Durham Elementary School

Nifty News

May 3, 2013

7980 S.W. Durham Road, Tigard, OR 97224 Website : http://www.ttsd.k12.or.us/durham-elementary Joyce Woods, Principal 503-431-4500 Attendance Line:
Teacher Appreciation Week May 6 - 10
Next week is set aside as a special time to honor the wonderful licensed staff at Durham Elementary. This is a great place to learn because of the outstanding teachers, specialists, and counselor that we have. Families are encouraged to take a few moments to think of a way to say "thank you" to Durham staff members. Hand written notes, a flower from your garden, or maybe a crisp apple for the teacher's desk are simple ways to show appreciation that will mean so much!

Durham's Read-a-thon is coming. Set your goal for how many minutes you plan to read. Twenty minutes a day for ten days is 200 minutes. Read more and join the 400 Minutes Club along with 12 Durham students from last year. Or really challenge yourself and become like last years highest readers who each read over 750 minutes and received a prize. Any time spent reading can help earn money for our school. Look for packets with all the information to be coming home soon. And get ready to Read, Read, Read!

CINCO DE MAYO NIGHT: Its tonight! Join us at 6:30 pm in the Durham cafeteria. There will be games and delicious, authentic Mexican food. Durhams Folkloric Dance Troupe will perform three traditional dances, as well.

Durham Elementary BOGO Book Fair

Stock up for the upcoming Read-a-thon and for all of your summer reading! The BOGO Book Fair is May 14 - 17, 2013. All items are Buy One, Get One Free. Students will be able to shop at the Book Fair during their regular library time or during lunch. Please see the attached flyer for more information or visit our Book Fair website at http:// bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/durham.

All Durham Volunteers are cordially invited to join us on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 At 9:30 AM in the cafeteria for our Annual Volunteer Brunch Entertainment to be provided by Durham students.

Backpack Program Fundraiser at both Tigard Burgerville locations Wednesday, May 15th 4:30 - 8:30 pm 10% of all proceeds will benefit the Backpack Program that supports our school!

We would like to thank all of the families that participated in Stuff the Bus. We collected 2,500 items of clothing to help the Durham Community and the Caring Closet. The grade level that collected the most items and won the popcorn party is Fourth Grade! Way to go!

Stuff the Bus

Fourth Grade Music Program Oregon Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 6:30pm

2012/2013 Durham Elementary Yearbook Its your last chance to Order the 2012/2013 Durham Elementary School Yearbook! There are only 52 yearbooks left for sale! Order yours before they are all gone. Send a check in the amount of $15.00 to the school ofce with your childs name and their teachers name. Questions contact abby-rubioabby@yahoo.com.

for the month of April Golden Tray: Third Grade Golden Whistle: Mrs. Wolfes Class Golden Shoe: Mrs. Garricks Class Golden Dust Pan: Mrs. Lyons Class

Golden Awards

SCRIP! The last SCRIP date for this year is June 3rd. Think about the summer and places you may be going and check to see if there are any Scrip gift certificates that will work for you.

JUST A HEADS UP: As the weather starts to improve, we will be holding some PE classes outside to work on activities that do not work well indoors. We will stay inside when it is raining, but there may be some mornings when the grass is wet with dew. Students who have PE in the morning may want to bring a dry pair of socks in their backpack for after class. -Mr. Gaffney

5th Annual Tigard Health Fair at Tigard High School Saturday, May 18th from 10:00am - 1:00pm Free Family Fun Dont miss it!
Enjoy a day of fun activities and educational opportunities on how to live a healthy lifestyle and improve your health. Get connected with interactive games and cool prizes! Local business will be hosting activities and demonstrations. For more information visit www.tigardturnsthetide.org

Boxtops Collection Sheets coming home Friday! Look for Boxtop collection sheets in your child's backpack. We are making one last push to collect as many boxtops as we can for this year. We are only $200 short of our goal of $1800 so lets keep collecting! Remember to tape or glue the Boxtop in the square. Make sure your child"s name and teacher is on the sheet. Fill it up and turn it in before the end of the year. Even if it isn't full, turn it in before the last day of school. New sheets will go home for summer collecting! Please continue to put Labels for Education in a separate baggie/envelope and turn them in that way. Thanks for your contribution.

2013-14 Class Placements

Teachers will begin the process of creating class lists for next school year by late May. Parent Input Forms are available for those of you who would like to submit written comments to be considered in the class placement process. Hard copies of the Parent Input Forms are available for pick up in the school office. You may also download a form from the Durham website. Forms are due to the office by Friday, May 24th.

