Theodore Robinson Intermediate
January 2019
Principal News
Hello TRIS Families,
Winter Break is here! The last few weeks before a break can be challenging at a school. I am happy to report that staff did a wonderful job of keeping students learning and engaged. Students did a wonderful job of sticking to routines and school- wide expectations. I am excited to begin 2019 with everyone at TRIS. I know that we will continue to do great things!
We had a Celebration today where we came together to celebrate all of our hard work on the Walking Path Challenge as well as our collective effort to bring in items for the Food Drive. I had the pleasure of eating a whipped cream pie with chocolate and cherries on top! The 4th grade won the Silent Auction Challenge so Mr Jerstad agreed to have his own pie and Mr Feeney took a pie in the face just to add to the fun! Check out the pictures.
The Fuel Up to Play 60 Leadership Team, Mr Schwenn and Mrs Kostroun organized the Walking Path Challenge. There is a more detailed article later on in the newsletter. We had a school-wide goal of walking to Green Bay which we surpassed. We celebrated by having Packer Day today. There was also a grade level challenge to see what class walked the furthest. The winners were Mrs Greve-Shannon/Grovesteen, Mr Miller and Mrs Mohn’s class. The challenge was a lot of fun and we look forward to a new challenge after winter break.
On Thursday, we had H.E.R.O.E.S. Groups. Check with your child to see if they participated in the Paper Holding or Paper Tower Challenge. We will be reviewing our school- wide expectations with students when we return in January as a mid-year refresher and focusing on creating a more engaging recess experience for all of our students. Our goal is to get students active and moving! Thank you to our Fuel Up to Play 60 Advisory Team and Abby McCullough for leading this initiative. The group decided to spend our Bucky Book Fundraiser Money on purchasing new heavy duty soccer goals. They should arrive shortly after break.
Just a reminder that if school is ever delayed due to the weather, breakfast is not served. We are very happy with the participation in our new breakfast program thus far! It has increased across the district. TRIS students have the routine down and things move very quickly. Second quarter and the first semester officially ends on January 18th and students will be released at noon so that teachers can work on report cards. It is hard to believe that we will be at the half way point of the year already!
Please encourage your child to read over break. It is so important to hold onto all of the growth made thus far this year. Thank you so much for all that you do to support TRIS and your child! Together we can make TRIS the best it can be. Please let me know if you have questions, ideas or concerns. My direct line is 882-3842 and my email is DornB@evansville.k12.wi.us.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season with friends and family!
Hang out with us, learn with us, laugh with us, grow with us, work with us and celebrate with us!
Together we can strengthen relationships, build connections and create a learning community at Theodore Robinson that is a wonderful place to be for all staff, students and families.
Upcoming Events and Other Information
January 2019
3rd – Students Return to School
18th – End of 2nd Quarter – Early Release at 12:00 Noon
23rd – Reports Cards Posted to Family Access
25th - Popcorn Day
29th – 5th Grade Concert at 9:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Lunch/Recess Schedule
10:35 – 11:20 a.m. 4th Grade Lunch/Recess
11:10 – 11:55 p.m. 3rd Grade Lunch/Recess
11:45 –12:25 p.m. 5th Grade Lunch/Recess
Vision & Hearing Screenings Information
We will be doing our annual vision and hearing screenings in January for students in Grades 1, 3, & 5 who were unable to attend the Back-to-School Days in August. Also, if you have concerns about your childs hearing or vision, please contact me and I’d be happy to test their vision or hearing.
Abbey Tway, RN
882-3161
TRIS Students Collect Canned Goods for the Food Drive
The Holiday Food Drive was a success! We reached our goal of 1,500 items. We are very thankful to all the people who helped donate and support the community. Some of the fun things we did throughout the food drive was Hat Day, Pajama Day, Team Spirit Day, and much more! Since we reached our goal of 1,500 items, we got to pie Ms. Dorn, Mr. Feeney and Mr. Jerstad in the face!
You may be wondering how we counted all the cans, well here’s how. First, Mrs. Wollinger’s and Miss Johnson’s classes went to each room at TRIS and collected the boxes, and counted how many food items were in the boxes. After we did that, we then put the items on a cart and took them down to a big hallway. As days passed, there began to be more and more items. Soon enough we were sorting all 1,500 items into their own categories.
Again, very many thanks to those who could help donate!
Submitted by Kate Sendelbach and Nathan Scarmon
Music in Our School
5th Grade Music Program
The 5th Grade students will present their music program Reach For The Stars on Tuesday, January 29th at 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM in the HS Performing Arts Center. All 5th grade students will be participating in this concert centered on Idioms. More information will be coming in January.
Theodore Robinson Singers!
Calling all dedicated, hard-working, fourth and fifth graders who wish to be in a beginning choir! Theodore Robinson Singers will be starting in February. This group focuses on singing through teamwork, ensemble and fun! The group meets from 3:05p.m. to 4:00p.m. in the TRIS music room. They will present a spring concert on Tuesday, May 7th. A more detailed schedule and participation contract will be available to the students in January.
