Principal’s Message:
Dear Families,
I hope all is well and all Cardinal families are thriving and surviving during this busy season. As we head into our annual winter break, there is much to be thankful for in 2018 and many adventures on the 2019 horizon. First of all, I want to thank all of you for the time you invest in our school and the well-being of all of our students. Rarely does a day pass that I do not have the opportunity to have a conversation with a parent or caregiver regarding what a great school we have thanks to a supportive community of staff, students, and families.
In January, we will start the new year with a renewal of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Briefly stated, PBIS helps all students develop and learn social, emotional, and behavioral competence, supporting their academic engagement. In addition, PBIS supports all educators in developing positive, predictable, and safe environments that promote strong interpersonal relationships with students through teaching, modeling and encouragement. If you are new to Carnelian or need a refresher, here is a useful link:
https://www.pbis.org/school/swpbis-for-beginners/pbis-faqs#briefintro
My goal is to schedule two student assemblies in January to remind students what PBIS is and why our school thinks it is important. This will also be an opportunity to share the many examples of PBIS we already have on our campus. These examples include the FOR Club, Random Acts of Kindness awards, Targets of Kindness, Cardinals of the Month, Ice Cream Recess, The Cardinal Way matrix posters in classrooms and designated spots around campus. These are just a few of the ways PBIS supports our mission of “Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Proud” each and every day.
Our PBIS team consists of myself, our Teaching Assistant Principal Mrs. Peralta, Mrs. Foster (first/second grade teacher), Ms. Large (second grade teacher), Mrs. Harstine (sixth grade teacher), Mrs. Stevens (nutrition worker), and Mrs. Vasquez (Child Care Director). We are all looking forward to our relaunch in January. For this to work, we need our staff, students, and families to believe in it.
Rachel’s Closet: Speaking of PBIS and the FOR Club, we will again have “Rachel’s Closet” on our campus. The dates will be January 15th through 18th in the Computer Lab. This is a great opportunity to give and/or receive. If you have clothes, shoes, or related items in good condition, we are asking that you donate them December 17th through January 11th. We will be accepting items for babies, toddlers, little kids, big kids, and adults. If possible, please wash the item prior to donation and drop off on the stage in the MPR. If you are in need of any of the aforementioned items in any of those sizes, please stop by Rachel’s Closet anytime between 8:00 and 2:00 on January 15th, 16th, 17th, or 18th. This is a great cause to help our community.
Safety Update
Since it is always a top priority, we continue to make improvements and upgrades to our safety system. A new online safety feature being rolled out throughout ALSD is Gaggle. This is yet another system to ensure our students are being safe online. For more information, please follow this link: https://www.gaggle.net/about-gaggle/
Schoolwide AR Goal Update!
As a school, we are aiming for 100,000,000 words! At 46% of the way through the school year, we have read 58,673,920 words. We are over ELEVEN MILLION words ahead of last year’s pace! Don’t forget about our Millionaire’s Club. It will be another amazing celebration for those who make it. Thank you to our generous PTA for supplying millionaire t-shirts, AR parties, and the Millionaires’ Lunch at the end of the year. So far, we have Chloe Madrid, Zander Carrera, Kevin Liu, Gianna Carson, Brody Blanchard, and Zoelle Gibbons in the club. Many others are close, so keep reading Cardinals.
Carnelian Elementary, the Finest Elementary School in the Land, wishes you a safe and joyous holiday season with your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Phil Suttner
Follow me on Twitter: @CARN_principal
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