GEIST GAZETTE
February 21, 2020
GEIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Website: https://ges.hseschools.org/
Location: 14051 East 104th Street, Fishers, IN 46037
Phone: 317-915-4260
Twitter: @Geistgators
Yearbook Sale through April 1...Order Now!!
Order Your Yearbook Now... One-Time Sale Only!!!
The 2019-2020 GES Yearbook is for sale now! Order before April 1. The yearbook costs $15 each and are being sold ONLINE ONLY, and only during the sale period. Late orders will not be accepted and we won't have extras; please plan accordingly.
To order your yearbook click here or visit:
www.inter-state.com/yearbook and enter code: 47540P
4th Grade in Related Arts
News from the Art Room
Artists of the Week for Feb. 10
K: Lincoln O. in Miss Cobb's class
1st: Cash S. in Ms. Barmore's class
2nd: CJ B. in Ms. Dahl's class
3rd: Joshua M. in Ms. Harvey's class
4th: Ari B. in Ms. Kapppus's class
Kids Heart Challenge Continues through March 6
Friends of the Library
Thank you and congratulations to the February Friends of the Library members. Books have been donated by Madeleine D., Asher H., Mila G., Elle P., Blakely M., Wesley C., Celani E., Samantha M., Tanner A., Ashley E., and Braylee M.
Keiko Kasza is coming to Geist Elementary!
Our school is hosting author and illustrator Keiko Kasza on March 25th. All students will have the opportunity to hear her presentation throughout the day. Keiko's books will be available for purchase the week before her visit. Available titles are listed below. Books may be purchased with cash or checks made payable to Geist Elementary PTO. All purchased books will be signed by Keiko on the day of her presentation and sent home with the students. If you already own one of her books, your child may bring it to be autographed.
Available paperback titles
My Lucky Day $6.00
Badger's Fancy Meal $6.00
Dog Who Cried Wolf $6.00
Don't Laugh, Joe! $7.00
The Mightiest $6.00
Mother for Choco $6.00
Rat and the Tiger $6.00
Wolf's Chicken Stew $6.00
Kelly Pidcock
Teacher Librarian
Grade 3 Families: IREAD-3 Assessment
Our third grade GES teachers have been working hard this school year to prepare students for the upcoming IREAD-3 standardized test. The IREAD-3 testing window is Monday, March 16th through Friday, April 3rd. In the next couple weeks, additional information specific to the GES testing dates and times will be communicated with families.
The IREAD-3 assessment measures foundational reading standards through grade 3. The assessment is a fixed form test consisting of three sections. The IREAD-3 assessment is separate from ILEARN and at GES is administered electronically with the iPad device through the AIR Portal App.
For more information in regards to IREAD-3, the Indiana Department of Education provides the following family link: https://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/iread-3-families
Training for Families! - "I speak AAC"
Deb Lorenz and Leslie Brown run a group to help support any family member who has a child using a communication system including but not limited to PRC, Dynavox, LAMP Words for Life, iPad or any other not named here!
The next session is Feb 27. RSVP here!
Hamilton Southeastern District-Wide Art Show March 7-8
Our district art show, HsEART, will be held March 7 & 8 from 2-5 pm each day at HSE High School. Over 150 pieces from GES students will be on display, as well as artwork from all schools across the district. It is a free, open-house style gathering including artwork, performances, demonstrations, and children's activities. The elementary display is best accessed by entering on the south end of the high school at entrance 18. If you have questions, contact Ms. Green at egreen@hse.k12.in.us.
Global Studies
In Kindergarten and First grade we have continued talking about how we live in Fishers, Indiana, in the United States of America and are part of the continent North America. We do this while looking at our HUGE wall map. We continued to touch base on the word “culture” and what it means. In our recent stories “My Name is Yoon” and “The Name Jar” the characters are from Korea. We have located it on our map and the kids are amazed at how far it is from where we live. Both stories touch on the importance of names in Korea. Many names have meanings attached to them and are chosen for special reasons in Korea. We talked about how the same is true for many places around the world. Names are important and they are a huge part of who we are. We have also watched a cute video of children trying some Korean foods. In this video, they hear the names of and see some Korean foods that are tried by children their own age. In additional to this video we watched and listened to the original version of baby shark which was created in Korea. This version allowed us to hear the Korean song and see the Korean print on the screen too. We also learned what the Korean flag looked like and discussed where we might see flags from around the world (in books, the library, on the news or watching the Olympics). Finally, we learned how to say hello in Korean (Annyeong-haseo) and we were able to experience writing it using the Korean symbols 안녕하세요. It was a fun couple of weeks!
