The Gray Wolf Gazette
August 26th, 2021
Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary School
Mission(Why do we exist?):
Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary is a collaborative community committed to ensuring equity and high levels of learning for all.
Vision(What must our school become to accomplish this purpose?)
Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary is a welcoming community that empowers all children to connect, discover, and thrive as leaders equipped to make a positive impact on our world.
Collective Commitments (What are we committed to doing to achieve that vision?)
Connect -Establish positive relationships based on dignity and trust. -Cultivate diversity as a resource. -Value the contributions of all stakeholders. -Provide experiences that empower students to connect to their world. -Develop partnerships with our families and our community. Discover: -Use our strengths and a growth mindset to accomplish goals and persist through challenges. -Seek new ideas, practices, and solutions that help us reach our goals. -Learn more about our interests and develop our passions. -Create opportunities for learners to explore the world around them with open hearts and minds. Thrive: -Ensure academic and social-emotional growth and physical wellness for all. -Use data and reflection to guide our decisions. -Set, monitor, and celebrate goals that challenge students and leads to academic excellence for all. -Make sure our actions and choices positively impact our community as a whole.
Upcoming Dates
-PTO's Annual Back to School Bash Friday, August 27th, 5:30-7:30
(While this event is outside, please make sure you are wearing masks when you are not 3 to 6 ft away from others)
-No School on Labor Day September 6th
-PTO Meeting (Virtual and in Person Option) Monday, September 13th, 6:30-7:30
-Ribbon Cutting and Community Open House(4:30-5:30) and Curriculum Night(5:45-7:15) Thursday, September 16th(More details to come)
-Early Dismissal(11:45) Friday, September 17th
-Fall Picture Day Tuesday, September 21st
Building a Positive and Welcoming Climate at Givens
Daily Greetings:
Our students are greeted each morning by each staff member they come into contact with. From the staff members unloading cars, to the ones working the crosswalks and entry doors, we make sure each child is givens a good morning.
As students enter their classrooms, they are greeted by their classroom teachers who are standing by the doors. Classroom Communities come up with options for greetings. You may see students and teachers do a dance, give an elbow or hip bump, or even give an air hug. Each student gets to choose how they want to be greeted each day.
Classroom Meetings
Once students are in the classroom and ready to start the day, we begin with a classroom meeting in each classroom. Our class meetings include:
- A Class Community Greeting/Share Opportunity: this allows members of the classroom to greet each other and respond to prompts or questions that will allow members to learn more about each other.
-An Engaging Lesson or Activity: this allows students to participate in learning around topics that include building classroom communities, understanding personal identities, learning more about the similarities and differences the community shares, and learning more about ways we can make a difference in our school, our families, and the world around us. During this time we also learn more about various character traits that help us reach social and academic goals.
-Optimistic Closing: this allows students to participate in some daily goal setting and reviewing the schedule for the day.
This meeting lasts for about the first 20 minutes of the day and includes the classroom teacher and other adults on staff who are not assigned to a classroom.
School-wide Behavior Goals:
Using Connect, Discover, and Thrive, we created a set of expectations in different areas in our building. Students used time during classroom meetings to offer their voice as well. These are taught and practiced at the beginning of the year and at other times we needed. We believe that having these expectations and teaching them to support our students in ensuring all are able to Connect, Discover, and Thrive at Givens (See an example below).
3rd Grade Strings(Plan to Sign Up Here)
There are a few steps to enroll your child. On Monday, September 6th (Labor Day) beginning at 8:00 a.m., go online to https://forms.gle/7zmDSKkawqc6TFiJA to register your child. There will also be a link to this form on Mr. Reichold’s school website and Twitter Page @Mr ReicholdMusic. Class sizes are limited to 18 children and will be filled in the order in which your online form is received. All registering must be done on the website above; I cannot accept emailed registrations.
If you are one of the first 18 to register, you will be invited to attend our informational meeting via Zoom on Monday, September 13th at 6:30 pm. Your child is welcome and encouraged to attend as well. The link will be sent once you are entered into the program.
Remember, registration begins Monday, September 6th at 8:00 am. and I anticipate it filling up quickly. Thank you, Desmond Reichold WG Elementary Strings Coordinator reichold.desmond@wgmail.org
Arrival and Dismissal
We greatly appreciate all you have been doing to ensure the safety of all during arrival and dismissal. Our hope is that all students make it to school prior to 7:50. If they happen to run late, please make sure they use the main entrance(near the front office) to enter and sign in. Students entering after 7:50 will make their lunch choice and get a tardy slip from the front office and proceed to their classroom.
