Dragon Daze

Dragon Daze
Inside this issue:
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Testing season has finally arrived and will begin on
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
with the 4th and 5th graders
taking the Paper Based: FSA
English Language Arts Writing
exam.
The complete
testing schedule can be
found on page 8 of this
month’s newsletter.
Also,
please read the letters on
paper based and computer
testing on pages 10—13.
As always, it is of the
utmost importance that all
students taking any test get
plenty of sleep the night
Estimados
estudiantes,
padres
before the test, eat a
healthy breakfast the morning of the test, and come
prepared to do their best.
Also, they should bring two
(2) sharpened #2 pencils to
their class.
Our
teachers
have
worked tremendously hard to
prepare your children for
these new set of tests that
replaced the FCAT. They
deserve an enormous amount
of appreciation for all the
long hours they have put into
working with your children
this year.
They certainly
have my thanks.
I know you are all looking
forward to Spring Break
which is the week of March
23—27. I hope everyone has
a fun and safe vacation.
Have a great month.
Sincerely,
Gladys Fernandez Donovan
Gladys Fernandez Donovan
Principal
Como siempre, es de suma
importancia que todos los estudiantes que toman cualquier
2
Kindergarten
1st Grade
3
2nd & 3rd Grade
4
4th & 5th Grade
5
PTA
Corner Clinic
6
Specials &
Aftercare
7
Champions of
Character
Counselor’s Corner
8
Testing Schedule
9
Testing Letters
from Mrs. Donovan
PLEASE READ
10
—
13
Puzzle Page
14
Title One Info
15
March Calendar
16
Multicultural Day
17
Pennies for Patients
18
ESE
19—
21
Parenting for Stepfamilies
e
La
temporada
de
exámenes para los alumnos del
cuarto y quinto grado comenzará el miércoles, 04 de marzo
2015. Estos alumnos tomaran
la porción de escritura del
examen FSA. El calendario de
pruebas se puede encontrar en
la página 8 del boletín de este
mes. También, por favor, lean
la carta en las páginas 10-13
para mas información sobre el
examen
Student Index
Pre—K,
prueba duerman lo suficiente
la noche anterior al examen,
coman un desayuno saludable
la mañana de la prueba, y que
vengan
preparados para
hacer su
mejor trabajo.
Además, deben traer dos (2)
lápices # 2 afilado a su
clase.
Nuestros maestros han
puesto mucho esfuerzo para
preparar a sus hijos para
éstos nuevos examenes que
sustituyeron al FCAT. Merecen una enorme cantidad de
agradecimiento por todas las
largas horas que han dedica-
do a trabajar con sus hijos
este año. Sin duda tienen mi
agradecimiento.
Sé que todos estamos
esperando las vacaciones de
primavera, que es la semana
del 23 a 27 de marzo. Espero
que todos tengan unas vacaciones divertidas y saludables.
Que tengan un buen mes.
Atentamente,
Gladys Fernandez Donovan
Gladys Fernández Donovan
Directora
22
In this Issue
 Check out your kids
work
 Who won this month’s
Champion of Character?
 Know the testing schedule
 Make sure your child has
everything they need
for to take the test..
 Enjoy your Spring Break.
FEBRUARY’S STUDENT REPORTERS
Click on a grade level to
see the student's work
“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some
responsibility on their shoulders.” -Abigail Van Buren
Ms. Munoz’s
PRE - K Class
Head Start’s Norleesha Dorneval and Isabella Jaramillo are making
letters out of Blocks! We are learning our letters and sounds! We are
getting ready for Kindergarten!!
MARCH STORIES
KINDERGARTEN
Paul Castano and
Mylena Rivera show
their “We can retell
the story of “The
Three Ninja Pigs and
the Big Bad Wolf”
beginning, middle,
and end of stories.”
FIRST GRADE
Jordan Potts from Mrs. Hess’ class shows off his great story, neat writing, and his
wonderful drawing on penguins."
MA
S’TSO S
RTI O
ES
THIS
MR
OC
NH
TH
RIES
SECOND GRADE
Juan Pablo Parra and Marina Makaray from Mrs. Rosati’s second grade class show
of their great writing.
