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Carver Cougars Parent Newsletter
April 8-12
Message from your Principal
Dear Carver Elementary Families and Caregivers,
Thank you for a successful first week back after Spring Break! It was wonderful to see our students and staff back in the building! Our kindergarten students had a fabulous field trip to the Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park. Thank you for supporting our Field Trips this year!
We completed our STAR Reading and Math assessments this week for our 2nd-5th graders. We are proud to share that 74% of our students showed at or above average growth in Reading and 65% of our students showed at or above average growth in Math. Many of our students worked hard and did their best. We hope to see the same effort in our CMAS testing this week!
Some reminders for fourth quarter: the first bell rings at 7:45 AM and students proceed to their classroom where breakfast is offered to every student. For safety reasons, we are asking that students walk to their classrooms independently, we have staff positioned throughout the building to support them. School begins promptly at the 7:50 AM bell. Please have your student to school on time and if it is after 7:55 AM, parents are responsible for signing their student in at the front office and students are marked tardy by the office staff.
Dismissal is at 2:50 PM and please pick up your students promptly, with the weather conditions, students may be dismissed from the gym or will be moved inside by 3:00 PM. If students are picked up before 2:00 PM, there is a reverse tardy policy and students will be marked tardy.
We are excited to use the Attendance Intervention Suite through Power School. It is great to receive a report by 8:30 AM of students that are absent. Thank you for reaching out and communicating through this tool! Reminder that instruction begins at 7:50 AM and students need to be at school, on time.
We wanted to thank all of the families that supported Air Tutoring and after school tutoring. Our tutoring sessions are complete and we will offer Air Tutoring again next year. It is great to see the growth our tutoring students have made!
We have our Monthly Parent Meetings this Thursday at 2:00 PM and 3:10 PM in our library. Please join us!
Our Field Day is Friday, May 17th. If you would like to volunteer, please call the front office and let us add you to the list. We will have a morning session for K-2 and an afternoon session for 3-5.
Carver Elementary is also hosting Summer Bridge for the month of June. Please complete the online registration if you are interested in your student attending!
Thank you for all of your support this school year and we look forward to a successful fourth quarter!
Mrs. Bizzell
Principal
Carver Identity Statement
As a quality neighborhood school in D11, the Carver community is supportive and safe as staff, parents, and students are valued and involved in creating engaging, intentional learning experiences that are responsive to student needs and results in a place where everyone wants to be.
Our three focus areas include:
Engaging, intentional learning experiences
Supportive and Safe Environment
Staff, Parents, and Students are valued and involved
We need your help and your voice! If you are interested in being a voice in this strategic planning, please reach out to lisa.bizzell@d11.org and let me know!
Upcoming STAR and CMAS Tests
CMAS Schedule-Grades 3rd-5th
Testing Dates:
Tuesday, April 8th-Thursday, April 10th
ELA -8:30-10:00 AM Math-12:30-2:50 PM
Science for 5th Grade
Tuesday, April 16th-Thursday, April 18th
8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Please make sure your student has a good night's sleep and eats breakfast so they are ready to work hard every day! It is also very important that students are not late. If students come in after the test starts, they can’t test with their class. We know the students are prepared and ready for this. We believe in them!
State Testing: Why Should I Care?
Starting the second week of April, Carver will begin CMAS, our state assessment. CMAS is the sole test that is used to evaluate a school. We know that there are a variety of opinions about this, but that is how School Performance Ratings are determined.
Why?
We can see how a child is performing relative to other students at Carver Elementary School, within the district, and state.
It prepares students for standardized assessments that they will be required to take in high school, college (SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, etc.) or other vocational programs.
We can make informed decisions and choices for our students. Test data is used by administration and staff to drive instruction/curriculum and professional development choices.
Test data may identify learning gaps that can be addressed.
Identification of districts and schools that have struggling students, so help can be provided.
How are the results used?
As part of a BODY of EVIDENCE, state assessments are used to:
drive instruction for a student
identify targeted interventions
place students in appropriate classes at the middle school level as well as high school
identify gifted and talented students during the identification process
determine effectiveness in regards to instruction and determine whether Carver instructional practices are effective
What happens with the data?
CDE is committed to ensuring that data on individual students are secure. CDE does not report individual student data to the federal government; the department has strict policies and procedures in place to maintain data security.
The results of CMAS are the backbone of the state’s accountability system. The state uses CMAS data to populate the annual school and district performance frameworks which is result in accreditation ratings for each school and district.
