Ranch Elementary School 43521 N. Kenworthy Ave. San Tan Valley, AZ 85140 480-882-3530 www.ranch.jocombs.org UPCOMING EVENTS December 1st - Orchestra Concert grades 5&6 1:00pm Combs High School 4th - Battle of the books study session 4th - Homework Club 7th - Lunch on the lawn 7th - Free Pancake Dinner 5:00-7:30 MPR 11th - DIBELS Testing K-3 11th - Battle of the books study session 11th - Homework Club 11th - PTO Meeting 5:00pm 12th - Preschool Screening 8:30-11:00am 13th - 19th - Galileo Testing 13th - Hometown Heroes 13th - Title I Parent Meeting 3:45-4:30pm Media Center 13th - Ranch/Simonton Choir Concert 6:00pm at Simonton Elementary 14th - Lunch on the lawn 15th - 5th & 6th Grade Band Concert Combs High School 1:00pm 18th - Battle of the books study session 18th - Homework Club 19th - Holiday Sing a Long 20th - K-2 Holiday Program 8:30am 21st - End of second quarter 21st - No PM Kinder or POPS 21st - Early Dismissal 12:00pm Lunch will be served 21st - 6th - Winter Break NO SCHOOL

December 2012 The first annual Roadrunner Turkey Trot was full of excitement. Students are asking when they can do it again. Thank you to all the parents who came out to support our event. It was fun watching the students race to the finish. Many students found great satisfaction in completing the course whether they walked or ran. It is an honor to see so many smiling faces on physically active children. “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” – Oprah Winfrey

January 7th - Students return to school 7th - 18th - STAR Testing 10th - School Spelling Bee 11th - Report cards go home 11th - Lunch on the lawn 11th - Awards Assembly K&1 12:30-1/2&3 1:15-2/4-6 2:05-3 21st - Civil Right’s Day NO SCHOOL

December Staff Birthdays 8th - Vicky Miranda 16th - Brendan Stynes 20th - Sue Kruse 24th - Beverly Irby

Kindergarten Prep Our theme will be celebrations. We will be having discussions and reading about different traditions around this time of year. In December, we will be having a few of our own celebrations. Later in the month, we will be having a Polar Express day. On another day, we will be inviting families into our classrooms to make Gingerbread Houses. We will be using this time to review some concepts. Our new letters will be B,U, and C. Our color is “green” and our shape this month will be a “star”. Our author of the month will be “Laura Numeroff.” Our math concept will be “Time.”

POPS - Program for Outstanding Preschoolers The POPS preschool classrooms will be learning all about holiday celebrations in December. We will be focusing on the color green and the shape of a star. Our concepts and letter/sounds will be a review of what we have learned so far. Help us reinforce our theme and vocabulary at home by reading books about holidays and family traditions. It will be a month to celebrate! Keep a look out for more information coming about and our Gingerbread house festivities on Tuesday, 12/18 and our Polar Express/ pajama day on Thursday, 12/20. Parents or Grandparents are welcome to come in and decorate a gingerbread house with their child. It will be a special day to remember.

FUNCTIONAL LIFE SKILLS Everyone enjoyed our Thanksgiving Feast! Not just the eating but also preparing it. The students took turns using their skills to pour and mix the ingredients for mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean, candied yams, and pumpkin pie. Now we’re ready to start the month of December where we will be reviewing previous letters and concepts, as well as, working on the theme of Celebration and learning about the star shape. Holidays are a wonderful time of the year in our class as all the students are filled with excitement and anticipation. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Kindergarten We are working on writing numbers to 30 and counting to 50. Students should be able to identify numbers in any order. Our class has been focusing on math addition facts to 20, and using different ways to get our answers. It is important to be able to think of different ways to come up with answers as it builds a deeper understanding and a love for Math! Our class will be writing a book that will be published too! Our book will be called “Silly Math Problems.” You will want to order a copy of the book as it will be something you will always treasure! Students will be bringing home a book log and book each night. Please read the directions in the bag for more information! We would also like to Thank you to all of you who were able to participate in our Turkey Trot and/or donate items for our Pie Party. We had a wonderful time! DIBELS testing is set to take place around the middle of December. Please help your student review their letters and sounds. The more practice your student can get, the better. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always here to help.

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First Grade We have been very busy in first grade!! In Math, we have studied shapes and time. We are still working on double digit addition and subtraction (it’s a year-long goal). We started writing some very special stories that will be published in a book that parents can order and keep forever! We are illustrating our own stories as well. More information will be sent home about these special books in the coming weeks. Thank you to all the families who came to our Thanksgiving Feast! It was a lot of fun and we had a great time! As teachers, we thank you for your continued support and participation.

