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Sandia Vista Elementary
Principal Monthly Newsletter - May
Note from Mr. DeSoto
Hello Sandia Vista Families,
We hope this message finds you well and ready for the exciting events happening at Sandia Vista in the month of May! Thank you to all of the families who have re-registered your student(s) for the 24/25 school year. Your prompt response is truly appreciated as we prepare to welcome additional staff to our campus next school year. Please make note of the important announcements and celebrations below:
Important Announcements:
Wax Museum: Mark your calendars for the Wax Museum on May 16th and 17th. Get ready to be amazed by the figures brought to life by our students! Parents may join in the fun from 3:00-3:30 on each day. Please make sure you have your ID ready so that you can be checked in quickly.
Cleveland Storm Legacy Walk: Friday, May 17th, the second annual Cleveland Storm Legacy Walk will occur as we commemorate the former students of SVE and spirit of our school as they graduate from CHS.
5th Grade Kickball: Calling all 5th graders! Don't miss the kickball event on May 20th for some fun and friendly competition. Please remember to come with sunscreen and water.
Field Day: Get ready for a day full of outdoor games and activities on May 21st and 22nd. Let's have a blast together!
5th Grade Dance: Students, put on your dancing shoes for the 5th Grade Dance on May 21st. It'll be an afternoon to remember at 2-3:30!
Kindergarten & 5th Grade Promotion: Celebrate the achievements of our Kindergarten and 5th-grade students on May 23rd as they move on to the next chapter of their academic journey.
Early Release: Please note that on May 24th, students will be released early at noon. Make sure to arrange for pickup, and buses will also run at noon.
Celebrations from the Week:
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the families who will be supporting us for Teacher Appreciation activities and our Book Fair.
A special shoutout to our 3rd graders and Mrs. Cundiff who will be performing their fantastic Folk Dancing on Thursday. Make sure you bring your chairs to sit in.
Your partnership and involvement contribute to the success of our school community, and we are thankful for your continued support.
Thank you for being a part of our school family. Together, we make a difference in the lives of our students. Where we are learning together with Thunder Pride!
Warm regards,
Mr. DeSoto
Promotion Dates & Times
Penny War Success!
5th Grade Chromebooks
5th grade parents, if your student is registered to attend an RRPS campus next year, their chromebook will be sent home with them before the end of the year. This will prevent them from having to get a device checked out to them at the start of next year. If you do not wish to have your student's device sent home, please e-mail tiffany.hale@rrps.net to let our Ed Tech know.
Instruction
Traditional
As we approach the end of another fantastic school year, we can't help but celebrate the huge success of our teachers and students. From the first day of classes to the memorable moments shared in classrooms, it's been a year filled with growth, learning, and endless possibilities. The summer break offers a wonderful opportunity for our students to recharge, explore new interests, and spend quality time with family and friends. Yet, it's equally important to remember the value of continuous learning, even during the warmer months. Research consistently shows that maintaining academic engagement over the summer helps prevent the "summer slide" and ensures that students return to school ready to hit the ground running. Whether it's through reading, exploring educational apps, or participating in enrichment programs, there are countless ways to keep young minds sharp and curious during the break.
Wishing you all a safe, joyful, and academically enriching summer!
Montessori
Related Arts
Music
Upcoming Music Events:
3rd Grade Folk Dancing Night: Thursday, May 9th 6:30pm
3rd Grade Families: A letter was sent home with all information pertaining to Folk Dancing Night. You can find a digital copy here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17YGUL0FL_y4RIOftTKNUgUZ0ChO2cAw1RCp6ZsajjM8/edit?usp=sharing
Kindergarten Students: We are working on our songs for our performance at Kindergarten Graduation! Students are encouraged to practice at home with the videos found at this link:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KzC9BO4uQk3dsNnfL6drU2av56i4VIxmfGl4N3rnuQs/edit?usp=sharing
Library
Please make sure you set up your students' E-Wallet prior to them attending the book fair. More information and links to e-wallet set up will be coming as we get closer to the start of the fair, please keep an eye out via reminders from Mr. DeSoto. Our theme for this book fair will be the Summer Olympics, with that in mind the funds raised from this fair will be used to update our sports books! We will also be encouraging the following theme days:
Monday: Team USA Day
Tuesday: Referee Day (wear black and white or stripes)
Wednesday: Jersey/Team Spirit Day
Thursday: Grade Level Color Day
Friday: Show your Thunder Pride
We can't wait to READ for the GOLD with our students!
STEAM
This school year in the STEAM Lab has been full of amazing projects and team work in which all students have participated. From building airplanes, circuits, bridges, coding, and stop motion animation, students have been exposed to a huge array of STEAM centered lessons and activities. I hope students learned a lot about their abilities to try new things and to persevere when faced with adversity. As we wrap up the school year, students in 4th and 5th grade are working on Makerspace paper projects that include building hexa-flexagons and taking that knowledge further to create more complex origami structures. They have to be able to use precise measuring and folding to create a final product that is successful. 2nd and 3rd graders have been using Botley Robots to code ideas centered around space, built constellations with Geoboards and will be finishing the year with Snap Circuits. Kindergarten and 1st grade built bioluminescent animals, straw rockets and will finish with a class favorite project involving toothpick and marshmallow/clay structures. It has been joyous to watch the progression of student engagement and perseverance throughout this school year.
P.E.
Counseling
The final month of school we are focusing on Cooperation. One way to think about Cooperation is “working together to reach shared goals. We are discussing how this definition applies to how we work together at home and at school. Students are identifying some goals that we work together for here at school and goals they work together with their families at home. In addition, how cooperation is key to leadership, students will be expanding their discussion and understanding that the more we practice the traits from Character Strong they become a habit which in turn shapes them into good leaders.
Cooperation is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Kind. Across grade levels, students will be developing skills like perspective-taking, conflict resolution, and leadership.
PTO News
Attendance
Attendance, Absences and Tardiness
1. Attendance: After 3 excused or 3 unexcused, consecutive absences, we require a doctor’s note or a conversation with the administration about the absences. *4th "Ill" absence will be marked Unexcused.
2. Vacation: Upon parent/guardian's request, the student's absence record will be reviewed. If a student(s) has less than 5% accumulated absences, up to 3 days can be excused. If the student has 6% or higher accumulated absences, all requested days will be unexcused.
3. Funeral Leave: For immediate family only. 3 days can be excused. If travel out of state is necessary,
up to 5 may be excused.
Definitions:
1. ABSENT means not in attendance for a class or school day for any reason, whether
excused or not; provided that "absent" does not apply to participation in interscholastic
extracurricular activities;
2. EXCUSED ABSENCE means absence from a class or school day for a death in
the family, medical absence, religious instruction or tribal obligations or any other
allowable excuse pursuant to the policies of the local school board;
3. MEDICAL ABSENCE means that a student is not in attendance for a class or a
school day for a parent- or doctor-authorized medical reason or the student is a
pregnant or parenting student;
4. UNEXCUSED ABSENCE means an absence from a class or school day for which
the student does not have an allowable excuse pursuant to the Attendance for
Success Act or policies of the local school board.
Early pick-up: Students will not be released during the last 50 minutes of the day (3:00pm) without permission from the school administration.
A valid ID must be shown before a child will be dismissed.