March 2016
TAPTEAL TIMES
509.967.6350 (Main Office) 509.967.6351 (Attendance)
Newsletter Chat with Principal Pratt
Dear Tapteal Family:
Winter is almost over and spring is just around the corner.
This school year is going by so fast! It has been an amazing
year so far!
On March 2nd, Happy Birthday to children’s author, Dr. Seuss.
What a great time to celebrate with your children as they
develop their reading skills. We appreciate your support at
home as you read with your child each day.
Conferences are quickly approaching. We will have
conferences on March 16, 17 and 18th. Students will get out of
school early on March 16th and then there will be no school on
March 17th and 18th. We are very excited to see all of you
again. It is essential that we work as a team to provide your
students with a wonderful educational experience.
Conferences are a great time for you to discuss any concerns
or ideas you may have regarding your child. Communication
between you and your child’s teacher is vital! Thanks so much
for your attendance and support.
Calendar of
Events
PTA Meeting
March 10th,
6:30-8:00 p.m.,
Tapteal Library
Fever Game
March 11th, 7:00 p.m.
Stick & Stone
Fundraiser
March 15th, all day
Rollarena Skate
Night
March 23rd, 6:30-8:30
p.m.
If you have an incoming Kindergarten student, please stop by
the main office to get enrollment paperwork for this upcoming
school year. We will continue our amazing full day
Kindergarten program for 2016-2017. We also offer free pre-school for those who qualify.
Stop by the main office or call Felicia Iedema at 967-6360 for more information if you have a
3 or 4 year old child.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind you to drive slowly and follow the safety
procedures in place in our parking lots and drop off/pick up area. Our procedures are in
place for the safety of students, staff and families. If you ever have questions or concerns
about these procedures, please feel free to stop by the main office.
It is my honor to work with you and your students. I am so fortunate to have the
opportunity to watch our students learning and growing each day. Have a safe and relaxing
spring break.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Pratt, Principal
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March 2016
PTA Officers
Counselor’s Corner
President: Tasha Scott
Happy Start of Spring Tapteal Families,
tinker4601@gmail.com
Vice President: Katie
Gannon
76.kgannon@gmail.com
Secretary: Collette Bickford
collettebickford@gmail.com
Treasurer: Jessica Maxfield
jessicamaxfield@gmail.com
PTA Chair Positions
We are still in need of
volunteers for several chair
positions If you're interested,
please contact Tasha Scott at
tinker4601@gmail.com
Follow Tapteal PTA on
Facebook
If you are a FaceBook user, we
invite you to follow Tapteal
PTA on Facebook at Tapteal
Elementary PTA. Thanks!
If you have children in grades 3rd-5th, it is officially time to
begin getting ready for state testing! Testing is tentatively
set to begin towards the end of April and throughout the
month of May.
Here are a few more vital tips to really get students ready
to perform to their greatest potential!
1) Have your child practice computer skills, especially
typing paragraphs; the entire test is computer-based.
2) Ask your children's teachers about what type of math
questions are being practiced in class.
3) Have your child read aloud with you to check for
accuracy and help if needed; teach your child what the big
words mean.
4) Work with your child to complete the practice on
training tests via http://wa.portal.airast.org/students-andfamilies/ ***
Let's rock this test and show everyone how great Tapteal
is! Go Hawks!
Kim Tran
School Counselor
"The only way to have a friend is to be one"
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
Kindergarten Registration 2016-2017
Kindergarten registration for 2016-17 school
year will begin on March 1st.
Parents can stop by the school office to get an
enrollment packet between 9:00am -3:00pm
Monday - Friday.
When the completed packet is returned to the
school a birth certificate and proof of address
will also be required.
Papa John’s Pizza
Don’t forget to get
your pizza from Papa
John’s all year long!
Order online using the promo code
TAPTEAL & you will receive 15% off
your order, plus Tapteal will receive
15% of your purchase!! Available at
all four locations across the TriCities.
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March 2016
Box Tops
Batter up! It’s Baseball
Season!
Bomber Baseball Camp offered
during Spring Break
Baseball players ages 7 to 14 are invited
to improve their skills at the Richland
High School Bomber Baseball
Camp April 5-6 of Spring Break. Cost
is $40 (includes a t-shirt). Find out
more details and register at: http://
baseball.bombercamps.com or
contact Coach Grant Richardson at:
bomberbaseball45@gmail.com
We collected 5,191 Box Tops this round, which
means $519 to the PTA! Woo Hoo!!
Ms. Whites class brought in the most Box
Tops at 453, but Mrs. Dobkins class was a
close second, bringing in 415! Keep collecting those box tops. Reflections Update
Congratulations to Tapteal Students for outstanding marks at the Council (District)
Level of the Reflections program. Literature
Primary
3rd Gabi Rivera, The Magic Dress
Music Composition
Primary
1st Cole Johnson, Fly Through History
Intermediate
2nd Macey Stephens, Fly With Me
1st Elisabeth Hovanski, Waves
Visual Arts
Primary
3rd Peyton Sanchez, Imagine Love!
2nd Ammon Hovanski, Flying Imagination Cole Johnson’s, Elisabeth Hovanski’s and Ammon Hovanski’s entries have been chosen to
advance to STATE and will be representing Tapteal.
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March 2016
Richland School District News
Positive bond issue news
At a February Richland School Board meeting, Superintendent Rick Schulte reported
positive financial news regarding the 2013 bond issue. “Our Richland School District
voters approved a $98 million bond, but we will end up with $160 million worth
of new facilities by the time all nine projects are done.”
The District expected to receive $32 million in state construction assistance funds;
instead, the District will receive $62 million. The additional state dollars has enabled
the District to add significant square footage at Lewis & Clark, Marcus Whitman,
Orchard, Sacajawea, HomeLink, and the upcoming new middle school. The District
will use some of these additional dollars to build an entirely new Jefferson campus
instead of just the 1952 wing as originally planned.
Thank you to our community
The operations levy was approved in February with an impressive 72% yes vote. The Richland School District and the Richland School Board want to thank
community members for their solid show of support. “It is great to live in a
community that values education,” says Superintendent Rick Schulte.
RSD lobbies for changes to Urban Growth Areas
Three legislative bills were introduced in Olympia this year which would help school
districts build new schools outside Urban Growth Areas. This is a priority issue for
the Richland School District.
“We need 50 acres for a third high school and it’s difficult to find this much land
inside the Urban Growth Area that is for sale, affordable, near neighborhoods, with
suitable topography, and not impacted by wetlands or endangered species habitat,”
explains Superintendent Rick Schulte.
Training and support for new teachers
The Richland School District is developing a comprehensive teacher induction
program to recruit, train, and retain quality teachers. “We are investing in our new
teachers and preparing them for their work,” says Tony Howard, Executive Director
of Human Resources. “A distinguished teacher induction program will reduce teacher
turnover and positively impact student learning.”
Follow the District on Facebook
If you’re a Facebook user, we invite you to keep
up to date with the Richland School District on
Facebook….. www.facebook.com/richlandschools
Newsletter information
If you have any items you would like to add to
the newsletter or if you have ideas for the
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newsletter, please email Kim Welling at
kimberlysuewelling@gmail.com.