The Gator Gazette
January 2018
Mrs. Stevenson's Message
Dear Parents,
Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring Breakfast with Santa! It was a fun wintery morning with students and parents. The PTO will sponsor Pizza Making Night on January 19th and we hope you will be able to attend. It is hard to believe we are starting our 2nd semester of the school year. I truly am fortunate to serve as principal to ~465 students. Thank you parents for supporting the staff :) As I reflect on the new year I wanted to share an article I read.
With 2018 around the corner, you'll hear people say "new year, new me" in multiple occasions. This points to resolutions they're making to bring about some major changes in their lives; things like eating healthier, paying off debt or traveling more. Whether or not we believe in resolutions, this time of the year inspires us all to reflect and figure out ways to improve.
While there's nothing wrong with setting goals, the thought process that goes into this saying does a disservice in that it doesn't acknowledge the progress made previously. You don't become a new person overnight. Your story carries over to the new year. Only this time, you're wiser and you're working to bring to life a better version of yourself.
So if I could rephrase, I would change it so that it reflects what actually happens. I would say, "New year, same me but better."
For the new year, I'd like to invite you to think about goal-setting differently.
Build On What You've Already Started
In order to reach a goal, you must first develop the habit that will guide you to the right actions. As such, building on your previous work and already existing habits are more effective ways to achieve your end result. What has worked well? What needs to be changed? Look at the past for insight into what you can improve.
In Psychology Today, a behavioral psychologist tells us the three things we must do to create a new habit:
You MUST pick a small action. "Get more exercise" is not small. "Eat healthier" is not small. This is a big reason why new year's resolutions don't work. For example, instead of "Get more exercise," choose "Walk 1/3 more than I usually do" or "Take the stairs each morning to get to my office, not the elevator."
You MUST attach the new action to a previous habit. Figure out a habit you already have that is well established, for example, if you already go for a brisk walk three times a week, then adding on 10 more minutes to the existing walk connects the new habit to an existing one. The existing habit "Go for walk" now becomes the "cue" for the new habit: "Walk 10 more minutes." Your new "stimulus-response" is Go For Walk (Stimulus) followed by "Add 10 minutes."
You MUST make the new action EASY to do for at least the first week. Because you are trying to establish a conditioned response, you need to practice the new habit from the existing stimulus 3 to 7 times before it will "stick" on its own.
The new year doesn't have to bring about new goals. You can build on what you've already started and refine it.
https://www.forbes.com/.../read-this-before-you-make-your-new-years-resolutions/
Happy New Year!
Toni S. Stevenson, Principal
IMPORTANT DATES FOR SOUTH CREEK FAMILIES
January 15 - MLK Day, No School
January 15-19 - Candy Gram Sale for Student Council
January 19 - PTO Pizza Making Night-making, 5:30
Gators of the Month
Congratulations to these Gators of the Month for December! Way to show your Gator G.R.E.A.T.S. Traits!
Mrs. Conner Lillie Twarogal
Mrs. Monday Milea McGail
Mrs. Tinsley Leo Jeffries
Mrs. Sweetman Ella Mitchell
Mrs. Webb Reagan Johnson
Mrs. Mitchell Lillia Koesters
Mrs. Burns Peter Lott
Mrs. Bryant Calvin Schlabach
Miss Moody Ethan Still
Mrs. Carder Hailey Good
Mrs. Lundberg Aiden Rader
Miss Trieb Briley Layton
Mrs. Huber Issy Kendall
Mrs. Sirilla Karl Andaya
Mrs. McIntire Maddie Twarogal
Mrs. Hayes Mason Collins
Mrs. Tinkle Kelsey Brown
Mr. Roets Xavier Diehl
Mr. Arnold Maddox Steadham
Mrs. Mappes Jayda Boggs
Mrs. Hancock Aaliyah Yoder
Mrs. Green/Mrs. Thurston Andrew Beaty
Mrs. Cade Lilly Estes
Renee Alger Sukhmanpreet Singh
PTO News
January PTO Meeting
Tuesday Jan 9th at 6pm - Guest Speaker - Mrs. Schuldt, Director of Transportation for Franklin Township Schools
Pizza Making Fundraiser
Friday January 19th we will have our second Pizza Making Fundraiser night of the school year. Order forms will be sent home in early January.
Volunteers are needed for pizza making from 5:30-7:30pm on January 19th in the Cafeteria, sign up to volunteer on the order form. This is always a fun family volunteer time, with pizza provided to the volunteers for dinner.
Pizzas can be picked up from 7:30-8:30pm in the school cafeteria.
Pacer Game Spirit Night
Saturday January 27th will be a Spirit Night with the Pacers! We hope to see some South Creek Gators at the game, tickets orders were due in December.
Transportation Update
We will be presenting to elementary parent groups during January, February, or March. I’m sure your principal will be giving you the date our department will be there to present soon. There will be a short presentation and then we will entertain questions.
Also, we will be posting on Facebook whenever a bus is running 10 minutes or more behind schedule. Sometimes we run behind due to traffic or mechanical problems. Like us!
