1. No category

Panther Pride Newsletter
LOMAX ELEMENTARY MAGNET
4207 N. 26th Street
Tampa, FL 33610
813-276-5569
http://lomax.mysdhc.org
Connie Chisholm, Principal
Kevin McDonald, Assistant Principal
MARCH 2015
Home The Problem Solving
MISSION
Lomax will build a
community of active
thinking and learning
citizens through
exploration, enrichment,
elective and expeditions.
VISION
The Lomax community will
develop the individual
talents and strengths of
each child.
Monday Early
Release Days
March 2
March 16
March 23
March 30
NO SCHOOL ON
March 9-13!
Early Release
Dismissal Times
1:30 Car Riders
1:33 Bus Riders
1:35 HOST, Daycares,
Walkers
Don’tforget…
Spring Break is
March 9-13
School Board
Susan L. Valdes, Chair
Doretha W. Edgecomb, Vice Chair
April Griffin
Sally A. Harris
Carol W.Kurdell
Melissa Snively
Cindy Stuart
Investigators!
ADMINISTRATION
Acting Superintendent
of Schools
Jeff Eakins
Hello families! It’s almost Spring Break! Please make
sure you use that time to read with your child and
maybe discover a new genre of books.
Testing will be in full swing this month and we ask
for your continued support in making sure your child gets
to school on time. We encourage you to, if possible,
schedule doctor’s and dentist’s appointments later in the
afternoon to avoid interference with testing. Thank you
for your assistance in this matter.
We have put up a new bulletin board feature for our
families! Upon entering the main building, you’ll notice the
PARENT CONNECTION board on the left. It’s loaded
with resources available for you. Please take items as
you need them!
Finally, located in this newsletter is our testing
schedule. Please make note of it, or place it on your
refrigerator. Talk with your child about testing to
determine how they’re feeling. Also in this newsletter,
you’ll find some test-anxiety coping strategies in the
Guidance Corner.
Sincerely,
Connie Chisholm
Principal
Daylight savings Time
is on March 8!! Clocks
SPRING forward!
2
Media Center News-March 2015
On February 25, 2015 we had our 11th annual “Fairy Tale Bowl”. Beginning in the fall, second grade students participated in a literature study of 10 classic fairy tales. A
qualifying test was given to determine which students would represent their class in the Fairy Tale Bowl.
Congratulations to the following students:
Mrs. Beer
Mrs. Martin
Giovani Felix, Serenity Scarberry
Aman Crockett, Aaron Green
Amaya Nunez, Emma VanderLaat
Andrea McElvaine, Jayla Pickett
Mrs. Gordon
Abraham Bruehl, Alondra Banuelas
Ronde Boldin, Gabby Gibson
Ms. Masters
Kaitlyn Ganeshram, Mikaela Powell
Mikaela Powell, Zane Watwood
On February 26, 2015, we had our 8th Annual “Folktale Bowl”.
Third grade students participated in a literature study of 10 different
folktales from various countries. Congratulations to the following
students for representing their class:
Mrs. Cordoba
Chase Miller, Justin Ortez
Austin Rodrigo, Jordan Shellman
Mrs. Thompson
Spencer Brant, Hunter Caddy
Chayanna Gaston, Adhi Srinivasan
Ms. Murga
Ms. Yates
Roberto Jackson, Donovann Marshall
Chandler Glover, Nico Ingles,
Camila Perez, Tyshaun Tibbs
Allie Iwansky, Lucas Senerchia
Important Dates
Friday, February 27th at 9:00- 3rd Annual “Sunshine State Bowl” for 5th
grade students. Congratulations to the following students who will be
representing their classes:
Mrs. Ellinger: Aaron Hayes, Demetrius Marshall, Alainah Rahman, Mya
Scott
Ms. Kerney:Liyanna Postles, Medricka Reeves, Wesley Speights, Jaiden Sumner
Ms. McDermott: Arjun Manohar, Markney Mathe, Shelby Pole, Melanie
Schmidt
Mrs. Ward: Somaiya Monowar, Lila Beer, Daniyah Fells, Marianna Watkins
Wednesday, March 4th at 9:00- 6th Annual “Dr. Seuss Bowl” for
kindergarten.
Friday, March 6th at 9:00- 5th Annual “Nursery Rhyme Bowl” for 1st
grade students.
3
Media Center Parent Survey
Does your child enjoy visiting the media center? Yes
No
Does the Lomax Media Center have appropriate resources for your child?
Yes
No
If not, what resources would you like to see added? ________________
__________________________________________________________
Are you familiar with the district’s online resources available to your child?
Yes
No
PLEASE DETATCH
& RETURN
TO HOMEROOM
P.e. NEWS
TEST TIME TIPS
The second half of the school year presents our students with numerous, mandatory
tests. Children will be sitting at a desk for long periods of time with limited breaks.
Also, many children (and teachers) feel great amounts of stress during this time. Below
are some simple ways to help your children have a better opportunity for success:

The night before their test have your evening meal a bit earlier than usual. This will
get them to bed earlier and hopefully a good night’s sleep.

