Newsletter - Lynch Elementary

Lynch Elementary Newsletter
Ryan R. West, Principal
Monica Burel, Dean of Students
2035 Roods Lake Road, Lapeer MI 48446-8348
Phone: (810) 667-2448, Fax: (810) 667-2473
April 2015
http://lynch.lapeerschools.org/
Mission: Elva Lynch will secure a dynamic environment for higher level learning. Together we will
provide students with a quality education that will create independent, confident, and critical thinkers.
Vision: Elva Lynch inspires, supports and cultivates leading learners.
BUS REMINDER
Save the Date!
Calendar Highlights
MAY 5, 2015
April 1 – 15
 LJ’s Farm Market Fundraiser
April 3 – 12
 Spring Break – No School
April 16
 Talent Show Rehearsal,
3:30-5pm
April 20
 4th grade field trip to Michigan
Historical Museum/Capitol
 PTC Meeting, 3:30pm
April 23
 Talent Show Dress Rehearsal at
Lapeer High School
April 24
 Popcorn Day/Spirit Wear
Day/School Store
 Talent Show, Lapeer High School
April 29
 2 hour Delayed Start
Performers arrive at 6pm. Performance at 6:15pm.
On May 5th in the Lynch Elementary gym, 2nd grade students will have
the opportunity to perform in our annual second grade musical! Our
musical fulfills one of the Lapeer Elementary Music standards for 2nd
grade and provides our students with an opportunity to demonstrate
many of the things they have learned in music over the last 3 years.
What’s this musical all about?
"Oh, the thinks you can think" when some of Dr. Seuss's best-loved
books and characters collide in this unforgettable mini-musical! Based
on one of the most performed shows in America, Seussical, our miniversion will be a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! The songs,
taken from the music composed by TONY winners Lynn Ahrens and
Stephen Flaherty, and script lovingly bring to life many of our favorite
Dr. Seuss characters including Horton the Elephant and Sam-I-Am.
This week students will have the opportunity to volunteer for one of the
many speaking parts and all the students have been working hard
learning the music and creating choreography.
Students are asked to wear a red or white shirt, jeans and gym shoes.
Seuss hats are welcome! If you have any questions please contact me
at [email protected]
Looking ahead…
May 22-25
 Memorial Day Holiday
– No School
FINE ARTS NIGHT
Tuesday, May 5th, from 5-7pm at
Lynch Elementary Featuring a school
wide Art Show and the 2nd grade
musical, Seussical. Be sure to mark
your calendars and come support
Lynch's talented students!
MATH AWARENESS
MONTH
April is Math Awareness Month at
Lynch! Our theme is "Math Drives
Careers." Please watch for a packet
with additional information and an
activity calendar to come home after
spring break.
I look forward to seeing you all in May,
Stephanie Harrington, Lapeer Music
Assistance needed… Our students are very involved kids. If you know
any of the spring sports coaches, could you please share the date and
time of our musical with them or pass their email/phone number along
to me. I would love to ask them if they could build a schedule that
leaves this evening free of games. The hope is to avoid creating conflicts
for our students in order for them to be able to participate in
everything… Thanks!
Tree Sales
We would like to thank our Elva Lynch families for the great tree sale
turnout! The trees will be available for pick-up on Friday, April 24th.
Please plan to pick up orders by 5pm. If you have a small order and want
it sent home with your student, please arrange with your homeroom
teacher. Thank you again, and “May the Forest Be With You!”
Top Sellers
Conner Haslett (K)
Thomas Fox (3rd)
Alexis Powers (1st)
Gage Brnabic (4th)
Carlie Lange (2nd)
Marisa Tindale (5th)
As per the student code of
conduct, students are not
allowed to ride another bus
to a friend’s home, or get off
at another stop.
AFTERSCHOOL
PROGRAMS
During the month of March,
students had an opportunity
to participate in after school
clubs (Weird Science, Craft,
Lego, Walking, iPads, and
Board Games). The turn-out
exceeded our expectations
Thank you to all of the staff
that volunteered their time
to help make these
programs a success!
STAY CONNECTED
FaceBook and Twitter
With the continued effort to
utilize technology as an
effective tool to
communicate with the
community, Lynch
Elementary will be utilizing
both Facebook and Twitter
in 2015. In addition to our
monthly newsletters, this
will be a more up to date
way to communicate events
and happenings about Lynch
Elementary with our
community members. Like
Elva Lynch Elementary on
Facebook and follow Lynch
Elementary on Twitter
@lynchprincipal.
A link to our FaceBook page
is on the school website:
lynch.lapeerschools.org
LYNCH ELEMENTARY NEWSLETTER
LYNCH LIGHTNING
Leaders of the Month
The following students were selected
by their classroom teacher as the
Lynch Lightning Leader for the month
of March. These students go above
and beyond every day to follow the
Lynch Elementary B.O.L.T. student
expectations of organization,
leadership and trustworthiness. Keep
up the good work!
