Bulldog Paw Prints
Week Ending December 1, 2023
November's All-School Meeting
We had another, fantastic, all-school meeting on November 21! We reviewed outdoor expectations for when we have snow, Mr. Mike joined us and was happy to award the all-school trophy to Mr. Linko's second graders for having the overall, cleanest classroom during the past month, Mrs. Heun, Mrs. Cardinal, and Mrs. Fulton competed in a Minute-to-Win-It game (with a victory for the White Team), we recognized November birthdays, and more. It was such a great time for us to come together as a school, and we can't wait for our meeting in December.
The students have continued to model being responsible, respectful and safe throughout their days, and they have continued to earn our Belle Aire Bark-Outs as a result. We met our all school goal of total Bark-Outs earned again this month! Prior to our all-school meeting, I visited each classroom to randomly pull two Bark-Outs from the classroom's containers, and we took time to recognize those students during our meeting.
KH: Aaron, Arya
KO: Michael, Caleb
1S: Sloane, John
1W: Mia, Kai
2L: Addie, Amara
2S: Owen, Kendall
3C: AJ, Ashton
3F: Gavin, Ries
4B: Graeme, Anaya
4L: Anan, Stephanie
5DO: Alex, Anthony
5DE: Cora, Elinor
6M: Raafeh, Keegan
Winter Sing, 2023
I previewed that we would be hosting a Winter Sing again this year.
Winter Sing is an opportunity for all of the students and staff to come together, assembly-style, as an entire group to celebrate and enjoy the holidays. Our music teacher, Ms. Sheldon, will lead us in a sing-along with a variety of holiday songs that will be familiar to all. Ms. Sheldon has been working with each grade level to be the professionals of one song, and all others can join in as best they can with the lyrics they remember. This will be a great way to prepare for winter break and to be together during a meaningful time of year.
We are set to have our Winter Sing on Monday, December 18, from 1:20 - 1:45, and we would love it if you could join us. Visitors should plan to arrive starting at 1:10 and should park in any open spots in our lot or facing south (toward Ogden) on Belle Aire Lane. Please do not park around the perimeter of our lot, as that will block our buses and other families arriving for our 2:00 pick-up.
Winter Weather; Outdoor Recess
As the weather changes, I'd like to send a couple recess reminders your way.
-As in past years, we will continue to have outdoor recess during the winter months so long as the weather permits AND so long as the real feel temperature is zero degrees or above. It will be important that students come to school dressed for the weather and that they have the appropriate outdoor clothing to stay safe and warm.
-At the times when we have snow, students will be able to head off of the blacktop to play in it. The key to that is that they are prepared. In order to play in the snow off of the blacktop areas, the students need to be wearing snow boots and snow pants/snowsuit.
New Service on Mental Health Resources
District 58 strives to create a culture of well-being for students, parents, staff and community. To further support this endeavor, the District has invested in an additional support service through ReferralGPS.
ReferralGPS is a service providing assistance to our community in finding local mental health and substance use-related treatment resources. The service compliments the District’s existing systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS assists families in triage and appointment setting.
School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS in two ways:
Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out treatment options
Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymousl
The platform has the ability to filter by mental health concern, clinician gender/specialty, location, and insurance acceptance. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are uninsured or underinsured.
ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored.
Parking Lot Traffic
I will be doing some parent reminders throughout the year from time to time, and this week's reminder is for our parking lot. Typically, we see an uptick in new drivers dropping off and picking up students as our weather turns to cold and snow. This is the information that I shared with all of you at the start of the year, and it would be great if you could pass it along to anyone who is not familiar with our procedures. Thank you for helping things run safely and smoothly for all!
There are two designated drop-off areas for those arriving by car. One is in our parking lot, and the other is Herbert Circle. Should you decide to park and walk your children to the entry door, you may park on the west side of Belle Aire Lane (so you're facing Ogden) or in an open parking spot in our lot. Parking next to the school's sidewalks or on the perimeter of the lot is prohibited as it blocks and disrupts traffic patterns.
Main Parking Lot Drop-Off Zone:
There are two turn-in lanes available upon entering the school's parking lot. The first, most southern lane should only be used if you intend to park your car in an open spot. Parents who are dropping off students should use the second entrance (the one after the small median), which directs you to the circle drive in front of the school.
We treat the drop-off zone like the curbside drop-off at the airport, and it can be dangerous because of moving traffic. The circle drive splits into two lanes at the sidewalk. The right lane nearest the sidewalk is where students should exit vehicles; the left lane is for passing/moving traffic exiting the lot. Students are the only ones who exit the vehicle in this area. Adults who exit the vehicle in this area are putting themselves in danger and disrupting our drop-off procedure for all families behind them. Please be aware of your surroundings, check your mirrors and stay off of your cell phones.
When entering the drop-off zone, pull as far forward as possible at all times. We need to use the entire drop-off zone as a unit. If you are the first/only car in the zone, we ask that you still pull up all the way so that cars that arrive behind you are able to drop-off as well.
Students should only exit the vehicle from the passenger side and when the vehicle is next to the sidewalk.
Herbert Circle Drop-Off Zone
Vehicles should follow the typical, counter-clockwise traffic pattern of entering and exiting the circle. Students should exit the passenger side of the vehicle and walk along the guardrail until they reach the path to the school. Student walkers must use the paved path (outside of the guardrail) to enter campus rather than walking through Herbert Circle.
Science Fair, 2023-2024
Students in grades 1-6 are invited to participate in the Science Fair this winter! Registration will be open Monday, Nov. 27 through Friday, Dec. 22. To register for this year’s Science Fair, use this Registration Form. The Science Fair will take place Saturday, Jan. 20 from 8-11 a.m. at O’Neill Middle School. The fair is open to all District 58 students in grades 1-6. Participating in the Science Fair is voluntary, but District 58 encourages every student to consider participating!
Students may register as an individual or with one partner. More details can be found here.
District Calendar, 2023-2024
Mark Your Calendars
Monday, December 4: 2:00 Dismissal for Students
Tuesday, December 5: Let's Code It Club (3:05-4:05 p.m. for those enrolled); Reflections Recognition at ON ( 6:00 p.m. for students who participated)
Wednesday, December 6: Student Council Meeting (during the day); BAM Theater (after school performance); Northside Band Concert for Grs. 5-6 (7:00 p.m. at HE for those involved)
Thursday, December 7: Kindness Club (Grs. 3-6 for those who are registered)
Friday December 8: Report Cards Go Home
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Monday, December 18: Winter Sing
Friday, December 22: Classroom Holiday Parties
Winter Break: December 23 - January 7
Monday, January 8: First Day Back From Break