May 2015 Newsletter - Sun Prairie School District

TRANSLATION STATEMENT
If a student or parent/guardian would prefer to have this information translated into Spanish, please contact us at 834-6620.
Si un estudiante, padre ó guardian prefiere tener esta información traducida en Español, por favor contactenos en el 834-6620.
********
If a student or parent/guardian would prefer to have this information translated into Hmong,please contact us at 834-6630.
Yog tus me nyuam lub xiv los yog niam thiab txiv/tus neeg muaj cai saib xyuas tus me nyuam xav tau qhov ntawv ntawm no ua lus Hmoob,
thov hais rau peb paub rau ntawm 834-6630.
Nighthawk Newsletter Northside Elementary, Sun Prairie, WI May 2015 SURVEY​
­ If the YMCA before / after school program were offered at Northside, would you register your student? Please call the Northside office to express your interest (834­7103) or email ​
Northside Elementary​
. The YMCA requires 10 registered students to offer the program at a school site. Thank you!
Message from Mrs. Ballweg and Mr. Hattori Dear Northside Families, May is our last full month of school and with only six weeks left, we are busy wrapping up the year! Please take a look at our calendar at the end of the newsletter and check out all of the events to put on your calendar and get your child excited about. We hope to see you at an event! As we celebrate the end of the year together, the weather continues to warm up and the days get longer, please be sure your student continues to read and do homework every night. We still have a lot of learning to do! Throughout the year we see so much growth in our students and it comes from the hard work of our teachers and staff, your students, and our partnership with you. This week we celebrate our teachers and all staff who dedicate themselves to serving Northside Elementary and your children each and every day! Please stop in or send a note to say thank you to a staff member this week. Tuesday, May 5th, Police School Liaison Officer Damion Verhalen will be joining us at our SCO meeting to share and answer questions regarding our district’s partnership with the Sun Prairie Police Department in planning and implementing code black drills in our schools. We really appreciate their continued work to improve upon and support us in our school safety practices. As always, I welcome any questions you may have of me and I value your feedback. Please feel free to email, call, or stop in my office at anytime. Go Nighthawks! Lexi Ballweg
Jeff Hattori Principal
Assistant Principal Looking Ahead to Our Next School Year August Visitation and Assessments for Grades 1­5 Northside will be holding a ​
Grade Level Visitation and Assessment for students in first through fifth grades​
on August 19th and 20th.​
Classroom teachers will be contacting families via e­mail in early August to set up your child's assessment and visitation time for either Wednesday, August 19th or Thursday, August 20th. Please be sure we have updated contact information on file, including e­mail addresses. If you need to make updates to your information please call the Northside office at 834­7103. During your child's scheduled visitation time they will have the opportunity to meet with their classroom teacher one on one while also completing a few short assessments to prepare for the upcoming school year. Feel free to contact the Northside office if you have any questions. (834­7103) PBIS NEWS ​
(Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) As we wind up the school year, Northside students have been busy participating in a PBIS challenge to earn a grade level reward! Students have been earning special sparkles for showing respect and using respectful language, and once their classroom earns 100 sparkles, they are all eligible to participate. Make sure to ask your child if his/her class has earned their reward! And as summer approaches, many parents are frantically trying to come up with summer schedules filled with activities, camp, carpools but hopefully without all the chaos. Here are a few tips to keep consistency and fun for everyone in your family! Teach them to brainstorm​
