1885 S Lima Street Aurora CO 80012 720-747-2800 Principal: Elizabeth Sloan Assistant Principal: Kami Guarino May 22, 2014 Dates to Remember: No School: Monday 5/26 5th grade Continuation: Monday 6/2 @ 9:15 am (5th grade leaves when done) Last Day (early dismissal) K-4: Tuesday 6/3 @ 12pm Dear Parents, Where is spring? Where is summer? Usually the end of the school year bring sunshine, warmth, images of us splashing around in the pool, taking a lazy walk through the park or enjoying a long bike ride. However, in Colorado, it also means there is a chance of SNOW – so you might find yourself snowboarding, skiing or sledding in the mountains this weekend. Whatever your plans, we hope that the end of school will signify the turning of another page in your life’s photo album and bring you happiness, peace and laughter. The past school year was very rewarding for Ponderosa. We received one of the highest honors a school can receive. Ponderosa was recognized as one of the BEST elementary schools in the country and given the National Blue Ribbon Award. Early TCAP scores for 3rd grade reading shows significant growth for our students’ which means you and our teachers’ are succeeding in helping our students in the areas of literacy, reading and comprehension. Several of our students received awards during the Aurora Scholars celebration last month. These students were selected by their teachers for their academic success, community and classroom participation and good sportsmanship. The following students represented Ponderosa at the awards ceremony held at Aurora Hinkley High School, Johrdan Starr, Omar Dulane, Jaela Stelly, Elizabeth Ortega Torres and Kalvin Escobar. Congratulations to each of these students and their families. The end of school brings us to Memorial Day, field days and continuation for our 5 th grade students. Memorial Day is time set aside to honor those that have fought to preserve the freedoms that we each enjoy every day. Take a moment and thank those for their service to our country. It is important that we never forget what others have given. This year's theme for Field Day is Military! We will be paying tribute to our Military with all station activities themed around the different branches of our United States Military. Military personnel from Buckley will be on hand to assist our students with the station activities. The dates for Field Days are: Wednesday May 28th Kindergarten-1st grades – ALL DAY Thursday May 29th 2nd-3rd grades – ALL DAY Friday May 30th 4th-5th grades – ALL DAY Continuation ceremonies for our 5th grade students will be held in the Ponderosa gym on Monday, June 2, beginning at 9:30 am. All parents are invited to join in the celebration as our students move forward to Prairie Middle School to continue their education. A small reception will follow the program. Mrs. Guarino and I want to thank all of you for a making this a very special year at Ponderosa, and for being involved in your child’s education. Your participation greatly increases your child’s interest in school and their continuing education. Have a wonderful summer, and should travel be in your plans, we hope you have safe journeys. Regards, Elizabeth Sloan, Principal Kami Guarino, Assistant Principal Dominic Avalos, Iman Oaman, Braxton McDonald, Benjamin Koyama, Jonah Baron, Kellen Erdman, Essey Mahary, Abdallah Mansour, Mozn Own, Jade Monroe,Arsema Mulushewa, Landon Nicholson, Sabeen Shubbak, Jaeden Wellmaker, Alina Gordan, Iceli Munoz-Trejo, Jazmine Boswell, Moussa Ba, Aram Berhane, Elias Ali, Darlene Boateng, Isayah Day, Evelyn Valera, Angelie Velez, Dawit Bamlaku, Amaria Wise, Asma Hussein, Aubrey Koplitz, Caleb Gardner, Jayden Hernandez, Junior Baca-Juarez, Sasha Fields, Yara Benghuzzi, Jayriya Knowling, Kiarra Martin, Lianna Stepanyan, Alexis Stewart, Nathan Trinidad, Modesty Williams Logan Andersack-Trujillo, Memphis Dyess, Misu Koh, Cameron Glover, Asal Salman, Jayden Goldstin, Samuel Williams, Richard Ybarra, Amirah Hawkins, Johnathan Drake, Alefe Guerra, Ashawnty Davis, Devante Norton, Jonathan Tamiru, Colten Barber, Xever Dennis, Nathan Levy, Beatrix Patterson, Mekhi Porter, Samuel Martens, Trinity Che, Anis Elgomati, Danika Ramirez, Emanuel Sezanayev, Sergio Guzman-Blanco, Tristan Sobolik, Lena Mendez-Cotto, Marissa Roman-Castellanos, Masias Desta, Ilaisaane Davis Rylan Gardner, Willow Gutho, Fernando Miranda, Jason Acosta, Aseel Sayed, Omar Cardenas, Hirah Ashiq, Carlie Baggesse, Ahsha Laya Ford, Alex Czyzowics, Melay Haile, Aaron Lopez, Evian Blanchard, Jacob Drake, Teresa Mora-Barragon, Aaryele Jones, Shane Krohn, Jordan Ozuna, Angel Aguilar, Jillian Gerstner, Kaley Lacey, Braylon Trivette, Omyria Brugger, Khairi McKinney, Matthew Lockwood, Zain Al Hashimi, Maddison Coney, Ahnijah Dawson-Gallegos, Noah Dubler, Heidi Luna-Valadez, Rawan Salah, Madison Saunders, Mohamed Abdullahi, Yusuf Oaman, Kimberly Pineda-Gomez, Zebulun Smith, Gage Starkey, Jonathan Lyons, Marco Hernandez, Sandra