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Mason Elementary |
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Principal Corner
Dear Lion Families
In November, we practice gratitude and so I would like to say thank you for all that you do to help us create a positive learning environment for our children. Mason is a world class school! The International Potluck was a success and the show was adorable! Parent conferences were well attended and informative. Now, we are really excited about the book fair which is scheduled for December 15th-19th. Please join us as there will be many books for our children to view and purchase. Remember that books make wonderful gifts! Please don’t miss this important event!
I am very excited that we will be implementing an Everyone A Reader program (EAR). Please take time out of your busy day to attend the EAR training on December 4th from 8-11:30. This will be an important training because we will discuss ways to help our children become better readers. This program depends on parent volunteers! Please join hands with us! If you have additional questions please e-mail our coordinator, Erica Tse at ephilipp@sandi.net.
The district is not offering intersession this year due to budget constraints. However, at Mason, we have an Extended Day program after school. We will be starting another session in February. This month, we received a grant from a private donor to offer two English Language Development classes and an additional reading class. If math, reading or English Language Development was/is recommended by the classroom teacher, it is important that your child attends the program. Extended Day is one of the best interventions we have for helping our children meet/exceed grade level standards.
Another way to help our children meet/exceed grade level standards is to make sure that they are in school! During the 2007-8 school year, 11% of our students had more than 18 absences! So, PLEASE plan vacations/trips during the declared breaks. We can not teach our children if they are not in school. LIONS make attendance a daily Habit!
I wish all members of the Mason family a very happy and joyous holiday season!
Dear Lion Families
We have wonderful children here at Mason and, for them, WE NEED YOU! Please remember that it takes a whole village to raise a child! Teachers will be scheduling parent conferences during the week of November 17th (note: dismissal is 12:15 EVERY DAY that week) and we need you to attend one for each of your children. Also, our teachers are doing an expert job of establishing new learning communities in their classrooms and PTA sponsored events have helped our families to stay involved. Even still, we need more parent support. If you can assist with our Everyone a Reader Program (EAR) by listening to some of our children read, please contact Ms. Tse at ephilipp@sandi.net.
At our school, one of our goals is to keep parents well informed of our efforts to provide a rich educational experience for our children. We work hard to enlist parent support and participation. We have many other communication vehicles set up to keep you informed throughout the year. Some of these vehicles include our website, our school calendar, “Connect Ed”® phone calling system, open house/back to school nights, parent education classes, our PTA newsletter, our principal’s board, e-mail and various forms of classroom communications. In addition, we have our Site Governance team, School Site Council, PTA unit meetings and many PTA sponsored activities. Please immerse yourself in the lion spirit and continue to support our school because participating in school events promotes a sense of community and helps to improve student achievement.
I realize that many of us are working parents, so here are some more ways that parents can support our efforts at home:
- Have high expectations for your child and clearly communicate them to
him/her.
Expect your child to do his/her best on tasks and in all subjects. Don’t set goals too high unrealistic expectations do as much harm as low expectations. - Establish some good home routines. Get children in the habit of getting ready the night before each school day.
- Set up a home study place. Decide on a place to complete work that is quiet, has adequate lighting, and is away from distractions.
- Discuss your child’s schoolwork each day. Review your child’s day with him/her. Review homework after it is completed.
- Read to your child each evening. Practice basic math facts by making flash cards and playing the math games.
- Communicate the importance of daily attendance and the accountability for being on time. Being tardy is a huge disruption in your child’s day and for the rest of the class.
- Discuss the monthly Character trait with your child and remind him/her to practice good character. The monthly trait can be found in our school calendar or on the school website www.sandi.net/mason/Mason_Calendar_2008-9.pdf .
- Visit the Parent section of the district website:
www.sandi.net/indices/parents.htm. There is a wealth of
information!)
- Help us keep our lunch lines moving by making sure your child’s lunch account has funds(Did you know that you could receive an e-mail reminding you to deposit money and/or, you can set up an automatic payment so you child will always have a funded account? The website is paypams.com/HomePage.aspx .)
