Theodore Robinson Intermediate
December 2018
News from the Principal
Happy December! It is amazing to think that we are in the 2nd quarter of school already. The school year is flying by. Staff and students are working hard! Thank you so much for joining us for Family Conferences. We appreciate you partnering with us to help your child to be successful.
Walking Path Challenge: All TRIS students and staff have been participating in the Walking Path Challenge to reap the benefits of activity and movement on our minds and bodies. Our school-wide goal is to walk to Lambeau Field by Winter Break. We are currently traveling through Beaver Dam. We are also having an individual classroom challenge. Thank you again to Kranig Excavating, owner Byran Kranig, for donating the materials and labor to create the TRIS Walking Path for us.
Safety and Security: The safety of students and staff is our highest priority in the Evansville Community School District. Therefore, we will continue to practice our emergency response procedures at each school throughout each year. If you are new to the district, please go to http://www.ecsdnet.org/families/school_safety.cfm to learn more about the ALICE approach which gives students and staff options to prepare for and react to intruders in the building.
So far this year, teachers have reviewed the book, I’m Not Scared…I’m Prepared with their students. It is an age appropriate story that helps teachers and students have conversations about this topic and the ALICE approach. The objective of these learning experiences is to prepare students and staff for emergencies – not to scare them. More information is available at https://youtube.com/watch?v=dRTIpMft_u8. Individual classrooms have been practicing evacuation drills by taking a walk through the neighborhood. Along the way, they are discussing safe places to run to in an evacuation. Our final destination is John Evans Hall on Main Street. Students are encouraged to run to the closest spot that is safe. We will continue to practice the other pieces of ALICE as the year progresses.
Three weeks to go….
These next three weeks will go fast and winter break will soon be upon us! As a staff, we will continue with our normal routines so that students remain focused and learning in spite of the anticipation of break. Next week, will be our Annual Holiday Canned Food Drive with fun days starting on Tuesday. Details are below. We hope you can join us for our upcoming 4th Grade Concert on Dec. 6th and the TRIS Drumming and Xylophone Concert on Dec. 11th. We will wrap up December with a Celebration on Dec. 21st where I will get to enjoy eating pie. A huge thank you to the Popcorn Ladies, the 4K-8 PTO and all of the volunteers that made the Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree possible. You are truly appreciated!
Please let me know if you have questions, ideas or concerns. My direct line is 882-3842 and my email is DornB@evansville.k12.wi.us. We appreciate all that you do at home to support your child’s success at school!
Winter Wear Guidelines
Parents, please be aware of the following winter guidelines for recess!
1. Students are required to wear boots in the snow.
2. No boots will mean blacktop only. Please let us know if your child needs boots or snowpants.
3. Snowpants and boots will allow students to go anywhere on the playground; no snowpants will mean that students must play on the blacktop only.
4. To avoid injury, students should stay off the icy areas.
Upcoming Fourth Grade Concert
Save the Date:
Dear 4th Grade Parents/Guardians,
On Thursday, December 6th the fourth grade will be performing Imagine a Story in the Performing Arts Center, located at the High School. This program will last approximately 50 minutes. Each class will be featured as they share music about creating stories and using their imagination.
This is a special event that all children are expected to attend. We are asking the students to wear nice performance dress clothes and comfortable shoes. Please call if you have any questions.
The concert starts at 6:30PM. Feel free to find a seat early, however we ask that you keep your child with you until 6:25PM. At this time each class will be announced separately to walk onto the stage. Children must stay seated with their parents until they are called on-stage.
There will also be a performance during the daytime which will be held at 9:30 AM for the rest of the Intermediate school as well as any parents or grandparents that can’t attend the evening performance.
We will need help moving instruments to the high school on Monday, December 3rd after school. Please let Mrs. Zblewski know if you would be able to help transport instruments. If you have any questions, please call Mrs. Zblewski at 882-3854 or email.
Thank you for your support of your child’s music education!
