PAW PRINTS
Winfield Elementary Newsletter - January 15, 2021
Winfield Elementary School Improvement Goals
All students will demonstrate measurable growth and achievement in reading.
All students will demonstrate measurable growth and achievement in mathematics.
All students will demonstrate growth in their social-emotional learning.
From the Principal, Mrs. Alonzo
Dear Winfield Friends and Family,
This Monday we pause from work and school in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His acts of service will always be remembered, as will the wise words he continually shared. Next week, our students will learn more about his life and legacy. In the meantime, visit the National Geographic Kids website to learn more about the courageous work that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished in his lifetime. You can access it here: MLK.
There is power in praise and recognition--and each of our school employees deserves buckets full of it this year. The NWI Times helps us honor and praise teachers with their Teacher Appreciation form. It is a quick form to fill out, and honorees are shared on the nwitimes.com website. In addition, select honorees are also printed in the paper edition of the newspaper. If you'd like to show your appreciation for a job well done, please visit www.nwitimes.com/forms/teachers_appreciation/. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs. Jillian Alonzo
Principal
Contact Information:
Winfield Elementary- 663-2287 ext. 19001
Counselor's Corner with Mrs. Williams
Lunch Group Announcement
Beginning the week of February 25th, I will be offering small group counseling (lunch group) for students in all grades. I am excited to start my lunch groups again, and so are students. I have received several requests from them! The group will meet once a week, where participants will eat their lunch with the school counselor and group members. During their lunch, we will engage in conversations and activities to give students an opportunity to explore and learn some important concepts.
The focus of this group will include a variety of skills: self-awareness, self-regulation (coping skills), and self-advocacy. Parents will be provided updates on what the lunch group is working on throughout the duration.
I will be inviting students to participate in this group, and will be sending parent consent letters home next week. If you would like your student to attend the lunch group, simply email me your student’s name!
I am looking forward to working with our students on these topics and connecting with them. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Have an enjoyable weekend!
-Mrs. Williams, School Counselor
219-663-2287 ext. 19108 jwilliams@cps.k12.in.us
Positive Behavior Coach, Mrs. Adams
Hello, Winfield families!
The key word this week in PBIS land is compassion. Students in all three grades are learning about compassion and practicing how compassion works, and also, how compassion feels. Compassion is empathy in action. People feel better when others show them care and concern; listening, saying kind words, and helping are three ways to show caring. For 6-8 year old children, compassion might look like giving a hug, making a card, or saying something kind to help a friend or family member who is feeling sad or upset. It can also look like reaching out to a peer who has been left out - or hearing about a community need and wanting to do something to help others, even if they do not know them.
As parents, we often tell our children to “be nice.” Given the importance they deserve, these words can inspire children to a lifetime of caring enough to not only co-exist with others, but to actively help the less fortunate and improve their community. It is important to understand that compassion is not just feeling sorry for someone or just refraining from hitting your playmate. It’s more than just a feeling...compassion involves the act. It entails both the heart that experiences it and the mind and body that bring it about. We can decide to be compassionate. Although you cannot teach compassion like a step-by-step math lesson, you can instill it in your children by making changes in your lifelong daily routine and by regularly stepping outside your ordinary schedule to make a difference for someone else. In order to build compassion, consider the following:
*Encourage your child's kind impulses. Use descriptive praise when you see your child reaching out to someone else with compassion. This reinforces their impulse to act with compassion. This might sound like: "Thank you for giving me a hug when I was feeling frustrated yesterday. That was just what I needed to help me feel better."
*Help your children to realize that all people regardless of their position, race, or religion have feelings, wants, needs, and ambitions.
*As children get older, talking becomes very important. Teach sensitivity and awareness as you talk about their feelings, your feelings, and the feelings of others.
*Use empathy to guide giving. Before performing a kind deed for someone in need, ask children to think about what they know about that person — their needs, interests, likes and dislikes — and then write a note, make a gift or perform a small act of kindness that matches them.
