Rocky Reminders
December 9, 2022
What a rainy week it has been! If it was April or May this rain would surely make everything green! We hope the sun makes a bright return soon! We accomplished some of our benchmark testing this week and will look to wrap it all up next week. We are excited to see the growth that our students have made and develop instructional plans for moving forward!
The hallways are filled with the smell of cinnamon as our kindergarteners made some fun holiday ornaments during rotations! (See picture below!) Today first graders traveled around the world to learn about learn about how others celebrate the holidays!
Many of our teachers will share with you their plans for next week as we work to wrap up our first semester! Hard to believe that the 22-23 first half of the school year is coming to a close! Our pictures below give you some highlights to our week! The week before our holiday break always brings so much excitement! We are ready to up our first semester learning and fold in some holiday fun!
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schito and Mr. Hensley
3rd Grade Retention UPDATE...PLEASE READ...
At the beginning of this school year, MCS shared information about the recently passed Literacy Success Act and its potential impact on 3rd grade student retention. Since that time, guidance has been issued by the Tennessee Department of Education which impacts students who score in the Approaching Expectations range on TCAP's, if their Spring iReady Score is at or above the 40th percentile. For these students, a waiver can be submitted by the family to the Tennessee Department of Education for automatic approval, and the student will not be required to attend summer programming or participate in 4th grade tutoring. Full directions will be provided to assist with this process.
In January, your student's school will provide a Home Report with revised 3rd grade retention information regarding parental choice of wavier, summer program, or tutoring.
MCS will continue to provide updated information about the Literacy Success Act. We will plan to keep you in the loop, but please reach out if you have any questions to your child's teacher, Mrs. Schito, or Mr. Hensley.
TDOE and GELF Partner to Give Free Reading Resources to Tennessee Families...
In partnership with Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF), the department is opening up an opportunity for parents to order free at-home reading resources this winter for any of their children in grades K-2.
Through this partnership, the department and GELF want to encourage at-home reading practice to help young learners become stronger readers outside of the classroom. Based on if a child is in kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade, they will receive seven At-Home Decodable Book Series, which contain 20+ exciting stories full of sounds and words to practice, and age-appropriate, high-quality books from Scholastic.
All Tennessee families can order one booklet pack for each of their kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students using this site. The order will be delivered to the mailing address provided. Your order will be fulfilled in the order it was received. Please note that USPS is continuing to experience staffing shortages and delays, and your Decodables resources will arrive as soon as possible.
This launch is part of the family component of the state’s Reading 360 initiative to help boost strong reading skills amongst Tennessee students.
This Week in Exploration...
Lights, camera, action! Second and Third Grade students have been learning about video producers. After digging in deep to answer our career research questions, we discussed how a video producer needs to be a good storyteller. We watched an animated video to discuss character, setting, problems and solutions then they wrote their own stories. Finally, they used our new program Buncee to create slides with animation to match their story ideas.
IPK, Kindergarten and First Grade students learned about veterinarians. After hearing about different kinds of vets, we hopped on PebbleGo to learn more. Students then had an opportunity to explore and learn about lots of animals.
Next week all grades will begin their Exploration Passion Project!
MHS Reading Buddies...
We sure do love the partnership with MHS seniors who are enrolled in the Senior Transition class. These seniors planned a Grinch themed snack and craft for their final day with their reading buddies! They worked in first and third grade classrooms. Mrs. Skeenes' class became a little emotional with today being the last visit from these special seniors!
A Message from Mrs. Jett-First Grade Life Skills Update...
Coming to you with another first grade Life Skills update! Last week we wrapped up our final rotation of peaceful problem solving. First grade has done so well recognizing the difference between small problems and big problems and recalling their peaceful problem-solving strategies! Below is a full breakdown of what we covered this last rotation!
Peaceful Problem Solving: I-Messages and Apologizing
Last rotation, we focused heavily on two problem solving strategies: Talk it Out by using an I-Message and Apologizing. We discussed how we will use both of these incredibly important strategies all the way into adulthood!
