Principally Speaking
Principal’s Message
Happy New Year Round Meadow families! Thank you to one and all for
your participation in our first Spell-a-thon. The kids did a great
job spelling and I even learned a new word! For those who have been
asking, here is the doozy of a word that the Student Council
challenged me with: PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS.
According to the Random House Dictionary, this word is “an obscure
term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust,
sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.”
It took a lot of studying, but I’m proud to say I earned a 100% on my
Spell-a-thon test! On that subject, as we dive into a new year and a
new decade, I want to take a moment to review some important study
habits:
• Establish a set time to settle down: By having the same start-time
for homework every day, you avoid having daily battles about when it
is time to hit the books. Whether you have your child start their
studies as soon as they get home from school, or if you wait until
after supper, the key is to have a routine and stick to it.
• Take a breather: Just like schools have recess, children need to
have mini-breaks when they’re working hard to complete homework or
projects. Come up with some five minute break ideas that will appeal
to your child—taking a lap or two around the house, stretching,
drinking some juice, etc. Every 15 or 30 minutes (depending on
child’s age and attention span), set a timer for a five minute break.
Just make sure when the timer rings, it’s back to work, no questions
asked.
• Create a study space: Every family needs the basic “ingredients”
for studying and doing homework: a workspace with good lighting, the
tools needed to complete the work (paper, pencils, markers, ruler,
etc.), basic reference materials available either online or in print
(dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas, etc.), and a library card for
special projects. Keeping materials in one area makes it easier to
get work done efficiently.
• Turn off the distractions: Your child’s study area should be free
of distractions during homework time. That means TV, music and
computer games should be off – or out of view (and earshot). Kids may
say they have no trouble studying with the TV or music on, but
research shows that they have difficulty retaining what they’ve learned.
• Make day-to-day lists: Keep track of what needs to be done by
creating a daily check-off list, and posting it in a prominent place
(e.g., on the refrigerator). Write in things that are due the next
day, as well as longer-term projects or upcoming tests. Make a big
deal out of every item crossed off.
• Keep a watchful eye: Although you don’t necessarily need to sit
with your children the entire time they do their homework, it helps to
be nearby. They see that you’re keeping track of whether they’re
daydreaming or working, they know that you will be available if they
are stumped, and they see that you care about what they are doing-
that learning is important to you, and to them. (National Association
of Elem. School Principals, Dr. Abbe Irshay)
Setting study habits like these early in their school careers will
enable our students to do more than just spell long words. They will
help build a strong foundation for our students to one day
successfully move on to middle and high school studies. As always,
thank you for investing your time, effort and resources into your
children. Have a fabulous February.
Traffic
Our new traffic pattern is working very well. Thanks to you and your cooperation, things are running very smoothly. Please remember to join the traffic circle to pick up your child at least 5 minutes after the release bell rings. This gives the students the time they need to get to the front of the school. Parking and waiting for your child in the white zone can result in a parking citation. If the sheriff’s department arrive and find you waiting for an extended period of time, you can be ticketed.
Please remind your student of your plans at the beginning of the day. Please do not make play dates at the pick up circle at the end of the day. Also, please review the calendar to make sure it’s not enrichment day before arriving at the pick up circle. These tips can save all of us valuable time.
After School Waiters’ Club has a New Name: The 28 Minute Club
This year, as in the past, Round Meadow will have a sibling yard for those students who are presently in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade and have a sibling in either 4th or 5th grade. It will be called the “28 MINUTE CLUB.”
As its name says, it is only monitored by a staff employee from 2:07 to 2:35 hence the name 28 minutes. We would like to remind everyone that this is to be used only as a convenience to those parents who would otherwise make two pick-up trips in one day. Children in the 28 Minute Club must check in with the adult on duty when they arrive at the covered lunch tables.
Please do not let your children remain on campus for extra playtime or as a babysitting option after school. Thank you very much for helping us maintain the safety of your children.
In the event that your child is going home with a friend that has a sibling, please have them bring a note to give to the adult on duty at the covered lunch tables.