THIRD GRADE
Nylamarie Belle & Jacdiel
Lambent from Mrs. Coleman’s
class
S ’TSO R
IE
THIM
S A
MR
OC
NH
TH
ST
OSR I E S
FOURTH GRADE
Valeria Herrera
from Ms. Whitaker’s class
FIFTH GRADE
March Newsletter
5th Grade Team
In honor of Black History Month, fifth graders have been researching notable AfricanAmerican Civil Rights Leaders. We are proud to share Fatima Arroliga’s excellent report on
Coretta Scott King.
Corretta Scott King by Fatima Arroliga
Coretta Scott King was the mother of four children and the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She was a strong and confident woman. She never let go of her dreams.
Coretta Scott King graduated from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1951.
She enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In Boston she met Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. They then got married, had four children, and moved to Montgomery, Alabama. There her husband had accepted a job as a pastor in the Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church.
Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. joined the Civil Rights activism in
the 1950s and 1960s. They took part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After her husband’s
death, she continued her activity in the Civil Rights Movement and founded the Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Center of Nonviolent Social Changes. Coretta Scott King wrote a memoir,
My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1969 with help from her son, Dexter.
Today we remember Coretta Scott King as a Civil Rights activist who helped end segregation, raised her four children, and never gave up her dreams. For me, she was strong
because she lived for 20 years without her husband. I couldn’t imagine such a thing.
Fatima Arroliga from
Ms. Kolitides class
PTA’s popular “World’s Finest
Chocolates” fundraiser is taking
place in March. This is our biggest fundraiser in the springtime. There will be a variety of
$6 chocolate packages that family, friends, and neighbors can
purchase. Please support our
continued efforts to raise money
for our school by participating in
this fundraiser.
Mrs. Warren is organizing a
“Multicultural Event” to take
place Thursday, May 14th and
Friday, May 15th. All of the
teachers will be working hard
putting together projects for this
PTA’s monthly board
meetings or get involved in
any way with the
PTA. March’s meeting date
is still to be determined. Please feel free to
email us
atDriftwoodElemPTA@gmail.
com or leave a message with
the front office with any
questions, ideas, requests, or
offers to volunteer for the
PTA.
event. This is a great opportunity to assist your child’s teacher. If you are interested in
helping in any way with this
event, let your child’s teacher
know, OR leave your name and
phone number with the front
desk for the PTA.
State testing for 3rd, 4th and
5th graders is almost
here. Please reinforce the teachers’ efforts by encouraging your
children to read at home and log
on to any computer websites recommended by the school.
Smiles,
Raquel Suarez, PTA President
Everyone is invited to attend
HEALTHY EATING HABITS
As a parent, you play an important role in shaping your
children’s eating habits. You
have a big influence ove the family
environment where meals take place
and the types of foods you children
eat. Positive experiences about food
early on may help your children develop early eating habits later in life.
Here are a few tips to help you create
a positive eating environment for your
children:

Have regular meal and snack
times
 Try to avoid snack such as
cookies, chips, candy, etc.,
instead try fruit, pretzels,
hummus, and pita chips.

When possible, eat together as a
family
 Eating meals in front of the TV
should be avoided as this can
lead to overeating and a
higher risk of childhood
obesity.

Make healthy food the usual
choice
 Enjoy foods such as vegetables,
fruit, whole grain products, low
fat dairy products, lean meats,
legumes, eggs, and fish.
When your children see you
eating those foods, they are
more likely to want to eat
them also.

Limit foods high in calories, fat,
sugar, and salt.
 Foods that are high in calories,
fat, sugar and salt like cakes,
chocolate, cookies, doughnuts,
ice cream, french fries, potato
chips, soda, etc. should be eaten
less often. It is important not
label these foods as “bad.”
They are simply foods to be
eaten occasionally and in moderation.
STAY HEALTHY & HAPPY
CORNER
CLINIC
Driftwood Aftercare
Students are embracing
Sport Yoga. Sport Yoga engages
children in yoga poses set to
their favorite sport; such as baseball, soccer, and basketball.
