The Beckford/Richmond Times

School News

Why is Reading Important ?

Why is oxygen important? Or sunlight? Easy because they’re the basics in life, the foundation upon which everything else rests. Reading is a basic, too. Without solid reading skills, your child may struggle in school. If he or she is a good reader, there is no limit to what he or she can achieve. However, what does this mean for you as parents? Well, it means that you should start right now, today, paving the way for your child’s success in reading. By surrounding your child with letters, words and books, you will enrich him or her in ways you may never have imagined. Here is a guide to getting started:
WHO should read?
    Everyone, of course! Here are the important players when it comes to getting your preschooler to read:
• Mom and Dad. Parents have the single greatest impact on whether or not their children learn to read for pleasure. So instead of always reaching for the remote control, pick up a book instead. Your little one will notice, and he or she follows your lead.
• Teachers and caregivers. If your child attends daycare or preschool, speak with her teacher about making book time a part of daily activities. Send a favorite book along with her each day.
Volunteer to come in once in awhile to read to the class yourself.
• Your child. He or she will only learn to love words; letters and books if he or she is given a chance to explore them, so do not over-schedule his or day. Quiet time at home was made for looking at books.
WHAT is reading with your child?
Well, a lot of it is just how it sounds; curling up together with a good book. However, teaching him or her to love and appreciate reading is much more than that. There are countless other ways to nudge your child toward reading readiness. Here are a few:
• Talk to him or her often. When you speak with your child, you are giving him or her a chance to learn new words and to hear how sentences go together.
• Give your child a chance to tell you about his or her day. Doing so lets her practice storytelling, vocabulary and word pronunciation all of which are vital to good reading.
• Broaden his or her world. Teach him or her advance vocabulary for their age level, help him or her name places in addition to article and explain the difference between sunlight, rain, snow and wind. Also, take him or her to exciting places like the zoo and the park. Every bit of information he or she picks up will become priceless background knowledge when he or she are reading.
• Let your child write. Reading and writing go together, so spend time every day helping your child write about the things they see and do. Be sure to applaud his or her efforts in having a beginning, middle and end which focus on sequence of events.

Helpful Hints for Choosing Books for Your Child

• Let the interests of your child guide his or her choices.
• Picture books are great for everyone, especially for family read-alouds.
• Suggest some of your favorite books to your child.

FCAT Grading Scale

The FCAT is the primary measure of students’ achievement of the Sunshine State Standards.  Student scores are classified into five achievement levels, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.  School grades are based on a point system.  Schools are awarded one point for each percent of students who score high on the FCAT and/or make learning gains.  Below is the grading scale.
A – 525 or more
B – 495-524
C - 435-494
D – 395-434

Reading
As we finish the first grading period I would like to congratulate those students who have met their Accelerated Reader goal with an average percent correct of 85% or above.  They are: 2nd grade – Andrea Alford, Devin Jones, Emonjanae McCalister, Luis Rey, and Tyrone Truesdell; 3rd grade - Sarah Boyd, Sebastian Cid, Ketara Davis, Derrecka Edwards, Aaron Hall, Jayden Oliva, Malik Pratt and Travarus Smith; 4th grade – Jefferson Boyd, Tayib Price, Elantae Reed and Elias Reed.  Students start fresh for the second grading period.  Parents, ask your child periodically how they are doing with their goal.   If you would like parent access to your child’s AR record please call or visit me at the Library to set it up.

Technology Tips
The school district has purchased access to many databases that will help students with their education.  To use these databases, go to http://virtuallibrary.dadeschools.net. (Username: miamidade,  Password: miamidade)   From that page, you can select age appropriate research resources, check out the school library collection using the on-line catalog Destiny or listen to an on-line storyteller.  Many of these resources can help your child with his/her Science Fair Project that is due next month.

Fundraising
BOXTOPS – Please continue to submit your boxtops found on many household products. Each boxtop is worth ten cents.  So far this year we have earned $87.00.  Ms. Weathers class turned in the most boxtops – 144.  Can your child’s class beat them?
INK CARTRIDGES/CELL PHONES – Bring in any used ink cartridges or cell phones to be recycled and our library will receive cash.  Total so far this year is $23.00.
DRINK POUCHES -       Turn in your empty Capri Sun and Koolaid pouches (with the straw removed) for recycling and the library will get money to buy new books.

 Taken from the Office of  Parental Involvement
                      

PTA  CORNER

SPIRIT WEAR
We’ve got spirit …. and a great way to show it is by wearing your school shirt.  The PTA is selling “Ram” t-shirts which are light blue and made of 100% preshrunk cotton.  The cost of the t-shirts is $8.00 and most sizes are available. See Mrs. Hernandez in the library.

