June

• 1 (Wednesday) Dance Festival/Family Picnic, 10:45am-1:00pm, upper playground
• 6 (Monday) RREF Meeting, 7-8:30pm, Library
• 7 (Tuesday) Spring Instrumental Concert, 7:30- 8:30pm, MU
• 13 (Monday) 5th Grade Awards/Graduation Assembly, 9-10:10am, MU (Reception follows in front courtyard)
• 13 (Monday) 4th Grade Awards Assembly, 10:45am, MU
• 14 (Tuesday) 5th Grade End of School Year Picnic
• 15 (Wednesday) 5th Grade "America Rock", 7:00pm, MU
• 16 (Thursday) Last Day of School-Minimum Day, (1st- 5th grades attend 8:30-12:10, Kindergarteners attend 8:15-11:35am)
• 16 (Thursday) 1st-5th Grade Year End Assembly, 8:45-9:30am, front courtyard
• 16 (Thursday) School-wide Carnival, 12:30- 4:00pm
• 17 (Friday) Teacher Work Day

August Dates

• 17 (Wednesday) Registration Packet Pick-up, 8:30am- 3:30pm, front of school office
• 18 (Thursday) Registration Packet Pick-up, 8:30am- 3:30pm, front of school office
• 18 (Thursday) Registration, 4:00-7:00pm, MU
• 22 (Monday) Registration, 9:00am-noon, MU
• 29 (Monday) First day of school (Minimum day- dismissal 12:10, "Grab 'N Go" lunch) (late Registration 8:00-9:00am) (Kindergarten Schedule-A.M. Classes 8:30-10:00am and P.M. Classes 10:30-12:00)
• 29 (Monday) PTA Welcome Back to School Dinner and New Family Orientation 5:00-7:30pm
• 31 (Wednesday) Grades 1-5 attend school from 8:30am-2:00pm, Kindergarten classes have their regular schedule, A.M. classes 8:15-11:40am, P.M. classes 12:50-3:10pm
• September 5 (Monday) Labor Day Holiday-NO SCHOOL

Dear Rancho Families,

What a fabulous and well-attended Open House we had last week. The children were so vibrant and happy to show you their classrooms and the work they have been doing all year. Your support and interest in them and their work says that you not only care about their efforts and academic growth, but that you also value their education. Thank you for your enthusiasm and support.

It is hard to believe this is the last monthly Ranchogram for the school year. In just a short period, we will all be enjoying a well-deserved summer break. However, until June 16th comes and goes, there is still much to do and much to learn. Attendance at school is vital. Please pay close attention to the calendar of upcoming important events. Some of these events include our annual Dance Festival/Family Picnic on June 1 from 10:45-1 p.m., our instrumental music assemblies and concert on June 7, and our 4th and 5th grade awards assemblies on June 13. Additionally, many classrooms are also having special activities. Please consult your child's teacher for these individual class events.

Our last day of school will be Thursday, June 16. Following dismissal at 12:10 P.M., there will be a PTA sponsored Carnival on the upper play yard. If your children are planning on attending the carnival, please be sure to supervise your own children as staff supervision will not be available.

This week we celebrate Staff Appreciation week in honor of all the extraordinary work they do for the children of Rancho. Along with you, I salute each and every staff member for their hard work, enthusiasm, and ceaseless energy towards making this school year a wonderful and fun learning experience for all of the children.

As a staff, we thank the entire community for your special efforts this week in the recognition of the work we all do. Thank you.,

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL,

I am pleased to announce the addition of two new parent members (Jill Pasichuke and Wendy Thomas) and three new staff members (Connie Adelson, Wayne Gishi, and Matt Jacoby) for the 2005-06 Site Council. They replace outgoing parent members (Barbara McEldowney, Laurie Palmer and Diana Zygutis) and staff members (Brian Smith, Leslie Schroeter, and Sandy Conti). On behalf of the Site Council, I thank Brian, Leslie, Sandy, Barbara, Laurie, and Diana for their leadership, selfless service, hard work and enthusiasm to make Rancho a better place.

WRIST BRACELETS

Please take an active interest and monitor the wrist bracelets that your children are wearing to school. While the production and wearing of these started off with good intentions (e.g. supporting cancer research), they have become increasingly commercialized. While many have wonderful messages, some have inappropriate messages. Please monitor the wording on the bracelets your children are wearing. The wearing of these bracelets is increasingly becoming a distraction in class. Some children are wearing between 10 and 30 of these on their wrists. If they get in the way of classroom learning, teachers may be asking children to remove them. Also, it has come to my attention that some children are engaging in trading these bracelets at school. Please reinforce with your children, that trading of bracelets is not permitted, that they must not have inappropriate messages, and that they may not interfere with classroom instruction.

