Coffee with the Principal

                (SAC Meetings)

 

Due to our parent survey feedback we have changed the time of our SAC Meetings to be more convenient for our families! On the first Friday of the month, PLEASE join Principal Miller for coffee, treats, and discussion in the cafeteria from 8:45-9:45am.

 

SAC Meeting Discussion � February 3, 2012

�         Recent & Upcoming School Events and Activities:

-          Turn-off the TV Campaign � CCS is proud to present our first annual �Turn � Off the TV Campaign� from Jan. 19^th thru Feb. 10^th. Turn-off the TV campaign is about taking a healthy break from television and video games and focusing on having fun and doing things together with family and friends. Turning the TV off for the week can open a wide range of possibilities for families to experience more quality time together.

-          Silent Auction � The third annual Silent Auction event will be on Friday, Feb. 10^th. All funds raised will be used toward our technology focus - projectors and carts for each classroom and updated laptops.

-          Family Game Night � Will be held on Friday, February 10^th from 6 � 8pm. There will be a chess station, fun family games, raffle drawing and Pasquale�s Chicago Style Hot Dogs.

-          Fuel Up to Play 60 - �Eat This, Not That� will be taking place February 13 � 17. Students will make a pledge to replace a food they normally eat with a healthier alternative. Students will fill out a pledge sheet if they meet their commitment. As a reward students will be able to wear their favorite sports apparel or the color of their favorite fruit or vegetable on Friday, February 17^th. 

 

�         Technology � InFocus IN112 Portable DLP Projectors: Demonstration by Mrs. Nicole Gonzalez, CCS 1^st grade teacher. Mrs. Gonzalez showed how the projector allows students to be more hands on and how easily it brings an image that is really small to a larger picture for the entire class to view. She explained the many ways this projector will benefit each classroom.

-          Projector features include: bright images, high quality picture, SVGA (800 x 600) native resolution, rated 24/7 non- stop, easy to hook up/user friendly.

-          Projector cart features include: 4 electrical outlets, supports wide variety of equipment on open shelves, laptop/writing adjustable shelf, rear cord management bins that keep cables neat and safely out of the way.

 

�         Parent Fundraising Committee Update:  

-          Eagle Pride T-Shirts � We are excited to announce that the T-shirt fundraiser was successful! We sold 427 shirts and raised approximately $2,500 for CCS! Valentine Fundraiser � Thank you to the parents that participated and gave above and beyond for this fundraiser! Students will be excited on Feb. 14^th to receive their Valentine goodies!

-          The next committee meeting will focus on Fry�s Box Tops/Safeway receipts. For those who would like to volunteer, the next meeting to discuss details will be in March. Stay tuned for exact date. 

 

*CCS and the parent fundraising committee are always open to new ideas to help raise money for the school, so please get involved and discuss your thoughts!

 

�         Parent Surveys � Below are the 2010-2011 parent survey results:

Parents were asked to rate the following areas (where 1 is the lowest and 5 is the highest)

 

-          Open Relationship w/Teacher � 4.6

-          Classroom Instruction � 4.62

-          Classroom Discipline � 4.57

-          Up-keep of School Facilities � 4.67

-          Your Support of your Child�s � 4.62

 

-          Your Child�s Progress This Year � 4.63

-          Overall Satisfaction w/CCS � 4.67

-          Did you volunteer in your child�s class?

67% of CCS Parents have volunteered in their child�s classroom

-          Does your child have a specific place at home to do their schoolwork?  Do you spend at least 20 minutes most nights?

�  85% have a specific place at home to do their schoolwork

�  89% spend at least 20 minutes on schoolwork most nights

-          Did you & your child review the school�s policy handbook together?

P  73% have discussed/shown the Policy Handbook with their child

-          Are you aware of & understand the school�s Environmental Policy?

�  85% are aware of & understand CCS�s Environmental Policy

 

-          CCS would like parent�s input for the 2011-2012 survey. Please fill out the blank survey handed out during the meeting and return it at the next meeting on 3/2.