In order to really drive home the compassion concept, our students listened to a read aloud version of I'm Not Just a Scribble by Diane Alber, and then we had a discussion about compassion and empathy. Our Winfield students are practicing compassion every day, and with the added knowledge this week, they are seeing firsthand what empathy in action actually looks like!
All three grades are also still learning about empathy and practicing how to incorporate that concept into their relationships.
Our students strengthened their understanding of empathy by discussing why respecting others with different preferences is crucial to maintaining solid, functional, and fruitful relationships. Students learned that it is okay for people to have different feelings about the same thing, and respecting different preferences helps you get along better with others. In early childhood, children begin to recognize that people can feel and think different things about the same situation. This skill is an important part of social perspective taking; not assuming everyone feels just as they do or as they would in a situation helps children build empathy. Students examined situations where people have different preferences about the same thing and then applied that knowledge to their own preferences. We found out that we can learn, work, and play together even though we don't share the same likes and dislikes.
Our students are making great progress in their social and emotional development, and I have had the honor of witnessing just how committed they are to building strong relationships with one another!
- Mrs. Adams
Contact Information:
Winfield Elementary- 663-2287 ext. 19602
From the School Nurse, Mrs. Taylor
Beginning next week all 2nd grade students will have hearing screening. Any student that does not pass the hearing screening will be referred for further evaluation.
1st grade vision and hearing screenings are almost complete. Referral letters will be sent home with any student needing further evaluation.
Distance learners will have the opportunity to come to school for screening. Further information will be coming in the future from the distance learning teachers.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding screenings.
Contact Information:
Winfield Elementary- 663-2287 ext. 19081
Yearbook Sale
Forgot to order last year's yearbook? We still have some 2019-2020 yearbooks available in the office. They are $14.00 and payable by cash or check.
Spirit Wear
Reading Connection
Arrival/Dismissal
*ALL TRANSPORTATION CHANGES MUST BE CALLED INTO THE OFFICE BEFORE 3 PM.
All children are dismissed through the car rider line. Parents do not come inside the building during dismissal. Please review the Arrival/Dismissal Map here: Traffic Map
Note: If you are a car rider, please write your child's first and last name on a piece of paper. Place in your passenger window.
The school office is open daily from 7:30 am-4:30 pm. If you have Transportation questions after hours, please call 219-663-1465.
From the Cafeteria
All students will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost.
Thanks to USDA funding, these meals will be available through the end of the of the 2020-2021 School Year. Each student can receive one free breakfast and one free lunch daily.
This applies to meals (breakfast and lunch), not snacks and beverages.
Important: You MUST still complete a free and reduced meal application to qualify for textbook assistance for this school year!
Cafeteria Menu for the Week of January 18th
MONDAY
Breakfast: NO SCHOOL
Lunch: NO SCHOOL
TUESDAY
Breakfast: Oatmeal Bar, 100% Juice, Fruit, Milk
Lunch: Cheeseburger OR Corn Dog, Hash Brown, Pineapple Tidbits
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: E-Learning Day
Lunch: E-Learning Day
THURSDAY
Breakfast: Whole Grain Donuts, 100% Juice, Fruit, Milk
Lunch: Nachos or Taco, Corn, Mandarin Oranges
FRIDAY
Breakfast: Poptarts OR Cereal Bar, 100% Juice, Fruit, Milk
Lunch: Breaded Chicken Sandwich, Green Beans, Fruit Cup
Meal Pick-Up
Free breakfasts and lunches are available to all students. If you have not been on the list for the last few weeks and would like to be added, please email pmaloney@cps.k12.in.us.
- Pick Up day is Wednesdays from 9-10 a.m.
- In-person elementary students will receive a breakfast and lunch for Wednesday each week.
- In-person middle and high school students will receive 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches each week.
- 100% virtual students will receive 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches each week.
