Newsletter - March 6, 2013

WILLY WONKA CAST

A TRULY AMAZING PERFORMANCE!

ATTENDANCE!

Regular School attendance is important. All students at

Birch Grove must be accounted for each day. If your

child will be absent from school, please call the absence

line at 763/549-2309 or after school begins, please call

the school office at 763/561-1374. If you send an email

message to your child’s teacher about an absence, please

also send an email to the office at

Kelleyp@district279.org. If your child is marked absent

and we haven’t heard from you, we will call you to find

out why your child is missing.

PLEASE NOTE: We are required to report “over 3

unexcused” absences to the Hennepin County Attorney’s

office and these can add up quickly. A full-day absence

will be recorded when a child in grades K-6 is not in

attendance for the day, has accumulated two half-day, six

partial-day absences, or has been late at least 20 minutes

four or more times.

March 2013

7 3:10-3:50 3rd & 4th Grade Elective Showcases

8 NO SCHOOL Mark Reporting

11 Tri III Begins

13 3:10-3:50 5th & 6th Grade Elective Showcases

19 6:00-7:00 Kindergarten Orientation

25-29 Spring Break

This document is available in alternate formats upon a 72-hour request.

Please contact Dean Olson at 763.391.7191/7250 (TTY) to make your request.

Examples of alternate formats may include: large print, Braille, audio cassette, etc.

Going on

Vacation??

Parents and Guardians of the Grove,

Just a quick reminder!! If your family is going on vacation or out

of town, please notify the school office (763.561.1374 then dial 1

for attendance or 0 for Pam or Heather). Then you can avoid being

pestered by the automated-absence calls during your trip!!

Also, if you plan on taking a trip and leaving your student(s) in the

care of family or friends, PLEASE let the office know:

How long you will be gone

Who the child will be staying with

Where the child is staying (if different from

home---for bussing purposes)

Phone number(s) of care-giver (in case the

child gets sick at school)

1st & 2nd Grade Electives

March 6, 2013

3:10—3:50

3rd & 4th Grade Electives

March 7, 2013

3:10—3:50

5th & 6th Grade Electives

March 13, 2013

3:10—3:50

*Troupe Parents—Please check with your child

to see if they will be performing*

April 2013

5 6:00-8:30 Family Arts Night

9-11 9:30-11:30 Math MCA Testing

12, 15 9:30-11:30 Math MCA Testing Makeup

16-17 ALL DAY MCA Reading Testing

18 AM ONLY MCA Testing Makeup

19 9:30-12:30 MCA Reading & Math Testing Makeup

26 NO SCHOOL Staff Workshop

Counselor ’s Corner

How much sleep do children need?

The amount of sleep a child needs varies depending on

the individual and certain factors, including the age of

the child. Following are some general guidelines:

Children age 1- 3 12- 14 hours per day

Children age 3- 6 10- 12 hours per day

Children age 7- 12 10- 11 hours per day

Children age 12- 18 8- 9 hours per day

On average, elementary school-aged children need 10-12

hours of sleep every night. At the same time there is an

increasing demand on their time from school, home-

work, sports and other extracurricular activities. In

addition, school-aged children become more interested

in television, computers, cell phones and caffeinated

beverages; all of which can lead to difficulty falling

asleep and staying asleep.

Sleep tips for School-aged Children

Teach children healthy sleeping habits

Create a sleep area conducive to sleep - dark and

quiet

Keep televisions and computers out of sleeping areas

Avoid caffeine

Emphasize the need for regular and consistent bed-

time and routines

Sleep problems and disorders are prevalent at this age.

Poor or inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, hy-

peractivity and cognitive problems that impact a stu-

dent’s ability to learn.

If you have any questions or want more information on

sleep, feel free to contact me.

Tina Czech

School Counselor

763-561-1374, ext. 250

CzechC@District279.org

We are springing into March!

Kinders just met Mrs. Holsen’s invisible dog, “Ubu,”

and are learning pantomime skills!

First grades are moving into a unit on costumes. We

are figuring out what it takes to turn a human into a bird

or an animal. Second graders are continuing our work

with movement and showing emotion and character

with just our bodies.

Third graders are exploring voice and sound this month.

We have been working with sound effects and

inflection and will be moving on to explore radio plays.

Fourth graders will be learning the stage language of

Gibberish and will be writing plays about aliens

meeting earthlings.

Fifth graders have been learning about the parts of the

stage – they play a mean game of human tic tac toe!

They are also using soundtracks to communicate mood

and story, and will be moving into sound effects as

well. Sixth graders are very excited to begin working

on a realized script – we are casting Ibsen’s Enemy of

the People in class, and we will get to use costumes

and props and sets to help tell the story!

Drama troupe are deep in rehearsal for our May

productions of “A Word That Rhymes With

Orange” (3/4 troupe) and “Whodunit” (5/6 troupe). Be

prepared to meet a lot of spiders named Bob, and to

solve an intriguing mystery!

Our spring musical, Willy Wonka, has been a

wonderful chance to share the incredible talents and

hard work of your kids with Birch Grove and our com-

munity. Thanks for supporting the arts – your kids are

thriving!

DRAMA NEWSDRAMA NEWS

Registration Details - Camp ROCKS!

July 8—August 1

Monday—Thursday

8:30—2:30

Locations: GC, ZW, CI, FB

EVENT INFORMATION:

Get your summer ROCK’n with hot-hot-hot learning

packed with so much variety – so much fun! Your

summer will be a splash when you dive into the many

activities Camp ROCKS! has to offer. Expand your

mind with Really Outrageous Camps for Kids in

science, art, technology, cooking, fitness and more.

