Principal's Message
Hello to our Fort Zeller Families,
It's hard to believe we are already into November! It has been such a wonderful first quarter of school. I would like to say THANK YOU to all of our Fort Zeller families. I appreciate your partnership as we work as a team to create the best learning experience for your students. Your work in providing a caring environment at home that nurtures and respects education provides a solid platform for us to build on. Our work together creates a team of support for your child that allows great learning to happen academically, socially, and emotionally.
November is a perfect time of year to reflect and practice gratitude. Do you have a moment to send a quick thank you note or email to a staff member at Fort Zeller Elementary? A simple note of appreciation can change a staff member's day. Positive connections between home and school foster mutual respect, which in turn creates a stronger learning environment for all. I encourage you to share a quick thank you with someone having a positive impact on your child.
We have many exciting things coming up in the next few months. Keep an eye out for communication about what's happening at Fort Zeller. Please always feel free to contact the school with any questions you may have.
All the Best,
Jodi Houck
Important Information
1. Trip Forms - If you are planning on going on a trip, please make sure to fill out a trip request form and turn it into the office. Planned trips require the principal's approval in order to be excused. For all other absences, you can complete the excuse on Power School, or turn in an excuse to the office through email (fzattendance@elcosd.org) or paper copy.
2. Power School Forms - We are still looking for a number of families to complete the required forms on Power School. These forms provide us with up-to-date important information. Please see below for more information. If you need help, please make sure to contact our office.
3. Book Fair - Fort Zeller's Book Fair will be held from November 17-22. Your child will be able to shop on 11/17 & 11/18 and then it will be open during parent conferences on 11/21-11/22. Please see below for more information. There is a schedule of when each class will be previewing and buying at the book fair below.
4. Break - We will not have school for students from November 21-28. November 21-22 will be when our parent/teacher conferences will be taking place. This is the time you will be receiving your child's report cards. The rest of that week, along with the following Monday, students and staff will be off school.
5. ELCO's Annual Holiday Program - ELCO's annual holiday program to support our families is back! Please see below for more information.
LOOKNG AHEAD
Nov. 1: (Day 4)
- Picture Retake Day
- End of 1st Marking Period
- PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm
Nov. 4: (Act 80 Day)
- No School for Students
Nov. 7: (Day 3)
- Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Nov. 8: (Day 4)
- Election Day
Nov. 11: (Day 2)
- Veteran's Day
- Veteran's Day Breakfast - 7:45 - 8:20 am
Nov. 14: (Day 3)
- Author, Lisa Papp Visit
Nov. 17: (Day 2)
- Book Fair (Preview)
Nov. 18: (Day 3)
- Book Fair (Buy)
Nov. 21-22: (Conferences)
- No School for Students
- Book Fair Open
Nov. 23-28: (Thanksgiving Break)
- No School for Students
Nov. 29: (Day 4)
- Back to School
ELCO'S ANNUAL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
ELCO's annual holiday program to support our families is back! Families who express the need for support will be provided with gift cards and stuffed stockings for each child rather than individualized gifts. This will allow parents to shop for their children, purchasing the correct colors/sizes of clothing, specific toys desired, etc. They will also receive a gift card for food (as has been done in the past). Individuals, businesses, and families who wish to donate will have the opportunity to do so via a few avenues: donation of a stocking and items to stuff the stockings with, donation of money, donation of gift cards.
Details pertaining to the Holiday Program are available on the ELCO website. Please click on the link below!
Fort Zeller Book Fair
If you would like to sign-up to help out at the book fair, please use this link.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0449AFAD29A0FC1-fall2
Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/fortzellerelementaryschool2
If you would like to make a donation to help ensure that every child at Fort Zeller is able to get a book from our book fair, please use the web address below to donate to Fort Zeller’s schoolwide eWallet account.
https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=47906182-d520-4822-88e6-c3f3de18683c 
Students and Class of the Month
Kindergarten - Mae S. (Zurick am), Mason S. (Yocum pm) & Axel G. (Wentzel)
First Grade - Hudson H. (Hartman) & Lydia A. (McDonnell),
Second Grade - Leo C. (Jackson) & Madelyn A. (Frederick)
Class of the Month - Mrs. Zurick's pm Class
During the month of October, we were focused on self-control. Throughout the month of November, we are focusing on citizenship. Citizenship is showing loyalty to your school, community and country. It includes making good, positive choices that can help others.
The Scarecrow Read Aloud
Counselor's Corner With Mrs. Brosius
R.E.A.C.H. Lessons
This month we've been working on "spotting" our feelings! I introduced students to the Little Spots! In Kindergarten, we met Little Scribble Spot who was all tangled up with emotions. We met all the other Little Spots and figured out how to untangle him so he could become a beautiful Rainbow Spot!
In first grade, Scribble Spot helped us learn how to become Emotion Detectives by using clues such as facial expressions and body language to "spot" how people are feeling. We used mirrors to look for clues on our own faces when we acted out different feelings!
Second graders focused on our character trait: self-control. We talked about how having good self-control is more difficult when we are angry or frustrated. We made frustration flip tokens to help remind us of the things we can and cannot control!
Groups:
Small groups have started! The topic is Self-Regulation. Self-Regulation groups will meet for 5 weeks. If you requested a different group topic for your student, I will be meeting with them later in the year!
PBIS:
Students are doing a great job filling their Bee Cards! I will count October Bee cards at the end of the month! But our totals for the year so far are:
Fort Zeller: 648
Keep up the great work!
Library News
What's New in Music Class?
All students are singing and dancing in the unit of Rhythm in Music!
- Kindergarten is exploring their first two rhythms ta and ti-ti while playing them on instruments.
