Lisa J. Mails Elementary School

Mails Messenger March/April 2018 Dates to Remember

Celebrating 10 Years

MARCH Friday, March 23rd PTA Muffins with Mom @ 7:30 am Saturday March 24th - Sunday, April 8th Spring Break

APRIL Friday, April 13th Purple Up! For Military Kids Day Saturday, April 14th PTA Father/Daughter Dance Week of April 16th - 20th Spring Book Fair in the Library Wednesday, April 18th Blue District Band Concert, 7:00 pm @ Vista HS April 19th & 20th Spring Play Performances @ 7:00 - Little Mermaid Thursday, April 26th Poem in My Pocket Day (see pg. 6) Friday, April 27th Talent Show @ 6:30 Monday, April 30th LAST DAY TO BUY YOUR YEARBOOK

A Visit From the Founders - Many of our former staff joined us as we celebrated the opening of Mails back in 2007.

Spring Testing Begins In April Hello Monarch Families! Students in grades 3-5 will be participating in state testing beginning in April. Tests are given in English Language Arts and Math, with our 5th graders also being assessed in Science. We focus on keeping a growth mindset with students and utilizing the results to help monitor academic progress and to inform our instructional practices. Parents can help at home by making sure their kids get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast each morning during testing. Also reiterate positive messages with your child about giving their best efforts and to not put too much pressure on themselves. More information about the state tests can be accessed at www.caaspp.org.

Click to visit our school website

Mails Messenger | Lisa J. Mails Elementary School March/April 2018 | page 2 April 30th! Deadline to Buy Yearbook Coming Up Fast

Read Across America Day - We celebrated Dr. Seuss’

The deadline to buy your yearbook and do your two free custom pages is sneaking up FAST! Buy your yearbook before it’s too late. The last day to buy and finish your pages is the end of April. We do not sell yearbooks at the end of the school year. All of our yearbooks are printed on-demand and must be pre-ordered online. Visit our school website for the link - in the Shortcuts section. Yearbooks are $28 and feature 128 pages of full-color photos plus lots of fun stuff inside. We welcome parent submissions of great high-resolution photos too!

birthday and Read America Day on March 2, welcoming the one and only Cat in the Hat to read a Dr. Seuss story to our students.

Visit the website for details or email Clara Wallace - [email protected].

Intent to Return Forms Online We’re beginning to process our students who intend to return to Mails next year so we’re asking all of our families to use this link and fill out the Google Form to help us gather this information. Thank you in advance for your help with this!

Purple Up! For Military Kids Day April is the “Month of the Military Child,” a time to honor youth impacted by deployment. On Friday, April 13, we will be celebrating, “Purple Up! For Military Kids” day by asking Lisa J. Mails staff and students to wear purple. Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, as it is the combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red and Navy blue. We hope that everyone will take this opportunity to appreciate and celebrate these young heroes!

S.T.E.A.M. Night - Many students enjoyed the activities at our annual STEAM night on March 7.

Parking/Driving Safety Please remember to be courteous and safe when dropping off or picking up from school. Click here to revisit some safety guidelines that were developed in coordination with CHP.

Lunch Menu click here We post the school lunch and breakfast menus on our website. Look for it under the Parents tab.

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Congratulations to these award winners! Respectfulness 1-3

Respectfulness 4-5

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Congratulations to these award winners! Responsibility 1-3

Lunch with the Principal

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Congratulations to these award winners! Lunch with the Principal

The Story Starts Here |

Mrs. Wallace’s Library Newsletter March/April 2018

Yearbook Deadline is Coming! Last day to purchase a yearbook is

April 30, 2018 Poem In My Pocket Day April is National Poetry Month and one of our traditions is Poem in My Pocket Day, when we share poetry with each other throughout the day. Students can write an original poem, or copy one down and bring it to school on Thursday, April 26. We also have poems available in the library for students to choose from. Participants can pick up a “Poem in My Pocket” sticker in the library.

