EKA Happenings December Edition

NO SCHOOL December 22- January 2!

Happy Holidays!

EKA CALENDAR Dec 19

End of First Semester

Dec 22- Jan 2 NO SCHOOL

Winter Break

Jan 6 Professional Development

NO SCHOOL

Jan 7 Classes Resume

Start of Second Semester

Jan 16 Secondary Student Movie

and Game Night

In This Edition…

Page 2

From the Superintendent

Page 4

From Ms. G

Elementary Happenings

Page 6

From Mr. Keyer

Secondary Happenings

Attachments:

Study Island Leaders

Performance-Based Tasks

SCHOOL STARTS BACK ON JANUARY 7th!

END OF SEMESTER IS DECEMBER 19th!

GET YOUR YEARBOOKS BEFORE PRICES INCREASE!

Visit http://ekayearbooks2014-15.picaboo.com/ to order yours today!

See the attached flier for more information! *No orders will be accepted at the front offices*

Are you missing a jacket or

lunchbox? Please check the lost and

found this week.

We will be donating ALL lost and found items

after school on Thursday, Dec. 18th.

Club Sport will be offering

Winter Camp at a special rate for

EKA families. Please see the

attached flier or visit our website.

ADOPT A FAMILY

EKA is getting into the

spirit of the holidays by

supporting fellow EKA families in

need.

Come into Building A and select a

“Snowflake” from our snowman.

Please return your items to

Building A with the

snowflake attached.

From your Superintendent... Happy Holidays to all of our EKA friends and families,

The semester is almost over (December 19th) and Winter Break is on the horizon.

Students are working to complete their assignments and projects. Please help your students to get to the finish line so that they can receive grades to make everyone

proud. Semester report cards will be collated the first week advisors return in January, and should be mailed by January 16th.

School staff is working diligently to prepare for second semester enrollment, as well

as enrollment and re-enrollment (existing students) for the 2015 – 2016 school year. Please see our website for additional information on new student orientations and

enrollment dates. If you know of someone that could benefit from a project based technology infused learning environment, please let them know about EKA!

As we look to 2015, students in grades 3 - 11 will begin preparing for standardized

testing. For more information about state mandated testing, please go to the Nevada

Department of Education website at http://www.doe.nv.gov/Assessments/. Students at all grade levels will be working on test preparation exercises in the areas of

mathematics and English language arts.

In closing out the year, I want to wish all of our EKA families a wonderful holiday season and hope that the new year brings you health and happiness.

Sincerely,

Abbe Mattson Superintendent

EKA Happenings: Superintendent

Join us on our new EKA Official Parent, Teacher and Staff Group on Facebook! This is your

opportunity to ask questions of EKA staff and administration, as well as a venue for EKA to ask your opinion on school happenings. EKA families just need to put in a request to join this closed page! We look forward to using this new system to improve communications between the school and our EKA families. You can also find general school

information on the Explore Knowledge

Academy Facebook page! Now, two

ways to communicate with the school.

Parents/Guardians, if you do not have access to you or your students' portal in Infinite Campus,

please contact the front offices for more information. The portal will give you helpful

information on your student's progress during the school year.

Stay connected with our Facebook page and keep up to date on all the things going on at EKA.

Search Explore Knowledge Academy

EKA Happenings: Staff Highlights

Brenda is an awesome mom to two EKA’ers that have been a part of

our school since Kindergarten and First grade. Brenda is an ex-gymnast that attended

Cal State Fullerton on full scholarship. She also performed in the Siegfried and Roy

show for 6 years! How cool is that?! After that, she pursued massage therapy and

continued in that career for 14 years until surgical treatment for breast cancer sent her

into early retirement. Now at EKA, she does all of her tasks with enthusiasm and

tenacity. She loves every moment that she gets to spend with the kids, and you better

believe that you can always count on Brenda to get things done,

especially with laughter and a smile. Thank you for your ten years of

dedicated service at EKA!

Brenda Dooley

I grew up in Montana and graduated from Montana State

University with a Elementary Education degree. My husband and I moved

to Las Vegas to pursue our teaching careers. I taught fourth grade for six years

before transferring to middle school where I taught sixth and seventh grade science

for the last nine years. Somewhere in there, I completed a Technology in

Education Masters degree and classes for 54 more credits. I'm thrilled to join the

EKA learning community this year.

I enjoy teaching science, rock collecting, being in nature, reading a good

book, and playing with my dogs. Teaching has been more than a career for me. It

is a way that I help students enjoy learning and realize science isn't boring. All

students deserve to feel good at something and need to be provided the opportunity to find out what they

have an interest or talent. I'm so thankful to be a part of a school that does just that.