 

�         Discussion with John Stollar, Chief of Programs for the Arizona Department of Education: Below are a few questions that were addressed during the discussion:

- Nutrition in schools: John discussed how it is a cooperative effort from parents, kids, and the school to provide a healthy and balanced diet. It is important to teach our children good nutritional habits. He mentioned that a bill will be coming forward in regards to the federal lunch program.

-  Demands on teachers: John talked about how teachers are required to teach more in their classroom. The state has raised the bar on students, and therefore, teachers are integrating lessons/materials in classrooms.

- Year round school/longer school days: Mr. Stollar believes that it is necessary to have year-round schooling and longer school days. Since teachers are having to teach more, time is a constraint and longer school days would benefit the student.  

Thank you John Stollar for taking the time to visit CCS!

*Uniforms: Please remember to visit Hopscotch Consignment and Resale for Dennis uniform options. Located at: 

5930 W. Greenway Rd. #16

Glendale, AZ 85306

Phone: 602-938-4998

 

See you at the next SAC meeting on Friday, March 2^nd at 8:45 am!

 

 

SAC Meeting Discussion - January 6, 2012

 

- Recent & Upcoming School Events and Activities:

• Project Salad � The second annual Project Salad has been a huge success! This year our students started the season off by planting a bean seed in their classroom and taking it home to monitor. In October, all grade levels planted seeds in our gardens including snap peas, spinach, lettuce, carrots, green onions and radishes. Last month the kids enjoyed a delicious salad that included all of the vegetables that were harvested. Next, the kids will get to plant flowers!

• Spelling Bee/Great American SpellCheck � Your child studies 100 words (20 words for Kindergarten and 50 words for 1st grade) and collects pledges from family and friends for every word that he or she spells correctly. This is a fundraiser in which 100% of the money raised benefits our school! Each classroom will participate in the Great American Spellcheck on the same day as our school spelling bees. Congratulations to all of the classroom winners that will compete in the final spelling bees.

• Reading Rocks � Thursday, January 19th marks the second annual Reading Rocks day to celebrate the joy of reading. On this day CCS students will be allowed to come dressed in the costume of their favorite fictional book character. This will be a fun, optional activity open to all CCS students. The evening of Jan. 19th is also our Family Reading Night Book Exchange! Don�t miss it!

• Turn-off the TV Campaign � CCS is proud to present our first annual �Turn � Off the TV Campaign� from Jan. 19th thru Feb. 10th. Turn-off the TV campaign is about taking a healthy break from television and video games and focusing on having fun and doing things together with family and friends. Turning the TV off for the week can open a wide range of possibilities for families to experience more quality time together.

• Silent Auction � The third annual Silent Auction event will be on Friday, Feb. 10th. All funds raised will be used toward our technology focus � we are raising money to buy a  InFocus IN112 Portable DLP projector and a technology cart for each classroom.

- New Before/After School Extracurricular Activities:

• The Drama Kids program � this program is specifically designed to build self-confidence, as well as strong speaking and acting skills through the fun and creativity of drama. Classes will be held on Wednesday mornings starting on Jan. 11th.   

• O�Neil Fitness - The fitness program includes healthy life style, sports conditioning, proper form, balance, endurance, agility training, and preparing for teamwork. Classes will be held every Thursday, starting on Jan. 26th.

• Chorus � CCS Music Teacher, Mrs. Johnson will be starting chorus classes with grades 4th � 6th. Details and schedule to follow soon.

- School Pride T-Shirt & Parent Fundraising Committee Update:  

• Eagle Pride T-Shirts � We are excited to announce that the T-shirt fundraiser was successful! We raised approximately $1800 for CCS! More importantly, the kids LOVE wearing them to school!

• Valentine�s Fundraiser � The next fundraiser will be in February to celebrate Valentine�s Day. Parents will have the opportunity to send their child a special note at no cost, or parents can purchase small items to be delivered to their child at a small fee. This activity is more of a family opportunity to interact at school and celebrate with their child as it likely will not raise funds for school since items are priced extra low to increase participation. Also, parents can write their child a valentine to send them that day without buying any of the available items. More information/details to follow.

