Dr. Gloria Navarro

Congratulations to All!!!!

Happy Summer!!!!! I am so proud to be the principal of Still Elementary where everyone is invited to their greatest potential. Still has been involved in this educational philosophy for three years. Dr. Betty Siegel is the co-founder of the Alliance which was initiated twenty-six years ago. Dr. Siegel visited Still in person in May to declare the good news to the staff.Please read the following letter from David Chapman, Award Chair for the International Alliance for Invitational Education.

                                       May 15, 2008                        

It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Still Elementary School on being selected as a “2008

Inviting

School

Award” recipient by the International Alliance for Invitational Education!  This honor has been given based on the implementation of Invitational Education philosophy in your school and validated through a school visit, recommendation, the Inviting School Survey and your submission of your school portfolio.  The People, Places, Programs, Policies and Processes all provide positive messages and intentions that make your school a most inviting place for effective teaching and learning.

Everyone associated with Still Elementary School should be proud of the fact that your school has now joined an elite list of schools and districts around the world that prove every day that invitational practices make a positive difference in the lives of our children.

Official recognition of this honor will be at the 2008 World Conference in

Chicago

,

Illinois

, September 18-20, and is something your school community should take great pride in. Your attendance and personal acceptance of this award exemplifies your commitment to invitational theory and practice.

On behalf of everyone affiliated with the International Alliance for Invitational Education, congratulations!  Your hard work and dedication is a tribute in itself.  This recognition is hoped to be a springboard of further implementation of the IE philosophy and of a growing relationship with the

Alliance

.

Best wishes,

Dave Chapman

Inviting School Awards Chair

Testing 2008

HOW A BUSY PARENT CAN HELP CHILDREN SUCCEED ON STANDARDIZED TESTS

It’s April! It still brings showers, but for school children it brings TESTING!!!

The Georgia Criterion Reference Competency Tests (CRCT) will be administered April 23 – May 2, 2008. All students in grades 1 through 5 will be testing during those days. The stakes on this testing are higher than ever before. The results are used to measure student achievement that determines which schools are meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP) according to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act. The results also determine which Georgia Performance Standards skills your child meets, exceeds, or needs improvement. This information is used by our teachers to plan instruction for your child for next year. Students in grades 3 and 5 must meet or exceed standards in

Reading

; as well as in Math for grade 5 students. It is important that every child does their best on these assessments.

In order to give your child the boost they need to do well a parent can:

¯    Make sure your child is in school each day and on time.

¯    Don’t schedule appointments or activities during school hours. Early dismissals are the same as tardies. Instruction is taking place the entire school day.

¯    Give your child a healthy breakfast. Fruit and cereal even give the body and brain energy. Your child may also choose to eat a healthy breakfast in the Still Café.

¯    Insure your child gets adequate sleep each night. Set bedtimes and adhere to them.

¯    Get outside and exercise with your child. Fresh air and physical activity bring oxygen to the brain which aids memory and thinking.

¯    Advise your child to READ THE DIRECTIONS carefully throughout the test.

¯    Let your child know it’s OK to skip an item instead of struggling over it. He can go back to items skipped in the area he is working on.

¯    Tell your child you are proud of her and that you know she will do her best! Love and assurance can make the difference for success in academics.

Opportunities to Grow

NEW EXPERIENCES: OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR CHILD TO GROW  *****************

French philosopher Francois Voltaire likened  life to a game of cards. Each player must accept the cards dealt to him. But once those cards are in the hand, he alone decides how to play them to win the game.

We always have a number of opportunities in our hand, and we must decide whether to take a risk and act on them. Nothing in life causes more stress, yet at the same time provides more opportunities for growth, than new experiences.

As a parent, you will find it impossible to shield your children from new experiences that might be negative. So it is essential to prepare positive encounters that will build self-image and confidence. Both positive and negative experiences can be used as tools in preparing children for life.

Children need continual reassurance and praise when their new experiences are less than positive. In fact, the worse the experience, the more encouragement they need. But sometimes we become discouraged when they are discouraged. This is a good formula to adopt:

New experiences + Teaching applications  x  Love  =  GROWTH

This excerpt is from John C. Maxwell's book, Attitude 101 What every Leader Needs to Know, 2003.

