Principal’s Page

Dear Families,

Welcome to Academy Endeavour (AE)! We have a lot of fun learning planned for the upcoming

school year. It is an incredible experience to walk through the halls and see students engaged in

lessons, teachers enthusiastic about teaching, and walls that talk with student work. Please drop

by at your leisure to take a look at the wonderful things that are happening at your child’s school.

Our students performed extremely well on the state testing this spring. We scored above the

state average on all 9 assessments. Our longitudinal growth was outstanding. We showed growth in

4 of the 6 comparisons with the greatest being +9 from 2013 4th graders to 2014 as 5th graders in

writing. I am proud to report we had no students score “unsatisfactory” on the 4th grade math

assessment. Congratulations to all of our K-5 teachers, support staff, interventionists and

students, well done!

We are in our sixth year of Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) at AE. Last school year

we recognized and rewarded 55,570 positive actions in grades K-5! Ask your child

about their REACH behavior expectations and how many star punches they have earned. As

students complete their 25 punch star cards they visit Ms. Keefauver and myself and choose a

prize or activity from a menu.

A few reminders for your child’s safety.

Please obey the traffic signs on Hampton Park Drive. Double parking and U turns create potentially dangerous situations to our students and families. Be aware of and obey the “No Parking” signs near the crosswalks.

Please model the proper way to cross the street to your child by using our crossing guards and crosswalks.

Please do not park in the bus parking lot before or after school.

Please remain in your car if you are using the valet drop off and pick up system. A staff member will open your car door and assist your child. If you can place your car seats in the right rear of your vehicle this will help the line move more efficiently.

Be patient in the valet line, do not drive down the back row of the parking lot and drop your child in the middle of the parking lot to avoid waiting in line to exit the parking lot. The paved parking lot is closed 7:55-8:30 a.m. and 2:55-3:35 p.m. If you need to park and come inside please park on Hampton Park Drive not in the parking lot.

Thank you for choosing our school for your child’s education. The staff and teachers will be

working hard everyday to make sure your child gets the best education possible.

Warmly,

Bobbi Harper

Inside this issue:

Spanish News 2

PE Reminder 2

Music Notes 3

From the

Bookkeeper

3

Art News 4

Red Ribbon Week 4

Garden Club 5

PTA News 5

Nutrition Nuggets 6, 7

Letter from the

Librarian

8

Literacy Corner 9

Clubs &

Intramurals

10, 11

SEPTEMBER 1: No School - Labor Day

2: No School - Teacher Work Day

3: Hearing & Vision Screening

6: Back to School Carnival

9: PTA Meeting - 3:30 pm

SAC - 5:00 pm

11: Hearing & Vision Rescreen

24: Fit n’ Fun Run

25: Fit n’ Fun Run

SAVE THE DATE! October 3: AEES Sock Hop

CORE PRINCIPLE: Citizenship

September 2014

AEES GALAXY GAZETTE Academy Endeavour Elementary School

3475 Hampton Park Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 Office: 719-234-5600 Fax: 719-234-5699

AEES Attendance Line: 234-5609

I am excited to be back in the Spanish classroom and learning with your children! We are

busy reviewing our vocabulary from previous years and are learning new words daily.

Kindergarten and first graders are learning how to say, “My name is ___________” in

Spanish as well as tell what others’ names are. We are learning the procedures around the

classroom and are speaking new sentences about our Spanish friends: Livia, Rosa, Antonio,

and Pablo. Next we will work on colors and shapes.

Second through fifth grade students are putting together sentences using our vocabulary

from last year as well as reviewing concepts such as

the days of the week, months of the year, numbers,

colors, clothing and more! Next they will begin to

talk (all grades) and write (for 3rd-5th grades only)

about themselves. We will also be reviewing shapes

and objects around the classroom.

If you are new to Academy Endeavour and your child

has never had Spanish instruction before – do

not worry! We have all levels of Spanish proficiency in

each class, from very beginners to native speakers, and everyone learns and has a great

time together! My goal is to have each child progress from his or her starting point to

learn as much as possible each year! The Spanish program at Academy Endeavour is among

the best and students going on to middle school Spanish programs are always very well

prepared.

Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you for sending me such fantastic students! I am looking forward to a wonderful

year!

