The Mustang Monthly Message From the Principal FEBRUARY 2014 IN THIS ISSUE...   Reading at Home Classroom Interruptions  Technology Applied Science Fair  Teacher of the Year  Health Alert  6th Grade Outdoor Science Camp  What does this mean? Make sure your children read at home. Don't spend an enormous amount of time on what they read as much as how often they are reading. Encourage, no demand, your children read at least 30 minutes a night. It will be the best 30 minutes they could spend with you. Just curl up and read. Imagine the peace and quiet that will be created if everyone read at the same time. Here are three suggestions for increasing the likelihood that your child will read and assist you in finding a way to get 30 minutes in each night:  Put a book basket with magazines and high-interest books in the restroom and allow books at the breakfast table or whenever your child eats alone. There is a captive audience during those times.  Install a bed lamp in your child's room. Let them go to bed a little later if they are in bed reading.  Find a book they love. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is a great choice. It was found to be the single most stolen book out of libraries. Now if that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is. The Fainting Game  Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook, offers the following data and valuable readings tips: th  Students that tested in the 90 percentile read an average of 37 minutes per day at home.  Students in the 50th percentile read an average of 11 minutes a day at home.  Students in the 10th percentile read an average of 1 minute per day. Disaster Preparedness  Safety Message  Calendar Why should you read to your child? It's a question that we don't ask enough or we don't know the answer, because if we did we would always read to them. ANSWER: We read to our children because a person's listening vocabulary is far higher (at least two grade levels in most cases) than their reading vocabulary. It is very difficult for children to read if they don't have the vocabulary to understand what they're reading. Therefore, the best thing we can do for children is to read to them. There is a place for flashcards and phonics games, but they should never take the place of a great book. If you're looking for an example, rent the movie "Princess Bride". It is a perfect illustration of the magic of reading to a child (especially if they're sick). So in a nutshell, this is why we read to kids:  Pleasure connection - It's fun for them and for us. It's a time to escape and use their imaginations.  Your child learns and so do you. It is an opportunity to read all of those books you didn't get a chance to read.  You are raising your child's listening vocabulary and developing a lifelong reader rather than just a school reader. TV...Yes, I know this is the dreaded word and the source of battles in most families. I have an interesting fact for you. In all countries around the world, the more TV watched by students, the lower those students achieved on standardized tests. This is true in all countries except Finland. Due to a language discrepancy in programming, shows are predominantly in another language. As a result, people use subtitles or the closed captioning button when they watch TV. Consequently, students are actually working on their reading skills while they are watching TV. What a great idea! So if you're TV watchers, the next time you turn it on, mute the TV and read the captions. It's a nice compromise. L.E.A.D. ON! Alan Battenfield Principal Classroom Interruptions In order to minimize classroom interruptions, parents should deliver forgotten lunches, lunch money, homework assignments, musical instruments, jackets, etc. to the office, not the classroom. Please remember that parents should remain outside the school building after the dismissal bell rings and wait for their children outside the building unless they are volunteering in the class at that time . Remember, all 4th – 6th grade students are in session after students in grades 1st -3rd are dismissed. It is imperative that those classrooms are not interrupted by parents and their children waiting in the hallways or walking by the classrooms. Technology Applied Science Fair Create, innovate, and demonstrate! These were the three life skills that students used as participants in Woodbury’s first annual Technology Applied Science Fair. Fifth and sixth grade students were given the opportunity to be a part of an optional project where they were asked to use, create, or have an idea about technology. With just a couple of check-in meetings and guiding questions, these students researched and presented their amazing projects to four top technology judges. One project from each grade level was then chosen to represent our school in the District level TAS fair. This year our school representatives were Jared Go in 5th grade with the idea of “The Photochromic Windshield,” and Yash Menon in 6th grade with the creation of a math tutor website. We are so proud of all our participants for their initiative, cooperation, and perseverance. We can’t wait to see what our wonderful Woodbury citizens will create next year! TAS Fair 2013-2014 participants were fifth graders Jackson Cooper, Emilia Estrada, Jared Go, Lin Hirano, Chris Jeong, Kiana Kelii , Donna Kim , Allison Kramer, Doris Lee , Kathryn