Some of our upcoming projects include Dr. Seuss’ Birthday
Celebration, St. Patrick’s Day “Finding the pot of gold”, and last
but not least our annual Egg Hunt!
Many of our aftercare students have benefitted from attending the school’s afterschool reading, math and science camps.
Being in our afterschool program makes attending camps that
much easier. If you are interested in joining our program, the cost
is $168.00 a month for After School Care and $40.00 for Before
School Care. There is a $25.00 Registration fee. For more information please call 754-323-540.
Music Department
Physical E ducation Department
We have finally had some really nice days in
which I have been able to get the student’s out of the
classroom and onto the playground.
Our annual fundraiser for the American Heart
Association is well underway and the students are proudly wearing their ducks around their necks as a badge of
success as well as challenging the other students to try
and match their fundraising efforts. Just because your
child has one duck that is no reason to stop, there a five
ducks to be collected. Have your child come and see me
if they want to get all five and I will give them some
pointers.
Mom’s and Dad’s make sure your whole family
gets enough sleep, eats healthy, exercises, and most important of all try and do it all together as a family.
See you next month.
Quack Quack
Computer Technology
What does Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights
Movement, a USB flash drive, and ear buds all have in
common?
There has been quite a lot of interest in playing the
recorder this year. However, there are still many of you that still
have not purchased your own recorder yet. The schools’ PTA
has ordered them so we can pass them on to you at the very
reasonable price of $10. But the PTA can’t keep selling them
forever. So this is your last chance, They will be available until
Friday, March 13, 2015.
I am happy to inform all of you that the joyful noise
coming out of my room on Tuesday’s from 2— 3 pm. means that
chorus has commenced once again and I for one couldn’t be
happier.
So Everyone SING — PLAY — LISTEN
Well if you have a child in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade
you may know that we have been learning how to research a topic on the internet and then create a PowerPoint presentation from the research. But what does
that have to do with a USB flash drive and ear buds you
might still be asking?
In order to accomplish this project all the students
in the above grades must have these two items. Parents, the ear buds are $1 at any Dollar store and you
can usually find flash drives on sale for about $6 at
Walmart or Best Buy. The size of the drive only needs
to be 4 gb’s. The more memory the more expensive the
drive. Your children will be able to use the drive until
they finish elementary school. As long as they take
good care of it they should be able to use it well into
middle school.
Parents, thanking you in advance for making sure
your children have what they need to succeed in technology class.
Counselor’s Corner
I am proud to announce the Champions of Character winners for
the month of February. These students let their honesty shine
and help make Driftwood Elementary School a better place! Our
student school winner is Arryana Pinero in Mrs. Cento’ class and
Mr. Schlitz is the staff winner. Congratulations to all of our
February Champions of Character winners!
Pre K
Janelle Darbouze
Quintavious Lofton
Kindergarten
Kristy Charles
Lameshia Tarpley
Gisella Torres
Simoneth Gomez
First Grade
Leonardo Trujillo
Ian Bravo
Jeancarlo Mesa
Daniella Camejo
Kayline Borge
Maya Frias
Second Grade
Desirea Stewart
Nathaniel
Castenllanos
gast
Third Grade
Nathaniel PrenderIsabella Webb
Kedeline Henricy
Jaden Camejo
Aryanna Pinero & Jonathan Lozado
Daimian Larios
Adrian Escatel
Damian Torres
Fourth Grade
Daniels Montilla
Ashton Doctor
Johnnie Coleman
Mateo Londono
Fifth Grade
Manny Valdes
Diego Leal
Marco Juarez
Angel Gonzalez
Mrs. Lewis
Camryn Kelly
Mrs. Warren
Wendoly Altermirano
Mr. Leonardo
Leilanys Ayala
Mr. Boylan
Gage Osceola
Mr. Gatzke
Francesca Di Carlo
School Winner
Aryanna Pinero
Honesty was the character education trait for the month of February. Two school winners were chosen this month, Diego Leal in
Mrs. Alonso’s class and Aryanna Pinero in Mrs. Cento’s class. The
staff winner was fourth grade teacher Ms. Schlitz. Ms. Schlitz is a
new addition to the Driftwood faculty this year and we appreciate
all her hard work. Congratulations to Ms. Schlitz, Diego, Aryanna
and all our February Champions of Character! We are proud to
count on you to always tell the truth and be honest in all areas of
life!
