THE

October 2011 WaltonCharter CharterAcademy Academy Walton

744 East Walton Blvd 744 East Walton Blvd Phone 248-371-9300 • Fax 248-371-1642

December 2011/ January 2012

PHONE 248-371-9300 • FAX 248-371-1642

Principal’s Corner

Our Mission

Dear Walton Families,

Purpose “Challenging EACH child to achieve…”

Is it just me, or does Christmas seem to come sooner and sooner each year? I know that 365 days is pretty cut and dry. I understand that December 25th is pretty much a guaranteed date. However, I could swear I saw Christmas decorations next to swimsuits and sunscreen this year! It’s almost as if retailers and marketing companies are trying their best to get us spending money as soon as possible, in hopes of increasing our anxiety and pressures we feel at this time of year. Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE CHRISTMAS! It is one of my favorite times of the year. I could go on and on about all of the things the holidays do to make me so happy and feel so blessed. But…sometimes I worry that we have it all wrong. Why should such a wonderful time of the year bring so much stress to so many people? It is so easy for us to make it all about gifts, food, and decorations, that we forget what this time is all about. Are we so stressed and in such a hurry that we forget about cherishing our families, counting our blessings, and helping others? As we enter this holiday season please try to encourage your children to reflect on all they have to be thankful for, and show contentment for what they have. Please try to remember that 20 years from now, your children will not remember the gifts you purchase for them. However they will remember the memories you make with them, and the traditions passed down. The best gift you can give your child is free… the sincere gift of TIME. Give your child the precious gift of your undivided attention, no matter how simple that time may be. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Mrs. Amy Ebling

“What’s Brewing with Mrs. Ebling” There will not be a meeting for the month of December. However January’s meeting on Monday, January 9th, 2012 will be an open forum for parents. Join Mrs. Ebling at 8:30 a.m. to voice your opinions, needs, and wants. Coffee and donuts will be served. We look forward to connecting in a partnership for your child’s education.

Vision “To better educate more children.” The Four Pillars: Academic Excellence Moral Focus Student Responsibility Parental Partnership

December’s Moral Focus This month’s moral focus is Self Control. Kindergarten—2nd grade students will learn Patience and how to control urges for things we are waiting for. Students in 3rd—5th grade will learn Delayed Gratification, and how our actions may not be recognized until a later moment. Students in 6th—8th grade will learn Self-Discipline and how to remain in control of their actions at difficult times. The 3rd Grade will present our Moral Focus this month during the assembly on Monday, December 5th, 2011, at 8:00a.m. Parents are welcome to attend the assembly.

January’s Moral Focus January’s moral focus will be Perseverance. Kindergarten—2nd grade students learn Determination and how striving for goals will make one successful. Students in 3rd—5th grade will learn Endurance, and how to gain the power to withstand stress or hardships life brings. Students in 6th—8th grade will learn Flexibility and how circumstances in life require us to think outside of the box for change, The 5th Grade will present our Moral Focus this month during the assembly on Monday, January 9th, 2012, at 8:00a.m. Parents are welcome to attend the assembly.

Phone: 866-NHA-ENROLL • www.waltoncharteracademy.org •

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Walton News and Updates Christmas Help? If you are expecting to be in need of Christmas assistance, please visit the website https://aaf.voami.org/ Recipient/RecipientMain.aspx. Click “Apply for Help”, submit the application on line, print it out and mail or fax in the information below. 1. Copy of Michigan ID/Driver’s License, 2. Verification of your household income, 3. Proof of Guardianship for each child 15 and under. ***Please note: Volunteers of America Michigan reminds you that there is NO Guarantee that your family will be adopted.

Reminders from Walton’s Secretaries *Parents please be sure to call the office and update and or relay any new phone numbers you might have. It is important that we are able to get ahold of you in case of an emergency. *Remember to call the office if your child is going to be out sick or has a doctor’s appointment. We want to avoid as many absences and tardies as possible.

