Salem Spotlight
April 2018
Our Mission
At Salem, we realize all children are individuals, and this may be their first experience in social living. Our desired goal in working with all children is growth.
We strive to create a stimulating environment for each child that will promote and foster his/her interests and curiosity, thus promoting optimal learning. This learning will incorporate the development of academic, relationship, and citizenship skills, a requirement for functioning in our society as productive citizens.
Principal's Message
The May 8th bond issue will pay for a new building and furniture, several additions to existing buildings, and some renovations to others, for a total $64.6 million in construction. When completed, Little Miami’s overall enrollment capacity will be increased to around 5,750 seats, not counting seats available at Hamilton-Maineville and Harlan-Butlerville Primary Schools. Not only will the bond provide increased space, it will also provide new innovative project/STEM lab spaces in the high school and jr. high. See more info about what is planned at each building at LittleMiamiSchools.com.
A new PK-1 early elementary school will be built behind the existing Salem Twp. Elementary. It will accommodate 800 students and every classroom will be sized and designed to meet the needs of PK/K students, anticipating full-day kindergarten.
Mrs. Woods Wins Project Excellence Award!
Mr. Power recently had the pleasure of surprising Mrs. Woods with the news that she had been selected this year’s Area Progress Council’s Project Excellence award winner.
“We know we have great staff, and every year the process to select our winning representatives is challenging," Mr. Power said. "It’s another example of what’s great about our Little Miami learning community.”
Students and families submit entries to the Area Progress Council to nominate their favorite teacher for the award. Mrs. Woods will be formally recognized at an awards dinner May 2 at the Warren County Career Center.
The Area Progress Council is a non-profit foundation made possible by the volunteer efforts of business leaders who are interested in the quality of public education in Warren County. The Project Excellence Committee aims to identify exceptional educators who demonstrate excellence in instruction or innovative teachers who have pioneered a teaching method.
Previous Salem teachers to win this prestigious award include Ms. Thompson, Mrs. Hebrank, and Mrs. Jackson.
2018 LM Summer School
My name is Amber Huber and I will be the Summer School Director for 2018. I will be working alongside two of our fabulous teachers from Salem, Meredith Budde will be working with our K-2 students and Chris Barr will working with our 3-4 students. We look forward to getting to know your child and helping further his/her education this summer!
Summer school is spread out over three weeks, for a total of ten half days of learning. Use the link below for more information, and to download the registration form.
Please contact me if you have any questions or need assistance signing up.
Amber Huber
513-899-5275 x 45409
From the Desk of the Preschool Director
by Mrs. Losey
Preschool had a great time talking about careers and all of the opportunities our students have for the future. Many of our students dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up, and we had members of the community visit us to share what they do everyday. Our students enjoyed this fun hands-on learning experience.
If you want to talk more about this at home with your child, here are some fun books you can read together:
Curious George Takes a Job, by H.A. Rey
Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day?, by Richard Scarry
The Berenstain Bears’ Jobs Around Town, by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
Career Day, by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell
When I Grow Up, by Al Yankovic
Bear at Work,by Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter
Save the Dates!
by Mrs. Miles
General Dates
5/8/18: No School (Teacher Inservice) - Get out and VOTE!
5/23/18: Last Day of School for Students
5/23/18: End of 4th Quarter/Report Cards Sent Home
Other
5/1/18: 4th Grade COGAT Assessment
5/14/18: 3rd Grade Field Day
5/16/18: 4th Grade Field Day
5/17/18: Kindergarten Field Day
PTO Dates
5/5/18: PTO Carnival
5/15/18: PTO Meeting (7:00pm)
Helpful Handbook Reminders
by Mr. Taylor
Central Registration
Steps in the registration process:
Please note: You MUST be the custodial parent/legal guardian to enroll a student.
Step 1: COMPLETE THE ONLINE STUDENT REGISTRATION APPLICATION
- Registration application needs to be completed online before coming to the Central Registration office. If you do not have a computer or Internet access, please call the registrar.
- Click the link below to begin the registration process.
Step 2: DOCUMENT VERIFICATION
At the end of the registration process, you will be asked to set an appointment to present all required documentation to the registrar. A student is NOT registered until ALL documents have been received.
Documents required for registration include:
- Original birth certificate
- Parent/guardian driver's license
- Proof of residency (Rent/lease agreement, settlement statement, copy of deed, land contract or purchase contract)(Warren County Clerk's Office (513) 695-1235). Note: Utility bills will not be accepted as proof of residency.
