Regular Clothes Day

Seminole Elementary’s P.T.A. is sponsoring a “Regular Clothes Day” on Wednesday, December 17. Although students will be allowed to wear regular clothes, they must be appropriate. Students may not wear open-toed shoes. A donation on $1 to the P.T.A. will be greatly appreciated.

Winter Recess

There will be No School from Monday, December 22, 2008—Friday, January 2, 2009. Classes will resume Monday, January 5, 2009.

Have a Safe & Happy Holiday Season!!

Dial-A-Teacher

Homework help is just a phone call away. Dial-A-Teacher offers homework help on the phone by certified teachers. The service is available in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole by calling 305-995-1600. Dial-a-Teacher is available Monday – Thursday, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Winter Break Packets for K-12 Students

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has created Winter Break Packets for all grade levels. These packets include K-12 curriculum in the areas of Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. These packets are designed for review and practice of previously taught skills and strategies that students have learned thus far in the school year. Enrichment activities are also included in the packets. Use of these packets is not mandatory. Their purpose is to  maintain and sharpen skills during the winter break recess. The Winter Break Packets will downloaded here.

Tutoring Cancelled Next Week

All tutoring (morning tutoring, after-school tutoring, enrichment, Title III) will be cancelled during the week of December 15-19.

Holiday Program-Wednesday

Mr. Bishop and Seminole’s Chorus will be presenting their Holiday Program on Wednesday, December 10 at 6 p.m. The program will take place in the cafetorium.

Family Learning Events

HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND WISE
 
Friday, December 5, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.: The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, will present the Healthy, Wealthy and Wise family learning event at the Miami Children's Museum, 980 Macarthur Causeway. Families can enjoy an evening at the museum and learn how to make healthy snacks, discover creative fund-raising ideas, participate in the Alliance's interactive workshops and much more.  For more information, click here.
 
FAMILY FEST 
 
Saturday, December 6, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: The Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, will host Miami's most exciting interactive arts playground! See, touch, learn and discover the performing arts at Family Fest. Hands-on, fun learning activities for children include crafts, face-painting, storytelling, movement and theater classes, as well as outdoor performances. For more information, click here. 
 
CHILDREN'S HOLIDAY
 
Saturday, December 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Enjoy the holiday village with snow, reading with Mrs. Claus, music and much more at Miami Dade College North Campus, 11380 N.W. 27th Avenue. For more information, click here. 
 
ST. MARTHA-YAMAHA CONCERT SERIES (Reservations Required)
 
Sunday, December 14, 3:00pm: Be enchanted by beautiful music performed by Duo Duos (Two Pianos, Eight Hands) at St. Martha Church, 9301 Biscayne Boulevard. Visit with the artists following the concert. To reserve seats, click here or  call 305-995-2680.
 
All Family Learning Events are FREE. For more information, call The Parent Academy at 305-995-2680 or visit theparentacademy.net.
 
To catch a glimpse of the exicitement at previous Parent Academy events, click here.

Save the Dates

Friday, December 5, 5:30-8:30pm: The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, will present a free family learning event HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND WISE, at the Miami Children's Museum. Make healthy snacks with a local chef, discover creative fundraising ideas, and much more.
 
Saturday, December 6, 11:30am-1:30pm: See, touch, learn and discover the performing arts with FAMILY FEST at the Adrienne Arsht Center. On the first Saturday of every month, the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza becomes Miami's most exciting interactive arts playground! Hands-on, free, fun learning activities for children include crafts, face-painting, storytelling, movement and theater classes, as well as outdoor performances.
 
For more information on The Parent Academy, visit theparentacademy.net.
 

Thanksgiving Recess

There will be no school on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27. We wish everyone a safe and restful holiday.

Interim Progress Reports

Interim Progress Reports will be distributed on Wednesday, November 26. The Interim Progress Report will communicate your child’s current academic performance and should identify areas for improvement (such as missing homework, help with addition fact, etc.) By reviewing this information with your child, you, your child, and your child’s teachers are in a better position to address his or her particular needs. This is also an excellent time to schedule a parent-teacher conference.

