High Plains Elementary October 2013

Dear Parents and Guardians, Fall is a beautiful time of year in Colorado. I hope you take time to enjoy the Fall colors! Our children need to enjoy the fresh air with the appropriate clothing. We have days that begin cool, turn warm by afternoon, and get cool again at the end of the day. A jacket in your child’s backpack will keep them ready for any change in weather. Please stop by during conferences and check for lost clothing in our Lost and Found.

Thank you to our PTO for our Believe Fall fundraiser which was well supported by our community. I know that our top fundraisers are looking forward to the limo ride and having a fine dining experience at school.

Our first bell for entry is at 8:05. Children enter through the front doors and proceed to their classrooms. It is very important for building community in the classroom when your child is arriving on time and ready to learn at 8:15 am.

Our staff continues to be committed to delivering instruction with minimal interrup-tions. Thank you for refraining from visiting the classroom to deliver lunches, backpacks, treats, materials etc. Your assistance in delivering these items to the office is appreciated. We ensure that your child receives their items in a timely manner. If you want to talk with your child’s teacher, please remember to leave a message at the office for them to arrange a call or meeting.

If you have a child attending our before/ after school clubs and ASH, please be aware of our drop off and pick up rules. All buses and daycare vans have the right of way. They drop off and pick up children in front of the school. This area needs to be “car free” because of child safety. If you are coming to pick up your child, please park in our lot and walk to the front of the school to pick up your child. Then walk with them to your car. Student pickup from after school clubs is on Vintage in the Kiss and Drop zone. Afternoon clubs and ASH release at 4:15. The building/office is not open before 7:45 or after 4:15 p.m. Thank you for your cooperation and consideration of our children’s safety.

Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on the evening of October 16th and during the day and evening of October 17th. Conferences are a time for parents and teachers to work together sharing in-formation about your child, answer any questions, and communicate about your child’s strengths and challenges. Please take time to read the Parent-Teacher Conference ideas in this newsletter. This is also a time for you to complete the Climate and Character Education survey (open from 10/8 through 11/20) by using available computers in our classrooms and/or computer lab. Your opinion is welcome! We look forward to visiting with our families during conferences.

Each day is a wonderful experience with all the children, staff, and families at High Plains! Respectfully, Chris Saip Principal

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Phone: 719-234-4700 Fax: 719-234-4799 Website: www.asd20.org/hpe

Chris Saip, Principal Jan Schneider, Assistant Principal

High Plains Elementary October 2013

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

Wednesday October 2: 3rd Grade Field Trip 8:45am - 12:45pm

Thursday October 3: 2nd Grade Field Trip 9:30am - 12:00pm

Tuesday October 8: PTO Meeting 1:45 - 2:45 pm

Title I Family Night 5:30 - 7:00pm

Wednesday October 9: 3rd gr. CoGAT Testing

9:00 - 10:00 am PRIDE Assembly 2:30 pm

Thursday October 10: Elementary Teacher Workday

NO SCHOOL

Friday October 11: Professional Development Day

NO SCHOOL

Monday 14 - Thursday 17: Book Fair - HPE

Library

Tuesday October 15: Kindergarten Field Trip 9:30am - 1:00pm

Wednesday October 16: Parent Teacher Conferences

3:30 - 8:00 pm

Thursday October 17: Parent TeacherConferences

NO SCHOOL

Friday October 18: NO SCHOOL

Friday October 25: Picture Day Retakes

4th Grade Music Program 2:15 pm

Tuesday October 22: Parent Volunteer Orientation

3:30 - 4:15pm

Tuesday October 29th: McDonald McTeacher Night

2013

Printer Cartridges

Please don't throw out your used printer cartridges. Bring them to Mrs. Kinney’s room. The school gets money for the

P a r e n t Vo l u n t e e r O r i e n t a t i o n

To our parent volunteers: There will be a Parent Volunteer Orientation from 3:30 – 4:15 on Tuesday, October 22nd. Hope to see you there! Thanks to all members of our communi-ty who come to help out at High Plains. We have a very generous community, and feel grateful that you are helping our students feel successful, safe, and happy.

To report an absence or late arrival: Call 234-4700;please leave a message if no answer.

