Groundhog Gazette
April 1st, 2024
From the Desk of Dr. Lance
Welcome to April!! We are officially in Spring and in our final quarter of the 2023-2024 school year! It has been a wonderful year and we look to continue the Groundhog greatness as we finish this school year strong. In both this month and next, your students will take multiple tests (ISAT, iReady, iStation, etc.). If you have questions, please reach out to your child's teacher and they can explain what the tests are for and when they will be given. Please look at our Upcoming Dates for important information-Class Pictures are scheduled for April 23 and remember, that we do not have school on Friday, April 19th.
Amity Instagram
Be sure to follow @amityelem on Instagram!
Upcoming Dates
April 3 - Paraprofessional Day
April 12 - Amity Night at the Steelheads
April 19 - No School
April 23 - Class Picture Day
April 24 - Admin Asst. Day
May 2 - Choir Concert (2:00 PM)
May 3 - Lunch Hero Day
May 6-9 - Teacher Appreciation Week
May 16 - Band/Orchestra Concert (2:00 PM)
May 17 - Speech Language Pathologist Day
May 22 - Kindergarten Graduation (2:00 PM)
May 23 - Last Day of School - Early Release (1:45 PM) Report Cards Sent home
Parent Input
Parents are invited to give input into the decision making process for class assignments for the 2024-2025 school year. To give input, parents should send a letter or email to Dr. Lance. That input should include your child's learning style and/or the learning environment that suits him/her best. The classroom teachers and other staff that work directly with students collaborate, create class lists, and then submit them to the principal for final approval. A lot of time and attention is dedicated to this process in an effort to ensure that our classrooms are set up for success!
Including the name of a teacher does not guarantee placement in that teacher's classroom.
The deadline for parent input is Friday, April 5, 2024.
Dr. Randy Lance-
CLASS PICTURE DAY
Class pictures will be on April 23rd. HERE is the link to the Dorian website if you would like to order your pictures online. Picture packets will be coming home soon if you would rather do cash/check.
(The school does not have any change so exact cash is needed.)
GRIT
Our final quarter means a focus on TEAMWORK! Our students have been working hard all year to achieve our school wide goals and show Groundhog GRIT daily. We are working to earn 650 GRIT cards this quarter! Students can show teamwork throughout the school by helping a hurt friend on the playground, asking someone to sit by them at lunch and actively participating in group projects. We look forward to celebrating Groundhog Teamwork this quarter!
Amity PTA
We would like to send a big Thank You to everyone who attended and helped out with BINGO night last month. Everyone had a great time with their families and friends and got their fill of cotton candy and popcorn. A special shoutout goes out to Dr. Lance, Mr. Sup, Mrs. Garey, Miss Getto, Ms. Dykes and Ms. Shaw for being the Bingo callers.
The next Amity PTA meeting will be in May and elections will be held. Please let us know if you would like to be more involved with the PTA by holding an office or chair position. amityptagroup@gmail.com
Amity Night at the Steelheads is April 12 and there are still tickets available.
https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/amity
We need help with the following committees:
Teacher/Staff Appreciation, May 6-10, 2024
Amity Field Day, May 17, 2024
Please sign up HERE.
Blue Cross of Idaho & Rep. John Vander Woude Thank You
A huge thank you to Representative John Vander Woude as he designated Amity Elementary as a school to receive funds from the Steps for Schools walking challenge. Steps for Schools is an annual event powered by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health. During the month of February, legislators and other elected officials walk with a goal of achieving an average of 5,000 or 10,000 steps per day to earn funds for a school of their choice. Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, with the help of Rep. Vander Woude awarded Amity Elementary with a check worth $500.00. Thank you so much for your donation!!!
Groundhog PE
4th Quarter Standards-
Standard 1-Demonstrates skilled movement and movement knowledge.
Tumbling Skills
Standard 2-Understands a physically active lifestyle and personal fitness.
Participation
Instagram @groundhogpe
News from the Health Office
Seasonal Allergies
Spring is here and allergies are back! Here are tips to keep them manageable.
Close the windows in the bedroom or where your child spends the most time- especially at night.
Make sure to have your child shower and wash their hair before bed, or when they get home from school. The pollen can get trapped in their hair and clothing, and make for a miserable night. Keep toys and stuffed animals out of the bedroom as much as possible as well/
Be thoughtful about sending your kids outside when it is dry and windy.
Use medications as prescribed and speak with your doctor if they are not helping the way they should. They are a wide variety of options, including oral medications, nasal sprays, eye drops available and sometimes may require more than one medication.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Medical School
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/4-must-dos-for-kids-with-seasonal-allergies-201604122527
Device Recycling
During Earth Week (April 15-22) we will be helping to sustainably recycle electronic devices from our community, through a school drop-off program. This is a great way to safely dispose of old electronics, and make sure that valuable metals and minerals get recovered.