Scoring Scales Thank you to all families who recently attended our Scoring Scales Parent Roundtable Discussion. We appreciate your honest feedback about Scoring Scales. If you have any other questions or comments, please contact the office and we will be happy to address them. Thanks again!

PTO News SAVE YOUR WRAPPING PAPER AND MAIL! Walton is trying to become a greener school. The PTO and Student Council will be working together to GO GREEN as we will be recycling paper products! Classrooms will collect paper products such as newspaper, junk mail, magazines, wrapping paper, and scrap paper. We will have a paper recycling bin located outside next to our rubbish bin. Local neighbors are welcome to drop off their paper products for recycling. Please spread the word to your families that we are now a Paper Retriever site and will be collecting paper products to make our world a little greener. Join Walton as we eliminate waste in our landfills and save our planet!

Juice Pouches and Chip Bags Keep those empty juice pouches and chip bags coming!! The students have been doing a great job collecting these items. Keep in mind the hallway that brings in the most juice pouches before Winter Break will be rewarded a jean day in January. Please continue to send these items in to school with your child. We receive 2 cents for each empty that we recycle and are working on using the money we earn on this project to buy a nice bench for outside of the school beneath the awning.

Box Tops Library Book Reminder Books are checked out weekly here at Walton. If your child has a book at home it should return with them to school each day. If a child does not return or re-check out their book on library day, they will be unable to get a new book until the other is returned.

SAVE those box tops!! In January the classroom from each hallway to bring in the most box top will win a pizza or ice cream party. Box tops can be found on many household and food items. Simply cut out the box top and bring it to school. Each box top will bring 10 cents back to Walton. For a complete list of participating items, please visit www.boxtops4education.com.

Winter Concert The Winter concert will be held on Thursday, December 15th, 2011. Kindergarten and 1st grade will be at 8:30a.m. and 2nd - 4th grade will be at 10:00a.m.. The middle school choir will be featured at both concerts. Students who are participating may wear school uniform or school appropriate dress clothes.

Volunteering Opportunities The PTO has many volunteering opportunities. If you would like to find out more about our volunteering opportunities, please contact Ms. McCallum or Mrs. Mardis at 248-371-9300 or by email at either [email protected] or [email protected].

Sports News

Winter MAP Testing

The Boy’s Basketball Team has begun their season. Please come support the Walton Wildcat Varsity and Junior Varsity Basketball teams.

As winter break comes to an end in January, your students should prepare for winter MAP Testing. The MAP will start on Monday, January 9th, 2012 at 8a.m., and will go until the end of January. Please make sure your child comes to school well rested, fed, and motivated to test. This is a very important checkpoint in gauging your child’s education during this school year.

Schedule: December 1st, 2011 Reach @ Walton JV(4:30p.m.), V(5:30p.m.) December 6th, 2011 Walton @ Merit JV(4:30p.m.), V(5:30p.m.) December 8th, 2011 Walton @ Flagship (4:30p.m.), V(5:30p.m.) December 13th, 2011 Walton @ Enterprise (4:30p.m.), V(5:30p.m.) December 14th, 2011 Arts & Tech @ Walton 4:30p.m. December 15th, 2011 Walton @ Premier (4:30p.m.), V(5:30p.m.) January 3rd, 2012 Marist @ Walton 6:00p.m. January 5th 2012 Walton @ Arts & Tech 4:30p.m. January 10th, 2012 Walton @ Great Oaks (4:30p.m.), V(5:30p.m.) January 12th, 2012 Warrendale @ Walton (4:30p.m.), V(5:30p.m.) January 14th, 2012 Tournament White Division @ Warrendale January 17th, 2012 Blue/White Championship Game @ Blue Winner

Scholastic Book Fair PARENTS! Looking for that perfect stocking stuffer, or the most wonderful gift for your child’s teacher? Come to Walton’s Scholastic Book Fair where Reading is out-of-this-world! The book fair will feature lots of all time favorite books, as well as new books hot off the press. This is also a fantastic opportunity to purchase books as a fund raiser for our school library. The more books we sell, the more books we can purchase and add to our growing library shelves.