I-Messages
Talk it Out, also known as I-Messages, is incredibly important when you are having a problem with someone, and you need to let them know how you feel! Everyone has disagreements sometimes. You'll even have times when people might not know what they have done to upset you! By sharing how you feel, you can work together to solve your problem and move forward! There are three main steps to an I-Message:
- Step 1: Explain how you feel! For this, you'll say: I Feel __________ or I Felt ____________ (sad, angry, disappointment, embarrassed, etc.!)
- Step 2: Describe what happened to make you feel that way. You might say: When you ​___________ or When ​__________​
- Step 3: Share what would make you feel better. Could you please _______________.
Let's put it all together! I felt disappointed when you left me out. Could you please include me?
Apologizing
Another great problem-solving strategy is to apologize and say, "I'm sorry!" Everyone makes mistakes! Sometimes, our mistakes might even hurt other's feelings or make them upset. When this happens, we can apologize and say that we are sorry! The important thing about an apology is that it must be SINCERE. This means that our apology comes from the heart and that we really mean it! If I bump into someone and I say, "UGH! Well sorry but you were in my way!" do you think that would make that person feel better? Of course not! In fact, it might make them even more upset! Instead, I need to give a sincere apology and truly mean it. I could say, "I'm so sorry that I bumped into you! Are you ok?" Sometimes, a simple "I'm sorry" is enough, like when you accidentally bump into someone in line. However if we have really hurt someone's feelings, we can give what is called a 3-part apology. These types of apologies show how much we care that we have upset someone, and that we want to help make it better. To give a 3-part apology, you
- Say what you're sorry for,
- Say what you'll do instead next time, and
- Ask how you can make it better.
I'm sorry for playing too rough at recess. Next time I will be extra careful. How can I make it better?
One important thing to remember is that just because you give someone a wonderful apology, doesn't mean that they will be ready to forgive you right away. They might need to take some time before they're ready, and that's okay!
Together, students practiced giving an I-Message and an Apology as a class! They did such an amazing job coming up with these on the spot! As a review and reminder for I-Messages and Apologizing, students colored their I-Messages poster that outlines the three steps to an I-Message. At the end of class, all students received a mini-poster that reminds them of their peaceful problem-solving strategies (Talk it Out, Apologize, Walk Away, Ignore, Take Turns) on one side, and then outlines the exact steps to use an I-Message and Apologize. We are so excited to change things up and begin talking about mindfulness for the remainder of the year until break!
They smell soooooo good!
It was so much fun to work in a fort in Mrs. Kuban's class today!
Procedures for Student Illnesses...
Illness and Attendance...
As students return to school and cool weather approaches, we want to remind parents of the MCS attendance policy, particularly as it relates to illnesses. This school year, the guidelines below also apply to absences due to COVID-19.
Students are limited to ten (10) excused days with parental notes for the year. Any absences, beyond those ten (10), without medical or legal documentation will be unexcused.
We ask our families to keep sick children at home. If you are unsure or have questions regarding MCS procedures for student illnesses, please contact your school's nurse.
Click HERE for access to the Maryville City Schools Procedures for Student Illnesses form.
Lobby Guard Sign-in...
Arrival and Dismissal Process...
Morning Drop-off:
If you are participating in drop off, you can drop off in the front of the building starting at 7 am. Mrs. Schito will be there to greet your child! You can also be dropped off in the back where Mr. Hensley will greet buses as well as car riders! To avoid getting caught in the bus drop off, please do not drop off in the back of the building until after 7:10 am as this is our bus drop off zone. If cars are backed up on Sandy Springs, please remember that you can drop off in the back of the school.
Please note that parents or family members are not permitted to walk their child into the building. This allows for cars to flow through our morning arrival time The only students that are required to be walked in are our preschool students, as they must be signed in each day by their parent. Parents are also reminded to remain in their cars during the drop-off and pick-up process. Please have your child’s belongings ready for quick access so they can exit the vehicle once your car hits the curb.