EASY FUNDRAISERS
We earn money when you send in your used ink cartridges and old cell phones for recycling. 
Collect Boxtops from your grocery purchases and send them to the library also.  Each boxtop is worth 10¢.  Register on Boxtops4education.com to enter contests and shop on-line.

Partners in Education

Thank you EXXON Mobile for your generous contribution of $500.00 to help support our students and school.  The donation will be used for student achievement incentives and towards the purchase of supplies and materials. You are truly a partner in education.  THANK YOU!!

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Red Ribbon Tips/Advice
Ana Alberdi
This is a very important time to let your child know how you feel about Alcohol, Tobacco and other drugs.  As kids spend more time out in the world-at school and with peers-they begin to collect messages from lots of new places.  They also start to take greater notice of what they hear and read in advertisements, on television, and in the movies. Your child will need you as he or she tries to make sense of all that new information. It is essential that you become a good listener as this gives you insights to your child’s world and shows you care about his/her concerns.
The following tips will help you help your child live healthy and drug-free:
* Keep your discussions about tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs factual and focused on the present.
* Talk to your kids about the drug-related messages they receive through advertisements, the news media, and entertainment sources.
* Consider the following topics when discussing drugs with your child: what alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs are like; why drugs are illegal; and what harm drugs can do to users.
* Set clear rules and behave the way you want your kids to behave.
*Help your child explore new ways to express feelings.
* Make sure your child knows your rules and that you’ll enforce the consequences if broken.
*Give your children the power to make decisions that go against their peers.
* Get to know your child’s friends-and their friends’ parents.

Stay involved!!

AP Corner
Jacqueline Theriault

     Welcome back to another great school year at Beckford/Richmond Elementary.  I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful summer and is ready to get back to work!

Smart Snacking
Fitting Healthy Eating Into the Whirlwind of Back to School
By Sabrina Candelaria

     With the school year in full swing and the family’s schedule in high gear, fitting in time for healthy eating can be a real challenge.  Between the school day, homework and extracurricular activities, making time for healthy eating may feel like an overwhelming task.
     Healthy snacking provides an excellent opportunity for supplementing your children’s nutritional intake and filling in the holes where their diets may be lacking.  Children and teens experience many periods of rapid growth, during which it is important to fuel their bodies with the proper nutrients.  Learning to include healthy snack foods in between meals can help keep their energy levels high, stimulate their metabolism and give them the nutrition they need for growth and development.
     Managing the busy schedules of an entire family can be an exhausting and often stressful task, but healthy eating does not have to be.  Make the effort to prepare snacks ahead of time for easy on-the-go choices, and familiarize yourself with reading nutrition labels to guide you in your snack food selections.  A little moderation goes a long way when it comes to calories, so make your children’s snacks count without packing on the extra pounds.   

Children Learn and Behave Better with Healthier Rewards

Parents commonly reward their children's good behavior with food, but too often the food is of the cheap, unhealthy variety—candy, chocolate, soda, etc. These rewards usually bring about only a short-term behavior change. PTA Action for Healthy Kids says children respond to more healthy rewards with improved behavior over the long term as well as strong achievement in school. The group offers these tips for healthy rewards at home:

• Take a walk with a parent or caregiver.
• Read a favorite book together or play a board game.
• Take a special trip to a museum or park.
• Listen to music of your child's choice (and dance!).
• Work together on a project of your child's choosing.
• Play an outdoor game together (a water balloon or snowball fight, hide-and-seek, tag).
• Create a treasure box of small items such as stickers, pencils, small toys, sidewalk chalk, etc., and let your child choose an item.

The National School Breakfast Program

The Department of Food and Nutrition is striving to provide school children with nutritious meals that they enjoy which will contribute to good health, growth and maintenance. Healthy eating habits is an integral part of your child's growth and development. A child uses their imagination to embark on adventurous journeys and in order for their brains to do this, they need healthy morning "fuel". Breakfast, the most important meal, needs to be part of the education day. Studies have proven that higher academic and social achievement occurs when breakfast is consumed. Students will be more alert and attentive and more likely to participate in activities.
The National School Breakfast Program was enacted to ensure that school children are being served a nutritious breakfast daily. The meal consists of one-fourth the Recommended Daily Allowances over a week period. A selective menu is offered which ranges from eggs, toast, cereal, muffins, breakfast pizza, oatmeal, fresh fruit and milk. Students may choose from three or four of the choices being given that day. The students can choose between skim, 1%, whole or 1% chocolate milk and assorted fresh fruits as the National School Breakfast Program complies with the Dietary guidelines for Americans. The menu choices are available due to student responses to surveys and taste-testing.