- First Grade is practicing already learned music notation from last year and creating songs on the bells.
- Second Grade has started playing the ukulele. They have experimented with both the C and the A minor chords.
A Note From ART - Mrs. Panza
October Art Recap: in Mrs. Panza’s art classroom, ELCO artists were focused on learning about and creating art! In Kindergarten, artists learned about lines, listened to the story Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman, and practiced drawing lines. They used a paint scraper tool to “draw lines into paint” to create their work at teacher time. First grade artists worked with printmaking tools & tempera paints to create a blend of fall foliage after being inspired by the book Fall Leaves Fall by Shari Halpern. We also discussed how to create depth in our abstract fall forest artwork. Second grade artists were challenged to create a unique version of sky color after listening to Peter H. Reynold’s Sky Color. Artists used mark-making, and the watercolor technique of wet-on-wet to create their artwork.
Information about artwork:
- Many finished artwork pieces stay at school and are on display
- Several practice drawings stay at school for a portion of time so artists can add on to these drawings
- Mrs. Panza is also starting to collect and save artwork for ELCO’s district-wide art show (date TBD, more information forthcoming).
Get Moving in Phys. Ed. - Mr. Babiarz
As we move to the month of November, all classes will begin a manipulatives unit. This unit will challenge students to manipulate objects such as scarves, beanbags, balls and hula hoops. Everyone will become experts at tossing, catching, balancing, sliding and rolling lots of fun objects in a variety of games and activities!
What's Happening in Kindergarten
Kindergarten has been working hard on letters, sounds, and their new words. Students are excited to be able to “read” some words in their special books. They are also working on numbers and number writing. Kindergarten students have been using their five senses to become aware of their surroundings and to write about their observations. The students had a wonderful STEM lesson with Mr. Wright on Pumpkin Chucking and working together to create catapults. They also enjoyed learning about fire safety. We talked about the big word “Respect,” and how we can show respect to all of our friends and the community. We are very good at practicing Self Control, which was the character trait for last month!
What's Going on in 1st Grade
October: First graders practiced reading and printing words using short e, and short u word families. Currently, we are reviewing all the short vowel sounds and high frequency words that have been introduced.
During math time, students used counters to model subtraction stories and practiced printing subtraction number sentences.
Science and social studies activities included planting seeds to see the growth process and scholastic news reviews.
Students had the opportunity during Fire Prevention Week to view several safety vehicles
The first graders enjoyed participating in the Race for Education and going on their field trip to Corn Cob Acres in Mountville, PA. A special shout out to the Fort Zeller PTO for their support in both of those activities.
2nd Grade Updates
Our second graders are excited to be back at Fort Zeller and are working hard to exemplify our “Bee” rules. They are showing responsibility, are being respectful, and are showing that they are ready to learn this year! So far this year in phonics we have reviewed the short vowels, discussed CVC syllable patterns, and learned about subjects and predicates. We wrote a friendly letter to a family member and have been working on addition and subtraction concepts in math. In science, we discussed solids, liquids and gas and even did a STEM project with Mr. Wright! We are having so much fun in 2nd grade!
Picture: Mrs. Lucky's class was our September Classroom of the Month! Congratulations to Mrs. Lucky's class and thank you for doing such an amazing job in school.
Fun with STEM!
Kindergarten had a ton of fun making candy pumpkin catapults with Mr. Wright. Before they started experimenting with various materials to make a catapult, they had the opportunity to go outside and watch Mr. Wright launch a potato way up into the air. Then they went inside and worked together in partners to come up with a plan for a catapult, experiment with materials, and then test them out. They did an amazing job and LOVED this activity!
Fort Zeller's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Fire Prevention
Social Media #ELCOexcellence
ELCO School District is growing our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. Click on the icons and follow along!
Why:
Celebrate our students.
Keep parents, students, alumni, and the community in the loop of what is happening in our district.
Promote the great things happening such as athletics, activities, and other events.
Build an ongoing conversation about the positive impact our district is making in the lives of our students!
What do I need to do?
If you are on these social media channels – follow us!
Help promote these accounts to your family and friends.
If you aren’t on these platforms – that’s OK. The district will continue to provide communication through traditional channels.
Nurse's News
1. The nurse's office needs donations.
- girls and boys pants size 4-5 and 6-7 (size small)
- shoes sizes 11 through 2
2. Just a friendly reminder about the school exclusion policy:
- Students must be fever free for 24 hours (without fever reducing medication) before they may return
- Must be vomit/diarrhea free for 24 hours before they may return.
Thank You! ☺️
PTO
1. On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, at 6:30, our PTO will host its next meeting in our library at Fort Zeller. Most meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of every month. We hope that you will consider joining our meetings and provide your valuable input to support our students and staff at Fort Zeller.
2. Volunteering: If you have an interest in being a volunteer in your child's classroom or in our school, please use this link, https://www.elcosd.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=918, to complete the necessary paperwork on clearances. Don't hesitate to call our office at (610) 589-2575 if you need additional assistance.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
November
2 - Evelyn Arndt
3 - Jon Moyer & Dakota Scholtes
6 - Felicity Grove
7 - Greyson Auker & Kale Llitera
11 - Madison Spangler
12 - Ja'cory Brandon
19 - Reid Thomas
21 - Richard Moyer
23 - Emmett Fullerton & William Huttsell
26 - Cooper Martin & Jonah Yeakley Gladden
27 - Leeland Bucher & Makenna Weiler
28 - Natilee Strasz, Lumen Wolf & Bentely Yeagley
Contact us
Fort Zeller Elementary School
243 North Sheridan Road
Richland, PA 17087
Phone: (610) 589-2575
Fax: 610-589-5815
