Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

Dear ALA Friends and Families,
  We are teaming up with the San Antonio Food Bank, which is in response mode to support local and statewide needs to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. See the list below for needed items. All donations can be dropped off at the 4th/5th Commons area of our school. We will take donations until Thursday, September 7th.
Together we can make a difference!

Nonperishable Foods    Baby Food

Water Diapers

Flashlights Batteries

New or packaged clothing Hygiene Products

Cleaning Supplies

Meet Mr. Foster

Greetings,

My name is Dalton Foster and I will be a second teacher in your child’s classroom. I will be assisting Ms. Schattel in fostering a classroom of learning, both for our students as well as myself. As a student in Trinity’s Master of Arts in Teaching, I am sure that I have just as much to gain from the experience as the children do. I am incredibly excited for what this year holds and look forward to meeting you at Parent Orientation on September 7th!

A little about myself; I was born in San Antonio, but grew up in a small, rural south Texas town. I attended Trinity University for my undergraduate studies and received my degree in psychology. I fell in love with childhood development throughout my psychology studies and, while exploring undergraduate education courses, found that I was very passionate about helping children discover their potential. Many of my placements were within SAISD so I am happy to find myself here again! I have worked across elementary age groups, ranging from a pre-school alternative program to an exploration of science in the 5th grade. I was a part of Poetry Club for 4th graders and I assisted 3rd graders with their math studies.

Know that my job is to serve the needs of your child. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments or concerns. My email is dfoster1@saisd.net. I am fortunate to have this opportunity and my hope is that you and I can work together to provide these students with a year of growth, success and fun!

Kind Regards,

Dalton Foster

Parent Orientation Night

Please join us!

Thursday, Sept. 7th
5:30 - 6:30 pm
Begin in your student's Home Group classroom

If you bring your student, drop him/her off in the library.

20 Book Challenge

The 20 Book Challenge is here!  Students are expected to read 30 minutes a night, and all 4th and 5th grade students are required to complete the 20 Book Challenge this year.  Students are bringing home more information this evening, but important documents are also available at the links below.

Specific questions regarding requirements can be answered by your child's humanities teacher: Ms. Sanuye, Ms. Valdez, or Mrs. Delgado.

Important Documents:
20 Book Challenge
This document contains the introduction letter and 20 Book Challenge checklist.  Please help your student to keep up to date with this list to ensure he/she completes all of the genre requirements.

Book Review

Each child needs to complete a book review upon the completion of each book.  Paper copies of these forms are available from your child's teacher.  To print your own, print page 2 or page 3 of the book review document (which one depends on if the book is fiction or non-fiction).  Book review form courtesy of IronTeacher in Training.

Awesome Opportunities from the Public Library

We would like to remind you that the San Pedro branch of the public library is hosting Minecraft Mondays and Lego Club on Wednesdays, both from 4 to 5 PM.  The San Pedro branch of the public library is located at 1315 San Pedro Avenue in San Pedro Park, just a few minutes north of ALA.  Clubs are free to attend.

2nd Annual Opening Ceremony

Join us
Friday, Sept. 1
at 9 am
in the Amphitheter

Summer Reading Opportunities

Let's encourage our kids to read, read, read all summer long. There are great incentives for families and kids to read (including cash!). 

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/169y-slL-ut1lQwrm1rC3law0J5xUIHdvRgMA11PfueI/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1ZjJooEpKa86TPVAQBFdkjbsY2WI70xIlpJwgPDmNisI/edit?usp=sharing

4th and 5th will be participating in Field Day

 on Tuesday, May 30th from 2:20-3:55 during their electives.

Please wear athletic gear and a cap and bring water !

NEXT WEEK! Living American History Museum - Thursday June 1st!

Please Return Books!

It's that time of year!  If you have any school library books OR any books borrowed from a teacher (like Mrs. Delgado), please return them to school by the end of this week.  Check your cars, under the bed, even the fridge (these things happen)!  Thank you for your cooperation!

PS--We don't charge overdue fines, we just want the books returned. :)

Minecraft & Lego Clubs at the San Pedro Library!