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Music Informances

(in the Music Room - rm. 28) May 29th - Mrs. Sullivans class 12:55PM to 1:25PM May 29th - Mrs. Goddards class 1:25PM to 1:55PM May 30th - Mrs. Kolbs class 12:55PM to 1:25PM May 30th - Mrs. Marxs class 1:25PM to 1:55PM

2013-2014 Kindergarten Open Enrollment

Field Day Volunteers Needed
Field Day is just around the corner on Friday, June 7th! Anyone interested in helping with Field Day please contact John Gaffney at jgaffney@ttsd.k12.or.us. It is now time to enroll your child for Kindergarten. Parents can come by any day between 8:30 and 3:30 to register. A birth certificate, immunization records, and proof of residence are required to register.

Tualatin Try-athlon Calling all Kids! Come out and give it a try! The Tualatin Try-athlon is coming! On June 1, 2013 at Tualatin High School, kids ages 6-15 can run, swim, and bike their way to fun and fitness. The Tualatin Try-athlon is a noncompetitive, non-timed triathlon that encourages kids to lead an active, positive and healthy lifestyle. Never participated in a triathlon before? Not to worry! Weve got distances and routes that are fun and do-able for most kids. Well run on the Tualatin High School track, swim in the Tualatin High School pool, and bike on the Tualatin cross country path. The cost is only $10, and all kids who are pre-registered get an event t-shirt, BBQ lunch and participation ribbon. Not sure you want to run, bike, and swim? There will be plenty of other activities! Thanks to our sponsor, Randall Childrens Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, there will be low-cost bicycle helmet sales and fitting available at the event. Kids can also explore Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescues Safety House, play in the bounce houses, and try the obstacle course. There is no cost for admission to any of the additional activities. Registration forms are available at http://

DURHAM TWEETS: Our school website now includes a Twitter feed. We invite you to follow us and get frequent updates about great things happening at Durham Elementary. Follow us at: https:// twitter.com/DurElementary.

The Caring Closets Mission is to break the cycle of

poverty and to keep children in school by providing clean, appropriate, and adequately fitting clothing and shoes for the lowest income students. We believe that it is hard for school-age children to succeed when they lack clothes or shoes that fit. If your child is in need of clothing, shoes or hygienic items, please call the Caring Closet at 503.603.1576. Caring Closet Hours - Wednesday and Thursday 10am 4pm The Caring Closet is open September through June.

For a referral to the Caring Closet, call Ms. Pratt at 503-431-4509.

www.tualatinoregon.gov/recreation/tualatin-tryathlon. Dont wait! The event is limited to the first 300 registrants and the deadline to pre-register is May 16th.

Bricks 4 Kidz After School Lego Classes at Durham Elementary School Spring Session Thursdays: 5/9, 5/16, 5/23, 5/30, 6/6 Time: 2:30 - 3:30 pm Fee: $50 for 5-week Session Ages: K - 5th Grade *Parents must arrange pick up on class days. This is a hands-on class where students will use Lego Bricks, motors and remote controls to design and build educational models including motorized machines. Register on-line at: www.bricks4kidz.com/wacounty For more information: Call 503.397.9179 email: cvanderzanden@bricks4kidz.com

Tiger Town Tennis Lessons at Tigard High School Courts Session Dates #1 June 17-20 #2 June 24-27 #3 July 1-3 Tennis Lessons for ages 5-18
Register by calling 503-867-1764

Durham's End of Year Family Fun Night Picnic

Come join us for music, kick ball, playground games and more. Bring a blanket or chair, picnic dinner and your family. Friday, May 31st, from 6pm-8pm (Popcorn, Italian Sodas, & Candy provided courtesy of Durhams PSO) Any questions or are available to volunteer please contact: Luwanna Comstock at 503.349.8731

Durham Families - PSO would LOVE your help!!!

