MAY 2022 From Our Teachers
Leawood Elementary School
From 5th Grade
Last call for pop tops this year. Our last pick up day is May 18th. Thank you for all your support this year. Right now we have surpassed our goal of 100 pounds, and are hoping to make it to 125 pounds. All pop tops are donated to The Ronald McDonald House in Denver to continue their great work of helping children and families.
Surprise Visit by Governor Polis
The governor stopped by for a brief visit in Mrs. Story's class and Mrs. Stelmach's class last week. He listened to some student-created poetry, signed signs, gave high-fives, and fueled a lively debate on a social studies topic. He has always support education in Colorado, and we were honored to meet him.
Garden Update
Thanks to all the families who showed up Saturday, April 30th for Columbine Roots Garden Clean-Up Day! We planted a tree and we painted picnic tables. The 5th graders started a mural on the side of the shed with Mrs. Wheeler. All the garden beds are ready to go! If you are able to donate any seedlings, please contact your teacher. We will be planting soon! ~Kelsey Leu, Garden Team Chair
Library/Technology News
Scholastic Book Fair Coming Soon!
Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level.
The Book Fair will be Open in the Library:
Monday, May 9th 9:00-3:30
Tuesday, May 10th 8:30-9:00 and 3:45-5:45
Wednesday, May 11th 8:30-9:00 and 3:45-4:45
Thursday, May 12th 8:30-9:00 and 3:45-4:45
We need volunteers to help set up the book fair on May 5th from 1:00 to 4:00. Please stop by the library anytime that afternoon if you are available to help.
Home Internet Safety
In an effort to help parents monitor internet use, Jeffco provides Securly Home for free. Securly Home allows parents and guardians to monitor sites visited and even block specific websites. Here are step by step directions to get started. Getting Started with Securly Home
Lisa Pepper, Digital Teacher Librarian
It's All Greek to Me
The fifth graders celebrated the end of their Greek Root words unit (over 40 of them), by dressing up as Greek gods/goddesses, sampling Greek food, and teaching the rest of the school about their unique Greek combined words. They even put on Greek tragedies.
From the Instructional Coach
End of Year Happenings
During the month of May, students will continue to demonstrate their learning. Students have worked with their teacher to set goals for their growth in reading and math. They will take their final MAP reading and math assessment showing students how much they have grown in each of these areas. Students in kindergarten through third grade will also complete the EOY, End of Year, Acadience DIBELS reading screener. Information about both assessments and scores will come home in Friday folders on May 20th.
Looking ahead, we are also excited to start planning for next year. Teachers have already begun working hard to create class lists for the fall. A lot of time and thought goes into creating a balanced environment for all students. All staff members work collaboratively to create balanced classes. This process is very intentional, and we solicit information from many sources, including you.
The following criteria are used when making the final decisions for placement:
Principal and/or teachers do not take parent requests for specific classroom teacher assignments. We will, however, consider specific student needs and styles, and friendships
Each classroom will be balanced with student achievement, gender, leadership, and behaviors.
Students who consistently demonstrate that they cannot get along socially will be separated.
The number of students in each classroom will be as equal as possible. New students will be evenly distributed among classes as they enroll.