Park Avenue Families:

It is hard to believe that this school year is almost over. I have truly enjoyed my first year at Park Avenue and have learned so much about IB and our school. The end of the year is always full of fun end of the year activities and end of year testing. We completed the Iowa Assessments at the beginning of April and we will have the results by the end of the school year. Each student will bring home a summary of their results along with their report card on May 31st.

Next year Park Avenue will be part of a grant program called Breakfast in the Classroom. We are very excited to part of this program because it means that all students at Park Avenue will receive free breakfast next year. When students come in the building in the morning they will go straight to the cafeteria, pick up their breakfast and take it to their classroom and eat it there. We were part of this program at my old school and by participating in the program we doubled the number of students who were eating breakfast and decreased the number of tardies we had on a daily basis. Because students will be eating in their classrooms next year and we won’t need as much time in the morning the doors will open at 7:55 a.m. instead of 7:50.

There are a lot of activities planned for the end of the year and I hope to see all of you there.

May 21st – PTA Family Night at the Blank Park Zoo 5:30 to 8:30 May 27th – Talent Show – 6:30 Park Avenue Auditorium May 29th – K-5 Exhibition and Family IB Night 4:30 – 6:00 May 29th – 5th Grade Recognition – 6:00 – 7:00 June 2nd – Last Day of School – 12:00 dismissal

Registration for the 2014-2015 school year will be July 23rd from 9:00 to 3:00 and July 24th from 1:00 to 7:00.

Dianna Anderson Principal

Mark Your Calendars!

May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7: School Nurse’s Day

May 8: PTA Board Meeting 5:30 PM—Media Center

May 21: PTA Family Night

5:30-8:30 PM—Blank Park Zoo

May26: Memorial Day NO SCHOOL

May 27: Talent Show 6:30 PM—Auditorium

May 29:K-5 Exhibition Family Night

4:30-6:00 PM

My 29: Fifth Grade Recognition 6:00-7:00 PM

June 2: Last Day of School

12:00 Dismissal

Vol. 4 Issue 4

From the Principal’s Desk…

May 2014

Park Avenue Elementary School International Baccalaureate

PYP Authorized School

3141 SW 9th Street

Des Moines, Iowa 50315

515-242-8429

http://parkavenue.dmschools.org

Panth

er P

rints

Dianna Anderson, Principal

Anita Smith, Dean of Students

Celia Nelson, Office Manager

Molly Malone, Nurse

Sarah Walljasper, Counselor

Katie Enos, IB Coordinator

Grade Level News 2-3

5th Grade Exhibition 4

Guidance, Spanish, Art, PE 5

IB 6

Breakfast in the Classroom 7

PTA, General Information 8

Reading

The kindergarten students are working on the skill of asking and answering questions when listening to

fiction and nonfiction stories. To help reinforce this skill at home, please have your child ask and answer

questions when they are reading fiction and nonfiction stories.

The school year is coming to an end. Please make sure your child is working on their kindergarten sight

words! If they already know their kindergarten sight words, we are encouraging your child to work hard

on their first or second grade sight words.

Math

In math, the kindergarten students are learning how to tell time to the hour and to the half hour. To

practice this at home, draw a clock (or use a toy clock that you have at home) that shows time to the

hour and or half hour. Then, ask your child what the time on the clock is showing.

IB

The kindergarten students have started their fifth planner of inquiry on Simple Machines. The central

idea states, Machines make work easier. During this planner, the students will learn about different

types of simple machines; pulleys, incline planes, wheels and axles, levers, and wedges. Have your child go

on a simple machine hunt in your home or in the community. How many simple machines did you find? How

does that simple machine make work easier?

Thank you for all of your support this school year!

Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Berg, Mrs. Caligiuri, and Mrs. Pentico

The end of the year is quickly approaching. Thank you to all of our wonderful families for sharing your son or daughter with us. We hope that your child has learned the value of education and the love of learning. As we see the year coming to an end, we know the first grade students are making wonderful progress on their sight word knowledge. Our last assessment is here. Please take time to review all the words with your child. They could play a matching game, guess my word game, or what word is missing. Knowing all of their 160 first grade sight words will help them prepare for second grade.

