Dear Pickett Families,

Thank you for a great start to the new school year. Students and teachers spent time the first week getting to know one anoth-er and learn classroom procedures, routines, and rules. With close to 600 students (up approximately 120 from last year) parent drop-off and drive up have been extremely busy, but seem to pick up speed every day; thank you for your patience as we work to get the bugs out of our system.

We held our first PTO meeting last week and the turnout was wonderful. This year's PTO has many events planned and would love volunteers. Our first major events are Grandparents Day and Welcome Back Hoedown; both events are scheduled for Fri-day, September 11. We are also looking for a new Art Masterpiece coordinator and volunteers. This program provides students with an art lesson focusing on a specific artist and then guides them as they complete their own masterpiece. If you are inter-ested in participating in the PTO contact them at pickettpto@aol.com.

Curriculum Night is scheduled for August 19 in your child’s classroom. In order to meet the needs of our parents who have more than one child attending Pickett we will have three separate sessions which will begin promptly at 5:00, 5:25, and 5:50. So that you don’t miss out on any important information, we ask that if you arrive and the session has already started you wait until the next session before entering the classroom. During Curriculum Night the teachers will go over what your children will be learning this year and what their classroom expectations are. In addition, teachers will be sharing the Student-Parent-School Compact Agreement we will be utilizing again this year. If you need help logging on and understanding Synergy gradebook, stop by the computer lab at 5:25 or 5:50 and get the basics on maneuvering around the program. We hope you will join us for this important event for parents.

The Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation is accepting registration for golfers and sponsors for their Eighth Annual Golf Outing being held on Saturday, September 12, at Las Colinas Golf Course in Queen Creek. The QCSEF Golf Outing is the major fundraiser that enables the Foundation to award the scholarships and grants to deserving QCUSD students and staff. Over the past 8 years QCSEF has awarded student scholarships totaling over $60,000, teacher grants totaling over $5,000 and monthly gift cards to the QCUSD classified and certified Employee of the Month. Registration and sponsor information can be found on the QCSEF website at www.qcsef.org. Feel free to pass this information on to any people that you think might be interested golfers or sponsors.

This year FBPE is once again partnering up with First Things First. Since a child’s most important developmental years are those leading up to kindergarten, First Things First is committed to helping children five and younger receive the services they need to be healthy and ready for success in kindergarten. First Things First will be holding a presentation for kindergarten parents ti-tled Early Childhood Every Day. The event will be held on September 1 from 3:00-4:00.

In case you didn't hear, FBPE is now on Facebook and Twitter. We will be using both pages to share the great things we are do-ing on campus, as well as upcoming events. Visit our pages often to see what is going on and share the pages with your families.

I’m looking forward to another great school year. As always, thank you for your continued support of Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary.

Sincerely,

Sherry Towns

The Kindergarten Team,

Mrs. Adolph, Mrs. Litle, Mrs. Morgan, & Ms. Romero

We are growing each day in KINDERGARTEN!

We are learning to recognize letters and beginning sounds which are already helping us read. Thanks to learning some of the most common words in children's books, we are even reading already! Thanks moms and dads for helping us review our words and sounds each night. We couldn't do this without you. In math, we are learning how to identify our numbers up to 20. Did you know, numbers have teenagers? It's true! Thirteen is one of them. Every teenaged number has a one in the front. As you can tell, there is so much we are learning here in kindergarten! We are growing so quickly!

Our Pickett first graders are racing toward success like a herd of Mustangs! We have been practicing spelling words, reading new words and working with math concepts like shape attributes and patterns each week. The new FUNdations program is very exciting! This program will offer your child strategies for developing a stronger letter/sound correspondence, decoding and encoding skills as well as correct letter formation. Ask your child about Mama Echo and Baby Echo, too!

The First Grade Team Mrs. Caspersen, Mrs. Cope, Mrs. Gettens and Mrs. Schiermyer

We have had a great start to 2nd grade! Students are all adjusting well to their new classrooms.

So far, students have been learning about place value, the different forms of a number, and providing reasoning for distinguishing between odd and even numbers. We will shortly begin adding with and without regrouping. The latter is a tricky standard for kiddos so be sure to provide extra support as needed at home! In Reading, we are learning about story elements, asking and answering clarifying questions from a story, and determining the author’s purpose for writing a text.

Wow, kiddos are growing and learning so much already! We can’t wait to see their progress throughout the year!

All 2nd grade classes follow 5 basic rules. Ask your child and they will most likely be able to share!

Rule #1: Follow directions quickly.

Rule #2: Raise your hand for permission to speak.

Rule #3: Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat.

Rule #4: Make smart choices!

Rules #5: Keep your dear teacher happy

As a reminder, please be sure to sign your child’s folder each night. It is important that you are in com-munication with your child’s teacher and are aware of your child’s progress.

Thank you, parents and students, for all of your hard work! We look forward to a wonderful year!

Ms. Denault, Mrs. Mesman, Ms. Newberry & Ms. Sommer

We are off to a great start in 3rd grade! Students are settling into classroom routines and growing in responsibil-ity in their first quarter of 3rd grade. In math, students are working on the concepts of multiplication and divi-sion, which they will build off of all year long. In reading, students are learning how to recognize context clues to help them understand unfamiliar words, another skill they will continue to develop and use all year long. In writing, students are learning to edit their work and developing personal narratives. All of the teachers have been enjoying reading the stories our young authors have created!

