Shimek Shout Out
May 2018
From the Principal
Please take time this summer to enjoy your children and time together. Go on walks, visit museums, travel, and read books. All of these experiences help students continue to learn throughout the summer. Your student's teachers will provide you with other opportunities to continue learning at home as well. If you have any questions about what you can do, please contact your child's teacher.
I hope you can join us for the annual all school picnic on the last day of school! BASP bands will provide the entertainment and the 6th graders are excited for the annual kickball game. It is a great tradition for all families to come together one last time before parting ways for the summer. More information is listed in this newsletter.
I wish you all a fantastic summer! Please contact the office with any questions or concerns for the fall. Thank you for a great year!!
Elizabeth Bruening, Principal
Preschool Registration!
Preschool Parent Visit Day!
Thursday, May 3, 2018
2:30-3:30
Shimek Elementary
Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for Preschool Parent Visit Day. This is a great opportunity for parents and guardians to learn about their child's preschool classroom, review curriculum and expectations, meet school staff and fellow preschool families, and ask questions. This event is designed for parents only.Teacher Appreciation Week May 7 – 11, 2018
The PTO invites you to participate in one, some, or all of these special events to thank the teachers for all they do for our Shimek Sharks!
Monday: Words from the Heart
Send a card or personal note to school for your child’s teacher.
Tuesday: Show the Specials Teachers how sweet it is to have them at Shimek.
Send something sweet -- a note, a flower, a piece of fruit, candy, or your choice -- to your specials teachers: Art, PE, Library/Media, Band, Guidance, Resource, Music, Orchestra, and the Paraeducators in your child’s classroom.
Wednesday: I couldn’t have “picked” a better teacher.
Create a healthy fruit basket or a beautiful bouquet for your child’s teacher by sending a piece of fruit or a flower to school with your child. Have them place it in the basket/vase provided. A special thank you to the Davis family for providing lunch from Twelve01 Kitchen and Tap for our teachers on this day!
Thursday: Taco and Dessert Bar
Help provide a healthy lunch for our teachers with some desserts to let them know how sweet it is to have them in our lives.
Sign up here https://bit.ly/2He049Z.
Friday: School Supply Shower
Send something that your child’s teacher can use at school: pens, Kleenex, dry erase markers, post-it notes, Sharpies, crayons, pencils, wipes, a book for the classroom, etc. There will be a basket outside each classroom door to collect these.
SHIMEK APPAREL
Use the link below to order your Shimek apparel.
Shimek Elementary Apparel Sale 2018
The Form will be open until Sunday, 05/06/2018 at Midnight EST
Planning for 2018-19 school year
Shimek Families!
If your children will not be attending Shimek for the 2018-19 school year, please send a quick email with the City and State you will be relocating to:
brandt.amy@iowacityschools.org
If your family has already moved out of the Shimek attendance area, you will need to submit a Transfer Request form as soon as possible to the ESC if you want your children to remain at Shimek for the 2018-19 school year. This is a link to this form:
https://www.iowacityschools.org/Page/60
After this form is completed, you can bring it to the main office to be submitted to the ESC. The ESC approves this information and will contact you via email or a phone call.
If you family is moving to another school in the ICCSD area, you will need to contact this new school and provide a Proof of Address to the new school. A purchase or lease agreement or piece of mail with your new address is acceptable options.
If your family is moving away from the Iowa City area, please be aware that student information is released to the new school after a Request for Records has been received from the new school.
Thank You!
Amy Brandt
Administrative Secretary
Leaving Early?
Congratulations to our DPO Honorees!
Amy Brandt
Geri Kachingwe
Lyndsey Brozene
All School Picnic
Iowa City Masonic Lodge Foundation Teacher of the Year!
Shimek Library News!
May PTO Meeting
Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 06:30 PM
Shimek Elementary School, Grissel Place, Iowa City, IA, USA
Proposed 2018-2019 PTO Budget
PTO April Minutes (to be approved at the May meeting)
Shimek PTO Meeting Agenda
April 11th, 2018
6:30-7:30pm
Items:
Approve notes from 3/7/18 PTO meeting
Meeting begins at 6:32. Move to approve notes from March. Seconded by Jeff and Brad.
2. Principal Report (6:30-6:35)
Kindergarten roundup is next Thursday. We are anticipating a bigger class than last years. If you know anybody of that age, please let them know and there is still time to get registered. Request for a PTO member to attend the roundup.
Preschool open house will be held on May 3rd. Half day free program for four-year-old students. Preschoolers do not have to be in the Shimek district in order to attend.
Sixth graders have a lot going on. Students are signing contracts for minimum amount of work to be completed in order to be involved in some of the fun activities that have been planned. This contract is based on percentage, and may not the same for all students based on their own personal goals.
Field trips – Thank you for supporting teachers and students to apply classroom knowledge to the real world. Classroom newsletters will include upcoming field trips for additional grades.
3. Teacher Update – Ms. Anderson
Students are wrapping up solids and liquids science unit and currently exploring properties of solids and liquids with comparisons. They are also completing a STEM requirement by building bridges, and substances that have both liquid and solid properties along with design challenges. There are living animals in the room, such as butterflies and meal worms.
There will also be a field trip to Woodpecker Trail and the fossil gorge.
