Simis Scoop
February 7, 2025
Hi Simis Families,
Today was our Fun Run! We hit our goal of $180,000; as a school reward, the students voted and I will work on the roof for a day (date TBD)!
We are humbled by our community's generosity and passion for supporting learning at Madison Simis. These donations fund the PATS budget for this year. This includes amazing programs like DIGGS, Art Masterpiece, Staff Appreciation, Teacher Grants, Family Assistance, Instructional Aides and Noon Duty Aides. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your contributions and commitment to Simis!
Another celebration: after we saw an unfortunate increase in tardies in January, this week we saw students arriving on time more than ever before (minus our Fun Run day)! Thank you for arriving to school before 7:45 so that our students and teachers can get their day started promptly! Please remember that if you arrive after 7:40 that you need to use the right hand drop off line only as we will not have supervision in the parking lot.
Site Council met last month to discuss how Madison Simis can continue to grow all learners. Our gifted qualified population is much greater than the state and national average (4.8% and 6.8% respectively) at 14%. Our students' median math achievement is at the 75th percentile, indicating that a vast majority of our students are reaching academic performance levels that are well above average. Additionally, the median growth rate is at the 58th percentile, meaning that the majority of our students are experiencing growth at an above-average rate. In the area of reading we have 75% of students considered on level or higher (60th-69th percentile K-4). This means that our students are reaching achievement levels that are well above average, and we are ensuring that students across all performance levels are on track for greater future success. With the increasing number of gifted and high achieving students at Simis, we need to explore learning practices that support all learners in growing holistically at school. The current cluster model we employ is not sustainable with the amount of students currently identified as gifted in our school.
Simis is submitting a proposal to the district for a gifted pull-out interventionist who can provide targeted gifted instruction and services to gifted learners. This will allow for balanced classes to be created across Simis. Whether this proposal is approved or not, we know we need to challenge all learners. As such, we are also continuing to partner with a gifted specialist in Phoenix who will provide professional development to ALL Simis teachers on meeting the needs of our high achieving and gifted student population. Additionally, 9 teachers at Simis are currently participating in a program to gain gifted certification. This will mean there are more teachers on every grade-level team who can collaborate and share best practices to support our gifted and high achieving students. We appreciate knowing that teachers at Simis are committing to meeting the needs of their students. When more information is available, I will host a parent/guardian information event to share updates.
In gratitude,
Principal Murray
Why is Writing so Challenging?
Writing is a complex process that requires the integration of multiple skills, including fine motor control, language development, organization of ideas, and understanding of audience. According to research in literacy and cognitive science, writing challenges often stem from:
- Cognitive Load: Students must simultaneously generate ideas, structure sentences, and apply grammar, punctuation, and spelling rules, which can overwhelm young learners.
- Limited Vocabulary: A lack of sufficient word knowledge can make it difficult for students to express their thoughts effectively.
- Fine Motor Skills: Younger children may struggle with handwriting, which can hinder the writing process.
- Executive Functioning Skills: Skills such as planning, revising, and organizing ideas take time to develop, making longer or more complex writing tasks particularly difficult.
How Teachers Support Students in Class
- Explicit Instruction: Teachers break down the writing process into manageable steps, such as brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing.
- Modeling: Teachers model how to write sentences, paragraphs, and essays, showing how to organize ideas and use appropriate grammar.
- Graphic Organizers: Tools like story maps or outlines help students plan their writing and organize their thoughts visually.
- Sentence Starters: Providing sentence frames helps students get started and focus on content rather than structure.
- Peer Collaboration: Students work together to share ideas, provide feedback, and revise their work.
- Writing Across the Curriculum: Teachers integrate writing tasks into other subjects, such as science journals or reading responses, to practice writing in different contexts.
How Parents Can Help at Home
- Encourage Daily Writing: Create opportunities for writing, such as journaling, making shopping lists, or writing thank-you notes.
- Example: Ask your child to write about their day or create a short story about their favorite activity.
- Talk About Writing: Engage in conversations about their ideas before they start writing. Talking can help them organize their thoughts.
- Example: Ask, “What do you want to say in your story? How will it start?”