­ show your kids how to brainstorm their own ideas. The biggest issue in summer is when the phrase “MOMmmmm, I’m Sooooo BORED!”. They shouldn’t rely on you to plan their entire day, so encourage them to come up with ideas on their own. Help them brainstorm by starting lists of fun things and asking questions to inspire more questions and thinking. Start conversations like “think of 10 things you can do outside.”, “What are 10 things you can do with a ball”, etc. and expand into more in depth ideas. Use rewards​
­ sometimes kids respond best to rewards or goals, so use them. Tie in the rewards to days the kids help you out, jobs they get done or activities they come up with and accomplish on their own. Rewards don’t have to be big, but they do have to be important to your child. Say it and mean it​
­ a big portion summer at home is figuring out how to get the kids to cooperate when you really need to get work accomplished. Set expectations and then stick with them. If you are planning on going to the park after lunch, mean it, just like you would a meeting. Rotate activities​
­ sometimes too much is really not a good thing. Hide some of the toys or games away for a while and a month later rotate the stashed toys for the “old boring” toys. Everything will seem brand new and exciting again. Relax and enjoy​
­ summer is meant to be enjoyed. Yes, it’s true, work does continue for most of us, but kids are only kids for so long, so enjoy the time you have to spend with them before they are old enough to be off with their friends all summer! Field Trips this Month May 7th​
, 5th Grade visit to Patrick Marsh Middle School; ​
May 8th​
, 3rd Grade to Aldo Leopold Center; May 20th​
, ​
5th Grade Safety Patrol to Kalahari; ​
May 20th​
, 1st Grade to Yahara Rock Quarry; M
​ay 27th​
, 4th Grade to Old World Wisconsin. Family Fun Night, ​
Wednesday, May 20th, 5:30-6:30pm Tom Pease​
will be joining us for Family Fun Night. Tom will be performing during school for the students and at night for families. Tom performs for school assemblies, community events, family events, conferences, libraries and festivals throughout the Midwest and often beyond. Tom’s school and library programs and family concerts are entirely participatory and often touch on and celebrate a variety of themes such as reading and books, self­esteem, the environment, bullying, family stories, languages, cultural diversity, peace and the joy of laughter and movement. “Tom Pease has an infectious sense of fun and community building. With movement, sign language, humor, and joy, he creates concerts that leave audiences laughing and singing. He’s performed full time since 1982, often giving more than 200 performances per year. He’s also a frequent presenter at early childhood and environmental conferences, keynoting and leading breakout sessions that explore the role of music in shaping our lives and the world we live in. Tom connects and inspires with every show he does.” Visit ​
TomPease.com​
for more information. Spring Book Fair May 12-14 Mark your calendars for the Spring Book Fair: May 12 ­14th. Line up books for summer reading by taking advantage of the Buy One Get One offer! Book fair hours are limited to before school, lunch, and after school. **Each classroom will be collecting loose change to help teachers purchase books for their classroom libraries!** Reminder: Please return ALL library books to the Northside Library by Friday, May 29. Hit The Road, Safe, and Smart Bike Safety Class This year our Physical Education Department has developed a brand new bicycle curriculum for our 4th ​
​and 5th​
​ grade students. We received a grant for 9 bicycles from the Sun Prairie Education Foundation and a donation of bicycles from the Sun Prairie Police Department to support this new program. This unit will cover a variety of bicycle safety skills and rules of the road, to prepare our students for fun and safe riding throughout the year. When:​
Monday, April 27th​
​ – Friday, May 15th (This unit will occur during your child’s Physical Education Class). The 5th grade students will also have the opportunity to practice their bike safety skills by going on a bike ride during their Physical Education Class around the Northside Community. Volunteers will be needed for this event. Mr. LaFleur’s PE/Health News th​
∙​
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4th​
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& 5​
grade students are participating in a new bike safety unit. ∙​
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Students will be participating in frisbee activities, lacrosse and striking activities throughout the month of May. ∙​