The morning of the test try to serve a healthy breakfast and talk to them during the
meal with words of encouragement.

During the rest of the school year make sure kids have plenty of physical activity
time. They will be more able to sit calmly for testing if their fitness levels are higher.
4
PTA AND SAC-WANT TO BE INVOLVED,
BUT DON’T KNOW HOW?!
Our next SAC (School Advisory Council) meeting is
Thursday, March 5 at 7:15 a.m. in the Intermediate
Computer Lab (upstairs in the main building) AND
again at 3:00 in the Media Center.
We are asking any parent who wants their voice
heard to come out and see what SAC is all about.
PTA NEEDSYOUR HELP & SUPPORT…



Are you willing to serve on the PTA board during the
2015-16 school year?
Our next Skate Night is taking place on March 6th at
Skateland in Brandon. More info to come…
We will be asking for volunteers for our Spring Fling.
*If you would like to volunteer OR have questions, please
contact our PTA President, Mrs. Simone Reddick at:
slpreddick@yahoo.com
5
GIFTED GRAPEVINE
In gifted, we are not only practicing test taking strategies, but we are also busy with
creative thinking and exploring neat topics in math and science. Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade
research groups have been hard at work during our Monday IIM block and will be ready to
share their findings in a few weeks.
Grade 1: In fir st gr ade we have been wor king on animal research projects. The students will create a website to display their research findings!
Grade 2: The AMP (advancing Mathematical Pr actice) Gr ant project is in its 7 th week
and the students are really enjoying it and learning a lot! We finished our first chapter on
measuring length and have just started chapter two which is exploring the topic of area. In
ELA, we have been researching the characteristics of meerkats and even learned how to
write bibliographies for books and websites.
Grade 3: Our thir d gr ader s have just finished up a book club project. We read and
discussed “The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo” by Jean Craighead George. It was a great
book that focused on Florida flora and fauna. The we spent a few days discussing a poem
mentioned in the book, “Hyla Brook” by Robert Frost…We love the things we love for
what they are (ask your child about what that means to them). We are currently working on
a Fairytale project in which the students must take a fairytale and make it scientifically and
mathematically possible. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
Grade 4: Groups have been lear ning how fractions are related to decimals and percent’s. Students also demonstrated how to determine tax of an item and then total cost of
an item with tax included.
Grade 5: Students being ser ved in ELA are well into the book, The Great Wide Sea
and will be finishing before Spring Break. Afterwards, we will be doing some culminating
enrichment projects on the book to share with others. In science, we are studying the
human body. Each student was given an organ system to research with a rubric. They will
share their research in a creative way utilizing multimedia. These projects will be
displayed for an authentic audience somewhere in our school (possibly media center or
main lobby). In math class we have been studying conversions of customary measure such
as feet to miles and quarts to gallons. Some of the students have even written math problems for me to solve!
6
Istation’s 1,000-Minute Challenge!
Win an iPad Air 2! January 19 — May 30
Contest Details: Istation is launching a new usage contest to boost
reading at home. Your child will be eligible to receive prizes for using
the Istation Reading curriculum at school and/or at home. We challenge
your child to use Istation Reading for 1,000 minutes or more between
January 19 and May 30, 2015.
Weekly Prize: Every student who uses Istation Reading curriculum for
40 minutes or more each week at school or home will be entered into a
drawing at the end of each week for $25 Amazon.com gift cards for both
the student and his or her reading teacher.
Monthly Prize: At the end of the month, every student who has more
than 160 minutes of Istation Reading usage will be entered into a drawing
to win a $200 Amazon.com gift card. The contest minutes reset at
the start of each month, so jump right in and have fun using Istation
Reading!
Grand Prize: On June 1, all students who have used Istation Reading for
at least one thousand minutes total between January 19 and May 30 will
be entered into a drawing for an iPad Air 2.
Required minutes are cumulative throughout the month. Students are
eligible to win 1 weekly prize, 1 monthly prize, and the grand prize.
January 2015_________________
Students can now access Istation from computers at the Public Library. This
information has been shared with all public library staff at the various branches.
Below are instructions that can use when trying to login at the library. These
instructions were sent to the public library staff so that they can adequately assist
their patrons.
Log into Istation
Step 1: Open the Istation Desktop App
Step 2: Type “CONFIG” for username AND password, click OK.
Step 3: Type your school name under “Domain” to find your school’s domain.
(school.hillsborough.fl)
Step 4: Log in with your user name and passwor d
7
GUIDANCE CORNER
Is your child nervous about testing? This is a common occurrence, but can be
overcome with some helpful strategies. The first strategy starts with YOU, the
parent!
1. Don’t discuss testing as if it is a scary thing.
