Elton Hills Elementary School
January Newsletter
Welcome to Elton Hills Elementary School!
We. Are. EAGLES!!!
We look forward to communicating this to you and seeing how we can best prepare your child(ren) for career and/or college at the end of their time in Rochester Public Schools.
Our goals for the year as a building:
Upcoming Calendar of Events
January
1-3 No School (Winter Break)
6 First day back from break!
9 EL Family Math and Science Night @ Willow Creek Middle School from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
10 Incoming 2020-2021 Kindergarten Tours 10:30 a.m.
13 PTSA Meeting in Media Center @ 7:00 p.m. (All adults welcome!)
14 Culver's North Family Night from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
20 No School
23 PTSA Winter Bingo Fun Night
23 2nd Grade Concert 2:30 p.m.
24 No School
28 2nd Parent/Family Engagement Night- I love to Read Kickoff!
February
I Love to Read Month
3-6 EL Conferences
4 Winter Conferences
6 Winter Conferences
10 PTSA Meeting in Media Center @ 7:00 p.m. (All adults welcome!)
March
5 End of 2nd Trimester
6 No School (Staff Work Day)
9 PTSA Meeting in Media Center @ 7:00 p.m. (All adults welcome!)
10 Culver's North Family Night from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
12 Incoming 2020-2021 Kindergarten Tours 10:30 a.m.
26 PTSA Spring Bingo Fun Night
27 No School (Staff Development Day)
30-31 No School (Spring Break)
1st Trimester Feedback
A part of the way we gauge how we are doing is by hearing your feedback. Here are the results from the responses we received. We look forward to hearing more voices at the end of the second trimester as to what we are doing well and areas we can improve upon.
We will combine this information with other school data to see how we can continue to improve.
Mission/Vision
Counseling from the Counselor- Ms. Garas, School Counselor
Avoiding "winter break blues"
Winter Break can bring a mixture of emotions for students, and those emotions can sometimes bring out challenging behaviors, at school and/or at home. Getting back into the rhythm of a school schedule after a long break can be a bit of an adjustment for some, and it may take a few days to feel comfortable being back at school. Below are helpful tips that may help ease some of the nerves, anxiousness, and other emotions that may come out as January 6th approaches.
Schedules
Schedules can help ease anxious feelings knowing what is next and what to expect. The unknown can sometimes cause stress or nervousness which can result in challenging and/or avoidance behaviors. We understand our students will have different plans during Winter Break therefore we want to encourage you to, if possible, practice using a schedule so your student continues with a daily routine. The routine could be similar to the one your student follows during a typical school week (ex: wake up time, snack time, lunch time, dinner time, bed time, etc…). This will help with the transition back to school where a daily schedule is followed.
Transitions/Change
Support
If your student is feeling strong emotions about Winter Break, validate how they are feeling. This can help ease those strong emotions, be a source of reassurance, bring comfort, and help them know how they feel is okay. We may have different reactions and emotions about the same situation, and that is okay! Support can help students feel comfortable with change, help them better understand their emotions, and help them feel more confident in themselves.
If you have any questions or concerns as we return from Winter Break, please let me know. We want all students to feel safe, supported, and heard!
Thank You,
Jaime Garas
School Counselor
Elton Hills Elementary School
507-328-3170
31sth Annual GATEway Science Fair
If you are a student in grades 3-6, then the GATEway Science Fair is for you! This is your chance to learn what it is like to be a scientist! We welcome all students - you do not need to be a GATEway member nor in a gifted services program. Before the Science Fair, think of a topic that interests you, then do an experiment at home to learn more about it. Present your experiment with pictures, words, and graphs on a display board. Bring your board to the Science Fair to explain your project to reviewers who are science professionals in our community. You'll see a fun Science Museum of Minnesota presentation and receive a certificate of participation, written reviews of your project, a snack, and a cool t-shirt!
The GATEway Science Fair will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Mayo Clinic Gonda Building. Public viewing starts at 4:00 p.m. Register through Community Education online at rochesterce.org/register, or by mailing in the registration form which can be printed from our website. The $12 registration fee includes a t-shirt if registration is mailed by January 29, 2020. Register early because space is limited. Late registrants might not receive t-shirts. See www.rochestergateway.com and click on “Science Fair” under “HOT NEWS” to find ideas, guides and other helpful information. Financial assistance may be available to help with the costs of preparing a project. Contact Dee Voldal at 507-722-2820, or gatewaysciencefair@gmail.com with questions.
