Black Cat Bulletin
Keeping it R.E.A.L! Respect + Effort + Attitude= Leadership
November 2016
From Our Principal...
Dear families,
What an awesome winning season we are having! The West Side Nut Club's Fall Festival was a smashing success; don't you agree? Our local marching bands performed extraordinarily well this season, and "R" Panthers have made us proud with a great season. Whether you're a Cubs fan or not, it is undeniable that the long wait was rewarded with a fantastic game!
We want to continue that winning feeling here at WT and our teachers and staff are pulling through with a strength and focus that amazes me. We are learning so much every week, and are doing our best to integrate this learning to support and advance the learning of our students. No matter what we are doing, the focus is on what is best for the child! As I'm sure you have witnessed, the teachers are passionate about their profession and compassionate about your children and what they are experiencing.
If you feel your child is not experiencing a "win," please be sure to contact your teacher. We ask that you contact the teacher first and seek support, as they are the closest to your child and wish to be 'in the loop'. You may also contact either Mrs. Coughlin, the counselor, or an administrator--Mrs. White or Mrs. Lynch--if you need urgent assistance. Your child's academic needs are important to us, but their emotional well-being is our priority. We are all here to help!
Katie White
Principal
From Our Principal Intern
Math Fact Fluency
Teachers and students are both working hard as we walk through the hallways of West Terrace. In our math classes, students are learning to use math skills and apply this to real-life problems. Students are encouraged to persevere and work hard as they apply what they know to complex situations. Many students are using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division facts to complete problems with measurement. As we continue to teach students to use problem solving skills, you can assist at home. Students who have a strong background with math facts and can complete these facts fluently tend to solve more difficult problems with ease. Consider using some of the activities below to help your student increase his or her math fact fluency.
Dice
A simple set of dice can be used to play many fluency games. For younger students, have a set of dice placed in a small Tupperware container. Students can shake the dice inside the container and add the sides together to find the sum. This activity can also be used to practice simple subtraction or multiplication facts.
Take different colored dice and place them in a clean, empty water bottle. Assign each color a specific place value (e.g. red= hundreds, blue= tens, white= ones). As students shake the bottle, they can create a number using the values from the different colored die. Students can then determine the value of each digit in the number. While this doesn’t directly impact a child’s math fact fluency, it does assist with building a student’s understanding of place value and will help students as they approach more difficult problems.
Cards
Use a pack of playing cards to practice fluency with students. One player will take half of the deck while the second player takes the other half. The players will each flip over their top card and add them together. The first player to find the sum of the numbers will take both cards. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner. This can be modified to allow practice with subtraction or multiplication as well.
Bethany Lynch
Principal Intern
From Our Counselor...
A place to do homework is an important part of a regular study routine. Use these steps to help your youngster create his own “home office.”
1. Ask your child where he would like to work. It can be a permanent spot such as a desk or table in his bedroom. Or he can put together a portable homework tote bag for carrying supplies to the kitchen table.
2. Help him stock his homework area. He should include pencils, a pencil sharpener, erasers, paper, a ruler, a calculator, and a dictionary. Tip: Remind him to let you know when supplies are running low.
3. Suggest that your youngster make a “Student at Work” sign to hang on his bedroom doorknob or kitchen chair. It will show him that his work is important, and it can alert siblings not to disturb him.
NOTES FROM THE NURSE
Kids at school and in childcare settings are going to play. And their play may lead to the spread of head lice. However, you can take steps to prevent the spread of lice among children and adults.
Teach and practice good habits
To reduce the chance of you or your child catching a case of head lice, start by not sharing items that touch the head.
It may be tempting to share personal belongings, especially for kids, but lice can crawl from an object to your head. Avoid sharing:
· combs and brushes
· hair clips and accessories
· hats and bike helmets
· scarves and coats
· towels
· headsets and earbuds
Don’t go head-to-head
When kids play, they may naturally place their heads close together. But if your child’s friend has head lice, your young one may come home with it.
Ask your child to avoid games and activities that lead to head-to-head contact with classmates and other friends. Adults, especially those who work with children, would be wise to follow the same principle.
