To the Augusta Ranch community,

Augusta Ranch takes great pride in being part of the community around us. We continually aim to support and nurture those who are in need in the community. We believe it sends a strong message to the students of Augusta Ranch about giving back to the community and supporting people when they fall on tough times. Our students have great character at Augusta Ranch and we continually look for ways to reinforce characters traits like citizenship, caring, and fairness. Therefore, we are having two events for students and parents alike to get involved and give back to the community we live in.

Starting on Monday March 30th we are beginning a shoe drive. There will be a donation box at Augusta Ranch until the end of the school year. We have many parents at Augusta Ranch that are highly involved in fostering children. One of these families has come up with the idea of collecting 17,000 pairs of new shoes. Foster children are continually lacking shoes that fit and that are in good condition. This would collect enough shoes so that each of the 17,000 foster kids in Arizona gets a new pair. So if you would like your family to get involved, please drop off a pair of new shoes of any price level at Augusta Ranch.

A website has been created to give more information about the shoe drive: www.fosteringrights.org Another event we are having on April 7th is our Annual Augusta Ranch clothing drive. This is a completely separate event from the ongoing shoe drive. The clothing drive is a one day only event and Augusta Ranch families can drop off and donate any clothing they can part with. Augusta Ranch gets an additional benefit from the clothing drive because the amount of donated clothing is weighed and the company donates money back to Augusta Ranch.

I hope you take the opportunity to get involved in these events and help support the Augusta Ranch community. Thanks for your continued support and if you need anything from us please do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

Mike Hansen

Augusta Ranch Elementary Home of the Rattlers

April, 2015

Mr. Mike Hansen, Principal Mrs. Amy Mulliken, Dean of Students

AZ Merit: April 13-April 17Make-ups on Monday, April 20

AIMS Science (4th grade only) April 16No make-ups for AIMS Science

PLEASE do not schedule appointments that would require removing students from class. They would miss out on very important testing.

We will not interrupt class to call students out or allow late students to enter class during testing.

Also, visitors WILL NOT be permitted past the front office during testing times.

AZ Merit

TESTING

LIBRARY NEWSCongratulations to all of our 2014-2015 Battle of the Booksparticipants!

1st Place team:Erin Allen, Isabela Burkhead and Madelyn Fell.

These girls will be representing Augusta Ranch at the district battle on Wednesday, April 22nd.

2nd place team:La’Aaron Love, Adrian Ruybalid and Matthew McDowell.

3rd place team:Lyla Schafer, Pete Selles and Brianna Miller.

GREAT JOB to everyone who participated!

ImportantCafeteria News

Parents and Guardians:

Beginning Monday April 20, 2015 there will be nomore owing lunch money. Each student must have enough money on their account for a Breakfast or a Lunch for that day or they will receive a sack lunch/breakfast. Lunch consists of a cheese sandwich, fruit, milk and/or juice. Breakfast will be cereal, fruit, milk and/or juice. As we come near the end of the school year please help keep all accounts

updated.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call.

Thanks,

Karri RomneyAugusta Ranch Cafeteria Manager480-635-2011 ext. 4

2015 – 2016 Registration

When registering your students for school,please bring the following documents:

Birth Certificate Immunization Records Proof of Residency (Utility bill, rental/lease agreement) Driver’s License Custody/Legal documents (if applicable)

Coming Events…April 3, Spring Holiday April 9, 1st grade MusicalApril 13-17, AZ Merit Testing April 20-24, Spring Book FairApril 21st & 22, Spring PicturesApril 28, Band/Strings ConcertApril 29, Chorus Concert

To request homework for an absent child, please leave a voicemail or an email for your student’s teacher early in the morning to allow them time to gather the items. You will be able to pick it up in the afternoon at the front desk unless you have made other arrangements with the teacher directly.

Phone calls will ONLY be made to the classroom for shoes or lunches that are dropped off. The office staff will not interrupt class for homework or instruments being dropped off.

We are a large school and unfortunately, cannot remember everyone’s faces. If you are picking someone up, please be prepared with your ID just in case you are asked for it.