Eagles SOAR at Lego Robotics Competition
Elton Hills had seven students complete at a LEGO Robotics competition in December. The students built their bots with wheels, batteries, sensors (light, touch), and Legos. As they built, they coded the robots to perform a task of pushing 10 objects off of a whiteboard arena without leaving the arena itself. Both teams knocked off 8 objects in the "Long-Term Project" that they've been working on the last couple of months. Once that was taken care of, students received a "Short-Term Project" of knocking over pegs in a much slimmer arena, head-to-head against other teams. Whomever knocked more pegs down, won (tie-breaker being who knocked them down quicker). Best two-out-of-three series. Our Lego Tower of Pizza team advanced two rounds in the bracket before being eliminated in the third round.
We sent 2 teams to compete in the beginner division.
Congrats Eagles for representing us well! We are proud of you!
Local Family Resources for Families in our Community
Energy Assistance
PTSA
Thank you!
Staff "Pick me ups"
If you would/could, please pick up random $5-$10 gift cards and drop them off in the office. They will be used to keep filling our amazing EH staffs' buckets!
Membership
The PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) is a parent, teacher, and student organization that supports our students and teachers. Please consider joining the PTSA to tie the home and school connection. The PTSA has a wonderful board of parents who have committed their time to our students and staff. The PTSA needs memberships in order to continue existing. Your commitment would be minimal with you deciding how much time you want to dedicate. There are many ways to participate such as donations, sign-up genius for activities, supplies, or food for staff, committees, and events.
Contact us at
Have you heard? There’s an app for that! The Box Tops for Education program has gone virtual. Instead of clipping the Box Tops off the packages and bringing them to the school, you can now just scan your receipts! The app is available for download from the App Store or Google Play. More information is available on their home page as well: https://www.boxtops4education.com/ Thank you for supporting our school this way!
Have a STEAM-Filled Winter Break!
Engineering Activities for the Holiday Season
Keep kids engaged this winter with these resources from Design Squad on PBS LearningMedia. Students can explore the world of science and engineering while gaining a stronger understanding of the design process and the connection between engineering and the things we use every day. These activities are perfect for STEM units, indoor recess, and school vacation clubs OR, do them at home!
How can you prevent your favorite snowball from melting? Use the design process to find out how to create and test an insulated lunch box. Test it out with your snowy creation!
Learn about air pressure and build a Marshmallow Blaster for your hot cocoa! This hands-on activity introduces kids at home or school to engineering concepts and the design process.
Design and build a Solar Water Heater to make some hot chocolate or tea to warm you up! In this challenge, kids can build a solar hot water heater, test to see if it can raise the temperature of water, and use their results to improve their heater.
More Winter Resources from
PBS LearningMedia
Students can make observations of weather conditions on a rainy, snowy day along with this animated video from PEEP and the Big Wide World
Jennifer Nakayama of SeaWorld puts to use her skills as an environmental and civil engineer to create a cool new habitat for warm weather Humboldt penguins.
Explore how snow, a form of precipitation, affects cities and towns in this animated song from PLUM LANDING.
Use this blended lesson supporting literacy skills to help students learn how animals survive the change in conditions that occurs each winter.
In this AMERICAN EXPERIENCE video, learn about Indigenous peoples who moved from region to region— south in the winter and north in the summer.
Learn how students help scientists study the relationship between climate change, lake ice, and snow conditions.
Parents/Guardians are Welcomed at Elton Hills!!!
A couple reminders that we have as district/site procedures/expectations to make your time here welcoming and fun but to keep our children and staff safe as well:
- When entering the building, we need you to check into the office.
- We have a computer system that requires you to show your driver's license. If you do not have a license, DO NOT WORRY, we can input information manually.
- All visitors will need a pass.
- If you are looking to volunteer/visit/support your child in the classroom, you are welcomed to come. We do need you to reach out to your child(ren)'s teacher PRIOR to coming in so we are prepared and ready for your visit.
Here is a link you will need to complete to volunteer in the classroom or help with field trips: https://tsscapps.rochester.k12.mn.us/VIE/
Please let us know how we can work together with you during your time here at Elton Hills.
Important Reminder
8:45 a.m.- Families can drop off students
8:55 a.m.- Students allowed in building for breakfast/heading to classrooms
3:35 p.m.- Students dismissed
3:45 p.m.- All students should be picked up by this time
Contact Us
Support Team
Andrew Neumann, Principal: anneumann1@rochester.k12.mn.us
Jennifer Campbell, Associate Principal: jecampbell1@rochester.k12.mn.us
Jaime Garas, Counselor: jagaras@rochester.k12.mn.us
Sandra Mandelko, Office Manager: samandelko@rochester.k12.mn.us
Kimberly Leisen, Receptionist/Secretary: kileisen@rochester.k12.mn.us
Location: 1421 Elton Hills Drive Northwest, Rochester, MN 55901, USA
Phone: 5073283200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EltonHillsElementary/
Twitter: @elton_hills