Bracken Volunteers

Where Educators and Families come together

Parent Class Information

Volunteer Sign Up

:	11/18/2009
:	November 18- New Web Site Enabled
:	Today is the first day for the website, thank you for checking it out. I hope you enjoyed the surveys, videos and sign up pages. It is my goal that as more and more of you are looking at the sight, I will get feedback on how to make it better and how to make it so that it is beneficial for the both of us. Please contact me, if you have any concerns, comments or suggestions. I am anxiously awaiting them. Sincerely, Lisa** Bracken's Volunteer Coordinator

:	3/3/2010
:	Toys for our students
:	Hi Families, Everyday a student takes a test in the library to show his/her comprehension on a book they just completed reading. When they receive a score of 80% or better we allow them to get into our treasure chest of prizes. The sad thing is though, we are super low on the prizes. For whatever reason when there are new prizes here, aside from pencils and bookmarks, the kids go wild and don't hesitate to take a test. Please help us to keep your students motivated by cleaning out your closets and bringing in your gently used toys for our treasure chest.

:	4/8/2010
:	Check out the WATCH DOG page
:	In celebration of Nevada Reading Week our students were asked students to carry a poem in their pockets. One student in particular created an original poem and I thought you would like to see it. Please go to the WATCH DOG tab to check it out.

:	4/8/2010
:	Donuts with DAD
:	On April 26th at 7:30 a.m. all father figures are encouraged to bring their students to school for a donut and coffee. We will be hearing stories from other fathers on their experiences as WATCH DOG's here at our school. You will also have an opportunity to fill out an application for your chance to participate in this "super ego boosting, life altering, Super- Hero like" experience. More information will be coming home with your student as the date nears. Be sure to mark your calendars now.

:	4/8/2010
:	Home Connections
:	This just in: We have sent out informational fliers with your students prior to Spring Break on the terrific program that is made just for you. I have also put a link on here for you to access this wonderful program. Please log in and set up your email so that when your students take an AR test here at school, you will get notification as soon as it happens. What a great way to encourage your students to read more and take more tests. One of the best things about this website is, that you can generate a list of books that are in your childs reading range and take that list to both the Clark County Libraries or here. The great thing is that every book on that website has a test.

:	4/19/2010
:	Field Day is coming
:	Hey Families want to come out and support your students? Join us in a day filled with culture and exercise as Bracken celebrates it's annual Multi-Curtural Field Day. Students have been hard at work learning about various countries throughout the world. There will be an opening ceremony with a Native American theme. Students will be saying a greeting in the language of their respective countries. Followed by games played in the various countries. There will also be a special guest for the afternoons entertainment. Bring your hats, lawn chairs, sunscreen, camera's and lunch. This way you can enjoy time with your child when they go to lunch. Don't forget this is an all day affair. This is fun time you won's soon forget.

:	5/7/2010
:	Empowerment Schools Recognized
:	Check this out: Clark County (Nevada) School District’s Autonomous Schools Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD) initially designated four district elementary schools as Empowerment Schools during the 2006–07 school year. There are currently 27 Empowerment Schools in CCSD, including one middle school and three high schools, and there will be 28 Empowerment Schools in the 2010–11 school year. Empowerment Schools are predicated on the idea that schools should be given the freedom to determine how to best accomplish their goals and that decisions are most likely to be successful when all stakeholders—including teachers, parents, and community members— are given a voice. Each Empowerment School is led by a principal with autonomy over governance, instruction, staffing, budget, and scheduling decisions. Each Empowerment School creates a School Empowerment Team (SET) comprised of administrators, teachers, support staff, students, parents, and community members. The purpose of the SET is to collectively establish school priorities and decide how the school will operate. Empowerment Schools receive an additional $50,000 per year from community partners. Along with autonomy comes accountability, and Empowerment Schools have set specific achievement targets and receive an incentive of up to two percent of pay if student achievement and school outcome target are met (Clark County School District, 2010; Council for a Better Nevada, 2009). Positive results include: ► Empowerment Schools have increased the percentage of students proficient in mathematics by 10 percentage points and in reading by 6 percentage points when compared with their pre-empowerment proficiency percentages (Council for a Better Nevada, 2009). ► Students in third, fourth, and fifth grades in the original four Empowerment Schools performed significantly better than students in comparison elementary schools in reading and mathematics on 2008–09 state achievement tests (Daellenbach and Carpenter, 2010). ► Parents whose children attend Empowerment Schools are more satisfied with their child’s school than parents whose children attend other district schools. For example, 91 percent of parents of students at Empowerment Schools were satisfied with the schools’ academic assistance opportunities compared with 82 percent of parents of students attending other district schools (Council for a Better Nevada, 2009). For more information: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/index.html

:	8/26/2010
:	Welcome Back Families
:	Welcome back Families, I look forward to seeing your smiling faces here once again at Bracken this year. There are so many things already in the works and we need your help. Be sure to check the website regularly for upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities. Also any free time you have that you would like something to do with, we are always here. Teachers are bringing in work daily into the work center, and as you know there is always more at the beginning and end of the year than in the middle. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. I will always repsond to your emails. Again, I look forward to seeing you all real soon. Lisa

:	8/26/2010
:	We did it!
:	Congratulations to the teachers and staff of Walter Bracken for making AYP. We couldnt have done it without your help families...Keep coming in and motivating your student and others to keep learning.

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