Geist Gazette
September 29, 2017
GEIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Website: http://www.hse.k12.in.us/GES
Location: 14051 East 104th Street, Fishers, IN 46037
Phone: 317-915-4260
Twitter: @Geistgators
Dear Geist Families,
We are starting Geist teacher conferences over the next three weeks and our goal is 100% family participation. Please help us with achieving this goal and make sure you sign up with your teacher by Monday, Oct. 2nd.
We have done some amazing community service projects this year including collecting pasta for the those in need in Hamilton County and helping a school in Houston. There were a handful of schools assisting in the Houston project and I summarized some of that information below for you. Please share with your children.
I hope everyone was able to see the GEIST drone picture we posted on Twitter. Make sure to follow us on @Geistgators for the latest and greatest events at Geist. I attached the picture and time lapsed video of our spelling "Geist!" Your children did amazing!
Finally, I'm excited to share that in less then two weeks, I will have lift off to China. I will be going to Beijing, Xi'an, Ningbo City and Shanghai. I'm excited and honored to represent Geist and HSE schools as we present our district to the Ningbo District and to meet our sister school family. I know they are excited to learn more about our school! I am taking many gifts to present to their district, school and principal. The drone picture will be framed and given to the school along with a FIshers Flag.
We will be having a China week at Geist the week of Oct. 23. I hope to bring back many authentic items from China. Next Friday we are having a dress up day to get the students excited about China. The money raised will help to bring items back to Fishers. Students and parents have been sharing ideas with me; so far some of the suggested items are maps, resources, artwork, silk, tea pot, instruments, games, etc. We have already found some items in the states and are engaging the students- for example The Fan Dance in music class and soon the Chinese version of hacky sack! The students have been helping to teach me about China through our interactive bulletin board in the X. (see below)
Thank you for your support in teaching our children about the world outside of Fishers.
All the best in the coming weeks and safe travels over fall break,
Christi Thomas, Principal
China interactive board
Students in Mrs. Cook's class learning about the drone!
Student Council sorting for Houston!
Helping Houston
Thank you to everyone who donated supplies for the school in Houston! Through a grant, four HSE employees were allowed to travel down to Houston to help in the delivery of the semi truck.
The Houston district sent machinery and 10 employees to help unload the truck. All 26 pallets were transferred into the building and then all 26 pallets were unload into a large room. All the supplies were organized with the help of the HSE staff to make it easy for the teachers to get what they need.
A few facts:
- School started this past Monday for the students
- The students will be attending in a high school building as their building is not useable at this time.
- The high school is nice, but it took a lot of time and effort to make it feel like an elementary school. It is an adjustment for everyone.
- The students used to walk to school, but now they are bussed to school. The district does not have enough busses, so the kids are riding to school on charter busses! They are so excited about the TV’s and bathrooms on their bus!
- Teachers had to move their rooms for the second time over the weekend due to a fire marshal visit. They had to make 2 classrooms in a library over the weekend to hold more kids. They also had to lower toilets for their little students.
- The kids are served breakfast, snack, and lunch every day. At the end of the day they pick up a sack dinner to take home.
Everyone at the school is so THANKFUL! They just can’t belive the kids of HSE sent an entire semi-truck! The assistant principal and counselor cried tears of joy! They are also really thankful HSE was there to help. The assistant principal told us that they are so overwhelmed right now that if we were not here helping they would not have the man power to unload and open the boxes. Our supplies might have stayed in boxes for a long time or the truck might have been sent to the district level.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent teacher conference information will be coming home by September 19th. All systems for signup will go live on the 19th. Please know that staff can pick the days and times that work best for their schedule in the beginning part of October. However, below are the times that related arts and other special services will be present in the building if you have a need in this area.