- Provide Supportive Tools: Offer graphic organizers, checklists, or apps to help structure their writing.
- Example: Use a story map to outline a beginning, middle, and end for a narrative.
- Model Writing: Show how you write for real-life purposes, such as drafting emails or letters, and talk about the decisions you make.
- Example: “I’m writing a letter to Grandma. What details should I include to tell her about our week?”
- Celebrate Effort and Progress: Focus on growth, not perfection, by praising their creativity and effort.
- Example: “I love how you described the characters in your story. What do you think they’ll do next?”
By combining classroom strategies with home support, students can build confidence, strengthen their writing skills, and view writing as a meaningful and enjoyable activity.
Mathematical Practice 6: Attend to Precision
As we continue to explore the math practices with students, we are now onto Practice 6: Attending to Precision.
Mathematical Practice 6 focuses on students' ability to communicate clearly, use precise language, and work carefully when solving mathematical problems. In the classroom, this is observed when students:
- Use accurate vocabulary to describe their reasoning (e.g., terms like "sum," "difference," "greater than").
- Carefully calculate answers and double-check their work.
- Explain their thought processes with clear and logical steps.
- Label diagrams, charts, or graphs properly to ensure clarity.
Teachers support this practice by encouraging students to articulate their ideas clearly, revise their work for accuracy, and collaborate with peers to refine their reasoning.
Examples of Activities for K-4 Students to Practice Precision
- Number Talks: Students discuss and justify their strategies for solving mental math problems, emphasizing precise explanations and vocabulary.
- Measurement Tasks: Students measure objects using rulers or other tools, ensuring accurate measurements and proper labeling of units.
- Math Journals: Students write and solve word problems, explaining their reasoning step-by-step with accurate terminology.
- Games with Rules: Activities like "Math Bingo" or "Flashcard Challenges" encourage precision in recognizing numbers, operations, or terms.
- Peer Reviews: Students exchange their work and check each other's answers for errors, explaining corrections clearly.
How Parents Can Support at Home
- Use Math Vocabulary: Encourage your child to explain their math homework using proper terms. For instance, ask, "How did you find the sum of these numbers?"
- Practice Real-Life Math: Involve your child in activities like cooking (measuring ingredients), budgeting (counting money), or scheduling (telling time). These tasks help reinforce precision.
- Check Work Together: Review your child’s homework with them, asking them to explain their answers and checking for any mistakes.
- Play Math Games: Engage in board games or apps that require calculation or logical thinking to develop attention to detail.
- Model Carefulness: Show the importance of accuracy in everyday activities, like writing clearly or proofreading written work.
By integrating these approaches, both teachers and parents can help students develop precision in their mathematical thinking and communication.
February Behavior Booster! Helping Hands
At our school, we are focusing on the concept of "Helping Hands" to encourage students to use their hands positively and purposefully. The goal is to promote behaviors where hands are used for helping, being productive, and playing safely. This focus supports the development of kindness, teamwork, and self-control while also decreasing physical aggression.
What This Looks Like in School:
- Helping Hands: Students are encouraged to help peers and teachers, such as picking up materials, sharing supplies, or assisting a classmate.
- Productive Hands: Hands are used for learning activities like writing, building, and creating.
- Playful Hands: During recess or group activities, students practice using their hands safely and respectfully in games and interactions.
- Hands Are Not for Hurting: Teachers reinforce that hands should not be used for hitting, pushing, or any aggressive behavior. Clear expectations are taught and modeled, and students are praised for making positive choices with their hands.
Family Connection: Supporting "Helping Hands" at Home
Families play an important role in reinforcing this concept at home. Here are some ways to support:
- Model Positive Behavior: Show how you use your hands to help at home, like cooking, tidying up, or giving hugs.
- Example: “Let’s use our helping hands to set the table together.”
- Praise Positive Actions: Acknowledge when your child uses their hands to help or play kindly.
- Example: “I love how you shared your toys with your sibling. That’s using helping hands!”
- Role-Play Scenarios: Practice ways to handle frustration without aggression.
- Example: “What can you do if you feel upset instead of hitting? Let’s try taking deep breaths or asking for help.”
- Teach Alternatives: Discuss safe ways to express emotions, like squeezing a stress ball or clapping hands to release energy.