Spell-It-Out for Round Meadow
On January, 12 2010, Round Meadow held its first Annual Spell-a-thon. All of the Round Meadow students participated by taking grade level spelling tests for sponsorships. We would like to extend a big thank you to Mr. Spence and all of the teachers for their hard work and support to make this fundraiser a success! Mr. Spence also participated in the spell-a-thon at an assembly that morning. He was given ten words to study, including one word with 45 letters, from the student council. We are proud to announce that Mr. Spence received a 100% on his test! The pledges have begun to come in and we are excited that this new event is such a huge success. We especially want to thank the PFA presidents for their support, time and effort to make this a successful fundraiser. Also, our thanks to all of the parents who helped correct spelling tests. We could not have done it with out you!! We look forward to next year’s Spell-a-thon and welcome any suggestions that may help this event run even smoother next year!
Spell It Out for Round Meadow co-chairs
It’s time for the 2010 Fitness Challenge!
Hey Round Meadow Families…..The big day is approaching!
The Round Meadow Fitness Challenge will be held on Friday, March 12th, 2010
There will be lots of fun, fitness, and nutrition activities leading up to the big day.
This will be a day your kids will remember. This year our focus will be on Sportsmanship.
We’d like to teach our children about being fair and encouraging each other
While getting fit and eating healthy.
The Fitness Challenge is also a big fundraiser for our school. All money raised during this event will go to pay for our school specialists. This includes: Our PE coach, art teacher, computer lab, librarian, science teacher and we will have a new and wonderful program that will be announced soon!
Your donations are so important to the school and to the education of your children!
On February 17th, we will be handing out t-shirts to all children. They will also get pledge envelopes at that time. Please have your child wear their t-shirts to school daily, to show their school and team spirit!
Please return your pledge envelope before March 9th.
The classroom with the highest participation will get a free lunch, on us!!
We can’t wait to start getting fit and having fun with all of you!
Your Fitness Challenge Team
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Box Tops for Education
We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week or more. Now turn those shopping trips into easy cash for Round Meadow. Just look for the Box Tops logo, see to the right, on hundreds of products. All you need to do is clip and send them to school with your child. Each classroom will have a collection box where the kids can bring in their box top clippings from home. The school coordinator will collect 1-2 times a month from the classrooms. Each box top is worth 10 cents for Round Meadow Elementary School.
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On January 20th Round Meadow hosted the National Children’s Theater.
The performance was brought to our school through the Las Virgenes
Municipal Water District. They sponsor this assembly for our school
every year, however, this year the timing was interesting since we
were being besieged with several days of rain storms. The title of the
play was “The Aqua League and the Drought Dilemma.” They used their
play about the Aqua League super heros; Water cooler, Thunderstorm,
and Round Meadow’s own students to teach about
water conservation. The super heros fought drought by stopping waste
and pollution and urging conservation.
The play taught about the importance of water and the essential need
to conserve water. They explained how only 1% of the water on the
earth is actually usable fresh water. They taught about the various
uses of water, ways in which water is wasted and how we can conserve
water by taking short showers, shallow baths and not overwatering our
grass and outside plants. They had many great ideas for the kids to
implement to help conserve. The motto the kids learned was “Every
little bit helps”! Hopefully, everyone will continue in their efforts
to conserve despite our recent rainfall because the drought isn’t over
until those reservoirs are full again. We thank the Las Virgenes
Municipal District for bringing us this message and instilling in our
children the necessity to be good citizens and conserve for California.
Assembly Committee
Carnival:
THE CARNIVAL IS COMING !
SUNDAY, MAY 23RD
Volunteers needed to make this event a success !
It’s time for the 2010 Fitness Challenge!
Hey Round Meadow Families…..The big day is approaching!
The Round Meadow Fitness Challenge will be held on Friday, March 12th,
2010
There will be lots of fun, fitness, and nutrition activities leading
up to the big day.
This will be a day your kids will remember. This year our focus will
be on Sportsmanship.
We’d like to teach our children about being fair and encouraging each
other
While getting fit and eating healthy.
The Fitness Challenge is also a big fundraiser for our school. All
money raised during this event will go to pay for our school
specialists. This includes: Our PE coach, art teacher, computer lab,
librarian, science teacher and we will have a new and wonderful
program that will be announced soon!
