Our staff and School Site Council have voted to implement Response to Intervention (RTI) at Nimitz beginning with the 2008-2009 school year. This decision was made after careful consideration of the academic needs of all Nimitz students. The implementation of RTI will require significant changes to the structure of our school. There will be differentiation of instruction to meet the needs of each child with ongoing assessments. Reading will be the primary emphasis of RTI with writing incorporated to support the reading. To obtain further information about RTI, please join us at one of our parents meetings. They will be held on Thursday, June 5th from 8:15-9:15am and again from 7:00-8:00 pm. Both of these meeting will take place in the GLC.

Students must be in attendance on the last day of school to guarantee their place in the district for the following school year. If a student is absent on the last day, they must be re-registered when they return. Registration will be offered at Collins Elementary from July 21st - August 6th. In order to re-register, you must bring a current PG&E bill and one additional form of identification. If you return after August 6th, registration will be available at the Nimitz school office beginning Wednesday, August 13th at 9:00 am. If space is available at Nimitz, the student will be reinstated. If no space is available, the student will be assigned to another school in the district where space is available. If a student is ill on the last day, parents must notify the school of the absence and provide documentation.

• Check the Lost and Found for any lost items.
• Return all library books and school textbooks.
• Notify the office if you will not be returning next year or will be starting late. Students return on August 21, 2008.
• Make sure your student's Health/Enrollment Card is current with phone numbers, employment information and emergency contacts.
• If your child has medication in the school office, please pick it up on the last day of school, Thursday, June 12th.

Students will get a chance to participate in a variety of games and activities ranging from a basketball shoot and soccer dribble to obstacle courses, sack races, jump rope and limbo. Students will travel around the playground and field in teams, taking their turns at the various activities that have been organized by teachers, parents and support staff. Field Day reinforces the importance of physical fitness and comradeship. There are no points or scores on Field Day. All the students are winners!

You will be receiving a notification from Mrs. Gallatin regarding any books that have not been returned. If your child cannot find the book, they will be charged for the lost book. Students will not receive a report card until all library charges are paid. If the book is found after you have paid, your money will be refunded. Thank you for your understanding regarding this matter.

Any medication that remains after the close of school will be discarded. If your children are attending summer school and will need the medication during the shortened day, please take it to that school site's main office on the first day of classes.

If it will be necessary for your child to receive medication during the school day next year, please pick up a blue Medication Authorization form at the school office before the last day of school, June 12th.

In order for either prescription or over-the-counter medications to be given at school, both the doctor and the parent must sign the form. When completed, bring the Medication Administration form and the medication (in the original container) to the secretaries in the school office.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me: voice-mail 408-252-3000 ext. 475 or email waugh_katy@cupertino.k12.ca.us Have a happy and healthy summer!

The long, lazy days of summer can actually be a great time for kids to practice writing. Children can carve out the time they need to think and dream, to choose just the right work, and to make revisions. To promote writing this summer, encourage your child to:

• Keep a journal. Look for a pretty book that will make her want to write. She can spend time each day writing down her thoughts.
• Record observations. What could be the story of the old woman at the bank who brought in bag after bag of pennies? Perhaps she could be the main character in a mystery. Or how did she feel watching a sunset? Suggest that she try to capture her feelings in a poem.

• Write for a purpose. Are you visiting another town this summer? Have her write to the Chamber of Commerce to learn about things to do. Or have her write a letter to the Chamber in your own city.
• Publish what she writes. Send stories to family members and friends. Or help her make a collection of her stories and poems that you could give to grandparents for holiday or birthday gifts.
• Read. The best advice to any writer: ?Read, read, read and write, write, write.

         -From Parents Make the Difference!

The Cupertino Union School District's "Community Based English Tutorial" (CBET) Program is once again sponsoring a four-week summer session of adult English classes. It will be offered at two of our elementary summer school sites: De Vargas and Garden Gate Schools and one middle school site - Miller Middle School. Each class is scheduled from June 23 - July 18, 2008 and will meet daily from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. The applications for the CBET Program are available at www.cupertino.k12.ca.us. Space is limited, so sign up now. Preference will be given to parents with children in English Language Development programs at their schools. The CBET classes are not mandatory for parents.

The purpose of the CBET Program is to provide free or subsidized programs of adult English language instruction to parents or other members of the community who pledge to provide personal English language tutoring to English learners. Since these classes are for adults only, no childcare will be provided. Proposition 227 provides funding for this program. In accordance with Education Code Section 315 and Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations Section 11305, these funds may be used for direct program services, community notification processes, transportation services, and background checks required of the tutors who volunteer in public schools settings.

After the close of the open enrollment period, there are still a few spaces available for incoming first and second graders for the 2008-2009 school year at the McAuliffe Alternative Program. McAuliffe is a K-8 parent participation, experiential program based on an education philosophy that emphasizes the needs of the whole child. To sign up for the school tour on June 3, 2008, please contact the McAuliffe school office at (408) 253-4696, Extension 100. Additional information is available at http://www.cupertino.k12.ca.us/McAuliffe.www/.