No Images? Click here UDA Weekly UpdateApril 15, 2018Parent Community ForumThank you to all who attended our first Parent Community Forum on Tuesday, April 10! This was a big step in the advancement of parental community engagement for student achievement. This meeting marked the first of three Parent Community Forums that will be held this spring. Upcoming meetings will be held on Saturday, April 28 at 12pm and Wednesday, May 2 at 6pm. We hope you will join us at the next meeting! Smarter Balanced Practice TestsIn order to help familiarize 3rd-8th grade students with the Smarter Balanced testing interface and support features for online CAASPP testing in May, we encourage our students and families to review the practice tests that mimic the summative assessments. The practice tests, as opposed to the training tests, are grade specific and are available in the areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics. Each content area includes two tests: Multiple Choice and a Performance Task. To help your child become familiar with the testing interface and the types of questions he/she may be asked, follow the steps below: 1. Go to www.caaspp.org 2. Click on "Practice and Training Tests" 3. Click on "Student Interface Practice and Training Tests" 4. Sign in by checking the boxes for Guest User 5. From there, the student can select the appropriate grade level and practice test Snack DonationsThroughout the first three weeks of May, students in grades 3-8 will spend a few mornings participating in state testing. If you are able to donate a healthy snack for your child’s class to enjoy during their testing break, we would greatly appreciate it. Please email your child’s classroom teacher to coordinate and check food allergies, and plan to include a snack for each student in the class. Thank you for your support, and please remember, UDA is a peanut-free school. Parent Informational Session on GenderJoin us for an informative presentation about gender by Darlene Tando, LCSW on Monday, April 23 at 6pm in the Hive. Topics will include gender expression, gender identity, gender dysphoria, and what it means to be a transgender or gender-expansive person. This presentation is open to all parents/guardians of students at Urban Discovery Academy. Following this presentation, Darlene will present to the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders on Tuesday, May 1 with an age-appropriate discussion of gender. This parent meeting will be a good opportunity for parents to learn about the information that will be presented to their youth, as well as language to use when discussing this topic with their children. There will also be time for questions at the end of the presentation. Darlene Tando, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has a private practice in San Diego and has been working with transgender youth and adults since 2006. Darlene provides consultations and ongoing therapy for gender-expansive/transgender children, adolescents, and adults. Darlene writes a gender blog (www.DarleneTandoGenderBlog.com) on which she writes about all things gender-related. Darlene is a proponent of the Informed Consent model and believes the individual is the “expert” on one’s own gender identity. She believes it is her role to support the individual and family to assist in making one’s journey easier. Darlene recently published the book “The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Gender Identity: A Mindful Approach to Embracing Your Child’s Authentic Self”. We hope you will join us for this meeting on April 23. Graduation PhotosComplimentary of Sumner Photography, graduation photos will be taken of all 8th grade students on the morning of Friday, May 11. Students should arrive in UDA uniform on this day, and a graduation gown and cap will be provided for these photos. These free portraits will be distributed to students during the 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony on June 14. There will not be a makeup day for graduation photos, so please mark your calendar for May 11. Camp Urban SolThis summer, the UDA Foundation will once again host Camp Urban Sol, an assortment of half-day courses taught by credentialed teachers. Participating students will continue to learn over summer through hands-on activities, experiments, community adventures, and play. July 9-August 3, 2018 IDEATE Information NightIDEATE High Academy would like to invite families to attend a school tour and informational evening on Thursday, April 19 at 6pm. This is a great opportunity to meet with administration, learn more about our high school’s programming, and ask questions. Please rsvp by emailing rhatch@ideatehighacademy.com. Fourth GradeOur 4th graders recently completed their Iditarod dog pens using area and perimeter. Students designed a blueprint and calculated area and perimeter, and then created a 3-D model including everything a dog from the Iditarod would need. Visual ArtsStudents in 1st grade are finishing their portrait drawings, practicing manikin (a jointed model of the human body), and also creating animal portraits. Fourth graders are exploring patterns by using one shape to create numerous patterns. A Message from Network ParentsEarth Day Special event t-shirts featuring the Dymaxion Map will be available for $15 each. Students who wear their Earth Day or March for Science t-shirts to the UDA Earth Day event will receive 2 free tickets. Admission is free, however, some games and snacks will require tickets ($1 per ticket). Network Nominations To nominate yourself or someone else for a Network Executive Board position, click HERE. Used Uniform Donations Middle School Skate Night Top Notch LunchesTo order a hot lunch for your child, first create an account with Top Notch. User accounts from last year do not carry over, so all parents must register for the 2017-2018 year. To register, click on “Order Online Today” from the homepage, then select “Register.” On this page, you will need to enter the password for UDA, which is URA6. Upon entering the password, you will be able to complete the registration process by creating your own username and password. Families that meet the free or reduced qualification according to this form will receive discounted Top Notch lunches. The discount will be automatically applied to each order. Online orders must be placed by 6pm on the day before the lunch delivery. Top Notch can not supply lunches requested after this deadline. Please email lunch@topncatering.com or call 619-971-4524 if you have any questions. Follow Top Notch on Facebook and Instagram for additional information. Reporting AbsencesPlease remember to report student absences by 9:00 am on the day of your child’s absence. To report an absence, you may call the main line at 619-788-4668 and press option #2 to leave a message, or you may send an email to attendance@urbansd.com. All absences must be reported with a voicemail recording or email. Upcoming Dates
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