Geist Gazette
August 26, 2016
GEIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Website: http://www.hse.k12.in.us/GES
Location: 14051 East 104th Street, Fishers, IN 46037
Phone: 317-915-4260
Twitter: @Geistgators
Children enjoying the great selection of books in the media center!
Many Pieces Make A Whole
Learning about the ten frame
Hello GES Families,
Thank you to all the parents that came out this week for Meet the Teacher Night. I do hope you are all following us on twitter at the handle @Geistgators. Parents, you did a wonderful job of collaborating and problem-solving in many of our STEM activities! WELL DONE! Remember that if you have questions for your child's teachers, please email them directly. Our teachers are eager to join you as a team in helping your child grow and appreciate when you go to them for any questions or concerns.
Next week we will be providing our first parent night for technology assistance at home. This night will be for 2nd through 4th grade parents. This night is ONLY FOR TECH SUPPORT. We will help parents understand resources at a later date. Right now, I know as a Mom I'm trying to figure this out. I am trying to set restrictions on videos and content. There are some very simple steps you can take on the IPAD to prevent explicit material from showing up on your IPAD at home by changing settings on your IPAD. We will help you understand those restrictions. We will cover restrictions, guided access, and family share through ITUNES. This night will be Thursday, September 1st in the cafeteria from 6:00-6:45 for 2nd through 4th grade parents ONLY. Please bring your child's device.
We look forward to helping you next week or feel free to stop in to school and I can help you as well! We are on a journey together!
Thank you again for your support of our schools! Have a wonderful weekend!
Christi Thomas, Principal
One of our students teaching other students about our SPHEROS!
Coming soon, 30 Spheros in action at GES! Learning problem solving and coding!
Miss Magill helping students in her hallway through the weather situation this week. Reading is a wonderful tool!
Attention Third and Fourth Grade Students and Parents - Destination Imagination
Do you want to learn more about Destination Imagination? Come join us at our Open House on September 1 from 6pm to 8pm in the Fishers High School cafe.
Do you already know about Destination Imagination and would like to be on a team? Thursday, September 8 from 6pm to 8pm will be a mandatory meeting in the Fishers High School cafe for anyone wanting to join. Students will be altogether, and then teams will be broken up into schools for a smaller informational meeting.
See the DI information below for further info.
Destination Imagination Open House
HSE DI will host the annual Destination Imagination (DI) Open House on Thursday, September 1, 2016 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Fishers High School CCA. Students and parents can discuss with current DI participants about the benefits of being involved with the program. On display will be items created by teams during the last Destination Imagination season. The 2016-2017 DI challenges will also be released at this meeting for students and parents to review.
Destination Imagination Parent Meeting
HSE DI will host the Destination Imagination (DI) Parent Meeting on Thursday, September 8, 2016 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Fishers High School CCA. Parents and students will be informed about financial, time and volunteer commitments. Discussions will be held regarding the structure of the DI season and how to proceed with enrollment into the organization. NO money will be collected at this meeting. Registration will be online at www.hsedi.com beginning September 8th.
Discussing Bullying with Your Children
Hello Parents,
Last Thursday, August 18th, I met with each grade level at GES to discuss bullying and how to stand up to it. I wanted to inform you as parents as to what our school is doing to keep bullying out of GES.
First, I want to call your attention to a few parts of our new statewide anti-bullying policy. The new definition of bullying by the state of Indiana defines bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance (physical strength, popularity, access to embarrassing information, etc.) The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
To make this easier for the students to understand I defined bullying as:
1. Repeated
2. Intent to harm
3. Imbalance of power
It is also important to know the new state law now protects victims of bullying both at school and outside of school. It is very important that Geist Elementary take every step to ensure the safety of our students. Bullying can occur in person or online and often involves hurtful words and peer pressure more than it does physical violence. If you have any concerns about your child or any questions regarding bullying please don’t hesitate to contact me.
In addition to talking about what bullying is, I also talked with the students on how they could solve small problems on their own. Our new focus at Geist Elementary will be to use 3 steps when encountering a problem:
1. Stop- Ask the person to stop what they are doing in a firm voice using your stop signal
2. Walk- If the situation doesn’t change after asking them to stop, walk away
3. Talk- If the problem persists, talk to a trusted adult.
It is so important to teach our children to advocate for themselves and I have been very impressed with how well our students are using the Stop Talk Walk.
Here is a link to a video I showed to all GES students demonstrating STOP-WALK-TALK in a fun way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUx0pxI97lg
Thanks for all you as parents!
John Reynolds, GES Counselor
Geist Elementary PTO
Click here for this week's edition of the PTO Corner.
Our fantastic PTO has a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GeistElementaryPTO/
This is to let everyone know that VolunteerSpot changed its name to SignUp.com. Everything looks the same and works the same, but the new link is "https://signup.com/Group/34755766093/" When you type this in, it will create a link to access our group page. See below:
Please sign up for Geist Elementary PTO activities on SignUp.com today!
Lunch Visitors
Safe Visitor Badge and Visitors
Anyone intending to spend time in the school must have a SafeVisitor ID Badge. Please note this policy also applies to anyone wishing to join students for lunch (see below). If you have been approved as a volunteer with Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation and did not receive an email from info@safevisitorsolutions.com, please email Vicki Foutty (vfoutty@hse.k12.in.us). If you have not yet completed the background check, click here to get started.