Kate Smith

We would like to highlight our EKA staff family in our EKA Happen-ings Newsletters that we send. We love our staff and all the hard

work they invest into our school and students. (Special shout out to the parent who made this suggestion on the EKA Official Parent, Staff and Student Facebook Page!)

Staff Focus

After graduating college, I became a Behavioral Health Specialist in Honolulu, HI, working

mostly with elementary special education students needing assistance due to behavioral and

learning disabilities. I also worked as a School Counselor in Honolulu dealing with a vast

amount of needs and issues related to the school environment.

In California and Nevada I have continued to work as a substitute teacher in grades

K – 12. Two years ago, I began working at EKA and this year, I am a first grade advisor. I

love it at EKA and continue to enjoy the relationships here, both with the staff and

administration, as well as with the students!

Jackie Werblun

From Ms. Gustafson...

ELEMENTARY It is a busy time on the elementary campus as we near the end of 2014. Students are proudly displaying those final projects of the semester on everything from memorials to explorers to weather. It is amazing to see our students in all grade levels take ownership of their projects while learning to meet deadlines throughout the process. Parents should also be on the lookout for upcoming field trips, specifically in grades 1 and 4/5. First grade will be taking a walking trip to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory to close out 2014. Then, our 4/5 students who have worked hard in both academics and citizenship will be taking a walking trip to the Galaxy Theater to reward their efforts. To close out 2014, the first grade students will be holding a short winter performance for their families. As always, the elementary staff thanks you for all of your tremendous support and wishes everyone a safe winter break. Ms. Gustafson

Elementary Happenings

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT This year, as part of the yearly standardized assessments, students in grades 3 through 8 will be required to complete performance-based tasks. As a school, we work diligently to prepare our students for those. In preparation for assessments that will be given in the spring, advisories will provide students will opportunities to work through the types of tasks they will be required to do. In order to help our families gain some perspective on what those tasks may look like, we are including sample ELA tasks in 3rd through 6th grade. They attached at the end of this newsletter. We hope that you will take the opportunity to look at these with your children. Thank you.

Be sure to check out the Study Island Blue Ribbon Results attached at the

end of this newsletter. Nice job!

EKA Happenings: Elementary

Be Kind’ers Seamus G.

While other students walked over another students chapstick, Seamus picked it up and

returned it to them. Corwin R.

He takes the initiative to help his teachers and other students. He is always kind to

everyone! Elizabeth G.

She was holding the door for her friends and other staff.

Corryn T. She gladly helped a classmate gather his things after he dropped them at lunch

Upcoming Field Trips

1st GRADE Ethel M Chocolate Factory

Tuesday, Dec 16th from 11:30—2:00 THEY WILL BE WALKING.

Permission forms are due by 3pm Dec 12th

4/5 Reward Field Trip Galaxy Theatre

Thursday, December 18th, time TBD THEY WILL BE WALKING.

Permission forms are due by noon Dec 17th

DONATIONS NEEDED Parents and Students - As we are approaching the end of the semester, our

supply of copy paper is getting very low. We are once again asking for donations of white and colored copy paper. Please drop these by the front

office and we will make certain that your child's advisor receives the donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Karate EKA is proud to announce that master Allen R. Sarac

will be offering a 2nd semester Karate Club.

Tuesdays, Grade K-5

Please see attached permission form for more information.

New!!! DANCE New!!! Haley Walls, a senior here at EKA, will be offering dance

classes/club for her senior project. Classes for students in

2nd and 3rd Grades only will be held on Fridays, in

Building C from 3:15-4:15. More information will be

coming second semester.

From Mr. Keyer... We have settled in to the 2014-2015 school year at this point in Secondary Building and things are calming down a little bit for everyone. I hope that all parents/student/staff had an enjoyable break at the end of November and were able to spend some quality time with their families. We are continuing the seminar classes every other Friday that students are in. The last session of seminars for the first semester is Friday, December 5, 2014. The students will be filling out a form with their top choices for second semester seminars before holiday break on December 19, 2014. We will try to let students know before break which seminar they are in for 2nd semester before holiday break as well in case there is a fee/requirement associated with the new seminar which parents need to know about. Also, in early December we have two of our seminars that will be going on field trips on Friday, December 5, 2014. The Titanic seminar will be visiting the Titanic Artifact Exhibition at the Luxor Hotel for their culminating activity. The Forensics seminar will be visiting the CSI Experience at the MGM Grand Hotel for their culminating activity. We are continuing projects in Advisory classes as well as Science classes. The end of semester is just two weeks away. Please make sure that your student(s) get all of their assignments/projects turned in to their advisors on or before December 19, 2014. Mr. Keyer Famous Quote: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” -Vince Lombardi

EKA Happenings: Secondary

BE KIND’ERS Celeste T.—for being voted

the most kind person in Mrs. Smith’s advisory Langley W.— always

helping to stack chairs and pick up at the end of the

day Franklin J.—for always

being helpful and considerate of others

Caitlyn V. and Kaya S.—for helping Ms. Mattson pick

up dropped markers.