LOST AND FOUND

If your child is missing a sweater, hat, gloves, sweatshirt, and/or backpack, please check our Lost and Found. We have many articles of clothing that need to be claimed. All remaining items will be donated to Coronado School on June 10, 2005.

SUMMER LEARNING

Regardless of whether or not students are going to summer school or receiving tutoring or other learning enrichment/intervention services, some parents have asked questions of staff like, "What can we do to continue to help our children this summer?" or "What's the easiest way to prevent summer backsliding?" Reading is probably most key to your child's summer success. Studies show that children who keep reading over the summer improve rather than lose their reading skills! How can you get your children to read this summer? Here's what one parent suggests: "I find books my kids can't resist, about subjects they enjoy. We visit the library every week, rain or shine." Your local librarian will be happy to help your child find books and magazines that relate to their interests. A few topics to consider are:

SPORTS Encourage sports lovers to follow the progress of a favorite team in the newspaper. They may also like to read fiction or nonfiction books about a sport or favorite athlete.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES If your children like bicycling, skateboarding, hiking, camping or jumping rope, they may enjoy a book about one of these subjects.

PETS AND OTHER ANIMALS Your children can learn more about caring for their pets. Many children's books have animal heroes, such as Lassie.

FAMILY OUTINGS Planning a trip? Share maps, tour guides, brochures and books with your kids. They'll be more excited about the trip too.

TELEVISION AND MOVIES Many TV shows and movies are available as books. For example, if your children enjoy Disney movies, find books with the same titles.

During the course of a day, there are many ways you can help your children learn both at home or while away on a family vacation. These include:

* DISCUSS CURRENT EVENTS - Watch the news or read the newspaper together. Explain news stories when necessary. (Caution: some news reports may be scary to children. Consider looking for news shows or newspapers just for children.)

* OBSERVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS - Look for differences and similarities between various plants and animals. Build and hang a bird feeder. Let your child grow some plants.

* ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO START A COLLECTION - Children love to collect things - rocks, leaves, etc. A hobby begun early could be a lifelong source of pleasure.

* DISCUSS ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING - Talk about clouds, rain, hail and rainbows. Look at stars, point out constellations and talk about space travel. Point out the phases of the moon.

* WORK TOGETHER - When you're building or repairing something, explain what you're doing, how the tools work, etc. Let your child help, if possible.

*SELECT EDUCATIONAL GIFTS - Give almanacs, globes, books, map puzzles, etc. Choose games that test knowledge of history and geography.

* DEMONSTRATE GOOD CITIZENSHIP - Explain the importance of voting. Emphasize that citizens must be well-informed to make wise choices.

* FOR A SPECIAL TREAT - Visit your Statehouse, courthouse, town hall, a museum or a historic mission. Visit a zoo, aquarium, planetarium, seashore or farm.

As we head into summer, my sincere thanks go to the entire community for working with me this year and for making 2004/05 such a wonderful and productive year. We have accomplished much to be proud of and, I think, made Rancho a better place for our children. May you all have a wonderful end of the year and a relaxing, safe, and enjoyable summer.

See you all at Registration beginning with packet pick-ups August 17 and 18 from 8:30-3:30.

Warmly,

David Gold

Don't forget...the PTA is planning a great

SCHOOL-WIDE CARNIVAL

for the last day of school. There will be plenty of games, prizes, slides, inflatables and lots of fun!

Thursday, June 16, 2005

12:30 - 3:30 pm

Rancho Students $1.00

Siblings $5.00

HOORAY FOR MARK RHODA! We'd like to thank Mark Rhoda, a Rancho dad and CPA, for doing our RREF taxes year after year! Thank you MARK!

Are you looking for a great way to meet new people and get more involved in our school?

We have a great opportunity for you!!!!

We are looking for committee chairs for the following PTA positions: Lunchtime Coordinator, Publicity, Ranchogram, Reflections and Staff Appreciation Week. For more information please contact Annette Lance at 820-1332 or Donna Motta at 855-1697.

RANCHO ROMERO MATH OLYMPIADS RANK IN THE TOP 20% OF STUDENTS WORLDWIDE !! Twenty-two 5th grade mathletes, under the direction of Mr. Jacoby, dutifully reported to Rancho at 7:15 am every Wednesday this fall and winter for 3 months. The students participated in a national and international creative math problem solving program called Math Olympiad.

Math Olympiad is comprised of over 4,621 elementary and middle school teams including 86,879 elementary students and 17,000 middle school students from the United States and 30 foreign countries including Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. An additional 48,000 students participate in solving mind bending math word problems with Math Olympiad affiliates in Australia, Columbia and Egypt.

Rancho is pleased to list the following student participants: Thomas Palumbo, Quinn McLaughlin Lane Zorich, Allison Jones, Tina Gingrich, Makay Redd, Emily Ackerman, Divyansh Vaishnav, Rachel Fraistat, Brian LeBrie, Jeff Kuemmeler, Charley Luckhardt, Steve Lindow, Emily Lawrence, Hannah Beucke, Claire Rogers, Greg Danner, Chris Bauer, Shannon Low, Madison Luecht, Farhann Ali and Emma Platter.