Witte Museum Field Trip

Permission slips for our Commons trip to the Witte Museum went home today. We will visit the Witte on Tuesday, May 16th.  We will eat lunch off campus that day, so students may wish to pack a sack lunch.  If you are interested in being a chaperone for this trip, please contact your child's homegroup teacher.

Thank You!

We would like to thank each and every one of you who sent teacher appreciation notes and gifts this week.  We are truly overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness and generosity.  It is a gift to come to school everyday and spend our time with these amazing young people.  Thank you for entrusting us with your children and for supporting us on this grand adventure!

Love,
The Commons Teachers
Ms. Sanuye, Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. Delgado, Ms. Schattel, Ms. Gonzales, and Ms. Hudson

End of Year Book Order

Believe it or not, summer is fast approaching! Reading each day is one of the best ways to prevent the dreaded "summer slide".  To make sure our students are ready for summer, Mrs. Delgado will be putting in an end -f-year book order at the end of this month (April).  If you are interested in ordering books for your 4/5 student (or anyone else), please visit scholastic.com/readingclub. You can browse all of the online catalogs and order using our class code: NDDP8.  Mrs. Delgado will submit the order on Monday, May 1st to ensure the books arrive before the end of the school year.  Only online orders will be accepted. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Delgado at edelgado2@saisd.net.



P.S. When we order through scholastic, we earn points we can use to purchase more books for our 4/5 library and book clubs--it's WIN/WIN!

scholastic.com/readingclub
class code: NDDP8

Wonder Garden Supplies!

No Anime/Chess club on 3.28.17

Anime & Chess Club Members:

There will be no Anime or Chess Club on Tuesday March 28th due to testing.  Please get some rest, eat healthy meals, and be ready to do your best!

頑張ってください

Ganbatte!

(English Translation: You've got it!)

STAAR Wars!

 

STAAR WARS!

Recharged your brain will be if a good night’s rest you get.

A water bottle, bring you must. (reusable is the preference)

A brain-healthy snack, you must bring.

Peppermint lifesavers or altoids in your pocket may be.

Dress in layers and comfortable you’ll be.

All electronics at home will stay. Cell phones, no!

May the force of success be with you!

Tuesday March 28th - 4th grade Writing STAAR & 5th grade Math STAAR

Wednesday March 29th - 5th grade Reading STAAR

*THERE WILL BE NO CHESS OR ANIME CLUB ON TUESDAY MARCH 28TH*

Wednesay Morning Book Club Reading & Projects

We are enjoying our Wednesday Morning Book Clubs here in the Commons!  All students have reading they need to do during the week to be ready for book clubs on Wednesday mornings, and many are working on small projects that we will share on March 10th. Ask your child about his or her reading and book club activities to learn more!

Cinema Day / Dia de Familia Cinema! Sunday 2/26/17

Thank you Mrs. Solis for sharing! :) 

Volunteer Sessions

Parents,

If you are interested in volunteering @ ALA, there will be two more sessions available.

Friday, February 24^th- 8:00 am @ Euclid

Monday, February 27^th- 12:30 pm @ Fox Tech

Also, parents can attend the meeting at either campus.
For instance, "if you have a child at Euclid you can attend the meeting at Fox Tech and if you have a child at Fox Tech you can attend the meeting at Euclid."

 If one of the following items are brought in between Monday and Wednesday,February 13-15th, you are able to wear your favorite team jersey or team shirt!
 

Join us for our Innovation Celebration! - Friday 2.17.17

Literature Circle Book Return

All literature circle books should be returned to Mrs. Delgado this week.  A day students' books are due on Wednesday, February 1st.  B day students' books are due on Thursday, February 2nd.  All literature circle books must be returned by Friday, February 3rd.  

Is your book lost or damaged?  Please send in a replacement copy or contact Mrs. Delgado about acquiring a replacement.

Book Order Deadline Extended until Monday, January 30th!

Ms. Sisson has extended the deadline for book orders until Monday, January 30th.  Any student wishing to order a personalized, autographed copy of Lee Bacon's Joshua Dread series of books and/or his newest novel Legendtopia must return their order form by Monday. 

Order forms were sent home and can also be found at this link.  Additional copies are also available in the library.

