President’s Day – Snow Make-up Day # 2 / 2009-2010 Calendar

Branson schools have been closed five times this academic year due to inclement weather.  We made up the first day on Jan. 20^th and our second make-up day is scheduled for Feb. 16^th.  The remaining three days have been added to the May calendar and currently our last day is projected for May 28^th.  This district is also looking at approving next year’s academic calendar which tentatively shows school starting on Aug. 20, a two week Christmas Break (Dec. 19- Jan.3) and a week off for Spring Break. This will be presented and approved at the scheduled March meeting of Board of the Education meeting.

Annual 10,000 Point Challenge –

Starting Feb. 16^th, all students: second, third and fourth will be challenged to earn 10,000 AR points in ten weeks. At the end of the ten week challenge, I’ve agreed to do something crazy (not wear tights).  A suggestion box will be placed in the library for your students to suggest what that silly event should be.  As each week passes, an announcement will be made on Fridays to let students know how many points they have accumulated. Our goal is to keep students motivated to read as the school year draws to a close.  The reading incentive will end May 1^st.

Communication Arts – Common Assessments Window

This past week our 3^rd and 4^th grade students were administer our Spring Communication Arts Common assessment.  This assessment mirrors the MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) exam which is tentatively set for the end of April.  The results of the exam help set priorities for instruction and re-teaching. If you have questions about how your child performed on the exam, please feel free to contact your classroom teacher.

Spelling Bee

This Friday, Branson Elementary West will be hosting our annual Spelling Bee.  Each classroom has already held a competed and has selected their top two candidates to compete in our school/ grade level competition.  The winner of each grade level will advance to regional level competition.  2^nd Grade Spelling Bee – 9:00 a.m., 3^rd Grade Spelling Bee – 10:30 a.m. and 4th Grade Spelling Bee at 1:10 p.m. We have special guest judges and we encourage everyone to come out and support our students. 

3^rd Grade Field Trip: Peter and the Wolf – 3/26

Next week thousands of third graders from the Southwest region will be attending the annual performance of Peter and the Wolf and Drury University.  This is a great opportunity for our students to attend an excellent production and learn about the different instructions, which represent the character in the play. Permission slips have been distributed and students will be coming back to Stockstill Park for lunch, weather permitting.

Team Impact  http://www.team-impact.net/about.htm –

First Baptist Church of Forsyth is sponsoring Team Impact at a number of schools in the region to help reinforce the importance of making positive choices and living a drug free life.  Branson Elementary West will be hosting Team Impact on Feb. 27 @ 1:30 pm for an all-school assembly.   Team Impact’s assembly programs use former professional & collegiate athletes performing feats of strength to communicate age-appropriate messages for hundreds of thousands of students each year. The program includes high energy music and student participation.  Check out their website for more information. 

Book Fair Week / Technology Night / Family Book Fair

The PTO is making preparations to host our Spring Book Fair for our students and families during the week of March 2nd. I appreciate their leadership and volunteer spirit.  We’ll host our book fair in room 502.  Technology night is March 5^th in the West building to showcase how teachers integrate technology into our curriculum. With Book Fair and Technology Night overlapping in the same week, we plan to open the book fair on the evening of March 5^th for parents and visitors.  Our 3^rd Quarter Family Book night with Mrs. Matzat and Mrs. Pingleton will be hosting their event on March 10^th in the East building.   I appreciate your partnership with our school as we continue to design opportunities for our student and families. 

Weather Change The weather has officially changed.  Please be sure your child is properly dressed each day before getting on the bus.  If the weather is 20 degrees or above, students will be going outside for recess to play and exercise.

Kindness / Compassion   Over the past few weeks our Student Character Council has organized a “hygiene drive” for Christian Action Ministries.  Students have been bringing in toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant.  We hope that this act of kindness continues to root in our students and transfer to other areas of their life. If you can help by donating items, it will be greatly appreciaated.

NWEA – Winter Testing  During the week of January 12th, teachers will be administering our Winter NWEA exam in Reading, and during the week of January 19th, teachers will be administering our Math exam.  These exams help gage student growth from the begining of the year, providing meaningful information to teachers about which concepts have been mastereed and which need to be revisited.  If you’re interested in reviewing your child’s first semester progress, please feel free to contact your classroom teacher for a mid-year parent/teacher conference.