Looking Ahead: 3rd Grade Music Concert will be February 28th at 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM.
Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets
Dear TRIS Families,
Throughout the month of December students have been continuing to learn about Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets. The focus of the lessons this month was “Your Mindset and Bullying” and “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: How Your Mindset can Help!” Students were able to review information from our bullying unit in October and they learned ways of dealing with bullying behaviors and how having a growth mindset can help them. Students also discussed why someone may engage in bullying behaviors and some different types of bullying.
Five tips that were shared through our Mind Your Mindset curriculum are:
Tip 1: Learn to avoid the person that is bullying by staying with friends or people you trust. Be sure the person bullying knows you’re a strong, confident person.
Tip 2: Use your words to tell the person bullying to stop. Surround yourself with friends and report the bullying to an adult you trust.
Tip 3: Believe in yourself. With a positive, growth mindset, you know that you can overcome the bullying with some help, effort, and practice.
Tip 4: You are in charge of you...remember that. It’s never okay for someone to hurt you with their words or actions. With a positive, growth mindset, you can overcome almost anything.
Tip 5: Remember that it takes effort and practice to make progress. The person bullying may not stop right away. Continue to use your strategies and words if the bullying happens again.
Students were once again encouraged to report bullying when it is happening to them or someone else.
Bullying is mean or hurtful behavior that keeps happening. It is unfair and one-sided. Bullying is defined by three primary characteristics: It is aggressive behavior that is usually repeated over time, occurs in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power, and intends to cause harm or distress and/or has a serious harmful or distressing impact on the target.
Bullying includes the following:
• Hurting someone physically by hitting, kicking, tripping or pushing
• Stealing or damaging another person’s things
• Ganging up on someone
• Teasing someone in a hurtful way, or name calling
• Using put-downs, such as insulting someone’s race or making fun of someone for being a boy or a girl
• Touching or showing private body parts
• Spreading malicious rumors or untruths about someone
• Leaving someone out on purpose, or trying to get other kids not to play with someone
• Threatening
• Any of the above behaviors using electronic devices
The power of growth mindset in these situations encourages students to stand up for themselves and others and do the right thing. Someone that may have a negative, fixed mindset, may believe that there is nothing they can do to change the situation and that it is okay for people to treat them poorly. We really want to empower our students and have them understand that NO ONE should treat others this way and we all deserve to be respected and feel safe. Students also learned the importance of thinking before acting when it comes to making decisions. Students learned the difference between a simple, easy decision and one’s that not so simple.
Simple and easy decisions: usually don’t have long-lasting consequences although the wrong decision may be unpleasant. An example of this would be deciding to wear shorts when it is snowing. It may be unpleasant that day because you are cold, however this decision will not have a long-lasting consequence.
Important and big decisions: may have very unpleasant and long-lasting consequences. An example of this was not choosing to use effort in school, this could impact someone if they end up doing poorly in school and then are unable to graduate or pursue their career aspirations.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments or concerns. I can be reached by phone at 882-3847 or by email at mcnamaras@evansville.k12.wi.us. Thank you for supporting your child in learning the skills that lead to success in school and life!
Sammy McNamara
TRIS School Counselor
A Note for Parents - Kids & Stress
In today’s fast-paced, pressured world, more kids than ever are stressed out. But many don’t know it – and neither do the adults in their lives. Many kids don’t understand what stress is all about, and adults don’t realize that kids can experience stress. They think it’s a condition reserved for adults with grown-up responsibilities and obligations. They may not realize that the responsibilities and obligations of being a kid can weigh just as heavy and cause just as much anxiety.
Stress in kids often stays hidden. They may have symptoms of stress – headaches, stomachaches, trouble sleeping, lack of appetite – but because they don’t know what stress is, they may think they’re getting sick. And because many adults assume that kids can’t experience stress, they may treat these symptoms as signs of physical illness – which doesn’t “cure” them because it doesn’t address the cause. Tip: Stress symptoms in children are often physical.
Some kids wonder if something is wrong with them – but they don’t want to talk about it because they think no one will understand. And some kids who are coping with chronic stress have symptoms that are terribly embarrassing to them.
Examples:
· Wanting to cry all the time
· Being frightened of the world
· Feeling scared of the dark and of strangers
· Worrying that something terrible will happen
· Wetting the bed
· Not wanting to be alone
· Having nightmares
· Feeling helpless
What can you do to help kids deal with stress? Start by recognizing that stress is very real for kids and can be a big part of their lives. Look for signs of hidden or “secret” stress. Are there physical symptoms? Is their school performance suffering? What about their relationships with friends and family? When stress starts affecting kids’ everyday lives, this gives them even more to worry about and makes them feel more stressed. Caring, aware adults can break this cycle.
