Issue #37: May 16, 2024
Issue #37: May 16, 2024
Embedded Files
From the Principal
From the Principal
Ms. Michelle Alzamora
Dear Families,
At ACS, we believe in fostering not just academic growth, but also the development of strong character traits. One quality that truly benefits children throughout their lives is gratitude.
Expressing thankfulness isn't just about good manners; it has a profound impact on a child's well-being and learning journey. Studies show that grateful children experience greater happiness, resilience, and motivation.
Here's how gratitude can make a difference in your child's education:
Boosts Self-Esteem: Recognizing their accomplishments, big or small, instills a sense of pride and confidence in their abilities.
Enhances Motivation: When children appreciate their teachers, classmates, and learning opportunities, they're more likely to be engaged and motivated in school.
Promotes Positive Relationships: Gratitude fosters empathy and kindness, leading to stronger relationships with teachers and peers.
Improves Focus: By appreciating the effort they put into learning, children can stay focused on tasks and persevere through challenges.
So how can you help your child cultivate gratitude?
Here are some fun and easy ways to incorporate thankfulness into your daily routines:
Start a Gratitude Jar: Decorate a jar and encourage your child to write down things they're grateful for, big or small. Read them together as a family.
Express Thanks at Mealtimes: Take turns saying something you're thankful for about the food, the company, or the opportunity to learn.
Write Thank You Notes: After a playdate, receiving a gift, or having a helpful teacher, encourage your child to write a note expressing their appreciation.
Practice "Gratitude Games": During car rides or walks, play a game where everyone shares something they're grateful for that day. You can even make it silly!
By incorporating these simple practices, you'll be helping your child develop a grateful heart, setting them on a path of happiness, success, and a lifelong love of learning.
Yours,
Michelle Alzamora
MAP Assessments
MAP Assessments
We have begun our Spring MAP assessments. Students in grades 2-5 will take one MAP assessment a week following the schedule below. Your child’s teacher will let you know what days they will be taking the assessments. You will note significant gaps between some of the assessments. This is due to holidays.
MAP April 15 - May 23
Week of April 15 - Language Assessment (completed)
Week of April 21 - Reading Assessment (completed)
Week of May 12 - Math Assessment (completed)
Week of May 19 - Make-ups
The MAP assessments provide us with external data that compares your child’s performance with a set of recognized standards. Because the assessment is adaptive, we are able to gather information about children outside of the constraints of grade level bands.
This is not an assessment that your child can study for. In order to help her or him do their very best, please ensure that your child gets plenty of rest and eats a healthy breakfast. You can also help your child by not making a big deal about this testing experience. It is not a high stakes assessment and the children have no reason to feel stressed about their performance. You will receive information about your child’s performance on the MAP assessment after all students have completed the tests. For more about the MAP assessment, you can jump to the MAP Family Toolkit.
As a school, we look at the results of the MAP assessments to help us better understand each learner as well as our academic programs. Our classroom teachers will spend time together looking at MAP results in conjunction with other pieces of data about learning. As administrators, we use multiple data points (including MAP) over time to help us understand where our students are doing well and where we might consider making programmatic changes. The Spring data helps us to see trends in student growth over the year. Additionally, we will collect and analyze data from reading and writing assessments.
After School Activities Canceled on Wednesday, May 29
Please note that we will not have ASAs on May 29th due to graduation. All of the school buses will be used for the graduation ceremony in Jerash.
Charity Event - PACES
For Grades 2- 5 Families - PACES Field Day Event - Canceled
We regret to inform you that the field day event planned for May 25 has been postponed to late September or October next school year. Our partners at PACES, whose involvement is essential for the planned activities, are unable to participate this May. We are committed to ensuring a complete and enjoyable experience for everyone involved and believe a postponement is the best course of action.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to your enthusiastic participation next year. Thank you for your continued support and flexibility.
From the ES Learning Commons
From the ES Learning Commons
Get ready to swap and share at our Book Swap on May 20th! Join fellow bookworms for an unforgettable literary exchange!
Larry Mcllvain, former superintendent, shares with kindergarteners our school's evolution and growth, inspiring wonder and excitement!
In the final weeks of the school year, please keep the following dates in mind:
Book Swap: Monday, May 20th.
The last day to check out is Sunday, May 26th.
Return all books by Thursday, May 30th.
Summer Checkout: June 9, 10, & 11th.
From the Activities and Athletics Department
From the Activities and Athletics Department
May 18th: U12 and U14 AAC Track and Field meet @ IAA
U12: 9am-12pm
U14: 10am-5pm
AAC Jamboree for G4 and G5
Thursday, May 23rd: Track and Field @ ABS 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Friday, May 24th: Basketball (boys and girls) @ ACS Schedule linked here, also see below
Saturday, May 25th Football/Soccer (@ Amman Academy) See below
Support our ES Athletes!!
Support our ES Athletes!!
Some of our 4th and 5th grade students will be participating in local tournaments through the AAC Jamboree. It would be great for our students to have the stands filled with their classmates cheering them on.
From the Counseling Department
From the Counseling Department
Chances are your child's emotions fluctuate quite often! Over time, this may make you feel stuck as a parent around how to support your child and yourself in addressing emotional outbursts. It is taxing work.
To possibly help, we've added another tool to our ES Counseling Website - Check out these Tools to Try posters you can print and hang in your home to remind yourself and family members that there are tools you can use. The tools are best used together, as a family - not just for the kids!
We are here and happy to support you if you have any questions or would like to discuss ways to create a calmer home environment.
Tim Steadman and Hayley Jeanes
ES Article of the Month
ES Article of the Month
ES Articles of the month:
Important Dates & Quick Links
Important Dates & Quick Links
Mark Your Calendars!
Mark Your Calendars!
May 20 - Book Swap in the LC
May 20 - Grade 5 to Grade 6 Parent Transition Meeting
May 22 - Grade 1 Music Concert
May 22 - Grade 4 Music Concert
May 23 to 25 - AAC Sports Jamboree
May 26 to 30 - G5 WOW Week
May 29 - ES ASAs canceled
May 29 - Parent Chat
June 4 - Grade 2 Music Concert
June 6 - Grade 5 moving Up Ceremony
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