4. DPO Report- Ben
Three middle school principals presented at the last DPO meeting. The foundation is encouraging donations through UICCU, as UICCU will match donations, up to $30,000. Try to hit the maximum if you do business with UICCU.
Scholarship will be awarded at the last of the month for DPO. Ben suggested that the position should be revisited as meetings are now at night as well as over the lunch hour. Looking for volunteers that would be interested in attending as Shimek Rep.
5. Treasurer Report- Jeff
We’re in good shape. We will be setting up the budget for the following year at the next meeting. Draft with revision will be presented at the next meeting, where it will be voted upon by PTO attendees. At this point, we would want to solicit advice on line items if individuals have ideas. The budget can still be revised the following year. Feedback can be provided now as well as at the next meeting.
6. Vote on funding for mats and net for the gym. Follow-up from March meeting
Mr. Graff sent the numbers to Bridget:
· $533.59 for net. (It will not be provided as part of the new gym, and will not need to be replaced once the new gym is built).
· $301.23 per mat. Mr. Graff requested 6 mats. (The mats will not be provided as part of the new gym, and will not need to be replaced once the new gym is built).
o US Games quoted $375 per mat.
The total cost would be $2,300 for all. There is a playground supplies fund, which is not really for playground equipment, and that budget only covers $150.
Parent: do we have a certain set of money set aside for playground?
Jeff: Money is 20,000 in CD’s. Even though it’s not earmarked, we have not settled on a set amount for set-aside for playground. $46,600 – Remainder of expenses that are budgeted would amount to $6,800, $40,000 with inclusion of the CD at the end of the year.
DPO Twain is in the same position as they also fundraised for a playground, then district purchased the playground on their behalf. Instead of using funds on any extra playground equipment, they have granted one-to-one Chromebooks for primary grades.
Ben suggested that having a set amount not set aside, is hindering our ability to grant individual requests by teachers.
Heather reviewed the bylaws, and in order to change the 40,000 to not be allocated toward the playground, it would need to be approved and voted on.
Liz suggested that it be included as part of next year’s budget.
Enriching curriculum can also be a source, which is $2000. This $2000 is “supposed” to be used for field trip buses, so the comment was made to analyze the individual line items to ensure that the true nature of that line item would be obfuscated.
For our next meeting, the proposed budget for 18-19 year will be discussed and approved, including individual line items for mats as well as playground equipment.
With the ongoing issue with the DOJ, it’s not clear what will happen with the playground. Suggestion to use the $20,000 CD as the set-aside amount for the playground. PTO members are encouraged to the reach out after the proposed budget is put out, or to individual PTO exec members prior to the budget.
The $40,000 was everything we had in savings. It contains previous savings as well as fundraisings. Making a determination of how much was *actually* set aside for specific playground needs will be a challenge, but preliminary estimates between $20,000 and $30,000 were provided and will be voted on at the next meeting.
7. Teacher Appreciation Week - May 7th-11th
Lots of people have helped out. Mandy is taking the lead this year. The sign-up genius will be sent out soon, likely mimicking closely what was provided last year.
8. Bike Rodeo - April 17th 5:30-6:30pm Sign up genius link to volunteer: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0B49A9AD2EA46-shimek
No one has volunteered yet for this. Setup will be simple, but the 5:30-6:30, we will need 7-9 volunteers. UIHC safety will be coming to fit helmets, and giving away helmets to students with need. World of bikes will come to tune up bikes, and trophies and bracelets will be handed out to students as part of the obstacle course. If it will 50 degrees or below, it was suggested to reschedule. Currently it is forecasted to be 55. Additionally, sixth graders would make good volunteers, long as there are several
9. Replacement of soccer nets
Bridget suggested to take this off table for discussion so that we can get an assessment of cost. It seems that more than just the net might need to be replaced.
10. T-shirts for 6th graders- Vicki Mueller
End of the year celebrations. It would make it easier to identify kids at different end of year events.
· Screen print with solid 360 (8 x 45)
· Tie Dye (12 X 45) 540
Suggestion to make this a tradition. Track and field day is May 16th, so the decision must be made tonight.
Suggestion to vote, with a suggested donation per student. Students will then be able to keep the shirts.
Bridget motioned, Ben seconded.
Additional request for 5th grade field trips. Bridge motioned, Ben seconded.
11. Executive board will meet prior to May PTO meeting and set the agenda for the 2018-2019 academic year for PTO events.
Please note, any current board position is available.
Meeting adjourned at 7:27.
PTO Meeting Attendees
Heather Bridge
Andrea Birt
Caroyln Anderson
Kayla Cordova
Liz Bruening
Ben Brozene
Brad Bolender
Jeff Allen
Bridet Brenton
Vikki Mueller
Jen Kirshling
Jill Raefield
Anne Wilmoth
Hillary Muhlenbruch
Mandi Bozarth.
Kate Nesbett
BASP Appreciation Week
Shimek BASP Appreciation is scheduled the week of May 7-11 (in tandem with TEACHER Appreciation.)
You can Sign Up here to contribute, bring treats, or participate in the celebration on Friday, May 11th after school. Contact Alisa Meggitt if you'd like to help plan BASP Appreciation. Meggitt.alisa@iowacityschools.org.
Non-Discrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Kingsley Botchway II, Director of Equity, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, (319) 688-1000, botchway.kingsley@iowacityschools.org.