Where are they now? Many students move on to bigger and better places after their Elementary and Middle School experiences at Walton. With that said each news period we hope to feature a “Where are they now?” student and what they are doing in the world. This month we are recognizing Notre Dame Prep senior Berenice Flores (sister of Walton 5th grader Jerardo Flores). Berenice was awarded a scholarship from the Ric Gonzalez Memorial Foundation (RGMF). This scholarship will allow Berenice to attend a college or university of her choice. What an amazing achievement! Walton Congratulates Berenice!

We look forward to seeing you! When: December 7th - 16th, 2011 7:30a.m. - 4:00p.m.

(Please note on the 16th our fair will close at 11a,m. due to inventory and closing procedures.)

Mrs. Coffield reads with some kindergarten students.

David Lozano helps Mrs. Mardis with a speedy Popcorn delivery.

Walton News and Updates Continued... Spirit Week Students at Walton enjoyed Spirit Week November 711th. Fashion Disaster Day was a huge success. Thank you to all those who participated!

MEAP Celebration MEAP is finally over! Here at Walton we think it is important to celebrate student success and hard work, so the 3rd -5th grade hall and the 6th-8th grade hall was able to participate in their own celebrations. The 3rd-5th grade students participated in a crossgrade level competition. All 3 teams, the Golden Grizzlies, the Lime Lions, and the Teal Tigers, participated in a variety of challenges. These challenges included a balloon relay, dodge ball, an obstacle course, and a number of minute to win it challenges like Cheeto Face, Dizzy Mummy, and Cookie Face. The students had a great time competing and spending time with their teachers and classmates.

The 4th Grade Teachers are stuck in the 80’s!

1st graders looking stylish.

The 6th-8th grade students participated in a hallway Harvest Party. Students were able to choose from a variety of activity options and compete in some challenges as well. Some of these activities included a DJ with a dance floor, apple bobbing, pumpkin bowling, and Mario Cart on the Wii. The middle students really enjoyed this chance to get out of the classroom and celebrate all the hard work that they had put into the MEAP test. Thank you Walton students for working so hard on the MEAP!

Walton students show their school spirit to the fullest!

Dressed to Impress!

Canned Food Drive Walton’s Student Council would like to thank all the families that participated in the can food drive. It was a huge success! We collected 2678 food items for local families in need. It is a blessing to have such giving families here at Walton. Mrs. Westlake’s kindergarten class and Mrs. Carr’s seventh grade class tied for first place by bringing in 269 nonperishables. Congratulations to these two classrooms for receiving a pizza party and being so charitable.

Thank you David Mikkola and Pedro Gaytan for helping!

Walton News and Updates Continued... Math Rock Concert On Friday, November 4, 2011, Walton’s 1st Grade students welcomed Lady PlusPlus and The Plus Factor. This all-math concert was a great review night for our first graders. They were able to learn and dance to fun math songs with their friends, parents and teachers. At intermission, students participated in a variety of Math souvenir shop activities. These activities included making a picture graph of their favorite rock stars, showing what ‘half’ is, completing rock-n-roll story problems, and playing rock-n-roll addition with dice. All of the students had a great time! We look forward to Lady PlusPlus and The Plus Factor returning to Walton towards the end of the year for another concert with our Kindergarten students as well!

Red Ribbon Week Contest Winners Students at Walton participated in Red Ribbon Week during the week of October 24th, 2011. Red Ribbon Week brings drug free awareness and encourages our students to stay drug free. Upper elementary and middle school students had the opportunity to enter a contest by writing an essay or creating a poser. Lower elementary students were given the opportunity to enter a coloring contest. Winners received a Red Ribbon Week T-shirt and the essay contest winners received a gift card to McDonalds. Congratulations to our winners. Essay Contest 1st Place: Jewel Smith 2nd Place: Amaya Layton 3rd Place: Ove Ricera III

Poster Contest Winners Jewel Smith Le’Land Gayle Nailah Cole

Coloring Contest Gloria Lock Dorell Marrow

Cooking Encore The first quarter “Cooking with Math” students put on a party for parents and teachers at the end of the marking period. They planned, decorated, and made food and drinks for their guests. Students put their math skills to work by planning out recipes, calculating the type and quantity of ingredients necessary, and then preparing food. Students had a blast making smoothies, quesadillas, fruit salad, chicken flatbread, and special Thanksgiving turkey cookies. A special thanks to the parents and teachers who came out and encouraged the students’ efforts!

