GEIST GAZETTE
September 6, 2019
GEIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Website: https://ges.hseschools.org/
Location: 14051 East 104th Street, Fishers, IN 46037
Phone: 317-915-4260
Twitter: @Geistgators
HSE WE GOT THIS
Learners succeed and thrive when their school environments fully support them. At Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, we are committed to educating the whole child which must include support for students’ social and emotional growth. For more information about our commitment to educating the whole child, view the We Got This videos and informational landing page.
HSE We Got This Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VHrpiZHMLw
SEL-We Got This Page https://www.hseschools.org/counseling/social-emotional
Keller’s Clips: Social-Emotional Learning
Social-Emotional Learning and Schoolwide Behavioral Supports are in place at Geist Elementary!
Schoolwide Behavioral Supports help to create a positive and nurturing climate and culture for all students in order to meet the social, emotional and academic needs of each student. It helps to support social competence and academic achievement.
This month, our schoolwide theme for social-emotional learning is that our school is a welcoming place where every student feels like he or she belongs. In our morning announcements and during my grade-level assemblies, we’ll be reminding students to welcome others and act and speak in safe, respectful, and responsible ways. In addition, we’ll be reminding students of our school rules. (See the Behavior Expectation Matrix (pictured).
Support your child at home in welcoming others and acting and speaking in safe, respectful, and responsible ways. Please tell your child’s teacher if you have questions about specific ways you can help your child with these behaviors at home.
Our staff is consistently on the ‘look out’ for students who are ‘meeting these expectations’: Great Choices, Effort and Safety! Our Gators are often spotted by staff meeting these expectations and are rewarded ‘Gator Tickets’ for their positive behavior. ‘Gator Tickets’ can be used to earn rewards in the classroom and each teacher picks a Gator of the Week from ‘a hat’. That student is allowed to choose from MANY fun rewards, like Helping another Staff Member, Helping with Morning Announcements, Sitting with a Friend, and many more!
We focus on character traits each month to discuss, highlight, and practice. The month of September, we will focus on Self-Control: Self-discipline to say and do what you know is right and don’t say or do what you should not.
Please ask your child(ren) about Gator Tickets and how they’ve earned them! The behavioral expectations are lifelong skills needed to build confidence, competence and citizenry. Our intention is to educate and value your child. The reinforcement from home is ALWAYS helpful!
We love our student successes!!!
Lisa Keller, M.S.
School Counselor
Geist Elementary
Keller's Clips Continued
We held our first grade-level building-wide assemblies this week and what fun we had!
Our GES Related Arts Team and I reinforced, practiced and played as we talked about being a family here at Geist. As a part of our Social-Emotional curriculum at school, we talked about how we want all to feel welcome and that they belong here at Geist. We want everyone to come to school excited to learn.
To help make sure our school is a welcoming, happy place, we talked about our Motto: To Treat People Right and Do the Right Thing. We welcome ALL and we celebrate our uniqueness and our differences. We also talked about our building expectations, just like their home expectations. This gave us the opportunity to reinforce our school wide behavior expectations to include aspects of Great Choices, Effort and Safety. (see GES Behavior Expectation Matrix above).
We then talked about healthy and respectful listening and talking to one another.
This led to re-visiting I-messages to solve conflict or small problems they might and will have with others. We shared with our Gators that conflict is normal and that even adults have conflict with others. We simply need to be respectful and assertive in solving our own conflicts. We practiced and modeled I-messages throughout our assembly with our students. (see I-Message visual attached).
In discussing conflict, we talked about mindfulness and how we recognize when our amygdala is triggered and what steps we can take to calm our amygdala (i.e. breathing, walking away, self-talk, calming mindful moments to relax, etc.). Our Gators did an amazing job of sharing that when their amygdala is calm, then they are able to make a healthy choice with their prefrontal cortex (the Wise Leader and decision-maker). Ask your student about his/her hippocampus and what is stored there? You will be amazed!!
Throughout our conversations with our Gators, we practiced Skills for Learning, see Skills for Learning Poster.
We sat in community circles and practiced I-messages with one another and talked about making healthy choices.
What an absolutely FUN day we had with our family of Gators!!
Lisa Keller, M.S.
School Counselor
Geist Elementary
Pasta Bowl collections start this week!
Gator Families: Please join us in helping support local Hamilton County food banks by collecting dry pasta. Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation is sponsoring the Pasta Bowl. Last year GES collected 545 pounds of pasta and the district collected over 20,000 pounds total!
Beginning Monday September 9, please bring in dry boxed or packaged pasta. Teachers will send home a plastic Meijer bag to help you collect pasta and return it to school.
Thank you for helping support solving food insecurity in Hamilton County!
Geist Running Club
What: Running Club
Who: Any 3rd or 4th Grade student at Geist Elementary
(Fine print – If you are in 2nd grade and have a brother or sister in 3rd or 4th grade in running club, you may also attend)
Why: Our goal is to train for upcoming races such as The Liger Mile, The Geist 5k, The Durbin
Classic, or just to learn some of the basics about running. In addition, this will allow us to start training earlier for 4th grade track.
When: 3rd grade Tuesday – Starts Sept. 10 - (come as often as you can)
4th grade Friday - Starts Sept. 13 - (come as often as you can)
Where: Gym (please use door 10 when entering)
Time: 7:55 (please do not drop off until Mr. Sutherlin waves you in)
If you have any questions, please call or email Mr. Sutherlin. rsutherlin@hse.k12.in.us 317-915-4260 (ext. 1690)
Please sign and return the bottom portion of this form if your child is interested.