Please note that our campus is a cellphone free zone. If you do need to come into our main office, please utilize the parking spots and refrain from parking along the islands. To ensure the safety of our entire Foothills Family, we do ask that you maintain a safe speed while on our campus. In addition, all students must exit curbside. We ask that you rearrange car seats if necessary, to accomplish this.
Students in grades K and G/1 will enter and go to the cafeteria, while students in grades 2 & 3 will go to the gym, unless they are eating breakfast. All students will wait in these areas to be dismissed to their classrooms at 7:30 am.
Afternoon Dismissal:
We will begin readying for our dismissal process at 2:25 pm. Kindergarten students and their grades 1-3 siblings will be dismissed from the front of the building if they are participating in parent pick-up. Students in grades 1-3 using bus transportation or parent pick-up will be met at the back of the building. Car tags and a call process will be utilized for all students. All students will remain inside the building and called once Mr. Hensley radios in that you have arrived.
Double Line Kindergarten Dismissal at the Front of the Building
Kindergarten dismissal is running very smoothly! Please note that we will turn to two lanes once we know that our specialized buses have made it onto campus. A kindergarten teacher will direct you when they will open the second lane.
Please offer us grace during the dismissal process as we have many cars entering our campus and MRIS. Our main goal is to keep everyone safe! There is a traffic officer that will help with traffic going in and out of the campus. If you are attempting to go to the back of the school for grades 1-3 drop off, the officer may move you along if the traffic is backed up on Sandy Springs. You may need to circle around through the neighboring areas to allow for the congestion to move along. Our suggestion is that you adjust your arrival time. Arriving closer to 2:45 or 2:50 should allow for a straight shot to the back of the building.
We have close to1600 students between Foothills Elementary and Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School. We are able to dismiss all students in under a half hour, which is pretty incredible!
Families of first-third grade students, please refrain from parking along the soccer field as this will block the lanes for our kindergarten dismissal.
Breakfast and Lunch Information-Online Application
Lunch and breakfast ARE NOT FREE to students this year. For those who qualify for free meals under the USDA National School Lunch program please complete an application. The online application process is simple to follow:
Link here: https://www.myschoolapps.com/
How long does it take to go into affect?
There will be some delay at the beginning of the school year due to volume, but we typically have a response within one week.
- ELEMENTARY - $2.65 for lunch and $1.25 for breakfast
Who can I contact with questions regarding the application process?
You may contact the Food Service Coordinator in the Central Office at 865.982.7121 or via email at mailto: tammy.hooper@maryville-schools.org .
NEWSFLASH: School Cash Online is LIVE!
For safety and efficiency reasons, Maryville City Schools would like to reduce the amount of cash and checks coming into our schools. Instead, the district would prefer for payments to be made online. Recently the district has selected School Cash Online (SCO) as our online payment vendor for all payments EXCEPT cafeteria payments, which will continue to be made through My School Bucks. Please join the thousands of parents who have already registered for SCO and are enjoying the convenience of paying online! It takes less than 5 minutes to register at https://mcs.schoolcashonline.com. Be sure to check the box to receive email notifications to receive email notifications regarding upcoming events involving your child. eChecks are currently accepted online with credit card payments coming very soon! If you have any questions concerning online payments or registration for SCO, please visit our district website at https://www.maryville-schools.org/parentsstudents/online-payments.
KROGER Community Reward Program!
Just a reminder that our annual participant re-enrollment/sign up will be during the entire month of August. For your convenience, Kroger will be sending a reminder email to all participants currently enrolled. This will allow you to simply click a link within the email to directly re-enroll and support our school OR you can follow the information below to sign up!
To Use the Kroger Community Rewards Program:
All you need to do is visit http://www.kroger.com. Once logged into your Kroger account, search for FOOTHILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL either by name or CU098 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.
Contact Information
karen.schito@maryville-schools.org
**Please note that Mrs. Schito sends school-wide announcements via Seesaw, but she does not check it regularly for parent messaging. It is best to reach out to her by phone or via email.
Mr. Rob Hensley, Assistant Principal