EAGLE HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY NEWSLETTER
November 8th, 2019
Dear EHE Families,
In this season of thanks, we are grateful for your support of Eagle Heights Elementary. It is an honor to lead a building with wonderful students and outstanding families.
With the theme of thankfulness in November we will be participating in the following:
- Consider thanking a staff member at Eagle Heights Elementary. This submission will be shared with staff in November and December.
- Next week Eagle Heights will be hosting a food drive for Bridge Street Ministries in Smithville. We are collecting cereal, hamburger helper, canned fruit, manwich, taco shells, taco sauce, brownie mixes, spaghetti, pasta sauce, spaghettios, canned baked beans, and crackers.
Thank you for all that you do!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Schrage and Mrs. Slack
Proud Principals, Eagle Heights Elementary
Important Dates
NOVEMBER
Nov. 5-12: Major Saver Collection (Smithville R-II Foundation Fundraiser)
Nov. 11: Veteran’s Day Luncheon
Nov. 11-15: Thanksgiving Food Drive
Nov. 13: Late Start Wednesday, School begins at 9:05 AM, No EC Classes
Nov. 20: Late Start Wednesday, School begins at 9:05 AM, No EC Classes
Nov. 22: FLY DAY
Nov. 27-29: Thanksgiving Vacation-No School
THANK YOU PTO AND VOLUNTEERS!
Check out fall festival pictures here from the amazing Laura Hawkins Photography!
Holidays Around the World
The Eagle Heights Family is Growing...
Please inquire with questions or concerns to both SchrageH@smithville.k12.mo.us and SlackRe@smithville.k12.mo.us.
What is new in the ENCORE world?
ART
Our Kelsey Montague inspired wings are finished and hanging in the commons area next to the Innovation room & across from the library.. Students in second through sixth grade each created a feather to contribute to the collaborative piece. Come check them out, take a photo or two with them, and use our hashtag #warriorsconnect when you post on social media!
Thank you to everyone that has donated supplies to the art room this year! Here is a list of needs we have if you feel so inclined to give: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18TPVb3u11tHYwr6OuAGxdEnrbmE20iw-nVs6IDUgCLI/edit
Here’s a quick recap of what is going on in art class:
Kindergarten has finished up the rainbow colors and songs. We still have black, brown, pink, and white projects to do! We just finished some pumpkins at night!
1st grade has been working on a fall tree landscape. You will be seeing these on Artsonia soon!
2nd grade is learning about geometric shapes and we are using them to create a cityscape collage.
3rd grade has been painting eagles while practicing using lines to fill in our shapes with paint.
4th grade is working on tints and shades for a large ice cream cone and we will be moving on to value drawings with still life objects next.
5th has been creating a clay project using coils and also working on painting with sharp edges while our clay is drying.
6th grade is working on a monochromatic painting.
MUSIC
Music
Grades 2-6 will be creating Music Games. The students will work collaboratively in small teams to create a game which teaches students an element of music. They will have unfettered access to EVERYTHING in the music room to create their game and will present the finished product to their classmates. Look out for games that I feel are especially compelling and creative as I post them on Eagle Heights Facebook.
Grades K-1 will be playing Rhythm Rockets, Mallet Madness and Chicken on a Fencepost.
Grades 2 and 3 will begin preparing their winter program to premier 7pm December 4 at the PAC.
Our choir,The Eagle Heights Jubilee, will be rehearsing Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays; 8am-8:40, to prepare for their performances on December 6 at the PAC at 7pm and December 6 downtown on the square at 5:30pm
Save the Date for our Music Performances!
December 4; Grades 2 and 3, Performing Arts Center (together)
February 6; Grades 4 and 5, Performing Arts Center (2 different times)
March 5; K/1, Eagle Heights (2 different times)
March 26; Grade 6, Eagle Heights
P.E.
Grades K-2nd have been playing Tail Tag, Blob Tag, What time is it Mr. Wolf, and many other games. We will be transitioning into Parachute activities over the next few weeks.
Grades 3-6th have been doing their ultimate football unit the past two weeks. We will be finishing up our fitness testing with the sit up test and the push up test.
Reminder: With winter right around the corner make sure that your child is continuing to bring the proper PE footwear on their PE days.
Innovation
K- Will be working on skills to become engineers. Ask your kiddo what Think, Make, Improve and Share look like when in the Innovation Lab
1- Will be working on locating letters, numbers and symbols on the keyboard. We will finish up this unit with a Google Doc creation.
2nd graders are diving into a our StopMotion unit. Students will learn how to create stopmotion videos using construction paper, objects and clay.
3rd grade students will begin discovering research. They will put this research into action to create a boat for our Spheros robots to float in!
4th grade students are finishing up a Google Slides animation featuring their knowledge of energy sources and the transfer of said energy.
5th grade students will begin celebrating the 2020 Winter Olympics by programming 3 robots in our classroom to preform "Olympic" events.
6th grade students are busy working on their board games. Students are focusing on creativity, game mechanics, craftsmanship, entertainment and teamwork while working on this project.