The character trait for the month of March is self-control. We
will be looking for students who can control their own thoughts and
behavior. When kids demonstrate self-control at school, they make
learning easier for themselves and others. If the classroom is peaceful then the students can learn without distractions. Some ways you
can encourage your child to exercise self-discipline in the classroom
are: staying on task and completing assignments, waiting to be
called on, ignoring peer pressure, controlling his/her temper and by
compromising when necessary. You can also teach your child selfdiscipline by example by keeping in shape and saying no to unhealthy food. Learning self-control is a big task, however, when
successful, self-control leads to healthy self-esteem, respect of others, and more positive interactions.
The following quote from the book, No Excuses! The Power of
Self-Discipline, written by motivational speaker Brian Tracy, gives us
a good look at the importance of this character trait. “Self-discipline
is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens
all doors for you, and makes everything possible. With selfdiscipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a
person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity.
JUST SAY NO CLUB
The Above the Influence (ATI) march is just around the corner
and students are eagerly waiting to participate. Please make sure
participants come dressed for the weather.
TESTING
Make sure to note the upcoming spring assessment dates. Your
child needs to be in attendance and on time for all assessments.
Each child will also need two #2 sharpened pencils.
Recently students in Grades 3-5 took the Broward Assessment
Florida Standards 2 (BAFS 2). Students who have been practicing at
home using I-Ready on a consistent basis have test scores that have
significantly increased. In addition, all students should be reading
nightly to increase comprehension skills which will assist them in
meeting grade level promotion requirements.
2700 NW 69th Ave.
Hollywood, FL 33024
Phone: 754-323-5450
Fax: 754-323-5490
Aftercare: 754-323-5493
E-mail:
www.broward.k12.fl.us/driftwoodelem/
Driftwood
Elementary
School
Title 1 Parent Information / Website Locations
Driftwood Elementary’s “School Improvement Plan (SIP)”
which contains the school’s Title I School Parent Involvement Plan (PIP)
http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/driftwoodelem/
The District Parental Involvement Plan
http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/titleone/PARENT_INVOLEMENT.html
District Parent Involvement Policy 1165
http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/sbbcpolicies/
Paper copies of all of the above documents are available for your review on the Parent
Shelf in the front office and at all of the SAC Meetings.
If you would like to request your own copy, please contact Mrs. Estrada through the front
office, your child’s agenda or email: ligia.estrada@browardschools.com
School Public Accountability Report (SPAR), FCAT Scores and Reports, School Grades,
AYP Reports:
http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/
School Board of Broward County Title I Center for Parent
Involvement
Phone: 813-974-5458
http://title1.browardschools.com
Family Network on Disabilities, Inc. (FND)
Parent Training







School/District/Community
Workshops
Title I Parent Training Academy (see below)
MegaSkills Training
Schoolwide Workshops
Title I Parent Center
Computer Literacy Training
Broward County’s District Parent Involvement Website
http://www.getinvolvedineducation.com/parents/
The Florida Parental Information and Resource Center
University of South Florida (Florida PIRC at USF)
3500 East Fletcher Avenue, Suite #301
Tampa, FL 33613
http://www.floridapartnership.usf.edu/
Phone: 727-523-1130
Toll: 800-825-5736
http://fndfl.org/
Florida School Choice Parent Resource Cente
http://www.knowyourchoices.org/
:Compassionate Hearts – Serving Hands, Inc.
2300 NW22nd Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
Phone: 954-733-6476
http://www.ch-sh.org
Watch for more information coming about the Title 1 Parent Seminar in January at the Signature Grand! Limited Reservations
Available! Email Mrs. Estrada if interested.
ligia.estrada@browardschools.com
The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure which results in discrimination on the basis of age, color,
disability, gender, national origin, marital status, race, religion or sexual orientation. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and / or
harassment complaint may call Equal Educational Opportunities (EEO) at (754) 3321-2150 or Teletype Machine (754) 321-2158.