Shark Bites
Friday, April 12, 2024
Our Vision: Working together to promote an environment where every child belongs and grows into a lifelong learner.
Principal's Message
There is a lot of excitement around the school building as we are moving into Spring activities and events! Please come out to Shaull on Thursday, April 18 between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM to check out all of our student created artwork around the school! Ms. Phillips and the students have been hard at work creating artwork for the displays around the school! This is a casual, gallery walk style event you don't want to miss!
Below we have sign up information for our annual May Fair, which will be held on the Shaull grounds on May 17th. As we discussed in previous newsletters, these large events sponsored by our wonderful PTO, rely on Shaull Families to volunteer and donate items. These events would not be possible without the support from our community. Please check out the "Time to Sign Up" button in the May Fair section below and consider signing up to help out at the May Fair. We need you!
In just one week, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) will begin at all elementary schools across the state. Please review the letter that was sent home to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade families, which is also posted in the PSSA section of this newsletter below. On test days, please be sure to have your Shaull student get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast in addition to creating a positive attitude in your home about the PSSA. The test results are used for several important things. First, it gives us, including parents, an indicator on how well your student is learning the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. The data is also used to rate schools across the Commonwealth of PA. You can think if it as kind of a report card for schools in Pennsylvania. With that being said, we get deductions on our school score for students who do not take the test and for students who perform poorly on the assessments. For these reasons, its important to encourage your child to participate and do the best they can. If there are any questions about the upcoming PSSAs, please feel free to reach out to me here at the school.
Lastly, I would like to let the community know that our wonderful 4th grade teacher, Miss Brewster, will be leaving us here at Shaull next week. Miss Brewster is resigning from her teaching position due to health reasons. She has done amazing things for our students here at Shaull and she will be deeply missed by the students, staff, and families of our school. We wish Miss Brewster all the best in her recovery and future endeavors. At the same time, we are pleased to inform you that Miss Brewster's student teacher, Miss Delgado, from Shippensburg University, has met the criteria to become our substitute teacher and will resume the teaching responsibilities for the remainder of the school year, ensuring a seamless transition in the classroom. We would also like to congratulate Miss Delgado on her completion of the teaching program at Shippensburg and on her hiring to become a full time Shaull 4th grade teacher for the next school year!
Respectfully,
Mr. T.
Rich Tysarczyk
Principal
Shaull Elementary School
717-506-3415
Teacher Appreciation Week - "Fan Mail"
Please complete this short form to provide "Fan Mail" for Teacher Appreciation Week!
This year, there is a Movie Star theme for Staff and Teacher Appreciation Week. Please submit "Fan Mail" or any kind messages of thanks and appreciation to Shaull staff!
Fan Mail messages will be printed and hung in a visible spot in the lobby for all to see! Messages may be addressed to a specific special someone, or to all staff in general.
Please remember any staff in the building, including cafeteria and maintenance staff, classroom aides, specials teachers - anyone whose day would be made with a few kind words.
Fan Mail may be from students and/or parents, and may contain a note of any kind, such as recognition for something "above and beyond" that they did, or simply being wonderful day in and day out, all year long! Fan Mail may be signed with your name, or can be an anonymous message of kindness.
Submit as many as you like!
Thank you,
Shaull PTO
Shaull May Fair is Coming!
Art Show on Thursday!
Shaull Garden Club Has Openings for 4th and 5th Grade Students
4th and 5th Grade Students and Families,
We are excited to offer the Spring Shaull Garden Club! Please see the attached flyer that includes the dates and student registration link. The registration link is also below:
5th Grade Parent Orientation Night at Mountain View Middle School
5th Grade Parents/Guardians:
On Wednesday, April 17, Mountain View Middle School will host our Middle School Orientation Night for Parents in the MV Auditorium. The MV Soaring Strings Ensemble will kick off the event at 6:50pm by playing a short selection of songs. The presentation will begin at 7:00pm. This presentation is primarily focused on helping parents understand the transition to middle school and equipping them with information to help support their students. Students will be receiving information about the transition to middle school through various other methods, so they really don’t need to attend this event (but are welcome if needed). The presentation will last about an hour and will highlight some of the biggest differences that Middle School brings, including scheduling, grading, school policies, and student opportunities and supports. We will have time to answer questions as well. A copy of the presentation slide deck will also be posted to our website later that evening. We hope to see you at this event and look forward to helping make the transition to Middle School successful for every child.
