Berthoud Eagle

December 2012

Principal to Parent This month I have a couple of important issues I want to share with you. Each year we update our crisis plan for Berthoud Elementary and as we gain more information from district, state and national sources, we are able to create and implement a strong plan of response to a crisis situation. Obviously, we all hope we will never face such a situation, but we also know it is best to be as prepared as possible. I appreciate how our building visitors are more conscious than ever of signing in and wearing a visitors tag. Families can also be of tremendous help by keeping the home and emergency information updated with the office and classroom teacher. Each time we have a blizzard we are reminded how crucial the updated information can be! Along with our police and fire departments we have determined an off-site evacuation place. In case students need to evacuate the school site, we would walk to the Five Stones Student Center at 770 2nd Street. Parents would be able to check their children out from this secure site. It was difficult to find a building that could house 450 500 people in our small town that was also within walking distance! Thank you to Grace Place for offering this site. Our alternate site would be at Turner Middle School. This spring we plan to have a practice evacuation drill to the Five Stones Student Center. Our Crisis Committee is preparing for what a practice will entail and we will be sharing more with you as we approach the April/May time frame. Also, as a school and district we incorporate technology standards into our daily instruction and practice. These standards include using technology to facilitate and inspire learning, innovation and creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Also to communicate, collaborate, and be fluent in using research and information tools, while promoting digital citizenship and ethical behavior. If we have the appropriate tools to make all of this possible our students can have the important experiences they need. I want to thank our parent community for working to raise funds to supplement district monies and acquire the necessary technology to update our classrooms, such as laptops, document cameras and projectors, interactive white boards, new computers in our lab and iPads! Thanks to our community who have generously supported this effort through PTA and the Berthoud Schools Fund. A special thanks to all who participated in sending photographs and information about Veterans and Active Duty Service members! It has been a meaningful way to honor, appreciate and learn about these important people in our lives. Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season, Mrs. LoJeske

Berthoud Elementary Homework Policy If a student is traveling for a vacation or personal reasons, homework will not be distributed prior to their trip. The homework will be held and can be completed upon their return. We do encourage students to keep a journal of their trip, to practice math facts and read during their absence. If a student is absent for two or more days due to illness, parents may contact the front office to request work. Please consider that teachers will need time to gather work from your childs other teachers. If a request is received first thing in the morning, work can usually be ready for pickup in the front office at the end of the school day. Please call first to make sure the work is in the office. A student who is absent will receive an equal number of days to complete their make-up work compared to the number of days absent. SINCERE THANKS Thank you to all who helped with vision and hearing screenings. Thank you to the Student Council Sponsors, our Student Council, PTA and the Breitstein family for helping out with Family Movie Night. Thank you to our Student Council Representatives for welcoming visitors during the Visitors Day lunch.

Chick-Fil-A Thank you Berthoud Elementary families for supporting our Chick-Fil-A Night in October. We raised $619!! This money will be used to help fund professional development for our staff. Many thanks to Kelsey Roberts for chairing this event!

