Capitol Hill News

 

Issue #3                                                                   November 2002

A Monthly Newsletter

for Parents, Students and Staff of Capitol Hill

 

 

From the Principal

 

The days are getting shorter, the nights longer, and the temperature colder.  Yes, winter is around the corner and the year is quickly going by. Do not let the year go any longer without knowing how your child is doing!

 

During the past two months, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers have been sending home progress reports at the end of each month.  If you have not received both of them or are unsure of how your child is doing please contact your child's teacher(s).  Our school counselor is also available to help you get the information you need. 

 

First quarter has ended and the second quarter begins on November 4.  Students still have time to get their work completed before conferences on the evenings of November 25, 26, and the day of November 27.  It is extremely important that parents attend the conferences.  This is the time to check on your child's progress and make sure that the year is progressing in the right direction.

 

At the end of last year we sent home your child's MAT 7 test results. If there is anything on them that you did not understand, I will be available during conferences to answer any questions you may have about the test.  Last year was the last time the school will administer the MAT 7 test.  It is now outdated and had to be replaced.  The school district has chosen the Stanford Achievement Test Series Tenth Edition ( SAT10) standardized test to take the place of the MAT 7. 

 

The SAT10 was chosen for many good reasons.  By administering the SAT10 in grades 2-8 in reading and mathematics, we will be able to accurately measure annual student achievement growth at elementary, middle, and junior high school levels.  The SAT10 is aligned with national and state standards, and with the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP ("the Nation's Report Card"), an important achievement criterion in the United States. The MAT 7 was normed in 1992 and the SAT10 was normed in 2002.  The SAT10 is not timed which will allow students to have all the time they need to complete each test.  This will be especially helpful for our students receiving ELL or Special Education services, and for those students who are meticulous and want to do an excellent job.  This test will be administered at the end of April of this school year.  If you would like to know more about the test, please feel free to contact me at school. Thank you for all the wonderful work you do with your children.

 

Louis Mariucci, Principal

 

 

PTO News

 

November PTO Chair Update

There’s a lot happening at school these days, both in and out of the classroom.  I hope this finds all students working hard, learning a lot, and having fun.  Parents and teachers: you too! 

Missing But Replaced Volunteer Sheets

As of this writing, we are missing a number of parent volunteer sheets. Capitol Hill parents have always volunteered in droves, and we expected the same this year.  We have learned, though, that many of these forms are missing.  We suspect a pile of them is sitting somewhere…but we don’t know where. 

By the time you read this, we hope to have sent out and received back from you several hundred more sheets.  Volunteer coordinator Dawn Johnson will enter these in the PTO database and distribute lists of names to the volunteers who lead each activity.  These leaders will then contact individual volunteers.

We rely on parent volunteers.  We need you.  We thank you in advance for your time and energy.

If you don’t hear from someone as the activity you volunteered for approaches, contact Dawn at 646-8338 or Suchos04@cs.com.

School Directories Published

Many people think that the school office or the district produces the Capitol Hill student directory.  PTO relies on volunteer help to create the directory and on PTO dollars to print it.  A big thanks to PTO parent volunteer Teresa Guthmann for putting together the student directory again this year and to Susan Schuster for her help collecting forms.  Teresa and Susan collected all the Directory Permission Slips that were returned on time, and then Teresa keyed in the information on these slips and formatted all entries for printing.  This is a big job.  We are grateful to Teresa for her hard work.

 

If your child is not in the directory, it is probably because we received the form late.  In a few instances parents forgot to sign the form and did not reply to phone calls informing them of this situation.  We must have parent signatures to include students in the directory. We apologize for any omissions, but trust you will understand.

Family Grade Level Dinners Ramping Up

PTO is sponsoring family “grade level” dinners again this year.  These are informal opportunities for students, teachers, and their families to get together in the evening.  It’s a great way to put names and faces together and to meet and get to know other families in your community. 

 

Please look for details in the invitation forms coming home soon and respond promptly! Questions? Want to volunteer to help?  Call Mary Sue Barry 651-699-5592.

 

The Fourth Grade Family Dinner was held on October 24.  Dinners for First and Third graders are rapidly approaching: First Grade dines on Thursday, November 7 and Third Grade dines on Thursday, November 21. The rest of the dinners are after the winter holiday break. 

 

Please note that the 7^th grade dinner has been cancelled.