- Proof of Custody/Guardianship (if applicable). A custody/shared parenting decree, date stamped and signed by judge/magistrate if biological parents are divorced or no longer living together
- Current Immunization Records
- ETR/IEP/504 Plan/WEP (if applicable)
CLICK HERE for Kindergarten Registration.
(Registration for 2018-2019 school year)
Click HERE for Preschool Registration.
(Registration for 2018-19 school year)
New Family Resources
PLEASE NOTE: As of Dec. 1, 2017, the Central Registration Office has moved to Central Office (Suite 300) at Maineville Crossing, 87 E. U.S. 22-3 Maineville, in the River's Bend Urgent Care building. Entrance is at the rear of the building.
Admission
Kindergarten: Children are eligible for admission to Kindergarten if they are five years of age on or before August 1st of the year of admittance.
First Grade: Children must successfully complete kindergarten before they may be enrolled in first grade. Upon request, this requirement may be waived by the district superintendent.
Early Entrance: Specific qualifying requirements must be met for children to be admitted to Kindergarten if they are five years of age on or before January 1st of the school year for which admission is requested. The Little Miami School District will conduct an evaluation upon request. The evaluation must be completed prior to the first day of school.
School Fees
School fees are collected for each student in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade.
The fee is $47.00 per student in Grades 1-4 and $27.00 per student in Kindergarten. The fee is required of all students regardless of when they enroll during the school year and is non-refundable.
Textbooks are purchased by the Board of Education and loaned to students for their use. Fines will be charged to students who lose their textbooks or return their textbooks in a damaged condition.
All library books must be returned and library fines paid before the final report card will be sent home.
Report cards will be withheld at the end of the year until fees have been paid or an arrangement has been made through the Principal’s Office.
Lost & Found
Many articles are lost at school each year and never claimed by their owners.
To decrease the likelihood of lost items, use permanent ink to label all student items.
Articles found in the building and on the school grounds are placed in the “Lost and Found”.
Articles that cannot be identified or are not claimed, will be given to charitable organizations at the end of the school year.
Volunteers Needed!
Interested in volunteering an hour or more of your time to help make this event possible? Please visit the link below. THANK YOU!
Student Council
April Character Trait
The student council character trait for the month of April is leadership. At our meeting, we watched a “Kid President” video on what it means to be a leader. Kid President’s message was we do not have to be a person who holds high status to be a leader. Example: president, principal, CEO, or teacher. Everyone can be a leader!
We also discussed what it means to be an “Everyday Leader.” We told the reps about a Ted Talk a gentleman told about from his college days. He told a story about how he had simply said hello to an incoming freshman during freshman check-in and handed her a balloon. He jokingly teased the freshman boy in line next to her about how he was standing next to the “most beautiful girl in the school.” Four years later, the same girl recognizes the speaker and reveals to him that the day she came for freshman check-in, she was deciding that she wasn’t going to stay for the rest of the check-in process, but she was going to go home and that this college was a mistake. However, because he had greeted her with a balloon, she changed her mind, and was days away from graduation. Also, the boy that the speaker teased, who was in line next to her became her boyfriend, and they were now engaged to be married.
The example above is a great example of how we can change lives by a simple gesture and be an “Everyday Leader.” The speaker said he couldn’t recall the exchange, but was glad he had made the difference in someone’s life.
April Project
We continue to collect pull-tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. We will collect through May. Send them in with your students!
Curriculum Connection
by Mrs. Horvath & Mrs. Meyer
When reading with your child at home it is important to discuss the text with them. Below are some reading conversation starters to help you!
Discussion Ideas After Reading Fiction Text
•Talk about the main character (s).
•When and where is this story taking place (setting)?
•What is the character’s motivation?
•What is the problem/conflict?
•What is the solution/resolution?
•Retell the story from the beginning to middle to end using transition words. Some transition words are first, next, then, after, eventually and finally.
•What is the genre of the book?
•Are there any hard or important words you learned?
•What does the author want you to know/learn?
•What is the theme or message the author is sending you?
•How would you describe the character (traits/emotions) throughout the events in the story?
Discussion Ideas After Reading Nonfiction (Informational) Text
•What is the topic/main idea?
•What is the author telling you?
•What are some of the subtopics in the book?
•What facts are you learning?
•What text features did you see in the book?
•List some details to support the main idea.
•Are there any hard or important words you learned?
•What is the theme or message the author is sending you?
•How does the author structure the text?