Please continue to help your child learn their math facts. Like sight words, they should know them in a snap. Practice math sentences with a missing number, such as 4+____=10. Also, tell your child math story problems. We want them to be problem solvers. We will be taking our end of the year assessments. Students should come rested and ready to show us what they have learned.

Have a wonderful summer break with your family. Remember to continue to practice the skills your child will need to be successful in second grade. READ! READ! READ!

Mrs. Hampton, Mrs. Thede, Mrs. Todey, and Miss Weitl

K

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d

e

r

g

a

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t

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Page 2 VOL. 4 ISSUE 4

1st Grade

The second grade classes are finishing up their 5th Unit of Inquiry. The central idea for the Unit is People may establish practices in order to keep and maintain the Earth’s resources.

During the Unit, the students explored different types of energy and resources and how they could make the choice to conserve them. They looked into the Trash and Treasure trunk from Metro Waste Management where they found books, videos and items made from recycled materials. They also viewed a performance by the Raccoon River Players about water conservation and keeping the watershed free from pollutants.

Students have invited their families to a special open house to view and learn about the inventions/creations made by the second graders to show what they have learned.

Students need to continue to practice their math facts. They need to read daily and be sure and complete and return their homework and reading logs.

Mrs. Fix Schmidt Mrs. Martin Ms. Riordan

2nd Grade

The P.Y.P Learner Profile

Communicator

Risk-Taker Inquirer

Reflective

Thinker Caring

Balanced

Open-Minded

Principled

Knowledgeable

Vol. 4 Issue 4 Page 3

3rd Grade

Third grade just finished working hard on the Iowa Assessments! They did a great job staying focused and trying their best!!! We are getting ready to start a new unit and are planning a field trip to the Science Center on May 20th. If you would like to chaperone please let us know as soon as possible, so we can get the correct paperwork on file. Just a reminder that students need to wear an additional layer if the wind chill is 50 degrees or below. Thanks for your continued support and we look forward to a great end of the school year.

Sincerely,

Ms. Dawson, Mrs. Gordon, Mrs. Pratt

4th Grade Fourth grade has been busy learning and exploring universal components. We

begin our last Inquiry unit of the year over environments. A field experience trip to

the Science Center was planned, supporting the unit. We are busy with wrapping up

Fractions in math and will move on to decimals for the final math unit. Students will

begin a chapter study for literacy as well to finish up the school year. We have had

some great learning experiences and have worked to make connections to moving

on to 5th grade and preparing for Exhibition as 5th graders. It’s amazing that we are

nearing the end of the school year and will be moving up soon! And of course we

can’t forget end of the year testing coming up in May. Students have been preparing

for the SMI, SRI, the End of the Year District Reading test, and the End of the

Year Writing test. Extra rest and proper eating will help strengthen students thinking

to demonstrate their learning! With the warmer weather coming in, it might help to

still bring a jacket or hoodie to school in the mornings! Happy Spring!

Mrs. Askvig Mrs. Condon Mrs. Cooper

Page 4 VOL. 4 ISSUE 4

The PYP Exhibition

A Parent’s Guide

The Exhibition is the collaborative, student-directed, research-based, action-oriented culminating

activity of the Primary Years Program.

Purpose

For students to:

Engage in in-depth, collaborative inquiry.

Demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning.

Explore multiple perspectives.

Unite with their school community to apply, take action on and celebrate their learning.

Process

Exploring the Topic

Students explore the theme and develop questions around it.

Students select a topic based on the theme.

Students are placed in a group of peers who all share the same topic.

Each group is assigned a mentor who will support the learning process.

Researching

Students work collaboratively to find information to address their key questions from the mind map. They research

using books, the Internet, informational interviewing, conducting experiments, etc.

Each student completes an action component by contacting an expert in the topic area, visiting a site or conducting

an experiment.

Group members record their progress in individual learning logs.

Teachers and students document the exhibition’s progress through pictures, videos and learning logs.

Communicating Learning

Each student synthesizes his knowledge and research into a research piece.

Groups prepare a presentation highlighting the findings of their research.

Groups present their exhibition projects to mentors and peers for feedback.

Each student completes an individual reflection paper on the overall exhibition experience.

Students share their exhibition projects with the school community.