Thank you so much for your help and all that you do to make Mason a great school! We are having an amazing year!
Dear Lion Families,
The first month of school has been wonderful at Mason
Elementary!
It is an exciting but intense time for children—new friends,
new teachers, and new responsibilities can overwhelm even the most
confident child. There are small things you can do that your child will
appreciate to help them adjust to the new school year:
Make sure home routines are very regular.
This provides children with a sense of security as they adjust to the
new demands of school. Firm bedtimes and consistent routines such as
reading together just before lights out will help your child master the
new routines away from home much more quickly.
Organize that book bag!
Now is the time for you to set up a quiet area, time, and ground rules
for help with school projects or homework. Read any materials sent home
about the school rules and routines carefully, so you can help your
child with new responsibilities and rules.
Set up an area for doing homework.
Help your child choose a spot at home in which to do homework. Keep the
study area quiet (no TV or radio) and off limits to others during
homework time. Make sure it has enough light. Fill a container, such as
a shoebox, with supplies need to do homework (paper, pencils, pencil
sharpener, stapler, tape, crayons, ruler, paper clips, erasers,
dictionary). This will keep your child from wasting time looking for
supplies. Avoid using these special homework supplies for other family
needs. Schedule daily homework time. Consider writing the time for
homework for each day of the week on a calendar and displaying it where
it can be seen. Encourage and reward your child for sticking to the
schedule. This will help eliminate arguments about when homework is to
be done.
Read aloud every day
Reading aloud every day is the best thing parents can do at home to
prepare children for successful school experience.
Parents can also help children become good readers by:
- Asking children to read aloud to you – then ask what they like best about the story and main characters.
- Starting a family reading time – take turns reading aloud from a book for at least 15 minutes every evening.
- Getting a library card for each child and visiting the library regularly – ask the librarian to help you select books.
- Making sure children see you reading as part of your everyday life – and talk with them about what you are reading.
- Taking advantage of educational TV programs that teach the alphabet and letter sounds – this helps reinforce learning to read.
- Selecting books and magazine subscriptions as birthday or holiday gifts – besides being educational, this shows reading is fun.
- Reading together: a time to relax and feel close
Hide a note or two
Write a short note to your child reminding them that you’re thinking of
them all day long, and then hide it in their lunch or backpack. Thank
them for following the Mason Character trait: RESPONSIBILITY. Your child
will love coming across a happy note from home as they are in the midst
of adjusting to a new environment.
Plan a special event for the weekend.
It might include preparing your child’s favorite meal, or a last trip to
the beach or favorite playground. Celebrate the hard work your child
(and you) have done all week adjusting to school by treating yourselves
to time together you can both enjoy.
Remember, we need you! Parent involvement improves student performance at school. Thank you for your help and support!
Dear Lion Families,
Welcome to the 2008-09 school year! I hope that your vacation was relaxing and you are ready for an exciting new adventure here at Mason.
Please be sure to review the website (http://www.sandi.net/mason/)
each week and monitor the school calendar for events and activities that
are important to our students. It's important for our children to see us
involved in their education. Help us by volunteering your time in the
classrooms, on outside items and/or during school events. We have many
projects and activities happening throughout the school year where we
invite your participation. We have so much to do and learn this year and
I am convinced that working together; we can achieve all of the goals we
have set for our students!
At Mason, we continue to stay focused on State Standards and student
productivity at proficient levels. We believe all children have the
ability to learn, we encourage all children to work to their fullest
potential; we expect them to always do their personal best. This year
our report cards will take on a new look. They will be based on the
Standards and will give parents more and better information about
student achievement than ever before. Please plan to attend the
informational meetings regarding the SBRC (Standards Based Report Card).