As the year winds down to a close I wanted to let you know about some PSO (Parent Support Organization) opportunities that will be coming available next fall! The PSO is a great way to be involved and support your childs classroom and school, a place to meet other parents, and the work we do makes a HUGE difference for the entire Durham community. If ANY of these look interesting and you would like to sign up or get more information, please contact Tristan Irvin at tristankira@yahoo.com. Cant wait to hear from you! Here are some opportunities that we would love to fill for next year: Chairperson for the End of Year Family Picnic: This is a fun and relatively easy event to plan. It happens in June (or the very end of May) and we have a small auction, DJ, some refreshments, and kick ball. This is a great way to get your feet wet if you want to get involved! Chairperson to organize the Family Restaurant Nights: Our former chair has an excellent list of restaurants and resources to help make this job easy and organized. This person will call restaurants (usually beginning in August or September) and nail down dates for our Family Restaurant Nights. Volunteer Coordinator: This is a cornerstone position for getting the word out about volunteer opportunities at Durham throughout the year. You will get a database of people that have asked to be notified and then as teachers, PSO members, etc. have a school-wide request for volunteers you send out a mass email. Our former Volunteer Coordinator is willing to train people that are interested in this position. This position can be done entirely from home. Yearbook Committee Chair and committee members: Are in the classroom a lot as it is? Taking pictures for the teacher during field trips or class events? If so, then this is already a great opportunity for you! Help the yearbook committee take pictures, put together yearbook pages, and work with the company that we use to print them. This is a really fun committee that meets everyso-often throughout the year to plan and review. Co-chair for Box Tops and Soup Labels: Two or three times a year there will be a call-out (and contest) to bring in Box Tops and Labels for education. You would be helping our Chairperson with printing and distributing flyers and once collected we need to count and send in the box tops. This position is another great way to get involved with the PSO. Mother/Son Event Chair and committee members: This event is really open-ended which might make it right up your alley! In the past there have been BINGO nights, scavenger hunts, and Bunco. It really is left up the creative imagination of the committee. Maybe you have some friends in mind that could all get together and plan this event. This typically happens in Feb/ Mar. Caring Closet Co-chair: The Caring Closet is a district organization that helps collect clothes and supplies for thousands of kids throughout the district. There are a couple of events each year (usually a bottle/can drive in the fall and clothing drive in the spring). You would be assisting the Chairperson with distributing materials, making signs, and getting volunteers to help during the drives. Junk-In-The-Trunk Community Garage Sale: This is a fun and fairly easy event to plan and since weve only done it once, it is wide open for changes, etc. This happens in June and many vendors are already in place. The best part of this event is the community building that happens! Scrip coordinators (2 person job): This works best as a two-person team. Scrip orders can come in once or twice a month (depending on what is decided) and each week Scrip orders come in there needs to be a person to collect and enter the orders, and then later in the week those orders need to be picked up from the district office and distributed to the students. Book Fair Coordinator: We hold two Book Fairs each year one in the fall and one in the spring. There is a Scholastic rep that we work closely with and out current chair will be available for help and training as well. This is a fun event to help with and the majority of the work is comprised of marketing the Book Fair and getting volunteers signed up to help! Library Coordinator and volunteers: This position mainly organizes and finds volunteers to help work in the library during class times. People who would like to volunteer will be trained on how to check-in and check-out books to students as well as how to reshelve returns. Jog-A-Thon Committee members: This might be one of the most fun events we do AND its right at the beginning of the year! We need some new people to step into this committee and help distribute Jog-A-Thon materials, ordering prizes, and helping organize the day-of volunteers.

Durham Elementary 2013 BOGO Book Fair

All items are Buy One, Get One Free! Tuesday, May 14 Wednesday, May 15 Thursday, May 16 Friday, May 17 8:30 am 3:00 pm 8:30 am 3:00 pm AND 6:00 8:00 pm 8:30 am 3:00 pm 10:30 am 1:00 pm

This is a great time to stock up on books for the upcoming Read-a-thon and your summer reading!

Volunteers are needed to help run the Book Fair! Contact madae.fast@gmail.com if youd like to help!

Durhams Annual
End of Year Family Fun Night! Music, Kickball & Picnic on the lawn

Friday May 31st 6:00pm 8:00pm

Join us for Music, Kick Ball, Playground Games and More. Bring a Blanket or Chair, a Picnic Meal, and Your Family, and We Provide the Fun!

(Popcorn, Italian Sodas, & Candy provided courtesy of Durhams PSO)

(IF you have questions or are available to volunteer contact Luwanna Comstock, 503 349 8731)

Tips for Reading Success

May 2013 Tigard -Tualatin School District
Title I Program Read-aloud favorites
Apple Pie 4th of July Dressed in red, white, and blue, a little girl enjoys a 4th of July parade and fireworks. She also tries to persuade her parents that no one will shop in their Chinese market that day. But as it turns out, Americans eat more than apple pie on July 4th. A story about cultures by Janet Wong. Martha Speaks Martha was an ordinary dog before a bowl of alphabet soup somehow made her talkand talk and talk. Her tendency to speak her mind causes trouble for her family, until her amazing ability saves the day. The first book in Susan Meddaughs Martha series. (Also available in Spanish.) Blackout Guess what? You dont need TV or computers to have fun! Thats what the boy in John Roccos story discovers when the power goes out and his family enjoys playing games by candlelight and seeing the stars from the roof. Volcanoes Franklyn Branleys nonfiction book starts with the story of the famous volcano that buried Pompeii, and it continues with amazing facts. For example, just one eruption can affect weather all over the world. The book also explains how to make a volcano at home.
2013 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Bring books to life

