The Gator Gazette
March 25, 2022
Gator Greetings
Thank you to everyone who came out last night to Allisonville to enjoy our Family STEM Night. It was wonderful to see so many families engaging and having fun together. A special shout out to our math coach, Mrs. Jones, who coordinated the evening!
This week, we learned so much about a variety of disabilities during disABILITY Awareness Week. Service dogs from Love on a Leash visited each classroom on Monday to read with students and learn all about how animals can help people. The students enjoyed puppet shows on Tuesday from the Joseph Maley Foundation and were able to ask many questions about the different disabilities for each puppet. Today, during our Gator Gathering, we welcomed teenage race car driver, Elliot Cox, as our guest presenter. He shared all about what it means to have an “invisible disability” or the learning disability, dyslexia. Elliot has created the foundation, Driving for Dyslexia to help bring awareness to this disability and help others. Check out https://www.elliotcoxracing.com/about-elliot-cox.html to learn more about Elliot! A big thank you to PTO who funded the cookies for all students to enjoy during today’s Gator Gathering. These were made by the bakery, No Label at the Table. Find out more about this local bakery in the Gazette as well as many pictures from disABILITY Awareness Week.
Next week at Allisonville, we are looking forward to 2nd Grade Folk Dance Night on Thursday from 6:00pm-7:00pm in the gymnasium. Our music teacher, Ms. Krupa, has an amazing night planned and the students have been working hard to prepare. All 2nd graders and their parents are invited to attend the Folk Dance Night on Thursday! Our spring Scholastic Book Fair begins next week and will be open for families on Thursday, March 31st from 4:00pm-6:00pm. Friday is the last day before Spring Break and then the Book Fair will continue to be open the week we return.
We Are The Gators! WE ARE AV!
Mrs. Reffett
Principal
Calendar of Events
3/31 – Gator Jam (Grades 4/5)
3/31 – Family Folk Dance (Grade 2)
3/31 – Book Fair 4:00pm-6:00pm
4/4-4/8 – Spring Break (No School)
4/12 – Book Fair Side Walk Sale 4:00pm-6:00pm
4/14 – Spring Open House
4/21 – Early Release @ 2:15pm
4/21 – General PTO Meeting
4/27 – Gator Jam (Grades 2/3)
4/29 – Gator Gathering
4/29 – Trivia Night (Adults Only)
Think First and Stay Safe
A copy is also included at the end of the Gazette.
Family Folk Dance Night
Scholastic Book Fair
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4AA8AA28A57-allisonville
AV Accolades
Fifth graders, Rowan Knight, Sam Shoulders, and Nolan Obenchain are headed to the regional competition for the Geography Bee. To qualify for regionals the students had to take the regional qualifying exam which consisted of 50 questions. The tricky part was they only had 20 minutes to answer all 50 questions. They were tested on identifying capitals, locating countries, and determining where certain historical events took place. They scored in the top 50% of all the students who took the exam!
Regionals will take place in May and if they score in the top 20% they could head to Orlando for the finals. Best of luck to Rowan, Sam, and Nolan!
disAbility Awareness Week
Shout out to PTO for their time, along with items provided through a grant and donations. Curriculum was provided through the Joseph Maley Foundation to assist with everyone's ability to succeed. (See below for info about the treats students received today.)
AV Lost and Found
After every break, our lost and found is emptied and all items are donated. Mr. Auslander highlights a few items each week on Take it Back Tuesdays morning news segment. Students will have a chance to find their lost items next week as we will have items sorted on tables in the cafe. If your student has lost something, please encourage him/her to look during lunch time.
Info
AVPTO
What has the PTO been up to??
1) The Allisonville Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is looking for volunteers who are interested in taking on a leadership position on our Executive Committee for the 2022-2023 school year! Serving on the Executive Board is a great way to connect with our Allisonville families and staff while supporting and promoting all of the learning, growth and community-building that takes place in our school.
The AVPTO Nominating Committee will also host a 30-minute PTO Leadership 101 virtual info session on Wednesday, March 30 from 7-7:30 p.m. Attendees can learn more about the PTO, officer and committee volunteer roles, and ask questions. This session will be recorded for those who can't participate that evening. Please sign up for the virtual PTO Leadership 101 info here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4BAEA92CA5FC1-allisonville.
If you are interested in serving on the AVPTO Executive Board next year, please complete the nomination form by Sunday, April 10. (Nomination form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3uQ_qdg8n2xWgs-2Z6fw3tO4Fu4Grv9w_3cPkawH3tN9lGA/viewform) You can learn more about the role of the Executive Board, meeting expectations, and specific position descriptions on our website at http://www.avpto.com/about/.
The AVPTO also has many other valuable volunteer leadership roles for the various events and fundraisers that occur throughout the year. Those opportunities will be publicized in early May for the 2022-2023 school year.
If you have questions about the positions below, or the role of the Executive Board, please contact Emily Berger, Vice President and Nominating Committee Chair, at emilymberger@yahoo.com, or text or call at 317-509-7971.
2) The PTO is looking for ways to contribute to Allisonville's capital projects. There are some options on the table currently with the lower level playground being a focus. We are working together with administration and staff to develop a plan for how to best utilize those funds.
3) We are well into fundraising for Trivia Night. Ticket sales are live NOW! If you would like to sponsor the event with more than a ticket, you or your favorite local business can sponsor a round, favors, decor, food, or beverages. Contact Mary Cunningham at allisonvillePTO@gmail.com for more info.
4) Our monthly Dine to Donates continue to be successful. In February, we earned $139 with our Lou Malnati's night and in March we earned almost $145 at Chipotle! Don't you love being able to not cook for a night AND raise money for our children?
5) Save the date for our general PTO meeting April 21 at 6pm IN PERSON at Allisonville Elementary. More information to come!
Student SEL
The survey content will ask students to reflect on their confidence as learners, interactions with others, sense of belonging, and school climate. There are many factors that impact student achievement, including one’s sense of belonging and connection to school. All responses will help to inform district leaders of strategies to improve student outcomes as we continue to work towards the goals of our District Strategic Plan. Therefore, we are asking that all of our students in grades 3-12 participate in the surveys, as their feedback will provide invaluable insights in our quest to ensure supportive and affirming educational environments.
If a student does not feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they will be able to skip the item altogether. The responses to these surveys will be completely confidential. We are partnering with a third-party vendor called Panorama to support us in administering these surveys. Please review their commitment to student privacy HERE.Panorama does not share or sell student data to any social media platforms or organizations.
You can learn about the student surveys at the link HERE and for frequently asked questions (FAQ) refer to the link HERE. If you have any additional questions or concerns about the SEL survey, please don’t hesitate to contact the administrator of your student’s school for more guidance or clarification. If you would like to use an interpreter to ask questions about the Panorama survey, please call our multilingual voicemail line at 317-259-5446, and one of our district interpreters will return your call.
A couple reminders
We cannot take transportation changes over the phone. All communication needs to be with teacher and confirmed. Otherwise student may be picked up early at 2:30PM by an approved adult with ID.