Corrales International School: BACKPACK EXPRESS

BACKPACK EXPRESS (to see this email in color and to enable links, please click above in the area that states: Having trouble viewing this email? Click here )

November 13, 2010

Dear CIS Families:

Every day counts in a child's education. Every day that a student goes to school is an opportunity to learn new skills and excel at acquired ones. Every day a student goes to school he or she obtains academic and social skills needed to succeed in life.

Every day a student misses school, he or she falls more than two days behind his or her peers. Not only must the child make up the work he or she missed, but he or she must catch up with new lessons being taught.

Sometimes, absences are unavoidable when a child is sick. It is important that parents keep their children home from school when they are sick. However, to improve attendance, families can plan vacations during the summer months or school holidays. They can make sure their children arrive at school on time every day. They can schedule routine medical and dental appointments before or after school. If parents must make medical or dental appointments during the school day, they can return their children to school after the appointment.

By improving attendance, parents help their children learn the skills they need for achieving at their grade level. They help them build a strong foundation for future learning.

We know you chose Corrales International School because you wanted the best education for your child. So let's make every day count. It can make a world of difference in your child's education.

The learner profile for this month is OPEN-MINDED

Open-minded students understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities.

They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Encourage your child to try out new things-new food, new games and new activities.
Expose your child to different festivals, celebrations and traditions and be sure to present them in a non-judgmental way
Encourage your child to really listen to others when they speak.

GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMO

Dear Parents:

I am writing to encourage you to attend the upcoming PTA meeting as several members of the Governing Council plan to be there to answer your questions and hear your views on school issues.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 PM on Tuesday November 16 and will be held at the school. We accepted the PTA's gracious invitation to attend the meeting as we thought it would be a great opportunity to give you an update on our efforts to find a suitable, long-term home for the school and also the latest word from Santa Fe on the budget outlook for the remainder of the school year.

If you can't make the PTA meeting, I hope you will consider attending one of our regular meetings. The Governing Council meets monthly on the first Wednesday in the Village Council chambers, which is located in the heart of Corrales. The meeting starts at 5 and normally ends by 7:30.

We give parents, staff, and other members of the public an opportunity to speak to us at every meeting as we value their opinions.

I can't adequately express how much I've enjoyed serving on the Governing Council for the past year and a half and feel honored that I can contribute to the success of such a great school. If you see me at school or an event, I hope you will introduce yourself as I hope to meet every one of you by the time my term ends.

Jennifer A. Salisbury

Governing Council Co-Chair

NEWS

WINTER SHOP AND STROLL

Winter Shop & Stroll

Hello Corrales International School Families,

The cold weather and holiday season celebrations are around the corner! So mark your calendars for the CIS Winter Shop N' Stroll that is scheduled for December 10^th at 5:00 pm. This is a family event with a "Kids only Shopping" area and story-telling for all with Scott and Johanna Hongell-Darsee from the NM Humanities Council! The shopping area is made possible by donations of articles by CIS families, and will be priced from .10 cents to $1.00.

We need all your extra, unwanted, "stuff" for the shopping area.

Examples are: old ties, lotions, soaps, holiday ornaments, gifts that were given to you that you don't know what to do with, old jewelry etc.

You can begin dropping off your items now in the box marked Shop N' Stroll by the front table at the school.

We will also need volunteers to help work the event and donations of soups, stews and baked goods. Please contact Karen Grending if you have questions or can volunteer either your time or a home baked/cooked item.

Karen Grending: kgrending@grending.com

STUDENT SAFETY

Please keep in mind some of these safety precautions to keep our students safe. Also, please observe the stop sign (left side) when you are driving through our parking lot.

Mornings

Parents if you need to drop-off your child before 8:15 a.m. you must have him/her attend the before school program. Before care is located in Ms. Gaby Escobedo's classroom. There is no one else available to supervise your child. Children of all ages can not be left unattended.

Pick-up and Drop-off

Students cannot be picked up after 3:20 from their classrooms.
All students will be dismissed at 3:30 from the pick-up/drop-off area (Midway Blvd. entrance).
Since we have 70 more students this school year, some of you may choose to park on Midway Blvd. and walk to get your children from the pick-up area.
CROSS WALK. Please allow us to help you cross the parking lot. We have too many cars exiting plus the bus.
Please be aware that there is a STOP sign in the parking lot to allow pedestrians to cross.
Students not picked up by 3:40 will be taken to the Aftercare Program by their teacher. There is a charge for Aftercare service.

We ask that you abide by these safety precautions. Remember, your children are watching you and learning from your actions.

