Aviator Air News
Maple Dale Family Newsletter
September 29, 2023
A Note from Mrs. Zellner and Mr. West
Dear Maple Dale families,
Grandfriends Day is a beloved and heartwarming tradition that we are thrilled to bring back for the first time since the pandemic! What makes this day truly special is the opportunity for our Maple Dalians to spend part of their school day with their grandfriend(s) without the presence of their parents, so we ask that parents please not accompany the grandfriends into the building on this day. Additionally, please let the office know at voellmeckeh@sycamoreschools.org if your child/children will be going home with his/her grandfriend instead of utilizing the normal end of day transportation. Thank you for understanding this and we can't wait to meet your child's grandfriend next week!
We are happy to report that our Animal Stampede FUNdraiser continues to gain momentum and we are on our way to achieving our $60,000 goal with over $17,500 raised so far! Click here to see how the stampede is going! We encourage everyone to keep the momentum going by spreading the word, sharing our goal, and continuing to raise funds for our one and only fundraiser of the year. We are grateful for every contribution, big or small, that brings us closer to our goal. Thank you!
Have a great weekend,
Mindy and Keena
Mark Your Calendar!
Monday, October 2nd: C Day
Tuesday, October 3rd: D Day
Wednesday, October 4th: E Day
Thursday, October 5th: A Day
Friday, October 6th: B Day
Monday, September 18th- October 16:
- PTO Fundraiser "Animal Stampede" begins * see below
Tuesday, October 3rd:
- Chinese classes begin (see flyer in the s’more for more information)
Wednesday, October 4th:
- Fall Picture Day * volunteers needed!
Thursday, October 5th:
- All Pro dad's breakfast * RSVP below
Friday, October 6th:
- Maple Dale Grandfriends Day
Monday, October 16th:
- Final day to turn in money for Animal Stampede Fundraiser
Friday, October 20th:
- Animal Stampede Fun Run Celebration
Thursday, October 26th:
- Last day of 1st quarter
Friday, October 27:
- Teachers Records Day- Student Personal Learning Day/No School
Volunteer Opportunities
Interested in Volunteering? Below are links to volunteer at Maple Dale.
- Lunchroom Volunteer
- Homeroom Helper
- Milers- Fall 2023
- Workroom (Copy room) Assistant * Description in Sign Up
- Picture Day Helper - 6 volunteers needed * Each volunteer will receive a voucher from Lifetouch
🐧"Animal Stampede" PTO Fundraiser 🐱
Join our efforts to raise money for Maple Dale! Animal Stampede 3 weeks away.
Thank you to all families for your fundraising efforts thus far. We are getting closer to $20,000 by the hour in about 2 weeks! We will surely reach our ultimate goal of $60,000 if you keep up the good work!
- If you haven't jumped into our fundraising efforts yet, you can collect money in person or online. Your student can collect cash and checks and turn them into school anytime.
- If online collection is easier, we are partnering with Pledgestar to easily reach potential donors via email, text or social media.
See this flyer for details on how to quickly get started with Pledgestar.
We have lots of great rewards for our students as they raise money to make Maple Dale better than ever. Our students are getting so close to earning extra recess! Check out the flyer for details on what's in store.
See where your animal is in the stampede so far in this video update: Animal Stampede Week 2 Update
Grandfriends Day
Picture Day, Wednesday , Oct.4th
Flyers were sent home this week via back pack mail or scan the QR code
⭐Calling All Cast ⭐
COMING THIS FALL!
THE LION KING KIDS Grades K-4th
Auditions October 12, 2023
Rehearsals Thursdays after school from 4:00 pm—5:00 pm
starting October 19, 2023
Shows January 19-20, 2024
Fee $100/participant
Please click here to view the flyer
Must sign up for audition at
Emotional Well Being Information from Mrs. Renee Bernecker
Kindergarten-1st Grade Social-Emotional Development and Needs
How many times have you watched your child from afar and wondered, “What in the world is that kid doing?” Don’t worry, no matter how many times, you’re not alone! But if we think about reactions or behaviors in the context of overall development, most of what puzzles us about our children makes at least a little more sense.
Kids are always growing socially and emotionally. Social-emotional development includes managing one’s emotions, interpreting other’s emotions, determining how to act in different environments, and overall, understanding that people are always thinking about one another—even when not together.
5-6 Year Olds:
Are more compliant with simple rules, but still test boundaries.
Can connect decisions with physical consequences and are motivated by praise/reward.
Seek to escape emotions (hands over ears, run away) that are intense.
Can interpret simple emotions (anger, sadness, happiness), but not more complicated ones like jealousy or greed. They are just learning what it means to feel embarrassed.
Have a quickly growing vocabulary and are getting better at using language to share their thoughts and feelings (can also use language to hurt).
Are still learning through observation, exploring, imitation, and asking SO many questions.
Still think they are the center of the world, so have trouble seeing another’s perspective.
Are still growing the ability to follow multi-step directions.
Lose interest/focus quickly, particularly without adult guidance/involvement.