As the weather gets colder, students will be tempted to remain in the house or car longer. Please make sure they are standing at the stop when the bus pulls up. It is scary for bus drivers to watch a student run to their stop to catch the bus. This is especially dangerous with ice or snow on the roads. Thank you for your cooperation.
We have put five new general education and two new special education buses on the road. These buses have seatbelts in them. Please encourage your children to wear these.
Thank you for expecting your children to remain seated, stay out of the aisles, and not eat on the buses. These are all things that put your child in danger.
We are hiring bus drivers. We will train you! And pay you for the training! Apply on line through our school website.
What Gators Eat Over Break - Morgan
Ella: I love to drink hot cocoa and love to eat marshmallows!
Gianna: Since it is so cold I love to eat warm delectable CHICKEN NOODLES.
Abby: I absolutely love Olive Garden Salad and eating cookies but not together.
Mr. Roets: I love suet pudding.
Kelsey: Since its break I always eat candy.
Addison: I always eat cucumbers.
Well, now you know what lots of kids love to eat over Christmas break.
Fourth Grade Field Trip to Benjamin Harrison Home and State Capital Building - Kennedy
New Movies in 2018 - Lily
Happy New Year Gators!! My question is what movies will come out in 2018? That is for the “ghost of the future movies” to decide!(if he/she exists).
From what I have seen, that ghost is giving lots of clues, especially in commercials.
First of all, there are tons of new movie sequels coming out like: Mary Poppins Returns, The Incredibles 2, and Paddington 2! We all know and love Mary Poppins! And we all love the hilarious superhero family, plus, who doesn't want to see good ol’ Paddington?
One of the movies that I am personally looking forward to is, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation! Here is what it is about: “Mavis surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury monster cruise ship so he can take a summer vacation from providing everyone else's vacation at the hotel…” Doesn't that sound really good?
There are also a lot of superhero movies that are coming out like, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and here’s what it’s about:
“Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world.” That sounds intense!
Last movie I want to talk about is, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2. Here is what it’s about: “Six years after the events of "Wreck-It Ralph", Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.”
Now that sounds interesting! We’re going to have some good movies in 2018!
Katie Hancock on Getting Third Place in the IMPD’s Annual Healthy Reasons to Say No To Drugs Contest
Morgan:(question) So Katie, did you receive an award for winning 3rd place?
Katie:(answer) I got a Target gift card, a backpack, a 100 piece art set,a notebook,a pen, a polo shirt,and a copy of my poster.
Morgan: So, how long did it take you to make your poster?
Katie: It took about two and a half weeks
Morgan: Wow that’s a long time!
Morgan: Did you enjoy making your poster?
Katie: For one I did not enjoy making small details but I did enjoy the bigger details.
Morgan: Where did this ceremony take place?
Katie: It took place at the Police Community Center.
Morgan: Well thank you for letting me interview you Katie.
Katie: You're welcome and thank you for thinking of me and interviewing me.
Fourth Grade Polar Express
South Creek always has wonderful traditions to celebrate special times of the year. The fourth grade students perform the Polar Express on the last day before break.
The fourth grade does an amazing job acting out the movie in a different way. Every year kids audition to be Santa Claus, the conductor, and the boy who discovers the magical train at night. The polar express is always such a fun thing to watch and perform for the other grade levels under them. The fifth graders give them pointers on the day before the show to make it better. The show gets other grades excited to do it in the future. They do a great job and the school loves to do it.
Martin Luther King Day by Ezra
Hi gators it’s January and there’s a holiday in January can you guess it? Yep, MLK day where we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. If you don’t know who Martin Luther King is, he was a person who made a stop to segregation. We celebrate this holiday on his birthday. Ronald Reagan signed it into law for the holiday of MLK day to be officially a holiday. “Martin Luther King day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January.” ‘It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader.”
New Year by Gianna
Hi Gators! Today I am here to talk about New Years TRADITIONS! Do you have any traditions? Well, I have talked to Mrs.Sirilla and she has some traditions. She makes her and her family a big dinner. She prepares a big roast and lots of yummy sides! I hope you have a happy New Years!!
New Years Resolutions by Erin Barnes
HAPPY NEW YEAR GATORS!!!!
I thought I would interview some kids on what their goals for the new year are.
First I interviewed Lily Harbert, 4th grader, (on Gator Gazette).
Q:What’s your goal for 2018?
A:To get less angry and be more respectful.
Q:How are you going to reach it?
A:By being confident in myself.
Lets go onto the next person!
Next I interviewed Natalie Culross, the 1st grader.
Q: What is your goal for 2018?
A: To be a better ninja and a better swimmer.
Q: How will you achieve those goals?
A: By practicing!
Ok those are some good goals! My own resolution is to earn a place at dance nationals this year!
Later, gators!
South Creek Elementary School
Nancy Rowland, School Treasurer
Marilyn Kellum, Receptionist
School Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri - 8:50-3:50
Wednesday (Early Release Day) 8:50 - 3:20
Website: http://www.ftcsc.k12.in.us/south-creek
Location: 9010 E Southport Rd, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: (317) 860-4700
Twitter: @FTSCGators