LIBRARY
Digital Resources On the Smithville District Home Page
PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next. Both of these sites are nonfiction resources for elementary students that can be accessed anywhere with internet. They are great for research papers. PebbleGo is on the monthly library reading incentive sheet that is sent home for k-2 students
Mid Continent Public Library Research and learning tab then Homework Help For Kids choose a source and login using the first 7 letters of your last name and then the first letter of your first name with the graduating year. (example- bennakal19)
Every Smithville student also has a MCPL card to check out books or ebooks with.
To checkout a book or download an eBook from the MCPL you will need to go to My account using the same username from before and the Pin is your 8 digit birthday (example- 01232019). I also Highly recommend downloading the Mid Continent Public library App! It is so easy to use!
**I have linked how to videos for both the Pebble Go and Mid Continent resources by click on the blue bold words. **
If you have questions please contact
Lauren Bennaka
Counseling
October is Bully Prevention Month and this months counseling lessons focused on how to handle BIG and SMALL problems peacefully K-2nd grade.
In third and fourth grade we read the book “Dare” by Erin Frankel and learned the difference between a Bystander and a Upstander. A bystander is someone who watches and does not take action when they see someone being mean to someone else. An upstander is someone who reaches out to the person being hurt or takes action by asking them to stop.
In 5th and 6th grade we listened to the story, “Say Something” by Peggy Moss. Students practiced how to respond with Upstanding statements. Students learned to discern between Peer Conflict and Bullying. It is helpful to assess if the action is RIP: Repeated, Intentional, and involves a Power imbalance.Parental response to bullying takes two main forms: support and report. Supporting your child means open lines of communication, actively listening to their experiences, avoiding blame, and empowering him/her. Please reach out to me if you ever have any questions or concerns. downeyc@smithville.k12.mo.usImportant School Day Information
Starting time:
8:45 a.m. (Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri.)
Students riding in private vehicles to school should arrive no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
*Please do not drop students off earlier than 8:30AM.
9:05 a.m. Late start Wednesdays
Students riding in private vehicles to school should arrive no earlier than 8:50 a.m.
Dismissal time:
3:40 p.m.
Students being picked up by parents and students riding the buses will be dismissed at 3:35 p.m.
Early Childhood: 8:30 – 11:45 AM session. Does NOT operate on Wednesday.
12:25 – 3:40 PM session. Does NOT operate on Wednesday.
Do you have bus transportation questions?
Attendance
Regular attendance: Our official school day is from 8:45 A.M. until 3:40 P.M. (Wednesday is 9:05 A.M. to 3:40 P.M.) To have perfect attendance, a student must be in school each day throughout the school year from 8:45 A.M. until 3:40 P.M. Students who are tardy or who check out early will not qualify for perfect attendance recognition at the end of the school year. Leaving early from field trips and parties will count against perfect attendance at the end of the year.
Regular school attendance is an important factor in a child’s academic progress. Unless a child is ill, he/she should be in attendance. If at all possible, doctor appointments should be made after school to promote attendance and thereby increase achievement.
Absence: When your child is absent from school, please telephone the school between 8:30 and 9:30 A.M. so we will know where your child is. If we do not receive a telephone call from you, for your child’s protection, we will attempt to reach you to check on the whereabouts of your child. Please send a note with the child when he/she returns to school following an absence, stating the reason they were absent so we may maintain accurate records. If a child has excessive absences, then a doctor’s note will be required.
Bullying
Bullying means intimidation, unwanted aggressive behavior, or harassment that is repetitive or likely to be repeated and causes a reasonable student to fear for his or her physical safety or property; substantially interferes with the educational performance, opportunities, or benefits of any student; or substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school.
Bullying may consist of physical actions, gestures, oral or written communication, or any threat of retaliation for reporting acts of bullying. Bullying also includes cyberbullying which is transmission of a communication including, but not limited to, a message, text, sound or image by means of any electronic device.
Students and staff who witness acts of bullying are required to report such acts to building or district administration. Reports may be made in person to building or district administration or through the Bullying Report Form which can be found on the district website and each building website. When a report is filed via this form, building and district administration are alerted via email so an investigation may be conducted. All reports of bullying will be investigated according to Smithville School District Policy JFCF.
Bullying that includes harassment based upon race, color, religion, sex, disability, ancestry, country of origin or age will also be investigated as a potential violation of Smithville School District Policy AC which prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a federally protected class.
When required by law, information gathered through bullying investigations will be shared with law enforcement. Consequences for bullying include detention, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, or expulsion. Depending on the severity of the incident, any of these consequences can be used whether it is the first or subsequent offense.
Report bullying or misconduct here at anytime!
Birthday Treats
All food and beverages the district provides or makes available to students during the school day will meet or exceed the Smart Snack nutrition standards. This includes, but is not limited to, foods and beverages provided or made available to students for celebrations, classroom parties and birthdays, regardless of the source of the food. Some classrooms are nut-free classrooms and food-free classrooms due to allergy concerns. Please be considerate of all student needs and abide by these guidelines.
The following link will help to determine if a food or product meets the standards set forth: USDA Healthier School Day.
Please consider non-food “treats” as an alternative to celebrate your child’s birthday with his/her class. Ideas include donating a book to the classroom or bringing a pencil for each student.
We recommend working with our school cafeteria to order smart snack approved treats. To do this email CurtisA@smithville.k12.mo.us.