October 2014 Bridges
Month at a Glance
Now that fall is officially here, and everyone is well into the school routine, we are focusing on
getting some of our extracurricular activities started. Our club sponsors, this year, have decided to
offer most of the clubs during the lunch hour. There will also be one after school activity bus on
Thursdays. Mr. Phillips will have intramurals on this day. School bus transportation will be
available for children who are bus-eligible. The bus will leave Salt Creek at 4:50 p.m. If your
child will be using the Activity Bus, please be sure that your child and the club sponsor know
which stop you prefer. A list of stops is attached for your information. We remind both parents
and students that riding the Activity Bus is considered a privilege and appropriate behavior is
expected as a part of this privilege.
I would like to communicate that our front office has gone through another staff change. Ms.
Lorena Rodriguez was moved to Rupley School to help support family needs. Even though we
are sad to see her go, we know she will be a great addition to the Rupley family and she will
provide the same caring and outstanding service she has provided to our Salt Creek families.
With that said, I would like to welcome Debbie Matuga as our new Assistant Secretary. Mrs.
Matuga has been the assistant secretary at Rupley School since 1998. Debbie’s children attended
Salt Creek School before it was rebuilt. Debbie is very excited to get to know and work with the
students, parents and staff here at Salt Creek. We are very excited that Debbie is joining our Salt
Creek Office Team and will be part of our Salt Creek Family.
During the month of September the students participated in the District 59 fall assessments in
reading and math. Salt Creek School is one of four schools in the district that is piloting the FAST
assessment. Parents will be receiving a letter from the district explaining this assessment as well
as a report explaining the student’s results on the assessment in mid October. The teachers and
administrators have spent time reviewing the results of the assessments and making instructional
plans to help challenge and provide appropriate support for all students. The fall results,
combined with the spring results, help us plan for reading and math academic groups. Students
who are not yet at the benchmarks in reading may need additional reading instruction beyond
what is provided in the classroom. We refer to the classroom reading instruction as Tier 1 and to
additional reading instruction and interventions as Tier 2 or Tier 3. Parents whose children who
will receive Tier 2 or Tier 3 reading support or will be part of an academic group will receive
letters notifying them of this intervention/grouping. Parents will also receive updates of progress
throughout the year from the classroom teacher/resource teacher. If you would like to find out
more information regarding the FAST assessment, click on the following link:
http://www.fastforteachers.info
I am pleased to communicate that Salt Creek will continue to offer monthly ABC Nights. Mrs.
Lara has also added a parent component to these nights. With the new technology rollout, Mrs.
Lara will be offering “Google Café” in conjunction with ABC Nights. ABC stands for Activities,
Book, and Computers. Families can come from 6:00-8:00 PM and participate in various activities
that are offered in the lab on these nights. Please look for more information from Mrs. Lara about
ABC Nights and the Google Café at Salt Creek.
On October 8th and 9th there will be district-wide goal setting conferences. The students will be
dismissed at 2:50 on Wednesday the 8th and conferences will be held from 4:00 – 8:00 PM. On
Thursday the 9th, students will be dismissed at 3:50 and conferences will be held from 5:00 – 8:00
PM. I would like to invite you to please visit the Book Fair in our LRC while you are at school
for goal setting conferences. The book fair will be open from 4:30 – 8:00 PM on both days.
Parents had the opportunity to sign up for conferences on the night of Parent Orientation. Friday
the 10th is a non-attendance day for the district. Enjoy your 4-day weekend!
The district will be offering Technology Parent Education Evenings. There will be three identical
parent meetings from 6:30 – 8:00 PM on the following dates: October 15 at Holmes Junior High,
October 16 at Friendship Junior High and, October 21 at Grove Junior High. Parents will have the
opportunity to learn about and ask questions regarding the technology tools students received
earlier this year.
On October 31st we will have our annual classroom parties for Halloween at 2:15 PM. We will
alter our lunch schedule slightly on that day to allow for children who might be going home to
prepare for the afternoon festivities. A notice will come home in a couple of weeks outlining the
exact schedule for the afternoon. Thank you to the room parents for organizing this fun party!
Even though only parents who are organizing/chaperoning the party are allowed to attend the
classroom parties, all parents are welcome to come watch the parade at 2:15 PM.
I hope to see everyone at one of the many October events!
Upcoming Events:
Bingo Night – October 3 – 6:00 – 8:00PM
Goal Setting Conferences – October 8 & 9
Non-Attendance Day – October 10
ABC Night/Google Café – October 15 from 6 – 8PM
2nd Grade Bicycle Safety Field Trip – October 17 in the AM
Market Day Pickup – October 17
Institute Day – NO STUDENT ATTENDANCE – October 20
Title 1 Parent Advisory Meeting – October 23 6:00 – 6:30PM
Family Reading Night – October 23 6:30 – 7:30PM
Dental Van – October 28
Picture Re-Take – October 30
Halloween Parade & Parties – October 31 – PM
Sincerely,
Laura Sandoval