Back to School Night2010 – 2011

Principal: Christina Boman

PTA Information

• President: Kim Lohse• VP Volunteers: Jenny Ghorban• VP Fundraising: various people

• Meetings are the first Wed of the month at 7pm in the school library

• Supports our school through materials, teacher stipends & programs

• Fall Fest-October 16th• Fundraisers

• Join at the PTA table tonight• Come by the book fair tonight in room 7

Why are we here tonight?• Meet your teachers, not conference

• See the school• Please, if you had to bring your

children, keep your children with you:• No supervision

• Very distracting• Cars are parked on the blacktop

• To celebrate our wonderful school and the programs your children will be a part

of at El Monte

Who are We?• 473 students• 60% Free and Reduced Lunch

• Free and Reduced Lunch Forms in Office• Confidential

• 31% English Language Learners• 19 classroom teachers• OT, School Psych, Social Work Intern, RS

Teacher w / Aide, 2 Speech Pathologists, ELD/Reading teacher

• 4 Autism Specific classes (1 teacher 4 assistants in each class)

STATE TESTING NEWS• Our 2009-2010 API score increased by 6 points to

754* !!!

• This is the highest El Monte has EVER been! And is a two year in a row increase!

• This is due to the hard work of teachers and students (and parents!)

• We showed a growth in the area of math, not reading, so this is our focus area for this year.

• *official scores from the state will be released on 9/10/10

Accelerated Reader

• Teachers will be talking about AR tonight in their rooms.

• We need your help to make sure that students are reading the correct books.

• Each child has a reading level-please encourage them to read books that are not too hard or too easy and ask them questions about what they have read.

Curriculum Associates Testing

• Given 4 times per year in Math and Language arts

• Measures end of year standards and shows areas of strength and weakness

• Instruction in the classroom will be targeted to meet the needs of your child

• Academic reports will be sent home and shared during Dec. conferences

• BEST (Building Effective Schools Together) • Practices through positive reinforcement:

• Positive Incentives 5:1• Doggie Dimes, Monte Money, Bulldog Bucks• Student Store & Friday Spirit Day• School Rules Posters (Playground &

Hallways• Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible

Parking/Bus Loop• Purpose: to get our students to/from school as

quickly and safely as possible…

• Some DO’s:• DO park on the side streets (not in the cone

areas) and walk up to the school if you want to come on campus

• If you are driving through the loop, DO move up as far as possible so that others behind you can drop off/pick up at the same time

• DO load/unload from the curbside• DO be courteous to other drivers

Parking/Bus Loop• Purpose: to get our students to/from

school as quickly and safely as possible…

• Some DO NOT’s:• DO NOT park in the parking lot/staff

parking or in the no parking/cone zones• DO NOT stop in the loop as soon as you

see your child• DO NOT load your child from the

outside door in the middle of traffic

Bullying is NOT OK

• El Monte teachers grades 3-5 teach a bullying curriculum in the classroom. Ask your child what they have learned. Grades K-2 have just applied for a grant to purchase a social skills curriculum that focuses on being a good friend.

• If your child reports that they have been/are being bullied-please let us know. We cannot help if we do not know there is a problem.

• We encourage students to ignore the behavior, say STOP, and report it to an adult. Together we can stop bullying.

Visitors Passes & Fingerprinting

• For the safety of your child• District policy• Check in at the office & get a sticker/sign

in• Please let the teacher know beforehand if

you would like to be in the classroom to observe

• Only fingerprinted adults may help in the classroom or on a field trip. Please get the form from the office if you would like to be fingerprinted-we need you!

Volunteers

“Great Schools have Great Parents”

We need you at school!

PTA, Traffic, Blacktop/Yard Duty, Office, Field Trips, Spanish translator, At Home

work, Classroom etc.

ELAC & Una Junta

• Twice per month on Fridays• Variety of topics & teacher presentations• Time to ask questions• Time to share ideas• Time to meet other parents• At 8:00am in Room 16• Dates will be in the newsletter• All parents are welcome• First meeting is this Friday

Bulldog CommunicationFolder

• Will come home the first day of every week (Monday usually)

• Will have important notices from school in it

• Send notes to the teacher• Return to school the next day to

receive a piece of Monte Money!

Attendance

08-09: 95.3% 09-10: 94.2%• Importance:

• ADA- $44/day per student• educating children

• SARB• Call the office. But, phone calls

during the day should be for emergency purposes only – less interruptions.

Dress Code• Uniform Policy was voted on by parents last

year• Navy blue bottoms (no jeans) and navy,

grey or white collared shirts.• Friday is spirit day (Bulldog wear or theme

day on the last Friday).• If you need financial assistance to

purchase a uniform please talk to the office.

• Teachers have already seen a difference in behavior of students in uniforms.

Conferences• Teacher – call beforehand and set it

up. Don’t assume that the teacher will have time first thing in the morning or right after school. They often have supervision duty or other meetings!

• Principal – schedule it with the office if you would like to meet with me.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi