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| March 2010 Issue |
Issue No. 32 |
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| AE Wright Middle School
Principal Kimmarie Taylor 4029 N. Las Virgenes Rd.
Calabasas, California 91302
818.880.4614
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Important Dates this Month
3/2 7th Grade STAR Writing Proficiency Test; 8th Grade Panoramic Picture
3/3-3/5 LV Arts PTA hosts "Guys and Dolls" @ Civic Arts Plaza
3/4 Spring Pictures
3/8 Enrichment classes start; Future Freshman Night @ both AHS & CHS
3/9 PFC Meeting 9:15am; AHS & CHS Counselors @ AEW;
LVUSD Board Meeting 6pm
3/10 Succulent Plant demo @ Teacher's Patio 9:15am; GATE Parents meeting @ LVUSD 7pm
3/11 Succulent Plant demo @ Teacher's Patio 9:15am
3/12 Medieval Market; GATE Referral forms available
3/15 Superintendent Forum @ White Oak Elementary 7:30-9pm
3/16 Spartan Gardening Club meet 9:15am; District Vocal Festival
3/17 Fiddle Fest (Strings Program)
3/19 8th Grade High School course selections due
3/23 LVUSD Board Meeting 6pm
3/25 Recognition Rallies; Talent Show 7pm
4/1 End of 3rd Quarter; 10 Week Progress Report
4/2 Good Friday - No School
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 A Note from the Principal
Dear Parents, I can't believe it's March already, my how time flies! Spring is the air, the weather is starting to warm up, and it's time to start wearing shorts again. As the shorts come out of the drawer, please help your student make sure the shorts still fit and that they are an appropriate length for school. We are finding that students don't always realize that either their shorts have shrunk during the rainy season or that they've grown an inch or two in the last couple of months. Another thing we are seeing is that the shorts look okay from the front but are too short in the back. Please note: even though short shorts are a popular item in stores, they are not appropriate for school. A good rule of thumb: With your arms straight at your side, shorts should be no shorter than the tip of your thumb. As dress code starts at home, we greatly appreciate your support in this matter. In case you haven't heard, A.E. Wright started a free after school tutoring program on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester. Please check the aewrightmiddleschool.net website for the tutoring schedule. This is a great opportunity for students to receive extra support in their core classes. Attention 8th Grade Parents: March is an important month for you and your student. We will be taking the 8th grade panoramic picture on March 2 so it is important that your child is on time to school that day. The high school counselors will be visiting A.E. Wright on March 9 to distribute course selection sheets. As part of the course selection process, students will be given a copy of his or her middle school transcript with teacher recommendations for appropriate high school courses. Please check your student's backpack for this information. The course selection sheets are due back to the A.E. Wright counseling office by Friday, March 19. I strongly encourage you to attend the future freshmen night at either CHS or AHS on Monday, March 8. The parent meeting is very informative and is designed to answer questions about academics and extracurricular activities. If you have any questions or need information regarding high school drop-in dates, please visit the counseling page on the aewrightmiddleschool.net website. March is busy month here at A.E. Wright. Please make sure the following events are on your calendar:
March 2 7th Grade STAR Writing Proficiency Test
(Please make sure your student is well rested, has a good
breakfast, and is on-time to school)
8th Grade Panoramic Picture
March 4 Spring Pictures
March 9 PFC Meeting, 9:15am
March 12 Medieval Market
March 16 District Vocal Festival
March 17 Fiddle Fest (Strings Program)
March 25 Recognition Rallies
Talent Show, 7pm
April 1 End of the Third Quarter
April 2-9 Spring Break
Have a great month!