*CCS and the parent fundraising committee are always open to new ideas to help raise money for the school, so please get involved and discuss your thoughts!

 

- Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge Finalists: On Thursday, Dec. 29th the CCS 6th grade Aerospace Team, Celestial Phoenix competed in the finals at Challenger Space Center. Although they did not win, they were still incredible winners in our book to make it as far as they did in the competition. As finalists, they enjoyed an exclusive opportunity to spend time with NASA astronauts. Way to go team!

 

- Technology � InFocus IN112 Portable DLP Projectors: The focus for this year�s fundraising money is toward projectors and projector carts for each classroom.

• Projector features include: bright images, high quality picture, SVGA (800 x 600) native resolution, rated 24/7 non- stop, easy to hook up/user friendly.

• Projector cart features include: 4 electrical outlets, supports wide variety of equipment on open shelves, laptop/writing adjustable shelf, rear cord management bins that keep cables neat and safely out of the way.

 

*Uniforms: Please remember to visit Hopscotch Consignment and Resale for Dennis uniform options. Located at: 

5930 W. Greenway Rd. #16

Glendale, AZ 85306

Phone: 602-938-4998

 

See you at the next SAC meeting on Friday, February 3rd at 8:45 am!

 

 

 

 

SAC Meeting Discussion - December 2, 2011

• Lego Robotics:

CCS would like to give a big thank you to Tony Schwartz for nominating CCS for the Ebay Foundation Grant! Mr. Schwartz works for PayPal, which is owned by Ebay. PayPal employees had the opportunity to nominate an agency to apply for the Ebay Foundation Grant. With the help of CCS Technology Teacher, Mrs. Gallagher and Mr. Schwartz, we received $2,000 based on creativity and innovation standards. The money will be used for Lego Education Robotics Set! More to follow on this exciting story soon!.

 

• Mrs. Gallagher, CCS Technology Teacher, joined the meeting to follow up on questions from the November SAC meeting regarding computer safety curriculum and also to share some of th fun things going on in technology class:

-    CCS would like to thank Mrs. Gallagher for writing the Lego Education WeDo grant! She will be implementing the Lego Education Robotics program within grades 2^nd - 6^th.

About the program: A theme that has a focused subject matter that includes science, technology, math, or language. The themes require students to program and create a working model, interpret 2D and 3D illustrations, understand that animals use parts of their bodies as tools, compare natural systems with mechanical systems, use software to acquire information and demonstrate knowledge and operation of digital and technological systems.

-          Digital Citizenship: internet safety (Woogi World game to learn safety issues), cyberbullying, appropriate use of technology (time, place, balance, user  agreements, respectful use)

-          Communication & Collaboration: safe student email, project collaboration, email students     from different cities/countries.

-          Research & Information Literacy: Encarta Encyclopedia, keyword searching

-          Technology Operations and Concepts: formatting documents, saving and locating files, typing skills, web navigation, trouble shooting, hardware.

*For Mrs. Gallagher's full PowerPoint presentation click HERE

                                                                                                         

• Arizona Business and Education Coalition (ABEC):

-          We are excited to announce that CCS is a 2011 NCEA Arizona Higher Performing School! We were awarded on achieving college and career readiness. 

-          ABEC identified higher performing schools based on two measures: consistent improvement in student achievement from previous years (growth) and/or absolute student achievement using the schools' Exceeds Standards results on the 2009-2011 Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS).

-          For more information, please visit www.azbec.org

 

• Recent School Activities:

-          The Millers attended The State Board of Charter Schools a few weeks ago to renew Challenge Charter School's charter contract with the State.   The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools consider renewal based on affirmative evidence based in three areas: success of the academic program, including academic achievement, viability of the organization, including fiscal management and compliance and adherence to the terms of the charter, including contract and legal compliance. We are thrilled that CCS was determined to have shown exemplary compliance in all areas and has been approved for renewal for the next 20 years!

 

 

• Parent Fundraising Committee Update:

 -  Make - A-Plates were distributed and sent home with students last week. Thank you to those that helped with the distribution!

