Eagle Friday News and Notes
August 24, 2018
Eagle Outdoor Learning Experience!
Click on the image below to watch a short video about our upcoming project!
Sponsor-A-Plant for the Eagle Outdoor Learning Experience
Eagle Elementary is the recipient of a Community Improvement Project through Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™ Lawn & Landscape group. This project will create The Eagle Outdoor Learning Experience which will redefine how we learn by promoting inquiry, authentic learning opportunities, mindfulness, and changes the way we interact with our environment.
Be a part of this amazing experience for our students and community! Click on the document below to Sponsor-A-Plant.
Eagle Fest TONIGHT!
Upcoming Events
August 31: Kindergarten Dad's Club Breakfast, 8:15 (Information coming home next week)
September 3: Labor Day - No School
September 6: Coffee with the Principal, 8:00-8:30 for all parents and 9:00-9:30 for kindergarten parents.
September 7: 1st Grade Dad's Club Breakfast, 7:15 and School Picture Day
September 12: Dad's Club Meeting, 7:00 @Rush on Main
September 14: Dad's Club Tailgate, ZCHS Football
September 25: PTO Meeting. 1:15
September 26: Jog-A-Thon (28th rain date)
October 4: eLearning Day and Parent Teacher Conferences
October 5: Eagle Outdoor Learning Experience Install Date; Dad's Club Campout
Arrival and Dismissal
Kindergarten - 9:00 am until 2:30 pm
Grades 1-4 - 8:00 am until 2:30 pm
*Students are considered tardy if they arrive in their classrooms after 8:00 am. If you arrive after 8:00, please park in the parking lot and come into the office to sign your student in.
Students may walk/bike to school, ride in a car, or take the bus. Our ultimate goal is student safety! If we all follow the procedures it really helps us make sure all students arrive to school and back home safely every day.
Bus information: please call Amy Eaton at (317) 873-2852 (ext. 11802). Buses unload at the back of the building with the assistance of our staff.
Walkers - All walkers must cross at the crossing guard. Walkers will be able to enter the building at 7:50 am and go to their classrooms. Students must be accompanied by a parent until the doors open at 7:50 am.
Walkers will be dismissed from the back door after buses leave and walked across the street at the crossing guard to the corner of Beach St. and 6th St. Please meet your child here to help with our safe dismissal.
Car riders - Cars may enter the loop and wait for an Eagle staff member to indicate when they can enter the building. We ask that parents shut off their car to help with emissions if they are early for pick up or drop off. Students exit and enter cars on the passenger side. Please teach your child(ren) to buckle and and unbuckle so that the driver can also remain in the car safely. Car riders will enter the building between 7:50 and 8:00 am. Car riders will be dismissed at 2:30 pm.
***Please Note: We want to be courteous of our neighbors here at Eagle. Please be sure to keep driveways accessible to homeowners while we wait to pick up/drop off students. We also want ensure student safety by being extra cautious and obeying traffic laws especially in the areas surrounding our school.
A Message from PTO
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped on curriculum night!
- Our volunteer website is now live! Visit http://eaglepto.ivolunteer.com/ for opportunities to help in the school, classrooms and clubs.
- Please make sure to get your Full Background check in advance of any volunteer dates it takes 7-10 days so please plan in advance!!! Volunteers/BRAVO - Zionsville Community Schools
- Running Club started last Friday. Sign up on ivolunteer and join us Tuesdays and Fridays. Link: Running Club Enrollment- Fall 2018
- If you are interested in heading up a club please contact Jennifer Minarik (jennifer.m.minarik@gmail.com) or Andrea Payne (andreapayne@sbcglobal.net) we would love to have as many clubs as we have volunteers for!
- August 31st Kindergarten Dad's Club Breakfast
Kristie Goehausen
PTO president
Counselor's Corner
Dear Eagle Families,
Welcome back! We are excited for the upcoming school year and want your child to be as successful as possible at school. Success in school is not just about reading and math. It is also about knowing how to learn and how to get along with others. We are excited to be using the Second Step program in your child’s classroom to teach these critical skills!
The Second Step program teaches skills in the following four areas:
1. Skills for Learning: Students gain skills to help themselves learn, including how
to focus their attention, listen carefully, use self-talk to stay on task, and be
assertive when asking for help with schoolwork.
2. Empathy: Students learn to identify and understand their own and others’
feelings. Students also learn how to take another’s perspective and how to
show compassion.
3. Emotion Management: Students learn specific skills for calming down when
experiencing strong feelings, such as anxiety or anger.
4. Problem Solving: Students learn a process for solving problems with others in a
positive way.
Your child will be learning a lot this year—and he or she will need your help! Throughout the year, we will provide a link in the Counselor Corner section of our weekly school newsletter. Each grade levels’ link will take you to a page called Home Links. Home Links are simple, fun activities for you and your child to complete together. They are a great way for you to understand what your child is learning and for your child to show you what he or she knows.
If you have any questions about the Second Step program, please do not hesitate to contact me for more information. Thank you for supporting your child in learning the skills that lead to success in school and in life.
Sincerely,
Diane Radivan
School Counselor
Home links for this week:
NWEA
Why Do We Give the NWEA Assessment?
