March 2013 Newsletter - Elkhorn Public Schools

March 2013
Spring Ridge Elementary
Spring Ridge Review
Calendar of Events
 Friday, March 1
Jump Rope for Heart
Dr. Seuss’ birthday
 Monday, March 4
PTO Meeting, 7:00 pm
A Message from Mr. Pechous
Dear Parents,
The last few days of February have been blistery, cold, and filled with snow. I
thought I read that the ground hog didn’t see his shadow indicating an early spring!
I guess he was wrong! It was great to see so many of you at Parent/Teacher Conferences. Discussing student needs and successes are important and we value your
input and support. Thank you for making school a priority in your family.
March marks the beginning of the testing season. Our third, fourth, and fifth graders will have the opportunity to participate in the SAT 10 and NeSA testing soon.
Our students and teachers have been working hard all year learning and developing
new skills. Please stress the importance of these exams with your students.
Thank you for making sure your students are in class on time each and every day.
Arriving to school on time is very important and when students are late they miss
valuable instruction. During Spring Break, please have your children read everyday! They will be able to come back to school rested and ready to start with instruction and dedicated work habits for success.
 Friday, March 8
No School—Teacher In-service
 March 11-15
No School—Spring Break
 Tuesday, March 19
Hu Hot Family Night
 Wednesday, March 20
Report Cards
 Friday, March 22
Breakfast Buddies
 Friday, March 29
Skating Party, 5:00—7:00 pm
Don Pechous
Spring Ridge Principal
PTO Committees—Leaders Needed
Spring Ridge PTO is looking for volunteers to chair and co-chair several committees
for the 2013-2014 school year. Committee leadership is a fulfilling and worthwhile
opportunity, and a great way to meet other Spring Ridge families. Please consider
helping out- no prior experience necessary! If you are interested in a position or have
questions
please
contact
incoming
PTO
President
Christy
Clement
at christyc@coloradoclement.com . Committee descriptions and volunteer opportunities can also be found at www.springridgepto.com
Committees
Book Fair
Book Swap
Box Tops
Carnival Co-Chair
Directory/Sponsorships
Drama/After School Club
First Day of School
Hospitality
Spring Ridge Apparel
Staff Appreciation
Volunteer Coordinator
Yearbook- 5th grade ads
2012-2013 School Theme:
SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS:
REACHING OUR GOALS!
Inside this issue:
PTO Committee Chairs
1
Counselors Corner
2
Book Swap
2
Drama Club
3
Breakfast Buddies
3
Waffle Man Thank You
4
PTO Thank You
4
Skating Party
4
PTO Presidents’ Message
5
Spring Ridge Carnival
5
Box Tops/Labels Update
6
NeSA and SAT 10 Testing
7
Tech Savvy Parent
8
School Sponsors
9
Hu Hot Family Night
9
Spring Ridge Review
Counselor’s Corner
Page 2
Hearing about conflict situations with peers at school day after day can be wearing on parents. Recognizing bullying is
challenging. Many children do not know how to respond to bullying effectively. Some respond by acting tough or hitting back. But research shows that when children do this, the bullying lasts longer or gets worse. It can even lead to
greater risk of physical harm. Yet at times after hearing problems day after day, sometimes all we can think to tell our
child is: “ If they hit you, I give my permission for you to hit them back.” Or “Just stay away from him.” Both strategies prove ineffective in dealing with bullying. Get back behaviors can lead to more anger and more bullying. Ignoring
is effective in a normal peer conflict but can create more bullying when a bully wants to be noticed.
When children have problem solving strategies, such as assertively standing up for themselves or involving an
adult when necessary, bullying ends sooner.
Having a couple other strategies, as parents can also be helpful.
Role-play responding to bullying with your child. Encourage eye contact and a firm, strong voice. Practice
labeling bullying. “That’s bullying and I want you to stop.” Teach your child to walk away immediately after
standing up.
Encourage your child to play or spend time where adults are close by. Bullying only happens where the bully
feels safe.
Help your child tell peers about the situation and solicit their help in telling the bully to stop. Research indicates that more than half of the time bullying will stop in ten seconds if a bystander speaks out. (Craig, W.
