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Weekly News from Steele Elementary

12 17 2015  
Contents
From the Principal
School News
PTA News
Community News
Quick Links
Dates To Remember
1/12: PTA Meeting
From the Principal
It is hard to believe that 4 months of school have passed and we are heading into a new semester in January. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for not only sharing your children with us but being such a great partner in their education. I love that I get to learn with and from you on a daily basis. 

I hope that everyone has a great holiday. I am excited to hear about your adventures when we return. Thanks for all that you do--cheers

School News
Urgently Need Egg Cartons 
Thank you all for your donations of egg cartons for room 309's Holidays around the world celebration. We still need 25 more for tomorrow's project. So please empty out those egg cartons you have in the fridge and bring the container to the office or room 309 by Friday morning. Thanks again for your help.

School Choice Information
Choice season begins January 5, 2016. In order to use Online Choice form -- which saves you time -- you must have an active Parent Portal account. Click here to view the Parent Portal how-to guide. Note that if you do not log into your Parent Portal account, after two months it becomes a closed account.
 
If you have moved out of Steele's boundary or changed your address, you need to fill out School of Choice forms for the 2016-17 school year (even if your student is enrolled at Steele this year). Your student will still have placement here, but the paperwork has to be done. Questions? Contact Melissa
in the Steele office.

Lost and Found 
Please claim any items in the lost and found by Friday. Any unclaimed items will be donated after school on 12/18

SCIENCE FAIR PARTICIPANTS 
Due to the snow day the 12/15 (Tue), the science fair coaching session was cancelled. We are trying to reschedule for the first week back in January. We will keep you posted. Meanwhile, the forms below available from the DPS website are a great starting point.
 
    
Here are some links from DPS that could be helpful during the creation of your science fair project. The only form that is necessary is the DISPLAY BOARD LABEL, that needs to be attached to the BACK of your project board: upper left corner. This file can be printed from the guideline packet below. There will also be some at the schools front office.  The judging rubric (also below) is a nice way to see how our judges and the districts will score the projects.
 
k-5 Science fair DPS guidelines packet. You have to click through the individual links to find parts of it.   http://nexgenden.wikispaces.dpsk12.org/Science+Fair  
 
The 2015 one still works where it's all together in one file:
 http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/math_science/science/fair/k-5/SciFair_Information_Packet_2015_k-5.pdf 

But, this new k-5 guidelines is a nice worksheet!
Grades K to 5, Project Guidelines - Explains the project specifically for younger students, does not need to be turned in.
  
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-_JGNjeewPyWFdObmhGdmVuTDA&usp=sharing  
Important dates:
01/08: Deadline for Project Title  
01/11: Steele Science Fair -- On the day of the fair, boards can be dropped off to the auditorium before school, and then we will pull students out of class throughout the school day to present their board to the judges.
 
After-School Enrichment
There are many options for after school enrichment in 2016.  New sessions of Dance, Scratch Lab, Lego, KidStage, Movement Madness, Eurekus!, Open studio Painting, Pottery, Sticky Fingers and many more.  New additions:   French, Girls Leadership Institute and a Rhythm & Percussion class.  Keep checking the school website  for schedule and registrations. 
PTA News
Help us better help you - survey on communications: response requested by 12/18 (Tomorrow!)
Two years ago we drafted a survey to understand how we can better communicate throughout the Steele Community.  Thanks to a high response rate, we have been able to apply many of our findings to make more resources available to both parents and teachers alike.
We hope you will take a few minutes to respond to this new survey so we can do an even better job of making key information available in the ways you prefer to receive it.
Thank you for supporting this effort, we will drive action from your feedback within the next month.
Please click here to complete your survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PHM566B
 
Next PTA MeetNew PTA Logoing: Tuesday, January 12th  
The PTA does not meet in December.  We look forward to seeing you at the January meeting.  Our November meeting notes are  here . 
 
Wash Park Home Tour 2016: Be Part of It! 
It may still be 2015, but planning for the 2016 Wash Park Home Tour is already underway! The Wash Park Home Tour, Steele's biggest fundraiser of the year, relies on the hard work of a slew of volunteers.

It's also a lot of fun! Interested in learning more? Plan on attending the Wash Park Home Tour Kickoff Meeting on January 14, and bring a bottle of wine or appetizer to share. We look forward to seeing lots of new and familiar faces there!

What: Wash Park Home Tour Kickoff
When: January 14, 6-8 pm
Where: 627 S Corona St.

Merchant Programs
Please remember these merchant programs during your holiday shopping which benefit Steele at checkout.  All at no cost to you.  And use and reload your grocery cards regularly because Steele gets 5% back!
 Amazon Smile (Choose "Steele Elementary PTSA")
Target REDCard: Take Charge of Education (ID 37425)
Office Depot: 5% Back to Schools (ID 70017485)
Boxtops for Education and Campbells Soup Labels for Education (deliver to school office)

 
 
Community News

Washington Park Playground Improvements Survey Take the survey!  Community input is needed to inform design plans for the renovation/replacement of the existing playground at the Washington Park diagonal with a new multi-age, regional-scale playground.  Read the minutes from the November public meeting.
 
Merrill News
To check out what's happening at Merrill Middle School, click here.
To submit information to this newsletter, send it in edited, final-draft format to the appropriate person from the list below by 5 PM on Tuesdays:
For all other questions, please email Cynthia Swanson and Liz Marvan (parent volunteers) at steelestallionpress@gmail.com.