Additional Honors go to Emma Platter as team high scorer and to Emily Lawrence, Steve Lindow, Thomas Palumbo and Quinn Mclaughlin who scored in the top 10% of all elementary students in the United States and abroad !!!

Greetings to all Parents, Donors, and Contributors to RREF.

The Auction committee would like to thank everyone one last time for their awesome contributions to this year's fundraising efforts. We had an extremely successful year, capped by the recently completed golf tournament.

The fundraising efforts become successful when as many parents as possible get involved in whatever way they can (donations of time, money, and/or items). We were successful because of the broad involvement of literally hundreds of people and organizations.

Final numbers are still coming in.....but we made approximately $200,000 dollars through the various Auction efforts!! Your generosity and hard work insures we will still be able to SUPPORT OUR KIDS in the manner they deserve in the 2005-2006 school year.

I would like to publicly acknowledge the members of the Auction committee who contributed so much time and effort into making our events successful. Thanks!! JP Furber

Donations - Jill Fusari, Sandrine Williamson, Yvonne Smith, Dione Dirito

Class Projects / Baskets / Teacher Treats - Robin Sell

Camp Rancho - Marina Cuenin, Teresa Leach, Janice Jefferies, Kellee Larson

Vintage Evening - Kathy Anderson

Note Cards - Cathy Dunn

Publicity - Ellen Spalding

Slide Show - David Keegan

Data Entry - Wendy Thomas

Check-Out - Christine Lindow

Catalog - Stephanie Lyon, Linda Trujillo

Graphics - Stephanie Wooldridge

Raffle - Amy Smoller

Print Coordinator - Jenny Ackerman

Decorations/Band - Wendi Cerda

Reservations - Martha Husak

Golf Tournament - Holly Scherman, Susan Erickson

Treasurer - Jill Pasichuke

Registration Dates - Please mark the following dates on your calendar.

>> Registration Packets will be stuffed on Thursday, August 11th, from 10am to noon. If you would like to help stuff please call Jill Pasichuke @ 837-5670.

Registration Packet pick-up will take place in front of the office on Wednesday, August 17th and Thursday, August 18th between 8am and 3:30pm. Registration will take place on Thursday, August 18th from 4pm to 7pm and Monday, August, 22nd from 9am to noon. There will also be late Registration on the first day of school (Monday, August 29th) from 8:00 to 9:00am.

If you would like to volunteer to help at Registration, please call Sue Pickett at 988-9801.

The Site Council Minutes from the April meeting are attached. Click here to read the Minutes.

Come one, come all to our annual Dance Festival and Family Picnic!!!!

Wednesday, June 1st, 10:45 - 11:45, classes will be doing their dances on the upper playground. After the dance performances we will be enjoying each other's company at our Family Picnic until 1:00. So get your blanket, make a great lunch and join us.

Don't forget those cameras - memories in the making.

2006 Auction - Chairperson Needed!!

Now is the time for anyone who has been thinking about how to make a tremendous contribution to the school and our kids, to step up and volunteer to coordinate our Auction efforts in the upcoming 2005 - 2006 school year. If you have been thinking along these lines, please take the initiative now and get a jump start on this most important fund raising event.

The personal satisfaction and rewards of chairing the Auction are immense.

If you are interested, please contact David Gold, Kristi Clark (RREF President), or JP Furber (2005 Auction Chair).

Thanks!!

This year Rancho Romero will create the first annual video yearbook to be published on DVD. The yearbook will be created from highlights of the weekly broadcast and include photos of students in the classrooms.
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If you did not order one at Registration last fall, then use the link below to download and print an order form. Return your form and attached check for $30.00 to the school office.
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DVD Yearbook Order Form

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Dear Parents, on behalf of each and every staff member, we want to express our deep gratitude and appreciation for making us feel special during Staff Appreciation Week. The flowers, cards, lunches, Starbuck's and other special remembrances made us feel loved and special. Your hard work and efforts resulted in a fantastic week of pampering! The sit down lunch in the beautifully decorated front courtyard complete with music, delicious food and student servers, was a highlight of the week and offered a chance for the staff to enjoy a relaxing time together. You are special parents and make Rancho a wonderful place to work! Thank you, for caring for each of us!

Rancho's Appreciative Staff!!!!!

The PTA Ways & Means Committee would love to take the burden of school supply shopping off your shoulders! Order your school supplies now, and pick them up at Registration in August. Don't get stuck in late summer trying to find what the teachers have requested and discover the items are out of stock. An order form will be sent home with each child in the next few days, or download a copy at the link below.

School Supplies Order Form