One meeting was held in the spring and two additional meetings have been
scheduled to introduce this topic to you. The first meeting this year
will take place on Back to School Night September 17 at 5:00 p.m. in the
Multipurpose Room. The second opportunity will take place at the
Principal's Coffee on September 26 at 8 a.m. It is important that you
attend at least one of these meetings.
This year, we will be implementing a school wide, Character Education
Program. Thanks to your efforts via the PTA, we have been able to
purchase banners to highlight the trait of the month. The trait we will
be practicing/focusing on each month can be found on the school
calendar. Also, morning meetings and my Monday message will address the
Character Traits. This month, please help your child focus on
Responsibility-help us encourage our children to practice Responsibility
both at school and at home. Like the African proverb says, "It takes a
whole village to raise a child."
I know that our children will achieve great things this year because
they are capable, hard working, excited about their learning and have
involved families. That is the formula for success! I take pride in
being the Principal of the Mason Lions and I look forward to working
with each and every one of you this year.
For our children,
Deidre Hardson
Dear Lion Families,
This will be the last newsletter for the 2007-8 school years so I would like to thank the many, many Mason families whose generous donations of time, and resources throughout the year helped support the school. We appreciate your dedication to our campus community and want you to know what an important role that you play for the children. Please begin thinking about how you will support Mason students next year because, in the midst of budget cuts, we will need your help even more.
On July 21st Mason Elementary School will say goodbye to our 5th grade class with a Promotion Ceremony (for more information, please see our website @ http://www.sandi.net/mason/ ) . Our 5th grade students leave us with strong academic abilities and positive attitudes. Their hard work and enthusiasm have benefited our entire school and they will be missed. We wish them all the best in middle school!
We look forward to meeting all of our brand new kindergarten children and their families. Mason’s Kindergarten and new student orientation is scheduled for August 29, 2008 from 10-11 a.m. If you know any students who should be attending Mason but have not yet registered, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible. This will help us to stabilize our classes in the fall. The first day of school is 9/2/2008 and students are expected to report at 7:30 a.m. (For next years calendar, please go to our website at http://www.sandi.net/mason/ ).
This has been a very successful school year and I have enjoyed working with the wonderful Mason families. Mason Elementary School is one of the best-kept secrets in Mira Mesa! We are a strong community school where children are held to high standards, are valued, loved and respected for who they are.
Have a fun, safe, and educational summer!
I look forward to seeing you in the fall,
Deidre Hardson
I can not believe that it is almost June already! The first and second week of June is a critical time because we will be taking the state tests. These tests are important for your child and for our school. Please be sure that your child gets plenty of sleep, eats a healthy breakfast, and does his/her personal best. This is an opportunity to show the state how many Standards we have mastered.
Speaking of Standards, next year we will implement the Standard Based Report Card (SBRC). Teachers will evaluate students using proficiency bands. The report card will look and work differently so it will be critical that you attend the introductory meeting in the fall. Our goal is to move all students to proficient or advanced by the end of the academic year. Daily student attendance is critical to your child's progress. As you plan vacations, please review the school calendar and take vacations during breaks.
Parent involvement is essential to student achievement. We depend on you to help keep our students achieving at high levels! Please begin thinking about how you will support our school next year. We are asking that all parents/families join the PTA and volunteer at least 2 hours during the year. We will also need 1-2 room parents for every classroom. Please do your parts because we are a TEAM and it is true that "Together, Everyone Achieves More!" We look forward to working with all of you!
Have a wonderful and peaceful month.
Dear Lion Families,The teachers are busy preparing our children for a lifetime of success. We believe that all children can and must learn. One of the ways that we measure how much our children are learning is by testing them. Our California Standardized Tests will begin May 28th. All students (grades 2-5) are expected to be at school and on time for these tests. Our expectation is that each child will score at grade level or above (at the proficient level). Please continuously have conversations with your child regarding the importance of preparing all year long for these tests. Encourage them to do their personal best each and every day and they will do well. We appreciate all of your support!
Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive and helpful during our budget planning. If the budget holds firm, I regret that Mason will no longer have the following positions: Vice Principal, Guidance Assistant in the Student Center, Library Technician (our library will be closed), Elementary Assistant, and School Nurse. While we are in tough times in the state of California, education is one of America’s most important resources. Our children only get one chance to obtain a high quality elementary education … we ARE their best chance for success! You may want to write your state legislatures and governor to remind them that we have no future if we fail to invest in our children.
Please remember to visit our Mason website at http://www.sandi.net/mason/ for all updated information and school letters. We plan to do as much electronically as we can to save copy machine and paper costs (if you do not have access to a computer there will always be copies of these flyers in the office). In addition, we hope to continue using the Connect Ed™ phone calling service so please make sure that we have your current phone number and e-mail address.
Mason Elementary School is one of the best-kept secrets in Mira Mesa! We are a strong community school where all children are valued, loved and respected for who they are. We are very fortunate that the PTA organizes and executes many events to support and celebrate our children such as the Beautification Day. I look forward to the involvement of many more parents in the future. WE NEED YOU to make Mason the very best!
Spring time is here and this is the time when budgets are completed, tests are taken, and plans for next year begin.
The Budget
As the Mason SSC begins developing the budget for the 2008-09 school year, we face many challenges. As you know via our website (http://www.sandi.net/mason/), Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget calls for hundreds of millions of dollars of cuts in education this year, and a $4.4 billion decrease for next year. While many of our budget decisions will be made this month, we will continuously look for ways to support our staff and students.
We need YOU! Please help us by planning to get involved in our school. There are many ways that you can help. Here are a few:
- Join and support the PTA (be a board member if possible- but join no matter what).
- Be a room parent next year (2008-9)
- Help with our Everyone a Reader Program
- School Beautification Day; April 26 (be there if possible- but do what you can no matter what).
- Participate in school evening events
- Check the Mason website regularly (http://www.sandi.net/mason/). In the future, it will be a major mode of communication in an effort to save resources. Your help and feedback are crucial to our success!
California State Tests
In May, students in California take important tests. The teachers and staff at Mason are dedicated to make sure that all students receive the support that they need to do well on these tests. If your child’s teacher has recommended Intersession (March 24-April 4th), I urge you to comply.
In addition, please talk to your children about the importance of attendance, homework, class participation and hard work. We still have so much to do and learn and we expect our students to always do their personal best.
Preparation for Next year
We are beginning the articulation process for next year. This means that in April I will begin working with teachers to build all of our classes for the 2008-9 school year.
If you know any children who will be in Kindergarten next year, please advise them to watch our marquee and website for registration information. It is critical that they register before June.
If you have a 5th grader who will be attending Wangenheim Middle School next year, please join us at our next Principal’s/VP Coffee (April 25). Our special guest will be Mr. Robert Grano (Wangenheim principal). Mr. Grano will be talking about Wangenheim and will answer any questions that you have.
I am looking forward to the many events we have planned and hope to see you participating on behalf of our children.
Welcome back to the 2007-08 school year! I trust that your vacation was relaxing and filled with the making of new memories of family and friends. We are at the half way point and we still have so much to do and learn! At Mason, we continue to stay focused on State Standards and student productivity at proficient levels. We believe all children have the ability to learn and we encourage all children to work to their fullest potential. We expect our Lions to always do their personal best!
Learning is an evolving process which requires meaningful input from all parties involved. WE NEED YOU! Please help us by volunteering your time to help in the classrooms, on outside items and/or during school events. We have many projects and activities happening throughout the school year and we invite your participation. It’s important for your child to see you involved in his/her education.
We have always known that the daily participation and commitment of parents and students is one of our most important strengths. Our deepest gratitude goes to Ms. June Person, the Kaiser family, Mr. Brad Brockmeyer, and Mr. David Keely.
