No Images? Click here UDA Weekly UpdateMay 14, 2017End of Year PicnicWe look forward to celebrating the school year with all of our families at the End of Year Picnic on June 3rd! The picnic is a casual gathering organized by the UDA Network to celebrate with all of our families and the UDA community. Although there will be raffle items and other opportunities to support UDA, the primary purpose of the event is to celebrate the year together. We hope everybody can make it! Ball DropKeep selling those golf balls for the 50/50 Ball Drop Opportunity Drawing taking place at the End of Year Picnic on June 3! The deadline for students to turn in their ball sales is May 19, and the top selling student and top selling classroom will be announced the following week. Use this link to purchase a golf ball for $10 each. The winner of the Ball Drop will walk away with half of the money collected! The winner does not have to be present at the picnic to win, however, you must be present at the picnic in order to participate in all other raffles. Students have opportunities to win as well:
Toy Use at UDAPlease help support us in keeping all toys and fidgets at home. A fidget should not be present at all in the classroom unless it is a part of a child's individualized education plan. UDA Transitional Kindergarten ApplicationsIf you or someone you know is interested in enrolling a child in UDA’s Transitional Kindergarten program for the 2017-18 school year, please complete an online application through SchoolMint by Thursday, June 1. The TK lottery will be held on June 2. This program will only be open to students who will reach the age of five between September 2 and December 2 of the 17-18 school year. UDA will follow our existing admissions guidelines for students who are TK-eligible, including priority admissions in the following order for:
Middle School Outdoor Education TripsSome of you recently asked about the future of middle school outdoor education trips at UDA. The answer is: YES, the wonderful multi-day outdoor education programming for our middle schools will be continuing into the future! This week, our 8th graders went to Catalina Island where they learned about island ecology and marine biology while snorkeling, kayaking, and participating in team building activities. Our 7th graders are currently at Surf Camp in Imperial Beach learning about ecology and earth sciences, honing their scientific investigation skills, climbing, and enjoying the campfire. Later in May, the 6th grade will attend Astrocamp in Idyllwild to learn about physical science and astronomy, build and launch rockets, and participate in a rope course and zipline adventure while they strengthen their leadership skills. These trips are a vital part of our middle school curriculum and have been a transformative experience for our middle school kids. First GradeFirst grade is making a positive impact on our community. The students recently visited St. Paul's Villa to read and play card games with senior citizens, and are also making memory games for their pre-k buddies about their favorite things. They are looking forward to the continuation of building relationships with people in our community. Second GradeSecond grade is full of budding entrepreneurs! For their economy project, each student wrote a business proposal, met with the banker, got approved for a loan, and designed a store. Afterwards, they opened their stores for business to begin buying and selling from one another. Once the sales have concluded, each student will repay their loan. Sixth GradeStudents in 6th grade are currently working with a local architect from Soltek Pacific Construction. Last week, they learned about compression, tension, and engineering principles, and this week they will put their knowledge to test and build! STEAMKindergarten students had fun learning about measurement by making their own slime. Students in 3rd grade recently tested the strength and durability of the popsicle stick bridges they designed and constructed. Seventh grade students learned about soldering from Mr. Dave Cox, a guest visitor. Visual ArtsFirst graders are exploring the use of chalk and chalk drawing techniques while creating images of their favorite animals. Art ClubAfter drawing self portraits with pastels, after-school art club students began working on their “customer service” skills through a face painting activity, transforming the faces of their friends into animals or graphic designs. Online Uniform OrdersUniforms that were purchased from UDA’s online store by April 14 will be delivered to the front office on May 31. A Message from Network ParentsState TestingThroughout May, students in grades 3-8 will be participating in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science (grades 5 and 8 only for Science). On testing days, and always, please ensure that your child receives proper rest and a healthy breakfast, and arrives to school on time. Testing begins at 8am. 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. See below for test administration dates: Third Grade: May 8, 9, 17, 18 Fourth Grade: May 8, 9, 17, 18 Fifth Grade: May 1, 8, 9, 17, 18 Sixth Grade: May 3, 4, 15, 17 Seventh Grade: May 3, 4, 15, 16 Eighth Grade: May 1, 3, 4, 15, 16 Parents and students are encouraged to examine the kinds of questions that students will encounter on the tests by reviewing the CAASPP Practice and Training Tests. 2017 Creativity ContestShow your creativity by turning a standard 2 inch by 7 inch bookmark into a work of art. Not only will your work be displayed at the final Book Fair of the year, which happens to be Buy One Get One, but you will also be able to purchase the amazing work of fellow UDA artists. Bookmarks must be 2 dimensional so they may be replicated and offered for sale to classmates and members of the UDA family. Copies of each bookmark (single sided only) will be sold for 50 cents each, and students may collect as many as they like! Each student may submit up to two entries. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a 2017 Creativity Contest trophy and a $20 gift certificate to spend at the book fair. There will also be 10 Honorable Mentions awarded to students who will each receive a $10 gift certificate to spend at the book fair (the BOGO deal does not apply to gift certificates). A blank template will be sent home with each child, more are available upon request, and all entries are due by Wednesday, May 24 to Mr. Kevin. A special shout out goes to the 2016 Defending Creativity Champ, Olivia Harrison. We are excited to see our students’ interesting and innovative ideas for the perfect page holder this spring! Middle School Uniform DonationsIf your child in Middle School has outgrown his/her black or khaki uniform bottoms, please consider donating them to UDA to be used as loaners. Similarly, if your child borrowed loaner uniform pants, skirts, or shorts, please return them to the front office once they have been cleaned. Camp Urban SolPlease visit the Foundation website for course descriptions, registration, and payment. If you have any questions, please contact Megan Buie at mbuie@urbandiscoveryacademy.com. Reporting an Absence ReminderIf your child needs to remain at home due to illness, family emergency, funeral, legal matter, or religious holiday, UDA needs to receive notification from a parent/guardian by 9am on the day of in order to excuse the absence. In order to report the absence, you may either call the school (619-788-4668) and select option 2 to leave a voice message, or send an email to attendance@urbansd.com. UDA needs to receive either the voice message or email message directly from the parent/guardian for documentation. Upcoming Dates
View the school calendar here. |