People love to celebrate … everything. On January 18, Thesaurus Day is a celebration of the power of words. This date is the birthdate of Peter Mark Roget, who is best known for creating Roget’s Thesaurus. His name is so synonymous with this type of reference book that the publisher trademarked it. The original version of his Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, Classified, and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas was published in 1852 and contained 15,000 words; it has grown with each subsequent version. Roget’s was also the first book of this type that arranged synonymies in topical order, and it is this feature that many credit with the success of his thesaurus over others.

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Students at Tucson charter school, La Paloma Academy, learn about and are encouraged to embody the Six Pillars of Character:

• Trustworthiness: able to be relied on as honest or truthful
• Respect: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements; due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others
• Responsibility: the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something; the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization; a thing that one is required to do as part of a job, role, or legal obligation; a moral obligation to behave correctly toward or in respect of
• Fairness: impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination
• Caring: (adj.) displaying kindness and concern for others; (n.) the work or practice of looking after those unable to care for themselves, especially sick and elderly people
• Citizenship: the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations, and functions of a citizen*

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Most parents today are well-aware of the studies showing that children lose knowledge and skills over long breaks from school. The holidays are a time of fun and relaxation for most, but, with a little planning, you might just be able to halt the loss of some of those skills and engage your children in inspiring ways.

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You can help your school by taking advantage of the Arizona School Tax Credit. Arizona law allows taxpayers to receive a tax credit of up to $400 for donations that benefit our students. A tax credit reduces what you owe in state taxes, dollar-for-dollar. For more information and a printable tax credit form, click below.

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Mars regained the world’s attention this fall, with recent news of the discovery of liquid water on the planet and a new blockbuster film set on Earth’s nearest neighbor, The Martian. This is a timely moment to focus on Red Planet Day, November 28.

Celebrate the fourth planet from our solar system’s sun with our series of blogs discussing general information about Mars, some of the more than 40 space missions humans have launched to study the planet, a section on the future of Mars and plans for manned missions to the planet, and concluding with links to fiction and non-fiction on Mars.

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This holiday break, consider volunteering with your La Paloma Academy student, and help someone else in need. Volunteering within the community is a great way to instill the values of citizenship and compassion, which can last your child a lifetime. The season of giving is the perfect opportunity to introduce kids to or reinforce these character concepts.

Volunteerism teaches kids to appreciate what they have. Children oftentimes learn best by seeing and even experiencing a situation for themselves. Helping out in a soup kitchen or touring a homeless shelter after donating allows kids to visualize the contrast compared to their own lives. Your child can appreciate that he or she is able to have a meal and home while others may not be so fortunate.

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La Paloma’s Central Campus will host a Harvest Fest for students and families from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, October 30. There will be fun for the whole family including a dunk tank, photo booth, jumping castle, and obstacle course, plus a DJ to make this autumn affair an event to remember. There will be tons of fair food too, like cotton candy, popcorn, nachos, pizza, hamburgers, and hotdogs for sale. Tickets are currently on sale—5 for $1.

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With fall, the first report cards and parent-teacher conferences of the academic year arrive. La Paloma Academy, your Tucson charter school, is no exception to this rule. Information on these one-on-one sessions with your child’s teacher will be going home shortly, making this the perfect time to discuss how to ensure these meetings are successful and useful for all involved. Every year there is more research documenting the connections between academic achievement and parental involvement in schools. La Paloma believes firmly that parent engagement in education is vital to the academic success of every student, and encourages parents to be active participants in their student’s academic growth. We all—parents, students, teachers, staff, and administration—play important roles in the achievement of a shared goal: academic and character achievement.

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The quarter ends this month and La Paloma Academy, your favorite Tucson charter school, will be sending home report cards soon. Instead of just pin-pointing on the grades, look at these as part of an ongoing conversation about your child’s education. Report cards are a great way to notice and celebrate accomplishments, as well as a tool to help set explicit goals for the upcoming quarter or the rest of the year.

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In the Arizona Daily Star’s 2015 Readers’ Choice competition, the Tucson community voted La Paloma Academy as a one of the top 3 charter schools in Tucson. The voting concluded on August 31 and included 34 area charter schools. The paper published the Readers’ Choice Awards and Favorites in a special section of the paper on Sunday, September 27. You can also view them online.

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