Torres-Gomez, Tiffany Thompson, Yasmeen Ahmed Emery Adams, Carlos Barragan, Keaton Cantrell, Joshua Kelly, Emilio Lopez, Charlotte Ludwig, Gael Munoz, Iruka Nwosu, Jhovon Valdez-Chavez, Amaya Walline, Adrian Cabalo, Karar Awid, Diamond Himebaugh, Matthew Barton, Jada Griffin, Lois Nyatusah, Murayo Osman, Noor Garni, Mustafa Tambal, Karen Vazquez-Rodriguez, Zariyah Newbins, Omari Garcia, Daniel Haien, Stephanie Chavez, Aubrieanna Rufus, Natalie Aguayo, Jaeyianah Knowling, Yousef Mohammed, Aharon Mullakandov, Angelina Pena, Sandrine Uwineza, Alexis Villarreal-Martinez, T.J Bell, Karmah Washington, Orion Ashe, Janelle Drake, Anne Faulkner, Ryleigh Greenfield, Sean Rodas, Miriam Kangethe, Barkot Simegn, Elizabeth Amaro, Henoc Mahary, Abel Mulushewa, Chris Voss, Cesar Pinedo, Nathan Mehretab, Sergio Villalobos, Ali Musayev, Ana Artega, Carlos Trejo, Hugo Chavira, Erick Hernandez, Ahmed Roble, Nevaeh Porter, Ilona Zolotukhina, Ja’Lind Ward, Marlen Guzman-Blanco, Sadie Sanchez, Ingrid Munoz-Trejo Miles Burke Drecksel, Luis Manon, Heidi Garcia, Christopher Hernandez, Iqra Ali, Michelle Quintana, Andrew Arellano, Selina Valenzuela, Antony Harris, Demetrius Plater, Hawa Roble, Amanda Farley, Joshua Lyson, Nelson Wines-Tshitungi, Tariq Davis, Robert Makholm, Sadayia O’Neal, Angel Sarow, Anastasia Brugger-Johnson, Celeste Avalos, Layel Benghuzzi, Savoy Ray, Melissa Munoz, Khalil Ali, Alexander Farris, Sinyia Kee, Sterling Bassett, Aya Ali, Tristan Baca, Elvira Alifova, Miles Atkins, Kalvin Escobar, Anthony Foshee, Leilani Johnson, Jacob McNeley, Julian Mohamad, Julie Najera, Daniela Velasco, Danez McDonald, Luis Santos-Flores, Bryan Gonzalez-Estrada, Darlene Chavez, Lesley Vargas-Rios, Kaiyon Bell, Feryal Saddek, Fatima Mohagub, Aspen Spencer, Marco Correra-Olguin, Joy Wise, Arissa Marquez, Alexander Morales, Brisette Molina, J.T. Wright, Christopher Lopez, Angel Aguilar Nigel Kangethe, Jessica Krug, Simon Mengesha, Elijah Newson, Krysandra Podjasek, Kian Reagan, Eleef Atwi, Aseel Shubbak, Elizabeth Vice, Su Gin park, Alex(Sasha) Yakubova, Meream Camera, Miriam Cruz, Ckara Moss, Herlinda Torres-Gomez, Eugenio Vazquez, Manuel Torres, Elijah Garcia, Jaheim Roper, Will Patterson, Justin Trinh, Lawrence Amankwaah, Albashir Ali, David Munoz, Elijah Griesser, Gabriella Elliott, Lily Angelo, Marcelo Hernandez, Mariana Ortega, Nathan Mahary, Quinn Logan, Vincent Tran, Joshua Bayarsaikhan, Serena Bahlbi, Kiaya Fagerstrom, Jaime Gutierrez, Leatrice Pickering, Amberlee Hernandez, Johrdan Starr, Biruk Tadesse, Elijah White, Joseph Tewolde, Christian Kelly, Cristian Treto, Kalei Lobato, Liliane Ingabire Denver Area Free Days! June Denver Museum of Nature & Science June 2nd Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield June 3rd Four Mile Historic Park June 6th Denver Art Museum AND Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (Penny Saturday) June 7 th Clyfford Still Museum June 20th Denver Museum of Nature & Science June 30th July Denver Art Museum AND Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (Penny Saturday) July 5 th Denver Museum of Nature & Science July 20th August Four Mile Historic Park August 1st Denver Art Museum AND Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (Penny Saturday) August 2nd Denver Botanic Gardens at York St. August 4th Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield August 5th Clyfford Still Museum August 7th Molly Brown House Museum (for metro Denver residents) August 16th Field Trips FUN! Arts & Crafts Swimming STEM Based Activities FUN! Special Guests Sports & Fitness FUN! For Registration Information Call: 720-747-2824 From the Clinic Parents of Students with Asthma or Food Allergies-New Action Plans are needed by your professional school nurse every school year. These forms are available on the District Website. Go to: District Offices-Health Services-Allergy and Asthma Forms. If you don’t have access to a computer/printer, please contact me. Nurse Sherry720-747-2809 Sunscreen Tips: No matter the color of your skin, sun protection is needed to prevent skin cancer! Skin cancer is prevalent in adults. Be sure to put sunscreen on nose, cheeks, forehead, tops of ears and shoulders. How Can I Protect My Children from the Sun? Just a few serious sunburns can increase your child's risk of skin cancer later in life. Kids don't have to be at the pool, beach, or on vacation to get too much sun. Their skin needs protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays whenever they're outdoors.  Seek shade. UV rays are strongest and most harmful during midday, so it's best to plan indoor activities then. If this is not possible, seek shade under a tree, an umbrella, or a pop-up tent. Use these options to prevent sunburn, not to seek relief after it's happened.  Cover up. Clothing that covers your child's skin helps protect against UV rays. Although a long-sleeved shirt and long pants with a tight weave are best, they aren't always practical. A T-shirt, long shorts, or a beach cover-up are good choices, too— but it's wise to double up on protection by applying sunscreen or keeping your child in the shade when possible.  