Counselor's Corner
Throughout the school year, students have been introduced to career and college information in an effort to have them start exploring the many options they have for their futures. In January, all 3rd and 4th graders had a visit from the Warren County Career Center to introduce students to a wide variety of vocational and educational opportunities. College representatives from the University of Alabama and Marian University visited with all 3rd and 4th graders in March and provided information on how the subjects the students are learning now can correlate into college majors.
This month, 3rd and 4th graders participated in a Career Fair. Each class rotated through 4 stations and learned about different careers including: scientist, construction, realtor, aircraft mechanic, grain merchant, pharmacist, registrar, chef, app software developer, human resources, athletic trainer, veterinarian, product designer, and bakery owner.
Preschool and Kindergarden classrooms hosted Career Day speakers in their classrooms this month as well. Career presenters included: police, sheriff, firefighter, aircraft mechanic and engineer, food and beverage manager, finance manager, construction, U.S. Army, dental assistant, artist, nurse, DJ, realtor, child therapist, child psychologist, and forensic fingerprint examiner.
Thank you to all of the parents and community members that volunteered to make our career education program fun for our students!
Supporting Positive Behavior at Home
ABC’s of Behavior Management at Home
To understand and respond effectively to problematic behavior, you have to think about what came before it, as well as what comes after it. There are three important aspects to any given behavior:
- Antecedents: Preceding factors that make a behavior more or less likely to occur. Another, more familiar term for this is triggers. Learning and anticipating antecedents is an extremely helpful tool in preventing misbehavior.
- Behaviors: The specific actions you are trying to encourage or discourage.
- Consequences: The results that naturally or logically follow a behavior. Consequences — positive or negative — affect the likelihood of a behavior recurring. And the more immediate the consequence, the more powerful it is.
The first step in a good behavior management plan is to identify target behaviors. These behaviors should be specific (so everyone is clear on what is expected), observable, and measurable (so everyone can agree whether or not the behavior happened).
An example of poorly defined behavior is “acting up,” or “being good.” A well-defined behavior would be running around the room (bad) or starting homework on time (good).
Special's Spot - Library / Media
Students have done a wonderful job reviewing what we have learned so far in library. This year, we have worked on many different library skills, such as being able to locate books in our library using our knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System and the online catalog, primary and secondary sources, and research resources, to name a few.
Next month will be our Right to Read week which will take place May 7-11. We will have different activities for students each day. Our theme this year is Read S’More Books (a camping theme) and both third and fourth grade will be reading the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
Don't forget that you can do Type to Learn at home! It is an online site so there is no need to download anything. If you need the information of how to log on sent home again, please just let me know. I would be happy to send it home with your student. If you need a research source, INFOhio.org is a great place to start for students K-12.
As we come closer to the end of the year, please remember to have your student return his/her library books. We cherish each and every book. If you are unable to find a book, you may send in payment in the form of a check or exact cash. Report Cards will be withheld for library books not returned and/or paid for. Thank you for your help in keeping our library books safe!
Notes from the Nurses
by Mrs. Knochel & Mrs. Sedlatschek
Don’t forget about your medications!
If your child has medicine at school please don’t forget to pick it up before summer. You may pick up the medication from the nurse before the end of the school year. After that you may pick up the medication in the office until Wednesday, May 30, 2018. If the medication is not picked up by May 30, 2018, any remaining medication will be discarded.
You may ask your school nurse for a new Medication Authorization Form for the next school should your child need to continue on any prescription or over the counter medications during school hours next year. We will need a new form for the upcoming school year signed by you and your child’s physician. If you are in need of more than one form, copies can be made or the form can be found on our school district website: littlemiamischools.com.
Quick Links
2017 - 2018 School Hours
8:55 - Doors Open for Students & Breakfast Begins
9:10 - Classes Start
11:50 - AM Preschool & Kindergarten Ends
1:05 - PM Preschool & Kindergarten Begins
3:50 - Student Dismissal
Contact Information
605 Welch Road
Morrow, Ohio 45152
Principal: Mrs. Lisa Smith
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Jamie Miles
Assistant Principal: Mr. Cory Taylor
Preschool Director: Mrs. Erin Losey
Office & Attendance Number: 513.899.5275
Fax Numbers: 513.899.3196 (Grades 3 & 4) / 513.899.2891 (Grades P & K)
School Website
Follow Us On Twitter!
Don't miss out on our daily tweets!
Mrs. Smith - @LSmithSalem
Mrs. Losey - @LM_PrekPanthers
Mrs. Miles - @LM_MrsMiles
Mr. Taylor - @MrTaylorLM
Salem Elementary Schoology Group
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