1st Grade Concert - Spring 2013

We are so proud of our 1st grade musicians.  They've grown up so much.  What a joy to see them performing.  This was the product of so much hard work.

Thanks to all the families for attending.  Thanks to our kids for putting all of your heart into it.

Thanks to Mrs. Folkins for all of her months of dedication to excellence.

Sacajawea Choir Performed With Other Caldwell Groups

The 2013 Sacajawea Choir performed with a couple vocal groups from Caldwell High School as well as with the choir from Lincoln Elementary.  The harmony moved some to tears.  In this picture the choir took advantage of a relaxed photo opportunity after one of their Saturday rehearsals with the other Caldwell choirs. They prepared for hours before their Concert on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Sacajawea Carnival Friday, April 26th

The Sacajawea PTO has a fantastic carnival planned with fun for all families. Come to Sacajawea from 5:00 to 7:30.

There will be a spaghetti feed, games and booths.  There will be a gift basket raffle, with options to match anyone's fancy. Our carnival will also include a community fair, with resources for families in Caldwell.  These include summer sports and lessons as well as different community resources. Don't miss out. Bring a little bit of money to help support our PTO and to support our kids.

Full Scholarships for Summer Swim Lessons - Caldwell Y

The Caldwell Family YMCA has a grant to provide full scholarships for swim lessons to hundreds of local kids.  If your kids qualify from free or reduced lunch or if they are of Hispanic, African American or Native American descent then they may qualify for this program, where the whole cost of the lessons is paid for. Sign-ups are going fast as word of mouth spreads, so get in right away. To sign up for this program, parents need to sign up for lessons at the front desk of the Caldwell Y. Lessons will be provided to qualifying kids between age 0 and 18, as space is available.  If your kids are not in one of those categories then the Y also has financial assistance available if you need it.

It is good for kids to get involved in something during the summer vacation.  The Caldwell Y and the Caldwell City Rec programs both have excellent options available.

Retired Couple Finds Joy In First Grade

Mr. Primrose Listens As A Student Reads a Decodable To Him

I first met John and Jo Primrose late this last summer, as they wheeled a handcart full of hundreds of little “decodable” books for our first graders at Sacajawea Elementary.  I was new to Sacajawea but they were obviously not.  It was their place.  They had folded and stapled these little booklets over the summer so that our teachers could focus on the more critical tasks of planning for successful instruction.  

Mr. Primrose laughed as he informed me that they had started in kindergarten but had never gotten past the 1st grade.   That much is true.  They have been volunteering regularly at Sacajawea for about six years.  Their youngest grandkid is in 5th grade now but they stayed with his kindergarten teacher and eventually moved up to help Miss Burton and her team in first grade.  

Student Reads Sight Words to Mrs. Primrose

The Primroses are an excellent example of the way a willing community member can make a difference.  They clearly love what they do with our 1st graders.  They read with struggling 1st graders.  They listen while kids read individually to them.  If you peek into one of our first grade classrooms on Tuesday or Wednesday morning you might see a first grader reading their “decodable” book to Mr. or Mrs. Primrose.  When they have practiced enough so that they can read it fluently then they get to take the book home to read to their parents.  By volunteering, they provide our kids with some much needed one on one attention.  Without their help it wouldn’t be available to these kids as often.

Mrs. Saunders, one of our first grade teachers, reported that it boosts kids' confidence when they read to Mr. and Mrs. Primrose.  It is a real motivator.  "Some of my students stay in during their recess time to read with them," she said.  They love the extra attention and the sense of success they get.

Mrs. Primrose Follows Along, As a Student Reads To Her

What is required to be a helpful volunteer?  The Primroses say that a volunteer needs to be patient and needs to be available.  They need to be willing to do what the teacher needs.  Most importantly, they need to enjoy working with children.  If you don’t then it will be a bad experience for everyone.  Mrs. Primrose reports that she can’t really walk that well but she can be helpful to the teacher anyway.  “I don’t have to [walk].  I can sit in the class and help.”  Kids come to her at the table.

Why would a person want to spend their time volunteering?  “It’s fun,” said John.  He loves to see the progress that individual kids make. The Primroses both said they want to challenge retired people like them to “pass on what you know.”