of Women Engineers! We would like to invite you to our semi annual Build an Engineer Day (BAE Day) where several engineering clubs host fun, hands on labs such as launching mini rockets and engineering a mechanical hand! This event gives students the opportunity to spend the day on campus and experience multiple engineering activities led by current engineering students and SWE volunteers.

The event will take place on Saturday, May 12th and check in will begin at 8:30 am at Cal Poly’s Advanced Technology Laboratory in the Engineering Plaza. There is NO FEE for a school sign up and a $10 FEE for an individual sign up.

To sign up please fill out the appropriate google form below

School Registration Form

Individual Registration Form

I hope to see you at BAE Day!

Eighties Day

Friday, April 20

Dress in 80s styles!

Pastel shirts with jackets, lace skirts,

shoulder pads, spiky hair, lace gloves,

lace headbands, legwarmers, parachute

pants, oversized sweatshirts…

Los Ranchos Battle of the Books

Please click on the link below to sign up to help with our Battle of Books which is scheduled for Friday, April 27th.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0a4aa4a823a5f49-battle1