Timothy Ball News December 9 - 13
Welcoming all. Believing in all. Growth for all.
A Note from Mr. Ciochina
Our Annual Holiday Food Drive is next week led by our National Elementary Honor Society and benefiting the Crown Point Food Pantry. I am amazed at the generosity of our school community. Thank you for supporting this effort and for helping our students learn about the importance of empathy and giving! Details are in the red flyer below!
As we near winter break, please remember to try and schedule appointments outside the school day whenever possible and try to limit voluntary absences. Regular school attendance is paramount for optimal student learning and growth.
A few upcoming events to highlight:
-Best of luck to our Science Olympiad team as they compete next Tuesday in the Crown Point competition!
-Next Thursday is our grade three Grandparents & Special Person day from 1:30-2:30. Our afternoon car line will not open up until about 3 o'clock to allow all our visitors to exit safely. The evening music program will be at 5:30.
-DARE Graduation for our fifth graders is scheduled for Thursday, December 19 at 2 pm.
Thank you for being a fantastic partner in education. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Mr. Ciochina
IMPORTANT DATES
DECEMBER 10th - Science Olympiad, Lake Street Elementary, 5pm
DECEMBER 12th - 3rd Gr Grandparent/Special Person Day 1:30-2:30 pm
DECEMBER 12th - 3rd Gr Music Program 5:30 pm
DECEMBER 19th - 5th Gr DARE Graduation 2pm
DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 3 - NO SCHOOL Winter Break
JANUARY 6th - School Resumes
JANUARY 10th - End of the 2nd grading period
JANUARY 20th - NO SCHOOL Martin Luther King Day
ATTENDANCE
Our attendance rate this past week was 96% . Our schoolwide attendance goal is 97%. Thank you for limiting voluntary absences and scheduling appointments outside the school day whenever possible!
CELEBRATE OUR TEACHERS
Help us celebrate our wonderful Timothy Ball teachers! Students, parents, and fellow colleagues can access The Times Teacher Appreciation Form at www.nwitimes.com/forms/teachers_appreciation/ and nominate a teacher who excels in the classroom. Nominators are kept confidential…their information is not printed in the paper.
CAFETERIA INFORMATION
MEAL PRICES
Student Breakfast: $1.50 (Reduced .40)
Student Lunch: $2.35 (Reduced .40)
Adult Breakfast: $1.85
Adult Lunch: $3.40
Milk: .40
Snacks/Ice Cream: .75
Water: $1.25
If you have a child that is gluten free, please provide us with a doctor's order for a gluten free diet. We are happy to work with our families to create a menu that is Gluten Free approved.
For any cafeteria related questions please contact Mrs. Jeeyoung Sheppard
Fruit or Veggie of the Month: Tangerine
Social-Emotional News from Mrs. Holok
Help Kids Calm Down With a Brain Game
Children of all ages struggle with emotions at times. When children are emotional, it is difficult to reason or talk with them because they can no longer hear our words. With toddlers, parents often use redirection to get them to stop a certain behavior or emotional reaction. This technique can work with our elementary students as well. Research suggests that when children are having an “emotional flood”, brain aligned strategies or “brain games” can interrupt the emotions and help children to switch gears. For example, if your child is upset you can gently put your hands on their shoulders and ask in a whisper, “would you like to play a game?” Then ask them to point out 5 items in the room that are round or 4 items that are soft. You can ask them to count to 20 by 2’s or backwards from 20 as fast as they can. Make it simple and achievable depending on the age of the child. You may have to get their attention first by shutting the lights out or clapping loudly depending on how emotional they are. Getting the brain thinking again allows for more rational conversations and calms the amygdala, the feelings center of the brain. If you can’t get them thinking, you can even call an “emotional time out” and put some music on to change their state. It’s hard to stay upset when something fun is being presented. More on brain aligned strategies to come!
Positive Behavior Note from Mrs. Derwinski
Congratulations to the students who received PAWS this week:
Lexi H., Hunter D., Lena C., Alina G., Joe K., Lydia E., Alexis P.
Silver Paws: Alexis P.
Paws for the week = 7 Total blue paws = 230 Total Silver Paws = 4
Stomp Out Bullying Tip
Joking or Kidding verses Taunting: Joking/kidding is a way to tease each other in a kind way. If it bothers someone they stop. Taunting is calling someone names with the intent to hurt.