Snow Day Make-up

Just a reminder that if we would have a snow day between now and January 16th, school will be session on January 19th, Martin Luther King Holiday.  Making snow days up early provides an extra day of instruction before the state exam and prevents us from having school in June.  Thanks for your support.

Christmas Break  School will be in session for a full day on Dec. 19th before we adjourn for Christmas Break.  School will resume on Monday, January 5, 2009.  If you’re traveling over break, please be sure to buckle-up, have fun, rest and get ready for an awesome 2009.

Jan. 12th – Honor Roll Celebration  On January 12th, we’ll celebrate our Honor Roll and Principal award recipients for the 2nd quarter at our Monday morning assembly which is scheduled for 9:00 a.m.  This is a great time to recognize student achievement and individual character.  We hope you can join us.

CitizenshipThis past month our students have been participating in a number of citizenship activities to learn more about the freedoms of our country and the sacrifices of our veterans.  Two weeks ago, we saluted over 40 veterans who served our country in the armed forces. This past Monday LTC. Don Koonce spoke to the students about his love for our country and how it started with a great education.  Mr. Koonce also brought a WWII veteran to meet the students and staff.  We live in an awesome country.

PTO – Cookie Dough Pick-upLast week, PTO organized the most efficient “Cookie Dough” pick-up in the history of cookie dough.  Families walked into the Intermediate gym, were greeted with thanks, checked-in where runners picked up their “goods” and took it to their cars.  Congratulations to the PTO for another successful sale and pick-up.

Parent Advisory – Summary This past week I met with a few of our parents to dialogue about the achievements of our building and to answer any questions that they had.  Overall, they were excited about the direction of our school and the achievement of our students, but questions focused on class size and future boundary lines.  It was a positive exchange with our parent community and if you have any questions about building level achievement or any other issues, please feel free to call or stop by the office.

Common AssessmentsThis week and during the first week of December our students will be engaged in a grade level common assessment.  This is a common test administered to all students to measure how much students have mastered during the first semester of the year.  We use this data for trends and adjust lessons prior to the MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) exam in April.  If you have a question on how your student is performing, please feel free to contact your classroom teacher.

4^th Grade Privilege TimeSchool Mission:  We are a learning community that inspires greatness for all.  This week we are starting fourth grade privilege time for students who displayed greatness thus far in the year.  Students who have achieved a 95.1% attendance rate for the 1^st quarter, have C’s or better on their report card and have no discipline referrals will be given special privilege time.  Privilege will allow students to bypass the gym in the morning and choose a special zone:  computer lab, library or the 600 hallway to hang with their friends under teacher supervision.  Students can lose this privilege if they fall behind in their classroom work, start to miss school or are disrespectful.  The privilege list will evaluated each four weeks during mid-quarter and end of quarter reporting.  We think that this will be special for our students who are showing great character at school.

Mid-Quarter Mid-quarter grades will be due on Nov. 21^st and we’ll plan to send them home on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.

MAP Action Plan – Week 1 (Dec. 1^st)Over the years we have developed a twelve week MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) review to help prepare our students for the types of process questions measured on the MAP test which we administer each April as part of No Child Left Behind. This also will expose parents to the rigor of the exam.  Starting Dec. 1^st, teachers (3^rd / 4^th) will be sending this review home with students to start the process of getting everyone ready for this important exam.  Most teachers assign this as homework and collect a grade to ensure accountability.  However, the best part of this intentional assignment is the review / model / dialogue that takes place between students, parents and teachers. 

 Parent PortalThe parent portal is open and ready for parents to view their child’s lunch account, classroom grades and attendance records.  Over the next couple of days, the office will be activating each account which in turn will send out an email with a password explaining how to access this information.  This is a new service for our families and we hope that it helps close the information gap between school and the classroom. Mrs. Sheets will be hosting a parent portal workshop on December 1^st at 5:30 p.m. in West cafeteria to help parents navigate this new program. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school for more information. 

