Husky Headlines
April Newsletter for S-RC Elementary Families
April is here and is apparently coming in fiercely! Please make sure that you are checking the weather prior to sending your child to school as temperatures are dipping well below 20 degrees on some days. As always, if temperatures (either actual temperatures or feels like temperatures) are below 20 degrees, we will have indoor recess - but if they are at 21 degrees or above, students will be outside for the entire recess.
Jackets are definitely needed if students are outside in weather that is below 40 degrees considering recess lasts a full twenty minutes (and Nebraska winds can be very unkind).
Important Dates
- March 29th - No School 🐣🌸🐇 Easter Break 🐣🌸🐇
- April 1st - No School 🐣🌸🐇 Easter Break 🐣🌸🐇
- April 2nd - World Autism Day!!
- April 3rd - Book-It Goals Due!
- April 4th - 4th Grade Fire Training at the Fire Hall
- April 4th - 5th Grade Fire Extinguisher Training at the Fire Hall
- April 5th - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Kiewit Luminarium
- April 8th - Total Solar Eclipse
- April 8th - Board of Education Meeting (7:30 - Open to the Public)
- April 9th - Bank at School with Pinnacle Bank!
- April 12th - Preschool Field Trip to Omaha Children's Museum
- April 12th - National DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) Day
- April 17th - 5th Grade Field Track (Platte River State Park)
- April 20th - Spring Play Matinee & Evening Performance
- April 23rd - No School - Home Varsity Track Meet
- April 24th - 10:10 Late Start - Staff Development
- April 25th - Elementary Spring Concert - 7pm
- May 1st - 3rd & 4th Grade go to Polk County Fairgrounds
Sensory Processing
Did you know that whether you are biting into a sandwich, riding a bike, or reading a book, you are successfully completing an activity that requires accurate processing of a sensation? Everyone processes the sensory world differently - and we have EIGHT sensory systems. Here at S-RC we have a Sensory Room to allow students to regulate any of their sensory systems that may be feeling "out of whack." We work to teach them how to either alert that system or calm that system based on how we see their body reacting.
- Visual: your sense of sight. Not how well you see, but how your brain interprets the visual information in your environment.
- Auditory: your sense of hearing. Not how well you hear, but how your brain interprets the auditory information in your environments.
- Gustatory (Oral): your sense of taste. Your gustatory system is directly connected to your olfactory system.
- Olfactory: your sense of smell.
- Tactile: your sense of touch. You have tactile receptors all over your body.
- Proprioception: your sense of movement and body position. You have receptors in your joints and muscles that tell your brain where your body is and what it's doing.
- Vestibular: your sense of movement. YOur vestibular system is located in your inner ears, therefore whenever your hear moves, you activate your vestibular system.
- Interoception: your sense of internal processing. Hunger and thirst, needing to use the restroom, when you feel sick, and when you feel well - these are all part of your interoception.
To learn more, watch the video below!
Library Lookout!!
Be on the lookout for some GREAT stuff coming from your S-RC School Library!
1. Mrs. Peterson will be sending home Summer Check out Permission Forms (just like last year). By signing this form, you will be allowing your child to come into the library and check out books without you! This means that your child will be able to keep reading and enjoy any books they would like from the library (up to three at a time) on their own.
2. Be on the lookout for more information about the Husky 2024 Summer Golden Sower Reading Challenge! It's going to be great - and I hope you can encourage your children to participate!
Students have been ROCKIN' it on IXL!! This year, as a school, we have answered 698,213 questions so far! I have been encouraging teachers to have students use IXL for a minimum of 20 minutes per week - but I would encourage YOU to allow your child to access IXL at home as well!
A recent study showed students who reached proficiency in 1 or 2 IXL skills per week performed better on NSCAS Growth than students who did not meet those thresholds. Specifically, this study showed students were 11-14 points higher for IXL Math students and about 6.5 points higher for IXL ELA students, relative to students not using IXL with fidelity. Those are huge gains! I would love to see those gains for all of our students.
You can find that study here.
If you do not have your child's username and password, please reach out to their teacher!
The Inclusive Corner with Mrs. Hoadley & Mrs. Stewart
Autism Awareness Day is April 2nd. We are inviting EVERYONE to "light it up blue" and wear BLUE on Tuesday, April 2nd to show our support and spread Autism acceptance and inclusion at our school and in our community.
Here are some facts about people of all ages with autism:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder affects 1 in 36 children.
- Boys are 5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Autism than girls.
- Kids with Autism are amazing friends!
- Autism spectrum disorder is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the United States.
- Early services need to be based on individual children's needs and learning styles.
- Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder have difficulties with communication.
- Being nonverbal at age 4 does not mean that a child with autism will never speak.
- Children and teens with autism often have lower bone density than their peers.
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder may be very creative and find a passion and talent for music, theater, art, dance, and singing quite easily.
- Some people with autism may be sensitive to certain textures, tastes, smells, or sounds.
- Some people with autism may also engage in repetitive behaviors, like hand-flapping or spinning. These behaviors can provide a sense of comfort or calmness in overwhelming or stressful situations.
Counseling Corner
April is here and we are in our final FULL month of the 2023-2024 school year! April is Autism Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention month. Teachers will wear blue every Tuesday to support this cause.