Thanks for Being Kind!

Secondary’s Student Government

Secondary’s Student

Government will be selling Winter Grams 12/9 – 12/16 for $1. This is a great way to share

holiday cheer with friends. Each Winter Gram comes with either a chocolate rose, a fuzzy friend or

candy. Winter Grams will be sold during lunch and delivered

on December 19th

.

FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE If your student needs to carry medicine on their person or in the Health Office, you MUST talk with our FASAs to get all of the proper

paperwork and forms in place. This includes: asthma inhalers, Epi-Pens, prescription medications and over the counter medications such as Motrin, Benadryl, Tylenol, etc.

EKA Happenings

December 8 – 14th is Computer

Science Education Week. Explore Knowledge Academy students will

join millions of students worldwide participating in an Hour of Code! Students will watch short messages from famous people before learning the basics of computer coding.

Computer science is not a course typically taught to K – 12th grade students, yet the market for employment in this field is growing. Computer science develops students’

computational and critical thinking skills and shows them how to create, not simply use, new technologies. This fundamental knowledge is needed to prepare students for

the 21st century, regardless of their ultimate field of study or occupation. Through www.code.org tutorials, EKA students will be able to learn about coding. The tutorials

are free and can be accessed through the site listed above. EKA is proud to be part of this worldwide week of computer science education and looks forward to enhancing our

students’ computer science knowledge in the future.

Recycle Your Unwanted Greeting Cards

EKA is starting its greeting card recycle program by collecting all unwanted greeting cards. This includes cards that have writing in them. All the greeting cards will be donated to the St. Jude’s Ranch in Boulder City where the kids will cut them apart to make new cards that are sold in their gift

shop. Please drop off your greeting cards into the marked box at the front office. We will be collecting greeting cards through the end of the school year.

Elementary Office Hours Monday 7:30-2:30 Tues - Fri 7:20-3:30

~

Secondary Office Hours Monday 8:00—3:00 Tues - Fri 7:30-4:15

5871 Mountain Vista Las Vegas, NV 89120

(702) 870-5032

Superintendent—Abbe Mattson

Secondary Principal—Jeff Keyer

Elementary Principal—Dawn Gustafson

Operations Manager—Hope Vivas

EKA PTSA SPONSORING

Holiday Happiness Adopt a EKA Family EKA PTSA is asking for donations of clothes (winter items such as

sweaters, jackets, gloves, scarfs, outfits, socks and shoes),

unwrapped gifts and gift certificates to stores such as Walmart or

grocery stores. It is our hope to adopt a family in need for the

holiday and spread some cheer. If we get enough donations we

will try to help even more families. Looking for sizes

________________________ Ages of kids _________.

There will be a snowman in the lobby of Building A and it will have

snowflakes that will have needed items. Please take one and put it

on your donation. Place the donation in box under the snowman.

Deadline Wednesday, December 17th

Where: Drop off items at Building A

at EKA Any questions email us at ekaptsanv@gmail.com

   

ORDER  APPAREL  FOR  YOUR  FAVORITE  STUDENT  TODAY  BY  GOING  TO:  

 http://www.thefanorama.com/home/ExploreKnowledgeAcademy

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There  are  100’s  of  items  to  choose  from,  all  with  Explore  Knowledge  Academy  logo!  

 

Dec 12, 14, 4:05 PM Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s), My name is Haylie Walls. I'm a senior at Explore Knowledge Academy and as a senior I am responsible for doing a 120-hour senior project. My senior project is a dance class/club for the elementary boys and girls. The dance classes are going to be held from 3:15-4:15 every Friday, unless said otherwise. These classes will be held in the auditorium (in building C). Ms. Davina Brown and Ms. Stephanie Johnston will be assisting me with this project.

Near the end of the year we will hold a recital, sometime in May (date T.B.D.) There will also be a small performance during the secondary Talent Show. We will be teaching several different pieces using three different genres (ballet, jazz, and hip-hop).

Jazz shoes will be required for all students (further information will be provided).

*Students must be passing all classes in order to participate

Thank You,

Haylie Walls

Students name: *____________________________________

Parental/Guardian signature: *__________________________________________

WINTER CAMP @ ClubSport Green Valley 2014

Winter Camp at ClubSport Green Valley is a great way for your kids to spend their winter break. Over the two weeks out of school, they will enjoy arts and crafts, themed activities, physical education, swimming in the indoor pool, and much more. Sign-ups will begin December 10. Don’t miss the fun!

