FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Welcome to the 2015-16 school year. We can’t wait to begin our work togeth-

er!

My name is Shannan Graves and I have the honor to serve the Stafford com-

munity as the new principal. I live in Tacoma and am excited after five years

as a principal in Kent to be here at Stafford working in my own community.

It was a pleasure to meet many of you during our Ice Cream Social on

Wednesday. If I didn’t get the opportunity to meet you personally, I am sure

as the year progresses we will.

As Principal, my vision for Stafford is two-fold. In all that we do at Stafford,

students are at the center so that “Every student matters, Every moment

counts.” Through district meetings, recent Administrative Training, and in

talking with building staff it is unmistakable that “Every student matters” is

the heart of Stafford. This is a school where every student is celebrated and

valued as a part of our learning community. Every moment counts reflects

the urgency of our task of ensuring that ALL Students are successfully pre-

pared for their future. This is evidenced in the quality standards-based

teaching, learning and assessment provided by our skilled Stafford staff.

If you are walking down our halls you will see our teachers busy teaching

routines, setting up classroom expectations and schedules, and beginning

students’ academic journey this year. Hard to believe we are already on day

3 of the school year.

We have several new staff members to welcome to our Stafford team. Ms. Yi,

our new Kindergarten teacher comes to us from Reed Elementary and com-

ing from Seattle’s Lowell Elementary to teach 4th grade is Ms. Martin. We

have two new 3rd grade teachers, Ms. Haynes who taught at Manitou Park

and Ms. Ruiz joining us from Chief Leschi. In addition, Stafford will have a

new nurse, Ms. Schutt and a new Occupational Therapist, Ms. Barnett. They

are all doing a marvelous job getting familiar with Stafford and our students.

It definitely takes a village here at Stafford.

We are looking forward to a wonderful 2015-16 school year. It will be a year

full of partnerships, collaboration, and hard work for the benefit of all our

students. Again, welcome back! Stafford staff has missed you.

Shannan Graves,

Principal

STAFFORDELEMENTARY

SCHOOL

ADDRESS: 1615 S 92ND

TACOMA, WA 98444

PHONE: 571-4300

FAX: 571-4301

EMAIL:

SGRAVES@TACOMA.K12.

WA.US

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

SEPTEMBER 2015

Library Newsletter

September 2015

Rules and Regulations

At the beginning of every year, I like to let people know what the library rules

are, just so we are all on the same page—no pun intended. There are two categories

of rules for the students I’d like to review, as well as general information like open

hours and preschool story times.

Behavioral rules for the library are simple. We want our students to walk

when they are in the library, use Level 1 (whisper) voices, and show respect for

materials, fellow students, and teachers. All during preschool, kindergarten, and

first grade, we drill those rules, so that by the time our students are older, they have

the rules pretty well ingrained. If there are repeated infractions, we generally work

the problem out in the library. Usually, a brief reminder will work, and if that

doesn’t, a pull-aside and private discussion does. Our Stafford students understand

the school-wide expectations, and the library rules dovetail with those.

Check-out rules are likewise simple. Students in preschool and kindergarten

get one book each week, students in grades 1-3 get two, and students in grades 4 and

5 get three. Books are due each week on the class library day. Students must

return all their books in order to check out. If you don’t know what your child’s

library day is, you can check with your student, his or her teacher, or phone the

library at 571-4299, where I’ll be happy to tell you. If a book gets damaged at home,

please just send it back in to us. Don’t feel obliged to try to repair it yourself. I can

fix most anything, and am not going to charge for repairs or come unglued at a

student. We’d mostly like to get the book checked in so that the student can check

out again. Similarly, if a book gets lost, let me know. Especially if the book goes

missing at school, I can help look for it. I don’t want children to feel worried about

lost or damaged books. Life is too short, and there’s too much to read.

The library open from 8:45 in the morning until 3:45 in the afternoon. If

you want to come in, look at the collection, and check out books (yes, we can give

you your own account), please feel free. We also have two preschool story times

each week, dovetailed with Mrs. Kling’s preschool classes. The times are not yet set,

but will be published on my Swift site when they are. If you want to bring pre-

schoolers in for that time, please do—just be aware that parents need to stay with

the children.

We encourage all students to participate in Accelerated Reader, a great

independent reading program. We have the web version of AR, and most books

have quizzes. Should you wish to reach me, please call the library extension at

253-571-4299—y aqui se habla espanol. Here’s to a year of great reading!

Ann Welton, Librarian

P.E. Happenings

Welcome back to another great year of

physical education!

Mrs. Weydert and Mr. Wood are your P.E.

Teachers. Mr. Wood will be at Stafford on

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays while

Mrs. Weydert will be here on Wednesdays,

Thursdays and Fridays.

All students in grades K-5 will have physical

education twice a week for 30 minutes each

time.

Students need to wear gym (tennis) shoes to

P.E. Girls wearing dresses or skirts need to

have on stockings or shorts underneath.

Please note that many activities we do

involve sitting and or lying on the gym floor;

students need to be prepared to do so.

Our P.E. rules are Safety, Respect and

Responsibility. Students are being taught

and practicing what that means. We expect

to have a wonderful year with Stafford kids!

Some big events planned are Jump Rope for

Heart at the end of February, National Run

A Mile Day in May and of course Field Day at

the end of the school year in June. We hope

parents can volunteer to help us to make

these events fun and successful.

ELL News & Notes Serving Stafford’s English Language Learners

Mrs. Almonte, Mrs. Latimer & Mr. Son . . . . . . . . Room C-15

English??? Español??? Would you like to receive communication from the

school in Spanish, when available? If so, please fill-out and return the form to your child’s

teacher.