BIRTH TO SCHOOL
Upcoming Timothy Ball Birth to School events in December:
-Fri. 12/13/19 Caregiver Café @ 9:30am
-Fri. 12/13/19 Baby Music @ 1:45pm
-Tues. 12/17/19 Early Literacy Workshop, session 2 of 4 5-6pm at the Learning Center
To register for this event, please submit this form: https://forms.gle/Fjpf9SiiFuPGCkLD7
-Fri. 12/20/19 Baby Bulldogs @ 9:30am
-Fri. 12/20/19 Mini Bulldogs @ 1:45pm
Please visit https://www.cps.k12.in.us/Page/11079 for the latest Birth to School calendar information at Timothy Ball.
Every time you plan on attending a Birth to School daytime event, please contact Timothy Ball Birth to School Liaison, Kristen Pozen, at kpozen@cps.k12.in.us so we may best prepare for your arrival, unless otherwise specified.
If you have any questions or would like further information on the Birth to School program, please contact Birth to School Coordinator, Jamie Kalk, at jkalk@cps.k12.in.us.
STUDENT COUNCIL SCHOOL STORE
The school store will be open in the cafeteria in the mornings before school on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 until the bell rings. Prices begin at 25 cents. We have pens, pencils, bookmarks, highlighters, pencil sharpeners, etc.
FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
Please put an extra pair of clothes in your child’s backpack/locker. The nurse has clothes but not always every size! Thank you!
Attention: If your child has a Dr. note restricting them from PE they must sit out from recess. They can sit on the bench with a book or game. This is to keep them safe from further injury. If you have any questions please contact our nurse, Mrs. Schurch.
Regarding Taking Medication at School - Remember that ALL medications must be accompanied by doctor & parent notes. Otherwise the medication cannot be given at school. All medication must be in its original container. All prescription medication must have the correct information on the label. Also, no cough drops, or essential oils are allowed at school unless accompanied by doctor & parent notes. No child should be bringing medication to school in order to self medicate.
Regarding Illness - Please keep all sick children home if they are running a fever of 100.0 or above, vomiting, or have diarrhea. A child running a fever can return to school once he/she has been fever free for 24 hours.
PTO NEWS
Dec 11 is our Monthly PTO Meeting in the media center. This will be the last meeting of the year. We will be finalizing our Family Holiday party details (Dec 19) and a few other exciting items that you won't want to miss.
Holiday Party: December 19- a fun event for families, pizza, DJ and games. More info to come soon.
Santa Run- December 21. See flyer at end of newsletter! Mention Tball when you register!
The PTO will be running a concession table on Saturday’s during the Pups Basketball season. We are asking for our parents to volunteer to help us! There are 2 hour timeslots for the following days: Dec 7, 14; Jan 11, 18, 25; Feb 1, 8. Jenn Kostelnik (jennk4976@yahoo.com) & Kate Philbin (kphilbin414@gmail.com).
If you are interested in helping, please use the following link: https://signup.com/go/dbppHMg
Upcoming events:
-Open Gym 12/14 - $10 per student Midwest Training
-We have an exciting twist added to this month’s dining night!! This month’s featured dining night will be at Marco’s Pizza. Early in Dec, your child will have the opportunity to decorate a medium-sized pizza box during their art class. On Mon, Dec 16 K, 1st & 2nd grade students can have their families order their decorated medium-sized pizza box. On Tues, Dec 17 3rd, 4th & 5th grade students can have their families order their decorated medium-sized pizza box. Marco’s will a special those nights: buy 2 medium 1 topping pizzas for $6.99 each. Look out for pre-order forms that can be filled in and returned to school for easier ordering
GRANDPARENT/SPECIAL PERSON DAYS
Kindergarten — April 8
Grade 1— February 13
Grade 2 — November 12
Grade 3 — December 12
Grade 4 — March 12
Grade 5 — May 27
The Grandparent/Special Person events will be from 1:30 to 2:30 during the school day. For grades 1-5 the music programs will be at 5:30. Kindergarten graduation date will be shared in the future!
SUBSTITUTE CUSTODIANS NEEDED
Sub-custodians are needed at all schools in the Crown Point School system. If you are interested in part time work, please contact Sandy Henderlong at 663-5701 for information.
checking out and returning library books.
TIMOTHY BALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Email: tballparent@cps.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.cps.k12.in.us/tball
Location: 720 West Summit Street, Crown Point, IN, USA
Phone: (219)663-0047