186th Street Elementary School
A Hoot of News
March 2015
Owl Pride: “On the Hunt for Wisdom through Education”
Marcia Sidney-Reed, Principal
Taryn Takaki-Shimizu, Assistant Principal, EIS
Sharon Ishii, Instructional Specialist
Dear Parents,
Where, oh where has our school year gone? The time is moving along rapidly and it seems like we just got started a few
days ago. Can you believe it is already time to start planning for the 2015-2016 school year and testing is just around the
bend? The days are getting longer and time is getting shorter. Nevertheless, we can survive the spring madness if
we remain focused on student achievement in every aspect of our school, with all stakeholders working on
behalf of what is best for our children.
Parent Conferences, report cards, and testing are upon us. Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for March 2nd to
March 6th. Report cards will be given at the conference. It is important for you to stay in contact with your child’s
teacher. The teachers will be discussing your child’s academic progress and whether he or she should be promoted to the
next grade level. It is important for you, as the parent, to know if your child is meeting grade-level standards. Students
who are not meeting the standards for the grade level are at risk of repeating the grade. We want all students to be
successful in school. Communication between school and home is very important to your child’s success. Our second
graders will complete the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test on March 11th and 12th. Students who score well on this test
can receive a gifted and talented student certification. We are encouraging our second graders to do their best on the test.
Parents, if there is a problem with your child and another student, please speak to the school authorities. Do not
talk to the other student directly. We will intervene to help solve the problem, but under no circumstances should another
parent come to our campus with intentions of reprimanding another child. We will work relentlessly to provide a safe and
civil environment for all of our students.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or your classroom teacher at (310)
324-1153. Here’s to a happy hootin’ springtime with improved student achievement. Hoot! Hoot! Hooray!
Sincerely,
Marcia Sidney-Reed
Principal
P.S. Please support our academic plays for the remainder of the school year:
1. Encourage your wise owl to speak in complete sentences
2. Help your wise owl read 15 to 30 minutes every night
3. Remind your wise owl to be respectful at all time