The Tax Levy Deserves Your Attention

PTO does not want to tell anyone how to vote on the upcoming St. Paul tax levy November 5.  We think you should know however, that passage of the levy (or not) might affect your child’s experience in the St. Paul Public Schools.  Per the district, “. . . failing to pass the referendum would mean that class sizes will continue to increase and critical services such as transportation and services for English language learners and students with disabilities will need to be reduced even beyond the cuts of the past three years.” The Capitol Hill budget is already straining this year; further cuts would certainly affect all students, including your own children.

 

PTO urges you to educate yourselves on this important issue so that you can make an informed decision on how to vote.  A good source of information is the St. Paul Public Schools web site page on the referendum:  www.stpaul.k12.mn.us/referendum/index.html.

PTO Budget Approved

At the October 7 PTO meeting, the proposed budget was approved.  As many of you know, we have an ambitious and exciting budget. For details of how we propose to raise and spend funds, click Budget on the PTO page on the web site (www.capitolhillschool.org).  A copy is also posted on the PTO bulletin board outside the office at school.  As always, a large portion of our budget is for grants to teachers for badly-needed classroom supplies

You should know what is on the PTO budget for two reasons: 

·        because much of it affects your child’s experiences at Capitol Hill

·        because we need your cash donation to help fund the budget

All teachers and other event and program leaders will receive letters informing them of the amount of money that has been approved for their event and explaining how to submit expenses to PTO.

PTO Budget Needs Funding

As many of you know, the PTO budget is funded primarily through a direct cash drive, in addition to several fun events like the carnival.  We need to raise more than $12,000 from this drive.  You may have already received a letter in the mail about this. PTO sends this letter to all Capitol Hill parents.  It’s very simple.  PTO asks for cash donations, which are tax deductible.  Parents respond by sending them.  Period.  No follow-up letter a month later; no phone calls. 

 

Capitol Hill parents typically respond generously.  We know that families have mixed financial circumstances and that for some families, a cash donation is not possible.  We know that for some families though, it is possible.  We are happy to receive any amount you can afford.  As you would expect, information about these donations is kept strictly confidential.

In case you misplace the letter or want to send more, send checks payable to Capitol Hill PTO to

Capitol Hill PTO

Capitol Hill Magnet School

Rondo Education Center

560 Concordia Avenue

St. Paul, MN  55103-2444

 

Please respond kindly and quickly.

Didn’t We Just Do the Wrapping Paper Fundraiser?

Yes, that important school fundraiser funds field trips for the year.  It does not fund the PTO budget.  We hope you participated in that fundraiser by either selling or by donating the requested amount. 

 

Both the wrapping paper fundraiser and the direct cash drive occur in the fall.  That’s because of the timing of the school year.  Both PTO expenses and field trips happen throughout the year, but the budgets need to be funded in the fall so the money is there to be spent.  While it may seem like you are being bombarded, this is it! 

 

Both PTO and the school try to minimize fundraisers that involve sales. We know you are busy and do not like being “nitpicked” with requests for money. We prefer to try fund these budgets in the fall rather than approaching you repeatedly throughout the year.

November 4 PTO Meeting – Learning Strategies and Homework

The next PTO meeting is November 4.  It will be in the IRC room next to the library.  Follow signs from the red doors.  Childcare will be provided by responsible eighth-graders in the blue atrium.  As always, we welcome all Capitol Hill parents and teachers. 

The business meeting will be at 7:00 pm.  A flyer with more information about this meeting will either be inserted in this newsletter or sent home separately. The agenda will also be posted on the web site a week in advance.  As always, Mr. Mariucci or Dr. Jobe will be there to present a report on what is going on at school.  We’ll also hear about issues of concern to teachers and talk about ongoing projects and plans for the year.

 

The PTO program, which starts at 8:00 pm, will be on Learning Strategies and Homework.  Our kids are learning and developing strategies in their classes to help them organize ideas, learn concepts and work cooperatively with others. But are they using those strategies at home?  What are those learning strategies and how can you help your kids use them to do their homework, develop projects, or study for quizzes and tests?  In this interactive presentation, you will learn about and identify learning strategies that are most suitable for your kids. Our presenter is Betsy Parrish, a Capitol Hill parent and teacher educator in the Graduate School of Education at Hamline University.

In Closing

Thank you for your continuing support of PTO:  for participating in meetings and events, for donating to the cash drive, for volunteering in the classroom and at PTO-sponsored activities, and for being great parents to the children of Capitol Hill. 