Musically,
Cindy Zblewski
It's Time for the Holiday Canned Food Drive
During the week of December 3-7 TRIS will be collecting non-perishable food items for holiday distribution to local families. Below is the list of “special” days. If you would like to donate, please bring in a can or box of non-perishable food on each of the “special” days. Donations are greatly appreciated but not necessary to participate in the “special” days. Ms. Dorn has challenged TRIS: if we can collect 1500 items she will take a pie in the face at a celebration! Let’s show our holiday spirit and support local families!!
Tuesday, Dec. 4: Hat Day
Wednesday, Dec. 5: Team Spirit Day: Wear Your Favorite Jersey, Uniform, or Evansville Spirit Wear
Thursday, Dec. 6: Pajama Day
Friday, Dec. 7: Just Be Crazy: Crazy Hair, Crazy Socks, Mismatch
Hello from the LMC
New books have been arriving! Students can find them on the new books shelf right next to the LMC entrance. Recommendations are welcome too! Parents and students can use the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/aHnGQPfahKtkWlnI3 if you’d like the LMC to purchase a specific title.
The LMC has a new website and it is up and running! Please visit http://www.ecsdnet.org/programs-support/theodore-robinson-intermediate-school.cfm . From any device, students can access the library catalog, research databases and resources the LMC offers. One of these databases is TumbleBooks. TumbleBooks offers animated talking picture books, chapter books, videos, non-fiction, playlists and books in other languages. Please use the following username and password to access it at home. Username: groveschool and Password: reads
Did you know? The TRIS LMC has digital e-books and audiobooks available! A link is provided on the LMC webpage right hand side. Download the Destiny Discover app from the app store and log-in using these credentials: username: asd password: 123. These digital materials can be used on any mobile device!
Cheers~ Mrs. Beyerl, K-12 Library Media Specialist and Mrs. Yeager, LMC Clerk
News from the School Counselor
Dear TRIS Families,
Throughout the month of November students have continued to learn about having a growth mindset with a primary focus on being successful learners in life. Students are learning that there are three important things that will help them be successful in life:
1. Your Mindset
2. Effort and practice
3. Goal Setting
Students have been sharing some of their own personal goals that they have with their classmates and have discussed the importance of setting those goals. Students are learning how to create goals using the SMART format.
S- Specific – what exactly do you want to do?
M- Measureable – Instead of just saying “I want to do better in math,” say “I want to go from an 80 in math to an 85.” This way they can determine if they met their goal or not.
A- Attainable – this should be something that they can achieve through hard work and practice.
R- Realistic – the goal should be realistic, saying that you want to play in the NBA by the time you are 12 is not realistic and can set you up to be discouraged when you don’t reach that goal.
T- Timely – there should be some sort of timeline for meeting the goal; next week, tomorrow, next season, by the end of the semester, etc.
We are also discussing the role of effort and practice. Students have shared many examples of times when something was hard for them and with effort and practice they were able to overcome this obstacle and for some that thing that was hard for them has become a strength. Students are also learning that even with effort and practice it doesn’t mean that something will become easy, things may still be challenging but if they put forth effort and practice they can continue to improve. We are trying to focus on the idea that “practice doesn’t make perfect, but with effort and practice I can improve.”
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments or concerns. I can be reached by phone at 882-3847 or by email at mcnamaras@evansville.k12.wi.us. Also, please check your email as this will be my primary way of communicating weekly guidance topics and home links.
Thank you for supporting your child in learning the skills that lead to success in school and life!
Sammy McNamara
TRIS School Counselor
Holiday Reading Tips for Families
While the holidays can be stressful and frantic for many moms and dads, spending time reading is a great way to unwind and have quality family time.
To make reading a part of your holiday traditions, try some of these fun literacy activities.
• Give your child a companion book to traditional holiday gifts, such as a book on juggling and several brightly colored balls; a book about fossils and a bag of plaster of Paris; or a book about stamp collecting and a stamp album.
• Help your child make his or her own holiday gifts for family and friends by following the directions in a how-to-book.
• Encourage your child to volunteer to read to residents in a local retirement home or hospital.
• Give a bookstore gift certificate as a holiday present so your child can select a new book on his or her own. Read the book together.
• Visit the library and pick out some holiday favorites for festive family reading all season long