Students of the Month

Dorian Phillips

Noelia Luna

Emmanuel Rostro-Gonzalez

Julia Glenn

Nathaniel Mikkola

Aniah Howard

Nicholas Stevenson

Micah Luckett

Raquel Pena-Aguilara

Dimonte Brice

Ingred Emmanuel Torres Castaneda-Reteria

DeAndre Thomas

Gillian Smith

Alfredo Hernandez

Isaias Cruz

Daijha Morrow

Ricardo Yerena

Lercy Bernard

Rodrigo Gaytan

Ruby Juarez

Devon Hudson

Destiny Ferrell

Tariq Archibald

Tomacita Flores

Micah Colbert

Students of the Month

Fernando Rodriguez

Elisaia Bosquez

Eric Gomez

Marissa Grandberry

Alani Contreras

Joey Schuman

Jasmin Self

Misael Cruz

Jose Alvarado

Diaja Samples

Mrs. Williams’ Artists of the Month

Mrs. Sherman’s Musicians of the Month

Congratulations to our Student Artists of the Month Esperanza Hicks & James Sterling.

Congratulations to our Student Musicians of the Month, Daijha Morrow and Miguel Lozano.

Esperanza, and James both demonstrated 100% effort, responsibility and followed their social contract throughout the month. We are very proud of our student artists.

Daijha and Miguel both demonstrated 100% effort, responsibility and followed their social contract throughout the month. We are very proud of our student musicians.

Esperanza 1st Grade

James 6th Grade

Daijha 8th Grade

Valuable Volunteers

Thank you from Mrs. Westlake A Big THANK YOU to... Mrs. Westlake's Upland Hills Chaperones - Mrs. Burton - Ms. Chase - Mr. Easley - Ms. Figueroa - Ms. Roberts - Ms. Gaytan - Ms. Gaytan - Ms. Hannah

- Mr. Moore - Mrs. Moore - Ms. Monje-Alacon - Ms. Rodriguez - Mrs. Tansel - Mrs. Schuman - Ms. Vargas - Mrs. Flores

Miguel 6th Grade

Thank you to the following people who have made a difference in someone else’s life because of their help: Mrs. Nabarrette Mr. Nabarette Elva Ramirez Mrs. Rachel Lemos Mrs. Laura McKenzie Mrs. Penny Glenn Mrs. Ivy Sterling Mrs. Pittman Mrs. Hicks Mr. Carlos Quinones Mr. Dorell Morrow Mr. Daniel Reyes

Mrs. Cassandra Cole Mrs. Leatine Gayle Mrs. Christina Ortiz Mrs. Escalante Ms. Saenz Mrs. Schuman Mrs. Lozano Ana Rodriguez Fonda Luckett Suzette Sutton-Frazee Mrs. Aranda

These parents help with classroom and teacher needs, are parent readers, and assist with other school functions that Walton supports. If you’d like to volunteer, please ask the teachers what you can do to share your time. Thank you again Walton families!

VIsit Walton’s *NEW* Website!

Fourth grade students study owl pellets and learn about ecosystems, bringing science to life!

Walton is proud to announce our NEW website is up and running. Please visit www.waltoncharteracademy.org to find information about the school, events, photos, and even some of your favorite teachers posting homework on their personal websites. There is also a great parent section here where you can go to handle certain secretarial obligations for NHA. Enjoy!

