May 17, 2012

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News and Events

Welcome to Samuels!

Samuels Code

At Samuels we make the right choices.

We live and learn through lifelong education.

We nurture an atmosphere of respect and admiration for all.

We celebrate our diversity and honor our community.

We care about who we are and how we behave, even when no one is watching.

THIRD GRADE READING SCORES AT SAMUELS INCREASED 9%!


We are so very pleased and proud to share with you that our Third Grade Reading  scores at Samuels increased 9% over the scores we received last year.  The 3rd Grade Reading Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP – formally known as CSAP) testing was done in February of this year and is based on Colorado Academic Standards.  Academic standards are specific statements about what students at a particular grade should know and be able to do in a content area. While these assessments are just one measure of a student’s learning, and are considered to be a snapshot of each student’s performance, we want to acknowledge the hard work of our students and staff.  We anticipate receiving the remaining TCAP results in August.
Again, we want to acknowledge the hard work, effort, and pride that the staff and students put into their learning every day.  We know it takes a village to educate a child, and want to thank the primary teachers and support staff for building the foundation.  We also want to thank the parents for their continued support.

Free Outdoor Movie Night

Puss in Boots (PG)

Samuels Playground

Friday, May 18

Doors open at 7 p.m., movie begins at 8:30

 

 

Grab your blanket and a flashlight and head over to Samuels Elementary for our first outdoor movie night! Low-cost food will also be available for purchase. This event is also open to the neighborhood. For more details, contact Rory Franklin at 720-427-2081.

Keeping Students Safe:
We are committed to prodviding a safe school for your children. It takes us all working together to keep our kids safe.We encourage parents to have a conversation with your children about the ways they can stay safe. These include: 

  • Yell “help” if approached
  • Always tell a parent or school staff member when they feel uncomfortable or unsafe
  • Never get close enough to a stranger to be touched or grabbed
  • Walk to and from school or bus stops with a buddy or parent
  • Try to remember details about the person, car, bike, etc.
  • Always report suspicious activity to the police and to the school

Saturday, May 26th

Official Kids Club Cooking Class: “Tamarac Turnips”

12:00-1:00pm

Free!  Limit of 30 kids

 

Calling all kids who want to come and play with their food!  Tamarac Turnips is a fun, interactive cooking class for kids that meets the last Saturday of every month!  In honor of Spring, we will be making our own clay pot of veggies and homemade hummus.  Everybody will be able to take home their own pot full of hummus and carrots!

Reserve your child’s spot at the customer service desk.

The 8th Annual Duck Drop Race is on Sunday, May 6th at George Wallace Park located at 4700 S. DTC Blvd.  The Duck Fest begins at 12:30pm and the Duck Race begins at 2:00pm.

What:  The Duck Drop is a big fund raiser that Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann hosts for five Southeast Denver Public Schools.  Samuels uses the money raised to support field trips and classroom needs.

Cost:  Tickets are $5.00 for one ticket or a 5 pack for $20.00 until supplies last.  A small number of tickets are available on race day.  Tickets will be processed through inter departmental mail.  Completed forms need to be returned to the office “Duck Box”.  Checks can be made payable to “The Denver Foundation”.

Activities and Prizes:  Face painting and carnival games happen before the race.   La Fogata and Slices will have eats for a minimal charge.  Fantastic prices include:  2 Round trip tickets anywhere Southwest Airlines travels, Red Rocks concert tickets, museum passes, restaurant gift cards and so much more!!

The Samuel student who sells the most tickets gets to ride the fire truck.  A drawing for a Duck Drop t-shirt will be made for all ticket holders.  A classroom competition for the highest number of ticket sells wins a special prize.

Summer Opportunities

Attached is a guide with classes for the summer. The Gifted and Talented Department of Denver Public Schools offers this guide as a service to parents.  The guide is not intended to list all available summer opportunities, nor is it intended as an endorsement of any program.  For further information about a program or class, contact the sponsor directly.  Summer Opportunities

 

 

GARDEN UPDATE

 

 

 We are excited to announce that Samuels has recieved a grant for the community garden.

