Elm Road Express
December 2017
Letter from the Principal
As we begin to focus our thoughts toward the holiday season and reflect on another year that has passed, I want to wish you and your family the best as we near the end of 2017. It has been a great start to the year at Elm Road Elementary, and I am most thankful to the students, staff, and parents for making this school year a wonderful experience.
No homework tonight? Please encourage students to practice their math facts every night as well as spend at least ten to fifteen minutes a night reading. We are noticing a great number of students needing assistance with learning their basic facts. Spending a few minutes each night will make a great difference. Our hope is that every night each student will spend this necessary time in both reading and math.
With the help of our students, staff members, student council, and other community donors, we were able to make several Elm Road families very happy this Thanksgiving. Mrs. Selis and the Epic Church also donated the turkeys and many other goodies to support our food baskets. The student council provided assistance to the Northern Indiana Food Bank and our school's baskets as well. A special thank you is extended to Mrs. Shell and Mrs. Newcomer for their leadership in this endeavor. We encourage families in need of further assistance during the holiday months to use some of the services Mrs. Shell features in her section of the newsletter.
I appreciate the support that the Elm Road community continually demonstrates.
Notes from the Office
Thank You
DoubleTree Inn has a Community Care Committee that does service projects in our community. They will be visiting Elm Road along with several other workers from the hotel to read a tree book and do an activity with 1st grade students during one of their library rotations. The students enjoyed having one on one time with the adults doing a coloring, cutting and gluing project.
Thank you, DoubleTree!
We are Elm Road Eagles
Website: elmroad.phmshcools.org
Location: 59400 Elm Road, Mishawaka, IN, United States
Phone: 574-259-3743
Twitter: @ElmroadES
Dates to Remember
Dec. 4th - Doubletree visits 1st grade
Dec. 8th - 5th grade to Sculpture Quest 9:30-12:30
Dec. 14th - Hearing Screening 1st and 4thDec. 19th - DARE Graduation 8:15-9:00
Dec. 21st - 2nd grade to Chippewa Bowl 10:50-2:00
Dec 25 - Jan 5th Winter Recess
High Ability Information
In accordance with the Indiana high ability law, we are required to have an identification process in place to identify students of high ability in the general intellectual and specific academic domains. We identify students who have high ability in language arts and/or math.
Every kindergartener, second and fifth grader who has not been previously identified in a subject area is considered for high ability identification.
Testing for the high ability identification process will begin in December.
Learn more about our identification procedures by visiting our high ability website at https://www.phmschools.org/saturday-enrichment-and-high-ability-programs.
Snow and Sledding Coming Soon
It is that time of year again….cold and snowy weather! Please remember to dress your child appropriately. We will go outside as long as the temperature and wind chill factor are above zero. All students are expected to go outside. If your child is to remain inside, please provide a doctor’s note. To play in the snow, children need to wear snow pants, coats, gloves, hats and boots. Please make sure you mark your child’s belongings with his/her name. With regard to sledding, please be reminded that children may bring a plastic roll up sled to school during snowy days. Please make sure that your child’s name is on the sled. Keeping your children safe is our main priority. Sledding is always supervised!
Some of our New Staff
Kristin Martin
Welcome to Elm Road
Jennifer Christianson
Student Council
In a two hour time span, we packed 15 boxes for meals for starving children around the world.
We were part of a group that will feed almost 200 children for one year that may otherwise have died of starvation.
It was an amazing feeling to help those less fortunate than us!
More Student Council News
Library Lines
- Our Library will be filled with holiday stories and learning about holiday celebrations around the world during CAMPE rotations. The students will be allowed to check out books over the break to be returned after the break.
- WNDU Meteorologist, Cindi Clawson came to Elm Road to read aloud “Bob not Bob” to our students in November. What fun!
- Please to read aloud to your kids over the Holiday break – sharing a read aloud is a great bonding experience.
- Thank you to all the Library Volunteers – they are loved by the students and greatly appreciated by me.
Mrs. Knapp
Librarian
Congratulations to the following
“Eagles” for their wonderful
“SOAR” behavior:
Macellari: Gabby Hintz & Mason Francis
Portolese: Arwen Thompson & Jaxon Signorino
Renz: Scarlett Redman & Collin Hintz
Bush: Riley Hoover & Ethan Ryckeart.