Put long hair in a ponytail or braid. A small amount of hair spray may help contain stray hair.
Space it out
Shared spaces and shared belongings can be breeding grounds for lice. Closets, lockers, drawers, and common clothes hooks can create an easy opportunity for lice to pass from one person’s things to another’s.
Ask your child to keep their belongings — especially hats, coats, scarves, and other clothing —out of common areas. For safety’s sake, adults should take similar precautions.
What to do when you know
It’s not always easy to know who has head lice and who doesn’t. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sometimes it can take up to six weeks for those with lice to experience symptoms such as itching.
Other times, a parent will notice that a child has head lice before it’s an epidemic. When you know someone has lice, be sure that you and your child avoid touching their furniture, beds, clothing, and towels.
Bed Bugs...Unlikely to Succeed at School
The good news is:
- Bed bugs are more likely to feed during the night-time hours and reside in places where people sleep.
- Therefore, infestations of school buildings are uncommon, although bed bugs may “hitch-hike” on a student’s clothing, books or backpack from an infested home.
- They do not transmit disease.
The state guidance we receive helps determine our response, and EVSC has implemented some practices that support maintaining a healthy environment for our students and community. Following Indiana State guidance, It is not recommended to exclude students from school for an infestation in the home.
- If the bug is found on a student or his/her belongings, it is important to discretely remove the student from the classroom and examine the student’s clothing and other belongings.
- Remember that is it possible the bug did not originate from the student’s home and may have crawled from another student’s items.
- Store the student’s personal items in a garbage bag or plastic bin until the student leaves school.
- Contact the parent/guardian of the student to let them know a bug was found on the student’s belongings and recommend a home inspection by a licensed professional.
- Provide education to the parent/guardians of students who have suspected infestations of the home information on the treatment of the bites, control of the infestation and the need to use professional exterminator service in the home.
- Provide instruction on actions parents can take to reduce the spread of bed bugs to the school environment.
- 1. Laundering items worn outside the home first with dry heat for 20 minutes followed by washing in hot water and drying again in high heat.
- 2. Storing freshly washed clothing and other items taken daily to school, such lunch boxes and coats in a sealed clear plastic bin or garbage bag until the student needs to take them outside the home. These items should be inspected for the presence of bed bugs daily.
- 3. Routine cleaning of all hard surfaces with normal cleaning solutions.
EVSC Supportive Services will be called and quickly respond to any suspected or identified bugs. If a bed bug is found on clothing or backpacks, we will immediately contact Supportive Services for support and follow protocol to prevent infestation.
If bed bugs would be found inhabiting a classroom, (not just on a backpack or clothing worn by a child,) we will notify the families in that classroom.
Dress Up Fundraiser
ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
Attend today; achieve tomorrow. #Schooleveryday
Remember:
- As a general rule, if a child is fever free and not vomiting
- Early bedtimes and a healthy diet will help your child's overall well-being. If a child feels better, he will get up easier and be happier to go to school.
- 24-Hour rule: If a child has been fever-free or has not vomited for 24 hours, he may return to school.
- Out of town trips are coded solely as an unexcused absence and an automated call will be made even if the office has been notified.
- Be sure to turn in all doctor excuses. We can not accept doctor's excuses that state "parent called in. Child not seen."
- Please note vacation days count as unexcused absences and can quickly get your child to the 10 day limit.
INFORMATION
Lost and Found
With colder weather coming you need to make sure your child's coats, sweaters, gloves, scarves, and hats are labeled with their names. Also, make sure you have backpacks and lunch boxes labeled. If your child is missing any items, have them check the lost and found table in the cafeteria. It is full of unclaimed items.
4th and 5th Grade Boys and Girls Game Schedule
PAWS ON PARADE
We’re off to a great start this year. There are so many kids walking in the club. We have several that have completed 20 miles already . Ask your child if they joined the Paws on Parade club and how many laps/miles they have completed. They will love to know that you are interested in what they have achieved. I’m glad to see so many join for they may not realize it but they are off to a great start to a lifelong healthy habit.