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Thank you to all of the students who donated to Jump Rope for Heart. We raised $4935.00. I will hand out prizes as soon as I get them. ∙​
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Students are learning about first aid and safety in health in May. rd​
3​ grade After School Sports will begin in mid­May. Look for more information coming home soon. Prairie Athletic Club End Of The Year Celebration All Northside students and staff will be participating in a celebration at Prairie Athletic Club on Wednesday, June 10th (rain date Tuesday, June 9th​
​ and Decision Day is Monday, June 8th​
​). Chaperones are needed for this event. More information will be sent home with your child about this celebration at a later date. Sunscreen is needed for this event. If your family is willing to donate sunscreen for this event, please drop it off at the Northside Office. Your donations are greatly appreciate NORTHSIDE WALK/BIKE TO SCHOOL DAY ​HEN: Wednesday, May 6th W
WHERE:
Wetmore Park 555 North Street ★ Buses will be dropping students off at Wetmore Park at 7:45 ★ Students who bike/walk should meet at Wetmore Park at 7:40 ★ Students will start biking/walking to Northside at 7:45 When students arrive at Northside, they will eat breakfast or go outside for recess. Northside staff will supervise this activity. Communities and schools are using Walk or Bike to School Day as the first step to change community culture and to create options for getting around that are more inviting for everyone, both young and old. Here are some reasons to support walking and bicycling to school: It’s Fun! Walking and bicycling bring a sense of joy and independence. Healthier Habits The trip to school is a chance for children (and adults!) to get the physical activity they need. Cleaner Environment Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can reduce congestion and air­polluting emissions. Community Benefits Reducing traffic congestion, boosting a sense of community, and improving neighborhood connections benefit the community. If you have any questions or concerns about this opportunity, please contact Mrs. Heather Lutes at 834­7158 or hjlutes@sunprairieschools.org Watch for Maynard the Madison Mallard Baseball’s mascot at the end of your walk or ride! Musical Notes May will be filled with the ​
Joy Of Music​
as usual. Kindergarten and Fifth Grade are busy putting the finishing touches on their concerts. May Concerts Kindergarten, Miller and Fritz Friday, May 8 2:00pm LGI 5th Grade, Farewell Concert Thursday, May 14 7:00pm Gym Kindergarten, Steeger/Cunningham, Bieri and Hansen Tuesday, May 19 2:00pm LGI Along with these concerts, grade levels will be finishing up with their composers. Fourth grade will be finishing their journey of knowing the lines and spaces of the treble clef. We will also be spending some time on the piano keyboards. Each grade level has had some exposure throughout the year. I like to bring things together with some group lessons and perhaps do some improvising. We love to improvise. Second grade has already started working on this using the D
​o Re Mi song from ​
The Sound Of Music​
. I guess this will get me ready for when I retire and start teaching those private lessons:) As we look to June we plan on having our traditional ​
Talent Days​
in music class. I'm really looking forward to that! It is a great way to end the year and our time together...... Happy May Everyone! Mrs. Bindley Nellie’s Garden News Wow! Thank you to the many families and community members who came to build the garden on April 18th! Thank you Miron Construction for donating materials plus their time and efforts to come out to physically build the garden structures and benches! We could not have done this without your generous contributions. Nellie’s Garden Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will take place on June 1. We want to look our best! Please come out and help for an hour to tidy the gardens, add a little mulch around established plants, and pick up any debris. DATE: 5/29/2015 (Fri 4:30AM ­ 5:30PM), Tidy Up DATE: 6/1/2015, Ribbon Cutting LOCATION: Northside, “Nellie’s Garden” There are still a few spots open for families wanting to sign up for a week of taking care of the garden over the summer. Read about and sign up to help in the Northside Community Garden here!
