January 2015 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

Transcription

1 OSCEOLA ELEMENTARY 100 Osceola Avenue Ormond Beach, FL Dr. Mary Ellen Speidel Principal Mr. Douglas Swayze Assistant Principal SCHOOL TIMES 7:45 First Bell 7:55 Tardy Bell 2:05 Dismissal 1:05 Early Dismissal TARDY PROCEDURE If your child arrives after the tardy bell has rung at 7:55, please have them go straight to the office to get a pass. BREAKFAST/LUNCH PRICES $1.00 Breakfast $2.00 Lunch REDUCED MEAL PRICES $.30 Breakfast $.40 Lunch Parents may pre-pay for their child s meals by visiting the cafeteria manager or by credit/ debit card at mylunchmoney.com. Osceola Smoke Signals IMPORTANT INFORMATION Don t miss Osceola Celebrates Literacy Night on January 27, 2015 from 6:30-8:00pm in the cafeteria! January 2015 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Classes Resume 7 Early Release 12 Report Card Distribution 14 Early Release 16 Spelling Bee 8:30 Media 19 NO SCHOOL Martin Luther King Jr. Day 20 4th Grade S.S. Projects Due 21 Early Release 27 Osceola Celebrates Literacy Family Night 6:30pm Café. 28 Early Release th Day Celebrations K/1st Mission Statement Parents, teachers, and community, working together, will challenge students to fulfill their potential.

2 Hello Osceola Parents, Happy New Year! MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL As we begin the new calendar year, we also begin the second half of the school year. Our focus continues to be student achievement. The new Florida State Standards are rigorous and we are working diligently to meet the challenge. This year, our school improvement initiative has been to promote literacy by emphasizing the academic vocabulary used in each subject area and improve reading across the content areas. Our professional development for teachers centers on differentiating instruction for individual learners. Based on data from our Volusia assessments, we are seeing growth in reading, writing, math, and science, across the grade levels marks Osceola s 60 th year of service to the Ormond Beach community. A lot has changed since 1955! What hasn t changed is the level of commitment of our teachers and staff to the wonderful students who attend our school. Our 60 th anniversary, technically, doesn t begin until September, but we will be recognizing and celebrating Osceola Elementary School s impact all year long. Report cards will be distributed next week. Please contact your child s teacher if you have any questions or concerns. Do you have a new phone number? Please contact the office at (386) to update your contact information, or use the form below. Thank you for ensuring students arrive on time. We appreciate all you do to support student learning. Please feel free to call us and let us know how we can help. Osceola Elementary is a great place to be! Mary Ellen Speidel, Ed.D. Principal Please cut here and return the bottom section to your child s teacher by Friday, January 16, MID- YEAR CONTACT INFORMATION UPDATE Dear Parents/Guardians: Do you have a new phone number or address? We need to have a current contact number and address on file for your child. This is important, especially in emergency situations. Also, a working phone number is the only way to receive district informational calls and automated weekly updates from the school. Thank you for your support! Please make changes below: Student Name Home Phone Work Phone Address Change in who may pick-up your child Relationship/Phone PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR CHILD S TEACHER BY FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, Thank you!

3 WORDS OF ART We had a fun December in the art room, learning and working hard on winter art assignments. When completed, classes with extra time did some fun how-to-draw lessons of favorite winter characters. These draw-alongs reinforce how to break down pictures into simple lines and shapes. As well as how choices about size and placement can affect the final outcome. Check out artforkidshub.com for some of these videos and printable sheets (and more art tutorials, too!) Students who love art may also enjoy some of the simple art ideas at artprojectsforkids.org. Keep practicing, artists! January starts our Connect with Art curriculum. Students will be learning about famous artists and why they make the work that they make. They will learn to read artwork and find ways to connect art to their personal life. Students will create art that expresses something about themselves and some of them will use symbols and color theory to do so! PHYSICAL EDUCATION NEWS PE Department is looking forward to a healthy and happy New Year. We will continue to set personal fitness goals for the second semester and work hard at completing the Fitness Challenges that we have been working on each month. Knowing your PE days and dressing for success is so very important. The schedule has changed slightly, so be sure to know your days to dress out and wear SNEAKERS! We wish everyone a very Happy Near Year! PARENT & TEACHER POEM BY RAY A. LINGENFELTER I dreamed I stood in a studio And watched two sculptors there, The clay they used was a young child's mind And they fashioned it with care. One was a teacher; the tools she used were books and music and art; One was a parent with a guiding hand and a gentle loving heart. And when at last their work was done They were proud of what they had wrought For the things they had worked into the child Could never be sold or bought. And each agreed she would have failed if she had worked alone For behind the parent stood the school, and behind the teacher stood the home.