Helping parents understand STEM and collaboration!
Parents working together!
Thanks for coming out to parent night!
Want to keep up on what's happening at school?
Follow @geistgators on twitter. We tweet throughout the day.
Check our website: hse.k12.in.us/GES
This newsletter, the Geist Gazette, goes out every other Friday (although it may be sent again next week). We will send it to you via email, and post it on our website under the News tab.
Geist Elementary building calendar
Lunch & Breakfast Menus
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AT GEIST:
American Sign Language (ASL)
Join the American Sign Language after school club for 3rd and 4th graders! (Younger siblings may attend as well) The Club will meet on Wednesdays from 9/7 through 10/12.
Cost is $60 for the 6 week session. We will learn letters, numbers, sports, seasons and weather, family and manners and days of the week.
Click here for a registration form. For any questions feel free to contact Tara Frieden at tarafrieden@signingtimeacademy.com
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Girl Scout Registration Night - GES Students
Is your daughter interested in becoming a Girl Scout?
Girls can start Scouts at any age, beginning in kindergarten, so come join the fun!
Registration Night is Tuesday August 30th from 6-7pm at The Promise Church 12648 E. 116th St.
If you’d like more information about Girl Scouting in Central Indiana, please contact Lindsey Goergen or Gwenn Frasco, the Community Troop Organizers for Geist Elementary School
lindseygoergen@gmail.com<mailto:lindseygoergen@gmail.com
princessgwenn@gmail.com<mailto:princessgwenn@gmail.com
OR visit our website at girlscoutsindiana.org<http://girlscoutsindiana.org
Troops will be formed that night, so come prepared.
This registration is for parents only!
Mudsock Football Game VIP Seating
S.P.O.R.T.S.
S.P.O.R.T.S. Basketball Registration – Open registration for boys and girls basketball continues through August 31. Beginning September 1 there will be a $10 late fee on all registrations. Registration forms are available at the S.P.O.R.T.S. office, on the S.P.O.R.T.S. website, at all HSE schools, and the Fishers Library. Parents may also register online and can pay with a credit card or can print the form and submit it to the S.P.O.R.T.S. office with a check or cash payment. Credit cards are not accepted in the office.
HSE High School Youth Football/Cheer Night is Friday, August 26 at HSE High School as the Royals take on North Central at 7:00 p.m. All youth players and cheerleaders in uniform get into the game free and are invited on the field to welcome the Royals. Arrive no later than 6:30 and meet on the north end of the stadium.
Fishers-HSE Girls Basketball Fever Event – The 6th Annual Event will be held on Saturday, August 27. For more information, visit the Girls Basketball website at www.girlsbasketball.hsesports.org. To sign up for the event, go to www.fevergroups.com/fishershse. If you have additional questions, contact David Walker, fishersgirlsbball@gmail.com.
HSE-Fishers Girls Lacrosse Free Trail Day will take place on Sunday, August 28 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at Brooks School Park. The free day is open to any 3rd-12th grade girl living in the HSE school district. Come out and join us to see if you would like to play lacrosse. No registration needed. Only equipment needed is a football type mouth guard. Sticks and goggles will be provided. Show up anytime between 2:00-5:00 and stay as long or short as you like.
Fishers-HSE Travel Girls Basketball Tryouts – The final girls travel basketball tryout will take place next week for 4th-6th girls who reside in the HSEHS district (Girls must attend the evaluation for the high school district where they reside). Please note that 3rd grade tryouts will take place later in September.
HSE Lady Royals – HSEHS Auxiliary Gym
4th-6th grade tryouts – August 29 & 30 – 6:30-8:00 p.m. Click here for more information
Fishers High School Youth Football/Cheer Night is Friday, September 2 at FHS as the Tigers take on Noblesville at 7:00 p.m. All youth players and cheerleaders in uniform get into the free and are invited on the field to welcome the Tigers. Arrive not later than 6:30 and meet on the east end of the stadium. HSE-Fishers Boys Travel Basketball Tryouts – Boys must attend the evaluation for the high school district where they reside.
HSE Royals Parent Meeting – September 6 – HSEHS Cafeteria, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Travel Team Camp/Tryout–HSEHS Auxiliary Gym 3rd grade – September 14, 15 & 20 – 6:00-7:30 p.m. 4th grade – September 14, 15 & 20 – 7:30-9:00 p.m. 5th grade – September 12, 13 & 19 – 6:00-7:30 p.m. 6th grade – September 12, 13 & 19 – 7:30-9:00 p.m. Fishers Tigers Parent Meeting – September 6, FHS LGI Room, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Travel Team Camp/Tryout–FHS Auxiliary Gym 3rd grade – September 13, 14 & 20 – 6:00-7:30 p.m. 4th grade – September 15, 19 & 21 – 6:00-7:30 p.m. 5th grade - September 13, 14 & 21* – 7:30-9:00 p.m. (*note date change) 6th grade – September 15, 19 & 20* – 7:30-9:00 p.m. (*note date change) (4th, 5th and 6th grade call backs will be on September 22