Parents’ Role

How can parents help?

Respect student ownership of the process.

Encourage independent inquiry.

Understand the purpose and process of the Exhibition.

Support and encourage students, teachers and mentors.

Listen to your child share their experiences.

Be informed. Read any relevant material that is sent to parents.

Help students access resources: people, places, media and information.

*Have appropriate media accessible around the house: books, newspapers, magazines, appropriate web-sites and television programs.

5th Grade

Transdisciplinary

Themes:

How We Express

Ourselves

How We

Organize

Ourselves

Sharing the Planet

Where We Are In

Place and Time

Who We Are

How the World Works

¡Hola a todos! Hello everyone! Please help me in welcoming our long

term substitute for my maternity leave – Rebecca (Becky) Broerman,

or as some students know her, Sra. B! Sra. B is joining us with many years of teaching experience in the regular

classroom and substitute teaching experience in the Spanish classroom. She is excited to work at

an IB World School and teach Spanish to our Park Avenue students. Sra. B will be working on

the following units: K – los animales del zoológico (zoo animals), 1 – la cara (parts of the face),

2 – los insectos (insects), 3 – las formas (shapes), 4 – la comunidad (community), 5 – los amigos y

los verbos (verbs used when talking about friends).

Senora Pudenz

Page 5 VOL. 4 ISSUE 4

Español/Spanish

Kindergarten just finished making clay pinch pots and will be working on origami owls and kites in the next few weeks.

First graders just finished a unit on Prehistoric Cave art. They made a drawing on crumpled paper and a clay piece to look like a cave wall.

Second grade just finished paintings in the style of Wassily Kandinsky and will begin our last unit on insects where we will explore a variety of mediums.

Third grade just finished work on painted portraits in the style of Henri Matisse and Radial Symmetry. We are beginning some graphic design projects that will continue for the next few weeks.

Fourth and Fifth graders are working on clay projects over the next few weeks as well as starting our end of the year culminating projects. Be watching for their finished clay pieces as they are turning out incredible!

Mrs. Bash

If you haven’t done so already be sure to check out Artsonia, our school online Art Gallery at http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=75045 There are many nice gifts that can be ordered with your students artwork printed on them.

Art

Gym Shorts

A great big THANKS goes out to all the students who participated in Jump Rope for Heart.

Park Avenue was able to raised $1902 , for JRFH ,which also earns the school a $100 gift card

to US games.

Down in the gym Spring Physical Fitness scores are almost completed the weather has

delayed the running of the mile.

The six fifth graders who attended the Drake Relays were Dornubari Fulbel, Jesse Marasco,

Coby Sanchez, Ahleena Sheldahl, and Jacoby Wellmaker. They ran at 5:00 p.m. on Friday night

April 25th at the Drake Stadium.

Mrs. Steward

Counseling

We are excited to introduce students to a unit on career development. Students will develop an awareness of personal skills and interests and relate them to career choices. We will also explore the connection between academic achievement and potential careers. Ask your students about what they want to be when they grow up!

Mrs. Walljasper

VOL. 4 ISSUE 4 Page 6

Park Avenue

School Pledge

I pledge to be an open-minded

thinker;

To do my best to have a caring

attitude.

I will be committed to learning and

showing enthusiasm each

day.

I believe that quality work

equals success.

I can use my knowledge to be successful in the

world.

Mark Your Calendars!

Park Avenue will be having its exhibition this year in conjunction with passport night and 5th grade

recognition. In the past we held separate events. This year we will be combining them so

everyone can experience our culminating event! We will hold exhibition/passport night May 29th

from 4:30-6:00 p.m. and 5th grade recognition from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Fifth grade students and their

families will be staying for recognition ceremonies. Dinner will be provided! Watch for a schedule

to come home in your students backpack!

International Baccalaureate

Spring 2014

IB PYP Exhibitions

As a culminating project, 5th grade students choose topics or issues of interest, perform research, take action around the topics, and then prepare an in-depth presentation to share with the community. Please join us for the following:

Stowe Elementary, 5/22, 4:00-6:00 pm

Park Avenue, 5/29, 4:30-6:30 pm

Breakfast in the Classroom

Dear Parents,

Is the morning rush at your house a mad dash to get out the door with your children barely having time to

grab their homework, much less eat a nutritious breakfast? If this sounds familiar, you will be relieved to

know that getting that important morning start will no longer be a challenge.