April also means Spring testing time, which can being about it's own special stressors for our students. Parents of 3rd-5th graders, please be on the lookout for an envelope from me, with a special task in it. Our book of the month is "The Smart Cookie" which teaches us to identify our own strengths and perseverance, which is perfect for testing time!
We are beginning our last unit in Guidance, which is Problem Solving skills. Students will learn how to apply their emotion management, communication, and perspective-taking skills to solve interpersonal problems and demonstrate strategies for effectively dealing with interpersonal conflict.
Testing Schedule
It's already that time of year again! We have Nebraska State Testing & District Assessments coming up quickly for students. This is the time of year were we ask students to focus and try their hardest to show what they know and what they have learned throughout the year. While we know that one test does not represent a student as a whole, we do use the data from these assessments to guide our instructional decisions for coming years.
We ask that you talk to your child(ren) and make sure that they understand how important it is to take these tests seriously for themselves, and for our school. We also ask that they have a healthy breakfast on the day that they are taking their test. If one is not available at home, they are more than welcome to come to school early and have breakfast at school! Breakfast starts daily at 7:40.
Below is our testing schedule:
NSCAS State Testing:
Tuesday, April 16th: 5th Grade: Math
Wednesday, April 17th: 3rd & 4th Grade: Math
Friday, April 19th: 5th Grade: Science
Wednesday, April 24th: 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade: English Language Arts
MAP Growth Assessment:
Tuesday, April 30th: ALL GRADES: Math
Thursday, May 2nd: 1st-5th: Reading
Tuesday, May 7th: Kindergarten: Reading
Wednesday, May 8th: 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade: Language Usage
Thursday, May 9th: 5th Grade: Science
Acadience Testing Day
Tuesday May 14th: Kindergarten-5th Grade
Character Trait of the Month: Accountability
Kindergarten Registration & Round-Up
Kindergarten Registration for the 24-25 school year is now open!
Please feel free to contact the elementary office for an enrollment packet (if your child is currently enrolled in S-RC 4 year old Preschool, a packet will come home with them - you do not need to contact the office). When turning in enrolling paperwork, we will need the following documents:
We will then add your child to our list for our 24-25 Kindergarten classes!
Kindergarten Round-Up is scheduled for Friday, May 3rd. Once your child is on our list, you will get a packet to let you know more information about Kindergarten Round-Up!! Packets will be sent out in the first 10 days of April.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Thompson at hthompson@shelby.esu7.org
Preschool Enrollment is OPEN!
Bank at School with Pinnacle Bank!
Attention Parents: Shelby-Rising City's Bank at School is back for deposits on April 9th!
If you and your child have not visited the branch to get a savings account open—now is the time! Then be sure your child brings their account information with them on Tuesday, April 9th as we do not have access to account information from the school.
We will have our 5th grade bank tellers on hand to continue helping your child become savvy savers and build up their existing account.
Note: No change will be accepted for deposits at school. We ask that deposits are $1 minimum.
PBiS at Home
Our biggest struggle with students this past month has been tied with both DEFIANCE and PHYSICAL CONTACT/AGGRESSION. Perhaps you are seeing the same issues in the home?
When working with students, and tracking behaviors, defiance is defined as: Non-Compliance. It is when a student engages in brief or low intensity failure to respond to adult requests (example: a refusal to do or not to do something). Physical contact/aggression is defined as: engaging in actions involving serious physical contact where injury may occur. (examples: hitting, punching, throwing objects, etc.)
Here are some interventions that can be used BOTH at school and at home:
- Clear, consistent, and predictable consequences *whenever dealing with consequences, try to remain calm and collected. Avoid escalating the situation by lecturing or giving consequences that are unrealistic in nature. Try to use simple language and make sure children know why they ae getting a consequence.
- Give choices *any time choices are given, make sure all options are choices that are acceptable to you. Do not offer something that you would not want your child to pick (because chances are, that will be the option they select!!). Some great examples might be:
- You could do your homework at the table or at your desk.
- You will need to do your homework and do your chores before dinner. I am going to let you pick which one you do first.
- If your child is struggling making choices, you can provide a timeline for them. That could sound like this: “I gave you several choices. If a choice isn’t made within 10 seconds, I will choose for you” (this prevents the choosing process from going on all day)
Parents Visiting for Lunch
- Contact your child's classroom teacher prior to your visit to let them know you will be coming.
- Check in at the front office and get a visitors badge to wear for the duration of your visit.
Adult lunches cost: $3.65. You can bring money with you, or use money from your child's account if you have a positive balance. Adults will not be able to eat and charge an account that has a negative balance.
Lunch Times for Each Grade Grade Level
Kindergarten & 1st Grade - 10:50-11:20
2nd Grade & 3rd Grade - 11:10-11:40
4th Grade & 5th Grade - 11:30-12:00
Ms. Heather Thompson
Special Education Director
Shelby-Rising City Public Schools
Email: hthompson@shelby.esu7.org
Website: https://www.shelby.esu7.org/
Location: 650 North Walnut Street, Shelby, NE, USA
Phone: 402-527-5946 5718
Twitter: @mrs_thompson007