From the Director’s Desk
Dr. Wayne R. Millette
It
is time to plan for enrollment and recruiting for the 2007-2008 school year.
Re-enrollment letters and forms were sent out to parents on Friday, January 12. The deadline is Friday, February 9th. Please return all forms on time to guarantee your child an enrollment spot for fall 2007. If they are not returned on time and you still wish to re-enroll your child, you will have to complete the enrollment application as if you were enrolling a new student.
You can assist New Beginnings Academy with recruiting new students and families by informing potential parents about our school. We are a K-5 tuition free elementary school. Anyone who resides in the State of Michigan can attend our school at no cost.
Our mission is “Students at New Beginnings Academy will be challenged to reach their greatest academic potential by teachers and parents working together to develop Individual Learning Plans and by creating a community atmosphere”.
Interested parents are welcome to contact Mrs. Reid, our Parent Ambassador, for a tour of the school. Open enrollment for new students started January 16 and will end March 23.
The entire faculty and staff of New Beginnings Academy take great pride in providing a safe and secure environment for students to learn. We are continuously improving the curriculum and work in partnership with parents to enrich the educational experience of students. We appreciate you choosing New Beginnings Academy to provide your child with an excellent education. Any assistance you can provide in helping us market the school and the community we have developed will be greatly appreciated.
There are wonderful things happening at New Beginnings Academy and word of mouth is the best advertisement. Thank you to all parents who are continuously working to make New Beginnings Academy a better school.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February
is Black History Month and we have activities scheduled to celebrate the
many contributions made by African Americans.
We owe the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the study of Black History, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. He completed high school in two years and later went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University. In 1926 Dr. Woodson chose the month of February because it marked the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the African American experience, Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
On Monday, February 12, we will take part in NAAPID (National African American Parent Involvement Day). We encourage parents to visit and observe their child’s classroom and show support for their child education. Please contact your child teacher to make arrangement to visit. ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE.
In addition to this program, there will be classroom activities to celebrate Black History Month. Students are researching important and influential individuals and preparing skits. We ask that you join us in celebrating the rich heritage that Black History Month represents.
MEAP TEST SCORES
Results from the MEAP test that our third, fourth and fifth graders took last fall are out. I am very proud to report that our scores have improved from last year. Our scores went up in 8 out of a possible 13 areas. The fifth grade improved in all possible areas. They had improvement in Math, Reading, Science, Writing and English/Language Arts. Fourth grade improved in Reading and third grade had improvement in both Math and Reading. We recognize the importance of MEAP scores as an external factor in school evaluations across the State of Michigan. Thus, MEAP scores must be taken in contest with the overall teaching and learning of students. We strongly believe that New Beginnings Academy provide an excellent education to all students who are enrolled.
Current MEAP scores however, fall short of my expectations in comparison to other schools in our immediate vacinity. My goal for the future is that we out-perform all local districts on the MEAP. We have the flexibility, parental, and staff support to make significant improvement in our MEAP scores. I am confident we can and will continue to improve our scores. If you have any questions about interpreting these results, feel free to contact Dr. Millette.
MEAP Proficiency Scores - Fall 2006
Grade 3
|
|
Math |
Reading |
Writing |
ELA |
|
Fall 2005 |
67%
|
72% |
53% |
67% |
|
Fall 2007 |
68%
|
76% |
51% |
62%
|
Grade 4
|
|
Math |
Reading |
Writing |
ELA |
|
Fall 2005 |
67%
|
74%
|
37% |
63% |
|
Fall 2006 |
55.2%
|
75.9% |
20.7% |
58.6% |
Grade 5
|
|
Math |
Reading |
Science |
Writing |
ELA |
|
Fall 2005 |
25% |
50%
|
35% |
20% |
45% |
|
Fall 2006 |
63.2% |
68.4% |
73.7% |
57.9% |
63.2% |
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|
|
|
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MUSICAL OPPORTUNITY
An important cultural opportunity for our students has been made possible by one of our parent, Mrs. Teresa Clark. The Sphinx Organization is devoted to music education and building diversity in classical music. Our fourth and fifth graders will be attending their junior division concert at Rackham Auditorium on February 9. Thank you, Mrs. Clark for your continued support.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Thank you to all parents who met with their children’s teachers. We had a great turn-out. For parents who were not able to make their appointment, please contact the teacher ASAP to re-schedule. It is most important that everyone complete the teacher/parent conference. We appreciate your involvement and input in your child education.