M. & Pepler, D. (1997). Observations of bullying and victimization in the schoolyard. Canadian Journal of
School Psychology, 13(2): 41–60.)
Inform an adult at school. Please know I am always available to help problem solve situations. It can help to
get more information about what is going on at school. Along with teachers and administrators I will work to
end any bullying that occurs at school.
************************************************************************************
Children’s Behavioral Health will be facilitating a FREE session on Understanding ADHD.
Kim Levering, Ph.D. and Coordinator of the ADHD clinic will present information general information about ADHD and
how behaviors are manifested in children of varying ages. Participants will learn about the assessment process
through the ADHD clinic at Children’s Behavioral Health.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 2013
LOCATION: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center
110 N. 175th Street
Omaha, NE.
TIME: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
To register call 800-833-3100 or visit Events page at www.ChildrensOmaha.org
Hooked on Books: Swaps are Tops!
One hundred seventy-eight Spring
Ridge students participated in the 4th
Annual Book Swap on Wednesday,
February 20th. During conference
week, more than 850 books were collected for the kids to choose from
during the book swap. The students
could choose up to four books based
upon the number of books they
brought in.
After the book swap, approximately
250 books were donated to the Junior
League of Omaha’s A Book of My
Own, a year-round book drive project
for the Omaha community. These
books are given to Omaha kids who
do not have the means to have a
book of their own in the home. To
learn more about the A Book of My
Own project visit www.jlomaha.org/
abookofmyown.
Thank you to all the teachers for
their assistance with the book swap.
Special thank you to Mrs. Flanders
for having the book swap in the library. Lastly, thank you to the following parent volunteers for their
time in making this event such a
success: Leslie Mayo, Suzy Distler,
Lynn Cordell, Marisa Hudson, Ann
Jones, Nikki Kirshenbaum, Evelyn
Millward, Rachel Norquist, Tammi
Popa, Susie Stieren, Teresa Svoboda, and Katrina Venn.
Page 3
Spring Ridge Elementary
Spring Ridge Elementary DRAMA CLUB
Stronger Than Strong: A Tall Tale of Heroines And Heroes
Meet America's strongest heroines: the gator wrasslin' Sally Ann “Thunder Ann” Whirlwind; the super-strong New Orleans keel boater Annie Christmas; and the catfishriding, bronco-busting cowgirl Slue Foot Sue. Watch as they challenge the braggadocio wrassler Mike Fink, the king of the wild frontier Davy Crockett, and the tornado ridin’
cowboy Pecos Bill.
Cast Members
Chris Anderson
Cole Hammans
Madison Kyle
Elizabeth Mitchell
Alexandra Barnes
Evan Hammans
Delaney King
Brooke Myers
Halle Breed
Joria Hanselman
Madelyn Lund
Nolan Parks
Brian Cross
Peyton Hardy
Nina Mainelli
Faith Powers
Kennedy Fisher
Zoie Jacobsen
Jackson McNeill
Keirsten Speck
Kyra Garlock
Norah Jenkins
London Merrifield
Caprice Steidle
Isi Gilbertsen
Isabella Jenson
Page 4
Spring Ridge Review
Waffle Man
The Waffle Man Event was a huge success! We
had over 475 people attend (that’s a LOT of
waffles) and we couldn’t have done it without
the help of the following parents and Spring
Ridge Staff:
Jenny Haase, Jennifer Mytty, Melanie Nielsen,
Amy Knight, Elaine Adams, Beth Boler, Lynn
VanDenBroeke, Renee Davis, Grace Fennelly,
Kim Behrends, Amy Parks, Kim Loofe, Kathryn
Gustafson, Mary Lynn Kardell, Mandi Chaplin,
Kris Brown, Jackson Oligmueller, Chris Behrends, Wyne Knight, Devon Bauer, Abby Ketteler, Carla Rohwer, Katya Endelicato, Becky Torrens, Muriel Manske, Patti Fennelly, Patrice
Kruger, Jessica Moon, Jennifer Oligmueller,
Marsha Flanders, Margaret Zach, Ashley Milburn, Jan Brink, Dee Reagan and Erica Connell.
A Great Big Thank You From Spring Ridge PTO………..