Clark: Seth Hayden & Honor Sharp
Hinton: Londynn Lanthier & Jacob Reed
Taylor: Trea Echols & Brielle Moore
Gizewski: Averi Hernandez & Logan Skelton
Richard: Liam Emmons & Lali Juarez
Tornquist: Kayla Chau & Collin Truman
Anderson: Bo Blimling & Brooklyn Klatt
Miller: Madison McAllister & Owen Wilder
Myers: Gracelyn Guest & Warren Arndt
Pillow: Kirsten Davidson & Joshua Sobieralski
Cook: Maya Burks & Wasif Javed
Fisher: Grace Kazmierzak & Wyatt Thomas
Kocsis: Rylan Lanthier & Ellie Adams
Newcomer: Matt Jiminez & Ryan Schaffer
Freeman: Aubrey Click & Eric Rauchenberg
Kertai: Dathan Lapkiewicz & Shelby Forsythe
Mellor: Aden Hoover & Ruby Lehtomaki
Shreiner: Zara Carrick & Joel Cocquyt & Cole Meiser
News from the Youth Service Bureau
Thank you so much for your contributions to our Student Council food drive this month! A special thanks to Epic Church for their donations also. We provided Thanksgiving dinners to 6 Elm Road families! This month I would like to highlight two community agencies: The Storehouse and Real Services. The Storehouse is a food pantry located at River Valley Church. The address is 55855 Bittersweet Road. They serve residents of Mishawaka, Osceola, and Granger. It is open on Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 AM and on the second and fourth Monday of every month at 5:30-7:00 PM. You will need to bring a picture ID and proof of residence. Please see their website at www.TheStorehouseOnline.org for more information. Real Services of St. Joe County can assist families with utility bills in the winter. Please call them at 574-233-8205 for more information regarding their Energy Assistance Program or Team Heat Program. As the colder weather approaches, winter coats, hats and mittens will be necessary. If you need a referral for Christ Child, please contact Andrea Shell as soon as possible. There are only a few dates left. As always, if you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to give me a call at 259-3743.
Greetings from the Elm Road Music Room
In the month of December, students will be focusing on Composer of the Month, Irving Berlin. Every grade will also be learning several songs for our holiday Sing-A-Long. Here is a little bit more of what each grade will be working on.
1st: Reading Rhythms in a steady beat. Introduce half and whole note.
2nd: Brief unit in 6/8 time signature.
3rd: Creating word chains
4th and 5th: Focus on Solfege
Please email me with any questions!
Mrs. Nakayama, Elm Road Elementary Music Teacher
Health Office Reminders
As colder weather and flu season approaches, here are some guidelines for when to keep your child home from school until your health care provider can be contacted for his/her opinion:
· A fever of 100 degrees or higher- do not have the student return to school until the student has been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
· A “heavy cold or hacking cough” even without a fever (cough that disturbs normal activity)
· Diagnosis from physician of Whooping Cough/Pertussis-student should stay home from school until he/she has received 5 full days worth of antibiotic treatment.
· Vomiting- student should stay home until he/she can keep food down and is free of symptoms for 24 hours.
· Diarrhea-student should remain home until free of symptoms for 24 hours.
· Pink eye (conjunctivitis)-there can be many causes for red eyes, not all of which are communicable. Refer to your health care provider for an evaluation. The Academy of Pediatrics advises that children with purulent conjunctivitis (defined as pink or red conjunctiva with white or yellow discharge, often with matted eyelids after sleep and eye pain or redness of the eyelids or skin surrounding the eyes) be excluded until examined by a health care provider and approved for readmission. With bacterial conjunctivitis, health care providers usually recommend exclusion until 24 hours after starting topical antibiotic therapy.
· Strep throat-student can return to school after they have been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours and are fever free.
· Chicken pox-exclusion from school for one week after the first eruption appears or all lesions are dry and crusted
· Unexplained rash, blisters, or draining sores-student should see his/her health care provider for a diagnosis
Remember- good hygiene and good hand washing techniques can help to prevent many illnesses! Please get a flu shot!!!
***Any medication, even cough drops need to be in the original container. It must be a child’s dosage, and parent needs to fill out a form in order for it be administered. Please do not send any form of medication in with the student without all the above as it will be returned home without it being administered.
6th grade vaccines :
not too early to start!! If your student is entering the 6th grade these are the required vaccines. When your student turns 11 years old they can get the MCV4 and Tdap.
