Canyon Oaks Elementary School

Happy Summer COES Families!

Click on the attachments below to review the results of the Spring 2012 Parent Survey.

Thank you for your participation! We received a total of 197 surveys. 

Please note not every survey question was answered by some respondents. 

The total number of responses for each question is indicated in parenthesis “( )”.

Survey results were tabulated by the School Site Council and Office Staff. 

The Site Council & Canyon Oaks Staff will review the results of this survey and address any areas of concern when we return this fall. 

• Parent Survey Results (English)
• Parent Survey Results (Spanish)
• Comments on Fundraising Ideas
• Comments on Promoting Diversity
• Comments on Improving our School 

Dear COES Families,

Thank you for your support in making this another successful year at Canyon Oaks Elementary!

We hope you enjoy a peaceful and relaxing summer with your family. 

Please note this week’s events on our home page.

During the summer, we encourage students to read at least 20-30 minutes every day.  Practice with math facts and opportunities for journal writing will also be helpful.

This can easily be accomplished by visiting the local library, or during family vacations and outings. 

Addition and subtraction with money during shopping trips and calendar practice are also fun and easy activities to do with your child.

Many educational websites will also keep your child’s academic skills sharp and ready for fall. 

Scholastic.com is one of many websites which contain a wealth of reading support.

A summer mailing will go home in late June to inform you of Back-to-School events and activities.

Continue to check our school website beginning in early August to get information on the 2012-2013 school year.

Until then, enjoy a wonderful summer!

Dear COES Families,

As we wind down the school year, it’s time to celebrate with a number of year-end festivities, including Kindergarten and 5th grade ceremonies on the last day of school, Wednesday June 6th.

Please note the ceremony times on the home page.

Students who are participating in our inaugural Science Fair Extravaganza will be sharing their projects on Tuesday evening, May 29th,  from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the school’s multi-use room.

We anticipate 150 projects on display, both group and individual, from students at all grade levels. 

We are proud of our aspiring scientists!  Please join us as they share their new-found scientific knowledge.

Parents and family members who have not yet completed the annual parent survey have until this Thursday at 3 p.m. to do so.

Surveys are located in the school office.  Parents who complete the survey will receive a ticket for their child(ren) to receive a free recess period with Mr. Knox.

During our last Site Council meeting of the year (Thursday, May 31st at 3:00 p.m. in the Library), the Council will compile the survey data and results will be shared out on our school website.

Please note the schedule change for the last week of school. 

School is in session Monday, June 4th through Wednesday, June 6th.  School will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. 

Students enrolled in Boys & Girls Club will report to the multi-use room at 11:45 a.m.

Student lunches will be available for sale at 11:45 a.m.

Have a great week!

Dear COES Families,

Thank you for joining us last Saturday at the Spring Arts Festival.

Our student performances were spectacular!  The student artwork, silent auction, food, and games were delightful! 

Thank you to our many volunteers who made this event so enjoyable. 

What a great way to celebrate another successful year at our school!

Open House takes place this Wednesday, May 23rd.

Classrooms displaying a variety of student projects will be open from 6 – 7 p.m.

Please be sure stop by the Multi-Use Room to complete the annual parent survey during your visit.

We look forward to seeing you then!

There will be a special parent meeting taking place this Thursday, May 24th to discuss our school’s over-capacity issues.

The meeting will take place at the American Canyon High School Theater at 7 p.m.

Due to limited space, we ask that students remain at home. 

District administrators and district governing Board memebers will be present.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, May 23: Walk & Roll

Open House, 6 – 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 24: BEST Assembly, K-2 – 8:25 a.m.; 3-5 – 8:45 a.m.

4th & 5th Grade Strings Concert – 1:30 - 2:00 p.m.

Friday, May 25: Furlough Day, No School

Monday, May 28: Memorial Day, No School

Tuesday, May 29: Science Fair Extravaganza, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Have a great week!

Dear COES Families,

This Saturday, May 19th is the Spring Arts Festival.

We hope you join us from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for a day of fun, food, family, and friends.

Student entertainment will be at the center of festivities throughout the day, along with student artwork on display and for sale.

Visit our silent auction in the multi-use room.  There will be lots of terrific auction lots to bid on, including amazing classroom art projects!

There will be plenty of food and games for all to enjoy.

Additionally, we will be raffling off an iPad 2 at the end of the day. Tickets will be available for sale in the office starting Monday and continue throughout the week.

Raffle tickets are $20 and you need not be present to win.