Are very imaginative! This means they can imagine wonderful things, but also scary things.
How We Can Support Them:
- One of the most important things we can do to support a young child’s social-emotional development is to be predictable ourselves. When we have a consistent, calm response to boundary testing behavior, children accept boundaries faster. At the same time, we are modeling (they are still learning through imitation!) that it is both okay and manageable to experience tough emotions like anger and frustration. We are also modeling how to communicate kindly and respectfully, even when experiencing big feelings. We create opportunities to label emotions, connect them with triggers, and discuss physical indicators (“I could tell you were angry because you squeezed your hands into fists and your muscles were so stiff.”). This helps them build insight.
- Another way to support 5-6 year old social-emotional development is to continue exploration! When we provide opportunities for new and different experiences, we are also giving children the chance to observe how others act in new environments. They can then use their imitation skills to behave expectedly, feel successful in those new environments, thus building self-esteem. When kids begin new things, including school or extracurriculars, there will understandably be confusion or conflict. Since their imaginations are amazing, we can use role play (or toys/figures) to introduce expectations, help them rehearse desired behaviors, or problem-solve social situations. Playful learning is faster learning!
- Finally, if we expect that we will likely need to prompt young children more than once to do something, we’ll save so much energy! We will be more likely to use our own imagination to engage them through silly voices, eye contact to ensure we have their attention prior to instruction, or by using games to get chores done. Young children can lose interest quickly, even in routine actions like brushing teeth, so staying involved in some way (playfully, with checklists, with check-ins) will help them continue to build independence.
If you are wondering if your child's social-emotional development is appropriate, please feel free to contact myself or Caroline Tersigni.
Renee Bernecker, MSW, LISW, CTP
School-based Therapist, CCHMC
ALL PRO DAD
What is All Pro Dad? All Pro Dad is the fatherhood program of Family First, a national nonprofit organization based in Tampa, Florida. It was founded by Mark Merrill and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy. The organization seeks to help every father become more engaged in the lives of their children. The goal is to enjoy breakfast with the dads and their children while encouraging conversations about important life topics. Please join other dads and parents at our Maple Dale chapter for a fun time of relationship building. There will be four chapter breakfast meetings this school year: 10/5, 1/25, 3/7, and 5/9.
Maple Dale students are invited to the Maple Dale Elementary All Pro Dads breakfast
on Thursday October 5th from 8am – 9am. This free breakfast (doughnuts, coffee, and
juice this month) is sponsored by the Maple Dale PTO. Please park at the District Office parking lot.
Office parking lot.
Please RSVP below!
RSVP required by 10/1 if attending to have the proper amount of food.
https://allprodadsday.com/chapters/5004
The October theme is CREATIVITY. When we’re creative, we use our imaginations and
talents to express ourselves, to come up with new ideas, and to make the world around
us more beautiful.
🏃♂️Maple Dale Milers👟
Ready, set, go! Our Milers Program is starting soon at Maple Dale for grades 1-4, and our runners need your help! We need volunteers to help facilitate these sessions each Wednesday during lunch recess beginning September 27th. This is a great opportunity to interact with your little ones at school. Please use this sign-up Milers Volunteer Sign Up for the grades you are willing to help out with. Also, please note that 1st and 4th grade sessions are grouped together, and 2nd and 3rd grade sessions are grouped together. If you have any questions please reach out to Kristi Focke at kristi.focke@gmail.com or Abby Miller at mdptovp2@sycamoreschools.org. Thank you in advance! We are excited to start running!
🍏Free and Reduced Meal Program🍎
We want to ensure that your child continues to receive the benefits of the Free & Reduced Meal program in the upcoming school year. State guidelines allow these benefits to extend into the next school year to provide ample time for new applications to be processed. However, there's a critical date approaching: October 8th.
If your child qualified for the Free & Reduced Meal program in the last school year and you haven't submitted a new application for the 23-24 school year by October 8th, they will revert to a full pay status. Any charges incurred between October 11th and the time you complete a new application will be the responsibility of the parent or guardian.
To avoid any unexpected charges and ensure your child continues to receive these essential benefits, please submit your application as soon as possible.
Sycamore Community News
Sycamore Board of Education Candidate Forum
Two of the five Sycamore Board of Education seats are up for election on November 7, 2023. You will have the opportunity to choose the candidates you feel would best represent the Sycamore Community. The Sycamore Schools PTO President's Council is holding a candidate forum on October 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Sycamore High School (Rm. 1809). Participants can also attend virtually via Zoom. A link will be shared at a later date.
The purpose of this forum is to ask candidates questions to gain an understanding of their vision for our district and their ideas about key issues that they'll grapple with as school board members. You may submit up to two questions here.
District Events and Activities
Aves Hangar
About us
Email: zellnerm@sycamoreschools.org
Website: http://www.sycamoreschools.org/Domain/12
Location: 6100 Hagewa Drive, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: (513)686-1720
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mapledaleaviators/
Twitter: @MapleDaleElem