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Dear Gem Prep Families,
We were thrilled to be back with your students yesterday!
With the missed school days, due to inclement weather, the only change we are implementing at this time is next Thursday, January 19th will be a full school day rather than a half of a day.
Please note that Monday, January 16th will remain a holiday, and non-school day for staff and students, and Friday, January 20th will remain a professional development day for teachers with no school for students. We understand the professional development comes at an inopportune time due to all of the school we’ve recently missed, but we have two trainers flying in for professional development for Gem Prep: Nampa, I-DEA, and Gem Prep: Pocatello staff that we cannot reschedule.
Additionally, the end of the second quarter will remain the same, Friday, January 20th, and teachers will have report cards emailed to you by Friday, February 10th. Between now and receiving the report cards, you will have the opportunity to attend “Walk in My Child’s Boots Dinner” to learn from your student about his/her academic and social-emotional progress.
With so many snow days and kindergarten families only attending part-time, we counted the remaining days and they are only different by half a day between Opals and Sapphires, so their schedule will remain the same. We miss seeing them, and know it’s been a long time for some, but this is as equal as we can be with the remaining days of school.
Thank you for all of your patience and understanding during this extreme winter weather.
Kindly,
Stacey
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Amazing Work Over Holiday Break
and Snow Days
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The third and fourth grade students did some outstanding work over holiday break and snow days by working a total of 3,815 minutes on Think Through Math, with one fourth graders, Mason M., taking the lead by completing just over 7 hours! In DreamBox, our kindergarten through grade 2 students completed 875 math lessons! Two first graders took the lead with one student, Alden F., spending 12.2 hours in DreamBox and another, Paloma C., spending 9.1 hours between the two of them completing 184 lessons! iReady is no exception with all grade levels working in reading and math. We are so proud of your hard work and commitment to learning – well done!
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Gem Prep: Nampa teachers are incredible, so much so that over our many snow days they choose to come in to school to prepare, poured over your students’ data, helped teach students virtually, and participated in professional developments using video conferencing (you can only see a few of them above!). They are an amazing bunch, and we are so grateful for their dedication to your students, our community, and to the students growth socially, emotionally, and academically. Thank you!
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In December, the students took the mid-year iReady diagnostic in math and reading. We use this information to assess our school’s overall growth and to see what we can continue to do to improve our core subject instruction for individual students, as well as for the whole school. We are thrilled to show the following graphs that represent the number of students who moved from Tier III, performing a grade level or more below their like-age peers, from 26% to 7% and increasing our proficient students from 20% to 44% in math! Our reading is equally impressive with a 19% increase in proficient students! Many schools do not show this amount of growth in a full year and we are seeing this growth in half of a year; it is truly incredible! Your student will share his/her individual growth in our upcoming “Walk in My Child’s Boots Dinner” – we hope you can attend!
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Gem Prep: Nampa’s Lottery is Open!
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Our lottery application is up on our website, https://www.gemprep.org/nampa/, or click on the link below, until February 16, 2017. If you haven’t already, please click on the link and re-enroll your student. Below is the re-enrollment process, and if you have any questions about this process, please contact our School Operations Manager at 208.468.2847 or [email protected]. We will be glad to assist you as you register your students for the 2017-2018 school year. |
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Enrollment Registration
Dates: January 4 through February 16, 2017
Lottery Date: February 22, 2017
2017-2018 Grades Available: K-5
2017-2018 Re-Enrollment Process
Who Should Complete the Form?
The “Application for Lottery” (re-enrollment form) will be placed on the website on January4. One online form must be submitted for each student who wishes to re-enroll and/or newly enroll. There will be a place for parents to indicate if the student is a returning student or whether the student is new, and also if the new student has a currently enrolled sibling.
Easy Process for Re-Enroll
NOTE: This form will not be available until January 4, per lottery rules.
2. Complete one “Application for Lottery” form for each student you wish to re-enroll. (There are only a few questions to be completed and it should only take about five minutes to complete.)
3. After the lottery draw on February 22, you will receive an email from Brenda regarding your student(s)’ enrollment status and also asking you to update your PowerSchool data for each of your students.
Easy Process for Enrolling a New Student and/or Sibling
2. Complete one “Application for Lottery” form for each student you wish to enroll. You will have an opportunity to indicate that your new student is a sibling of a currently enrolled student, for priority status in the lottery.
3. At the end of February you will receive an email from Brenda, notifying you of the new student’s enrollment status and supplying a link that will allow you to submit necessary documents for enrollment, i.e. copy of birth certificate, immunization records and proof of residency. You will also supply contact information and other necessary information for enrollment through your PowerSchool portal.