4 COUNSELOR S CORNER The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals. --Melody Beattie Here we are at the second half of the school year! I think we are so fortunate that the New Year falls in the middle of the school year. The adrenalin that gets us (teachers, parents and students) all fired up at the beginning of the year begins to flag as we approach the holidays. But ta da! A new year begins and we re again filled with hope and energy. Please take advantage of this new page and use it to repeat what is working and reassess and change what isn t working. As I say this, I m thinking of regular bedtimes, homework habits, morning routines, being on time to school, checking backpacks and folders daily etc. Let s all start fresh, be involved and motivate our students to be excited and ready to tackle new learning adventures! In Guidance classes, we will continue lessons in the areas of personal and social development, academic skills and career development. One of the concepts that I try to weave into all guidance lessons is that each person is responsible for his/her own behavior and choices. A concept that goes right along with that is that we cannot control others behaviors and choices. These are hard concepts for our young students as well as for us adults. We don t get better at being responsible without practice. If your child exhibits unacceptable behavior or makes a bad choice, talk with the child about how he/ she could have acted differently. (Let them help with the ideas, because they usually know!) Give a consequence appropriate to the action and the child s age, and then remind the child that we re so lucky because we re human and can learn and do better the next time. Rather than reminding the child later about what he/she did wrong, keep re-teaching the desired behaviors and explain that childhood is all about learning how to do things. Praise, praise, praise good behaviors that you see. Life is ALL about learning. Enjoy the journey! I m continuing to work on an improved website for guidance. Watch for the unveiling. Also in the works is an Edmodo (Facebook-like school site) for our third, fourth and fifth graders. More to come! Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance to you and your child. Teaching your child how to cope when things go wrong is one of the greatest gifts you can give. --Kathleen Sullinger, School Counselor

5 SKYLER S PLACE WHAT S UP IN MEDIA?? My cousin, Sturgis has been travelling! In fact, he has been doing some international travelling and when you travel at this time of year, you get to see all kinds of wonderful traditions! (By the way, did you know that our tradition here at Osceola Elementary is that every year during December, the Feature Island Family decorates their house on Feature Island for the holidays?!) Sturgis has written a letter from every country he has visited. We ve had some fun with that by picking out details from his letters and seeing if we can figure out what country he is in. The first country he visited was Canada! Canada is cold in the winter. It is the second largest country in the world, and it borders the United States to the north. That was easy. The next country was a bit more difficult! It is surrounded on three sides by the Baltic Sea and Lake Peipus. The highest hill is Suur Munamägi or the great Egghill. And in the 2002 Olympics this country took a gold, a silver and a bronze medal home in cross-country skiing. Can you figure out what country it is? Ask your child!! Now, how about some fun at home! Here is Sturgis last letter. See if you can figure out where he is! You can let Mr. and Mrs. Keck know when you get back from the holiday vacation. Just turn in your answer with your name and your teacher s name on it by the end of January! They will have a gift for you if you are correct! Remember, the sky s the limit, Skyler DISMISSAL If there is a change in how your child will be going home, you must call the office at by 1:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. on Early Release Days). No changes may be accepted after these times.

6 WHO EARNED CHIEFIE? Congratulations to Ms. Todman s, Mrs. Hendrickson s and Mrs. Heller s classes. Thanks to their excellent cafeteria behavior, they earned a week with our school s mascot, Chiefie! Chiefie has been learning so much spending time in Osceola s classrooms. HOLIDAY CHORUS CONCERT Everyone enjoyed the Osceola Chorus performance at their annual holiday concert! HOUR OF CODE FIRST GRADE LITERACY THEMES Some Osceola classes participated in the Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week (December 8-14). Students learned that computer science is how the computer scientist tells the computer what he or she wants it to do. They found out that without computer science, they wouldn t have smartphones, apps, video games or Disney Pixar movies. Students participated in activities that involved creativity, problem solving, math, collaboration, and FUN! First grade classes added a little fun to their curriculum by planning literacy centers and other assignments around a different them each day during the week before holiday break. Tuesday was Grinch Day, students wore green and 1st grade teachers dressed in their Grinch shirts. Mrs. Cleckler s class learned how to draw the Grinch in art!

