Elementary Newsletter
From the Desk of Mrs. Buchanan-Rivera
Dear Families
I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving break! We are excited for our upcoming Christmas concert and many other student-driven events in the near future. As always, I am amazed by the high level of student engagement within classrooms. I have witnessed the students as researchers, authors, and scientists. They are thinking critically and demonstrate much confidence while learning. As the weather continues to change, please be mindful of your child’s attire. We want to make sure that all students are prepared for indoor as well as outdoor activities!
Important Dates
Every Wednesday
Chapel
December 1
Qdoba Night (Traders Point location)
Proceeds will benefit TPCS between 4-8pm
December 5-9
Witham Fitness Gram
December 12
Elementary and Middle School Christmas Program, 6:30pm
December 22
K-12 Happy HALL-idays, 8:45am
(Students perform within the hallways with Christmas cheer)
December 23-January 9
Christmas Break
January 16
MLK Jr. Day, No School
Witham Fitness Gram
Witham Health Services is committed to improving the health and wellness of our community and is pleased to offer Fitness Gram testing at TPCA. Fitness Gram is a comprehensive fitness assessment for our youth. It includes a variety of health-related physical fitness tests designed to assess cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. These tests are very enjoyable for the kids. The movements are normal activities your child most likely performed in a regular Physical Education class or at a Physician appointment.
Witham will provide an individualized Fitness Gram report for you after the completion of our time at Traders Point Christian Academy. TPCA will receive aggregate data of the children as a whole to better serve your child’s physical activity needs. The fitness testing will begin Monday, December 5th and take place within your child’s Physical Education course.
Trina Rose is the Wellness Coordinator for Witham Health Services. Trina holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Health and Wellness. She is also a certified Health Coach, Personal Trainer, Group Exercise and Yoga Instructor, but most importantly, Trina loves to teach children and adults about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Fitness Gram is a wonderful way to give your child a positive experience with physical activity. We are fortunate to work with Trina and her seasoned team members who typically work within Boone, Carmel, and Zionsville schools.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Trina Rose at 765-485-8126 or e-mail her at trose@witham.org. She would be more than happy to discuss this process with you. Also, if you would like for your child to opt out of the Fitness Gram for any reason, please notify your child’s classroom teacher.
K-4 Workshop Showcases
In order to help families understand the workshop methodology outside of publications, TPCA elementary teachers will have reading and writing showcase events throughout the year. Thus far, second grade students have showcased their Fairy Tale unit to families, Mrs. Kelly’s class will feature their writing in an evening event on December 8th at 6:30pm, and fourth grade students will have an opportunity to review narratives with others on December 14th at 5:00pm. We want families to become comfortable with the approach and language of workshop. Please look out for more information regarding the reading and writing showcase events for your student! Teachers will send showcase information to families directly!
First Grade Takes on the Electoral Process
Many TPCA elementary teachers taught students about the electoral process in creative ways. In first grade, Mrs. Ruthsatz and Mrs. Wittrig taught students about the process of voting by discussing a platform of choices that required their decision-making. The students were allowed to vote on two options. One option was extra recess and the other option was smoothies at the TPCC coffee shop. Students created an extensive list of pros and cons for each option. Then, a formal election was held and students placed their vote. The trip to the coffee shop won the election! Elementary state standards include vocabulary and knowledge of the electoral process. Thus, the first grade team found a fun, interactive way to introduce this concept to young learners!
Annual Christmas Concert Information from Mrs. Evans
It’s almost time for our annual Christmas concert. All students K-4 and choir students in grades 5 and 6 will participate on Monday, December 12th in the TPCA gymnasium. They have been working diligently for many weeks, and they are ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus through song.
The dress code for K-4 students is the same. This is both a performance and a celebration, so I would like for them to wear “nice” clothes. I would prefer slacks or khaki type pants and a shirt with no large writing or pictures for boys. Please stay away from athletic wear. The same goes for the girls, but they may also wear longer skirts or dresses. For the concert, leggings are acceptable as tights, but not as pants. I am not concerned about shoes as long as they are clean.