Community Sponsors VG’s 205 E. Walton Blvd, Pontiac 248-456-8120 Cash back incentive for turning in the VG’s receipts. Walgreen’s 690 Martin Luther King Blvd, Pontiac 248-745-8495 Provides treats for the students Tim Horton's 617 E. Walton Blvd, Pontiac 248-276-7588 Provides beverages for events Lifetouch Photographic Studios

Little Caesar’s 453 N. Perry St., Pontiac 248-335-6151 4706 W. Walton Blvd., Waterford 248-673-6260 Provides Pizza for Pizza with the Principal Classic Lanes 2145 Avon Industrial Drive, Rochester Hills 248-852-9100 Provides incentives for the Student’s of the Month The Rolladium 4475 Highland Road, Waterford 248-674-0808 Provides fundraising through Skate Night

Middle School students work on Accelerated Reader to earn their reading medals!

December 2011

Calendar of Events

Monday 5

6

8 Picture Re-take

7 $1 Pizza Day

Assembly 8a.m. Pizza w/Principal “What’s Brewing with Mrs. Ebling” 8:30a.m.

Girl Scout Meeting (Art Room 6-8p.m.) Doughnuts w/Delightful

14

15

Book Fair 7:30a.m.-4:00p.m. Mobile Pantry (2:303:30p.m.)

$1 Pizza Day Book Fair 7:30a.m.-4:00p.m.

Book Fair 7:30a.m.-4:00p.m.

19

20

21

22

27

NO SCHOOL

2

Monday

NO SCHOOL

NO SCHOOL

28

NO SCHOOL

Tuesday

Wednesday

23

29

NO SCHOOL

4

Progress Reports $ Jean Day $1 Ice Cream Day Book Fair 7:30a.m.-11:00a.m.

NO SCHOOL

NO SCHOOL

30

NO SCHOOL

January 2012

3

7:15a.m. - 7:50a.m. (5-8th)

16

13 Mobile Dentist

26

Doughnuts w/Delightful

Book Fair 7:30a.m.-4p.m.

Skate Night 6:30-8:30pm Book Fair 7:30a.m.-4:00p.m.

NO SCHOOL

9 $1 Ice Cream Day Book Fair 7:30a.m.-4:00p.m. K-2 Movie Night

7:15a.m. - 7:50a.m. (K-4th)

12 Mobile Dentist

NO SCHOOL

Friday

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

5

Thursday

NO SCHOOL

6

Friday

SCHOOL RESUMES

“Welcome Back!”

9 Winter MAP Testing Begins Assembly 8a.m. Pizza w/Principal “What’s Brewing with Mrs. Ebling” 8:30a.m.

16

10

11

12

13

$1 Pizza Day

Girl Scout Meeting (Art Room 6-8p.m.)

2-8th Grade MAP Testing

2nd-8th Grade MAP Testing

2nd-8th Grade MAP Testing

2nd-8th Grade MAP Testing

17

18

19

20

$1 Pizza Day

NO SCHOOL

$1 Ice Cream Day

$1 Ice Cream Day

Teacher Professional Development Day

2nd-8th Grade MAP Testing

2nd-8th Grade MAP Testing

2nd-8th Grade MAP Testing

2nd-8th Grade MAP Testing

23

24

25

26

27$1 Ice Cream Day

Walton Spelling Bee

$1 Pizza Day

Kindergarten—2nd Grade MAP Testing

11:30a.m. Kindergarten—2nd Grade MAP Testing

30

31

Kindergarten—2nd Grade MAP Testing

Kindergarten—2nd Grade MAP Testing

$Jean Day End of 2nd Quarter Kindergarten—2nd Grade MAP Testing

*100% of Pizza, and Ice Cream sales go toward purchasing student incentives for the Math and Reading departments.

Upcoming Dates February 8th, 2012— Staff VS Students (Boys) Basketball Game 4:00p.m. February 9th, 2012—Girl Scouts Meeting (Art Room) 6:00p.m.– 8:00p.m.