The 3rd grade team is looking forward to meeting with parents on Curriculum Night and discussing in further detail the curriculum and standards students will be working on throughout the year.

We are excited to see students grow and learn this year, and are looking forward to a great rest of the quarter, and year!

-The 3rd Grade Team,

Ms. Campbell, Mrs. Hudson, Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Waddington

The fourth grade teachers and the Pickett family want to welcome you to another school year. The fourth graders have jumped in knee high with the curriculum. Three math formatives have been given already this year. We cannot express enough how your child would benefit with daily practice of the basic math facts. Nightly reading is a wonderful way to explore new vocabulary and enhance your child’s experiences. Mrs. Skon’s class has finished the novel “Holes” by Louis Sacha, it was quite evident that the class, the boys especially, enjoyed the book. We were so thrilled to see some students come wanting to take AR tests for books they had read over the summer. We know we are going to have a wonderful event filled year. We hope to see you all at Curriculum Night on August 19th.

The Fourth Grade Team,

Ms. Massie, Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Skon

Fifth graders are off to a great start! While it was sad to see summer vacation end, students were happy to see their friends and make new acquaintances. Many students arrived ready to take quizzes on great books read during the summer. While getting to know one another many students shared exciting places they had visited.

Fifth graders look forward to many new and exciting adventures this year. Everyone is excited about band and playing an instrument. As well, students are able to choose to be part of a reading competition, “Battle of the Books.” Within the classroom we are very anxious to learn about current events using the Scholastic News. Thank you for sending in the funds to support this publication. If you have not sent in the $5.00 please send it with your child as soon as possible. Thank you for your support.

The Fifth Grade Team Mrs. Allison, Mrs. Miller & Ms. Smith

Welcome back to a new school year. My name is Mrs. Fullard-Pierce. I’m married with 9 children and 4 grandchildren. I graduated from Arizona State with my masters in Special Education. I enjoy reading, family time and deep sea fishing. I will be working closely with your students this year in resource. Students decided that our room should have a special name beside resource.

So our first lesson was to create an exciting place from the word den. It was a great beginning because students came up with: where education of the past meets todays’ education to become education for the future. It was a perfect begin-ning. Next, each grade level picked a Raptor of Arizona to be a part of their groups.

If you have any question or concerns I can be reached at bpierce@qcusd.org or by 480 987 7420. Please keep in mind that I will not be able to return your call during the school hours. Working with your students will have me unavaila-ble. However I will return your call within twenty four hours.

Thank you,

Mrs. Pierce

We are off to a great start in PE. We have already completed lessons with Hula-Hoops, Wands, Throwing and have almost concluded our initial fitness testing. We will be moving into Dance as well as Climbing Wall activities as the quarter continues. Dodgeball started on Thursday August 13th and is for 4th and 5th grade students. Please remember with the 6 Day schedule PE days are al-ways changing so make sure to wear appropriate clothes and shoes. Classroom teachers have calen-dars for the whole year and there are also posted signs at the front of the school.

Thanks,

Coach Webster

***Hi my name is Leslie Locke and I wanted to introduce myself because I am student teaching with Coach Webster in Physical Education this semester. I am currently attending ASU and will be graduating in May. I am passionate about inspiring the next generation to be physically fit and healthy in all aspects of their life. I look forward to working with your students this semester! ***

We have had a very busy year already. Students signed up for after school hand bells and choir. With addition of 5th grade this year we have added band and orchestra as an additional 5th grade music choice. General music classes have played instruments, games, and done some singing. I look forward to see how the rest of the year will unfold.

Thank you,

Mrs. Edwards

Please be sure to complete the information on the orange emergency forms and return them to your child's teacher. Also notify the health office and registrar if there are any changes in the contact phone numbers during the year. If your child has a chronic health problem or any new medical concerns please let me know. If your child needs medication at school please bring the medication to the nurse's office and complete the consent form. Medication needs to be in the original container and prescription medications need to have the prescription label with the child's name on it. Please don't send the medication in their backpack. It needs to be brought into the nurse's office by an adult. Also please bring cough drops to the nurse's office and don't send them on your child's backpack or pocket. Please keep your child home from school if they are ill. Your child should be kept home for fever over 100, chest congestion and frequent coughing, sore throat, and vomiting and diarrhea. A child should be fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication before returning to school. Also they should not have vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school. I will be starting hearing and vision screenings on all K-2 grade students. If your child doesn't pass a second screening you will be sent a referral. Please let me know the out-come of the referral and return the paper filled out by the medical provider. If you have any questions or concerns please call the health office at 480-987-7424. Sincerely,

Dana Sandlin RN, BSN School Nurse

August 19: Curriculum Night (5:00-6:30) August 26: Early Release August 26: Progress Reports Ready to View September 1: Early Childhood Every Day – First Things First Presentation for Kindergarten Parents (3:00) September 7: Labor Day Holiday – No School September 11: Welcome Back Hoedown (time to be announced) September 16: Early Release September 23-25: Early Release – Parent/Teacher Conferences September 25: End of Quarter Assembly (K-2: 8:30 A.M.; 3rd-4th: 9:30 A.M.) September 28-October 9: Fall Break – No School