Holiday Gift Shop The Holiday Gift Shop will be open December 11th 14th in the room next to Mrs. Kiles. This has been a fun and long-standing tradition that allows students the opportunity and experience of buying gifts for family members. This is not a fundraiser for the school, just a wonderful time to enjoy the excitement and satisfaction of giving to others. There will be a display case in the front hallway where samples of the gift choices may be viewed. Prices for items range between $0.50 and $10. Please help your child in the planning of who to buy for and what to give, and remember to have alternate choices in the event we run out of some items. If you have any questions, please contact Amie Burrows 720-275-0911. Spirit Day This month our Spirit Day will be on Friday, December 21st. Wear Red and Green for the holidays! Perfect Attendance Congratulations to all 110 students who received Perfect Attendance pencils this trimester! PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) Information Reminder, part of our PBIS process includes establishing clear expectations for the behavior we expect in all areas of our school and providing a common language for all staff and students. We explicitly teach those expectations to the students and reward them frequently with positive praise, S.O.A.R cards, golden S.O.A.R. cards, and other acknowledgements for their great behavior. These behaviors will be positively reinforced throughout your childs elementary school experience at Berthoud Elementary. If there is a concerning behavior a yellow behavior report will be sent home; please keep in mind these are not pink slips they are merely a communication tool between school and home to allow parents to know what is going on and items we are working on with their particular student. All staff members are expected to write/report concerning behaviors on our students to ensure there is continuity within our school on what is expected and that all staff members are to be respected. We expect all of our students to SOAR like an Eagle: Safe On-task and responsible Achieve your best Respect We believe that by helping students practice good behavior, we will build a school community where all students have an environment where they can succeed and grow. Thanks for all of your support. We are excited to be continuing a SOAR-ing year! ~Berthoud El TCAP TESTING DAYS The following are the TCAP testing dates. Please make arrangements to plan appointments and vacations outside of these testing windows. The third grade will be tested in reading on February 29th & March 1st. The March testing window for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades are as follows: Third grade writing and math testing dates are March 12th 23rd. Fourth and fifth grades reading, writing, math and fifth grade science will test March 12th 23rd. Box Tops Update - Great job everyone! We are expecting to receive our first Box Top check in December! Remember our goal for the year is 20,000 box tops. With your help, we can reach our goal and use the money to purchase much needed items for our school. Keep the Box Tops coming in! See the winter collection sheet at the end of this newsletter. With the busy holiday shopping, be sure to looks for Box Tops on all your packages. Please send all clipped Box Tops and finished collection sheets back to school in your child's folder, or drop them off in the VITAL room. Thank you for your support!!! - Jessica & Melissa

News from the Health Office With the change in the weather, the hats came back out, and now is a good time for parents to be on the alert for head lice. Head lice are a common childhood affliction. All places where children get together are places where head lice can be transferred. Clean hair and homes are no guarantee that head lice will not find your child. Periodically check your childs hair for nits (eggs), which can usually be seen long before lice can be located especially if you notice them scratching their scalps. Nits are small white to tan particles found in the hair that look a lot like dandruff, except that dandruff is loose and can be brushed from the hair, whereas nits are attached to the hair shaft and cannot be removed easily. Lice are very small (flea sized) and do not like light, so they can be hard to find as they stay near the scalp and ears. If your child is experiencing itching of the scalp or you see something in the hair and are not sure what it is, stop by the health office and allow us to check with you. Many thanks for your continued efforts in keeping our children healthy! ~ Miss Rebekah, Health Office 970-613-7502 Attendance Rules Absent: Please report all absences to the attendance line at 970-613-7590 each day of the absence, you can also let the front desk know if there is a planned extended absence prior to the absence occurring. It is the Thompson School District policy to send out attendance letters, regardless of the reason for an absence. The policy states that any student with the following will receive an attendance letter and notification from their homeroom teacher: missing 4 or more days within one month &/OR 7 or more days within a trimester. Tardy: A students participation in the morning routine of their class is very important. However, if a student is tardy, a parent/guardian must come in to the front office to sign the student in. If a student comes in late unaccompanied by an adult, then that student will receive an unexcused tardy on their attendance record. If your child is going to be late due to an appointment, please notify the office by 9:00 am if they need a hot lunch ordered. Early: Please remember that there is no adult supervision on the grounds until 8:40 am. It is unsafe for our students to arrive early. If they are eating breakfast at school, the cafeteria opens at 8:25 am. Especially with colder weather coming please keep in mind that all students need to arrive on time within the window of supervision and the start of school. Holiday Party Snack Ideas We appreciate all of the healthy snacks that parents have sent in for their children recently. Sweet treats along with healthy treats can help children to learn about moderation. The following are great healthy snack ideas to consider for classroom holiday parties. Please note that food brought in to the school must be prepackaged from the store with a list of ingredients/nutrients for those with allergies and other food related conditions. Things like low fat pudding, dried fruit, granola bars, whole grain crackers, veggie trays, fruit trays and cheese sticks are all great treats! Thank you for supporting healthy food choices for our students. Healthy Tip Make it a Healthy Breakfast: Give your child a mix of protein (examples: milk, cheese, eggs, meat, beans) and carbohydrates (examples: whole-grain cereal, fruit, whole-wheat bread). The carbohydrates boost energy and help your child jump-start their day, while the protein keeps their body going strong until lunchtime. School of Choice/Open Enrollment All students in the Thompson School District are assigned to attend a specific school based upon the geographical attendance area of their residence. However, students have the option of attending a school other than their assigned school. Families who wish to enroll their student in a school other than their assigned school must complete a School of Choice/Open Enrollment Application and submit it to their school of choice. Applications are accepted from Nov. 26 to no later than 3 p.m. on Dec. 21 for upcoming elementary school students for the 2013-2014 school year. Applications are available at any school or on the districts website during the application window. A separate application must be completed and submitted for each student. Requests are approved based on space availability and program availability. Once a student is accepted, he/she is enrolled at their school of choice for the duration of the grades served by the school, until a change of residence, or until the student discontinues a requested program. Transportation arrangements are the responsibility of the family choosing this option. Specific questions about enrolling in a school can generally be answered by calling that school's administrative office. Information can also be found on the Thompson School District website at http://thompson.k12.co.us/Divisions/Learning_Services/schools_of_choice.html.