Reassure your child to do the best they can,
but not
to fear
testing.
2. Have your child wear clothing in layers; this can ensure they
are comfortable in their testing environment.
3. Get enough sleep. It is recommended that children in
elementary school receive about 10 hours of sleep each
night.
4. Do NOT eat sugary foods or have caffeine prior to testing. It
will make you feel more tired once you “come down” from
the sugar rush.
5. Peppermint, lemon and cinnamon help your
memory.
6. Take breaks when studying for any test.
7. Keep a positive attitude.
8
W H AT ’ S G O I N G O N A R O U N D LO M A X M AG N E T ?
APRIL
MARCH
Monday , 2-6
FSA Writing Assessment
Tuesday, 3
1st grade Nursery Rhyme Bowl
Wednesday, 4
Wednesday, 1
FSA Makeups
Thursday, 2
1st grade to Zoo
Friday, 3
Non-Student Day-Good Friday
Week of 13-17
FSA Reading (grade 5)
Monday, 13
Report cards go home
Tuesday/ Wednesday
14-15
Stanford 10 Reading (grade 3)
Thursday, 16
Awards Celebration
Week of 20-24
FSA Math (grade 5)
Kindergarten Dr. Seuss Bowl
Friday, 6
9:30 3rd grade Zoo School
Skate Night
MONDAY 9-13
SPRING BREAK
NO SCHOOL!!!!
Thursday, 19
CONFERENCE NIGHT
Friday, 20
Spring Pictures
Monday 23-April 2 FSA Assessments
Week of 27-30
FSA Science (grade 5)
Friday, 27
End of 3rd Nine Weeks
Wednesday, 22
Secretary Appreciation Day
APRIL 3
Good Friday
NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, 29
4th grade to Florida Orchestra
TESTING!!!! PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
March 23 & 24
-FSA ELA Testing, grades 3 & 4
March 23-27
-Stanford Testing, grades 1 & 2
March 25-27
- FSA Math Testing, grades 3 & 4
March 30-April 2
-FSA Makeups
April 13-24
-FSA Reading/Math Testing , grade 5
April 27-30
-FSA Science Testing, grade 5
9
L O M A X F A C U LT Y E M A I L A D D R E S S E S
Principal
Connie.chisholm@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Reading Coach
Bernadette.london@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Assistant Principal
Kevin.mcdonald@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Music Specialist
Rebecca.stillo@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Lead Teacher
Sandra.cooper@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Strings instructor
Andrew.guarrine@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Guidance (on leave)
Ebony.brown@sdhc.k12.fl.us
PSYCHOLOGIST
Erica.mcknight@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Academically Gifted Program
Monika.Schuler@sdhc.k12.fl.us
SOCIAL WORKER
Chris.montejo@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Academically Gifted Program
Greg.verrill@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Physical Education (PE) Specialist
JamesB.thomas@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Varied Exceptionalities (VE)
Regina.dickens@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Kindergarten
Teresa.baez@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Kerri.morigakijeffers@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Lea.timothee@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Media Specialist
Rhonda.hurst@sdhc.k12.fl.us
English Language Learners (ELL)
Yilian.capote@sdhc.k12.fl.us
First Grade
Sheri.Moore@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Nilda.Osorio@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Samantha.Byrne@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Second Grade
Sarah.masters@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Page.beer@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Brenda.Martin@shc.k12.fl.us
Third Grade
Jennifer.cordoba@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Sarah.thompson@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Kathleen.Yates@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Ivana.murga@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Fourth Grade
Kristin.dodge@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Meghan.ward@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Brittany2.Morgan@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Lera.Williams@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Fifth Grade
Kaitlinn.Kerney@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Lara.Ward@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Kelsey.mcdermott@ssdhc.k12.fl.us
Elizabeth.ellinger@sdhc.k12.fl.us
We value open communication between parents and teachers at Lomax. Please feel free to contact,
via email or phone, your child’s teacher to schedule a conference anytime throughout the year.
However, the time between 7:45am and 2:30pm are dedicated to student learning. Please refrain from
meeting with the teacher when dropping off students in the morning, as teachers are busy welcoming
students and preparing for a day of learning. Guests picking up students in the car line need to remain
in their vehicle. If a guest needs to come on campus, he/she must sign-in in the main office. Students
are not to be dropped off prior to 7:45a.m.
Lomax students are looking sharp!
MANDATORY UNIFORM POLICY
 Purple, white or gold polo shirt
 Navy or khaki shorts, skirts, or pants
 Bottoms must be secured at the waist
 Shirts must be tucked in
 Closed toed shoes with a back (no lights, wheels or sounds)
Mondays
Students may wear a College Shirt with uniform bottoms.
Fridays
Students may wear a Lomax Spirit Shirt with jeans or regular
uniform bottoms.
If you have uniforms that your students have outgrown, please donate
them to our uniform closet in the main office. Thank you to all the
families that have already donated!