Standing Bear News
March 5th, 2023
Message from the Principal
Greetings Standing Bear Families-
Be sure to look at the upcoming theme days this week! We have a fun week planned ahead!
Yearbook Orders:
You can also pre-order your yearbooks now by going to Membership Toolkit- https://standingbearpto.membershiptoolkit.com. Yearbook sales will end on April 12th.
Student Placement for 2023-24 School Year
As a staff, we will be working on sorting students for next year sometime in April. This is a very detailed and specific process to make sure classrooms are balanced and students are placed according to their strengths and needs. Therefore, I will not be taking requests for specific teachers for next year. You definitely know your child the best, so if there is a situation, concern, type of teacher, etc you feel your child would benefit from, please send me an email with that information. We will place them to the best of our ability and take into consideration your email.
I appreciate you trusting us that we will place your child in the best possible classroom. Fortunately, the staff at Standing Bear are all high quality instructional leaders and caring teachers. If you wish to send an email to me regarding next year, please send that before the end of March so we can have that information when we start the sorting process.
Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Blood Drive: We will be hosting a blood drive on March 30th from 1pm-7pm. If you are interested in being part of this, you may use the link below to schedule a tim
Here is the link for scheduling:
https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=StandingBear
Schedule a Blood, Platelet or Plasma Donation | American Red Cross
Find the nearest Red Cross blood, platelet or plasma donation center. Make a difference in someone's life, give the gift of life.
American Heart Association Challenge:
On behalf of the American Heart Association, thank you very much for raising *$9,980.44 with your school's recent Kids Heart Challenge (KHC) event. You have made a life-saving difference for people in your own community and across the nation.
Kid's Club Registration:
March 1, 2023 registration will open for Kid's Club spots for the 2023-24 school year. All information can be found at https://opsfkidsclub.org/
- Teacher Snack Cart- Please consider donating to the Friday Snack Cart for staff, see information below. Thank you!!
- Staff Shout Out- Take a minute to give a "Shout Out" to a staff member (link or QR code below) Let us know how we are doing!
We appreciate your support!
Take Care
Stay positive, patient and flexible!
Sincerely,
Bridget O'Melia
Read Across America
Standing Bear Students- join us for some fun theme days for Read Across America Week. We will be celebrating March 6th-10th.
Classroom Door Decorating Contest at Standing Bear
3rd Place Winner!
2nd Place Winner!
1st Place Winner!
Teacher Snack Cart
Each Friday I put out a snack cart for "Snack Cart Friday." This is a little treat for our staff that they look forward to each week. We are just looking for donations of individually wrapped items such as popcorn, chips, candy, etc. and various drinks. If you would like to donate any items, please send those to school at any time. Thank you for your support!!
Standing Bear Staff "Shout Out"
If you have a staff member who you want to give a "Shout Out" to, use the QR code or LINK below to submit. It is always nice to hear good things! We appreciate all the hard work the Standing Bear staff does each day.
District Opportunities
SCHOOL APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR
Mark Your Calendars......
Dates and Events can change, so keep up on this section of the newsletter.
March
7th- PTO meeting @ 6:30pm
10th- Report Cards sent home
13th-17th- Spring Break (No school)
20th-21st- Marcos Pizza PTO night
24th- No Early Childhood Classes
29th-30th- Parent/Teacher Conferences
30th- No school for students
31st- No School
April
10th- Texas Roadhouse PTO night
11th- PTO Meeting @ 6:30pm
13th- PTO Outdoor Movie Night
14th- No School for students
17th- No School for students
21st- No Early Childhood Classes
27th- Progress Reports send home
28th- 4th Music Program @ 2:30pm
May
9th- PTO Meeting @ 6:30pm
12th- School Carnival
14th- No Early Childhood Classes
26th- Last Day!
Outdoor Recess Guidelines
We always take into consideration the "Feels Like" temperature
The "feels like" temperature is a measurement of how hot or cold it really feels like outside. The “Feels Like” temperature relies on environmental data including the ambient air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed to determine how weather conditions feel to bare skin.
Green Zone
30 degrees or higher outside
- layer clothing
- drink water often
- watch for signs of getting chilled
- feel babies' hands and feet
- take breaks
Yellow Zone
20-30 degrees outside
- be cautious
- follow guidelines of the green zone
- easier to become chilled
- layer clothing under coats
Red Zone
20 degrees and below
- stay indoors
Message from Kid's Club Regarding Weather
With winter weather at our front door, just a reminder that if Omaha Public Schools is to cancel after school activities due to inclement weather, afternoon Kids Club would also be closed. Please share this with your Kids Club staff. We have asked for a reminder to be placed on our webpage and social media, a verbal reminder to parents at pick up would also be great.
Sarah Dragon, MSEd.
Omaha Public Schools Foundation
Kids Club Before & After School Program
Program Director
https://omahapublicschoolsfoundation.org/
402-502-3032 Main
402-502-3063 FaxAttendance
- Contact the main office if your child will not be in attendance or late
- If you will be picking your child up early for any reason
- If the dismissal procedure for your child has changed (another person picking up, no bus, etc.)
