Simon Elementary School Newsletter
February 2018
From the Principal
Although there are more days behind us this school year than there are awaiting ahead, there is still a great deal of learning that takes place between now and the end of the year. This is an exciting time of year, as students are learning new concepts and skills and are working to refine those that they have previously learned.
Be sure to come join us for our STEAM night on February 8th beginning at 5:30. (STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). During the evening, students will have opportunities to engage in a number of hands-on activities within each of the STEAM areas. You can also check out STARLab which will be set up in the gym.
There are a number of important dates pertaining to school during the month of February. Be sure to check out the calendar of events section at the end of the newsletter to say up on this month's happenings.
The end of our second trimester will be March 2nd with report cards going home the following Friday, the 9th.
2018-2019 Kindergarten Registration
Children turning five years old on or before September 1, 2018 will be able to attend kindergarten during the 2018-2019 school year. Kindergarten Pre-enrollment can be completed online starting Wednesday, February 1. After completing the pre-enrollment, you will receive more information about the next steps of the registration process.
To complete Pre-enrollment, please click here, visit www.winnebagoschools.org/schools/simon and follow the link on the page, or stop by the Simon office.
Here are some things to think about as the next school year approaches:
What requirements need to be met?
- Immunizations/physical: Before children can start kindergarten in Illinois, they need a physical examination by a doctor or other health care provider. They also need to have all immunizations up-to-date. Be sure to start early so they’re ready for that first day. If you’re not sure what immunizations your children need, talk to their doctor, your local health department, or call the Illinois Public Health Department at 217-782-4977.
- Eye exam: The State of Illinois requires all children, beginning kindergarten or first grade for the first time, or children who are transferring into Illinois from out of state, to have a comprehensive eye examination prior to starting school. The examination must be done by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. The results must be submitted to the school by the parents, on a form approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health, prior to October 15. The examination may be done within one year prior to beginning school.
- Birth certificate: All children need to have a copy of their certified birth certificate on file at school prior to the first day of attendance.
- Complete the registration process: Parents of all students must complete registration, including proof of residency and filling out all necessary documents.
What will the teacher expect my child to be able to do at the beginning of the year?
You may want to review this list and see if there is anything else you would like to teach your child before those first days of school. Keep in mind that this is just a guideline to help boost your child's success.
- Identify some letters of the alphabet particularly those in their name.
- Grip a pencil, crayon, or marker correctly (using a tripod grasp)
- Use scissors, glue, paint, and other art materials with relative ease
- Write his or her first name using upper- and lowercase letters, if possible
- Rote counts to 10 and counts objects to 10.
- Participate in social activities without conflict
- Classify objects according to their size, shape, and quantity
- Speak using complete sentences
- Able to recognize their first name
- Identify rhyming words or sing a Nursery Rhyme
- Play independently or focus on one activity with a friend for up to ten minutes
- Practices self help skills independently for example; toileting and dressing
- Follow one to two step directions
- Clean up after herself
- Listen to a story without interrupting
- Separate from parents easily
- Ability to work independently or with others
Don’t panic if your child hasn’t nailed everything on the list — she’ll learn a lot in kindergarten. What’s more important is to wean her from relying on you to do things she could do herself, such as zipping her jacket or tying her shoes. Give her the chance to show you what she can do — you might be in for a few surprises!
What kinds of knowledge and experiences can help prepare my child?
- In addition to practicing the above skills, help her learn about the world around her. Take her on interesting trips—to the library or grocery store, on a bus ride, or to a museum or park—and talk with her about what she sees. Provide other experiences such as trips to the library or play dates with other near-age peers. Encourage her curiosity, and help her find answers to her questions.
If You're Looking to Volunteer, Our Cafeteria Can Use Your Help
2018-2019 Preschool Screenings
Winnebago CUSD #323 will hold preschool screenings for the 2018-19 school year on Wednesday, March 7, Thursday, March 8, and Friday, March 9.
The preschool screening is to determine eligibility for our preschool program and for you to have a better understanding of your child's strengths and areas for improvement. We encourage everyone with preschool aged children (ages 3-5) to participate in screening regardless of your interest in the program.
The screening will assess your child’s developmental skills in the following areas: academic concepts, gross and fine motor skills, speech and language, social, behavior, self-help skills, and vision and hearing.
Screening appointments take approximately one hour. Children have to be 3 years old at the time of the screening on either March 7, 8, or 9.
The screenings will be held at Dorothy Simon Elementary located at 309 S. Benton St. in Winnebago. Please call 815-335-2318 to make an appointment.
No Preschool Classes 3/7 - 3/9
Erin's Law
On February 13th and 14th, a representative from Rockford Sexual Assault Counseling will be at Simon to present a sexual abuse awareness program for all grade levels, in compliance with Illinois law. “Erin’s Law” requires that all public schools in each state implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program which teaches students in grades PreK – 12th grade, age-appropriate techniques to recognize child sexual abuse and tell a trusted adult. Please call RSAC with any questions at 815-636-9811.
Attendance Matters!
A number of studies have been done over the past 15 years on the connections between attendance and student learning. The results of the studies have a common finding: chronic absenteeism may prevent children from reaching early learning milestones. When kids are absent for an average of just two days of school per month—even when the absences are excused– it can have a negative impact. These absences can affect kids as early as Kindergarten.
- For example, young elementary school students who miss an average of just two school days per month often have difficulty keeping up with their peers academically and tend to fall behind in reading. Children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade. But when students are able to read on grade level by the end of third grade, which is when kids transition from learning to read to reading to learn, they are three to four times more likely to graduate high school and attend college, post-graduate, or professional development classes than their peers who struggle with reading. Students who cannot read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school.
Irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out before graduation than test scores.
- A study of public school students in Utah found that an incidence of chronic sabsenteeism in even a single year between 8th and 12th grade was associated with a seven-fold increase in the likelihood of dropping out.
Frequent absences from school can shape adulthood.
- High school dropout, which chronically absent students are more likely to experience, has been linked to poor outcomes later in life, from poverty and diminished health to involvement in the criminal justice system.
Sources:
https://ed.gov/datastory/chronicabsenteeism.html
http://absencesaddup.org/importance-of-school-attendance/
http://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Attendance-in-the-Early-Grades.pdf
Message from Kids Club
February 16 - All Day Services. Service hours are 7:30am-5pm. $25/child. Students must bring their own lunch but we will provide 2 snacks. Sign-up will open February 1st and close February 9th.
No Kids Club Monday, February 19th.
Calendar of Events
2018-2019 Kindergarten Pre-enrollment opens
Thursday, Feb 1, 2018, 08:00 AM
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PTO Skate Night
$3.00 admission
$1.50 skate rental or $3.00 for speed or inline skates
$2.50 for Slice of pizza & 8oz. soda
$15.00 meal deal: Cheese pizza w/pitcher of soda