Lauren.brewer@asd20.org

¡Bienvenidos a la Clase de Español!

Galaxy Gazette Page 2

Señora Lauren Brewer

Please consider dressing your child in tennis shoes and NOT flip

flops on the days he or she has P.E. Unfortunately, we see lots of

stubbed toes in the Health Room that could have been easily

prevented by wearing tennis shoes. Thank you!

Welcome Back! And, welcome to those attending Academy Endeavour for

the first time. Music classes are off to a great start. We’ve already

learned to keep the beat, perform a rhythm, sing a melody, focus, and

understand the Word of the Day. (Ask your student about this.) We’re

looking forward to learning about performing with others, playing music on

instruments, Lummi stick routines, composers this year…and so much more.

The students will dance, play Music Baseball, experience jazz, work with

interactive Listening Maps and enjoy student performances. We’ve got a

great year ahead.

Registration is now open for this year’s Galaxy Singers choir. Galaxy Singers is a performance opportunity

for 4th & 5th grade students. There will be singing, and choreography to our songs. Performances include a

December 9 concert, performing at the Colorado Music Educators Association convention in January and

singing the National Anthem at a Sky Sox game in May. Check out the special recognition below. Members

of Galaxy Singers may also audition for the Colorado Elementary All-State Choir. The all-state choir is

select group of students from across the state who perform at the Broadmoor. Auditions are later this

Fall. Registration forms for Galaxy Singers went home in Monday folders. Additional forms are on the

Music page of the AEES website.

Congratulations! Galaxy Singers has been selected in an audition process to perform at the 2015

convention of the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA). Our choir will perform a concert

January 29 at this convention for music teachers from across Colorado. The convention will be at The

Broadmoor. Parents of the choir are welcome to come to this concert. Students must be in the Galaxy

Singers beginning in September to sing in this special performance. Registration forms are due back to

Mr. Hutchison by Thursday, September 4.

AEES has a Music Club for Grades 2 & 3. This music performance group meets in the Spring. Look for

information in December.

Jon Hutchison

Music Teacher

Direct: 234-6927

September Page 3

Music Notes

From the Bookkeeper…

Parents: When writing a check to Academy Endeavour Elementary School, please

write the child’s name in the memo section of the check, purpose of the check, grade

and teacher’s name. It makes things much easier especially if the student’s last

name is different than the parent’s last name. Thank you! Rose Walter

Galaxy Gazette Page 4

A R T N E W S

Dear AEES Families,

Coming soon is a school sponsored AEES art room fundraiser called Square 1 Art. This fundraiser takes your child’s artwork and makes it into great products for you to purchase. These products are wonderful keepsakes and gifts for family and friends. Your child’s beautiful artwork can be made into many fun products such as magnets, t-shirts, mouse pads, ornaments and much more!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

Halley Rumfeldt

AEES Art Teacher

halley.rumfeldt@asd20.org

Red Ribbon Week is October 27th - October 31st

Our school will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week in October! During

this week students will be learning ways to make healthy choices

and how to avoid negative peer pressure. To show their spirit,

students can participate by wearing the designated items that will be listed in the

October Galaxy Gazette. More information coming soon!

September Page 5

Our garden is in full swing at AEES! Special thanks to the following families for taking

turns watering all of our plants each week during the growing season:

The Gallagher Family

The Martinez family

The Woyte Family

The Narvaez Family

The Garn Family

The Champagne Family

We have harvested carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, wax beans, green beans, jalapeño and

serrano peppers, Japanese eggplant, basil, chives, parsley, and zinnias. Our pumpkins are

struggling after being thrashed by all the hail this summer, and our crop of sweet peas

has been nibbled down to the ground by a resident family of bunnies! They are cute, but

destructive little creatures! A good lesson for our students in the ways of weather and

nature!

A student at Rampart high School, Hannah Maegdlin, helped plan and plant a butterfly

garden for her sophomore International Baccalaureate project around the outside of the

raised beds garden. We are hoping to attract more butterflies this spring!

All in all, it has been a good summer in the garden. I am looking forward to gardening

with the Fall Garden Club in early September!

Señora Brewer

On behalf of the Academy Endeavour PTA, I would like to say welcome to the 2014-15 school

year! We have some exciting events planned for this year. We will kick off the new school

year with our annual Back to School Blast. The carnival will be held in and around the school on

Saturday, September 6th, from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Join us

for fun filled games, good food, and new prizes!