- Pick up locations will continue to be at Crown Point High School and Jerry Ross Elementary, Timothy Ball Elementary, and MacArthur Elementary.
Latch Key Child Care
Childcare will be available before and after school at Winfield Elementary.
Students will be dropped off and picked up from the MAIN ENTRANCE- Door 8N. A childcare staff member will be there to meet you.
Child care is offered on school days for students in grades K-2 for two sessions:
Before School: 6:00 am - 8:55 am
After School: 3:45 pm - 6:30 pm
The cost each day is $7.00 per session.
Please note: Only Winfield students attend Winfield Childcare.
Jerry Ross students (even if siblings) will attend Jerry Ross Childcare.
Chromebook Repair and Support
Chromebook Repair and Support
The Chromebook is the property of the school within the Crown Point Community School Corporation. Therefore, the device must be repaired by Crown Point Technology staff.
1. If a student is attending classes in person, please see your School Librarian for Chromebook repair.
2. If a student is an at-home learner and the Chromebook is broken or fails to work or your charger needs repair please fill out this form Chromebook Repair Form. Your School Media Specialist will contact you.
3. For help with the RDS Log-in or the Buzz Button inside RDS complete the CPCSC Support Form.
4. If you are having issues with one of your courses on Buzz, please contact the teacher by email.
Technology Support- BUZZ and RDS
How does my student get on BUZZ?
https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYjYobm143
How does my student navigate BUZZ?
Important Dates
January 2020
18- No School; Dr. MLK Jr. Day
20- E-Learning Day
26- CAFE Meeting Via ZOOM 6:30-7:30 pm
27- E-Learning Day
Birthday Celebrations
As a school we believe it is important to recognize students on their birthdays. To protect instructional time in the classroom and manage student health needs, we do not allow edible birthday treats in the classroom (this includes CANDY in treat bags). Your child is invited to the office for a small birthday treat.
If you choose, non-food items may be substituted your child may commemorate their special day by bringing a small treat for their classmates (pencil, bookmark, sticker, etc.) or dedicating a book to the classroom (and placing a special birthday bookplate inside).
OPTIONAL: Families wishing to celebrate their child's birthdays at lunch may purchase Ice Cream Tickets for each child in the class. Tickets are $0.75 each. Please complete an order form in the office 1 week prior to birthday.
Birth To School Program
Do you have a pre-kindergarten aged child who will attend kindergarten at Winfield Elementary in 2021-2022? Enroll in the CP Birth to School Kindergarten Readiness program to receive FREE monthly Learning Kits! Please visit the CP Birth to School Kindergarten Readiness website for more information https://tinyurl.com/cpkindergartenreadiness, or contact CP Birth to School Coordinator, Jamie Kalk, at jkalk@cps.k12.in.us.
CAFE News
APPLES FOR THE STUDENTS
Keep collecting those Strack & Van Til receipts to turn into both Winfield and Jerry Ross! Each dollar spent earns our schools points to redeem for school supplies. Any questions? Contact Amy Schaafsma at 219-306-3654 or aschaafs@gmail.com
Community & Extracurricular Information
Crown Point Youth Soccer is now open for registration at www.crownpointsoccer.org. The overriding mission of CPYS is to improve overall development of both individual and team skills, while providing a positive, recreational environment in which to compete. Trainers will be provided to work with teams throughout the season.
Travel: Registration includes four home games (U8-U19) and four away games. Registration is open 1/1 - 1/31. Registration fee is $140 and does not include team uniforms.
Inhouse: Registration is open 1/1-2/19.
Registration fee is $100 and includes a team jersey.
Leagues are U5, U6, U7, U8 and U10.
Winfield Elementary
Email: jalonzo@cps.k12.in.us
Website: www.cps.k12.in.us/Domain/843
Location: 13128 Montgomery Street, Crown Point, IN, United States
Phone: 219-663-2287
Twitter: @WinfieldElem