Second Grade This quarter has been rolling by fast! We are working on adding and subtracting with regrouping as well as continuing place value concepts. In reading we are working with diagrams and comparisons. We would like to thank all of our parents that helped with our Thanksgiving Feast! It was a huge success and we thank you for it!

Third grade During 2nd quarter, Third Grade will be focusing on Science. We will be learning about the earth, rocks, fossils, and plants. Third graders will be required to complete an at home activity where they will be researching an environment and the plants and animals that are part of that environment. Look for more information coming home in the next several weeks. If your family is able to provide our classrooms with rock samples, plant seeds, soil, and peat cups, your donations will be greatly appreciated. Thank you to those who donated Play-doh for our models of the earth. I hope your children shared with you what they learned.

SUPPLIES NEEDED: copy paper, pencils, and white board markers

FOURTH GRADE Here we are in December and nearing the end of the 2nd quarter! Time flies by when you are busy learning new things! In math we can look forward to division, geometry and fractions. We just finished a unit on early civilizations in Arizona in Social Studies and we will now go back into Science to study the water cycle. The fourth grade teachers would like to remind all students that they need to be reading every night. This will help them to meet their individual AR goals as well as mastering the comprehension tests by 85% average. Keep reading, Lets finish 2012 strong!

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FIFTH GRADE The students had a wonderful time at the field trip to the American Heritage Festival! A special thanks to all parents and family members who served as chaperones for this event! As we approach the winter holiday, we will be busily working to achieve nd our 2 quarter goals! We will continue to focus on informational text, grammar skills, and more! We will wrap up social studies this month and transition into science when we return in January. Please encourage your child to stay focused on their A.R. Reading goal for this quarter. Their individual goals need to be met before leaving for winter break. We wish you all a wonderful winter break and look forward to seeing you all again in the new year!

SIXTH GRADE

As this quarter is coming to an end, here are a few tips to assist the students in excelling. Check your child’s notes and homework every night to make sure they are complete and accurate. Agendas should also be reviewed and signed every night! Tutorials are on the web for Mathematics assistance and better understanding. Language Arts and Social Studies notes are posted to the calendar on Jupiter Grades. In Social Studies we are studying Ancient Mesopotamia, Language Arts we are covering poetry and in Math we are learning all about fractions and decimals. We are continuing to delve into energy in our Science class. We look forward to continuing our partnership with you this year in guaranteeing your child’s success in 6th grade.

Music Choir concert (Combined with Simonton Choir and Band concert) will be Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 6:00 PM in the Simonton Café. Concert attire is: black shirt and jeans, with closed-toe shoes (those who have an orchestra or band shirt are welcome to

Band The Ranch Elementary Bands will perform their winter concert on December 15th at 1:00pm in the large gym at Combs High School. The Ranch Elementary Band students will play several selections on their own, and with the high school band! Please mark your calendars to attend this free concert showcasing the talents of our fine grade 4-12 musicians!

SAFETY Safety is our number one Priority Always use the crosswalk Never cross between cars to pick up students Drop off students after 7:55am Drive slowly - The speed limit on Kenworthy is 25MPH

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DATA WALLS Our Data Walls at Ranch Elementary were decided upon by each grade level. In K-3 the walls identify current DIBELS data. In 4-6 grade the walls identify current STAR Reading and Math data. The data walls show students, parents, teachers, and other community members the students’ progress toward greater achievement. The data walls are updated as students take additional assessments.

Kindergarten

Third Grade

First Grade

Second Grade

Fourth Grade Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

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Students of Character for November

The students below were recognized as Students with Character at a luncheon with the Counselor Mr. Smith. Each student invited a friend to join them at the special lunch table on stage. The students received a special treat. Employees of Character for November Abilgail Rutherford Amileth Sandoval-Rodriguez Caleb Smith Carly Knowles Ezekiel Careaga Kameron Quick Karli Nielsen Kooper Heimburg Luis Rodriguez-Frausto Maya Boragine Ridge Al-Imari Riley Schmitz Taniela Taunima

Lindsay McLallen - 3rd Grade Teacher Tom Murray - Lead Night Custodian Barb Calvert - Cafeteria Manager The above staff members were chosen to park in the “Employee of Character” parking spot. They were given a one week pass to wear jeans.

Carson Bembridge Carson is one of those students who always show good Citizenship. He is always considerate of students and adults and he strives to make himself and others around him better. He cares about the school and everyone who goes here. He definitely thinks of others before himself. He is a special student to have in class because he sets the right kind of example for other students.