CLOTHES, CLOTHES, CLOTHES
1.) If you have any outgrown uniforms you no longer need, consider donating them to our parent room. We like to keep on hand extra uniforms for new students or emergencies.
2.) Make sure you or child checks the Lost and Found box. We have a growing collection of good clothes, shoes, and lunchboxes. The Lost and Found box is located between the entrance way of the gym. Any clothes left in the Lost and Found after February 15, 2007 will be donated to charity.
MEIJER SHOPPING CARD
New Beginnings Academy is continuing a partnership with Meijer that will raise funds for our school, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra! It is called the Community Rewards program. There are two easy steps to help raise funds with this program:
1. Using the New Beginnings special code number—616497-- apply online on the Meijer web site or pick up a form at school. Either mail the form to the address listed on the form, or take it to the service desk at your local Meijer store.
Receive your card and when you shop at Meijer, scan the card and earn rewards for your organization.
Anyone, parent, relative, or friend can participate on behalf of New Beginnings. Please remember to scan the card in when you are making the purchase. If you wait until after you pay, it will be too late.
This is an easy way to raise funds for our school. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bow or Mrs. Reid in the office, and thank you for supporting our school.
VIRTUE OF THE MONTH – CLEANLINESS
Each month we focus on a different virtue. For February, the virtue is cleanliness. Teachers do special activities focusing on this virtue, and we recognize students who are demonstrating this virtue in a special way. Please help us in promoting this activity by reminding your children of the importance of character development.
SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS
Should it be necessary to cancel school because of weather, or any other reason, it will be announced on the following stations:
WJR RADIO (760 AM)
WEMU RADIO (89.1 FM)
FOX TV (CHANNEL 2)
WDIV TV (CHANNEL 4)
WXYZ TV (CHANNEL 7)
The announcement will be for NEW BEGINNINGS ACADEMY.
If we have to cancel school after the students arrive, we will attempt to contact the parents by phone as well as announcing it over the radio and TV. That is why it is important to keep your child’s emergency information card up to date with phone numbers.
ATTENDANCE AWARDS
Not
miss any school for any reason that month (not even a half day).
Not
be tardy more than three (3) times for the entire trimester. If a student
is tardy more than three times in one trimester, he/she cannot earn a
perfect attendance award for any month in that trimester.
Students who have earned the perfect attendance award for January are:
|
Ms. Deska’s class Ryan Brown Kyra Frye Jayla Fuller Kayla Glispie Layna Herron Hayley Johnson Jordan Sheets Shawn Stafford
Mr. Parks’ class O’Livia Anderson-Williams Bernard Bonner Jr. Cameron Bow Elizabeth Bryant London Carrington Keanna Hughes Erin Reid Chyanne Smith Daveion Smith Kheldan Thompson
Mrs. Smith’s class Joselyn Carter Mignon Finley Jocelyn Harris Ashlei Hill Nadia Johnson Savion Patterson Kendrick Purifoy-Cummings De’Ron Simmons Kamryn Thomas |
Ms. Barton’s class Bre’Onna Baylis-Washington Courtney Bow Dillon Carrington Ryan Green Gregory Harrell Krischan Thurmond Markeisha Wilson Angel Wirrick
Mr. Kojiro’s class Dorian Cooper Cameron Howell Devon Miller Shianne Smith DeAsia Wooten
Mrs. Burton’s class Sesley Barden Beyoncé Bonner Jaylen Clayton Keyantae Mellon Sydney Nash Asia Parsons Klara Smith Jerá Wicker Brianna Henderson |
Mrs. Brooks’ class Katherine Acosta Amariah Carter Dejah Cooper Robert Ducharme Shelby Finley Michael Freeman Evan Howell Kerry Jones
Ms. Crout’s class Savia Barden Tyler Finley Charis Henderson Arius Richmond Josephina Stylle Kourtney Thomas Darby Williams
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| DATES TO REMEMBER | |
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Thursday, February 8 Special Assembly: Yo- Yo Troupe from Taiwan Friday, February 9 Re-enrollment forms due; Summer in February Ice Cream Fundraiser Monday, February 12 National African-American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID)
Tuesday, February 21 School Resumes Friday, February 23 Casual Dress Day |
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I have a
dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed --- "We hold these truths to be self evident, that
all
men are created equal."
(Dr. Martin Luther King Junior 1929-1968)
NEW BEGINNINGS PLEDGE
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I am a good person.
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I can and will learn.
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I will work toward positive goals with the help of my parents and my teacher.
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I am proud of myself, my home, and my community.
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I am a New Beginnings student.