We often get questions from our families about the NWEA assessments which we give in the fall of each year to our students in grades 1-8 (and again in the spring to our K-4 students and some middle school students in order to determine academic growth in math and literacy skills). NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) is a non-profit organization that has developed brief (40-50 question) assessments in math, reading, and language arts which teachers can give to assess their students’ knowledge/skills. At ZCS, we have chosen these standardized assessments to supplement our state-required test for several reasons. First, NWEA gives us instant results that we can use to adjust instruction and group students for learning. The tests are computer-based and yield a score which the teacher can see in a report as soon as the student finishes. Second, unlike the state required test which assesses only grade-level standards, NWEA has a bank of thousands of questions ranging far beyond grade level. The test is “adaptive”—meaning that as a student takes it, the test adjusts the level of questions he/she is presented with based on correct/incorrect answers, so that a student is always working on questions at his/her most appropriate level of difficulty—rather than “one size fits all” questions. Also, as a high-performing school district, we have many students learning and working far beyond their grade level standards. NWEA assessments allow us to see their level of performance and compare it (and their growth from fall to spring) to that of similarly-abled peers nationally. Finally, NWEA is based on one large bank of questions (not different tests divided by grade levels). Thus, the score a student receives each time he/she takes the test can be compared from fall to spring and year to year—producing a graph of a student’s growth over time (a lot like the way we mark a child’s height on a door in our home as he/she grows taller). Even when a student has a one-time drop in a test score, we are still able to see the whole pattern of his/her emerging growth as a learner. Although we typically give the tests in fall, spring and optionally in the middle of the school year, NWEA can be given additional times during the year in order to monitor progress in a goal area. For all these reasons, we are glad to be able to gather this data (and the more specific information it gives us about strengths and areas of challenge) to help us plan learning experiences for our students. Please know that your child’s NWEA scores are available in PowerSchool (under test history) for you to see any time you desire. Scores for most recent tests will typically be added to your child’s data when our testing window closes. The dates for all district assessment windows are available on our ZCS website at this link: add link (https://1.cdn.edl.io/B4ZOBS5F09peWk75c8fwfFDKUlwSnZijYNGypznFlEtbQDJa.pdf)
School Lunch Information
Immunization Requirements
State law stipulates that the medical records of children on file at school show the required immunizations have been completed by the 20th day of the school year. That day is September 5, 2018. Information regarding immunizations requirements for 2018-2019 can be found here.
Parents of children whose immunizations are not up-to-date should contact their health care provider or the Boone County Health Department to schedule an appointment for the necessary immunizations. Some pharmacies also carry the necessary vaccines.
If parents object to immunizations, a written objection must be on file in the school office by September 5, 2018. This must be updated yearly. Children who do not have up to date vaccination records by that date will not be allowed to return to school until the proper immunization information is on file. Students who have appointments with their health care provider after Sept. 5th 2018, must present proof of the scheduled appointment in order to remain in school.
Please contact Kendra Scales in the health clinic with any questions or concerns. kscales@zcs.k12.in.us
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VOLUNTEERS
We value partnerships with our families and welcome parents and guardians to serve as volunteers in our schools. Each ZCS building offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities.
Examples include:
Field Trip Chaperones
Out of Town/Overnight Chaperones
Tutors
Volunteer Coaches
Classroom Helpers (PTO parties/room parents)
Library Helpers
After Prom Workers
Field Day/Jog-A-Thon Volunteers
Book Fair Sales/Athletic Ticket Sales
During the school day, all volunteers are expected to sign in at the front office. Prior to the volunteer opportunity, all volunteers must sign a Non-disclosure Acknowledgement Form and have successfully completed a Full Criminal History Background Check. Necessary background check paperwork is available on the ZCS website at the Volunteers/BRAVO link and should be submitted at least 10 days prior to the intended volunteer date. Volunteers must also view the state mandated confidentiality/bullying video, provided on the Volunteer/BRAVO website. The volunteer will pay the fee* for the full background check which will expire after 5 years. The link to apply for the full background check can be accessed on the Volunteers/BRAVO link on the ZCS main webpage. For more information, contact the Volunteer/BRAVO Coordinator.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VISITORS
During the school day, all visitors must enter via the front door and sign-in at the front office. Visitors need to be prepared to present a government issued photo ID which will be scanned against the National Sex Offender Registry. All visitors will be issued a visitor badge/tag to be worn inside the building at all times.
Examples Include:
Lunch Guests
Classroom Guest Speakers
Classroom Special Events (Grandparent Day/Famous Hoosiers/etc.)
Parent/Teacher Conferences
We ask that all visitors schedule an appointment to meet with teachers, counselors, administrators and all other staff members so that we may best serve everyone. Visitors other than parents/guardians must be prearranged and organized through the main office.
*ZCS thanks all volunteers for generous support of our youth and schools. Thank you, too, for supporting assurance of student and staff safety by completing and paying for a volunteer background check.
Girl Scouts
What: Girl Scout Registration
When: August 30 ~ 6-8:00pm
Where: Zionsville Town Hall
Questions: ZionsvilleServiceUnit@gmail.com
Eagle Elementary
Email: aforeman@zcs.k12.in.us
Website: http://eag.zcs.k12.in.us/
Phone: (317) 873-1234