Jeff Hosenfeld
MVMS Principal
From the School Resource Officer's (SRO) Desk
Sargent Chad Shifflett recently met with the Shaull 5th grade to talk about online safety including what to do if you are in a group chat that contains inappropriate speech or cyberbullying. During a very informative session, several students had questions that required follow up. Below is the follow up information from our SRO. This information is helpful for all students, particularly our older students who have cell phones and those who are moving on to Middle School.
Kids and Group Chats - How to Help them Avoid Disaster
As parents we need to remember that these are young children who are
novices at social interaction with developing brains that lack the ability to fully
comprehend the consequences of their actions. What feels to a 9, 10, or 11
year-old like a silly or benign comment can have very real negative
consequences. As such, we would like to provide some MUST KNOWS for kids
so that parents can mentor their children and guide them as they navigate this
thorny landscape.
STOP and THINK
Kids need to understand the concept of an “invisible audience.” The term
“invisible audience” refers to all the people out in the world who are not part
of your immediate text or social media audience, but who could potentially
see whatever you say at some point in the future. The fact is that anything our
children post or say can be quietly re-shared to people who aren’t on the
original chat causing potential pain and regret. What I always tell kids is:
“If you don’t want your parents, grandparents, teacher and all the kids at your
school to see it, then DO NOT hit send.”
MEANNESS AND BULLYING
There is a kind of false courage that people feel when they don’t need to look
someone in the eye or deal with a person’s reaction face to face. But the truth
is that words hurt and can sting even more when they are disconnected from
an in-person connection. Our kids should simply follow the rule:
“Do not say anything in a text that you wouldn’t feel comfortable to say to
someone face to face.”
If your child is guilty of hurting someone with their texting, I recommend a
thoughtful conversation about the pain that words can cause and perhaps it's
time to take texting away, your child may simply not be ready for the
responsibility.
In addition to being a perpetrator or a victim there is also the role of bystander.
It can be painful to witness cruelty, bullying or inappropriate content in a
texting situation. Kids often report that just being a witness to bullying can feel
very stressful. If a group chat starts to get mean, we can advise our kids to:
- Leave a text group that is turning mean or inappropriate.
- Come to a parent to talk about your feelings and what to do. You can let
them know that you’ll work out a solution together.
- Some kids feel comfortable standing up to meanness and bullying, but
for many this can feel scary. Let your child know that another option is
to reach out to the victim of the harassment separately just to let them
know that they saw what happened and that they support them.
TONE AND MISCOMMUNICATIONS
Humans rely on facial expressions, body language and tone of voice to
understand one another’s intentions. Imagine if we didn’t have these cues -
we’d be robots! Unfortunately, none of these cues exist in texting. It’s our job
to teach our kids the importance of these cues and the consequences of not
having them. It is very easy to misinterpret a text or have your words
misinterpreted.
Luckily, kids can make up for this lack by using emojis - and we know kids love
emojis! Just one or two well placed emojis can make your tone clear.
GROUP TEXT OVERWHELM
Group chats can quickly become overwhelming with hundreds of texts
coming through every hour! Many kids can’t handle it or feel tremendous
stress trying to keep up. Here are strategies you can encourage your child to
implement:
- Mute the chat or just leave it.
- Set your device to Do Not Disturb and check in on the chat later to see
what you’ve missed.
HOW INVOLVED SHOULD PARENTS BE IN THE GROUP TEXT?
If young children are going to be allowed to run free on these tech platforms
some parental monitoring is necessary. If you decide to allow your elementary
aged child texting privileges, you can explain the following:
“This is a learning process which will likely have some bumps along the way.
In the beginning I will be on the text thread with you or have a set up where I
am able to see your texts so that I can monitor for problematic situations and
offer guidance to you when things get tricky.”
If they don’t like that arrangement, then they simply don’t have to text. Once
they get older and you see that they are responsible and know how to take
care of themselves in texting situations you will stop monitoring as much.
If you are monitoring your child’s texts, you may be tempted to intervene and
speak up in the chat when things start to go sideways. I highly recommend you
stop and assess the potential consequences for your child before doing so.
Inserting ourselves into a group text or admonishing another child in the chat
puts your child in a very vulnerable position socially and could lead to kids
pushing them out of the social circle.