Astronaut to answer students’ questions from space   Last week, NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus, a graduate of Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO launched into orbit aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor for a four-month stay aboard the International Space Station. During her stay, she will be contributing to a Missouri S&T blog called spacebook (http://spacebook.mst.edu) aimed at getting more kids interested in science.   I would encourage you and your family to use the spacebook blog as a learning tool.

 Bus/Pick Up PassesJust a reminder to write your child’s teacher a note or call the office in regard to any transportation changes. Write the child’s first and last name, teacher’s name, and give specific instructions where they need to go after school.  Student safety is our highest priority and communicating proper instruction ensures their safety.  Thank you.

Thanksgiving Break Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break with your families.  School will be closed Wednesday, November 26 and resume learning on Monday, December 1^st. We’re thankful for the opportunity to serve your students with the best possible education. 

1st Quarter Attendance Rate

2008   531 Students,   96.7% Average Daily Attendance

For the first quarter, we averaged 96.7% for school-wide attendance. This is amazing and something we should all be very proud of.  Research shows a direct collation between school attendance and student performance.   The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recognizes schools with over 95.1% as “exceeding standards”.  We are defiantly inspiring greatness. Thank you for encouraging your children to attend school each day.

Oct. 27-31 Red Ribbon Week

During the week of Oct. 27th Branson Schools will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week.  Mrs. Powell, in conjunction with Student Character Council, has designed a week full of activities and dress-up days to assist students with making positive choices. (Monday – Backwards Dress; Tuesday – Crazy Socks; Wednesday – Class Choice; Thursday-Crazy Hair Day; Friday-Red, White and Blue)   Our School Resource Officer, Kip Teitsort, will be kicking off the week with a special message of “making good choices”at our Monday morning character assembly.  Have fun and show your spirit for making healthy behavior choices.   

Oct. 27 – Honor Roll Recognition

On Oct. 27^th during our Character Education Assembly, we’ll acknowledge all of our honor roll students and announce our Principal Award winners.  This is a special time to honor our students for their achievement and we hope you can join us.  The assembly is only 30 minutes, and students will be recognized as a grade level for their academic achievement.

District Seeks Volunteers for Community Focus Group
The District Office is forming Community Focus Groups for the school year and looking for volunteers. They will convene to gather input on plans for district expansion; discuss district strengths and weaknesses; and provide information on topics that are of interest to parents.

If you would like to be a part of this Community Group for your school district, please call Brenda Romine, communication director (334-6541, ext. 9009) or e-mail bgr@branson.k12.mo.us.

Oct. 30^th  - DARE Assembly –

Once again, our DARE officers have arranged a special speaker for East / West Elementary. It’s scheduled for Oct. 30th @ 10:15 in the East Gym.  You don’t want to miss this special “gladiator” who will inspire greatness and positive choices.

Fire Prevention Week  This past Monday the Branson Fire Department stopped by the school and conducted Fire Safety Assemblies for each grade level.  They talked about the importance of having families develop a fire safety plan for their home.  The assemblies were fun and very informative.  Special thanks to the Branson Fire Department for investing in our kids and community.

McTeacher Night  On Tuesday Night, Branson Elementary East / West participated in McTeacher Night on Hwy. 248.  With your great support we earned $640.00 which the schools will split evenly between buildings.  Thanks for supporting our schools and our community partners. 

End of 1st Quarter / Early Dismissal  Can you believe that Oct. 17th is the last day of the first quarter?  Students have made a tremendous amount of progress learning new concepts, meeting new friends and establishing their daily routines.  The last day of the first quarter and third quarter are early release days.  Students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, October 17th.  The afternoon is designed for teachers to collaborate, plan and prepare for parent conferences. 

Parent Conferences October 23rd and 24th have been reserved as official parent conference days where teachers meet with families and share accomplishments made during the first quarter and set goals for the upcoming quarter.  Parents, if you have not scheduled your parent / teacher conference, please contact your child’s teacher for more information.   Dismissal these two days will be at 11:45.

This week Branson Elementary West embarked on a new journey to meet the needs of our students by providing intentional, targeted intervention.  The RtI (Response to Intervention) team has been meeting, investigating and planning for this targeted intervention since January.  Their work stems from the No Child Left Behind legislation.  Students entering this intervention have been identified using their Fall NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) reading score and the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment).  Identified students are receiving intensive support in the areas of phonics, fluency or reading comprehension.   Starting today, we hope to close the achievement gap and inspire greatness. If you have any questions, please feel free to call, write, talk with your classroom teacher or stop by.