-
Ms. Person came forward with a substantial donation to support
our kindergarten play area. She donated funds (which were matched by
her company, BF Goodrich) and has made it possible for us to purchase
umbrellas and tables for our kindergarten play area. The donation was
made in memory of her son, Dan, who passed away several years ago.
The Kaiser family obtained donations of several laptop computers
from Qualcomm.
Mr. Brad Brockmeyer has developed a website for Mason Elementary!
We hope to include information/news about events, activities, academics,
policies and parent involvement opportunities on our website. This is
the first phase of our website development. In the future, we are hoping
to add teacher pages where individuals and/or grade specific information
can be posted such as homework, wish lists, field trip information,
and students’ work. We welcome feedback about our new website:
http://www.sandi.net/mason/
Our PTA President, Mr. David Keely, is a member of the School
Site Council (SSC)/Governance and will be participating in the process
of establishing a school-wide discipline plan, Character Education Program,
and a new recess/lunch schedule. While we invite visitors to these meetings,
we know that it is sometimes difficult for parents to attend. You can
support the school by providing input to Mr. Keely, our PTA Board representative.
As you see, there are several opportunities for EVERY parent/guardian to participate and/or contribute Your help and feedback are crucial to our success! Like the African proverb says, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” to our school.
We hope each and every one of you is having a joyful New Year!
Thank you for all that you do to help us create a positive learning environment for our children. The Halloween Field Day was a success, the Orchestra was inspiring, and the Kindergarten/Second Grade show was adorable. In addition, we are really excited about the book fair which is scheduled for December 3-7. Please join us as there will be many books for our children to view and purchase. The book fair will close on Friday with “Goodies and Grandparents”. Please don’t miss this important event!
December 3-6 we will be on a modified/minimum day schedule for parent teacher conferences. Monday through Thursday we will dismiss at 12:15. Please be sure you have scheduled a parent conference with your child’s teacher. Plan your questions ahead so that you are prepared to get your questions answered.
By now you should have received an application for intersession if your child is eligible. If intersession was recommended by the classroom teacher, it is important that your child attends the program January 7-18. Intersession is one of the best interventions for helping our children meet grade level standards.
Coffee with the Principal/Vice Principal on November 9th was a huge success! Many parents took time out of their busy day to speak with us and offer ways to help keep Mason a world class school. One of the items introduced at the coffee was our new voicemail system. The next coffee is scheduled for December 14th. This will be an important coffee because we will discuss Title 1 and review our Title 1 plan. Also, I look forward to hearing and addressing any questions or concerns you have. See you there!
I wish all members of the Mason family a very happy and joyous holiday season!
Dear Parents, We have had a wonderful beginning to the school year at Mason Elementary! Our teachers are doing an expert job of establishing new learning communities in their classrooms and PTA-sponsored events have helped our families to stay involved.
At our school, one of our goals it to keep parents well informed of our efforts to provide a rich educational experience for our children. We work hard to enlist parent support and participation. We have many communication vehicles set up to do this throughout the year. Some of these vehicles include our new “Connect Ed” ® phone calling system, open house/back-top-school nights, parent education classes, our PTA newsletter, our principal’s board, e-mail and various forms of classroom communications. In addition, we have our Site Governance Team, School Site Council, PTA unit meetings and many PTA-sponsored activities. Please immerse yourself in the lion spirit and continue to support our school because participating in school events promotes a sense of community and family.
I realize that many of us are working parents, so here are some ways that parents can support our efforts at home:
- Have high expectations for your child and clearly communicate them to him/her.
- Expect your child to do his/her best on tasks and in all subjects. Don’t set goals too high—unrealistic expectations do as much harm as low expectations.
- Establish some good home routines. Get children in the habit of getting ready the night before each school day.
- Set up a home study place. Decide on a place to complete work that is quiet, has adequate lighting, and is away from distractions
- Discuss your child’s schoolwork each day. Review your child’s day with him/her. Review homework after it is completed.