7 FIFTH GRADE FIELD TRIP TO EMBRY-RIDDLE On Monday, December 15, fifth grade classes took a field trip to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and viewed a women s basketball game. KIDZONE FIELD TRIP TO EMBRY-RIDDLE KidZone went to the Embry Riddle Game Night on Friday, December 12. It was a great opportunity for the students to see teamwork and motivation. In the pictures you will see Sara Potts shooting baskets. Daykota Baier, London Wilson, and Sara Potts dancing, and all of us eating dinner on the bleachers. Thank you goes out to Ms. Mashaw and Mr. Canetti for volunteering to chaperone on the trip as well. OSCEOLA S FLOAT IN THE ORMOND BEACH HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS PARADE Osceola participated in the Ormond Beach Home for the Holidays parade. Dr. Speidel and Mr. Swayze rode on the float joined by the chorus and escorted by the safety patrol.

8 THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO OSCEOLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! NASCAR International Speedway Bank of America Energizer Personal Care/Hawaiian Tropic Hilton Daytona Beach Ocean Front Resort Daytona State College Florida Memorial Medical Hospital Halifax Medical Center Florida Health Care Plan Chick-fil-A Olive Garden Red Lobster Winn Dixie Publix Trails Shopping Center CVS Walgreens Peach Valley Café Subway Belair Plaza Lois Lupker Houligan s D.B. Pickles RIPTIDE Outback Steak House PEPPER S The Black Sheep Pub Bone Fish Grill Charlie Horse Restaurant Ocean Deck Restaurant & Beach Club Michaels Dustin Bar-B-Que Hershey s Ice Cream Purple Dragonfly LuLu s Oceanside Grill Joe s Crab Shack Sam s Club The Daytona Plaza Resort & Spa Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Morgan Polans SANTA VISITS OSCEOLA Santa paid a special visit to some of Osceola s classes. He started with Ms. Todman and Mrs. Petersohn s classes and came back another day for a special breakfast with Kindergarten classes!

9 SCIENCE CLUB STARTING ON FRIDAYS AFTER SCHOOL Friday, January 16 will be the first meeting of Osceola s Science Club. They will meet every Friday after school until 3:15. The science club is open to 5th graders with a permission slip that can provide their own transportation home after the meeting. Interested students can contact Mrs. Treur for more information. FIELD TRIP TO THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND SCIENCES First grade students, along with Ms. Todman s class, visited the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach. They learned so much and enjoyed exploring the hands-on children s museum. THE SCHOOL VOLUNTEER A school is more than books and desks And learning two plus two. It s people who share their skills and care, And try their best in all they do. Please accept our heartfelt appreciation. Our school s a better place Because of your dedication. -Author Unknown- VIPS Recognition Day: Feb. 12, 2015 at University High School Please sign up at front office if you plan to go to the Breakfast. If you would like to volunteer at Osceola, contact Charlene Barker at ext Thank you for all you do for our school. WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS! OSCEOLA HOLIDAY POTLUCK What a feast was enjoyed by faculty and staff the week before holiday break!

10 FAMILY MATH NIGHT IS COMING IN FEBRUARY Have you taken a look at your child s math lately? If you have, I m sure you ve noticed that it s changed from the old days when we went to school. On February 17 th Osceola Elementary will be hosting a Family Math Night to uncover the mysteries of your child s math. We ll have something to eat and then break up into grade levels to learn more about some of the strategies your child is learning in the classroom to build number sense. Can t wait till then? No worries. I would love to meet with you personally to help you understand some of those strategies, or possibly communicate by to send you some websites you can explore to learn more about the strategies on your own. You can contact me by calling the school ( ) and leaving me a message, sending me an at shsheffi@volusia.k12.fl.us, or sending a note to school letting me know how I can contact you to find out your needs. I ll be glad to help in any way possible. If your child is a 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th, or 5 th grader you may want to check out a website called Learn Zillion. When you get there, type in your grade and a math concept in the search box. For example: 4 th grade division. A list of lessons and videos will come up. Choose the one that targets what your child is learning and explore to learn more. We use some of these very same videos with your child in the classroom. Please let me know how I can help! Mrs. Sheffield Osceola Elementary Math Coach OSCEOLA SCHOOL SPELLING BEE The Osceola School Spelling Bee will be held on January 16th, th and 5th grade students have received a list of words to practice spelling for the Bee. Classroom bees will be held the first week of January when the students return from Winter Break. The winner and runner up from each 4th and 5th grade classroom bee will then compete at our Osceola School Bee on January 16th. The winner of our school bee will then have the opportunity to compete at the Volusia County Spelling Bee in February, which will be held at Port Orange Elementary. The runner up from our school bee will accompany the winner to the Volusia County Spelling Bee to give them support. Please encourage your 4th and 5th graders to study their provided list of words that will give them an idea of what to expect at the school bee. Good luck to all of our 4th and 5th grade spelling bee participants!

11

12

13

14