Monthly Glance December 4 6 8 11-14 21 21 24-1/7 1/7 1/8 (Tues.)

Kindergarten Showcase at 6:30pm Original Works orders delivered Student Council Coin Drive Ends Holiday Gift Shop Holiday Parties: Last hour of the day (except a.m. kindergarten) Spirit Day: Wear Red and Green No School; Winter Break HAPPY HOLIDAYS! No School; Teacher PD/W Day First Day back from break for students

**See the next page for events at the Berthoud Library!

Here are the December events happening at the Berthoud Community Library: December 3- Libraries are disgusting! STEM it up Monday at 4 pm with this fun make and take your own gross experiment. December 4- Busy B's Story Time, 10:30 am. This lap-sit story time is designed for caregivers to interact with babies and toddlers; with songs, finger plays, stories and bounces we will open the gateway to reading. December 4 - Join us after story time for and early literacy interaction for caregivers and children in the meeting room at 11. December 5- Sweet P's Story Time, 10:30 am. Sweet P's story time is designed for preschool children. Come interact with songs, finger plays, stories and activities we will build pre-reading skills and have fun doing it. December 7 - Family Story Time, 10:30 am, library. We will interact with fun books, songs, and finger plays. December 10 - Nosedive! STEM it up Monday at 4 pm as we investigate the basics of lift and drag as they pertain to flight. December 11- Busy B's Story Time, 10:30 am. This lap-sit story time is designed for caregivers to interact with babies and toddlers; with songs, finger plays, stories and bounces we will open the gateway to reading. December 12- Sweet P's Story Time, 10:30 am. Sweet P's story time is designed for preschool children. Come interact with songs, finger plays, stories and activities we will build pre-reading skills and have fun doing it. December 14 - Family Story Time, 10:30 am, at the library. We will interact with fun books, songs, and finger plays. December 14 - Book to film club will meet at the Metropolitan theaters in Loveland to view The Hobbit discussion to follow after. Please call library for time. December 15- Lego club! Join us every third Saturday of the month for an hour of building with Lego 11am12pm in the Berthoud Community Library meeting room. December 17 - Salt, Soil, Seeds and Surface tension. STEM it up Monday at 4 pm. Join us for some fun experiments! December 18 - Busy B's Story Time, 10:30 am. This lap-sit story time is designed for caregivers to interact with babies and toddlers; with songs, finger plays, stories and bounces we will open the gateway to reading. December 19- Sweet P's Story Time, 10:30 am. Sweet P's story time is designed for preschool children. Come interact with songs, finger plays, stories and activities we will build pre-reading skills and have fun doing it. December 21 - Family Story Time, 10:30 am, at the library. We will interact with fun books, songs, and finger plays. December 21 - Polar Express Party! 5 pm at the library. Come in your pajamas and listen to the classic story of the power of belief. Enjoy a visit from Santa, games, crafts and a snack. Welcome aboard! December 24 & 25 Library closed for Christmas December 28 - Family Story Time, 10:30 am, at the library. We will interact with fun books, songs, and finger plays.