The dress code for grades 5 and 6 only is casual. They may wear jeans and a nicer shirt. Again, I am not concerned about shoes as long as they are clean.
K-2 students will perform at 6:30. I would like for them to be in the gym and ready to go by 6:15. Please remember that it is always a good idea to stop by the restroom on the way in. At 6:15, students can meet up with their teachers on the bleachers in the gym.
3-6 students will perform at 7:30, so they need to be with their teachers on the bleachers at 7:15. It is our goal to begin promptly at 7:30 so we can get them home at a reasonable time.
Please note that traffic patterns change this time of year. With extra traffic coming from Amazon, you might want to consider either an alternate route to school, or an early departure time to accommodate the traffic if you come across the I-65 bridge.
If you have any questions, you may reach me at cjevans@tpcs.org. I look forward to seeing you there!!
Congratulations to Cooper Wood!
Cooper Wood won 2nd place in the 2016 Statehood Day Essay Contest. Four essays were chosen out of 700 essays by a panel of 18 judges! Cooper’s fourth grade class (Mrs. Huff) is invited to the Indiana State Library for an award ceremony on Friday, December 9th.
The ceremony will include presentations by actors portraying President Abraham Lincoln and James Whitcomb Riley, and tours of the new Young Readers Center and Statehouse Education Center. We congratulate Cooper for a successful essay regarding the past and promising future of Indiana.
Growing in Equity
We have a growing student population compromised of many different cultural values, norms, and belief systems. Even as Christians, we carry different perspectives due to our experiences and encounters with others. Therefore, it is critical for our staff to be mindful and responsive to the diverse needs of all who are a part of our school family.
The K-8 staff and administration participated in a professional development on November 17th that challenged them to think about the perceptions we all harbor. The facilitator of the professional learning, introduced and described 3 hypothetical people to our team who possessed distinct qualities. TPCA staff members formed in groups to determine which person would be a qualified caregiver for a patient based on the attributes of each described person. The activity challenged staff to examine perceptions based on received information.
For example, if it was revealed that Person A dropped out of school, one may be inclined to assume that the person has a low income, poor work ethic, etc. However, one may not delve deeper into the story to find out that Person A has multiple degrees, yet dropped out of a specific graduate program due to life changing events. Thus, the activity emphasized that our perceptions lead to assumptions that may not be the living reality of others- yet we have tendencies to buy into our reality of what we believe a person may be.
Each group selected the person they believed were qualified to take care of the patient and provided reasons why the other people were not equipped for the job. At the end of the activity, the facilitator revealed that the hypothetical people were actually one person.
Thus, it opened everyone’s eyes to how easily perceptions are made. It was an insightful activity!
In lieu of our country, racial disparities, and global inequities, I wanted to take the time to share the powerful, wonderful work of TPCA staff in our quest to maintain equity as well as a safe learning environment for all students. We have to be the guiding light and lead by example. Therefore, it is important for us to reflect on our hearts and how we are showing Christ’s love to all who walk through our doors. We certainly hope that all families feel a strong sense of belonging at TPCA. All families are important to our ministry and we are truly blessed to work with all of you in partnership!
Physical Education News from Mr. Clayton
Hello K-4 Parents,
The cold weather will keep us in the gym for the next few months. We will continue to talk about the human body and how it works. The kids will continue coordination skills within the many varied games we will play. We will also begin to focus on strength building exercises like planks, sit-ups, and pushups.
As the weather is colder that generally leads to less activity for us and our children, however that's not necessarily best for our bodies. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, children and adolescents need 60 minutes or more of activity per day. Please follow the link to learn more. Let's get our kids active and better yet, let's get active with our kids! Let's honor God with our bodies......
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/children/
1 Timothy 4:8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (ESV)
Thank You
God Bless,
Mrs. Buchanan-Rivera