Le gustaría recibir desde la escuela comunicación en español, cuando este disponible?

En caso que la respuesta sea sí, llene la forma que aparece en la parte de abajo y re-

grésela a la maestro/a de su hijo/a

Do you need help from someone who is Spanish, Vietnamese, or Cambodian speaking?

The Stafford ELL staff is available to help you from 8:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:30-3:45 p.m.

Please check in at the office for assistance.

Bạn có cần sự giúp đỡ từ một người nào đó là

người nói tiếng Tây Ban Nha, tiếng Việt , hay

Campuchia? Các nhân viên Stafford ELL có

sẵn để giúp bạn từ 8 : 30-9 : 00 sáng và

3 : 30-3 : 45 giờ chiều.

Vui lòng kiểm tra tại văn phòng để được hỗ

trợ .

Bạn cũng có thể gọi và để lại tin nhắn tại

571-4272 và cuộc gọi của bạn sẽ được trả

ELL Homework Club

ELL Homework Club will be offered to our currently

qualified ELL students beginning in October. Sign-up

information will be sent home later this month for this be-

fore

Necesita la ayuda de alguién que hable Espa-

ñol? El personal del departamento ELL de la

escuela Stafford está disponible para

ayudarle desde las 8:30-9:00 a.m y desde

las 3:30-3:45p.m. Por favor, primero debe

chequear en la oficina. También puede llamar

ELL Homework Club ( El Club de Taréas ELL) será ofrecido por

nuestro actual y calificado ELL personal al comienzo del més de oc-

tubre. Información, que requiere registrárse previamente , será enviada a

casa a finales de éste més.

ELL Bài tập về nhà Câu lạc bộ sẽ được cung cấp cho học sinh ELL hiện đủ điều

kiện của chúng tôi bắt đầu vào tháng Mười. Thông tin đăng ký sẽ được gửi về nhà

Sí, por favor envíeme comunicación en español, cuando este disponible.

Nombre de los pa-

dres________________________________________

Nombre del estu-

diante_______________________________________

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Our goal this year is to ensure that every student attends school regularly. Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when stu-dents miss too much school— regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically. Your child is less like-ly to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year. Research shows:

Children chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.

Two missed days a month adds up to being a half a year behind by the time your child reaches 4th grade.

By 6th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for dropping out of school.

By 9th grade good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade test scores.

Absences can add up quickly. A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month!!

Clearly going to school regularly matters!

We don’t want your child to fall behind in school and get discouraged. Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.

Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick

Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.

Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.

Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Let us know how we can best support you and your children so that they can show up for school on time every day. We want your child to be successful in school! If you have any questions or need more information please contact your child’s school.

Sincerely,

Shannan Graves

Principal

1. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the

school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a

month of school.

2. An estimated 5 million to 7.5 million U.S. students miss nearly a month of school each

year.

3. Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade stu-

dents are chronically absent. Poor attendance can influence whether children read profi-

ciently by the end of third grade or be held back.

4. By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out

of high school.

5. Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school

districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a

month and that’s known as chronic absence.

6. The academic impact of missing that much school is the same whether the absences are

excused or unexcused. Suspensions also add to lost time in the classroom.

7. Low-income students are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others

often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation

and a lack of access to health care.

8. When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects

and chances for graduating.

8 Facts about attendance

Stafford elementary is

committed to having our

students in school and on time

everyday.

Being tardy to school as well as

being picked up early disrupts

a student’s day as well as the

other students in the

classroom.

Please try to have your child to

school on time and limit early

pick ups.

Did you know that Stafford has a bus that

goes to the Boy’s & Girl’s Club located at

3875 S 66th Tacoma, 98409 phone

253.502.4600?

To get your student set up to ride that bus

call Stafford’s office at 253.571.4302

Dear Stafford Families,

As I walked among the staff, students and families waiting outside Wednesday morning before the first bell rang, I yet

again received confirmation as to why Stafford is such a great place to be. Teachers were exchanging smiles and

enthusiastic cheers, bubbling with anticipation for a great school year ahead with their students. Families were

surrounding their students, supporting first day jitters and glowing with pride at the journey their children are about

to embark upon. And then there were the students. The energy from them was palpable and the roar of excitement

that they gave at the sound of the first bell made my heart sing. This is a place that welcomes a community of families

and staff alike and I believe great things are in store for this school year.

As the counselor, I will be meeting your child(ren) through a variety of different avenues. First, I will be providing

classroom guidance lessons weekly for kindergarten and biweekly for grades 1-5. The lessons will cover a variety of

topics, such as learning empathy, calming strategies, friendship skills, school success tips, and personal safety.

Depending on need, I may also be running some small groups for kids who need a little extra support in areas such as

friendship skills, emotional regulation, etc… Lastly, one of my focuses will be on providing community service

opportunities to the students, either within our own Stafford family or the greater community around us. If you have

a specific community service idea or are part of an organization that would like to partner with us, please feel free to

give me a call. I’d love to brainstorm project ideas and build community connections!

I hope that you and your child(ren) have a positive, peaceful and successful start to the school year. Please know you

are always welcome to contact me at 253-571-4295.

Warmly,

Adrienne Petrie

School Counselor

Counselor’s Corner

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SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

14th-INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL PICTURES

16th– TERRIFIC KIDS ASSEMBLY 2:30P.M.

20th– SCHOOL BBQ (PARENTS INVITED)