Excerpts taken from the CDE link: http://www.cde.state.co.us/communications/stateassessmentsandacademicachievement
8 Tips to Help Your Child Prepare for High-Stakes Tests
No matter what your personal feelings on high-stakes testing are, there is no escaping the reality that these assessments will be an important part of your child’s academic experience. And, everyone wants to see their student experience success in the classroom. So, what’s the best way to help your child prepare for high-stakes tests—and keep a healthy mindset while doing so? Here’s eight simple tips for parents to help your student perform his or her best on testing days.
1. Prioritize attendance and homework
Tests are ultimately intended to be a measure of how well students have learned the material being taught in class. With that in mind, what is the best (and most straightforward) piece of test-prep advice for caregivers is to do what you can to ensure that your child is fully engaged with his or her classwork throughout the year. Set aside dedicated homework time each night to make sure that your child is completing their assignments consistently throughout the year. It’s also a good idea to periodically reflect on your family routine, and make sure you and your student are keeping a schedule that gets them to class on time every day. If your student is absent for a day, or has to miss a class period, check in with them to make sure they can make up what they missed.
2. Communicate with teachers
Regular communication with your child’s instructor can help you gain insight into his or her progress. Make a point of meeting or talking with your child’s teacher on an ongoing basis to understand what your child is working on, what he or she will be tested on, and the areas that he or she is exceling and struggling in. Your child’s teacher is also a great resource for test-preparation practice or strategies you can use with your child at home. Plus, they can keep you up to date on group study sessions or other opportunities for additional review that your child may benefit from.
3. Talk to your child about test taking
The purpose and goals of testing are not always obvious, even to the students who take them. Especially with new test-takers, it’s easy to be intimidated by testing or simply not feel motivated to put forth a lot of effort. Have open, ongoing conversations with your child to explain the benefits of testing, focusing on how it helps them, their teacher, their school, and other educators understand their strengths and weaknesses and figure out the most effective ways to teach. You can also use this opportunity to ask your students how they feel about testing, and offer reassurance or perspective if they have any anxiety around exams.
4. Offer positive reinforcement
A little encouragement can go a long way in helping students walk into testing days feeling confident—which, in turn, can have a huge effect on their performance. Praise your child for the work that he or she does to prepare for testing, and share in his or her excitement when he or she has success with a new concept or skill. Similarly, when he or she is struggling with a topic, point out the progress that he or she has made and encourage him or her to continue working. Having already experienced success with the material that he or she will be tested on will help your child avoid test anxiety and perform to the best of his or her ability on testing day.
5. Support healthy habits
Sleep and nutrition can have a huge impact on your child’s ability to focus and retain information. One of the most helpful things that you can do as a parent is focus on supporting these basic needs. Well-rounded meals and a regular sleep schedule will help your child succeed in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. On testing days, it’s especially important to make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep, starts the day with a filling breakfast, and goes to school with a water bottle to help stay hydrated.
6. Give your child a study space
A comfortable, dedicated space for homework and studying can work wonders for your child’s productivity. Make sure that your child’s space is quiet, well lit, and stocked with the right materials, like a writing surface, pens, pencils, highlighters, scratch paper, a calculator, and any other tools that he or she might need.
7. Keep testing in perspective
No single test is that important. Avoid putting too much emphasis on your child’s test scores—doing so can make your child feel pressure that will ultimately only affect his or her performance negatively. It’s also important to not be upset by a single test score. Low test scores can occur for any number of reasons; it may have just been an off day for your child.
8. Debrief after the test
After testing day has come and gone, talk with your child about his or her results and how he or she felt about the test. By discussing his or her answers, thought processes, and feelings, you can gain further insight into what he or she is struggling with and excelling at and then help him or her better prepare next time. Talking about testing can also help your child process the experience and overcome any anxiety that he or she might have had.
What's Happening at Carver (Looking ahead)
April 8th-19th CMAS testing Reading, Math, Science (5th) 3rd-5th Grades
April 11th SAC Meeting 2:00-2:50 PM in the library
April 11th PTA Meeting 3:10-4:00 PM in the library
April 16th-Second Grade Field Trip-Bear Creek
April 16th Class Picture Day!!
April 18th and 19th Planetarium Visit!
April 29th-May 3rd Career Week!