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Free Pancake Breakfast for Dinner with Santa Sponsored by Lost Dutchman Realty Ranch Elementary PTO is hosting its third annual FREE Pancake breakfast with Santa. Only this time its BREAKFAST FOR DINNER!! Come join us on Friday, December 7th from 5:00 - 7:30pm in the Multi-purpose room. Pictures with Santa will be from 5:15-6:00 and 6:30 - 7:30 Come visit with Santa and get your picture taken for $5.00 (All Pictures will be taken by PTO) Get 4 craft projects for only $5 (Pancakes and crafts are while supplies last)

PINAL COUNTY ATTORNEY’S ANTI - DRUG POSTER CONTEST CEREMONY On November 28th Eryn JagelskiBuchler attended the 22nd annual Pinal County Attorney’s Anti-Drug Poster Contest Ceremony which she attended with her mother and Mrs. Kruse. This contest was open to all sixth graders in Pinal County, and they received 1500 entries which Eryn was one of the top 9 finalists!

Honorable Mention Students from Ranch Elementary were: Carly Knowles Madison Rodriguez

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WE LOVE TO READ!! HELP US BRING AN AUTHOR TO RANCH ELEMENTARY THROUGH YOUR 2012 TAX CREDIT How can I make a tax credit donation? Ranch front office has tax credit forms or you can go to our website at www.jocombs.org to print the tax credit form. When filling out the form please be sure to check the box for Ranch Elementary and the box designated as “other”.

Message from Superintendent Blanchard The unofficial results from the November 6th election indicate that the 10% maintenance and operations override for the J.O. Combs Unified School District was declined by the voters. Although the difference between the yes and no votes is only 50 votes, the district will be required to implement additional reductions of approximately $700,000 beginning the 2013-2014 school year. I am grateful to our staff and community members for their efforts in helping to educate community members about school funding and the use of override dollars. I believe it is because of these efforts that 49% of the community supported the override. Most override elections throughout the state of Arizona were unsuccessful. I hope that this will encourage all of us to work with our local elected and statewide leaders to find solutions to meet the funding needs of Arizona’s schools. The Combs District will involve all stakeholders in the budget conversations and that specific information on the process and future meetings will be forthcoming. The district website, www.jocombs.org, also provides an opportunity for community members to share information and ask questions, by clicking on the “Contact Us” link located in the upper right hand corner. District officials welcome all comments and suggestions.

Ranch 3rd Annual Coloring Contest Ranch’s third annual coloring contest has started. The contest is open to all grade levels and are due back to your teacher on or before Tuesday, December 11th. The children can use paint, crayon, marker, colored pencils, pipe cleaners, craft items etc. for the contest. There will be one winner per grade level. Winners will be chosen based on originality, neatness and effort. The winning names will be announced on Friday, December 14th winners will receive a certificate and a Huge Candy Cane. The completed artwork will be on display in the hallway by the front entrance. Page 8

Our biggest and most anticipated event of the year is just around the corner, Pancakes with Santa! This year we will be hosting a pancake dinner on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room. This year’s event is being funded by a very generous donor, who strongly believes in our community. Lost Dutchman Realty has donated enough for us to serve pancakes to everyone free of cost! Here are some additional details to help you get excited! FREE PANCAKES FOR EVERYONE Biscuits & gravy and drinks for purchase Holiday crafts available for purchase Visits with Santa! $5 gets your child(ren) time with Santa and a photo in a frame Free activities like coloring and letters to Santa This event has always been a Ranch favorite. We can’t wait to see you there. Feel free to bring the whole family and get the holiday spirit going. As always, we can use any help you might be able to offer. If you can help make pancakes, sell drinks, help set up or clean-up, please let us know ([email protected]). Thank you to Lost Dutchman Realty for their generous donation. Please consider them for all your real estate needs!

Is your Fry’s VIP card connected to Ranch Elementary? This year, we are running behind in our Fry’s VIP fundraising. Please make sure to take the bar code below with you to Fry’s and have the cashier scan it with your VIP card. We can earn $2,000 each year just by having our cards connected to Ranch Elementary. No need to do anything extra; just scan the barcode once with your VIP card and you’re supporting our kids!

Are you looking for ways to support Ranch PTO? Here are some great opportunities! We are in need of a fill in PTO Board Secretary. Please contact us at [email protected] or see us on Facebook (Ranch Elementary PTO). We could use help with our Free Funds (Box Tops, Labels for Education, etc.). If you are able to help stir excitement about these opportunities, can count Box Tops, etc., please let us know. Every Box Top and Label count for our kiddos! Help promote our various fundraising programs like Box Tops to your friends and family. Make sure to link your Fry’s VIP Card to Ranch. Help create flyers for events. Assist during events. Our next meeting is coming up, please join us on Tuesday, December 11, 5:00 p.m. We could use your input, ideas and support! Thank you for your support and remember Ranch Roadrunners Rule!

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