Summer is full of outings and activities. Help your child pair them with stories she will make real-life connections and improve her reading comprehension. On the beach Pack beach stories or nonfiction books about ocean life. She can read under an umbrella and look around for things mentioned in the books (children building sand castles, crabs scurrying across the sand). Variation: Have a beach day in your backyard with a wading pool and beach towels. At a restaurant Does your family like Greek, Mexican, or Thai food? When you eat out, take along a book set in that country, and ask your youngster to read it aloud while you wait for your order. Does she see anything in the restaurant that she recognizes from the book? Perhaps shell spot a cook making tortillas or a sign written in Thai.

In the car Keep books in the car that are related to places you go. Your child could read a story about money on the way to the bank and then name coins and bills as you wait in line. Or she might read a book set in pioneer days while headed to a history museum. After you arrive, let her find items from the book (weaving loom, washboard). Note: Your youngsters teacher or librarian can recommend titles to match your activities.

Play library w Pretending to be a librarian is a wonder-

ful way for your youngster to enjoy books. He can use his own books or ones from the library and try these steps. 1. Organize. Suggest that he put books in alphabetical order on a shelf or sort them into baskets by category (sports, crafts). 2. Decorate. Encourage him to make a book display like those he sees in the library. For instance, he might feature stories about gardening along with plants and a shovel. 3. Read. He could hold story hours and read to you and other family members who visit his library. 4. Recommend. Pretend to be a library patron, and ask him to recommend books for you. For example, he might say, Oh, you have dogs? Try this pet care book.

May 2013 Page 2

Summer writing
Whether your youngster is jumping rope or running a lemonade stand, he can find inspiration for creative writing. With these ideas, hell be ready to dive right back into writing when school starts again:
Ask him to write an opening line for an invitation to his birthday party or a family barbecue. Example: Hit a home run at my baseball party!

Take

photos of summer events, and have your child write captions. Explain that he should name the people and include interesting details about the pictures.

Skip rope together to a rhyme he writes himself. You could teach him a rhyme from your childhood and suggest that he make up new words to the same rhythm. Let your youngster set up a lemonade stand. Help him design a sign to attract customers. (Whats sweet, cold, and refreshing? Our fresh-squeezed lemonade!)

Read-aloud learning
What better place is there to find words than in a book? Help your child read and understand new words with these read-aloud activities. Spot the combination. Flip through a book before you read to your youngster. Look for a letter combination that appears frequently, such as ch, gr, sp, or ing. As you read, she can point out words that contain it. Idea: When you finish reading, have her think of more words with that combination. Catch my mistake. Ask your child to follow along by running her finger under the words while you read. But every now and then, substitute a word or phrase for one on the page (without changing the meaning), and see if she can catch you! For instance, you could replace trouble with hot water in the sentence Sophie hoped she wouldnt be in trouble.
O U R P U R P O S E
To provide busy parents with practical ways to promote their childrens reading, writing, and language skills. Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated 128 N. Royal Avenue Front Royal, VA 22630 540-636-4280 rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com www.rfeonline.com ISSN 1540-5648
2013 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Have him create an American flag out of construction paper and write a summer poem on the stripes.

What do you think?

My daughter is always asking questions. I love that shes so curious how can I use her questions to help her learn? Your youngsters questions are good opportunities for her to think, talk, and read. When she asks you something (Why is there a rainbow?), try to stretch her thinking. Encourage her to come up with possible answersshell learn to express her ideas and talk through her reasoning. You can also share your own thoughts and ask follow-up questions. (Ive seen a rainbow in the sprinkler. Why do you think that is?) Youll steer her toward possibilities she may not have considered. Finally, look up the topic in a library book or online so she can check the answer and learn even more.

Something new to read

Our son Seth is an avid reader. Recently, he complained that he had already read all the good books. I assured him that there are plenty more books out there for him! Then, we looked online to see what kids his age are reading. At scholastic .com, we found a list of popular series, and he decided to try two: Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant and Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold. My husband and I also dug up books that we read when we were his age. Seth was excited to pull out my old volume of fairy tales and his dads choose-your-ownadventure books. Not only has Seth discovered new books, he has learned that we can look online and he can get ideas from others about what to read.