*Office staff, Nurses, SpEd, and Special Area staff will be available to assist where needed on the following dates and times:
-Thursday, Oct. 5th (4:00-6:30 PM)
-Monday, Oct. 9th (4:45-6:30 PM)
-Tuesday, Oct. 10th (8:00-8:45 AM)
-Wednesday, Oct. 11th (7:45-8:45 AM)
China Spirit Day and China Week
Friday - October 6- Wear Red or Gold and support our Global Studies Program
Mrs. Thomas is headed to China on October 11th to meet our Sister School in China and we would like her to bring back resources to help educate the Geist community about China, the Mandarin language and our sister school and community, Ningbo. Please join us in a dress up donation day! Please have your child wear red or gold and celebrate by bringing a stuffed animal to school (that will fit in the back pack) for a donation of $1. The money raised will be used to buy authentic items from China to enhance and advance our program!
Then, during the week of Oct. 23rd -27th we will be having a China Week to celebrate the Chong Yang Festival. It falls on the 9th day of the 9th month on a lunar calendar. It’s also designated as Senior’s Day, for everyone to pay respect to the elderly. Our goal is for students to experience different aspect of life in China, from PE to music to in class writing activities! Be on the look out for a change in the lunch schedule because we will be serving Chinese!!!! Thank you helping our children gain a stronger global perspective!
THANK YOU PTO!!!!!!!
Keller's Clips
At Geist Elementary School, we are guided by school expectations and procedures, through our all-encompassing PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) system of school culture and climate.
Within our PBIS system, character education is interwoven and guided by teachers, counselors, support staff and bus drivers. Each month, we focus on a specific character trait to help mold and develop our young people into self-reliant and valued members of our community.
During the month of September, our focus has been on Self-Control: To be in control of what you do and what you say.
In partnership with our teachers, I teach Conflict and Bullying Lessons to all grade levels. Just this week, I met with all fourth grade and we discussed conflicts and how to solve and talked about how repeated and more intense conflicts can be/lead to bullying situations. IF a student has asked someone to stop an undesired behavior more than twice, than our students are instructed to TELL a trusted adult immediately to help them with the more intense conflicts/bullying situations. I-Messages are taught to build confidence in setting one’s own boundaries for safety, security and general well-being. It’s a valuable life skill and are students are doing a FANTASTIC JOB with I-Messages when needed.
As a general reminder…….
Bullying and Conflicts are often confused and conflict-behavior is improperly labeled bullying. Please refer to the attached table.
Conflicts often are confused with bullying---as conflicts, are a normal part of life. Conflicts happen every now and then and are often among friends and people of the same size. We use ‘I’-messages when conflicts happen. Remember….
I feel____________ (emotion)
when you ________________. (undesired behavior)
Please _________ (desired behavior).
Our intention is ALWAYS to keep our students safe, so please help with I-Messages at homeJ If conflicts continue, increase in intensity or become serious, please don’t hesitate to let us know!!!
Best Regards,
Lisa Piatek Keller M.S.
School Counselor
Geist Elementary School
A Vision Screening Story
Parents please take time to watch the video below. Thank you to our Gator family for sharing their story so that others can assure their children get eye exams.
http://wishtv.com/2017/09/26/eye-exam-reveals-tumor-in-hamilton-southeastern-first-grader/amp/
CLOTHING BORROWED FROM THE GES CLINIC
Viewing School Fees in Skyward
When viewing fees in Skyward Family Access, there will be multiple fees displayed. There will be one for textbook fees, one for consumable fees, and for Kindergarten, one for material fees. If your student is renting an iPad, a separate fee will be listed. Please look for the total amount under Balance Due.
If you have any questions regarding your student’s fees, please contact Amy Mudd at amudd@hse.k12.in.us or(317)915-4260
Mrs. K's Music Corner
This issue of Mrs. K's Music Corner Link Includes
-3rd Grade Demo Day Info
-Recorder Info
-New Ask Me Lessons
-Performance Schedule
-Pictures & Updates
Art Room News
All classes are finishing their first projects and you will begin to see them posted on Artsonia. I hope you are able to take a moment to look at your child's artwork. If you need assistance logging into your account, please contact Ms. Green.
All grades are beginning to work on art projects inspired by Chinese culture. These will be on display for our celebration the week following fall break. (More information will be shared soon.)
- Third and Fourth grades will be using resources to research Chinese art and culture. Then, they will choose a project they would like to create based on what interests them.
