Mr. De La Cruz featured on Channel 7 - Innovative Educator

 

Sacajawea's Mr. De La Cruz was featured on Channel 7 for his innovative integration of literacy skills in PE.  They highlighted a kindergarten favorite, alphabet tag.

We are proud of Mr. De La Cruz, and all of our Skyhawk teachers.  And we are proud of our #SkyhawkLearners too.

See post at: https://bit.ly/3IHddYf

Signs of Great New Beginnings - Found in The Halls of Sacajawea

The beginning of each year gives us a chance to set up positive new relationships in each classroom.  There are so many wonderful things happening in the classes across our school.  I've just taken a few examples that show the spirit of our teachers and our kids.  I found these throughout the halls in our first few days last week. I love seeing our kids and teachers express themselves.

Teachers As Students

Sacajawea Elementary School teachers Mary Friddle (2nd grade), Kathy Braun (Kindergarten), and Martha Rohall (1st grade) spent part of their summer being students.  They attended the Idaho Education Association Summer Institute in Lewiston and took workshops on everything from classroom management to balancing stress and life.  In this picture, they took time out from educational workshops to have their picture taken with a statue of Sacajawea at Lewis & Clark State College in Lewiston.  

Thanks For Making Sacajawea a Great Place for Kids!

Sacajawea is a great place for kids to grow up.  We have such a great bunch of dedicated, creative, and caring adults who all work together to make it that way.  Each of them contributes their part, like pieces of a puzzle.

Mrs. Olsen and I took a few minutes on Friday to recognize each teacher and staff member at Sacajawea.  Each of them received an envelope with a puzzle piece inside. 

Each piece of our puzzle included a trait that represented them such as gentle, positive, and joyous. Each team member found their piece in the puzzle.  Our team includes all of our great teachers, but also includes our cooks, our aides, our SRO, and everyone in between.  Each adult at Sacajawea cares about kids and does their part to make it a special place.

Parents, I’d encourage you and your kids to take just a few minutes and write a note to your teachers or other staff members this week to let them know what it is you appreciate about them.  That would really mean a lot to them.  Send that “old school” (on a piece of paper) or you can reach their email at: https://sac.caldwellschools.org/apps/staff/

Thanks to all the caring adults at Sacajawea.  You are a great bunch of human beings.  You make our school a better place and you make the world a better place.

Mr. Webster and Mrs. Olsen

Mrs. Hoilien - Sacajawea's Teacher of The Year - 2016-2017

We had the pleasure to honor our Sacajawea teacher of the year during our 4th quarter honors assembly.  This has become a special tradition at Sacajawea, to honor our teacher of the year in front of their students and their colleagues.  Mrs. Hoilien was nominated for teacher of the year by several different colleagues.  Several of Mrs. Hoilien's family members were able to surprise her and participate in honoring her.

4 Generations of Mrs. Hoilien's Family (Sorry, you got squeezed off the edge of the picture, Claire)

Here are some of the specific comments that her colleagues made about her:

• She is wholeheartedly committed to student learning. She has a no-excuses attitude towards learning and achievement. “We will figure this out.”
• As a teacher, she exemplifies the school pledge. She respects others, helps students solve problems, and steers them in the right direction to make good decisions. 
• She loves her students and keeps her sense of humor. I look up to her and hope to teach as well as her someday. 
• You are a true professional in this demanding field. Your leadership is spot-on and your thoughtfulness is even better. 
• Her kids read a ton, as evidenced by the number of her students who got more than 200% of their AR goal in quarter 4. Her kids have passed 3193 AR quizzes with 90.4% correct and they have averaged about 43 minutes per day of reading practice.

Mrs. Hoilien is a Teaching Leader:

• Pam does not seek the spotlight but makes things happen behind the scenes. She helps her students, her grade level, and the whole school.
• She has mentored new teachers to the school or to their grade level, helping them navigate through their first year.
• Pam has a "can do" attitude.  She is kind and willing to help whenever she can.  
• She is always willing to lend a hand or simply listen.  
• She volunteers beyond teaching. Pam, thank you for all the work you do with the PTO and the example of kindness and appreciation you show each day.  She went the extra mile helping with the carnival!  

Character and Attitude:

• Pam Hoilien epitomizes the Skyhawk code - or pledge.
• She is always respectful in her interactions with others and shows them such kindness and compassion. 
• You always come to school with a smile and greet everyone you see.  You show the same concern and kindness to your students, as I watch you interact with them in the halls.
• Has a bright and cheerful smile.  You are encouraging and thoughtful.  
• You know just when to interject a bit of humor
• Your presence graces us.  You have a smile on your face and always a kind word to say. 

Some Comments From Her Students:

• If we don’t understand something she doesn’t get mad.  She helps us figure it out.
• When we’re goofing off, she asks us to work.  She doesn’t let us waste time.
• I read to Mrs. Hoilien and that helps me get better at reading.
• She pushes us to get smarter.
• She helps us read a lot.

Mrs. Hoilien, you demonstrate what we aspire to be, as teachers.  It is an honor to get to work beside you.

Thanks for making Sacajawea a great place to learn.

PTO Meeting Next Week

PTO Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016
6pm – 7pm

Please join us for the first PTO meeting of the 2016-2017 school year. We'll meet outdoors under the tree near the Kindergarten playground at the school. Bring lawn chairs! Children are welcome to come and play at the playground while the parents and teachers meet. Please share with anyone who may be interested in attending. See you there!

Sunrise at Sacajawea

Two reasons we love mornings at Sacajawea:

1. Mr. Thomas and the Skyhawk Trail
2. A great view of the sunrise

Thanks to Mrs. Rehman for this pic of Mr. Thomas out running with the kids yesterday morning.  He said, "It was just so beautiful that I had to get out and run with them."  Isn't it great to have a little sun back to break up the fog?

Meet The Teachers Night

Sacajawea Meet The Teachers

Monday, August 18th
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Conocer Los Maestros

Lunes, 18 Agosto
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Your teachers have spent their summer getting ready for a great year of learning.  We have all kinds of great plans for you. Meet your teacher.  Greet our new teachers.  What kinds of things do we have up our sleeves this year?

Mariachi Sol De Acapulco Performs At Sacajawea

Thanks to the Sacajawea PTO and with the support of Caldwell Fine Arts, the Sacajawea students and staff enjoyed an excellent Cinco de Mayo performance by Mariachi Sol de Acapulco on Friday.  Two of the performers, Leo and Daniela, are Sacajawea alumni.  Arts bring color and passion to our lives.

Sacajawea Alumni, Daniela and Leo

A Serenade for Mr. Cornwall, our "best dancer?"

The Sacajawea Quartet joins the Mariachi for a rendition of "My Girl."

Nominate a Favorite Teacher

Boise Town Square Mall is holding a contest where parents or students can nominate their favorite teachers to win a $500 gift card.  If you use Facebook you can nominate a teacher at the Boise Town Square Facebook page or by clicking on this link to go directly there.  They will require your teacher's email address.  All email addresses can be found on our staff page if you don't already know it.

You can enter up to a 100 word statement about what you like about them.

The teachers at Sacajawea really are amazing!

Our Holiday Sing-Along

Teachers get their sillies out in the "Ugly Sweater Dance."

Sacajawea held its annual Christmas sing along on Friday. Students and staff showed off great musical talent. Thanks to Mrs. Folkins for putting together this great program.

Our students sang along and accompanied many songs.

A variety of songs, from silly to traditional