PTO Meeting – Oct. 2^nd

PTO will be meeting Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in room 608 to conduct monthly business. This is great opportunity to get involved and learn about the many different committees and services that PTO provides. 

Cookie Dough Kick Off Assembly – Oct. 3rd

It’s that time of year when we welcome the Cookie Dough representative to the building and hype the PTO’s annual fundraiser event.  The all school assembly is scheduled for 10:30 am on October 3rd in the gym to showcase the prizes and review safety procedures.   Parents, you are more than welcome to attend.  Sales and safety information will be sent home with students October 3^rd.  All sales will be due on October 14^th and pick-up is scheduled for November 14^th from 4:00-6:00 at the Intermediate Building.   Cookie Dough helps fund a number of PTO projects including classroom supplies, learning materials and supplement field trip costs. Show your support and sale that dough!

Fire Prevention – Oct. 6th

Branson Fire Department will be conducting their annual Fire Prevention assemblies on October 6th.   The following times have been arranged and confirmed by Mrs. Detig and Chief Martin;  2^nd at 9:30, 3^rd at 10:25 and 4^th at 11:20.  Parents, you are welcome to attend and participate in these informational assemblies which could help you and your family construct a home safety plan. 

McTeacher Night – Oct. 7th

Branson Elementary will be participating in McTeacher Night on October 7^th from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the McDonalds on 248.  This special event helps raise money for the school and creates a great family friendly activity.  Teachers and staff will be on hand to greet you, clean tables and help you at the drive through.  This year the funds raised from the event will be used to buy additional playground equipment. This is a great opportunity to build partnerships with our business community.  Stop by and join the fun!

Wow! The WATCH D.O.G. kick off was great!  The men that attended are motivated to serve our school. We estimated over 800 people (men and children) attended our kick-off event. Between the three schools we estimated that 90% of our sign-up calendars were booked with committed men to serve and protect our schools. 

We start on Monday with our two volunteers.  I want to thank Ellyn Lennon, Pam Powell^, Sandi Attaway, our teacher volunteers, kitchen staff, TOP DOGS and Brenda Romine for all their organization, promotion and preparation to make this kick-off a success.  This is a special moment for our kids, school and community and I’m proud of the way the staff has embraced this movement. 

Thanks again.  If you have a suggestion to make our kick-off more successful for next year, please email me or Mrs. Powell your suggestions, ideas and thoughts.  The DOGs are in the house!

Book Fair Week -

This week the PTO has arranged to sponsor our annual Scholastic Book Fair. The PTO was here late on Friday preparing Room 504.  I appreciate their leadership and volunteer spirit.  Our 1st quarter Family Book Night is Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the East Gym. Special thanks to Mrs. Matzat for her leadership and everyone who is volunteering to make this a great event.  The proceeds from this event are “books for the library” where we invest the dollars raised right back into our library collection to ensure our students with the newest and greatest literature.  We appreciate your partnership with the PTO and for visiting the book fair.   

Picture Day / Staff Picture – Sept. 25th

Picture Day is scheduled for Sept. 25th.  Life Touch will have three cameras at school and all photos will be taken prior to lunch recess. 

On behalf of the school and staff I want to thank you for investing in our students.  The WATCH D.O.G.S program has many benefits to the school, providing an extra layer of security and support, but how did you benefit from the experience?  What would you tell the next guy coming to school about your day at Branson Elementary West?

Thanks again for your leadership and service.

Mr. Dawson

During the week of September 8th, Branson Elementary West will be embarking on our Fall NWEA (Northwest Educational Association) testing cycle.   NWEA is administered twice a year (Fall and Spring) and helps teachers measure a students’ growth over time, generates instant results and provides targeted objectives for individual students.  Each test is about one hour in length and administered in the computer lab under the supervision of each classroom teacher. Teachers are planning to share the results with families at parent conferences later in October, but if you would like to learn more about NWEA, please contact your classroom teacher.   

Test 1 – Reading (Sept. 8-12)  Test 2 – Language (Sept. 15-19) Test 3 – Language (Sept.22-26)