April 30th- 3:15 PM-Gym 4th and 5th Grade Choir Concert AND CARVER CHOIR-Gym
April 30th-Kinder Round Up for New Kindergarten Students 4:00-5:00 PM
May 1st-3:15 PM-Gym-1st and 2nd Grade Choir Concert-Gym
May 2nd- 3:15 PM-Gym-2nd and 3rd Grade Choir Concert-Gym
May 2nd STEAM Night 5:00-7:00 PM
May 4th Carver Clean Up Day
May 8th Band Concert, 5:30 PM Doherty High School
May 10th Spring Dance! 5:00-7:00 PM
May 14th Skate City! 5:00-7:00 PM
May 17th Field Day!
May 17th Fifth Grade Promotion, 5:30-6:30 PM
May 20th Fifth Grade BBQ 12:00-2:00 PM
May 21st Kinder Promotion 8:15-9:00 AM
May 21st Last Day of School!
ENTRY TIME FOR STUDENTS:
Office Hours: 7:45 AM-3:45 PM
Carver School Hours: 7:50 AM-2:50 PM
Duty teachers do not start duty until 7:40 am-Please do not drop off your students before then.
Tardy bell rings at 7:50
Food & Nutrition Services Information SY 23-24
Carver Attendance-We need your support! This is our current attendance!
Attendance Matters!
Did you know?
- Starting in Preschool and Kindergarten that TOO MANY absences can cause a student to fall behind in school.
- Frequent absences in school can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school, dealing with a bully, or facing some other difficulty.
- By sixth grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
- By ninth grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates, than eighth grade test scores.
- Missing 10% or two days over a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student's academic success.
How to Make Attendance a Priority
- Communicate with your student the importance of attending school every day.
- Discuss creating daily routines such as setting a regular bedtime and morning routine, finishing homework, and getting a good night's sleep.
- Create backup plans for getting your student to school in case of bad weather or something comes up.
"When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances of graduating." Attendance Works
We are currently averaging 90.53% attendance. Our GOAL is 93%. Let's work towards this to help support our student's learning!
Attendance for 2023-24 School Year: 90.53%
Attendance for last 20 days: 91%
Attendance for last 10 days: 91.26%
Lunch Times
10:55-11:15 Kindergarten and Third Grade
11:15-11:35 First and Fourth Grade
11:35-11:55 Second and Fifth Grade
Essentials Schedule 2023-2024
K/3 12:10-1:00
1/4 1:05-1:55
2/5 2:00-2:50
Essentials: Art, Music, PE, Technology
Band for grades 4th and 5th
Wednesday and Thursday
Orchestra for grades 4th and 5th
Monday and Wednesday
Choir Updates!!
April 30th 3:15 in the Gym-Singing in the Golden Afternoon with 4th and 5th Grade and The Carver Choir. This one will be longer since there’s two groups performing separately.
May 1st 3:15 in the Gym-Silly Songs with 2nd and 3rd Grade
May 2nd 3:15 in the Gym- The Little Ladybug’s Songs with Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Band Updates!
Volunteer Opportunities
Please join us!
Carver Elementary School Accountability Committee (SAC)
At Carver Elementary, we care about your children's developmental needs! That is why our mission is to ensure that each and every student has access to the learning tools and programs they need to succeed in school, and in life. We strive for a higher standard of excellence and take the time to focus on those who need extra support. Joining our SAC is a fantastic way to keep up to date with the initiatives our school has put in place to better our learners, and to also voice your opinions and concerns!
If you are interested or have been a member previously, in joining Carver's SAC committee please reach out to Lisa Bizzell @ lisa.bizzell@d11.org or Corinna Archuleta at tcoco77@live.com
Looking for a way to connect and get involved at Carver?
Contact our President, Rhiannon Blackett at if you are interested at rhiannonblackett85@gmail.com. Come be a member and have a voice in Carver's PTA!
We are currently reviewing items for purchase for second semester-Carver Welcome Mat, supporting Art Club, and other items that need your vote!
We are also looking for a Treasurer.
Our current PTA Administrators are:
President-Rhiannon Blackett
Vice President-Samantha Taylor
Secretary-Kelly Dawson
Treasurer-Betty Barnett
Our next meeting will be THURSDAY, April 11th from 3:10-4:00 PM in the library. Please join us! We are planning our PTA Dance for May 10th!