I hope you enjoy every moment watching your child grow!!!!

Dr. Navarro

YOU ARE INVITED TO PARENT CONFERENCES THIS MONTH!

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held in Cobb Schools during the week January 22 -29th. You are invited to share time with your child's teacher discussing his/her progress this year. I encourage you to prepare for this time by talking with your child about school, reviewing the report card, and making a list of questions for discussion. A letter will come home during the week of January 8th with your appointment for conferences.

Report Cards will be distributed January 11, 2007.

GROWING UP WITH SCIENCE!!

Thank you to all who attended Still's Family Science Night in December and special thanks to Laura Brown and the PTSA! I hope that you and your child are planning to enter the Still Science Fair this month. It's a great way to enjoy learning together!  The Still Science Fair will be held on February 7th. Click on the link below to view an article from the National Assoc. of Elementary Principals that addresses the benefits and fun from experiencing Science with your children. Hope it inspires you to encourage your child.

Download parents_science_letter.mdi

Happy Holidays!!!!

I regret that  my last message to the Still Community was not posted ( not technical difficulties, but operator error!  :)   )

Just posting to wish everyone in the Still community a Happy Holiday season making memories with your loved ones!  May you love joyfully, accept love gently and care for one another always!

Wishing staff, students, parents, and our community Peace, Joy, and Success in 2008!!!    Happy New Year to all !!!

Note:  Students return to school on TUESDAY, January 8, 2008.

November Notes

Thanksgiving is a good time to tell all of you how proud I am to be principal of this school community. I appreciate the kind support and the team spirit that is alive at Still. Working on Ways to Succeed is so much easier with the involvement of staff, students, parents, partners, and the community at large.

It is the vision of Still Elementary School for all students to achieve their highest level of academic success and personal growth through engaging performance based work in a secure and inviting environment. Our focus is to bring each student to their greatest potential by inviting them to the learning. This concept is based on respect, trust, optimism, and intentionality.  Through a partnership to Kennesaw State University Still has been involved in the concept of invitational schools for almost three years. As a school we are in the process of becoming an "Inviting Schools Award" recipient this spring.

During October Ms. Lynn Duhn, Mrs. Keeli Bowen, and I attended the International Alliance for Invitational Education Leadership Conference in Lexington, KY. The experience was motivating and validating. We visited award winning Inviting Schools in Scott County, KY. and  met with school leaders from around the country and around the world. Dr. Betty Seigel is co-founder of the Alliance along with Dr. William Purkey of the University of North Carolina. The Alliance celebrated its 25th anniversary at the conference. Invitational education asserts that every person and everything in and around schools can add value to to the lives of students. Programs, People, Processes, Places, and Policies create an environment in which everyone is summoned to develop intellectually, socially, physically, psychologically and in spirit. For more information on invitational education visit http://www.invitationaleducation.net/ .

"SAFETY IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY"

Your child’s safety is a top priority at Still Elementary. Please be reminded of some of our policies as listed in the PTSA Parent Resource Handbook.  Thank you to all of our families who respect and honor daily instruction time as well as safety procedures for our students.

ARRIVAL

F Our staff begins the work day at 7:15 a.m.  Students who arrive prior to 7:15 a.m. are unattended. 

F Class begins at 7:50 a.m.  Students arriving in the classroom after the 7:50 a.m. bell are tardy.  Students who are tardy must be signed in at the attendance office by a parent/guardian.

***Be sure to stop at the crosswalk and check for pedestrianswhen unloading and loading your child.

DISMISSAL

F No student check-out permitted after 1:45 p.m. each day.  This is necessary, and will be adhered to, due to the high volume of activity before and during our dismissal process.  Again, your child’s safety is our main concern.

F Students who are to be dismissed from school in a manner that differs from their normal way are to bring a written, signed and dated note form a parent/guardian.  These notes are to be approved and copied by the front office prior to the 7:50 a.m. class bell.  After 7:50 a.m., written dismissal changes will be accepted in an EMERGENCY SITUATION ONLY and no later that 12:30 p.m.