- Second grade is in the process of creating Chinese inspired scrolls.
- First graders are creating dragons inspired by the Chinese Dragon Dance video we watched.
- Kindergarten will watch a video of Chinese New Year fireworks and create a painting using glitter paint.
Ms. Green
GLOBAL STUDIES
Students are having a fabulous week! I am pairing with Mrs. Koenig, the GES music teacher, for a week of Music and World Studies collaboration, when together we will see each student twice over a week’s time. Students will learn about birthday celebrations in China, including traditional Chinese celebration practices as well as how to sing Happy Birthday song in Chinese! They will be learning a popular Chinese dance and exploring traditional Chinese dances performed during special occasions such as Chinese New Year. They are absolutely amazed at the strength and martial arts in Chinese lion dance, and the elegance and beauty of Chinese fan dance. I can’t wait to see them actually do the dance themselves next week!
HSE Energy Conservation Art & Slogan Contest
Motivating Others to Conserve Through the Visual Arts
Hello! October is Energy Conservation and Action Month. In honor of this, we are offering a wonderful opportunity for students to show off their skills and earn bragging rights by creating original works of art to raise awareness for conserving energy. This contest is open for art students, students with Art in their Heart, environmentally aware students, any student who loves conservation, and all Hamilton Southeastern students pre-kindergarten to 12th.
Please create an original piece of artwork (not popular or copyrighted characters) that honors, educates or celebrates Energy Conservation. All art should demonstrate the theme and express an artistic slogan related to energy conservation and action.
If your child is interested in participating in this art contest, please read the entry form for details. Artwork must have the entry form filled out and attached. These are to be turned in to Ms. Green no later than Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. Judging will take place by a committee at the end of the day. Click here for the entry form.
News from the Gym
Grades K-2 continue to work on basic locomotor skills. We are also working with a new App called Sworkit that they can use to exercise at home. I will caution you that the app is NOT free and I do not expect you to purchase it, but just wanted to make you aware.
Just remember to get outside and exercise while the weather is still good.
Where in the World Are We From?
We have an interactive display in the X in which we invite students, staff, and parents to place a sticker on the world map indicating where you and/or your ancestors were born. It's wonderful to see that we come from many different places around the world. There is also an area to write "Hello" and "Good-bye" in another language. Feel free to add to it during conferences.
National School Lunch Week Oct. 9-13
HSE Food Services is celebrating school lunch during National School Lunch Week 2017 “Recipes for Success” from October 9th-13th. Come visit the cafeteria to enjoy some of your school lunch favorites! We will also be offering a special treat each day of the week, which will be included with the purchase of a meal deal. Click here to see the menu for the week.
Lunch Menus and Visitors
Click here to see what's being served in the café.
Click here for the food services website.
We are practicing smooth transitions and procedures in the cafeteria as our students adjust to the school schedule. The cafeteria is not open to visitors at this time. We will open for visitors after Labor Day.
Ms. Blake got to kiss the gator!!!
Silly Safari after the Gator Gallop!
Fun time with Gatorade!
Thank you to an amazing group of volunteers! Thank to all the families who assisted in making our fundraiser day a success. The children had a great time!
Geist Elementary PTO is the best!
Text-A-Tip
Submit Via Text
Texts can be sent to 274637 (or CRIMES). Start the actual message with the # symbol and a building-specific keyword. For a list of keywords, click here...
Want to keep up on what's happening at school?
Follow @geistgators on twitter. We tweet throughout the day.
Check our website: hse.k12.in.us/GES
This newsletter, the Geist Gazette, goes out every other Friday (although it may be sent again next week). We will send it to you via email, and post it on our website under the News tab.
Click here to see our building calendar. This lists activities before, during and after hours.
See what the HSE Schools Foundation is up to this month.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AT GEIST:
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS:
HSE Schools Community Bulletin Board
HSE Schools has created a Community Bulletin Board on its district website. This will serve as a central location to find information about activities and events promoted by organizations that serve our students and their families. This is where the Fishers Library, YMCA, S.P.O.R.T.S. and other groups' registration information will be located.