Mrs. Taylor | |
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| Parent Faculty Club Co-President Message
by Deborah Vangelos & Mathy Wasserman
Dear AEW Parents,
Some of you may have noticed the new banner that we put up at the carpool loop. "A good public education is free, a great public education needs funding". Sadly, in my opinion, that banner has already become obsolete. Truly, there really is no such thing as a free education anymore. At least not if you want and expect the level and quality to which you have experienced here at AE Wright. Before your child graduates, they will have experienced music, art, drama, state of the art computer classes, opportunities to take Spanish, have after school tutoring and enrichment, an incredible P.E. class every day, amazing access to our wonderful library and most importantly, TEACHERS, FACULTY AND STAFF WHO REALLY CARE!!! Our scores are some of the top in the State. Perhaps your child has benefited from being in an I.E.P. or 504 plan? Have they had the chance to go in and get support from one of the Guidance Counselors or told you about the seminars that taught them about making good choices regarding texting, teasing, Internet issues, smoking and drugs? The educators at AE Wright go above and beyond and your child has benefited. If you were an incoming 6th grader this year, please send a silent thank you to the parents who came before you. If you are the family of a graduating 8th grader, please remember that the donations made before you came to school ensured that your child experienced the same high standards and hope that the 12th grade parents at your respective High Schools feel the same way. Speaking of High Schools, our children go on to attend some of the highest ranked High Schools in the country, then go on attend the finest colleges. In fact, statistically students from our district attend the same colleges that kids coming out of the private school sector. WHAT CAN YOU GIVE? Whatever it is, please do....give. Big or small, your participation in some way is what counts. At this time we are only at approximately a 32/33% participation. Simply put...we need you.
As you all know the State of California has handed down extraordinarily severe budget cuts for Education. Nonetheless we know that we have the ability and resources in this community to keep our high standards. Many of you have either moved or permitted in to be able to have your children go to school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. You came for an education that is comparable to a private school education. The fact that these programs have continued this past year and will for the most part remain in place during the next, are due to the creative foresight of our District leaders and the ongoing support of our parent community. In my opinion, having had children in both private and public schools over the years, the biggest difference I see is in the level of participation from the parents. When you give, either your time or financially, you are invested.
Speaking of parent support, I would like to send a VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO KAREN DEJESSE! Karen has worked tirelessly to get bids to fix a drainage issue, help plan a beautiful memorial area in honor of Alanna Moorman, investigate landscaping grants AND put in place an ink cartridge recycling program. We are very grateful to Karen for all the time she has put in for our school and community.
The all-grades Valentine's Dance was a huge hit. Many students commented that it was the best yet. Decorations created by the students were fantastic. Thank you to everone who participated in the event.
Please be on the lookout for information regarding our 3rd and final fundraiser: The Spartan Fitness Challenge! The kids really have a blast on this one as they are challenged in many different ways. Please note that we need to postpone the date and that we will inform you of the new day as soon as possible. Also be sure to ask your child about after school Enrichment activities...thank you Nikki C'Dealva for putting this program together.
We welcome you to our meetings and hope that you will contact us if you have any questions, concerns or comments. Last month we voted to fund the following: Our peer mediation program, a projector system, a new (and very exciting) History Alive program, a discretionary fund for Principal Taylor to use enabling her to facilitate the needs of the Teachers and beautification/repairs for our campus.
There are many ways to be involved in your childrens education. Please continue to check the website! Until next month....
Deborah Vangelos and Mathy Wasserman
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Notes from the Counseling Office
February 26 marked the end of the first progress reporting period of the second semester. If your child's grades are not as good as you would like them to be, this is a great time to change old habits and create new ones which will help lead to academic success. One of the most important things that successful students do is have a daily routine. It is very helpful to have a set time for relaxing, completing homework, after-school activities and a routine bed-time which provides your son or daughter with enough sleep to perform at his or her peak the following day. If you haven't already done so, sit down and create a daily schedule with your student which leaves them at least one full hour per day for homework.
Another helpful tool for your student is the AE Wright organizer. The students bought these at the beginning of the year and should have them in their possession daily. It is impossible to try to remember homework for four different academic subjects a day. Students need to understand the importance of writing down their assignments in the same place daily.
Make sure your student's study area is free of distractions. Pay attention to where your student is doing his or her schoolwork. Is the television on? Are their brothers or sisters making too much noise? Are they distracted by the instant messaging with friends on the computer or the cell phone? We suggest that you turn all distractions off. This will make homework time quicker, and ensure that your student is able to focus on the material at hand.
If your child needs some extra help, there is free tutoring for math during lunch on Tuesdays through Fridays. We also offer additional, free tutoring sessions for math and homework help on Tuesday s and Fridays from 3:20pm -4:00pm.