3 Hep B
2 Hep A
2 Varicella
5 DTap
1 Tdap (Tetanus & Pertussis)
4 Polio
1 MCV4 (Meningococcal conjugate)
2 MMR
If you have any questions, contact the health office at 574-259-3743
email eclark@PHM.k12.in.us
fax-574-258-9384 to Beth Clark, MA, Health Aide
What's Happening in Gym
Dear Families,
Each grade level played “Battleship” and “Minefield” for Veterans' Day. We discussed what honor and sacrifice mean. Many students shared stories of loved ones serving or that have served our country and had many creative ideas how they could show honor to those soldiers/veterans. A vocabulary word that was also stressed during our Veterans' Day activities was “strategy” (a plan of action for success).
“Thank you” to Mrs. Jodarski for volunteering to teach pound aerobics in our gym classes. For those interested, she teaches at YMCA and it is a great whole body workout as well as a rhythmic activity.
I had the opportunity to meet David Fisher, "The Rope Warrior" at a PE conference in Indy. He has been on America's Got Talent, Ripley's Believe It or Not, The Today Show and Extra. He holds a Guinness World Record for 56 "rump jumps" in one minute. On Tuesday, November 28th we had the privilege to watch him perform at our school! Our jump team also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop with the Rope Warrior after school. You can catch him in action @https://www.ropewarrior.com/
In addition to our Minds in Motion maze all grade levels have been working on movement concepts and locomotor skills like: grapevine, skip, run, jog, gallop, side slide, power walk, walk, caterpillar crawl, and hop. All grades have been playing games that integrate the components of fitness (cardio endurance, flexibility and muscular strength) such as: Frogs and Ants, Turkey Tag, Haunted House, Turkey Run, Active Rock, Paper, Scissors, Thankful Tag and Scooter Soccer. We've discussed the history of Thanksgiving as well as traditions that our families share.
We have also discussed and played games that help teach “Whoa” “Slow” and “Go” foods to our students. I challenged students to look at their plates and count how many different colors they see. We discussed the need to eat a variety of foods for growing bodies to receive the nutrients and vitamins that one needs.
Star Martial Arts visited our gym classes this month. They reinforced concepts of exercise, respect, time management, listening, organization, balance, and self-control.
We are ready to start the girls basketball program after school the first two weeks in December. Our scrimmage will be on Monday, December 18th for 5th grade girls and staff members. Students are welcome to come watch (with parents) from 2:30-3:15.
During the month of December we are going to hone in on our underhand roll with our bowling unit. The second graders will have the opportunity to go bowling with their CAMPE teachers on a field trip as well! We will also be playing some holiday games in December.
Respectfully,
Mike Phipps and Deb Parisi
Mrs. Creighton Reading Corner
It is difficult to believe that the Holiday Season is approaching. With that in mind, books make wonderful gifts. Winter provides the perfect opportunity to snuggle up with a few great books.
Here is a Holiday gift buying guide to help give you ideas for some great books for your family.
I wish you and your family a wonderful month of December, and wonderful Holiday Season.
Books for Children 0-2 years old
Black and White Cat
By Ruth Spiro
This is an engaging book for young children. The book introduces basic science ideas and vocabulary.
Everyone Says Goodnight
By Hiroyuki Arai
The pages of the book are split to reveal animals and children, first awake and then asleep. The illustrations are appealing. The book is an excellent choice for a bedtime story.
Ages 3-6
First Snow
By Bomi Park
The story is about a girl that experiences the first snow of the year. She gets on her winter gear, and explores the outdoors with other children.
The Wish Tree
By Kyo Maclear
After Charles’ brother and sister told him that there is no such thing as a Wish Tree, he takes off with his sled to find it. In the story his conviction, and kindness are rewarded in the end.
Ages 6-9
Mad Scientist Academy: The Weather Disaster
By Matthew McElligott
This graphic novel has facts about weather and the water cycle embedded in it. The book takes you to the Mad Scientist Academy, where learning is humorous and full of action.
Coyote Moon
By Maria Gianferrari
A mother coyote is out to fee her baby cubs, and she travels across a recognizable landscape. When morning comes, she looks up to see young child watching her from his bedroom. The colorful illustrations that are drawn from a variety of directions, add drama to the story.
Ages 9-12
The Land of Forgotten Girls
Louisiana is a new home for Soledad and Ming. The girls migrated to Louisiana from the Phillipines. There father has returned home, leaving them in the care of their stepmother.
Vea, their stepmother is unhappy and mean. As the girls get used to their new life, fantasy and the real world collide, as does their understanding of their world.
As Brave as You
By Jason Reynolds
Genie and his 13 year old brother, Ernie travel from their home in Brooklyn to their Grandparents’ home in rural Virginia.The story is vividly narrated by Genie. The boys are surprised to find out that their Grandparents do not have Internet service, and other things the boys are used to.