Dates & Times: 9:00am to 4:00pm (AGES 4-12)

Week 1

Monday, December 22 Tuesday, December 23 Friday, December 26

Week 2 Monday, December 29 Tuesday, December 30 Friday, January 2

Members – Weekly $135, Daily drop in $50 Guests - Weekly $165, Daily drop in $60

Special rates for EKA families ClubSport Camp 9a-4p M/Tu/F Week 1 - $125 ($40 savings) Week 2 - $125 ($40 savings)

Purchase both - $240 ($90 savings) See parent letter for additional info or contact Lena-Jo

 For more information, contact Lena Jo Marin at (702) 216-3287 Registration form, waiver, and shot records required for ClubSport Camp.

 Special rates for EKA families

ClubSport Tennis Camp 9a-3p M-F ages 6-16 years Week 2 - $210 ($15-$45 savings)

Parent letter does not pertain to tennis camp. Contact Michael James for more info.

Winter of 2014

Dear Winter Camp Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to Winter Camp 2014! Your child will be physically active each day so it is important that they dress accordingly. We will engage your child in learning activities, arts and crafts, age appropriate games and active lessons. Athletic attire is required so that all children will be able to participate in these physical activities we have planned.

Each day, your child will be dropped off in the main building at ClubSport. IDs are required daily at this time. Pick up location will depend on the day of the week as we have to be flexible. IDs are also required daily by the person picking up your child. An alternate pick up form must be filled out if the person picking up differs from the person dropping off. Be sure to inform the alternate pick up person to bring their ID. In order to ensure that all personal items make it back to the appropriate owner, we are requesting that everything your child brings has their first name and last initial labeled neatly and visibly. Backpacks, lunchboxes, and any items you see fit to label would be helpful. Remember, the campers will be changing in and out of their clothes for swim time if we chose to swim that day so we’d like to assist in keeping items out of the lost and found. Safe Key: Safe key reservations must be made ahead of time with Lena-Jo. Children that are at camp for extended periods of time should have additional snacks as snacks will not be provided. Necessary Items: This is a list of items that should accompany your child to camp each day. Please remember to label all items. Backpack or bag

Athletic shoes with appropriate clothes (No dresses or skirts please.) Change of dry clothes for little ones

Swimsuit (For recreation swim) If you’d prefer that your child not swim for the day, let the drop off counselor know upon check in. If we swim it’ll be in the indoor pool.

Flip flop shoes for swim time (keep in backpack) Towel (optional)

Lifejackets (optional, for rec. swimming only) Necessary Food Items: Please keep in mind that there are snack times.

Juice or water bottles (mandatory) Snacks (There are 2 snack times a day, so please bring snacks besides your child’s lunch.)

Lunch will need to be brought from home. There isn’t an option to purchase lunch. Allergies: Due to the life threatening peanut allergy that many children suffer from, we are asking you to NOT pack any peanut type foods or snacks in your child’s lunchbox. We are requesting that parents not allow their children to bring ipods, cell phones or any other electronic devices to camp. We are NOT responsible for any LOST or STOLEN items. If your child insists on bringing electronic devises to camp, they will only be able to utilize them during designated times. Please label your child’s belongings. We look forward to this fun filled winter camp! Please feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions. Also, keep in mind that we offer Spring Break Camp and Summer Camp. Sincerely, Lena-Jo Marin-Bingham Jr. Programming and Kids World Director Direct line: 702-216-3287

Registration Form

q Waiver q *Shot records required*

Total # of Weeks: ______________________ Total Cost: __________________________________

Type of Payment: ________________________________________________________________________ EMPLOYEE TAKING PAYMENT AND SIGN-UP FORM

q Child Member or q Non-Member

Child’s Name: __________________________________________ Age: _______________

Parent’s Name: _____________________________________________________________

Member #: ________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ______________________________________________________________

Home Phone: __________________________ Cell Phone: _________________________

Mom’s Work: ___________________________ Dad’s Work: _________________________

Emergency Contact Name & Phone: ____________________________________________

Please list any medical conditions: _____________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Child’s Physician: _____________________________ Phone: _______________________

CAMP POLICYWinter camps must have a minimum of four participants per day. Camp fees are due at the time of sign-up. Same-day registration will incur a $10 fee. No credits or refunds will be issued for winter camps.

SIGNATURE OF PARENT/GUARDIAN

3Please check q the week(s) or day(s) you wish to pay for at this time:

q Ages 4-7* q Ages 8-12*Please check q the age group your child is in:3

q Monday, December 22, 9am-4 pmq Tuesday, December 23, 9am-4 pmq Friday, December 26, 9am-4 pm

q Week 1q Monday, December 29, 9am-4pmq Tuesday, December 30, 9am-4pmq Friday, January 2, 9am-4pm

q Week 2

Members: Weekly: $135, Daily Drop-In: $50 Guests: Weekly: $165, Daily Drop-In: $60