If you see something you don’t like in the chat, a better option might be to
calmly sit down and review the text thread with your child. Ask them their
feelings about it. Let them be heard. Then, express your concerns. Come up
with solutions together and dole out consequences as needed if your child
was involved. If you see that another child is constantly misbehaving in the
chat, I would alert that child’s parent as to what is going on so that they can
handle it. While we would all occasionally love to step in and parent someone
else’s child, it’s not our place and can create more drama.
Lastly, if this group chat goes off the rails, you can insist your child remove
themselves from it or you can remove texting privileges altogether until your
child is mature enough to handle it.
How to leave a group chat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd4q_LrQ66E
PSSA Letter to Parents
Parents of Students in Grades 3-5,
Please read the letter below regarding our upcoming PSSAs, beginning on April 23rd. If there are any questions, please feel free to reach out to me here at Shaull, at 717-506-3415.
Mr. T.
Shaull Elementary School Superhero Field Day is Coming!
FIELD DAY INFORMATION:
Shaull Superhero Field Day!
Grades 1 through 5 Field Day: Thursday, May 16th (Rain Date: May 23rd)
Volunteer Link: https://ttsu.me/shaullfd24
Kindergarten Field Day: Thursday, May 2nd (Rain Date: May 20th)
Volunteer Link: https://ttsu.me/shaullkinderfd24
Pre-Register for Field Day:
Family members are permitted to watch field day. All attendees MUST pre-register to attend field day. Each adult family member must register separately using the link below: *Pre-register here: https://tinyurl.com/shaullFDregistration24
• Please note: If you show up for field day without pre-registering, you will have to sign-in in the lobby (this process will take longer).
• If you sign up to volunteer at field day, you do NOT need to pre-register.
#1 Field Day Resource: All additional information you need for field day including FAQs, schedules, maps, station descriptions, volunteer links, etc. can be found online at:
Month of the Military Child Spirit Week
Passover Message
CV Families,
As we embrace the unique blend of cultures within our school community, we recognize the significance of Passover for many of our students and their families in the coming weeks. Commencing at sundown on April 22, 2024, and culminating on April 30, 2024, this observance holds deep importance for some of our families. During Passover, some students may adhere to dietary restrictions or participate in specific rituals, which could impact their school day. If your child will be observing Passover and you seek assistance or accommodations to ensure their comfort and support during this period, please feel free to contact me. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel respected and supported in their cultural practices.
Sincerely,
Mr. T.
Mountain View Middle School Cultural Appreciation Night
Mountain View will host their 3rd annual Cultural Appreciation Night on April 18 from 5-8pm. This is a free community/family event open to all ages. We will have students and community members hosting tables from over 20 different countries and cultures. Students can get a "passport" and will receive a stamp from each of the countries they "visit." Tables will highlight important aspects of each culture, which may include music, art, clothing, games, currency, photographs, food samples, crafts, and more!
They will also be presenting a variety of live cultural performances on two different stages throughout the evening. See attachment for more details on the performances and the countries represented. They will also have a variety of food trucks for the event. All attendees will have the opportunity to win a prize basket graciously donated by the PTO.
Here is a short video from last year's event: https://youtu.be/vwW5G97nVLU
Notes from the Nurse's Desk
The Annual Shaull PTO Plant Sale
Order Deadline - Monday, April 22nd
Order Pickup- Thursday, May 9th (1-6 PM outside at Shaull Elementary)
*Order Online*
At the button below:
CVHS Spring Musical Tickets
Tickets are on sale now for our secondary spring musical. Here's how you can order your tickets today:
Cumberland Valley High School
Anything Goes
April 10-14, 2024
Tickets: www.cvmusical.com
Good News from the Shaull Community!
Shaull Garden Automated Watering Engineering Project
CVHS junior, Adam Skoczynski, created and held a weekly Engineering Club at Shaull Elementary School. The Engineering Club aimed to introduce students to engineering disciplines. They covered civil engineering, aerodynamics, and environmental engineering. To wrap up the club, they worked together to design a real-life solution for Shaull's community garden. Recognizing the need to automate the process of watering, we designed a solar-powered “irrigation” system. The goal was to collect rainwater in a barrel and use the circuit to pump water to the garden beds. Despite challenges, they built it together, resulting in a functional solution! These Shaull students are problem solvers!
If you have good news to be considered for a future edition of Shark Bites, please email Principal Rich Tysarczyk at rtysarczyk@cvschools.org with information and a photograph of the good news.
Eagle Spotlight!
Check out this wonderful commendation!
