The month of October ended with a day of fun! AV held its annual Halloween Parade, and the students and families enjoyed seeing all of the costumes. Students could dress up if they wanted to, and many did. Teachers planned fun activities in the classroom, too.

I love this school community! Parents and Staff work together to give students a wonderful experience. In this newsletter, you will get a glimpse of what has been going on in the month of October. You will get access to some new news, be reminded of some available resources, and get a preview of what's coming up. You can get weekly school updates through the Weekly Wildcat.

Sincerely,

Emily

October included Diversity Week, Disability Awareness Month, Red Ribbon Week, and Bully Prevention Month. During Diversity Week, our Equity Committee joined our Wildcat Virtual Assembly and gave a wonderful presentation on Diversity. Assistant Principal Hayes and Counselor Hoang (Ms. Kristine) visited every classroom to provide a grade-appropriate lesson on bully prevention. Ms. Hayes also provided a presentation on the subject at the October PTA meeting. Find the links to both presentations below.

We practice all of our safety protocols on this day every year. AV has a safety plan in place for every disaster. If there is an earthquake, every staff member knows their role, including Search and Rescue, First Aid, Student Supervision, Student Release to Parents, Communications, Sanitation, etc. On this date, we practiced with our equipment, teams, and we even had some scenarios (like a parent being "stuck" in the front office). Did you know that once attendance is taken after a natural disaster like an earthquake, siblings join up to sit together? Did you know that every student has an ID card and a color code so that they know where to go to wait on the field? Did you know each staff member has a walkie talkie to communicate in case the power goes out? This is why we practice, and we get better every year.

By the way, there is LOTS of learning going on here, too! I see students every day doing Math, Science, Social Studies, Reading, and Writing. They are taking tests, working in small groups, sitting on the carpet listening to their teachers, completing experiments, working on their Chromebooks, and much more!

To continue with our PTA - School Counselor collaboration, AV students will focus on Laughter as the Best Medicine for November and December. Dust off those Dad Jokes!

Second Step lessons centered on Bully Prevention lessons, but students may have also had lessons on Skills for Learning, like Learning to Listen, Focusing Attention, Using Self-Talk, Being Assertive, and Empathy and Respect.

Our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports include Paw Points. Students started earning rewards such as bringing their stuffies to school and having a luxury lunch (decorated lunch tables).

Here we are preparing for the Wildcat Recognition Assembly on Oct. 27. This was also the day that the 1st Trimester ended!

Has your child been using DreamBox Math? We want students to spend about 60 minutes a week (5 -8 lessons). A minimum of 20 minutes per session is best. This can be done at school and at home. Take advantage of this amazing resource, which students can access through their Clever Accounts.

This is a virtual training series for parents. In case you missed the first online session, there are two more sessions on November 7 and December 12.

Every 1st and 2nd grader now has access to the online program Reading Rangers. Parents will learn more about the program at Parent Teacher Conferences, but students can start using it now through their Clever Accounts if they are able. Reading Rangers is a research-based program that helps students with phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.