Here are specific things you can do to help kids with their stress:
· Provide them with a safe, familiar, consistent environment
· Make sure they have a dependable routine
· Encourage them to talk openly about feelings and problems
· Listen if they confide their worries or fears
· Offer affection, never criticism, if they express anxiety
· Become more aware of the causes of their stress (new experiences, fear of failure, change, loss)
· Talk about upcoming changes and challenges in their lives
· Spend time being calm and relaxed together
· Make sure they’re physically active and eat healthy foods
· Encourage them to get enough sleep
· Help them prepare the night before, so mornings aren’t too rushed
· Give them a chance to make choices, so they have some control over their lives
· Help them build their self-esteem by encouraging them to be proud of who they are
· Recognize and help build on strengths
· Involve them in situations or activities where they have a good chance of succeeding
· Ask yourself if your expectations of them are too high, leading to increased pressure in their lives
· Seek professional help, if needed, by consulting a doctor, psychologist, counselor, or social worker
Even young children can learn to recognize the signs of stress and begin resolving situations that are causing problems for them. Reading the book below is a good first step. You might want to read it with your child (or your class) and allow time for questions and discussion.
For more information on kids and stress, take a look at this helpful book:
KidStress: What It Is, How It Feels, How to Help by Georgia Witkin, Ph.D (New York: Viking Penguin, 1999). The author surveyed hundreds of kids and parents across the nation to find out what they had to say about stress. She provides excellent tips to figure out if children are overloaded, and offers ways you can help them – at any age and state – to help themselves.
From Stress Can Really Get on Your Nerves by Trevor Romain & Elizabeth Verdick
Help Kids to P.I.C.K. the Right Books by Scholastic
The secret to helping kids learn how to choose the right book is simple. It's all about teaching them one word that they can keep in their back pocket any time they're in the library or school media center. It's one word they can lean on when they're in the class book corner or at the book fair.
All they need to remember is P.I.C.K.
P.I.C.K. stands for Purpose, Interest, Comprehension, and Know the Words.
P = Purpose: We need to have kids consider their purpose for reading. Why are they looking for a book in the first place? Is it totally a free choice, or is there some other reason for reading it?
In order to determine purpose, consider asking:
• Are they reading for pleasure?
• Are they trying to learn something?
• Is the book going to be read silently or out loud?
• Who is their audience?
Most often, purpose for reading can be found with a quick answer.
I = Interest. When choosing a book, it should be something of interest. With the many millions of books on shelves today, there's bound to be something out there for everyone. And emphasizing the interest connections is super-important as well. If the child is interested in cars, then don't stop at fictional stories about cars; consider books about racetracks, car construction, history of racing, racecar drivers, or car design. If it's magic that intrigues your daughter, then emphasize books about magic shows, magic tricks, and magicians; look for books that involve fantasy, science, and invention.
Even if children have a short amount of time to choose books, they can determine interest by:
• Looking at the front cover
• Flipping through the pages to glance at photos or illustrations
• Reading the back cover
• Reading the chapter titles
C = Comprehend. Is the book something that the child can comprehend? Can he or she understand what's read? Is it a book that is appropriate for his or her level or abilities?
Children are more aware of their reading "level" than we may think, so though we don't want to lean entirely on it, it's okay to remind kids that if they're choosing a book to read independently, and they read at a Level E (for example) that they should not choose a book from the Level M basket. Also, it's important to teach kids that if the book isn't labeled with a level, they can quickly assess if it's an appropriate book for them by opening the book and choosing a page – the book is appropriate for them if they are able to understand what they read.
Children can determine comprehension asking themselves:
• Did I understand what I just read?
• Do I remember what I read?
• Was I able to read most of the words?
This brings us to our final letter: K.
K = Know the Words. Readers should be able to decode -- or read -- and understand the majority of the words on the page. The key is to remembering the "Five Finger Rule."
The "Five Finger Rule" outlines a general idea of how many words a reader should be able to read on each page.
• 0-1 unknown words = book is too easy
• 2-3 unknown words = book is just right
• 4-5 unknown words = book is too difficult
Knowing P.I.C.K. is empowering for kids. They want to know how to choose books that fit for them -- books that are enjoyable, fun, and exciting. It's all about giving our kids the tools they need to be strong, confident readers. Choosing the best book is the starting point (Amy Mascott, Scholastic)
Fuel Up to Play 60
TRIS is a Fuel Up To Play 60 school again this year. This program is a national program that is designed to encourage kids to stay active throughout their day and to make healthy eating choices. The Fuel Up to Play 60 Leadership team will be promoting school wide activity opportunities as well as making healthy eating choices throughout the year.
The first activity challenge of the year is our “Walking Challenge.” Individual classrooms have been competing in a class walking challenge on our new walking path. The path is located at the north-west end of the parking lot. Classes walk together on the path and then the teacher records how many laps they have done together (4 laps = 1 mile). The class from each grade that has the most laps by Dec. 20 will win a prize. As a school, we have also been adding up our total miles. The Fuel Up To Play 60 team has been keeping track of our progress on a map outside of the gym. We are currently trying to make it to Lambeau Field (which is 160 miles). During morning announcements we have been learning fun facts about the different cities that we have traveled through along the way
The Fuel Up To Play 60 team will also be promoting fun exercise activities at each of our all school celebration assemblies, the Winter Break Challenge, and a yogurt parfait taste test later this year. Stay tuned for updates on Fuel Up To Play 60 throughout the year!