Reminder: Author Visit Book Orders due Tomorrow, Friday 1/27/17

We have two awesome author visits coming soon to our campus!

Lee Bacon, author of Joshua Dread and Legendtopia, will be visiting ALA at Fox Tech on Wednesday, February 15th.  Personalized and autographed copies of the books are available, but must be ordered by Friday, January 27th.  Order forms were sent home last week, and additional forms are available at the following link and in the library.

To view the order form, click the following link:  Lee Bacon Book Order Form

Then, on March 2nd, the library will have a special presentation on the new book Mary Bower and the Civil War Spy Ring.  Autographed copy of this book are available as well.  The deadline for order forms for Mary Bower and the Civil War Spy Ring is February 15th.  

To view the order form, please visit the following link: Mary Bower Book Order Form

Parents,

We will be attending a symphony performance at the Tobin Center tomorrow, January 20th. Students are encouraged to wear their Sunday best, but uniforms are also acceptable.

Semester Transition Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

We will begin conferencing the week of Jan 17th.

Please contact your home group teacher to schedule your meeting.

Emily Delgado  edelgado2@saisd.net
Kristie Gonzales  kgonzales3@saisd.net
Saraah Hudson  shudson1@saisd.net
Rachel McDonald  rmcdonald1@saisd.net
Tania Sanuye  tsanuye1@saisd.net
D Schattel dschattel1@saisd.net

Family Report Card Pick Up Night

Wednesday, Jan 18

6 pm - 7

in the cafeteria

UIL Practice

Students may go to the library each morning from 8- 8:30 to practice. Practice is not mandatory but it is recommended that students practice 2-3 times a week. An in-house competition will be held in Feb to determine the students who will be advancing to district competition. We will post that date as soon as it has been determined.

For any further information contact Laura Sisson @ lsisson@saisd.net

Splash Dash 5K for Education

Splash Dash Run for Education 

SAISD and SAWS

March 4, 2017 at 8 am at Alamo Stadium

Click here for more information and to register.

See y'all there!

Students visit History in Motion

The History in Motion RV takes students through stations that highlight San Antonio and Texas history, including:

Six Flags of Texas
Leaders, Influencers & Texas Heroes
San Antonio Military & Sports
Business & Economy
Cultures in San Antonio
Historical artifacts
Major Historical Stories & Events

Each student received an activity book as a companion to his or her journey through the exhibit.

Communication is Key!

In an effort to improve communication in The Commons Community, we have implemented a couple of strategies.

The first is the student binder. Each student has a binder that has sections for each of his/her courses, a "homework" and "papers need to be signed" sheet protector, a flyer/information pocket, and a "remove these papers pocket". The expectation is that students take their binder to each course each day. It should go home each afternoon and come back each morning. Families should set up a home procedure for using the notebook to keep everyone informed and to stay on top of assignments and forms that are due.

The second strategy is our Commons Google calendar. The calendar can be accessed on our blog. We will post events there as we know them, so that we can all again stay on top of assignments and forms that are due. For your convenience, the ALA calendar can also be accessed from our blog.

The students are learning to manage their time, responsibilities and belongings. Communication amongst them, their parents and teachers will enhance that opportunity.

As always, we appreciate and encourage your input.
We can be reached at:

Emily Delgado  edelgado2@saisd.net
Kristie Gonzales  kgonzales3@saisd.net
Saraah Hudson  shudson1@saisd.net
Rachel McDonald  rmcdonald1@saisd.net
Tania Sanuye  tsanuye1@saisd.net
D Schattel dschattel1@saisd.net

Lost and Found Items!

We have sooo many items accumulated from the first day of school!

If you know you're missing something, ask your student to look for it. And of course, you're welcome to come look for yourself.

Beginning this month, on the last school day of each month, we are going to donate all items to Goodwill or a local shelter.

As always, we appreciate your input as we work to improve our systems.
We can be reached at:

Emily Delgado  edelgado2@saisd.net
Kristie Gonzales  kgonzales3@saisd.net
Saraah Hudson  shudson1@saisd.net
Rachel McDonald  rmcdonald1@saisd.net
Tania Sanuye  tsanuye1@saisd.net
D Schattel dschattel1@saisd.net