RECYCLING PROJECT - PARENTS NEEDED

November is New Mexico Recycling Awareness month.

Through the hard work one of our parents, Mabel Arrellanes, our school has received several recycling bins. Mr. Johnson has agreed to coordinate this recycling project with our students.

In order for this initiative to work we will need parent volunteers to take the recycled material to the appropriate locations.

Below is a link of the locations in Albuquerque where we can drop off the material at no cost. The Solid Waste main office is 4600 Edith NE (Edith and Griegos) it is also the closest drop-off to the school. Recycling drop-off sites:

http://www.cabq.gov/solidwaste/recycling/dropoff

I hope we can count all our parents to participate and help us with our recycling project.

CIS FOOD PANTRY

We have started a food pantry to provide a healthy lunch for those students that forget their lunch or are not able to bring a lunch to school. Additionally, we would like to start collecting food for families that are in need. There will be a box by the front desk to collect canned or dried goods.

The following items are needed for student lunches:

- instant macaroni and cheese, instant noodles/ramen or other soups

- fruit cups, dried fruit, fruit leather, cheese crackers, granola bars, boxed juice, single serve pastas, pretzels etc

Please contact Anna Prewitt at annaprewitt@gmail.com for more information.

LOST AND FOUND

There are many items in the lost and found area. Please ask your student/s to look for lost items. ALL items not picked up by the end of the month will be taken to Goodwill.

PLEASE LABEL ALL YOUR CHILD'S BELONGINGS. Perhaps this will reduce the amount of items in our lost and found area.

NOTE TO 8th GRADE PARENTS

Dear 8th grade parents,

A few of us were at the last meeting. I think it was a very useful and successful meeting. We are all looking into some different options and will report these to you all at our next meeting. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, November 23 at 6:00 pm in the 8th grade room. Please make plans to be there! We cannot plan the trip without everyone.

Big thanks to Mr. Johnson for organizing the restaurant fundraiser tonight at Mimi's. Please see the flyer below and take the family out for dinner tonight to support our school.

We will begin the pizza sales at lunch after the Thanksgiving break. Please let me know if you are able to help on December 3rd at lunch time. We need 2-3 parents.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Monet Caldwell-Silva

ALBUQUERQUE JUNIOR YOUTH BAND AUDITIONS

Attention CIS Middle School Students:

Do you play a band instrument and would like to be in a band? Auditions will be held for the Albuquerque Junior Youth Band on December 11^th, at 9:00 a.m. at Hayes Middle School. You must be 11 years old by August 15^th to audition. For more information check out the website of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Junior Youth Band program at http://www.aysmusic.org/orchestras/AJYB.php.

Community Service Committee (CSC)

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

The Community Service Committee (CSC) would like to invite those interested in encouraging community service at CIS to join our committee and begin modeling the way in our CIS community. Please contact Carolyn (chilton18@gmail.com, 505-550-1557) or Anna (oligrahamcracker@yahoo.com) for more information.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, November 16

6:00pm PTA Meeting- GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL BE PRESENTING (SEE NOTE ABOVE)

Thursday, November 18

No School: Teacher In-Service

In order to continue the professional development of our teachers, on November 18-19, teachers will be attending the New Mexico Dual Language Conference. We are hoping to hear and learn of new strategies to improve our teaching of languages in all our grade levels. On these days, students will not attend school, so please mark your calendars.

Friday, November 19

No School: Teacher In-Service

Tuesday, November

Our Thanksgiving Holiday break is scheduled for November 24 - 26. Students will attend school on Monday, November 22 and Tuesday, November 23.

Last school year, we have had a Thanksgiving celebration with our students and their families on the day before our Thanksgiving Holiday break. This school year, because of the increase in numbers, we are modifying our celebration. I am asking teachers to coordinate with their room parents to facilitate an activity with their students and their families, that may include goodies, that commerates the historical significance of Thanksgiving. The internet is full of fun activities and ideas for teachers and parents to help celebrate Thanksgiving. These are some of the websites:

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/thanksgiving/

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/thanksgiving/

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/index.html

Additionally, November 23rd will be a no uniform day. Students and teachers will decide as a class how they will dress on this special day to commemorate the historical significance of Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 24

No School: Thanksgiving Holiday

Thursday, November 25

No School: Thanksgiving Holiday

Friday, November 26

No School: Thanksgiving

Wednesday, December 1 5:00pm

GC Meeting

Monday, December 6 - Friday, December 10

Book Fair

SHOP AND STROLL

Friday, December 10