If you are signing a student out early, we will not call them out of class until someone is here to sign them out. If someone other than the parent/guardian will be picking them up, please make sure that his/her name is already on the yellow emergency card.

Throughout the school year, we have countless “lost” jackets, sweaters, lunch boxes, hats, etc. We will show them several times on morning announcements. After that time, we will offer them to students who are in need of the above-mentioned items. To avoid this, please remember to put your child’s name on ALL of their belongings.

While on campus, students are NOT permitted to have energy drink, coffee or glass containers. They may not have it in their lunch, on the playground or throughout the day.

Transportation change calls will be put through to the classroom AFTER 3:15pm, AFTER 2:00pm on early release Wednesdays. Parents calling before this time will be asked to call back at the above-mentioned time.

school policy

If you have had a change in your contact information such as your home address, telephone numbers, or email address; please contact Ms. Kipp or Mrs. Esterly in the front office. That’s also a perfect time to double check the information on your yellow emergency card in the health office as well.

If your student(s) WILL NOT be returning for the 2015-2016, please be sure to let Ms. Kipp or Mrs. Esterly know.

Also, if your 6th grader WILL NOT be attending a Gilbert district Jr. High School, we also need to know that. Thank you.

If you need to reach your student about a change in afternoon transportation arrangements, please call our office after 3:15pm on regular schools days. We will put your call directly into the classroom. You may also send a note to his/her teacher, email the teacher, or leave them a voice mail with the information.

For the safety of our students, staff & parents:Whether you are picking up students in the North Loop or the South Loop, please DO NOT exit your vehicle. We ask that you not be distracted by your cell phone as well.

Parent & Guardian

Contact Info.

2015-2016

School year

How are your

students Getting home

North & South

Loop Pick Up

Visit the Augusta Ranch Elementary PTSO webpage:

http://www.augustaranchptso.com/

Dear Parents, As some of you may be aware, the State Legislature passed legislation regarding procedures a district must follow when using seclusion/confinement. Governor Brewer signed HB2476 in April 2013, to be in effect for the 2013-2014 school year. This legislation requires school districts’ policies to include a process for prior written parental notification and consent before seclusion/confinement is used. Seclusion is the solitary confinement of a student alone in any space from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. These policies must also provide for an exemption to prior written parental consent if a school principal or teacher determines that a student poses imminent physical harm to self or others.  Please know that it has always been the district’s philosophy that seclusion/confinement be used only if there is a threat of imminent physical harm to self or others. For further information, see GPS Governing Board Policy GBEB.

House Bill 2476 (seclusion/confinement)

Dear School Nurse: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act seeks to provide healthcare coverage for all individuals in the US. All individuals must enroll in health insurance by March 31, 2014.

While many families will have more affordable choices for health insurance, Arizona pediatricians are concerned that some children may not be able to receive healthcare insurance for a number of reasons. First, some employer-provided health insurances will only include the employee, and not that employee’s family. Secondly, many of low and middle income families will not qualify for federal tax credit subsidies to help offset the cost of monthly premiums. And lastly, 14,000 Arizona children lost their KidsCareII health insurance because the program has been “frozen” and new enrollment has stopped.

The new online health insurance marketplace is where families can “shop” for health insurance plans that fit their needs. However, finding health insurance on the marketplace can be a confusing process, and some families are just not aware of the crucial importance of obtaining healthcare coverage. Luckily, there are certified navigators/ assistors who are trained to help families apply for health insurance on the marketplace.

The AzAAP Access to Care Committee understands the critical role school nurses play in our community. You are in a unique position to communicate with many families who are facing difficulty accessing health insurance by March 31, 2014. As you interact with families, please urge them to:

1. Sign up for health insurance by March 31, 2014 2. Connect families to a certified navigator/ assistor by asking them to call 1-800-318-2596

The Access to Care Committee has created bilingual posters which have information on how to help families enroll in health insurance. In addition we will be providing you with a list of terms with easy to understand definitions to help parents understand the language of the current healthcare enrollment process.

We hope that this will be helpful to many of the children that you come in to contact with! We are all in this to help the kids!

Elizabeth Homans McKenna, MD Healing Hearts Pediatrics, PLC (480)821-1400

www.healthcare.gov/marketplace