Ms. Hardy
Mrs. Brown
Miss Woodley
Mrs. Fantin
Mrs. Lomerson
Mrs. Curry
Mrs. Jezdimir
Mrs. Siivola
Mrs. Leonard
Mr. Aquilina
Mrs. Rondy
Mrs. Schons
Ms. Lawrence
Mrs. Hayden
Mrs. Berry
Mrs. Nichols
Mrs. Callans
Coltyn Byrnes
Jenna Lapp
Hannah Boots
Connor Mead
Maximus Beauchamp
Easton McKinstry
Keaton King
Kylie Baker
Reese Cutway
Cate Welch
Ava Bucy
Elliana Richie
Gage Brnabic
Alida Wing
Evrett Allen
Ayden Brandt
Cole Bennett
STUDENT PLACEMENT
REQUEST FORMS
Based upon the teacher’s knowledge
of each student, they work as a team
in the placement decisions for the
coming year to ensure balanced
classrooms. Our goal is for your child
to receive a placement that best
meets the needs of their learning
style. Factors considered when
making student placement decisions
include, but are not limited to the
following: academic ability, special
instructional support needed, peer
relationships, ratio of males to
females, general work habits and
behavior. Therefore, a request is not a
guarantee. Student Placement
Requests are available online at
www.lapeerschools.org or in the
school office. All requests are due by
May 15, 2015.
LOST AND FOUND
Items found on the playground or in
the building will be placed in the lost
and found box (located by the recess
doors). Encourage your child to check
the day an item is lost.
APRIL 2015
M-STEP Parent Information Event
There will be two different opportunities for parents to come and
experience the M-Step. We will be offering a chance to take (look
at) the practice M-Step at the Center for Innovation Campus
(formally West) on Wednesday April 1, 2015.
When: Wednesday, April 1
Where: CFI
Time:
11:30am or 6:00pm
M-STEP
Beginning April 17 and ending June 6th is the testing window for MSTEP, which replaces the former MEAP
December!
test. These new assessments, called the Michigan
Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP), will be
given online and will measure current student knowledge.
What’s New: This year, your child will experience some
exciting new test components in the M-STEP
mathematics and ELA assessments that will measure
deeper critical thinking skills. These new test
components and items include:
Technology: On the online tests, some items will ask
students to drag and drop, select text in a passage,
select spots on a graphic, match between two lists, fillin-the-blank, or select multiple answers to a test
question.
Constructed response: Students will be asked to
produce a grade appropriate written response to some
test questions to demonstrate a clearer understanding
of the content standard being assessed.
Classroom Activity component: There will be a
teacher-led 30- minute scripted lesson that introduces
students to the topic of the Performance Task. This
component is NOT SCORED, but will help students to
have an understanding of the theme being presented
in the Performance Task. Performance Task (PT)
component:
Grade 3: ELA and Math
Grade 4: ELA, Math, and Science
Grade 5: ELA, Math and Social Studies
Throughout the past month teachers at Lynch
have been exposing students to websites that
enhance day to day instruction and prepare
them for the type of content they will
experience on the M-Step test. Below is a list
of some common websites used at Lynch for
students who may want to practice at home.
ELA:
Newsela -Current Events, Lexile Leveled, Quizzes
Included. RL: 4-12
https://newsela.com/
Britannica – Non-fiction, Research Skills, Audio
Support. Grades 3-12
http://www.remc13.org/resources/
Math:
Front Row – Common Core Aligned, Audio/Video
Support, Instant Feedback. Grades K-8
https://www.frontrowed.com/
Interactive Math Resources – Free. Activity
Based. Grades 1-12
http://illuminations.nctm.org/Search.aspx?view=
search&type=ac
Online Virtual Manipulatives – Free. Quizzes
Included. Grades 1-8
http://www.mathplayground.com/math_manipul
atives.html
Tips for Test Day…
Typing Resources:
Help your child succeed on the MSTEP by providing the
following support at home:
Dance Mat Typing – Engaging, Audio/Visual
Support. Free. Grades 1-4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr#zgkpn39
ABCYA Typing Games – Engaging. Free. Grades K5
http://www.abcya.com/kids_typing_games.htm
 Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats
nutritiously. (Don’t forget… your student can
receive free breakfast at Lynch.)
 Encourage them to do their best daily!
 Support your children and classroom teacher with
homework completion.
 Be sure your children are on time to school
between the during the testing window.
Authentic Writing Experience:
Kidblog – Motivating, Teacher Moderated.
Grades 1-12
http://kidblog.org/home/
Trimester 2 BOLT Buck Winner
Congratulations to our Trimester 2 Bolt Buck winner Keenan Johnston. Keenan won
a Samsung tablet and a Google Play gift card. Each trimester a winner is selected
from the weekly Bolt Bucks that are turned in to the office.