Nixon Elementary Weekly Update
March 8, 2021
It Sure Has Been a Year!
Happy Monday Nixon Families!
It was this time last year that things really began to change around our city, nation, and world. It is not lost on me that a year ago we said good bye to our Bobcats with the intent on seeing them one week later, refreshed, maybe a little tanner, and certainly ready to continue working hard. Little did we know that our world would be dramatically changing.
The pandemic has affected every parent, child, and family differently. Some of our families have chosen to keep their children home to learn remotely, while others did not have a choice but to send them back to school in person to learn. I just wanted to say a big thank you to each and every Nixon family for all that you have done for our learners this year. It has been such a challenging year for most of us, and I wanted to make sure you knew how much you are appreciated.
This also includes the hard work and dedication each of our Nixon staff has had this past year. Even when we did not have school, teachers and staff were emailing, calling, sending videos and fun work tasks, serving food, sewing masks, dropping off supplies, driving through neighborhoods, and loving on our Bobcats from afar. Never in our lives could we have imagined what an impact one virus could make on our entire world. I just want you to know how very proud I am to continue working hard for your children and families, and that I look forward to our continued partnership.
With that said, here are a few updates and reminders for the upcoming week:
In-Person Updates:
PBIS Rewards: We have earned SO many PBIS reward points over the past several weeks, we far surpassed our initial goal. We were attempting to get to 50,000 Bobcat Points by Spring Break so we could celebrate with a school wide Popcorn Party, and we SMASHED that goal by more than 15,000 with almost 2 weeks to spare. So we're now into Bobcat Bonus Rounds. For every 5,000 points our learners earn, they level up with fun surprises and celebrations between now and spring break. Our first level up came at 5,000 points last Friday. We earned suckers for each learner in the school, which they will enjoy on Monday. Our next goal (10,000 points) will come with a fun school wide dance party! Keep updated on all of our shenanigans this week on our Nixon Facebook Page.
Bobcat Book Club: This week we will wrap up our Bobcat Book Club one school-one book read of Zoey & Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows. Be sure to ask your children how they are enjoying the book, what their favorite parts are, and if they have been participating in the daily 9 @ 9 call in challenge. We sure do like to have a good time at Nixon, and the competition of our learners is almost as strong as that of our staff. Keep an eye out on Friday for your own copy of the book to enjoy with your child over the spring break.
Remote Learners:
Materials Pick-up Starts this Week!: On March 9-11, we are having our next materials pick up at Nixon. You can stop by the school from 7:45 am-4:00 pm to pick up your nest set of materials for your learner. Please make sure to come and grab those items, as we have many still left from our last pick up date and your children will need these as they continue their remote schooling. If these times don't work for you, please consider reaching out and setting up an alternate time for pick up with me.
All Nixon Learners:
Nixon Office Closed: The Nixon Main Office will be closed over spring break. If you have any questions, please reach out to me via email. I will still be able to respond that way, but the phones will not be answered over the break.
Looking for Donations: As you are preparing to pack away your snow gear at the end of the winter (hopefully sooner rather than later), if you find your child's snow gear doesn't fit anymore, please consider donating it to Nixon for us to keep on hand for learners next winter. We would love to hold on to your cleaned & gently used snow pants for future Bobcats to enjoy. If you have items you would like to donate, please send it to school with your child, add a note letting us know it's a donation, and we'll store it until next winter. If you would rather, you can also swing by the school and leave it with our front office staff. Thank you for considering!
School Spring Pictures: Many of you have been wondering if we will be having school pictures this year. The answer is YES! Both our in-person and remote learners will have the opportunity to have their pictures taken on March 23. In-person learners will take their pictures with their classroom teachers, remote learners will come to Nixon to take their pictures between 11:30-1:30 and follow the protocol for safe social distancing and masking. Keep an eye out for more information on spring pictures in the upcoming weeks.
Upcoming Events:
- March 10: Fire Drill
- March 15-19: Spring Break
- March 23: Spring Pictures
I hope you all have a wonderful week. As always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Jeni Goebel, Principal
Nixon Elementary
Wacky Tacky 1st Graders
Wacky Tacky 3rd Graders
Wacky Tacky 2nd Graders
Food Pantry at St. Andrew Lutheran Church Information
Where: Drive-thru distribution in the parking lot at St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 4420 Center Point Road NE.
When:
- Friday, March 5, 2021 - beginning at 2:30
- Friday, March 12, 2021 - beginning at 2:30
- Friday, March 19, 2021 - beginning at 2:30
- Friday, March 26, 2021 - beginning at 2:30
What:
- 10-12 lbs produce (apples, oranges, potatoes, onions, etc.)
- 5-10 lbs of dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc.)
- 5 lbs of protein (chicken, pork or beef - never know till it's here)
- Plus...1 gallon of milk (in addition to the dairy allotted above)
Title 1 Reading Groups
Reading with Ms. Susie
New Laptops for Kindergarteners
Camp Tanager Opportunities
Free Camp Scholarship Program
Established in 1926, Camp Tanager has provided free half-week and week-long camp opportunities for youth ages 6-11 years. This program is available to all youth that typically meet the criteria for free or reduced school meals. Paper applications (attached) can be completed and returned to school. Applications can also be submitted online at this link: https://www.ultracamp.com/info/upcomingsessions.aspx?idCamp=668&campCode=cti
Summer Sleep Away Camp
This program runs alongside our free campership program and is for all youth ages 6-11 years. Campers that would not mee the criteria for a free campership are eligible to sign up for sleepaway camp. Sessions run from Sun PM – Fri PM. More information: https://camptanager.org/about-us/overnight-camps/
Summer Day Camps
Camp Tanager offers 9 one-week themed day camp programs for youth ages 5-11 years. Day Camp operates from Mon-Fri 9am-4pm with early drop off and late pickup options available. More information about Day Camp can be found at this link. https://camptanager.org/about-us/day-camp/
End of Year Field Trips
Our end of year school celebrations allow school groups to attend for the day and enjoy a custom built day of fun and activity for students. Staffed by our Camp Team, students are put into group rotations and take part in traditional camp activities such as team building, swimming, archery, field games and more. To find out more contact our Camp Tanager Director at campmail@tanagerplace.org
COVID Considerations
We fully expect to be still navigating COVID going into this summer. As you probably know, many parents have questions and concerns about COVID and how schools, groups, and other recreational groups are managing their mitigation efforts. At Camp Tanager we are taking COVID seriously and while we remain confident that camp will be able to operate this summer, we will still be taking precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. Our Covid mitigation procedures can be found here: https://camptanager.org/about-us/covid/
Please feel free to reach out with any questions you or your parents may have about camp programs this coming summer.
Happy Camping!
Camp Tanager Team
Emergency Drills at Nixon
Below is a poster describing the 3 types of emergency drills we have at Nixon and the purpose for practicing those drills. There is a quote about practicing not until you get it right, but until you can't possibly get it wrong. It is our hope that we will never be in a situation where our learnerners would engage in the emergencies that we practice for, but we want to be sure to be so effective at our drills that we can't possibly get it wrong if we ever have to.
Nixon Elementary School
Email: jgoebel@crschools.us
Website: nixon.cr.k12.ia.us
Location: 200 Nixon Drive, Hiawatha, IA, USA
Phone: (319) 558-2188
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CRNixon