>
> Thank you to Christy Clement for planning a great Family Fun Night in January and thank you to all of
the families who came to school to enjoy the Waffle Man! It was a great night.
>
> Thank you to Kelli Steidle for getting the drama club organized and off to a great start.
>
> Thank you to all of the party parents and volunteers who helped make our Valentine's Day parties so
much fun!
>
> Thank you to Leslie Mayo and Suzie Distler for organizing yet another terrific Book Swap.
> Thank you to Ricci Nisley and Tina Farrell for collecting and counting box tops!
> Thank you Kay Crocker and Nancy Johnston for organizing meals for the teachers during conferences!
> And last but not least thank you to Renee Davis and Jean Atkinson for coordinating a wonderful Hawaiian themed staff appreciation week!!!
SkateDaze Party
Spring Ridge skating party at SkateDaze March 29th
from 5-7pm.
$5 to skate or play OR $7 to do both. The class with
the best attendance gets a free game of lazer tag or
roller coaster ride.
Page 5
Spring Ridge Elementary
Spring (break) is in the air
Spring Ridge Families,
With the cold weather and snow days this past week, we are ready for Spring! Somehow seeing March on the calendar
psychologically makes warm weather seem closer. Or maybe it’s the fact that March is a short month school-wise with
Spring Break tucked into the middle. Either way, we are glad to turn the page and catch our breath after a VERY busy
February!
After ushering in the month with Staff Appreciation week, March brings a little down time before the home-stretch to end
of year begins. When we think of April we think about standardized testing, field trips, school carnival and for fifth graders, their last weeks at Spring Ridge before Middle School and Fifth Grade Graduation (YIKES!).
We hope you will join us at our March meeting on Monday, March 4. We are excited that our newly appointed principal, Laurinda Peterson, is scheduled to attend. We had the opportunity to meet her a few weeks ago, and while we
are still in mourning that Dr. Pechous is leaving us, we are looking forward to getting to know Mrs. Peterson better. She
comes highly recommended by her predecessor and we know he will leave us in good hands! The nominating committee will also present the candidate slate for the 2013-2014 PTO Executive Board. The election will take place at the
April 1 PTO meeting. Our meeting starts at 7:00 pm, and child care is provided.
On March 8, students may invite one special lady to join them for Breakfast Buddies! Watch for more information
regarding this event to come home in backpacks and via email. Also scheduled are another Family Fun Night at Hu
Hot on March 19 and our second and final Skating Party of the year on March 29. All events promise a lot of family
fun!
Thank you for supporting all of the activities that in turn allow us to support our school!
Nikki Kirshenbaum & Kim Lehl
PTO Co-Presidents
springridgeelementarypto@gmail.com
Page 6
Spring Ridge Review
Box Top Results
THANK YOU so much to all of the families who contributed during
our February Box Tops campaign. Over $1,000 was raised in Box
Tops not to mention the points earned in Labels for Education. Including the money raised from our fall campaign, the Spring Ridge
PTO has collected over $2,400 – more than double our goal for the
school year!
A big congratulations goes out to Mrs. Farley’s class for getting the
highest average number of Box Tops. The students will enjoy a pizza
party lunch with special guest Mr. Pechous. In addition, they will also
get their class photo in the yearbook. As a bonus, we have decided to
reward the winning class in grades 1-5 with a snack and a juice box.
The winning classes are:
1st – Thompson
2nd--Schaben
3rd--Wheeland
4th--Rohwer
5th--Moon
We would also like to thank all of the teachers for helping us collect
and to the following volunteers for helping us count approximately
10,100 box tops: Margie Cimino, Katrina Venn, Melissa Walsh and
Travis Nisley.
As a reminder our next Box Tops campaign will take place in the fall.
Keep clipping your Box Tops and Labels for Education. And if you
have a 5th grader, please turn in your Box Tops before the end of the
school year.
