Newsletters

January 2018

The Diplomat Ambassador

Join Us For Conferences

February 22
Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 22nd,
for our annual Dinner and Data, Student Led Conferences.
This is a change in our original date, and gives
us a little more time to gather data and prepare for
this important family night.
As a Quality School, we work with students to track
and understand their scores on tests and class work.
These scores help the teacher and student understand
how well the child is moving toward meeting
the standards set by the state for their grade level.
Every child at the school has a data binder which
they update, as well as reflection sheets where they
review their personal progress and set future goals.
The goals are individualized for the students, and
help them stay motivated and on track for success.
The Data night begins at 4:30 P.M. and ends at 7
P.M. parents may come any time within that window
and do not need to make an appointment. A
simple dinner of pizza, chips and a drink will be
available in the cafeteria for $3. We will also have an
art gallery set up in the cafeteria and performances
by our student musicians. We look forward to seeing
you and your child on February 22nd.

Spring Fundraiser is a Snacking Sensation
Popcorn, candy and trail mix. Yum. Those are the
types of items offered in our Spring Fundraiser,
Snacking Sensations. Hurricane Irma rolled through
right at the scheduled time for our Fall Fundraiser,
which is the major fundraising drive for our school
each year. Since it is Spring we have offered a much
smaller version of that fundraiser with a four page
brochure offering treats costing from $7 to $10.
Snacking Sensations will kick off on February 26th.
Our first turn in date will be Friday, March 2nd. Our
final turn in date will be Tuesday, March 13th. That is
the Tuesday before Spring Break and the first day of
Field Days. There will be small prizes and opportunities
to win larger items. Watch for the Fundraiser
packet and flyer that will be sent home at the end of
February.

Find Yourself in a Book!

The tenth annual statewide Celebrate
Literacy Week, Florida! will take place the
week of January 22-26, 2018.
The goal of this event is to promote literacy and excellent reading habits in the students of
Florida. Below you will find a list of activities that will take place at our school during the week.

Reading Makes Us Winners
On Monday, students will be encouraged to wear a team shirt and "gear up" with
their favorite reading book for the day. This will kick off our Celebrate Literacy week!

Find Yourself in a Book
During the week, the School News will feature photos of students who are spotted
reading. Their photos will be displayed on the news and possibly "tweeted out" on the
school's Twitter site.

A Week in the Woods Challenge
During Celebrate Literacy Week, families will be encouraged to
promote reading at home by taking "A Week in the Woods"
challenge. To participate, families would plan activities that involve
reading instead of watching TV or using electronic devices. Activities could
be playing board games, reading recipes and cooking together, reading a book, telling a
story, etc. Families would then fill out the slip provided and return it to school. At the end
of the week, all slips will be entered in a drawing for a prize.

Reading Camp-Out
Classrooms would sign up on the Google sheet to read
outside for thirty minutes in one of the courtyard areas. This
might also be a great time to buddy up with another class to
read.

Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! January 22 -26, 2018

P a rcels for Paws
Parcels for Paws is an
annual event which encourages
our students to
show compassion and
caring for animal friends.
By caring for animals,
students build character
traits such as responsibility, respect and compassion.
This month long event is a project with the
Gulf Coast Humane Society.
Every Friday during the month of February an animal
trainer from the Humane Society will visit the
school with an adoptable pet. Students will see the
pets on our news show and learn about animal safety
and animal care. The students will also have the
opportunity to see the cat or dog in the classroom.
Students are asked to help these animal friends by
contributing items to the Humane Society. We
make it fun by having a little competition between
dogs and cats. Students put their donation on the
cart near the cafeteria marked cat or dog and we
count up the totals each day. We hope you will help
us help our animal friends by sending in an item this
month.

These are some of the needs of the Gulf Coast Humane Society:
Dog and Cat Food
Dog Shampoo
Cat & Dog Treats
Cat Litter
Dish Soap
Laundry Soap
Water Hoses
Leashes
Used Towels
Grooming Supplies
Mops & Brooms
Cat & Dog Toys

Notes from the Principals Pen Best Wishes, Mara Vertrees, Principal

Dear Parents:
Every Spring Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 take
the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). These
state required tests determine whether a student
is working above, below or at their grade level. The
tests were originally set to begin in February with
the Writing portion of the English Language Arts
test. Because of the days missed due to Hurricane
Irma, Lee County, along with much of South Florida
has been allowed to set dates later in the
school year. The Writing test is now scheduled for
April 4th and is taken by students in 4th and 5th
Grades. All other testing will begin in mid-April
and not be completed until May 15th. Check our
next newsletter or our website for a complete
schedule of the testing dates by grade.
The tests assess the learning of standards that
we teach every day. Students chart their learning
throughout the year and know where their
strengths are, and what they need to work on. We
will be reviewing this information at our Dinner
and Data night on February 22. Please discuss this
with your child, and remind them to complete
homework and ask questions in class. Together we
all learn and grow in knowledge.

Yours Truly,

Mara Vertrees

Join Us for Fun Events

Spring brings Field Day fun to Diplomat
Elementary. Field Days will be held on March 13, 14
& 15th . Students have a great time participating in
athletic events like racing, running an obstacle
course and throwing fun items like water balloons.
They get a bit wet, but love the activities. Parents
are always an important part of this day. Parents
can volunteer for a whole or half day. Volunteers
will be assigned to help run an activity and must be
ready to stay with that activity.
We do not allow parents to
come only to observe. Everyone
outside on field day has an important
job to do, to offer this
great day for the children.
Those interested in volunteering for Field Day
please call the school at 458-0033.

Classroom Group Pictures -
Monday, February 1st
Student Spring Pictures -
Friday, March 16
Students should wear their uniforms and a smile.
Make checks payable to
Strawbridge Studios, Inc.
Fliers and Pre-Order Forms will sent home
two weeks prior to picture day