Our biggest PTA event of the year, the annual Fit ‘N Fun Run will

be held on September 24 and 25. Watch your student’s Monday

folder for more information about ways to get involved with the Fit ‘N Fun Run.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend our first general meeting of the year,

September 9th, at 3:35pm in the school library. We hope to see you there!

The Dirt: AEES Garden Club News

PTA News

Galaxy Gazette Page 6

September Page 7

Galaxy Gazette Page 8

Dear AEES Parents:

Welcome to the 2014-15 school year. If they have not already done so, your child will soon be visiting

the library with his/her class. Students visit the library with their class every ten school days for a

lesson and to check out books. Reading is one of the most important skills your child will develop

during their school years. The library plays an important role in developing life-long readers. We will

spend the year learning 21st Century Informational Skills and developing our reading tastes.

Kindergarten and First Grade students may check out one book

at a time. Teachers often schedule a quick check out in between

library classes so that students may get new books. Second Grade

through Fifth Grade Students may check out three books at a time.

Books are due on the day their class has library or ten school

days from the date of check out if they check out books between

library classes. Each book will have a date due card with the

date the books are due. As a par- ent you may check out books, too.

Parents may check out up to five books at a time and keep them for two weeks. There are no fines

for overdue books, but please encourage your child to return their books on time. Students with

overdue books will not be able to check out books until all overdue books have been returned.

Sometimes accidents happen. If a library book is lost or damaged beyond repair while checked out to

your child, the book must be replaced. Once the book is paid for or replaced, your child’s account will

be cleared and he/she may resume library checkout. If an accident does happen, PLEASE DO NOT

try to repair the book. Please let me know about the damage. We have special materials for repairing

books.

We look forward to a great year and many wonderful stories. If you have any questions or concerns

about the library or would like to be a library volunteer, please feel free to contact me at 234-5645

or email me at beverly.archer@asd20.org

Happy Reading!!!

Beverly Archer

AEES Librarian

Welcome to the Academy

Endeavour Elementary Library

Get to know Mrs. Archer

Summer Reading Bingo Challenge Sheets are due to

Mrs. Archer by September 5th

. Prizes will be awarded the

following week. If your child did the reading, but has lost

their sheet contact Mrs. Archer for a new sheet.

September Page 9

the Reading Corner

Literacy Testing

Hello. We, Carrie Mitchell and Lori Blatnick will be sharing the role of Success For All (SFA) Coordinator at AEES. The staff thanks you for participating in our fall literacy testing. Here is some information about the testing and answers to questions you may possibly have.

Many of you may be wondering how your child did on their test and/or what exactly went on those two days. The students were assessed in the five “Big Ideas of Reading”, which gives the teachers information to help assist them in teaching literacy. The five Big Ideas are Phonics (identifying letters), Phonemic Awareness (identifying sounds), Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Oral Reading Fluency.

These assessments are diagnostic tools. They do not necessarily give your child a specific reading level, nor are they the only assessment used to place the students in reading classes. When Academy Endeavour students are placed in a Success for All reading class, multiple data points are taken into consideration. We look at various indicators including Star Early Literacy and Reading, Roots assessments, Fast-Track Phonics Assessments, TCAP results, classroom tests, as well as many others.

As a parent, you may want to receive a score, or result, from the literacy testing days. These scores are only a drop in the bucket because all of these assessments are just one test showing a snapshot of that day. That is why it is vital that we, as teachers, use all assessment data in evaluating each student. We are not looking just at numbers. We are searching for trends and areas of need, so we can help each student reach their maximum potential. Therefore, if you ask your child’s teacher how your child did, you may not receive a clear-cut answer right now. The teachers will share performance data with your student throughout the year.

The best indicator of how your child is doing is looking at their reading placement. For example, if they are placed in a 4.2 level class, then they have mastered the first semester of the 4th grade curriculum and are being instructed in the second semester curriculum. This may seem confusing and you still may have more questions. If so, please don’t hesitate to call us at 234-5600.

SAVE THE DATE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3RD IS

THE ANNUAL AEES SOCK HOP!

MORE INFO COMING SOON!

Galaxy Gazette Page 10

September Page 11