We have received the 2012 Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden Grant sponsored by Yum! Brands Foundation and presented by The National Gardening Association.  Please let us know if you have interest in being a part of the garden.

 

 

Encourage Sign-Ups for myDPS, the Superintendent’s Newsletter: In an effort to ensure all families and community members are staying up-to-date on DPS information and happenings, we encourage you  to sign up to receive the myDPS newsletter from Superintendent Tom Boasberg. This can be done online in just a few steps.  Sign up for the newsletter by clicking here.

The next PTA meeting is  Wed. May 16th in the school library.  Please come and learn about the various activities the PTA is involved in. 

Babysitting will be provided in the meeting room.

 

Attendance Policies

During 2010-2011 school year 83% of Samuels students had 93% or higher rate of attendance. Our goal is to increase this rate to 90% of our student population.

Why is perfect attendance so important?

Students with perfect attendance…

  • Get better grades
  • Gain a sense of responsibility and commitment
  • Increased social skills
  • Feel better about themselves
  • Practice and build required skills needed for success
  • Graduate from high school
  • More likely to  go to college

The PTA needs new board members this fall.  Some of you may know that Vicky McPheron’s family is moving out of state.  Tanya Banks and Cecilia Goergen’s position as Co-Presidents end in June. Please contact Tanya or Cecilia if you are interested in either of these positions.

WHOLE FOOD DONATION

Thank you to all who have been shopping at Whole Foods and adding to the bag donation from Whole Foods.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Please join us in congratulating Christine Hiller.  She is the Employee of the Month.  Ms. Hiller works hard to make sure that Samuels technology is working efficently.  She greets our ECE and Kindergarten students each morning and helps with many other aspects of the school.  Look for her interview with student council on the board this week in the office.

 

Important events and dates can be found on the School Calendar

Welcome to Samuels Elementary School where we educate today’s children for tomorrow’s world and empower our students to pursue life-long learning.  Whether this is your first or last year at Samuels, you are part of a long-standing tradition of academic excellence.

Announcing, Samuels on-line spiritwear.  Through the Internet, people can order a variety of Samuels spiritwear from water bottles to tote bags and t-shirts etc.  What’s so ideal is that you can customize your spiritwear by picking the color and eagle you want.  Samuels earns 25% on each sale; so, it’s an all year fundraiser.  Items are delivered directly to your door.  Click here to visit the Spiritwear website www.spiritgeardirect.com If you have questions, please email Cecilia Goergen, our PTA Co-President at Cecilia_Goergen@dpsk12.org. Click here to see the flier.

Student Achievement Samuels has been named a Top Performing and High Growth school for the 2010-11 school year!  This is a great accomplishment and speaks to the hard work and dedication of our staff and students.

Getting Ready for Snow Days!  The Denver Public Schools Transportation Department has put together some Frequently Asked Questions and safety tips to help you prepare for winter weather. Please take the time to read through this flyer and learn how to stay informed if their is a school closure. Please click here to read more. 

Traffic Update: Thank you Denver Police Department for supporting Samuels with our Kiss-N-Go arrival and dismissal system. Law enforcement will be present on occasion to enforce traffic laws and to support implementation of KISS-N-GO. With that in mind, please do your part to keep our students safe by:

  • Refraining from making U-turns
  • Using the crosswalk if you choose to park your car on the east side of Vincennes ct. or in the neighborhood.  It is very dangerous to run with your children across the street.
  • No double parking/loading.  Our staff will not allow students to run between cars to enter your vehicle.  You must wait in the KISS-N-GO lane and safely pull up to the curb.
  • Practice being a good neighbor by refraining from blocking driveways with your car.  

For more information and a diagram of the KiSS-N-GO system, please click the following links:

Thank you for helping us combat the high traffic congestion around the school.  Your participation in the KISS ‘N’ GO system is making a difference in the safety of our students!

Free Breakfast : All Samuels students are served a free breakfast daily from 7:30-8:00 a.m.