Tina Farrell
Ricci Nisley
402-505-8404
402-932-8301
Page 7
Spring Ridge Elementary
NeSA and SAT 10 Testing Timeline
Each spring all students in grades three through eight, as well as
11th graders complete the Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA)
assessments and the Stanford 10 tests. Results from the NeSA assessments and SAT 10 are used to identify strengths and areas of
need across the district, as well as for each individual student. It is
important that your student(s) be present during these assessments in order to get an accurate snapshot of their level of mastery
in relation to state standards. These results will also allow our
teaching staff to guide classroom instruction based on areas of need. Listed below are the
scheduled dates for the NeSA and SAT 10 assessments at Spring Ridge. Please be mindful of
these dates when scheduling appointments, vacations, etc. If you have any questions regarding NeSA and SAT 10 assessments or scheduled testing dates please feel free to contact Don
Pechous, 637-0204.
Included in this timeline is also the scheduled date for the NAEP test given to fourth graders
across the nation. NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) provides results on
subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences, and school environment for populations of students (e.g., all fourth-graders) and groups within those populations (e.g., female
students, male students) across the nation. NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools. NAEP results are
based on representative samples of students at grades 4, 8,
and 12 for the main assessments, or samples of students at ages 9, 13, or 17 years for the long-term trend assessments.
These grades and ages were chosen because they represent
critical junctures in academic achievement. Spring Ridge was
identified randomly to participate in this year’s NAEP testing.
Parents of fourth grade students will receive more information
regarding NAEP testing in the future.
Assessment
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
NeSA-W (Writing)
Not administered
February 5 -6
Not administered
NAEP
Not administered
February 27
Not administered
SAT-10
Week of April 1
Week of April 1
Week of April 1
NeSA- R (Reading)
April 9 - 10
April 11 -12
April 9 - 10
NeSA-S (Science)
Not administered
Not administered
April 16 - 17
NeSA-M (Math)
April 23 – April 24
April 25 – April 26
April 23 - 24
Don’t’ forget, Spring Break is March 11-15!
Page 8
Spring Ridge Review
MARCH—Tech Savvy Parent Tip
Monitoring the Online History on Your Home Computer
You can view the web history of your computer by clicking on the history tab
at the top of your internet browser screen. Using the history tab you can
see what websites your child has visited and what items they have downloaded.
What if my student deletes the browser history? Have a conversation about
deleting the browser history with your student. If he or she is following your
rules for using the home computer—there will be no reason to delete the
history.
What is Instagram?
Instagram is an app, which allows users to take photographs, then edit, filter and share them. Instagram is available now on both Apple and Android devices. The terms of use require users to be
at least 13 years old. By default, photos can be viewed by anyone—if
your student is using Instagram, make sure he or she is making their
photos private. Instagram also has a feature known as “geotagging.”
Geotagging will allow others to see the exact location where the photo
was taken. As a general rule, users (especially teens) should check to
make sure geotagging is set to off before sharing a photo via Instagram.
Like other social networking sites, Instagram has been linked to cyberbullying. It is relatively easy to create a fake account and users can post pictures that may be embarrassing to others. Those who view the photos can make comments, which is where a majority of
the bullying occurs. Any inappropriate photos/comments can be reported via the report/block tool
on Instagram.
An Educational App—Science 360
Science 360 is published by the National Science Foundation and provides students
with free information and news on science and engineering. Students can explore
videos, stories and photos that highlight topics like nature, space and much more.
Features range from short videos to complex text, so Science 360 has something for
all age ranges. This free app is available on both Apple and Android devices.
(Elkhorn Public Schools Policy 507.13—Internet Safety Policy was written in compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act)
Page 9
Spring Ridge Elementary
Family Night at
HU HOT
Back by popular
demand!!!! This
will be a great
event- come see
Dr. Pechous serve
drinks and work
the grill alongside
OUR NEW
PRINCIPAL!!!!
You won’t want to
miss this!
The Spring Ridge Review is a
monthly newsletter published by
the staff and volunteers of Spring
Ridge Elementary School,Elkhorn Public Schools in Omaha,
Nebraska. Article submissions are
due on the 20th of each month.
17830 Shadow Ridge Drive
Elkhorn, NE 68130
Spring Ridge Principal
Don Pechous:
dpechous@epsne.org
Secretary
Muriel Manske:
mmanske@epsne.org
Editor
Rebecca Barnes:
rbarnes101@gmail.com
Contact: 637-0204 for more information.
www.elkhornweb.org