In 2nd-4th grade we began studying the country and the culture of Japan. I have shared with the students how very neat/clean the Japanese culture is. We have learned some information about how they live in their homes and their school life. One example is that when entering another person’s home the expected respectful thing to do is to remove your shoes and to either borrow their indoor slippers or bring your own. There are a wide variety of types of slippers and the idea is to help keep the floors clean. Many times the Japanese culture sit on their floors to eat and this helps to keep everything nice and clean. We also were able to watch a short 2 minute portion of the Today show that follows a 7 year old boy on his journey to school in Japan. It took him 55 minutes to get to school by himself walking through busy streets and subways. The students couldn’t believe that this was allowable and were rather worried for the students. I assured them that in Japan the students are watched over by all adults around them and life there is just a little different than ours. We learned that the Japanese culture is very conscious of others, their feelings, being respectful and they are really clean/tidy people. We were also able to watch a video showing us what school life is like. We were then able to talk about many ways our schools are different such as wearing slippers in school to not bring in outdoor dirt, lunch is served each day in their classroom and is done by the students whom all wear hats, smocks and facemasks to prevent the spreading of germs. The lunch dishes and classrooms are all cleaned by the students daily and the students tell their teacher “Thank you for teaching us” each and every day. The students recognized how polite, appreciative and how hard these Japanese students work. I can’t tell you how many times this week I have heard “wow, this makes me feel so lazy” or “we should try this”. Maybe this will inspire them to help around the house. It was a fun couple of classes learning about Japan. We will continue our study of Japan over the next few weeks.
Managing Head Lice
From time to time, we may see a case of head lice in our school building and wanted to pass along some information to help answer your questions regarding head lice. Feel free to contact the school nurses with further questions regarding head lice and the treatment suggestions.
Head Lice Information
- Head Lice are small parasitic insects that can be found on the heads of people.
- Head lice feed on human blood several times a day and live close to the human scalp.
- Head lice and head lice nits are found on the scalp, around and behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head.
- Head lice cannot fly or jump; they can only crawl
- Head lice are spread by direct head-to-head contact
- Head lice are rarely spread by contact with clothing or personal items (such as combs, brushes, hats or coats)
- Head lice are not a sign of uncleanliness
- Head lice are not known to spread disease.
Signs and symptoms of head lice infestation
- Tickling feeling of something moving in the hair
- Itching, caused by an allergic reaction to the bites of the head louse
- Irritability and difficulty sleeping; head lice are most active in the dark
- Sores on the head caused by scratching
If your child exhibits signs and symptoms of head lice infestation, you should examine your child’s head (especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck) for crawling lice and nits. If crawling lice and/or nits have been found, all household members should be examined for head lice and/or nits every 3-4 days. Persons with live (crawling) lice or nits within ¼ inch or less of the scalp should be treated.
For more information on head lice and treatment go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site at http://www.cdc.gov
Kindergarten Enrollment is Open
Registration is now open for the 2020-21 school year. Children must be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2020. Early Entrance to Kindergarten applications are available for children who turn five-years-old between August 2, 2020 and on or before September 1, 2020.
The HSE Kindergarten Open House will be April 30 from 5-7 PM. Watch for further details.
Students who are in Kindergarten but not at Geist Elementary may enroll now for 1st grade.
Current HSE/Geist students do not need to enroll for the next school year.
Supporting & Teaching ALL Students
Your Geist Elementary Equity Coaches this year are Jen Koenig (jkoenig@hse.k12.in.us) and Stacy Cook (scook@hse.k12.in.us). We'd love to offer our help and support for ALL students. Please let us know if we can be of any help to you and your family. If you would like to get involved in our community, below is a great opportunity!
Fishers Racial Equity Community Network: RECN
This network is open to all adult members of the community. Below is their Mission & Pillars. Then I've included their meeting dates.
Mission: We seek to unite activists and organizations to impact our community by eliminating cultural and racial misunderstandings that prohibit people from being their authentic selves.
Pillars: Equality and Equity ~ Responding to Inequities When They Arise ~ Civic Action and Leadership ~ Safe Spaces for Teens and Children
Meetings are held monthly at the Hamilton East Public Library. Click here for the meeting schedule.
Chess Club - New Session Begins March 20
Chess Club continues at Geist Elementary beginning March 20! Cloud City Youth will offer a 7 week session to students K-4. Kids learn competitive level chess from entertaining and imaginative instruction and games that reward their efforts. This is an engaging experience!!! Sessions will be on Fridays after school. The cost is $70. For more information contact chargreaves@cloudcityyouth.com.
HSE Schools Community Insider
Check out extracurricular opportunities and activities happening at Geist Elementary and around the community! The HSE Community Insider is on updated frequently and is located on the HSE Schools webpage. You can find it here: hseschools.org/happenings/community-insider.