Principal’s Note Parents often ask, “How do I support language at home?” and the below excerpt from an interview with top national researchers Thomas & Collier on language acquisition is a great answer: Home is the most important context where cognitive development occurs. When children continue to use the language(s) that the parents know best, from birth to at least age 12, they are receiving nonstop cognitive development. Parents are a wonderful source for the stimulation of thinking skills, when they talk with their children, such as asking questions, making decisions, discussing daily activities, cooking, shopping, telling stories, sharing family heritage, and so on. (. . .) Research shows that children whose whose first language is continuously developed through at least age 12 have cognitive advantages. (Thomas & Collier, 2011) Student Council Spirit DaysSchool Site Council Thursday, March 28th our School Site Council met in the library from 3-4 p.m. The group reviewed our school goals and the most recent assessment results. We are proud to announce our students are performing very well. For example, the districtwide benchmark testing done through Ren Star shows our third graders are 92% meeting or exceeding standard in reading and 88% are meeting or exceeding standard in math. All are welcome to attend our SSC meetings. Our next meeting is June 6th. Deadline: Square 1 Art
Your PFA Needs VolunteersWith a great deal of our fundraising efforts about to kick-off, we have a big need for volunteers for upcoming projects and events. These events raise money that directly support staff and education at our amazing school. Please look at some ways you can help. But know that no task is too small; please contact jenn@sumacpfa.org for more on how you can get involved. An actual example: Are you fantastic at project management and can only support off-hours? Do you like timely communications? Our Voyager Newsletter team needs coordination help and we'd love to have you on the team! voyager@sumacpfa.org Our Legacy Paver Project is Live!Inspire Current and Future Students What started as a broken water main (and a many-months-long process to repair it) ended in a legacy project that will support our school and our students for years to come. We're proud to announce our Legacy Paver Project, where parents, family members, alumni, and community members can purchase personalized bricks to help beautify our front yard. To order your brick directly: https://4everbricks.com/donors/sumac/ It's a perfect gift for kids to see their family's good wishes as a daily reminder and for its 5th grade graduates to be remembered for their contributions. Silent Auction is Coming!Looking for Silent Auction Items and Committee Members May 9th is the annual Sumac's Open House and Silent Auction. Not only are the students and teachers preparing to dazzle you, but we are also planning a silent auction with some fantastic items for you to bid on! Sumac community participation is still needed to make this another memorable event. We are looking for 2 things:
• Certificate for surfing, skate boarding or paddle boarding • Certificate for babysitting • Beauty or spa packages • Autographed sports or movie paraphernalia • Tickets to events • Food or wine baskets Please contact Laleh Maciel at laleh@me.com if you would like to participate or if you have a fun auction piece or experience to donate. Sumac 2019 YearbooksWe want (need) your Sumac photos! We're currently working on the yearbook and would love your images from any events or in-classroom visits. Please upload them into our special ParentSquare group, or contact Kim Erwin to get your files in by April 5th. Last call for ordering! Order yours NOW via our website. We will post a list of already-ordered yearbooks on Parent Square (not here for security reasons), so please take a look. If you've already ordered but for some reason aren't on that list, contact us ASAP at yearbook@sumacpfa.org. We only create as many as ordered, so they are indeed a limited edition! What's Next
Box Tops for Education
Bonus Box Top Opportunity 10 schools will each win 10,000 bonus box tops. Please enter on Sumac's behalf by this Monday! Shopping at The Oaks? Save your receipts! |
AboutThe Voyager is a bi-weekly publication of Sumac L-STEM Elementary. Archives
April 2019
|