Send Mail Art to Mrs. Wallace! Have you ever heard of Mail Art? As you write your letters for National Letter Writing Month, take a few minutes to draw and decorate the envelope after you’ve addressed it. Google “mail art” for some great inspiration. Students who write Mrs. Wallace a letter or mail art and send it through mail will get a mail art letter back! Mail your letter to: Mrs. Wallace @ Lisa J. Mails ES 35185 Briggs Rd. Murrieta, CA 92563 *Replies will provided for letters received in April 2018. For the return address, use the school’s address and include the teacher’s name. Letters will be sent to student ℅ their classroom via USPS.

If you want a yearbook, you must order it online. Our yearbooks are printed on demand with each person’s two free custom pages inside. We do not purchase yearbooks in bulk to sell so anyone who wants one MUST order online. If you’d like to see a sample of previous year’s yearbooks, we have them in the library.

It’s a Delight to Write Another thing to celebrate in April is National Letter Writing Month. Letter writing connects us in a way that more recent forms of communication cannot. It’s an especially important skill for young people to be able to learn how to communicate with others. Letter writing is important to practice because it: ● improves social and penmanship skills ● helps create lasting memories with the people you care about most ● nurtures a friendship ● helps you stay connected ● Plus, it’s a great way to teach your kid their address and how to address an envelope! SPRING BREAK CHALLENGE: Gather letter writing materials and write a letter to two people and send it to them in April! Don’t forget to ask them to write back.

Get off those devices over spring break - here are some ideas Many kids these days do not spend enough time developing hobbies. Getting your kids outdoors, out of the house and just off their technology is a good thing to do on a regular basis. Here are some ideas to keep them busy and stimulate their imaginations, develop their non-technology skills and give them something fun to do. Bottom line? Get those kids off their devices! Geocaching - this is a great family pastime that gets you out to explore your neighborhood. Go to geocaching.com to get started on this “treasure-hunting” activity. All you need is a sense of adventure and a smartphone. Art - Start a sketchbook and practice drawing. Take your sketchbook outside and find things you can draw. Or, do a drawing challenge - there are a ton of them online that provide daily prompts and ideas. Learn how to: jumprope, blow a bubble gum bubble, whistle, play hopscotch or play a board game.

Celebrate National Letter Writing Month in April by writing someone a letter! The best part about writing a letter is getting one back, so always write back!

How to Address an Envelope by Mrs. Wallace This is called the Return Address. The Return Address is YOUR name and address. If the post office can’t deliver your letter for some reason, they can use the return address to return the letter back to you. Ask a parent to help you write your address if you don’t know it.

The stamp belongs in the top right corner of your envelope or postcard. If your letter is heavy, you will need to put additional stamps. Extra stamps go to the left of the one in the corner.

Sender’s Full Name Street Address City, State Zipcode

Recipient’s Full Name Street Address City, State Zip Code

Put the name of the person you are sending the letter to here, just below the center of the envelope. Use their first and last name. Make sure you write their full address.

Postage stamps come in lots of interesting designs and often commemorate something or someone important in our culture. You can buy stamps at the post office or online at USPS.com. Here are some current designs that are available. A person who collects stamps is called a philatelist.

Make sure you always write neatly so the post office can read your writing and be able to deliver it to the right person.

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Mar / Ap i 2018

Kindness Crew Focus: Forgiveness During March and beginning of April our “new” Kindness Crew will be focusing on the Power of Forgiveness. We will have daily morning messages, student made posters posted on campus, lunch time activity, and short clips sent to classes for teachers to share and talk about.

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UPCOMING: April 13th- Purple UP! April 14th- PTA’s Father/Daughter Dance April 16-20- Book Fair April 30th-Chalk Draw May 4th-Staff Appreciation Second Step Social Emotional Learning Lessons in March/April ❖

Kindergarten: Emotion Management: Feeling in our Bodies & Calming Down Strong Feelings

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1st Grade: Emotion Management: Identifying our own Feelings & Strong Feelings

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2nd Grade: Problem Solving: Problem Solving Part 1 & 2

FREE Parenting Workshops schedule… see next page!

CONTACT INFO: Jodi Spoon-Sadlon (951) 304-1880, ext. 3484 Tues/Thurs [email protected]

NEXT YEAR’S CALENDAR: School Begins: Wednesday, August 15th 2018 Winter Break is 3 weeks beginning December 22nd 2018 Spring Break only 1 week beginning March 30th School Ends June7th