WELCOME PARENTS! A message just for you: Let the children be happy. Teach them to fill their hearts with feelings of wonder and to be full of courage and hope. Nothing is more important than the sharing of this moment in time. Hold their kite strings, make their hearts sing, make their smiles shine. Reflect their inner and outer beauty. Encourage them to be in less of a hurry. Show them that you have the patience of a saint, and try to have the understanding of one, too. Admire them. Inspire them. And tell them in untold ways what they mean to you.

Open House 2010 Miami Lakes K-8 Center Mrs. Pineda

Accelerated Reader All students must read for 30 minutes a day Every student is assigned a personal goal that must be met It counts as 2 grades and can’t be dropped Book lists appear on mles.dadeshools.net –Look for the virtual library! Destiny.dadeschools.net Get books from MLK-8 or Dade County Library Renaissance link in class website- monitor your child’s progress.

Home Learning (Approximately 60 minutes a day) Assigned Monday through Friday –By school board rule 6Gx13-6A1.23 –Amended in 1998 Agendas need to be signed daily by parents 30 minutes of reading each day Work on “Reading Plus” each day. (information is in your student’s agenda).

Uniform Policy Miami Lakes K-8 Center is a mandatory uniform school. Navy, khaki, or jean bottoms P.T.A. sells shirts

Early Pickup For Emergency ONLY! School Board rule states that students must not be picked up 30 minutes prior to dismissal Report to the office at the MLC Have PHOTO ID ready Student will be paged in classroom. Students will only be released to persons listed on emergency contact cards with picture ID

Early Pickup (continued) Students will not be released after 2:45 (grades 2-5) Dismissal is at 3:05p.m, except on Wednesday it is at 1:50 p.m. Any work missed is the responsibility of the student to make up. Please schedule doctor’s appointments after school if at all possible.

Arrival Students are not supervised before 8:00 a.m. Only students who are part of the breakfast program may be dropped off before 8:00. All students must wait in the cafeteria for their teachers to pick them up. Students will be walked into the school by their teacher at 8:25 a.m.

Emergency Contact Cards Must be up to date –Including active phone numbers Must list names of all people authorized to pick up your child –Remember: students will only be dismissed to these people Advise office of any changes promptly!

Security IN ACCORDANCE WITH SCHOOL BOARD RULES Parents may volunteer to assist all students in the cafeteria Students and parents may not enter the building before or after school Parents and visitors must present a photo ID and sign in. Conferences/meetings to see teacher need to be scheduled.

Attendance Policy IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL AND STATE LAW Students must be in attendance 180 days of school per year. School hours are 8:35 a.m. – 3:05 p.m. (8:35 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday). Please have notes for absences on day student returns to school (not in agenda). No make up work may be given for unexcused absences. Excused absence make up work must be completed within 3 days upon return to school and is the responsibility of the student to make it up. Excessive absences/tardies may jeopardize grades and promotion to the next grade level, as well as citizenship honor roll awards (no more than 5 tardies.

Absences If an absence is unexcused, according to School Board Rule, the student will NOT be able to make-up work or take any tests. Children must be present in order to learn and ask that parents make doctor and dentist appointments after school or on Saturdays. If a child MUST go to the doctor or dentist during the school day, we would rather have that child here for part of the day than not at all. The following reasons are the ONLY EXCUSED ABSENCES and require a note from the parent or a doctor within 3 days of student’s return to school: a. Student illness b. Medical appointment c. Death in the family d. Observance of religious holiday when it is mandated for all members of a faith e. School sponsored events previously approved f. Subpoena by law enforcement agency or mandatory court appearance g. Outdoor suspension h. Other individual student absences beyond the control of the parent/guardian or student as determined and approved by the principal or the principal’s designee. The principal shall require documentation related to the condition. ALL OTHER ABSENCES ARE UNEXCUSED! students with excessive unexcused absences (5 for a semester course and 10 for an annual course) will be in danger of losing their grades.

SUPPORT OUR P.T.A. PTA touches every aspect of life at MLK-8. Please join $8.00 contribution! Thank you to our room moms and Take Home Tuesday moms!

Honor Roll Awards ceremonies are held every marking period for students in grades 2-6. –2 nd – 6 th Grades –Principal's Honor Roll A 1 A grade in all subject areas –Superior Honor Roll Academic Average Effort Grades - All 1's Conduct Average No "C" grades allowed –Academic Honor Roll Academic Average Effort Grades - All 1's and 2's Conduct Average –Citizenship Award Effort Grades - All 1's and 2's Conduct Average No "C" grades allowed for conduct No more than 5 tardies –Perfect Attendance Honor Roll No absences during the entire marking period

GRADES & FCAT Testing A= B=80-89 C=70-79 D=60-69 F=59 or below FCAT Writing Test will be held March 1-3, Reading & Math Test April 11-25

Becoming a Volunteer! Fill out a volunteer application online through the parent portal. Volunteers must attend a workshop with Mrs. Fisch. Dates will be announced. All of these requirements must be fulfilled before volunteering and chaperoning field trips or participating in any classroom activities. * See Mrs. Fisch for further information.

CLASS WEBSITE Please visit our class website routinely it will have information on events, assignments, home-learning. mles.dadeschools.net – staff- find our grade/name contact: Class website: 8Center/MrsGPineda/ 8Center/MrsGPineda/

Other Important Info Our school website is: mles.dadeschools.net Please review the website frequently for school info. and to view our parent/student handbook If you need help with the parent portal, please visit the main office Students may have cell phones, but they MUST be completely turned off and kept in their book-bags at all times! Science & Social Studies books are online all links are in the class website

Awesome Websites Student Portal has many great websites that will help your child advance. Please have them log on often. FCAT Explorer*Ticket to Read Reading Plus Riverdeep Log on to the portal routinely to keep track of your child’s grades and A.R. progress.

Are You Smarter Than Your Fourth Grader? Q: What do each of the letters in FCAT stand for? Q: How many minutes do the students get to take the Writing test? Q: What are the two kinds of essays the children will learn how to write (and be tested) on? Q: What kind of writing is “expository” writing? Q: What kind of writing is “narrative” writing Q: How many days do you have to send in an absence note? Q: What is our school mascot?

THANK YOU FOR COMING! Working as a team will ensure the success of your child.