Funds raised from this event will support classroom technology upgrades at all grade levels.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Last Friday, a letter was sent home in Friday envelopes explaining the release times on Monday, June 4th, and Tuesday, June 5th.

Both dates, in addition to the last day of school (June 6) will be minimum days (11:45 a.m. dismissal time).

District furlough dates on June 7th and 8th (historically teacher work days), require no employees on-site.

The minimum days will allow teachers to complete all required closing duties for the year.

This revised schedule applies to nearly all NVUSD schools.

The Boys & Girls Club will be available after school at these earlier dismissal times.

Two of our outstanding teachers will be honored for their dedication and hard work this Friday, May 18th at the 29th Annual Rally for Education.

Heather Feinberg (5th grade teacher) will be honored by the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club for her contributions as a teacher and PTO Board Member. She also coordinates school recycling efforts and serves as a liaison for ACHS student volunteers. 

Julie Meyer-Houston (4th grade teacher) will be honored by the Napa Valley Education Foundation for her dedication to her students, and for her multiple contributions to Canyon Oaks, including district ALPS representative, BEST team leader, and 4th grade salsa dance instructor. 

The event will take place at the Napa Valley Marriott from 4 – 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through www.nvef.org.

Both of these fine educators play a significant role in the success of Canyon Oaks Elementary.  

Congratulations Mrs. Feinberg and Mrs. Meyer-Houston!

Have a great week!

Dear COES Families,

While STAR testing is near completion (make-ups take place this week), we are continuing our battery of year-end assessments at all grade levels.

This includes DIBELS testing for students in grades K-2, and SRI testing for students in grades 2-5.

These assessments measure students’ reading progress, and is conducted three times throughout the year.

Additionally, we have year-end theme tests in language arts and math in the coming weeks. 

We encourage punctual attendance until the end of school in order for teachers to assess all students in a timely fashion.

Report cards for trimester 3 will go home on the last day of school, Wednesday, June 6.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Charlie Appelstein, a nationally renowned expert who works with children and teens with emotional, behavioral, or learning challenges, will be speaking in American Canyon on May 9^th.

Entertaining and inspiring — to parents, professionals and community members — he is back in the Napa Valley by popular demand!

Attendees leave his talks with strength-based practices to use immediately with children of all ages.

These techniques  parallel Napa Valley Unified School District’s use of the PBIS/BEST program and foster a positive school climate in which all youth can succeed.

His program for parents is 6:30pm-8:30pm, May 9^th, with child-care and Spanish translation provided.

Location: School Theater, American Canyon High School, 3000 Newel Drive, American Canyon CA 94503.

RSVP & Reserve Child Care: Cope Family Center, (707) 252-1123.

The Spring Arts Festival is only two short weeks away!

We look forward to another spectacular turnout. The event takes place on Saturday, May 19 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

There will be a silent auction, food, games, and entertainment throughout the day from our talented students.

We look forward to seeing you at the school event of the year!

Have a great week!

Dear Canyon Oaks Families,

Parents of English Learners are encouraged to attend our final ELAC meeting for the year on Tuesday, May 1^st at 7 p.m. in the School Library.

On Wednesday, May 2^nd we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day. 

Thank you, P.TO., for sponsoring our Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Wednesday afternoon!

On Thursday, May 3^rd please consider going to Round Table Pizza in American Canyon for lunch or dinner for our last Dine and Donate event of the year. 

If you do not have your flier, you may pick one up in the school office. 

Thursday is also our next PTO meeting, at 6 p.m. in Room 26. 

We will be voting in the new Board for next school year. 

A call for nominations was sent home last Friday, and any board member nominees must be submitted in writing to the office by 4:00 p.m. this Wednesday. 

STAR testing resumes tomorrow through Thursday for students in grades 2-5.  Please make sure your student arrives prepared for testing. 

Have a great week!

Dear COES Families,

STAR testing begins this Tuesday for all students in Grades 2-5. To view the testing schedule for the next two weeks, please click here.

Students will be tested in English language arts this week, with math testing taking place next week.

5th Grade students will take the science test next week as well.

Testing begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. Students arriving to school late on testing days will remain in the office or library until the class testing period is over.

Make-ups will take place the week of May 7th.

Please encourage your child to get sufficient rest, and eat a hearty breakfast on testing days. This will help your child’s attention and focus for these important tests.

STAR test results will be sent home in the mail later this summer.

This Wednesday is Secretary’s Day, and we are so fortunate to have the BEST school secretary!

Jill Madron (“Miss Jill” as she is affectionately known by students) has been at Canyon Oaks since its opening, and previously worked at Donaldson Way Elementary.