"Like Us" on Northside Elementary Garden Community Facebook Northside SCO News Hello Northside Families!! Here are a few volunteer opportunities, some SCO information, and upcoming reminders. PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4th­8th: ​
Teacher Appreciation Week ​
begins on Monday, and the SCO would like to show our thanks for all they do by providing some yummy meals next week for them. Please click on the link for ways that you can help, either by food donations and/or your time. TEACHER APPRECIATION FOOD DONATIONS SIGN UP: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4baeae22a64­teacher If you would like to donate food donations, but need to make other arrangements to drop off food, please let me know! Book Fair: ​
Our final ​
book fair is coming up from May 12th­14th​
. We need volunteers to run the cash register and help get some books into the students hands!! This is an EASY and FUN volunteer opportunity! If we don't have cashiers, we can't open and sell books to the students. BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEER SIGN UP: http://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=s.signup&useFullSite=true&URLID=8050D4BAEAE22A64­nsespring Blacktop Dance: ​
Northsides Blacktop dance is coming up on June 11th, from 8:30­11:45am. ​
Student Council is looking for DJ­ing equipment to borrow​
for that morning. If you have any connections, or equipment that could be used this morning, please contact the SCO via email ASAP. We have some awesome DJ's lined up, just need the equipment!! SCO Meeting: ​
Our ​
next SCO meeting is on Tuesday, May 5th at 6:30​
in the LGI. We will be voting on next year's spending budget, as well as nominate and vote for board members for next year. Current open positions include secretary and vice president. Indoor recess cart: ​
Northside's indoor recess cart is in need of some new/used games! If you are out garage­sale shopping this weekend and would like to buy and donate to Northside, that would be GREAT! If you have any board games, card games, or K'nex like toys that could use a new home, please consider donating them to Northside! OR, if you are willing to purchase a new game, please drop them off in the office and let them know they are for indoor recess. School Supply Kits:​
Parents, want an easy, one stop shop for school supplies? You can order online NOW at http://www.shopttkits.com.​
Please use account number 7027 so that your kit gets delivered to Northside. All kits will be delivered to Northside by Ready­Set­Go in August and will be waiting for your child in their classroom! Remember to order the kit for the grade your child will be in NEXT year. Contact ​
candytenpas@gmail.com​
for more info. Northside Account # is 7027 ​
http://www.shopttkits.com Jenny DeBoer Northside SCO President Please "like" our Facebook page (Northside Elementary School and SCO). Northside SCO Facebook Page Thank you Northside families and the SCO for everything you do to make Northside a special place to be! Thank you for sharing your children with us! At Camp Invention, we’re all about...
What’s Camp Invention? Only the best way to reinvent fun for rising 1st​
​
­6th​
​ grade students! Camp Invention is all about BIG ideas and so much more! Camp Invention increases excitement for science, technology, engineering and innovation through amazing & fun activities. Each year Camp Invention provides newly created curricula in order to keep children interested. What is your child capable of? Unlock the potential of curious minds with Camp Invention here at Northside Elementary June 15th​
​through the 19th​
​. You won’t want to miss out! Discounts are available. Enroll today​
www.campinvention.org​
or call ​
800.968.4332​
for additional information. Thank You for Collecting Box Tops Northside did an awesome job collecting pop tops for the Ronald McDonald house in Madison. As a community we collected 3 extra large containers filled with tabs!!!! Thank you to everyone who helped make this so successful. We will be collecting again next year so continue saving....GO NORTHSIDE!!!! One kindergarten family collected box tops for two years. Fifth grader, Serenity, has been saving since she was in Kindergarten! Great job, Nighthawks! Caps for the Cure Results Great Job, Northsiders! You raised $931.19 towards ​