Mann, Delaney Morgan, Samantha Moc, Josh Steinberg, Wesley Tjangnaka, Jane Zou and sixth grade students, Joy Bebawy, Yash Menon, and Justin Tam. Teacher Of the Year Congratulations to 6th grade teacher Ms. Judy Hawley who was selected by her peers as Woodbury’s 2013-2014 “Teacher of the Year.” She will be honored at a dinner Friday evening May 2nd at the Irvine Marriott. Way to go Ms. Hawley! It is recognition well-deserved. Health Alert Influenza activity is increasing in Orange County. It is not too late to get vaccinated against influenza. Influenza vaccine is available throughout the County. For publicly funded vaccine clinics, see www.ochealthinfo.com/flu. For retail locations, see the Flu Vaccine Finder at www.flu.gov. Persons with influenzalike illness should stay home from work or school until their fever has resolved for at least 24 hours. Don't forget to cover your cough and wash your hands! 6th Grade Outdoor Science Camp The Fainting Game For many, many years students have participated in a very dangerous activity often referred to as the “Fainting Game”. An incident involving this game recently occurred at one of our elementary schools that resulted in injury. This activity may also be called a number of other things—The Choking Game, Rising Sun, Pass Out, California High, Knock Out, Airplaning, Space Monkey, Funky Chicken, Flatliner, Suffocation, Roulette, Gasp, Blackout, Tingling. The game essentially involves causing one or oneself to faint or lose consciousness. Hypocapnia (or hypocapnea) also known as hypocarbia, is a state of reduced carbon dioxide in the blood. Hypocapnia usually results from deep or rapid breathing (hyperventilation), and has become a popular practice among youth playing the fainting game. The game can cause brain damage, disability, and even death. There are different ways that children/teens cause themselves to pass out. You may want to take a look at these examples on YouTube on how kids are making themselves faint: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MYRA7IcBQI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgvRc2TAddo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW7M-SZJdS8&NR=1 It is important that parents are aware of the dangers of playing the game and take steps to educate their children in those dangers. Everyone is encouraged to be vigilant in order to ensure that our students are not playing and are not participating in this dangerous activity. Disaster Preparedness We want to reassure you that Woodbury has an extensive emergency plan. In compliance with California law, the Irvine Unified School District uses the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) in its emergency plans and procedures. Response procedures are in place to activate the emergency plan. Each year the staff reviews and practices the plan in mock drills to ensure the safest and most efficient response to an emergency. State law requires each elementary school to conduct monthly fire drills, a lock-down drill, and a drop-and-cover drill as part of the emergency preparedness plan. Safety Message: UPCOMING EVENTS: How can you help ensure our students’ safety as a parent? Feb. 4 No ACE MineCraft or Science Classes Feb. 5 No ACE Clay, Golf, Keyboarding, Mad Science     Always sign-in your child in the office if your child is arriving late or sign-out your child in the office if your child is leaving school. Volunteer in your child’s class. Make sure to sign-in and out and wear a visitor/volunteer sticker at all times. Be familiar with the school site and report anything out of the ordinary to the school office or after school hours to the police. Carefully read newsletters and correspondence sent home by the school. In the event of an emergency:     Remain calm. Walk to the playground and follow student release procedures. Ask, “How can I help?” Volunteer and follow the instructions and guidelines carefully. ANNOUNCEMENTS:   Student Council will be sponsoring a book drive to benefit John F. Kennedy Elementary School from February 10 through 14. The installation of the solar parking project at Woodbury originally scheduled to begin last year at this time has been rescheduled for immediately following the close of school this year. Feb. 6 Feb. 7 Walk to School Day Science Fair Projects on Display, MPR, 8:00AM-7:00PM No ACE Chess Classes Ms. Hu Walking to Woodbury Community Park Recycle Friday LEAD Lunch Mustang Milers Feb. 10-14 Book Collection for John F. Kennedy School Feb. 12 Walk to School Day Welcome to Kindergarten, City of Irvine Feb. 13 Chambers, 7:00 PM Math Placement, Venado 6:30PM (Parents Only) Feb. 14 LEAD Lunch Feb. 17 Feb. 19 Mustang Milers Washington’s Day Observance—No School First Grade Water Assemblies Feb. 20 Feb. 21 Feb. 24 Feb. 25 Walk to School Day Irvine Jr. Games Mandatory Meeting, 2:30PM Recycle Friday—Drop Off by the Portables LEAD Lunch Mustang Milers IUSD Science Fair Finalists-Set Up and Registration, Woodbridge High School, 3:00PM–6:30PM PTA Meeting, MPR, 8:15AM IUSD Science Judge & View, WHS, 9:00AM-12:00PM IUSD Science Fair 1st Awards, WHS, 6:00PM IUSD Science Fair 2nd Awards, WHS, 7:15PM Feb. 26 Feb. 27 Walk to School Day IPSF Musical-You Can’t Stop Good Music, MPR, 6:30PM Feb. 28 IPSF Musical Assemblies LEAD Lunch Mustang Milers IPSF Musical-You Can’t Stop Good Music,, MPR, 7:00PM IPSF Musical—You Can’t Stop Good Music,, MPR, 7:00PM Mar. 1