Family Resource
For more tools and ideas, parents can contact our school social workers.
By working together, we can help students learn to use their hands for good, fostering a safer and more positive school and home environment.
Notes from Nurse Megan
A few reminders:
Students should stay home from school for fever, vomiting, diarrhea, painful throat with redness/swelling/signs of infection, persistent cough (non-stop coughing for 20+ minutes), or redness/swelling of the eye(s) with drainage. When in doubt, please call the health office or your student’s pediatrician.
Students must stay home for a full 24 hours after fever, vomiting or diarrhea.
Please DO NOT send medication to school in your student’s backpack. If your student needs medication during the school day, please contact the health office.
February 10th: 6:30pm Madison Center for the Arts: Madison Traditional Academy Guild invites you to attend our Speaker Series-Katey McPherson, It Starts with Us: Parenting in a Tech World.
February 12th: TCT 1pm release
February 19th: TCT 1pm release
February 22nd: Field Day 1:30-4:00
February 26th: TCT 1pm release
March 5th: TCT 1pm release
March 6th: International Day
March 7th: No School--Teacher Work Day
March 10th-14th: No School--Spring Break
Week of April 7th: AASA Testing
Information & Updates!!
New Library Information!
Please help your students return their library books so they are able to check out new books each week! If books are lost or damaged beyond repair, please:
1) Provide the library with a replacement copy of the same book. Books can be used and in good condition but must be a like-for-like replacement (i.e., hardcover for hardcover).
2) You may now pay the replacement cost of the book through PowerSchool, a check made out to 'Madison Simis,' or cash (exact amount, please).
We want to thank all the awesome library volunteers who keep our library books circulating and Simis students reading! Your time and help is so appreciated.
Looking for a specific book or want to browse and see what’s available in our library? You can search the Destiny Discover website to see all the selections!
If you have any questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We appreciate your involvement and support!
Thank you,
Mrs. Sarmiento & Mrs. Brandstatter
What is Site Council:
Site Council reviews school data, discusses school procedures and practices, makes decisions about tax credit allocation, and helps inform the principal in decision making.
Recent Highlights: Approved tax credit scholarships,Assessments and school improvement updates
Discussed: Gifted and High Achieving Class Structures and Pedagogy Research
Next meeting: Gifted and High achieving students
Did you know?
Each year there is an activity fee of $50 for each student. Our Simis Site Based Management Council determines how all Tax Credit resources will be used at Madison Simis. This year we will use these funds to pay for our grade-level field trips, assemblies, and character education.
Process
Parent/Guardian:
https://az-madison.intouchreceipting.com/
The online portal page instructs guardians to login to POWERSCHOOL.
Guests can create an account and login directly through the online portal page.
Once logged in, parents can PAY Fines/Fees that are posted on their student's account or self select Items at Schools. For example, Activity Fees have already been posted on student's accounts and can be paid through Pay Fines/Fees. Please email receipts to simisoffice@madisoned.org.
Native American students may have their activity fees paid by grant funds if they have proof of Tribal membership. Please have interested families contact Martha Sullivan for information.
Families can contact simisoffice@madisoned.org for a scholarship form.
After School Vendors
If you are looking for a fun activity to engage your student after school dismisses, don't forget to look at our vendor offerings at Madison Simis!
THRIVE Parent Information Series
Madison School District has modules available to families in the THRIVE section of the Madison website. These short and informative videos with experts in the field provide families with resources to approach and support their child in ways that align with the students of the Alpha and iGeneration.
Volunteering at Simis
Click here to register as a school volunteer! All adults must be approved volunteers through the District to volunteer at Simis. Please remember when you volunteer that you are approved for a specific area of school during your visit. To avoid distractions in the learning environment, we ask that volunteers come to school to volunteer and then exit the school following their volunteering, not going into other classrooms to visit with students.
School Lunch Visitor Registration Form
Sign up for a lunch visit here! Please read the details on the sign up form for more information.
As a reminder, we ask that all parents sit with their child at the visitor's table in the cafeteria and say goodbye as students head out to recess. Siblings cannot attend with parents/visitors. Friends do not join the lunch visit.