Remember, if you wish to re-enroll your current student you MUST complete the online “Application for Lottery” form. If the application form is not completed, then your student may lose his/her seat in next year’s student body.
Enrollment Progress
As of today, 52% of our students have re-enrolled. We look forward to seeing many more students complete enrollment in the coming weeks!
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Do you know friends with kindergarten through grade 5 age students looking to join the Gem Prep: Nampa community?
Please invite any interested friends or family to join us at the Flying M, Saturday, January21st at 10:30am for an info session, or Nampa Public Library on Friday, February 3rd at 10:15am.
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Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)
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Are you interested in helping at Gem Prep: Nampa more consistently? Please send Stacey Walker an email at: [email protected] if you are interested in being a part of the PTO which will start before spring! |
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One of our fourth grade students, Breandan F., sent the following email to me as his act of kindness during the snow days:
“Hi Mrs. Walker,
I helped by shoveling the snow. My dad helps out too so everyone is safe. I really like when my dad took me for a ride and taught me to drive the tractor.
Breandan”
We are so proud of you for showcasing our school’s value of kindness and helping plow your neighborhood three times!
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There’s “SNOW” time like January to read the new titles in our Digital Library! Log on to OverDrive and go to the section called “Winter Wonders” to see recently added titles. |
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Winter Weather Policy Reminder
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In the event of a weather emergency Gem Prep: Nampa (GPN) will follow the decision of the Nampa School District (NSD) system because our students share the same busing routes. Once the NSD has made the decision to cancel school, notifications to our parents and staff will begin via email, Facebook and news media outlets. If we need to make up any days because of the recent school closures, we will let families know as soon as decided.
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We are excited to announce that we will be attending this year’s Canyon County Kids Expo. This family friendly event will be on January 28th, from 10am-6pm at the Ford Idaho Center. Gem Prep: Nampa will have a booth and be doing fingerprint art as well as answering any questions you or other parents may have about our school. We would love to see you, your family and friends at the event, so make sure to swing by and say hello. |
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The Arsenal United Soccer Club and their families have donated a total of 520 books for our students to use! The generous donation is greatly appreciated by all at Gem Prep: Nampa and will allow many the chance to explore the many wonderful adventures through reading. Thank you, Arsenal United Soccer Club, for the gift that keeps on giving! |
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You’re Invited: Walk in My
Child’s Boots Dinner
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Winter is here. Time to put away the sandals, and break out the winter boots. And now that those boots are out, why not join us as parents/guardians travel in them for a night? You’re invited to attend a chili dinner as you walk in your child’s footsteps, learning from your student’s perspective, as they share the importance of social-emotional learning to success in their academics.
When? Thursday, January 19th, 2017
Time? 5:30-7:00pm
Where? Gem Prep: Nampa: 5521 Southside Blvd. Nampa 83686 – Gem Prep: Nampa’s cafeteria then student classrooms. (Please enter through the front doors of the school.)
Event Details:
5:30-6:00 Chili dinner with cornbread, drinks, and dessert – all parents, relatives and children are invited to join!
5:50-6:20 While enjoying dinner, learn about what our students and teachers are saying about social-emotional learning and our school culture from Gem Prep: Nampa administration and guest, Julia Travers Rickert, from Panorama Education.
6:30-7:00 Spend time walking in your child’s boots as they lead you through their school work and data folders to share their academic growth through the social-emotional lens.
Please RSVP here so we can plan food accordingly. If you have an extra crock-pot, we’d love to borrow it for this event! Please let us know on the RSVP form if you are able to lend it for the event.
We look forward to hosting this community-building dinner for your family and giving you a chance to walk in your child’s boots!
Contact us at (208) 468.2848 or [email protected] with any questions.
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Upcoming Events Overview:
Monday, January 16: No School
Thursday, January 19: Full-day of school (not half-day as previously in the calendar)
Thursday, January 19: Walk in My Child’s Boots Dinner from 5:30-7pm at GPN
Friday, January 20: Professional Development for Teachers – No School for students
Saturday, January 21: Info Session at Flying M in Nampa at 10:30
Monday, January 23: Begin Quarter 3 and start electives
January 23-February 3: Winter NWEA MAP Assessment for grades K, 1, 2 and 4
January 23-January 27: Winter Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) for grades K, 1, 2, and 3
Saturday, January 28: GPN at Canyon County Kids Expo
Friday, February 3: Info Session at Nampa Public Library at 10:30am
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