Get a hat. Hats that shade the face, scalp, ears, and neck are easy to use and give great protection. Baseball caps are popular among kids, but they don't protect their ears and neck. If your child chooses a cap, be sure to protect exposed areas with sunscreen.  Wear sunglasses. Sunglasses protect your child's eyes from UV rays, which can lead to cataracts later in life. Look for sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.  Apply sunscreen. Use sunscreen with at least SPF 15 and UVA and UVB protection, it should say “Broad Spectrum”.For the best protection, apply sunscreen generously 30 minutes before going outdoors. Don't forget to protect ears, noses, lips, and the tops of feet. Reapply during the day, especially after your child swims or exercises. This applies to both waterproof and water-resistant products as well. Follow the directions on the package for using a sunscreen product on babies less than 6 months old. All products do not have the same ingredients; if your or your child's skin reacts badly to one product, try another one or call a doctor. Your baby's best defense against sunburn is avoiding the sun or staying in the shade. Keep in mind, sunscreen is not meant to allow kids to spend more time in the sun than they would otherwise. Try combining sunscreen with other options to prevent UV damage. Too Much Sun Hurts Turning pink? Unprotected skin can be damaged by the sun's UV rays in as little as 15 minutes. Yet it can take up to 12 hours for skin to show the full effect of sun exposure. So, if your child's skin looks "a little pink" today, it may be burned tomorrow. To prevent further burning, get your child out of the sun. Tan? There's no other way to say it—tanned skin is damaged skin. Any change in the color of your child's skin after time outside—whether sunburn or suntan—indicates damage from UV rays. Cool and cloudy? Children need protection even when its cloudy UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage. Clouds do not block UV rays, they filter them—and sometimes only slightly. Over the past week, Tri-County Health Department has investigated a report of increased respiratory illness and reports of pneumonia at a middle school in Adams County and an elementary school in Douglas County. Four students have been diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also referred to as walking pneumonia, which is one of the most common causes of pneumonia in children and young adults. Symptoms associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae include sore throat, fever, fatigue, headache, and a slowly worsening cough that can last for weeks or months. This disease is easily spread from person to person by coughing or sneezing while in close contact with others who then breathe in the bacteria. Here are some important things students and parents can do to help prevent this and other respiratory illnesses:      Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Parents can also reduce the spread of this disease, as well as many others, by keeping children who are sick home from school. If your child is ill and absent from school, please be sure to include symptom information on the attendance line to help monitor the extent of illness at the school. If your child is diagnosed by a doctor with pneumonia, please inform the school nurse . Rockies baseball is underway and we will be hosting our 3rd Annual – Cherry Creek School District Day at Coors Field! In appreciation of the Cherry Creek School District’s support this season, the Colorado Rockies and the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation would like to invite all students, family members and employees to come and enjoy an exciting game at the ballpark! Tickets are discounted for Saturday, June 7th and every ticket sold will have a donation back to the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation. Please come out and enjoy a ballgame while supporting your local schools! Cherry Creek School District Day:  Saturday, June 7 @ 2:10pm  Colorado Rockies vs. LA Dodgers  $14 Upper Level & $20 Lower Level Tickets  Discounted tickets only available online: www.rockies.com/CCSD Promo Code: CCSD *All kids in attendance will receive a Youth CarGo Collectable Jersey!! Reuben Donnelly 303-312-2208 REUBEN DONNELLY ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, GROUP SALES COORS FIELD | 2001 BLAKE STREET | DENVER, CO 80205 (303) 312-2208 | [Reuben.Donnelly@rockies.com] Visit our website at www.rockies.com for tickets and information. This email and any attachments are confidential and are the property of the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club and are subject to our Internet Acceptable Use Policy. It is intended for use by the recipient only. 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