- Please provide a doctor note for any appointments so we can mark the absence as medical and excused
Phone: (531) 299-2140
Fax: (531) 299-2159
Nurse Fax: (531) 299-2158
Notes from the School Nurse....
In the Health Office we help students with clothing needs due to spills, accidents, tears, and wet or muddy falls outside. It would be helpful if you would send a set of clothing with your child to keep in their backpack or locker. We have a limited supply in the health office and appreciate when an item is borrowed that you wash and return it!
If you need to contact the nurse, you can email her at julie.frazier@ops.org with any documents or questions.
Counselor's Corner.....Message from Miss "Monty"
Updates and information from Ms. Montemarano, known as "Miss Monty" by the students.
PTO Updates
Be sure to check this section often for updates on events!
Standing Bear PTO
@ptostandingbear · Community
School Safety
Important Information from Standing Bear
Building Security
For the safety and security of our students and this building, anyone entering the building must stop in the office first.
Drop Off Zone
We ask that you please continue to pull all the way down to the second crosswalk if possible (by main front doors). We can then unload around 10 vehicles rather than 5.
We currently have a school staff member assisting your child to breakfast or the classroom at the main doorway for all student’s morning arrival. REMINDER: School doors don’t open until 8:35 AM for classroom entrance and breakfast opening hours.
We ask again not arrive for end of school day pick-up until 3:55pm to prevent traffic flow congestion issues .
Please be attentive and cognizant of all school crossing guard officials and adhere to their requests during student morning drop-off and pick-up times. Our goal is to ensure your child’s overall safety.
School Blackboard Communication
We will be using Blackboard for mass communications to families. All newsletters, updates and reminders will be sent via email or text. Please make sure to contact the office if you need to update your contact information.
Birthday Celebrations
We ask that only non-food items be brought for birthday celebrations. Please check with your child's teacher to discuss day and time for treats to be dropped off.
Arrival Reminders
- Drop off is 8:35AM, that is when breakfast is open and staff are on duty
- Please have student(s) ready to get out when you pull up
- Pull all the way down if able
- If you need to get out to assist your child, go into the parking lot lane not the main drive
- If your student is NOT eating breakfast they need to enter through the main front doors rather than the cafeteria doors
- Grab and Go Breakfast- if your student is eating breakfast, they need to enter the building through the cafeteria doors. They may enter through the main front doors if they choose not to eat the district provided breakfast.
Dismissal and pickup
When parents pull onto school grounds, outside staff will input your family number to indicate that you have arrived. Classroom teachers will get your student(s) ready to dismiss. How this works- We will enter your Family Number into a form, this will be visible to classroom teachers in the building and they will dismiss. Students will be dismissing out the main front doors staggered based on your arrival time. Students will NOT be dismissing out any other doors.
It will be extremely helpful if you let your student(s) know your preferred lane for pick-up. This will help them know to look for you in the main drive or the parking lot lane. Once your student(s) are loaded, you can pull out of the pick-up line to leave.
What you will need at dismissal:
- You will need to place your car hanger number on your rearview mirror so it is clearly visible to outside staff.
- You will need to pull all the way down to the front door (as cars move ahead, you move ahead) if you are picking up on the main drive, pull all the way down to the front main entrance or up to the vehicle in front of you. If you are picking up in the parking lot lane, you will still need to pull all the way forward. ALL students will exit out the main front doors.
- We will call your student(s) out as you arrive, continue to pull forward whenever possible until all your students are loaded.
** Kindergarten students- dismissal will remain the same for parents who walk up to get kindergarten students. If you are choosing to drive through for pick up, parents will still pull up like all other vehicles with their family number visible.
** Early Childhood will remain the same. Parents will need to park and come check out their child.
** Walk up parents- A staff member will be located out front, you can provide them with your family number so teachers are aware you are ready to pickup. You student(s) will then be dismissed.
** Each family will receive 2 car hangers. If you would need additional ones, please contact the office. It is imperative not to lose your issued designated car hanger numbers. Please clearly display upon arrive so there is no confusion to expeditiously release your child for pick-up.
WE WILL BEGIN DISMISSAL (ENTERING NUMBERS) AT 4:00PM. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE AT SCHOOL BEFORE 3:55PM TO PREVENT AN INITIAL BACKUP. The line moves very fast once we begin the dismissal process.
Thank you for everything!
Early Pickup for Students
If you are picking up your students early for a doctor appointment, etc please call the office ahead of time and we will have you child ready to go at the designated time. Parents will need to come into the office to check out your student(s).
Bridget O'Melia, Principal
Email: bridget.omelia@ops.org
Website: https://standingbear.ops.org/HOME/tabid/36/Default.aspx
Location: 15860 Taylor Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 531-299-2140
Omaha Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, age, genetic information, citizenship status, or economic status in its programs, activities and employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following individual has been designated to address inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Superintendent of Schools, 3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (402-557-2001).