Increase your skills in the Reading, Math & Science

Camp. Safety, quality, value, easy access and learning

are assured!

REGISTER ONLINE NOW Registration is always available online. Often classes and activities

will appear online before the catalog is in the mail! Be the first to

register and REGISTER EARLY to assure that you are in the class!

Early registration also ensures that classes run!

Mail or Fax:

763-391-7082 (VISA or MasterCard only)

or mail with fees attached to:

ISD 279 Community Education

Attn: Summer Youth Enrichment- Camp ROCKS!

11200 93rd Ave N

Maple Grove, MN 55369

Phone-in Registration:

You may also call in to register with a MasterCard or VISA by

simply calling 763-391-7223. Our office is open from 7 a.m. - 6:30

p.m. Monday - Thursday and 7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Scholarships Available

A $5 NON-REFUNDABLE registration fee for each camp is

required.

Scholarships are provided to ISD 279 students who qualify for

the free and reduced lunch program and attend an ISD 279

school.

REGISTER EARLY! Limited scholarship funding is available

and given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Each student who qualifies can receive 2 scholarships:

-1 for Reading, Math & Science Camp

-1 for a Community Education enrichment camp of any

other type.

To Qualify:

You must submit a copy of your free/reduced verification letter

from ISD 279 food services with your registration. Other district

letters will not be accepted.

If you do not have your original copy and need to obtain another

you may contact food services at 763-391-7129 from 7 - 11 a.m.

Allow at least 24 hours between the request and the pickup date.

Grand Rapids Academic Summer Program

Phone: 616-819-2548

Fax: 616-819-2545

The GRASP program is a 9-week correspondence

summer program in math and reading for children

who have completed kindergarten to 8th grade. The

program seeks to help students retain skills learned during the school

year while they are on summer vacation.

We suggest parents order the grade level just completed. If there are

extenuating circumstances, order the grade level that is appropriate for

your child.

Lessons are completed, mailed to a scoring center where they are

analyzed and then returned to you. Instruction sheets found in each

packet provide all necessary information. Awards are mailed soon after

Labor Day.

THIS IS NOT A DISTRICT 279 ENDORSED PROGRAM.

DO NOT bring completed enrollment information to the school office.

GRASP PROGRAM INFORMATION FEES: $38--one subject $63--both subjects

Note: GRASP offers an online version for grades 4-8

ENROLLMENT: Contact GRASP at 616-819-2548. Sample pages

and objectives are found on this Web site:

www.grps.org/grasp.

Parents: Mail your completed form

including fee to the following:

GRASP 2550 Burritt NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504

GRASP progra m is NOT ENDORSED by ISD 279 - Osseo Area Schools.

For the district’s summer program information, go to ... http://district279.org/services/communityeducation

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

AND HOOPS FOR HEART

The American Heart Association and Birch Grove Physical

Education program are providing students the opportunity to

jump rope and shoot hoops in an effort to earn money for the

American Heart Association.

The event will take place in each students Physical Education

class on March 11, 12, 13. Students will participate in their

physical education class regardless if they get sponsors or

not. We encourage all students to find sponsors and contrib-

ute to this worthy cause. Students should wear red the day of

the event! Any questions please contact Jenna Peterson or

Darcy Otto, PE staff at Birch Grove 769 593-1181x643

THE BOBCAT DEN

Happy Almost Spring from the Bobcat Den! The Birch

Grove Kitchen enjoys seeing family members come and

eat with their children and would just like to remind you

of lunch costs. A full lunch is $3.25 for ALL adults,

and $2.70 for preschool age children. If your child is on

free or reduced meals, adults and younger children have

to pay for their meals; only school aged children can get

free/reduced meals if they qualify. If your child is

having a cold lunch, milk is .50 cents when not with a

meal, this includes students on free/reduced meals.

The kitchen sells extra main dish at breakfast and lunch,

and sometimes we sell juice and rice krispie bars. This

is all at an extra cost and is not included in the lunch.

Extra main is $1.35, juice is .50 cents and the rice

krispies bars are .35 cents. The student must have

money in their account in order to purchase these items.

I do ask children to get their parent’s permission buy

these items. Please have a talk with your child about

this. If you have a concern, please call me.

Beth Austing,

The Bobcat Den Kitchen

MENU CHANGES

Tuesday March 12

Mandarin Orange Chicken

Rice

Peas

Fresh Broccoli w/dip

Fresh Veggies

Fruit Choice

Milk Choice

Friday March 15

Breaded Fish on a Bun

Fries

Bean Salad

Fresh Veggie

Fruit Choice

Milk Choice

Wednesday March 13

Fiestada Pizza

Salad

Fresh Veggies

Fruit Choice

Milk Choice

March 19

“Brunch for Lunch”

Waffles

Turkey Sausage

Tri-tator

Birch Grove’s

2nd Annual

Family Arts Night & Ice Cream

Social!

Friday, April 5

6:00-8:30

We welcome all members of the

Birch Grove community to come

and share in a night of food, fun,

and the ARTS!!!! There will be ice

cream, the book fair, many

wonderful art activities for you to

participate in as a family…and

even the chance to win a prize!

The event and the ice cream are

free. Other items will be

available for purchase.

Mark your calendar!

You’re invited! Save the date!