Hello Allen Eagles!
A few quick updates from the school…
Internet Safety for Parents
We would like to share this optional Parent Meeting on Internet Safety for Parents. It is tonight, Tuesday, Jan. 12th from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. Details regarding the link to join the workshop is provided in the attached flyer. We hope that you can join us.
Join the meeting in English: http://bit.ly/3begLnr
Join the meeting in Spanish: http://bit.ly/395YSo6
Meal Distribution on Tuesdays
Meal Distribution continues every Tuesday in front of the school between the hours of 12 noon and 2 pm. This free service is available for all families that attend a school in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
Possible Internet Outage May Affect Families and Staff
The district has been made aware that families and staff may be impacted by Cox Communications internet and cable outages on Thursday and Friday. There are planned Cox Residential outages in the Rancho Del Rey area on Thursday, January 14 and Friday, January 15, from the hours of 7AM – 7PM. For parents who wish to opt-in on Cox notifications/texting (they will need their account login & password from Cox ) call 1-800-234-3993: https://www.cox.com/residential/support/outage-notifications.html
For network updates from Cox, including 2 weeks prior/2 days prior scheduled notifications: https://www.cox.com/residential/network-update.html?sc_id=cr_dm_camp_z_networkupdate_vanity
Parents can also download the Cox app from their mobile GooglePlay/iOS App Store, and login. Please contact the school office at (619) 479-3662 if you are impacted by these outages. We ask that affected families complete work asynchronously for the school day should they or their teacher experience an internet outage.
CVESD Live Event: Using Robotics to Clean Up Pollution
All Allen students and their families are invited to join the district’s next live weekly event, Using Robotics to Clean Up Pollution, led by our Innovation Station teacher, Mr. Garcia.In this session, students will have the opportunity to take on the role of an environmental engineer as they learn about how robotics are being used to help clean up the environment and then design, build, and test their very own robotic device that they can use to help clean up pollution. Finally, they will be able participate in a live Kahoot! game to demonstrate what they have learned.
As always, the live events are designed to be for all ages and they are open to the public. It will begin at 1 pm on Friday, Jan. 15th and will be hosted on the Microsoft Teams platform, which is accessible through any web browser, regardless of whether or not someone has a district Microsoft account or the Microsoft Teams app. Teachers in grades 4 through 6 may dismiss students a few minutes early on Fridays so that students may participate in these live events.
We look forward to seeing you on Friday at 1 pm at the link here:
If you were not able to join us for our last event, Beaks, Feathers and Feet with Mrs. Quirós, and would still like to check it out, please use the following link:
Parent Survey Coming This Week
Please look for a survey for parents/guardians later this week from the district. This will help the school and district prepare for students returning to campus in a hybrid model. The district will provide additional details about CVESD’s Re-Opening Plan as well at this t. We ask that you complete one survey for each child that attends Allen Elementary School.
Optional, Virtual Day of Service
According to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service, and Americans are encouraged to spend this day volunteering to improve their communities. As there is no school on Monday, January 18th, we are offering Allen students, families, and staff the opportunity to participate in an optional, virtual day of service to honor Dr. King’s legacy.
Here are some ways you can participate:
1. Learn about and discuss Dr. King’s life and teachings. The King Institute’s Liberation Curriculum is a great place to get started.
2. Volunteer in your community. In the spirit of Dr. King’s service, use this tool from CNCS to find opportunities to help out in your community. You can also just simply grab a trash bag and gloves and clean up a local park or beach with your family! Read a story to a family member, bake a loaf of bread for a neighbor, or beautify your neighborhood!
Note, please follow all county and state health directives such as wearing a mask, maintaining physical distancing, and not interacting with people outside of your immediate household to #StopTheSpread.
Email photos of your act of service to our amazing secretary, Ms. Reza at michelle.reza@cvesd.org. Photos received may go on the Allen School Blog (allenelementary.org) or on our Twitter account (@EaglesBonita). Parents, kindly note when emailing the photos that you give permission for these photos to be shared on social media. You may also post photos on your own social media using the hashtags #DayOfService and #TogetherWeSoar and tag @EaglesBonita and @CVESDNews.
3. Lead your own service project. These resources from Youth Service America will help you plan and organize a project that’s meaningful to you.
Don’t forget that there is no school (no online classes, nor DLSP) on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021.
Mid-Year Assessments
This is the time of the year that the school and district offer mid-year assessments to measure student academic progress. You may have noticed that your child has begun the Smarty Ants or Achieve 3000 Level Set this week.
Beginning January 11th, all students at Allen will be taking the i-Ready math mid-year diagnostic assessment. i-Ready allows your child’s teacher to meet your child exactly where they are and provides data to increase your student’s learning gains. This assessment usually takes about three days to complete. However, your child’s teacher may space it out differently in order to support each child’s learning needs.
Please make every effort not to coach or prompt your child on this assessment. Some questions may be easy while others may be tough. While it may be tempting to help your child with some of the problems they will see on the assessment, we need the test results to be an accurate reflection of what your child knows.
Remind your child to read directions and questions in their entirety, use paper and pencil to solve math problems if needed, and use the tools that appear at the bottom of the screen. The results will reveal what your child can do independently. Encourage your student to take each question seriously. Emphasize “thinking before clicking,” because just clicking through will not be a productive use of their time nor reflect what your child actually knows. In order to help your child get re-energized, games may be embedded throughout the test, so don’t be surprised if you see your child playing an engaging math game during his/her assessment time.
Here are some tips that will help your child be successful:
- Ensure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before taking the assessments
- Be sure your child eats a good breakfast the morning before taking the assessments
- Designate a quiet area for working, free of distractions
- Use headphones
- Encourage your child do their best and take their time without any coaching or guidance on answering questions from family members
Please contact your child’s teacher or the school office at (619) 479-3662 should you have any questions regarding this online assessment. We appreciate your support!
Be well Allen Eagles! Continue to check our school blog and your email for updates from the school and district.
Ella B. Allen Elementary School 