I also want to thank staff members for their help with the club. The club wouldn’t be successful without your help. The kids love you for it. THANK YOU!! Also, THANK YOU to all the kids that are helping too! It’s great to have such great leaders.
Menus available at the link below
In order to save copy cost; we ask that you click on the link below to see the September menus. If you are unable to access the link, please let the office know and we'll continue to provide a paper copy to you.
JOIN THE WEST TERRACE PTA!
President: Jenny Fuquay
Vice-President: Sandi Davis
Secretary: Tera Babb
Treasurer: April Coughlin
2016-17 Meetings
August 29 5:30 p.m. (All meetings in the Media Center)
September 20 4:30 p.m.
October 18 4:30 p.m.
November 7 5:30 p.m. (Area Council PTA)
February 13 5:30 p.m.
April 10 5:30 p.m.
Donations Needed
PTA is asking for your help! Please support our students by donating new equipment for use at recess. We are in need of basketballs, footballs, soccerballs, volleyballs, rubber playground balls, jump ropes, Frisbees, skip balls, hula hoops and hand pumps. You may drop off your donations anytime the month of October in the front office. Thank you for your support!
Extended Day Center
Community Outreach
Recycling News
Welcome back!! I hope everyone had a great summer! As we begin the new school year, I would like to introduce our new students and remind our returning students about our recycle program here at West Terrace.
Plastic caps-Our school NO LONGER accepts plastic caps for recycling. Thank you for your support in acquiring benches and tables for our property!
Aluminum cans and tabs-We have a collection cage for aluminum cans on the east side parking area, sitting next to the blue dumpster. You can pull up in your car and deposit them in the cage at any time. Send aluminum tabs in with your child to drop in the blue tub located inside school.
Paper, plastic, cardboard, and glass-We collect these items inside the school and you can collect them at home! West Terrace is part of the city recycling program and we have a clearly marked recycle dumpster sitting in the east parking area. You are able to bring your recycle items to school and put them in the dumpster at your convenience!!
Thank you to everyone for teaching our students to be good stewards of Mother Earth,
Mrs. Risley
THIS YEAR'S STAFF
Please help us welcome the following staff members to our teams.
Here are the specific grade level assignments:
Kindergarten:
Tara Kolb, rm 32
Wendy Brunson, rm 30
Lisa Gooch, rm 33
Angela Hayes, rm 34
First Grade
Amanda Woods, rm 1
Brooke Corressell, rm 3
Mallorie Roberts, rm 6
Cindy Hamon, rm 5
Second Grade
Vera Emmons, rm 9
Carie Kingery, rm 10
Trisha Kavanaugh, rm 15
Amy Nau, rm 12
Third Grade
Janette Allen, rm 16/ Stephanie Scheu, rm 16
Robin Bass, rm 19/ Denise Strawn, rm 18
Amanda Southworth, rm 23
Fourth Grade
Shelly DeWeese, rm 22/ Lindsey Stine, rm 29
Audrey Gower, rm 24/Nikki Paul, rm 23
Fifth Grade
Trish Toelle, rm 26/Renee Schefer, rm 27
Cassie Curl, rm 28/Simone Nance, rm 25
Special Ed
LIfeskills:
Jennifer Bennett, rm 4
Sarah Walls, rm 2
Resource:
Renae Jackson, rm 14
Shelley Patton, rm 21
Amanda Ritzert, media center
Rotation
Susan Kemper, Art, rm 8
Anne Woodruff, Music, rm 7
Peggy Belanger, Gym
Nadine Risley, Technology
Office
Katie White, Principal
Bethany Lynch, Principal Intern
April Coughlin, Counselor
Sheri Moore, Principal's Secretary
Nicole Smith, Secretary/Receptionist
Christine Hamilton, Nurse
Peggy Jewell, Media Aide
West Terrace Elementary School
8000 West Terrace Drive
Evansville, IN 47712
FAX (812) 435-8869
Email: katie.white@evsc.k12.in.us
Website: evscschools.com/westterrace
Location: West Terrace Elementary School, West Terrace Drive, Evansville, IN, United States
Phone: (812) 435-8733
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Terrace-Elementary-School/333852756647518