-     An EAGLE Pride Friday T-shirt is available for purchase for students and parents! Beginning on January 6, 2012, students have the option to wear their Eagle Pride t-shirt with their uniform bottoms to school every Friday. Order forms will be sent home this week.

-     The next parent fundraising committee meeting will be on Friday, Dec. 16^th at 8:45am in the cafeteria to discuss February's fundraiser.

 

*CCS and the parent fundraising committee are always open to new ideas to help raise money for the school, so please get involved and discuss your thoughts!

 

 

• CCS Scholastic Book Fair & Ice Cream Social:

Mark your calendars, so you won't miss the Scholastic Book Fair hosted by the sixth grade. The book fair gives you and your children the opportunity to buy carefully selected, quality books and products at affordable prices. Plus, the book fair serves as an opportunity for the sixth graders to learn about business and contribute to all classroom libraries.

-          Scholastic Book Fair Dates: Dec. 6 & 7 are designated shopping days for classes. Dec. 8 & 9 are open book fair times (before school hours for adults only: 8:00 - 8:25am), for students and parents (9:00 - 11:00am), Dec. 6 & 8 from 3:30 - 4:30pm for everyone.

-          Please join us for Family Night and the Ice Cream Social this Friday, Dec. 9^th from 6:00 - 8:00pm! See you there!

      

 

*Uniforms: Please remember to visit Hopscotch Consignment and Resale for Dennis uniform options. Located at: 

5930 W. Greenway Rd. #16

Glendale, AZ 85306

Phone: 602-938-4998

 

See you at the next SAC meeting on Friday, January 6^th at 8:45 am!

 

 

 

SAC Meeting Discussion - November 4, 2011

• Recent school activities: discussed and showed photos from past events (Magic School Bus Night, Multicultural Unity Day, Fuel Up to Play 60 and Pep Rally). Thanks to all the families who participated and helped make these events fun and successful!
• Upcoming dates and school activities:

Friday, Nov 11^th - Holiday, No School

Tuesday, Nov 15^th - Photo Re-takes

Thursday, Nov 17^th - Carrabba's Night

Friday, Nov 18^th - Report cards sent home

Week of Nov 21^st - Holiday, No School

 

• Parent Fundraising Committee Update: Thank you to all who participated in the plate fundraiser! CCS collected a total of $2,300! A spirit CCS shirt is in the works as another idea to raise money for the school. Students will have the opportunity to purchase a shirt and wear on Fridays to show school spirit. The shirt is still in the designing stages. More details to follow.

*CCS and the parent fundraising committee are always open to new ideas to help raise money for the school, so please get involved and discuss your thoughts!

• Shift Happens: Preparing our children for their world -  Principal Miller showed a 5 minute YouTube video called, Shift Happens, which showed a fascinating and fast paced series of statistics and examples about the accelerating pace of change creating our turbulent times. This reflects how educators are focusing more on the positive benefits and doing what they can to help children learn and grow, so they may become successful digital, global citizens.
• Open Comments: Ideas were discussed on how CCS will use fundraising proceeds for more technology in the classroom:

-       Internet websites to help students with homework; a parent recommended khanacademy.com (free website that will give student a tutorial)

o   Don't miss all of the great resource links that Mrs. Gallagher, CCS Technology Teacher, has posted on the "technology" section of the webpage

-       Computer Etiquette (what students need to be responsible for on internet, copyright issues, how to safely use internet, how to properly write a letter or email)

o   This is part of the AZ technology standards and Mrs. Gallagher teaches and models these strategies daily for CCS kids!

-       Also, we can seek guest speakers to discuss digital safety and technology in general.

o   Parents!...Anyone work in the technology field and want to come share your expertise with our kids?....

*Uniforms: Please remember to visit Hopscotch Consignment and Resale for Dennis uniform options. Located at: 

5930 W. Greenway Rd. #16

Glendale, AZ 85306

Phone: 602-938-4998

 

See you at the next SAC meeting on Friday, December 2^nd at 8:45 am!