School Hours Information
To ensure the safety of all students, please adhere to these guidelines for dropping your child(ren) off at school. In addition, following these guidelines will ensure student supervision by our staff members.
Arrival
7:30-Students eating breakfast may enter the cafeteria entry doors
7:35- Students may line up outside their grade level entry doors
7:40-Students may enter their grade level assigned doors and report to their classrooms
K-1 Downstairs, 2-3 Main Entrance, & 4-5 Entrance by Cafeteria
7:50- Students entering after 7:50 must enter the main entry door upstairs and retrieve a tardy slip.
Dismissal
2:50 (We will dismiss students in this order-Bus Riders, Walkers, Car Riders) All students should be outside by 2:50.
Meet our PTO Board Members
President - Sarah Middendorf
Vice President - Maria Lambing
Co-Equity Officers - Deidre Townsend & Dana Walker
Co-Secretaries - Kara Simon & Alex Guffey
Co-Treasurers - Tracy Willis & Jen Levine
Sign Up to Be a Room Parent:
Room Parents are responsible for planning class parties (Fall, Winter, & Friendship Parties), group holiday gifts (in December) for classroom teachers, and email communications from PTO. Duties may also include planning class playdates, and coordinating with the school community. Please sign up here. Thank you for your support! For more information, please contact Jen Levine at jensherwood73@gmail.com
Annual Back to School Bash-Save the Date!
We hope you can join us for our outdoor family event. It will be Friday, August 27th from 5:30 to 7:30. To make this a great event, we need lots of volunteers! Sign Up Here to Volunteer. Please reach out to Kara Simon at Ksimon619@gmail.com or Beth Heinen at BethHeinen@gmail.com with any questions.
Our First PTO Meeting is Monday, September 13th, we hope you can join us.
***Please complete this Google Form to let us know what directory information you would like us to share with our PTO. This will help us in coordinating events, volunteer opportunities, and creating our school Buzz Book.
News from Nurse Mindy
Can my student come to school?
Do not send your student to school if...
They have any of the following symptoms:
Fever of 100 F or higher
Congestion/runny nose
Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
Sore throat
Headache
Body aches
Cough
Difficulty breathing
Loss of taste/smell
(This list does not include all possible symptoms. The CDC continues to update this list as it learns more about COVID-19. Find out more at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV.)
They have a known exposure to a positive COVID-19 case in the past 14 days
They are waiting for the COVID-19 test results
They test positive for COVID-19
Other scenarios:
If your child is experiencing 2 or more low-risk symptoms or at least 1 high-risk symptom on the Student Symptom Decision Tree below, your child AND SIBLINGS IN THE SAME FAMILY should stay home until the symptomatic student is evaluated by your healthcare provider. A doctor’s note and documentation for the symptomatic child must be provided before your child(ren) can return to school.
If a parent or relative living in the home is being tested for COVID-19 and awaiting results, the child(ren) in the household should remain home from school. Students should not return until negative results are received.
Utilize the “Student Symptom Decision Tree” below or contact your school nurse for guidance on when your child can return to school.
Everyone must stay home if they are sick. Report your student’s absence and reason for absence to your school secretary and/or school nurse.
Also please report to a positive COVID-19 test for you or a member of your household as soon as possible so appropriate measures can be taken.
Thank you for your cooperation with these important steps to help prevent the spread of illness in our school buildings!
Dr. Henry Givens Elementary School
Website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/Givens
Location: 701 North Rock Hill Road, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314-963-6460
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GivensElem/
Quick Overview
Hello Families,
We are having a great first week of school here at Givens. We have learned so much about our Gray Wolves and each classroom has been working to build the classroom community they will work with all year! A couple of reminders:
-Classrooms take a snack break at some point during each day. Please make sure to send a healthy snack for your child to enjoy during this time. If you want to know more about the kinds of snacks to send or need assistance providing a snack for your child, please reach out to our office.
-Today we had our first fire drill. The staff led our students out of the building to our safe waiting spots. Prior to the drill, each teacher reviewed the procedures and some of our early learners even read stories about fire drill safety. We will have several more throughout the year.
Please take a moment to read through this edition of the Gray Wolf Gazette. It includes:
-We shared our vision, mission, and collective commitments below
-Upcoming dates on our Givens Calendar
-Some practices we are doing to build a positive climate in our school
-A Strings Opportunity for our 3rd Graders
-News from our Nurse and our PTO
We hope to see you and your family at our Annual PTO Back to School Bash this Friday!
We appreciate your partnership! Have a great weekend!
On this journey together,
Ms. Malissa Beecham
Givens Principal