IRIS BECKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PARENT NEWSLETTER
Home of the Bearcats! A 2017 Blue Ribbon School
Dear Families,
Your children have been working very diligently this year. We have just wrapped up NWEA and completing our final stages of WIDA testing. The students worked hard to show that they have made academic progress throughout the year. Students are taking ownership of their scores and are creating new goals for spring. If students scored below the 50th percentile on NWEA in either reading and/or math, you should have received a contract with your child’s scores, and goals to help ensure your child makes the necessary growth they need to be successful by the spring. Please be sure to ask your child about his/her new goals and discuss this contract with them if you received one.
This month is a special month because March is recognized as reading month. If you walk into our building, you will notice the classroom doors have been decorated to celebrate reading. Students are taking the time to read their favorite books and are learning about different authors. Students who read voraciously will also have the opportunity to be included in our bike raffle. Our raffle drawing will be held at the end of March. Thank you to our wonderful PTA for donating bikes to help encourage our students to read. Additionally, we have welcomed many guest readers to our building to read to our students. Some of these readers include a Dearborn Police officer, district officials, school board members, and educated members of the community. Our students will have opportunity to listen to stories and ask questions about the careers of our guests.
We want to remind you that M-STEP testing will begin on April 9th. Students in grades 3rd-5th will be tested in language arts and math. Additionally, students in 5th grade will be tested in science and social studies. Currently, students are preparing for this test by reviewing test taking strategies and applying these strategies to what they are learning in class. If these strategies are applied in all daily assignments, students are more likely to succeed on the M-STEP.
Research has shown that reading is vital to the success of students in all subject areas; if students can not read, they cannot begin to understand what they are reading in any subject. Not being able to read will inevitably hinder the student’s performance at school. So how do we help our students with their literacy? One of the most effective and easy ways to ensure students are improving their reading is by exposing them to print constantly. Please continue to encourage your child to read every day for at least 30 minutes. It is essential that children practice their daily reading in order for reading comprehension and vocabulary to improve. After reading, have your child tell you about the book that they have read. This will additionally improve their speaking skills as students use academic language to articulate their thoughts.
We look forward to your child’s continued success. As always, our doors are always open and we are here to support you and your children in every way.
Best Regards,
Zahra Zreik
Principal
Becker Elementary
Morning Supervision:
As a reminder, Becker students are not to arrive to school until 8:00 a.m for breakfast, unless they are coming in for tutoring. We do not have supervisors available to monitor students who come in before that. Students will be required to stand outside unless it is raining, snowing, or below 20 degrees. We want to remind parents they are not permitted to walk children into the building to their classroom. We want to help our students build independence.
Dismissal Time:
Lately, we have noticed that many parents are starting to arrive to school before dismissal to pick up their child.When parents are in the hallway before the end of the school day, it becomes difficult for the teachers to keep students focused. Students become distracted when they see parents in the hallways. Teachers are instructed to walk all students outside at dismissal time. We would like all parents to wait either in their cars or outside their child’s exit door.
Additionally, please adhere to the traffic safety laws when picking up your child. Students should never cross the street unless it is at a crosswalk. If you see your child, please do not wave or signal to him/her to run across the middle of the street to your car. With the influx of cars in the street, drivers may not see your child. Please encourage your children to always cross at a designated crosswalk. Lastly, if you are available to volunteer and assist with traffic and crossing please contact the office. We are in need of your support.
Appropriate Dress
With the weather getting colder we ask that you require your child to come to school wearing a coat. We’re noticing that some students are repeatedly leaving their coats/ jackets behind in school. We will continue to remind them but ask you to support us by coming to school to look through the Lost and Found bin located in the main lobby. Students will be required to go out for recess daily if the weather permits. Students will not be allowed to wait in the building unless the temperature is 20 degrees or below.
Response to Bullying:
Bullying is a global problem. At Becker, we are proactive in addressing bullying by speaking to our students and holding school assemblies throughout the year. You can help to support us by ensuring that you report any issues your child may be facing at school so we can help address them.
Additionally, please speak to your children about what it feels like to be a bully toward others. Many times, children may not realize how their actions affect others. Please contact your child’s teacher or principal if you have any questions, and we will be happy to talk to you about ways you can address these issues.
Congratulations to our March Students of the Month
May Berry-Kdg – Adriana Gomez
Katrina Case-Kdg – Ibtihal Abdulla
Sukna Bazzi-1st– Malek Elhabhab
Ana Gomez-1st– Reham Mousa
Kristin Koss 2nd– Nuradeen Aljahmi
Maggie Salame 2nd– Reem Eljahmi
Tanya Jabra 2nd– Adam Chami
Tanya Jabra 3rd– Amalia Kreis
Sara Alhaschemy 3rd– Hussein Harb
Diana Harb -3rd– Fatima Elreda
Mariam Berry 4th– Hadi Najjar
Fatemh Reslan 4th– Awad Awad
Nahida Islam 5th – Mohamad Hachem
Amal Khansa 5th– Raghad Dannouf
| March 1 |
PTA Meeting at 8:45 A.M. Pizza Sale After School NED Show (Kindness Assembly) |
| March 4 | March is Reading Month Kick of Assembly at 9:00 |
| March 6 | 5th Grade Parent Meeting at 8:45 in the Media Center (For all fifth grade parents) |
| March 13 | Late Start – School Begins at 9:35 am |
| March 18 | Kindergarten Round-Up (For all incoming new kindergarten students) 9:00-10:00 am |
| March 19 | 4th Grade Symphony Field Trip |
| March 21 | Pre-K parent meeting at 8:40 am |
| March 25 |
2nd Grade Trip to Historical Museum (Jabra/Salame) from 9:00-11:30 am Spirit Week all Week for March is Reading Month |
| March 29 | Bike Raffle |