Your donations are so important to the school and to the education of
your children!
On February 17th, we will be handing out t-shirts to all children.
They will also get pledge envelopes at that time. Please have your
child wear their t-shirts to school daily, to show their school and
team spirit!
Please return your pledge envelope before March 9th.
The classroom with the highest participation will get a free lunch, on
us!!
We can’t wait to start getting fit and having fun with all of you!
Your Fitness Challenge Team
BOX TOPS
We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week or
more. Now turn those shopping trips into easy cash for Round Meadow.
Just look for the Box Tops logo, see to the right, on hundreds of
products. All you need to do is clip and send them to school with your
child. Each classroom will have a collection box where the kids can
bring in their box top clippings from home. The school coordinator
will collect 1-2 times a month from the classrooms. Each box top is
worth 10 cents for Round Meadow Elementary School.
Good news! An exciting art recognition program called *Reflections* is
new at Round Meadow! Students create works of art and literature
inspired by the theme “*BEAUTY IS…*”
Aspiring writers, photographers, choreographers, producers, artists,
composers. . . this program is for you!
For more information, go to http://lvartspta.tripod.com
<http://lvartspta.tripod.com/> . Subscribe to the Reflections online
newsletter by sending an E-mail message to:
*
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.*
Entries are due in the office October 19th for school level judging.
Winners will progress to Las Virgenes district, region, state, and even
nationals! All entries will be presented at the district wide Gallery
Night on November 18, 2009, and winners will be on display in the lobby
at the LVEF Benefit for the Arts concert in March.
Here is the link to pay lunch money into your child's lunch account.
paypams.com
GOLD RUSH (CORPORATE OR FAMILY): $2500
* Your company/family name prominently displayed on a 5X3 or 4X6 banner on the perimeter Round
Meadow fence facing Mureau Road for THREE MONTHS.
*Your family name or company displayed on a banner on a Carnival ride or game.
* ½ page ad in the Round Up for THREE MONTHS…reach over 300 families per month!
* Includes 4 carnival wristbands.
COLT SPONSOR (CORPORATE OR FAMILY): $1000
* Your company/family name prominently displayed on a 3x10 banner on the perimeter Round Meadow
fence facing Mureau Road for ONE MONTH.
*Your family name or company displayed on a banner on a Carnival ride or game.
* ¼ page ad in the Round Up for ONE MONTH…reach over 300 families per month!
* Includes 4 carnival wristbands.
PLATINUM SPONSOR (FAMILY): $600
Be a sponsor of a fun game at the Carnival. See your family name displayed on a banner located on the game. Includes 3 carnival wristbands.
NUGGET LEVEL SPONSOR (FAMILY): $400
See your family name on the Carnival Recognition Board. Includes 1 carnival wristband.
COWBOY LEVEL SPONSOR (FAMILY): $250
See your family name on the Carnival Recognition Board. Includes 40 carnival tickets.
RODEO LEVEL SPONSOR (FAMILY): $100
See your family name on the Carnival Recognition Board. Includes 20 carnival tickets.
Name: __________________________________________ Phone: ______________________
Sponsorship Level: $___________. Attached is my check or please charge my credit card:
VISA/MC Credit Card Number:_____ _________________ Exp Date______ CCV Code______
Billing Zip Code: _______________ Contact telephone #: _____________________________
All contributions are tax deductible. Please return this form to the front office.
Show your COLT pride!!
Come check out all of the items we have in stock
for you and your kids today!
Available items are pictured on the wall in the
Multi-Purpose Room
T-Shirts (Short & Long Sleeve)
Baseball & Thermal Shirts
Sweatpants & Sweatshirts
Shorts & Tank Tops
Baseball Hats
Water Bottles
Insulated Lunch bags
License plate frames
Fill out an order form & get your merchandise
delivered to your child’s classroom,
Welcome to Round Meadow Elementary School where the staff, students, and parents share responsibility to develop academically successful, well-rounded children who are outstanding citizens. Our commitment at Round Meadow is to provide an enriching and nuturing environment where all students can reach and even exceed their potential. We hope you will find our website a continually growing collaboration between our staff, students. and parents. 
To report absences, please call 818-883-6750 and press 1