Caps for the Cure!​
Our entire district raised over $22,500 plus sales from the t­shirts this year! The goal to raise $100,000 by what would have been Kristina’s senior year has been met and exceeded! Advanced Learners Program (Mrs. Shimek) Our ​
Regional Math Meet​
was held on April 23, 2015 at Verona. Christian Everson represented NS with great mathematical skills and sportsmanship. Congratulations Christian. Yahara Writers​
Anthology winners will be honored at a workshop May 13 in Madison. There were 10 pieces of writing selected for 5th ​
​­8th​
​ graders in each genre of poetry, editorial, editorial cartoons and short stories throughout Dane County. Katie Milleville was selected for her poem and will attend on May 13. Engineering Expo​
30 Students from NS in 4th​
​ grade and 5th​
​ grade had the opportunity to attend the UW Engineering Expo Field Trip which is held every other year. We were able to take 200 students from the district in 4th​
​ and 5th​
​ grade from Sun Prairie. We had an amazing time and learned many things about the different fields of engineering. Thank you to all the chaperones who came and supported the group. Prairie Voices​
celebration was held at the High School Performing Arts Theater April 27. We had 100 authors from NS who were recognized for their writing this year. Keep writing. Northside Authors 2015 Prairie Voices Maddie Abler Lucas Albright Jaslene Alvarado Greyson Ashby Brooke Bandli Alex Baehr Camila Becerril Arianna Beyer Jaxon Bindley Addison Boott Jackson Boott Bennett Braatz Ethan Braatz Jackson Brye Lydia Budde Claire Burbach Maddy Carpiaux Samiyah Cistrunk Andrew Crase Peyton Cunningham Camden Cusick Tyler Cusick Jonathan Daniels Derrick Davis Destiny DePagter Eli Diallo Moussa Diallo Matthew Dohm Jordan Draws Daryn Eisner James Engeler Grace Feisthammel Alain Ferengo Sarah Gay Ayla Germann Tiana Gonzalez Madisen Haas Owen Hamen Nicholas Hamrick Willem Hansen Hakon Heggland Jubilee Her Olivia Herold Adam Hoffman Madeline Howley Dylan Hull Payton Johnson Carter Jones Keion Kauppinen Olivia King Jayden Kingsley Seth Kosky Chloe Knoernschild Jerzey Ladwig Rachel Leary Baxter Ledford Melody Lee Maya Lisowe Lixi Lupori John McLean Mia Marchese Emily Marion Breah Menzel Katie Milleville Summer Morris Jaliel Musgray Tyler Nauer Mason Nesbit Parker Olson Makayla O’Malley Christian Orf Abby Packard Carson Pagel Enrique Palacios Kevin Rangel Lexi Reinen Jena Rockwood Keveyontae Russell Jaxon Sadowski Victoria Sands Matthew Sanford Kiley Schirmang Kiera Smith Cameron Strangstalien Levi Suarez Maeve Sullivan Rory Sullivan Tyler Swift Tyler Thomas Rachel Traband Emily Trowbridge Andre Velazquez­Valdes Colin Vieth Landon Wapneski Nicole Weber Sophia Weber Colton Wise Nevaeh Yang Andrew Zbigniewicz ***************IMPORTANT**************** PLEASE READ AND RETURN ASAP ARE YOU PLANNING ON MOVING THIS SUMMER? If you are moving this summer please take a moment to fill out and return the form below. It will help us to maintain current and accurate records as we begin the process of putting together our class lists for next school year. If you have any questions, please contact the Northside Office at 834­7103 If you are NOT returning to Northside Elementary School for the 2015­16 school year, please fill out and return this form to the office as soon as possible. You can also call the Northside office with any updates. If your student will be attending middle school next you can still use this form to update your address, the information will be forwarded to the appropriate middle school. Child(ren) Name:__________________________________________________
Current Grade:____________ Name:__________________________________________________ Current Grade:____________ Name:__________________________________________________
Current Grade:____________ Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Signature:________________________________________________________ Our NEW ADDRESS will be:
_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ (If you are moving within the Sun Prairie Area School District, you will need to show Proof of Residency ​
with new address). Get In Step…Join the Band!!