Mrs. Soule communicates home to Kindergarten parents often. She encourages students to continue practicing at home. We love the songs our son comes home singing and the pictures and videos of the class in action on Seesaw. My son said, "I'll miss Mrs. Soule during Spring Break." Thank you so making the classroom a place my son wants to be in each day. He loves school because of you. We are huge fans of Mrs. Soule!
Shaull School Store
Our Shaull Elementary School Store is back open online at the link below! Artistic Imprints is still offering free delivery to your home with any order!
Cell Phones/Smart Devices Expectations for School
We have recently had several occurrences where students are texting their parents on smart watches to be picked up from school due to feeling ill or to be removed from other stressors of the school day. As a reminder, students are not permitted to have their cell phones on them during the instructional day or to be texting from other devices during the school day. Students may bring phones, but must have them secured in their backpacks/cubbies during the day. The school is not responsible for damaged, lost, or stolen cell phones.
More students are coming to school with smart watches. Students may wear their watches to school. However, students may not make/take calls and texts throughout the school day while in class. We have had several cases this year where students are texting their parent from their watch to come and pick them up from school. Any student who is not feeling well must follow school procedures, which includes going to see the school nurse if they are not feeling well. Only the school principal and school nurse may send students home. Please have a conversation with your child regarding the appropriate use of their smart watch if they wear one to school. We greatly appreciate your support with this as we wish to have students focused on their instruction during the school day.
Information from the Shaull Elementary PTO
May 8th
Our PTO works diligently to plan and host wonderful experiences for our students and families. Our next big event will be May Fair on May 17th at 6 PM. We will need volunteers to assist the PTO for this event. As we move closer to the May Fair date, we will share information on how to help out at this great annual event.
In order for our PTO to be successful for current and future generations of Shaull students and teachers, we need participation by our parents. Please reach out to me or the PTO at shaullpto@gmail.com, shpto@cvschools.org, or rtysarczyk@cvschools.org for information on how to attend a Zoom PTO meeting or how to get involved in our events. Our PTO meetings are one Wednesday each month and generally are 30-45 minutes in length.
Fly Like an Eagle!
This year we will be awarding students each month with the CVSD Portrait of an Eagle Award Certificate. Be on the look out should your student come home with an award!
Additionally, students will be awarded the "High Fly"er" tickets on an ongoing basis to be entered in for regular prize drawings. Students may earn lunch with the principal, snack, a game in the lobby, or prizes from the Principal Prize Bin.
We look forward to celebrating our students' successes this school year!
Boxtops for Education
Please see the flyer below to learn more about the new Boxtops for Education program. Its easier than ever before!
Science Explorers Registration Information
Science Explorers runs from 4:00 to 5:00 PM (despite the time shown below).
Please note the dates for the last two Science Explorers clubs have changed:
Earth’s Mysteries:
5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29
Mark your Calendars!
Important Dates
April 12 - HS Musical 7:00 PM
April 13 - HS Musical 7:00 PM
April 14 - HS Musical 2:00 PM
April 15 - School Board Meeting
April 17 - Mountain View Middle School Grade 5 Parent Presentation 7:00 PM
April 18 - Shaull Art Show 6:00-8:00 PM
April 23, 24, 25 - ELA PSSA
April 29, 30 - Math PSSA
May 1, 2 - 4th Grade Science PSSA
May 6 - School Board Meeting
May 8 - Shaull PTO Meeting 7:00 PM Zoom
May 15 - Shaull Choir Concert at Mountain View MS 7:00 PM NEW DATE
May 16 - Shaull Field Day (Rain Date May 23)
May 17 - Shaull May Fair
May 20 - School Board Meeting
May 27 - No School - Memorial Day
May 30 - CV 5th Grade Band and Orchestra Concert at CVHS 7:00 PM
May 31 - Last Day of School - 11:55 AM Dismissal, No Kindergarten, No Lunch Served
June 3 - Staff Inservice
June 3 - School Board Meeting
June 17 - School Board Meeting
August 20 - First Day of School
ATTENTION- The last day for students to check out books from the Shaull library is May 2 and ALL books are to be returned to the library by May 10. Contact Mrs. Jones with questions or concerns @LMJones@cvschools.org
Previous Editions of Shark Bites
Useful Documents
Contact Mr. T!
Principal
Shaull Elementary School
Email: rtysarczyk@cvschools.org
Website: https://sh.cvschools.org/
Location: 1 Shaull Drive, Enola, PA, USA
Phone: 717-506-3415
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090854240545
Shaull Elementary School Principal