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Jane Kerr

PTO Chair

651-642-9335

janekerr@bitstream.net

 

2002-2003 Site Council Members

Parent Members

Voting:

Hulsey, Mark  (651) 224-7534 mkhulsey@aol.com (alt)

Jacobs, Barbara  (651) 699-5464 barbjacobs@earthlink.net  Admissions co-chair  

Johnson, Dawn  (651)646-8338 suchos04@cs.com  SCIP (alt)

Knudson, Lisa  (651)698-5160 lknudson@attbi.com Admissions

Smith,  Marshall  (651)646-6635 (w) lms@lsxgroup.com   Site Council co-chair

Tuna, Nilgün   (651)224-7949 nilguntuna@nytarchitects.com  Outreach/Com  co-chair   

Windels, Lori  (651)224-5302LWindels@attbi.com   Site Council co-secretary, GTAC         

Wulf, Michael  (651)738-5254 capitolhill@mgwulf.com    

Zats, Jon  (651)699-3323 JZats@aol.com    

 

Non-voting:  

Fisk, Carolyn  (651)291-7039  (612)827-3707 x38 cmf@usfamily.net / cfisk@lakecountryschool.org (PTO Liaison)    

Hmong Parent Liaison      

 

Faculty Members

Voting: 

Blumer, Jane  325-2519  jane.blumer@spps.org Outreach/Com co-chair     

DeGree, Tom    325-2553 thomas.degree@spps.org   Co-Union Steward (shared)

Jobe, Cleva  325-2500 cleva.jobe@spps.org  Assistant Principal    

Lorenzen, Robin  325-2527  robin.lorenzen@spps.org   SCIP& Adm. co-chair   

Mariucci, Louis  325-2500  louis.mariucci@spps.org   Principal    

Podratz, Ron   325-2538   ron.podratz@spps.org   Membership co-chair    

Porter, John  325-2523   john.porter@spps.org   Co-Union  Steward (shared

Waskosky, Stacy  325-2520  stacy.waskosky@spps.org   Site Council co-chair   

Zuehlke, Kristi  325-2510  kristi.zuehlke@spps.org   Site Council co- secretary

 

Voting Community Member:

Brunson, Mildred   mbrunson@visi.com

 

First Grade Family Dinner - Thursday, November 7

Third Grade Family Dinner - Thursday, November 21

All are welcome to a great opportunity for you to see and meet the other families in your child’s grade level. The PTO is sponsoring a family “grade level” dinner.  This is a great way to put names and faces together and be part this community.  Please look for the invitation forms coming home with all the details and respond promptly! Questions? Call Mary Sue Barry 651-699-5592.

 

High School Information Night!

All 7^th and 8^th grade students and their parents are invited to a High School Information Night on November 15. The evening will begin with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and continue to 8:30 p.m. All public high schools in St. Paul will be showcased. This is also an opportunity to meet other parents and staff.

 

-        Anna Young

 

 

Music

Notes

 

 

Orchestra and Suzuki Strings News

Our Capitol Hill orchestras are up and running and growing, too!  The program includes students from all eight grades.   Children from grades 1 through 3 take small group lessons using the Suzuki method of string instrument teaching. This way of teaching involves a lot of participation by parents during the lessons and being the teacher at home.  Studying at an early age has many benefits, mostly because young children's minds are highly receptive to verbal and language learning.

              

3rd and 4th graders will have their own orchestra this year and one of our projects will be to choose a name for ourselves.  This group will continue learning the Suzuki literature, but will also learn a systematic approach to note reading.  They will be performing easier and intermediate level orchestra works that has two, three and four part writing.

              

Many challenging pieces are planned for Capitol Strings 5th and 6th grade students. Most of them have considerable playing experience and skills, which give them access to a wide variety of orchestra and solo literature. Continuing participation at this age not only increases and refines their musical abilities, but builds camaraderie for junior high and beyond. 

              

Our junior high Concert Orchestra is still chamber orchestra sized, but has some outstanding leadership in it’s ranks.  Some of the pieces we are doing include the Capriol Suite  by Peter Warlock and a Concerto Grosso by Corelli.  

              

To all parents, classroom and specialist teachers, I extend a tremendous “thank you” in appreciation for working out times and schedules for orchestra lessons and rehearsals. I think we will all be proud of the musicianship and growth our students will demonstrate throughout the year.  To all of my students, whether beginning or advanced, you are making me proud of you every day.  Keep up the good work!!!