GES Student Fees are Due for the 2019-2020 School Year
Book Fees are due October 4, 2019. Fees may be viewed under the Fee Management link in Skyward. If paying by check, please make the check payable to Geist Elementary School and include your student's full name and ID Number. You may also make payment through Efunds. Efunds is available in Skyward, under District Links. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at (317) 915-4260.
Keller’s Clips: Mindful vs. Mind Full
Our students are being taught about their brains and how their amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus function in relation to emotions, thoughts, processing information and regulation.
We continue to practice being mindful at GES. To be aware of our feelings and the situation and to focus on calming ourselves in the midst of chaos, worry or heightened emotions.
A Student Description of Mindfulness:
Taken from Mindset Matters: A Curriculum to Help Students Understand how to Help Themselves Succeed with a GROWTH MINDSET by Lisa King, Ed.S, LPC
What does it mean to be mindful? Being mindful, also call ‘Mindfulness’ means being aware of your surroundings and trying to focus on the here and now. When you are paying attention to your actions and feelings in a very ‘on purpose’ way, you are being mindful. Some people think that to practice mindfulness you should try not to think about the future or the past, but you should concentrate on the present-the here and now. For example, you might think about the things you see and hear around you. This can be difficult if you are having a problem or having strong feelings. When you are having strong feelings, our brains go a mile a minute, so focusing on the present can be extremely difficult. This is one reason it is important to practice mindfulness not only during tough times, but at times when everything is going OK so that when things get rough you are in the habit of staying mindful. Practicing mindfulness means deep breathing, focusing on the moment we are in and attempting to be OK with whatever feelings we are having in the present moment.
Parent Resources: Bibliotherapy
What Does It Mean to Be Present? By Rana DiOrio
A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles by Thich Nhat Nanh
Mindful Monkey Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer
Moody Cow Mediates by Kerryi Lee MacLean
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerryi Lee MacLean and Kerry MacLean
Silence by Lemniscates
Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snel
You are a Lion by Taeeun Yoo
More to come regarding mindulness, self-regulation and co-regulation of students and their caregivers.
Lisa Piatek, M.S.
School Counselor
Geist Elementary
Mrs. K's Music Corner
Mrs. K's Music Corner Link:
-Music Events & Performance Dates
-Pictures from different class activities
-Canvas Log In Info
Pop Tab Collection for Ronald McDonald House
Did you know Geist Elementary collects pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House? If you aren't already, please send your tabs in with your child and they can put them in the bins outside of the Music Room! Pop tab collection alone brings in between $30,000-$50,000 per year in Central Indiana and goes toward operating expenses. Little things, as simple as taking off a pop tab, make a BIG difference and we appreciate your help in supporting RMH!
Pictured are Blake and Max Everson when they delivered the pop tabs that Geist Elementary families collected in the 2018-19 school year. We were able to fill almost an entire recycle bin and look forward to exceeding that amount this year!
The Everson Family stayed at a Ronald McDonald House in Winfield, IL in the summer of 2017 when Blake went through 6-weeks of Proton Beam Radiation Therapy to treat a benign brain tumor. Thanks to the amazing experience they had at RMH, they are able to look back on that summer with many great memories.
HSE Schools Community Insider
Check out opportunities and activities on the HSE Community Insider on the HSE Schools webpage. You can find it here: hseschools.org/happenings/community-insider
Mental Health Concerns, Information and Text-A-Tip
If you or someone you know is at risk of self-harm, suicide, or harmful towards others, please contact one of the following (All lines are free, confidential, and available 24/7):
Community Health Network - Call 800-662-3445 or Text HELPNOW to 20121
National Suicide Prevention Hotline - Call 800-273-8255
LookUP - Call 800-284-8439 or Text LookUp to 494949
Mental Health Issues are common and treatable. Hamilton Southeastern Schools has a contract with Community Health Network and has a mental health therapist working with students in each of our schools. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to your school’s school counselor for further information.
Text-A-Tip
What is Text-A-Tip? Text-A-Tip is a text address (274637 – which spells CRIMES) where students, parents or others can anonymously send a text message to our school resource officers and school administrators about concerns they may have for their own safety or the safety of others. Tips may also be sent with a computer and online tip form. Links are available on each school’s web page. Look for the Text-A-Tip link from the main page. Text-A-Tip should not be used for emergencies – Call 911 if you need immediate help. Text-A-Tip will be actively monitored during the school day.
Why are you doing the Text-A-Tip program? First, we know that the primary way students communicate today is through texting so the Text-A-Tip program seemed the most effective way to connect with our students. We also believe that students are the best source of the information about what’s going on at school. Students are the eyes and ears of a school, and it is everyone’s responsibility to keep school safe. Unfortunately, sometimes students don’t feel comfortable sharing information directly because they are afraid they may be identified. So our hope is that we can give our students, the eyes and ears of the school, an anonymous voice through Text-A-Tip.
What kind of information do you hope to get through Text-A-Tip? Our slogan is “If it’s wrong, Text-A-Tip.” This would include any concerns students may have for their own safety or the safety of others. Students can report any information they see or hear about, such as drug possession or use, weapons, bullying, cheating, inappropriate behavior, harassment, threats, intimidation or really anything they believe should be shared with adults.
If I send a text from my phone, how can it be confidential? Who will get the text when I send it? When a student texts a message, the text goes to the Text-A-Tip company out of- state, which then sends an email to the school resource officers and the administrators of your school. The company removes your phone number so it stays confidential..