Zones of Regulation
Notes from our Counselor
A season of transition
Coming back after spring break, might feel a bit challenging, so thank you for keeping routines and consistency at home, this helps students tremendously with changes and transitions. During spring as the seasons change, schools similarly experience a lot of transition. During this time of the year I will be behind the scenes making sure 5th grade students are ready to move onto Middle School, holding end of year conferences. With change, also comes stress. I will be also helping students with testing anxiety, calming parent’s fears, and supporting the staff and teachers.
At Carver Elementary we have been working all year on Zones of Regulation, this has helped increased self-awareness and social and emotional skills. It is creating a common language through Carver for communication, problem solving, and emotional understanding. These zones help a child recognize, categorize, and communicate their feelings or emotions based on a specific zone. During the second semester we are focusing on coping skills. Kids will have a much harder time learning until they can manage their emotions. Developing emotional regulation is as important as developing academic skills. In fact, children who can regulate their emotions are more likely to do well in school and get along with peers.
As student enter a season of transition, and with testing coming up, I want to thank your partnership on how teach coping skills to kids and teens, here are some ideas on how to do so:
- Role model practicing healthy coping skills. Good or bad, kids watch and learn how to cope from the adults around them. If they see us coping in healthy ways, they’re more likely to do the same.
- Teach new coping strategies when everyone is calm. It’s difficult to learn something new when we’re upset or stressed out, so avoid introducing a new coping skill in the middle of a meltdown or a stressful situation.
- Try lots of different coping skills. Every coping strategy isn’t going to work for every person, and what works today might not work tomorrow. That’s why it’s important to practice many different coping strategies to find what works best at any given time.
- Build coping skills into your daily routine. When coping skills becomes a habit, or part of kids’ everyday lives, they’re more likely to use them without even realizing it.
- Make practicing coping skills fun.
Learning how to manage stress and deal with life’s ups and downs is a process that continues throughout our entire lives. Below are some examples of healthy coping skills we are learning during SEL (social emotional lessons).
*Here is a quick video on why building coping skill are so important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs-MyQgfH3A
Remember, one small act of kindness can truly make a difference. YOU can make that difference in someone’s life 😊
If you have any questions regarding outside support services, housing, food support, or other resources available in our community, please do not hesitate to contact me.
With kind regards
Mrs. Gio
Mrs. Gio (Giovanny) Franco-Diaz
School Counselor, Carver Elementary
Phone # 719-328-2171
Random Acts of Kindness
What is happening in Random Acts of Kindness!
RAK is deliver during their morning breakfast in the classroom by their teacher. This month students will be learning about Responsibility.
PAWS Expectations
P- I am Prepared
A-I have a great Attitude
W-I Work hard
S-I am Safe
Students are asked to: "Show Me Your Paws" to get their attention. Students respond with both hands in the air, voices off, and eyes on the speaker.
Student Council
STUDENT COUNCIL UPDATES
STUDENT COUNCIL UPDATES
Thank you all who participated, collaborated and volunteer to Student Council events so far; students learned to be a leader by taking responsibility, ownership, follow through on their word, advocating for school activities for all students to enjoy and leading by example activities coming up such as CMAS surprises for students, Career week and more, stay tuned!
Our Student Council President Jonah N. wanted to share some exciting news: Student Council has donated 22 SEL (social emotional books) to our Carver library, this will help build a section in our library were students and staff can check out books to help our students managing and understanding their feelings, how to deal with challenging situations and more. activities coming up such as CMAS activities, Career week and giving back
Notes from our last meeting: Next activity: CMAS encouraging notes to students.
Career week April 29th – May 3rd : We still need 2 - 3 guest speakers; if you would like to be a guest speaker or know someone who would love to be a guest speaker please contact Mrs. Gio Franco Diaz – Student Council Advisor/ School Counselor for more information.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT 😊!
Upcoming Meetings
April 10, April 17, May 15th
Mrs. Gio Franco-Diaz at giovanny.francodiaz@d11.org
A message from our Director of Security and Safety
Safety drills should be practiced regularly in order to be prepared for emergencies or crises that may arise. Below is a list of the drills we practice.
- Lock Down
- Secure Drill
- Shelter Drill
- Evacuation Drill
- Hold Drill
- Fire Drill
Title I
Carver Elementary is a Title I school.
The purpose of Title I is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.
If you have any questions, please reach out:
CARVER ELEMENTARY CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: lisa.bizzell@d11.org
Website: https://www.d11.org/Page/69
Location: 4740 Artistic Circle, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 719-328-7100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carver.d11.org/