John Middleton

Orchestra and Suzuki StringsTeacher

 

Second Grade - Frog Olympics

The second grade hopped on the bandwagon for the annual Frog Olympics on October 4! With the help of their sixth-grade buddies, second graders created their own origami frogs. Then they guided their creations through events including the high jump, long jump, backward flips, and races.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the concentration and competition were intense! Both the second and the sixth graders enjoy the event - it's great to have older students mentoring younger ones.

 

 

Second graders also visited Como Zoo and Conservatory during October, as they studied plants in their classrooms. 

 

During October the second graders are being detectives. They will read mysteries and then, on October 31, will be solving their very own mystery. On that day, they can all come to school dressed as detectives!

 

 

Fourth Grade

Hear ye, hear ye - the Medieval Feast approaches!

 

December 19 marks the day - and you have a golden opportunity to join in the festivities! Volunteers are needed to help with all aspects of the celebration. And only volunteers can attend the feast. Are you ready for minstrels and magicians? Princes and peasants?

 

If you would like to be part of it all, call or email Jane McKim at 325-2554 or jane.mckim@spps.org.

 

Referendum Facts

If voters approve the referendum, Saint Paul Public Schools will receive $18 million a year for each of the next four years beginning with the 2003-2004 school year. Saint Paul Public Schools will receive $319 per pupil for four years. Saint Paul charter schools will receive $125 per pupil for four years.

 

 Specifically, the $18 million referendum would provide:       

• Funding for school and program budgets to eliminate the district’s projected deficit of $16.3 million for the 2003-2004 school year; and        

• Funding to restore the $1.7 million that was borrowed from school district reserves to cover transportation costs during the 2002-2003 school year.

 

The cost of the referendum for the owner of a median-priced home in Saint Paul of about $102,000 would be an additional $88 per year or about 25 cents per day.

 

Saint Paul taxpayers do not currently pay for a school district referendum from their property taxes. After the Saint Paul referendum passed in 2000, the state changed the law, and the Saint Paul Public Schools referendum, as well as other public school referenda throughout the state (up to $415 per student), are now funded by state sales and income tax receipts.

 

Despite the shift in the funding source, the Saint Paul Public Schools is fulfilling its commitment to taxpayers by using the money from the 2000 referendum as it promised—to expand learning time for students and technology for students, teachers and schools. The investment taxpayers made in the Saint Paul Public Schools have helped to improve test scores and graduation rates. Since 1999, scores on state reading and math tests are up by an average of 10 percent, a larger share of Saint Paul students than ever are scoring at or above the national average on national tests, and the four-year high school graduation rate has risen by 6 percent since 1997.

 

100 percent of all 2002 referendum money will go directly to support schools and programs to:

- help keep the current number of teachers in the schools;       

- help keep average class sizes from increasing;       

- help keep paraprofessionals and teacher aides from being cut;       

- help keep current transportation services in place;       

- help keep preschool programs from being cut; and        

- help keep athletics and other extra-curricular activities from being cut.

 

The Saint Paul Public Schools have cut about $32 million in the last two years to cover budget deficits. These cuts have included hundreds of positions districtwide.

 

The state is projecting its own $2.6 billion deficit next year and will likely be unable to provide the additional support needed to maintain current programs in our Saint Paul Public Schools.

CitySongs

CitySongs is a FREE community program. CitySongs is a youth choir open to students in grades 4 - 8, and does not require an audition to join.  Rehearsals are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 at Rondo School. The choir performs 15 to 20 times a year at various Twin Cities events.  The focus of program is healthy youth development, musical development, and community impact.

 

CitySongs program begins October 3rd.  If you like to sing, dance, perform poetry, and make friends then this is the program for you! For more information about registering call Cynthia Carver at 612 624-8725.  You can join CitySongs at any time.

 

Amy Carroll

CitySongs Operations Manager

 

 

School Calendar

 

October

10/28   Progress Reports 6,7,8

10/31   1^st grade Fall Fest

            5^th grade Roller skating

 

November

11/4    Second quarter begins

11/4    PTO meeting 7:00 PTO program 8:00

11/7    1^st grade Dinner

11/10  Courage Retreat 5^th grade

11/11   Site Council 4:00

11/15   High School Information Night 6:30 p.m.

11/15   Conference prep day - No School

11/18   Progress Reports 6,7,8

11/19   High School Information Night

11/21   3^rd Grade Dinner 6:00

11/25-26 Evening Conferences

11/27     Day conferences No School

11/28/29 No School Thanksgiving Break