Tutoring Cancelled Next Week

After school tutoring classes will be cancelled on Monday, November 24, 2008 and Tuesday, November
25, 2008. Please make arrangements for your child to go home promptly at 3:00 pm. After school
tutoring will resume on Monday, December 1, 2008.

Honor Roll Ceremony

The Honor Roll Ceremony will be held tomorrow, November 20th at 8:30 am. The ceremony will take place in the school’s cafetorium. Only those student receiving Principal’s Honors and First Honors will attend the ceremony. Parents are reminded that only one parent per student may attend the event. Thank you for your cooperation.

Cold Weather . . . Brrr

Students are encouraged to use warm clothing during the winter season. However, please remember to adhere to Seminole’s Uniform Policy. Here are a few reminders:

• Absolutely No Jeans are allowed


• Girls may wear navy pants or tights


• Boys and girls are permitted to wear navy blue or red warm-up suits

Science, Music and Much More

Have fun and discover something new! The Parent Academy FREE family learning events provide an opportunity for families to learn together, gather information and discover while having fun. This weekend provides several great opportunities.
 
Jump into Science in Action at the Miami Science Museum on Saturday, November 15th, 2-7 p.m. Play live music in the Sabor Music Jam. Take part in a bio-diversity exercise and experience the secrets of survival in nature. Be a science fair critic and create your own project.  Learn about smart recycling or complete a chemistry experiment. For more information, click here or call 305-995-2680.

Listen to one of America's most renowned ensembles, The Portland String Quartet, on Saturday, November 15th, 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) at St. Martha Church. Meet the artists at the reception following the performance. Reservations are required. Call 305-995-2680 or click here.
 
And don't miss The PlayGround Theatre production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland every Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. through December 14th. Reservations are required. Call 305-995-2680 or click here. 

Report Cards

Report Cards will be distributed on Friday, November 7. Parents may continue to review student's grade via the Parent Internet Viewer.

After School Tutoring Cancelled

All After-School Tutoring will be cancelled on Monday, November 10th. Students must be picked up promptly at 3:00 p.m.

No School-Veteran's Day

There will be no school on Tuesday, November 11th. The school will be closed in observance of Veteran's Day.

Bike Miami

On November 9, 2008, the City of Miami will be hosting Bike Miami on the Streets of downtown Miami. The roads will be closed and the streets will be open to cyclists, skaters, and pedestrians. The day will focus on health, wellness, quality family time and a committment to "green" methods of transportation. 

Celebrate Parent Involvement Month

Governor Charlie Crist has designated the month of November, 2008, as Parent Involvement Month in the state of Florida. This observation coincides with National Parent Involvement Day on November 20, 2008. Parents are encouraged to use the Calendar of Activities (English and Spanish) which take advantage of these observations in order to strengthen family partnerships that support student achievement.

Family Heroes Program Associate

Informed Families seeks a part time individual with a minimum of High School Diploma (AA degree preferable for a centrally located parent training program. Prefer parent with minimum two years experience in program support services, ability to work well with people. Requires good knowledge of office systems;. ability to coordinate activities & good attention to details; excellent data entry and computer skills in Microsoft Office & Excel spreadsheets. Good English verbal and writing skills. Bi-lingual a plus . Send resume to: yroman@informedfamilies.org

Bilingual Parent Organization Program Seminar

There will be a Bilingual Parent Organization Program (BPOP) Meeting on Thursday at 8:30 am. The meeting will take place in the Media Center. The topic of the seminar will be regarding bullying and intimidation.

Miami Book Fair International

The Miami Book Fair International will take place November 13 and 14. This location for the event is the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College. This is an excellent opportunity to foster and nurture your child’s love for reading.

EESAC Meeting

There will be an EESAC Meeting on Wednesday, November 12. This meeting will take place in the Media Center at 2:20 pm.

Vision and Hearing Screenings

Students in Kindergarten, First, and Third grades will have their annual Vision and Hearing Screenings on November 12 and 13, respectively. (Fourth and Fifth grade students who are new to the country will also participate in the screenings.) A letter explaining the screening process was sent home last week. Parents will be notified only if students fail the screening.

No School-Election Day

There will be no school on November 4. This day has been designated as a Teacher Planning Day.

The Month of November

November is Nutrition Awareness Month. November is also National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.