This Tuesday, March 2 all 7th graders are taking the STAR writing proficiency test. Please don't schedule any appointments for that day, if possible, and make sure your child is well-rested and has a good breakfast (a good idea for all school days!). The balance of the STAR testing will be during the week of May 11 - May 14.
These are only some of the hints for becoming successful students. If you have further questions please feel free to contact Mrs. Howard or Ms. Morikawa in the counseling office. We believe that all students can achieve when given the tools and support to do so. |
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The Beautification Update
by Karen DeJesse
Last month AEW parents were treated to a Rose Pruning Demonstration given by Linda McKendry from Linda's Garden Roses. Linda is a local resident whose own children attend AE Wright. She has helped with designing more drought-tolerant planting near the Science Building as well as near the front of our school between classrooms 1, 2, 5& 6. She also donated three large rose bushes to replace some that were lost to a sprinkler malfunction. The 10 attendees of her workshop in January were given a small bag of Organic Fertilizer to use at home on their own roses after they learn the proper rose pruning technique. A huge thank-you goes to Linda for donations and continued support of our school and to Kenny our groundskeeper for planting the new roses.
In March there will be a Succulent plant demonstration and replanting of pots with succulents to be located on campus. The workshop will be on Wednesday March 10th and Thursday March 11th at 9:15am on the Teacher's Patio (rain dates: Monday March 15th & Tuesday March 16th). This workshop was due to a generous donation of plants and pots from local resident Walter Miller and coordinated by Treeland Landscape Designer Greg Sullivan.
We also need volunteers for "sprucing up" some of our plants on campus and our teacher patio. We meet every 3rd Tuesday every month at 9:15am, so hope to see you then!
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| "Guys and Dolls"
by the Las Virgenes Arts Parent Teacher Association (LV Arts PTA) 
The Las Virgenes Arts Parent Teacher Association (LV Arts PTA) is proud to present "Guys and Dolls" March 3 - 5 at the Civic Arts Plaza. The two casts includes Lindero Canyon Middle School students and tickest are offered for $15. Click here for more details.
To learn more about your local LV Arts PTA and the remarkable Reflections program, visit them at http://lvartspta.tripod.com or contact the AE Wright representatives: Susan Polk, Lisa Maliana and Fariba Tiffany. |
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AE Wright PFC Printer Cartridge Recycling Program
by Karen DeJesse
 Please bring in ANY used printer cartridge to the Main Office for recycling.
Each month our teachers will share in a rebate for office or computer supplies for their classrooms. It's easy to do, and not only will it help our teachers, it also saves the environment by not putting these in our landfills!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
AE Wright PFC
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  for guidance with computer software use and social networking for business offered with patience & personal care.
ask for TJ's mom |
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Gifted and Talented Education Program
by Rose Dunn - District GATE Director
If you choose to refer your child, please think very carefully about how your child learns. A Parent Information Meeting on the referral process and GATE program will be held on Wednesday, March 10th at 7 :00 P.M. in the District Office Boardroom.
Parent referral forms for Grades 5-7 will be available on the GATE website or in school offices Friday, March 12 and are due in the GATE office by Monday, April 12, 2010. Testing dates will be posted on the District's GATE website on Tuesday, April 13 and will be mailed to all those who refer as well. Testing appointments will be made on a first come, first served basis.
Any LVUSD student in grades 5-7 or new- August enrollees who miss the testing window for this year will need to wait until the following year to be referred for Spring 2011 testing. Qualification letters will be sent to all students as soon as all testing is complete. Please call the Ed Services Office at 878-5219 with any further questions. |
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Las Virgenes Education Foundation
March News
It is with heavy hearts that the Las Virgenes Education Foundation Board of Directors reluctantly must cancel this year's Benefit for the Arts concert scheduled for March 26th at the Canyon Club. We deeply appreciate the support of all who were ready to volunteer and make this concert as successful as the one we enjoyed in 2009. We have secured April 2, 2011 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Kavli Theater, for our next Benefit for the Arts concert. Mark your calendars! To find out how you can help and be a part of the future of quality education, visit: www.mylvef.org |
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The AE Wright Parent Faculty Club would like to thank this months sponsor advertisers. We encourage parents to utilize these organizations and services.
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