The middle school band directors are busy preparing for our next wonderful class of new musicians. We look forward to meeting everyone. Students start on flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba and percussion. Students interested in percussion will have 2 workshops they can attend to help them prepare for their audition. There are several dates that students and parents should be aware of in April and May that are “instrumental” to the process of joining band. Thursday, May 7th ­Middle School Visit during the day 5th grade students will be visiting the middle school. All students will have seen a short video of the instruments in general music class. Monday, May 11­ Instrument Fitting Appointment Sign Up/Ask the directors questions. Parent/Student Orientation 6­7 PM at Prairie View and Patrick Marsh at the same time. This evening is scheduled as a middle school orientation for 5th grade students and their parents. You will be able to schedule your instrument fitting appointment (where you try your top 2 choices), so bring your family calendar.​
Remember to contact us for an appointment if you are unable to attend orientation.​
​
Even students auditioning for percussion will need an appointment to either finish the process of signing up, or to pick another instrument if not selected for percussion. Students who may have ​
missed ​
us in their building can try mouthpieces at their instrument fitting appointment. Monday, May 4­Percussion Workshop at Prairie View 4:45­5:45 PM This is the second workshop for students to attend to help them prepare for their percussion audition. Students can attend ​
one or both​
workshops. Tuesday, May 5­ Percussion Auditions​
​
at ​
your middle school​
3:00­4:30 p.m. Percussion auditions are for any student interested in being considered to play instruments in the percussion family. We will be available from 3:00­4:30 p.m. at your middle school in the music area for any 5th grader interested in percussion. Auditions are on a first come, first serve basis. If you are unable to attend this day, you must contact Mr. Quaglieri at 834­7839 or Mrs. Haraldson at 834­7627 to schedule a time before the 5th. Wednesday ,May 13 and Monday, May 18 ​
Instrument Fitting Appointments​
at Prairie View for both schools We will have instruments available for students so that students may try their first and second choices of instruments. This is the evening you make your final selection and make arrangements with the music store for an instrument and supplies for the fall. A
​ll​
appointments are at P
​rairie View​
and are about 20 minutes long. ​
Even students auditioning for percussion will need an appointment to either finish the process of signing up, or to pick another instrument if not selected for percussion. To help students get off to a great start for the fall, we will be offering a f​
ree​
summer school class called “Band Starts Now”​
​
from August 17­21, at your child’s middle school. A schedule for the class will be in the band booklet that students receive at orientation. Students can register for this class at their instrument fitting appointment. You can contact Mr. Quaglieri from Prairie View at 834­7839 (mequagl@spasd.k12.wi.us) or Mrs. Haraldson from Patrick Marsh at 834­7627 (​
smharal@spasd.k12.wi.us​
) with any questions you might have. May Happenings
May 5, Cinco De Mayo;
May 10, Mother’s Day;
May 16, Armed Forces Day;
May 2
Cardinal Track & Field Challenge
May 4-21
Pet Food Drive
May 5
Talent Show, 1:30pm
Parent Meeting (SCO), Northside, 6:30pm
May 6
National Bike/Walk to School Day (Bus riders dropped off at Wetmore Park on North Street)
May 7
ELL Family Fun Night, 5:30pm-7:30pm
5th Grade Visit to Patrick Marsh Middle School 8am-12pm
May 7 & 14
Northside Singers, 7:35am-8:15am
May 7, 14, 21 & 28
Early Release, Thursdays, 1:55pm
May 8
Kindergarten, Miller & Fritz, Music Concert, 2:00pm
3rd Grade Field Trip, Aldo Leopold Center
May 11
5th Grade Parent/Student Orientation at Patrick Marsh, 6:00 pm
May 12, 13 & 14
Book Fair
May 14
5th Grade Music Program, Northside, 7:00pm
May 19
Kindergarten, Bieri, Hansen & Steeger, Music Concert, 2:00pm
May 19, 20 & 26
3rd Grade, After School Sports, Gym, 3:10-4:05pm
May 20
Safety Patrol Kalahari Trip
1st Grade Field Trip, Yahara Rock Quarry, (Rain Date 5/27)
May 21
Humane Society Visit for Student Council, End of Pet Food Drive
May 22 & 25
NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day Weekend)
May 27
4th Grade Field Trip, Old World Wisconsin
Student Council Meeting and Breakfast
May 29
Tidy up Nellie’s Garden, Northside, 4:30-5:30pm
June 1
Groundbreaking, Nellie’s Garden, Northside
May 35, Memorial Day