Miss Jill makes sure everyone in our school is taken care of each and every day.

Whether a student needs a band-aid, a teacher needs supplies, a parent question regarding enrollment, or if the principal needs this and that – Miss Jill does it all with her kind and courteous nature.

Miss Jill plays an important role in the success of our school, and we thank her for her hard work.

If you have a moment this week, please thank Miss Jill for all she does for our school!

School events taking place this week:

Wednesday, April 25th: Walk and Roll Wednesday

Thursday, April 26th: School Site Council, 3 p.m. in the school library.  Meetings are open to the public.

Friday, April 27th: Twin Day – students are encouraged to dress alike.

BEST Assembly – K-2 from 8:25 – 8:40; 3-5 from 8:45 – 9:00 a.m.

The Spring Dance takes place Friday evening from 6 – 8 p.m.

Have a great week!

Dear COES Families,

We have another fun-filled week ahead of us!

First, there will be special 30-minute Scooby-Doo episode showing in the Multi-Use Room this Monday morning, April 16th, from 7:30 – 8:00 a.m.

For a $2 per student donation, students will start the day with everyone’s favorite cartoon dog! Hot Chocolate will be served for added enjoyment.

The event will be supervised and students will proceed to morning line-up after the show.

Donations from this event will go towards the purchase of an iPad, which will be auctioned off at the Spring Arts Festival on May 19th.

After school every day this week, stop by the library to shop at the Scholastic Book Fair. Your favorite titles will be available for sale. 

A portion of total sales will be refunded back to our school in the form of Scholastic books for our library.

Thank you for supporting our Spring Book Fair!

On Thursday, April 19th, the Napa County Humane Society will present a puppet show for our K-3 students. The times are as follows:

Grades 2-3: 9:15 – 9:50

Kindergarten – 1st grade: 10:25 – 11:00 a.m.

To learn more about this presentation, visit the Humane Society’s website by clicking here. 

This Friday afternoon, 5th grade students will take their class panoramic photo in front of the Mighty Oak.

Please ensure your 5th grader is present for this memorable photo.

STAR testing begins next Tuesday, April 24th and runs through Friday, May 4th.  Make-ups will take place the following week.

During the testing window, all student in grades 2-5 are encouraged to come to school well-rested and having had a well-balanced breakfast. 

While student performance on this test is not reflected on report cards, all students will receive individual scores in the mail this summer showing how well they performed in Language Arts and Math.

We encourage all students to give their BEST effort on these tests!

4th grade students took the STAR writing test last month, and 5th grade students will be tested in Science in addition to Language Arts and Math.

Students’ scores are formulated into our school’s Academic Performance Index (A.P.I.). Our current A.P.I. is 859, and we hope to surpass that score this year.

The California Department of Education deems a school with an A.P.I. of 800 or higher to be a school in good standing.

To examine our A.P.I. scores in detail, visit the CDE website which contains a breakdown of last spring’s scores.

Have a great week!

Dear COES Families,

We have a busy week in store for Canyon Oaks students!

Starting Monday morning, our students will get to experience Alaska sled dogs up close and personal as we welcome Lorraine Temple and her Alaska Husky Spirit assembly.

Kindergarten through 2nd grade students will attend the 8:30 a.m. assembly, and 3rd – 5th grade students will attend the 9:45 a.m. assembly.

To learn more about this event, visit Ms. Temple’s website here.

On Thursday, April 12th, students in grades 1-4 will participate in Junior Achievement Day.

Students will particiapte in a series of grade-appropriate lessons taught by trained volunteers from Wells Fargo Bank, focusing on business and economics.

The program will begin at the beginning of the morning and last until noon.

Kindergarten and 5th Grade students will participate at a later date due to previously scheduled events.

To learn more about Junior Achievement and how they support schools, please click here.

Parents and family members who have served as volunteers during the year will be invited to attend our Parent and Family Volunteer Tea this Wednesday afternoon, April 11th, at 1:45 p.m. in the Multi-Use Room.

Invitations were sent home with your student last week. If you did not receive your invitation, please contact the school office.

Our next P.T.O. meeting takes place this Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in Room 26. We hope you will join us as we continue planning for the Spring Arts Festival in May.

Please note upcoming events on the school calendar:

1. Scholastic Book Fair the week of April 16 (after-school only) in the Library.

2. STAR testing for students in Grades 2-5 take place from Tuesday, April 24 – Friday May 4, with make-ups the following week. Testing takes place first thing in the morning until 10:00 a.m.

3. The date for the Science Fair Extravaganza has changed to Tuesday, May 29th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Have a great week!