F Car riders are to be picked up by 2:30 p.m. At 2:40 p.m. students not picked up will be placed in our After School Program with appropriate fees at the parent’s expense.

F All cars in the afternoon dismissal line must display the car placard for the student they are picking up.

VISITORS

F ALL visitors must check in and out at our front office (State Law Ref. O.C.G.A. 20-3-1180).  All visitors must wear a visitor’s sticker viewable at all times while on our campus.  This includes adults escorting children to class.

            

ENTRANCE TO BUILDING

F All exterior doors except the main front entrance will remained locked from the outside.

All visitors must enter the building through the main front entrance.

New!!!! Visitors may park in the bus lanes during the hours of 8:15 am and 1:30 pm. Please do not park on the red curbing on campus. This signifies a fire lane. It is per order of the Fire Marshall and maonitored by the police department.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

IN KEEPING OUR STUDENTS SAFE!

September Newsletter From the Principal

The 2007 school year has been off to a dynamic start at Still! The first month found our students engaged in their learning and excited to be back to school. Our staff has been assessing our students to determine their skills level for reading, math, and writing. The data collected will be utilized to differentiate your child's instruction to promote each individual's achievement.

Our Accerlerated Reader Program was kicked off on September 6th with a musical storyteller, David Holland, entertaining and motivating our students to find a world of reading in books. The AR program is designed to motivate students to read. Our PTSA and parent volunteers are very involved with the management of the program and the funding of books and online tests. "Reading Takes You Places" is our AR theme for 2007-08. Using reading logs for passports students will travel to many lands and imaginary places.

Please encourage your child to read each day. Any reading materials, not necessarily AR books, will cultivate a love of reading. The best way for your child to be inspired to read is to see you reading. Our children model what we do, so read the newspaper, a book, a magazine, or material online and share with your child the habits of life long learning.

Celebrate Family Day on Monday, September 24th!!!  Family Day - A Day to Eat with your Children is a national movement to encourage parents to eat dinner with their kids and be involved in their children's lives. Statistics show that the more often children and teens eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, and use illegal drugs. Today's busy schedules may make it difficult to eat dinner as a family each day. But you will not find a more beneficial investment in your children than to keep in touch with what is going on with them each day. For more information about Family Day visit  www.CASAFamilyDay.org .

I want to personally thank all of our staff and parents for getting our students off to such a positive start this year as we are "Working On Ways to Succeed" at Still!

Principal's Newsletter

Working On Ways to Succeed

         “Inviting Everyone to Greatness”

August, 2007

Dear Still Families:

Welcome to the 2007-08 school year! Construction of Still’s twenty-one classroom addition is complete and we have room to grow and learn. The new wing will house our kindergarten and first grade classes. The addition includes two state of the art computer labs, new music and art rooms, a new lobby entrance, and a new administrative office area. Classrooms are outfitted with the latest technology and facility design to promote a positive learning environment for primary students. As part of the project air conditioning was installed in the gym, and all classroom whiteboards and all restroom stalls have been replaced. The construction is the result of Cobb County Special Local Option Sales Tax. (SPLOST) program.  Thank you to the Still community for your cooperation and patience during the construction.

The 2007-08 theme at Still is, “Working On Ways to Succeed”. As a member of the International Alliance of Invitational Education the Still staff is intentionally, respectfully and optimistically committed to inviting every learner to their greatest potential. The role of the school is to find the strengths in each student and capitalize on those while differentiating the instruction to meet the needs of each individual student. The staff at Still continues to strive to be a professional learning community working collaboratively to ensure success for every child. We invite the entire Still community to partner with us in these efforts.

Still’s school improvement goals for the 2007-08 school year are to continue to increase student achievement in the areas of math and writing. Our student writing scores have increased during the last three years as a result of the initiatives in place to develop proficient writing skills in our students. We consistently identify and implement research based instructional practices to increase student achievement each year. Math instruction will be implemented with the new adoption, Harcourt Georgia Math materials and resources, for teaching the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) in math. Our focus will be real-world math activities and performance based math instruction.

Parents and community play a vital role in education in our community. You are your child’s first teacher and we invite you to join us in providing positive learning experiences for our students as we work on “ways to succeed” this year.

Dr. Gloria M. Navarro

Principal