Beginning on August 20, 2014 your child can take part in an innovative new program called

“Breakfast in the Classroom.” Just as the name implies, a nutritious breakfast will be served to each student,

right in the classroom, every school day. Students will have an opportunity during the first 10 minutes of class

to eat breakfast with their classmates and get the fuel they need to be ready to learn. Breakfast is FREE. There

will be no breakfast service from the cafeteria before school.

The direct impact of breakfast on academic performance has been well documented and we are happy to

be working with the Nutrition Services Department to bring you this proven approach to creating classroom

environments that promote maximum learning.

How does Breakfast in the Classroom work? Each day, breakfasts will be served from the cafeteria. Students will pick up their breakfast and take it to their

classroom. Once in the classroom, each student eats at his or her desk while the teacher takes

morning attendance, does review work and reads announcements. Breakfast normally takes about ten

minutes. A wet wipe is included for each student to clean their hands and desk before and after breakfast

service. Trash is put into a trash can inside the classroom. Once breakfast is complete, a student helper

ties up the bag and leaves it in the hallway for collection by the school custodian. No food is left inside the

classroom.

What are the advantages of Breakfast in the Classroom? Traditional breakfast in the cafeteria does not meet the needs of many students. Less than half of the

students who eat lunch at school eat breakfast at school. Research shows that students who do not eat a

nourishing breakfast are not able to concentrate well, become irritable more quickly and show hunger related

symptoms such as headaches and stomachaches.

When breakfast is moved into the classroom and served to everyone, every student is able to start the school day ready to learn without hunger-related disruptions. Share this exciting news with your child and be ready on August 20, 2014 for the start of this new program!

As this program rolls out, we would like to hear your feedback on how it’s going and areas for improvement.

Please e-mail dianna.anderson@dmschools.org with any questions, comments or suggestions.

Thank you,

Dianna Anderson

Principal

VOL. 4 ISSUE 4 Page 7

Page 8 VOL. 4 ISSUE 4

School

Closing

Information

For More In formation Contact : P T A N e w s …

President

Brandi Nutter-Gracey

515-229-8966

Vice President

Elizabeth Williams

515-288-9933

Treasurer

Miranda Okland

Secretary

Sarah Thomas

Follow DSMParkAvePTA on

Like DSM Park Avenue PTA on Facebook

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAURETTE

For more information regarding IB publications and the General Regulation PYP document please visit: http://www.ibo.ogr/pyp/become/

The Des Moines Independent Community School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for pro-grams) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator Patricia Lantz, General Counsel,

901 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309; phone: 515.242.7837; email: patricia.lantz@dmschools.org.

SEX OFFENDER NOTICES

Parents and guardians are encouraged to check and obtain information regarding sex offenders in the Park Avenue neighbor-hood by accessing the following website: http://www.iowasexoffender.com

Persons with disabilities who need information about accessibility or who need sign or language

interpreters, please contact the Director of Student and Family Services, (515) 242-7714

When school is closed or dismissed because of inclement weather, or any

other emergency situation, information is available on:

Mediacom/DMPS Channels 85 & 97-3

www.dmschools.org

Local radio and television stations

Don’ t forget to keep up with the latest Park Avenue activities and news by going to our website at www.parkavenue.dmschools.org

Park Avenue Families and Friends,

The Park Avenue PTA is looking for volunteers to serve on the group's board. All four officer positions--president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer--are open. They are two-year terms, and will cover the 2014-15, and 2015-16 school years. Nomination forms can be found in the school office, and need to returned to your child's teacher, or to the office, by Monday, May 5. Officer elections will happen at the PTA's special meeting scheduled for Monday, May 12. If you have any questions, please contact Brandi Nutter-Gracey at 515-229-8966 or blnutter-

gracey@gmail.com

Box Tops For Education

Don't forget to send in your Box Tops for Education. The next collection date will be in

May. The classroom with the highest amount collected for the year will earn a pizza party!

Last year box tops collected by families generated almost $1900 for Park Avenue!