- Read to your child each evening. Practice basic math facts by making flash cards and playing the math games. (There are math games on the district web site. Simply go to www.sandi.net/depts/math/index.html and click on “curriculum”).
- Communicate the importance of daily attendance and the accountability for being on time. Being tardy is a huge disruption in your child’s day and for the rest of the class.
Thank you so much for your support and all that you do to make Mason
a great school! It is obvious to me already that we are going to have an
amazing year!
- The first month of school has been wonderful at Mason Elementary! It is an exciting but intense time for children—new friends, new teachers, and new responsibilities can overwhelm even the most confident child. There are small things you can do that your child will appreciate to help them adjust to the new school year:
- Make sure home routines are very regular. This provides children with a sense of security as they adjust to the new demands of school. Firm bedtimes and consistent routines such as reading together just before lights out will help your child master the new routines away from home much more quickly.
- Organize that book bag! Now is the time for you to set up a quiet area, time, and ground rules for help with school projects or homework. Read any materials sent home about the school rules and routines carefully, so you can help your child with new responsibilities and rules.
- Set up an area for doing homework. Help your child choose a spot at home in which to do homework. Keep the study area quiet (no TV or radio) and off limits to others during homework time. Make sure it has enough light. Fill a container, such as a shoebox, with supplies need to do homework (paper, pencils, pencil sharpener, stapler, tape, crayons, ruler, paper clips, erasers, dictionary). This will keep your child from wasting time looking for supplies. Avoid using these special homework supplies for other family needs. Schedule daily homework time. Consider writing the time for homework for each day of the week on a calendar and displaying it where it can be seen. Encourage and reward your child for sticking to the schedule. This will help eliminate arguments about when homework is to be done.
- Read aloud every day. Reading aloud every day is the best thing
parents can do at home to prepare children for successful school experience.
Parents can also help children become good readers by:
- Asking children to read aloud to you – then ask what they like best about the story and main characters.
- Starting a family reading time – take turns reading aloud from a book for at least 15 minutes every evening.
- Getting a library card for each child and visiting the library regularly – ask the librarian to help you select books.
- Making sure children see you reading as part of your everyday life – and talk with them about what you are reading.
- Taking advantage of educational TV programs that teach the alphabet and letter sounds – this helps reinforce learning to read.
- Selecting books and magazine subscriptions as birthday or holiday gifts – besides being educational, this shows reading is fun.
- Reading together: a time to relax and feel close
- Hide a note or two. Write a short note to your child reminding them that you’re thinking of them all day long, and then hide it in their lunch or backpack. Your child will love coming across a happy note from home as they are in the midst of adjusting to a new environment.
- Plan a specific event for the weekend. It might include preparing your child’s favorite meal, or a last trip to the beach or favorite playground. Celebrate the hard work your child (and you) have done all week adjusting to school by treating yourselves to time together you can both enjoy.
- Remember, we need you! Parent involvement improves student performance
at school. For our children,
I am excited that I have been chosen to serve as your new principal! For the past 3 and a half years, I happily served as principal at EB Scripps and am proud of the academic gains we had all worked so hard to achieve. While I will miss the sense of family we have established at EBS, I look forward to getting to know another group of professionals and the families of the Mason community. I welcome the prospect of becoming part of your team in support of all children.
I have been an educator in San Diego Unified for 24 years. I served as a Math teacher, AVID coordinator, Math Administrator, Vice Principal and Principal. I have worked at both Wangenheim and Challenger Middle Schools. Throughout my career, I have learned that collaboration is the key to positive growth.
I believe that we are all teachers and learners. It is through working together as a team that we are able to create positive change and enhanced academic achievement. I know that you will agree that it is important that the students' best interests come first in all decision-making. It is my role to ensure that the teachers and students have all of the tools and supports needed to achieve continual improvement. I guarantee that each and every child will continue to receive a high quality education at Mason Elementary.
Please be patient with me as I struggle to become acquainted with your school culture and community. I look forward to meeting each one of you!