SCHOOL NEWS
December 14, 2007

CANNED FOOD DRIVE A HUGH SUCCESS
Thank you for being such a giving community.

REPORT CARDS HOME TODAY
Moms and dads, please check today for your child’s First Trimester Report Card. Please take the time to give your child a hearty congratulations for a job well done. Encouraging words from mom and dad with sincere feedback will help your child to achieve and succeed for a lifetime!
As you know this is the first year piloting a K-5 Standards-based Report Card. In addition to your child’s report card, please look for two other items:
• Cover letter with “A Guide to Understanding CUSD’s Standards-based Report Card”
• Parent Feedback Form or you can go on line
Parents, we encourage you to take a moment to complete and return the Parent Feedback Form.
If you have any questions about your child’s report card, please contact your child’s teacher.

PORKEY’S PIZZA NIGHT
Tuesday, December 18 enjoy pizza and earn money for the school

“TOYS for TOTS”
Please bring a new toy to donate for other needy students staring December 17 to December 20.

SUPERINTENDENT CARTER IS NO LONGER INTERIM
At this past Monday night's board meeting, the CUSD Board of Trustees voted to make Mr. Woodrow Carter permanent superintendent of Capistrano Unified. Mr. Carter has been acting as the interim superintendent of CUSD for the last 100 days. Congratulations, Mr. Carter!

WILL YOU BE MOVING AWAY DURING OUR WINTER BREAK?
Families often use this upcoming two-week holiday break from school to move to new residences outside of our attendance area.  If this is the case with your family, we would greatly appreciate you letting us know as soon as possible so that we may plan for any new students moving into our school.  If you’re leaving us, best wishes, we will miss you.

KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION:
Spread the word…families with students entering Kindergarten in 2008-2009 (children must be 5 by 12/2/08) are invited to attend our annual Kindergarten Orientation on Thursday, February 21 at 2:00 in the multipurpose room.  We will discuss Kindergarten readiness, the instructional program, and hand out packets for registration.  This will be our only formal Kindergarten Orientation of the year.  Any help you can give in spreading the word is greatly appreciated as it helps with projecting our enrollment and starting the year with stabilized classes.  Thanks

AAA/GATE Fee-Based Test
Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) is offering parents an opportunity to have their children take the Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT). The OLSAT is used by CUSD to identify students for the Accelerated Academic Achievement/Gifted and Talented Program (AAA/GATE). The OLSAT tests both verbal and nonverbal reasoning. CUSD students who score in the 90th percentile in both math and reading on their fall CORE tests will be invited to take the OLSAT in January 2008 at their school site. Invitations to take the school site OLSAT will be mailed home during the month of December 2007. If a parent does not receive an invitation to take the OLSAT, he/she may have his/her child take the fee-based OLSAT on a designated Saturday in February 2008. Students who score at or above the 95th percentile on the OLSAT qualify for the AAA/GATE program in the fall. The fee-based OLSAT will be offered on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at George White Elementary School, in Laguna Niguel (Grades 2-8) and on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Capistrano Valley High School, in Mission Viejo (Grades 9-10). The cost for taking the OLSAT is $65.00.  OLSAT registration forms will be available in all CUSD school administration buildings in December.  Parents may also download the "Fee-Based AAA/GATE Test Application" from the CUSD AAA/GATE Website at www.capousd.org/aaa. Checks and registration forms must be postmarked by January 23, 2008 or delivered to the AAA/GATE Office before 4:30 pm on January 25, 2008, so that the appropriate number of tests can be ordered. No late registrations will be accepted.