Author: Marsh Family (Dell)

The Shooting STAR

Sarasota Academy of the Arts

September 28, 2015

2015 - 2016, Volume 3, Issue 6

Principal’s Corner

Good afternoon! We are beginning the sixth week of school and parents should have received invitations to conferences in grade K-3, paper copies of progress reports in grades 3-6, and access to digital progress reports in grades 6-8. Hopefully, you have had a chance to see where your child stands at this point in the first quarter. You can always see current grades online through the parent portal at Gradebook. Please let us know if you need assistance in accessing the portal. We will send home paper copies for the middle school students as soon as we receive them from the district. The progress reports give you the opportunity to discuss grades with your child and help them make adjustments before the final grads of the quarter if necessary. This week the middle school parents have an opportunity to follow the student schedules on Wednesday, September 30 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. We encourage you to attend. Teachers will discuss the content matter they are teaching, use of digital resources, how they grade, and long-range plans. It is important that you are aware of what the students are being taught and how they are being assessed. Many times parents feel they attended in previous years so don't need to come again. However, since we have several new programs and courses being offered this year, I'm sure there will be new information. This is especially true for the parents of sixth graders, students in new electives, and students in advanced standing classes. Parent participation typically drops off after elementary school, but we certainly hope to be an exception to this trend. Please join us. It was wonderful to see the number of parents and students who attended the Family Fun Night last Tuesday. Everyone seemed to be having a good time! Last week was also Spirit Week. There certainly was a lot of effort put into dressing for each day's theme - among the faculty and staff as well as the students. You can see pictures of the winners on the SAA website. This is another busy week with the first group going off-campus to sing at two local care centers. As you know, performing for assisted living and retirement facilities is an important part of our community outreach. The kindergarten, first and second grade music classes will be singing at Heron's East and Crossbreeze Care Center this Friday. Along the same line, the SAC (School Advisory Committee) is emphasizing student volunteerism this year. If you have suggestions of ways our students can get involved in community activities, please email your suggestions to me and I will present them at the next SAC meeting. Have a great week! Cecilia Blankenship Principal
Congratulations to the girls' volleyball team. They had their first win last Thursday! Have a wonderful week! Cecilia Blankenship Principal

Upcoming Dates:
Be sure to check the SAA Calendar on the school website frequently as that has the most current information!
Monday - 9/28/15 - Bob Evans Fundraiser 9:00am - 9:00pm Tuesday - 9/29/15 - Girls Volleyball SAA vs. SSAS @ 5:15pm Wednesday - 9/30/15 - Middle School Back to School Night @ 6:00pm Monday - 10/5/15 -SAA Board Meeting at 8:00am (Open to the public) - K - 2nd Grade Fall Follies (Glenridge Performing Arts Center) Tuesday - 10/6/15 - Girls Volleyball SAA vs. Palmetto Charger @ 5:00pm Wednesday - 10/7/15 - FST Field Trip (K - 5th grade) - Advanced Chorus Tap Class at 4:15pm Friday - 10/9/15 - Hispanic Heritage Day @ 4:30pm Saturday - 10/10/15 - Broken Egg Fundraiser

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2015 - 2016
Volume 3, Issue 6
September 28, 2015

Yankee Candle
The SAA PTO brings you the Yankee Candle fundraiser (please look for the catalog that went home today) beginning Monday, September 28th. These fundraisers fund many events put on by the PTO and for teacher appreciation and help to subsidize SAA projects as needed. We are so appreciative of all that our PTO does for our school, and we simply could not do it without your support either! 40% of every sale goes to SAA! You can either order by the catalog or online. Our group number is 990051138.
Just go to wwww.yankeecandlefundraising.com and enter the group number in the "Start Shopping" box. Your friends and family from out of town can also help with our fundraising efforts. Just fill out the "Signup to be a seller" form and use the group number to register. Simple instructions allow you to send informational emails to friends and family, and any item they order will ship directly to them and go toward earning additional profits for us! Checks should be made payable to SAA PTO. Be sure to turn in your Yankee Candle Order forms by Friday, October 16th.

Run Club
Have you heard about Run Club? It's for students (1st – 8th grades), parents, faculty and staff of SAA. There will be a parent/student orientation meeting on Tuesday, September 29th at 4:20pm in the middle school building. Run Club will meet after school on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons starting on October 6th and will run through the end of April 2015. Run Club will participate in several local 5K races throughout the school year. (1st and 2nd grade students must have a parent present during meets and races). If you are interested in joining, please contact Sabrina Lugo at (941) 284-3101.

Sarasota Academy of the Arts

THE Shooting Star

Hispanic Fair
Friday, October 9, 2015 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Please join us in celebrating the cultural diversity of the Spanish-speaking world. Students in all grades have prepared dances, art projects, reports or other wonderful examples depicting the rich Hispanic culture. We would love to taste foods from various countries. If you are able attend and or able to supply a dish for tasting, please let us know by filling out the sign up form at http://www.sarasotaacademyofthearts.com/hispanic-heritage-fair.html and return it by Friday, October 2nd. (Please include with the food, a card with the name of the dish and a brief description of the dish).