Luxford Elementary School Scoop

Dear Luxford Families and Friends,

We hope you've all had a wonderful March. You may have noticed some construction work being done on our fields lately. Little Creek America is building two nice baseball fields on our grounds. Our security specialist, Mr. Lockett, and head custodian, Mr. Rivera, have been making rounds daily to ensure all is safe for our children to be outside, and the contractors have been in communication with us to share what areas may need to be off limits.

You may have seen a recess survey come home recently. VBCPS students currently receive 30 minutes of P.E. per day and unstructured recess play for 20 minutes. Children learn key social and problem solving skills through play, and the benefits of physical activity are plentiful so we work hard to make sure we integrate a lot of movement into our lessons and also stop to do fun dance games and "brain breaks" frequently in addition to PE and recess. We wanted to ensure you know this is a priority for us, and your children are getting a lot of movement and play throughout their school day.

If you're interested in joining me to go on a tour of classrooms/learning walk on April 3rd at 1:30 p.m., please join me in the office at 1:25 p.m. We love having parents in and know you may enjoy having a glimpse into the school day at Luxford as well.

You will receive your child's report card on April 8th. As a reminder, VBCPS uses standards based grading at the elementary level. This is a more informative way of measuring exactly what our students have learned and which standards they need additional time to master. For example, a traditional report card might state a child has 80% in reading which doesn't really tell us their strengths or weaknesses whereas a standards based report card gives specifics about different skills such as finding patterns, vocabulary, place value, etc. so teachers and parents know exactly what they can help their children practice. As a reminder, if your child receives a DP, that means he/she is developing and moving toward proficiency (P).

We wish you all a very happy Spring Break this month and hope you all get to relax and enjoy your little ones over the break!

Sincerely,

Danielle Colucci

Principal, Luxford Elementary School

(757) 648-2960

April 3: Haygood Skate Night! 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. A % of profit will support our 5th graders in going to Jamestown for a reduced cost! Pizza and skating $7!

April 3: Last day of after school tutoring

April 10: 3rd Grade Music Program 5:30-6:30 pm in Luxford Cafe (parents must attend with children)

April 10: Purple Up for Month of the Military Child! Wear purple to show your support to military children everywhere!

April 12-19: Spring Break; schools and office closed

April 23: Kindergarten Registration 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Parents of incoming kindergartners should arrive promptly at 9:00 a.m. to receive all information and to ensure future kindergarten students get to participate in the classroom visit.

April 23: 1st grade gifted testing

3-5th Grade SOL Testing

Please try to avoid scheduling doctor appointments or vacations during your child’s testing dates, if possible. Thank you!

3rd Grade:

· May 20-21 and May 30-31

4th Grade:

· May 16-17 and May 28-29

5th Grade:

· May 14-15, May 22-23, June 4-5

Attention 5th Grade Families:

The 5th Grade Moving on Ceremony is tentatively scheduled for June 12 6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

Reading is critically important to the future of every child. So much research has shown the more a child reads (and enjoys it), the more likely they are to stay in school longer, live happier lives, have more empathy and tolerance, and...the more money they make as adults. Check out the image below which shows the power of time spent reading per day. An important finding is that the more we let kids choose texts to read at home that they love and enjoy (not always what we think they should choose and love), the more likely they are to develop a love of reading.

We are very thankful for all the support Haygood UMC gives our students and staff! They donate school supplies, teaching supplies, meals, and many of their members are reading tutors at the school! Community partnerships matter, and we're so glad Haygood UMC will be recognized for their efforts to support Luxford!

The James D. Mullins Leadership Award was established in 1994 to recognize school administrators who show exceptional support of reading. The award winners are strong advocates for reading, teachers and children; have a vision for a school or school system; consistently makes decisions based on a belief system and are creative in finding resources to support reading programs.