Parent Teacher ConferencesParent Teacher Conferences

Don’t forget to attend Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 16th and 17th. Your

attendance is vital to your child’s success. Your opinion is welcome! Watch for further

Information from teachers on your scheduled time.

Thank You!

High Plains Elementary October 2013

Respect is this month’s character trait. We are working hard at

High Plains to help our students learn to respect themselves

through health and wellness. We are going to change the policy

for drinks in the classroom to include only water. It is essential

for everyone to drink water everyday especially in Colorado. By

starting this habit in elementary school, we hope that it will carry

on throughout their lives and they will choose to drink water

instead of some of the other less healthy options that are out

there. We are also encouraging our classroom parties to limit

sugar and provide healthy snacks for the party and focus in on

fun activities. Something you can do to support the school is to

try sending a healthy snack for your child each day. Whole

grains, Fruits and vegetables give our kids more brain power then

less healthier options.

Think of a health and wellness goal for your family. It may be

taking a walk after dinner, playing basketball for 15 minutes,

drinking more water or giving up fast food. My family chose to

give up fast food for a month. In my house, we defined fast food

as any place with a drive thru. I think the kids did better than my

husband and I because Starbucks was not on the okay list. We

had to work together to come up with meals that could be quick

for soccer nights but we made it work. In the end we felt better

and the budget was a little better off as well. The great thing

about making a wellness goal as a family is that you tend to

spend a little more quality time together and it is fun to work on

and accomplish something together.

Julie Moser & Kristin Florez

School Counselors Julie.moser@asd20.org

Kristin.florex@asd20.org

High Plains Elementary October 2013

ITBS & COGAT TESTING

FOR 3RD GRADERS!

This October our 3rd graders will take the CogAT (Cognitive

Abilities Test) and the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills). These

tests are national, norm-referenced tests which provide

teachers and parents with valuable information.

Below you will find the testing days and times for this year.

Please mark these days on your calendars. We ask that

students be at school on time and, if possible, are not

pulled during testing times for appointments.

If you should arrive at school to pick up a child during these

times, we will have to wait until testing is complete to pull the

child as we are unable to interrupt the testing environment.

Please help us and encourage your children to do their best.

3rd Grade Testing Schedule: (All tests administered

from 9:00–10:00)

Wednesday, October 9

Monday, October 21

Tuesday, October 22

Wednesday, October 23

High Plains Elementary October 2013

All profits from these sales will benefit the library with the purchase of a SMART Board and its related technological

equipment/software. Help us reach our goal of $6,500

in sales!

October 14 8am-4:30pm

October 15 8am-4:30pm

October 16 8am-7:30pm

October 17 8am-7:30pm

Included in this year’s book fair:

Grade level raffles which will include new releases and

school supplies

Online book fair available between October 9th-25th

Visit: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/

highplainselementary

Student wish lists will be created October 14th and 15th

Join us for the fall book fair during the week of October 14

th-17

th

High Plains Elementary October 2013

News Club - We meet on Wednesdays at 7:15 a.m. Students are learning how to report the news for the weekly newscast and using the video camera.

Club News

Choir Club – Meetings are on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings starting at 7:25 am. Please be on time!

Tech Club – We will begin meeting on November 4th and end February 10th. More infor-mation to come.

Drama Club – We will begin meeting November 5th. We will perform on December 17th. More information to come.

Sports Club – Join us for Cross Country! From

October 14th through the week of November 4th from 3:15 - 4:15 pm. Tuesday: 4th Grade Wednesday: 3rd Grade Thursday: 5th Grade

High Plains Elementary October 2013

Sports Club – Join us for Cross Country! From

October 14th through the week of November 4th from 3:15 - 4:15 pm. Tuesday: 4th Grade Wednesday: 3rd Grade Thursday: 5th Grade

Attention 3rd, 4th and 5th graders!!

Sports Club will be starting Tuesday September 10th. The club consists of 7 sessions. Please turn in your

permission forms.

The 7 sessions are:

Cross Country (Running) #1 – Week of September 9th through week of

September 30th.

Cross Country (Running) #2 – Week of October 14th through the week of

November 4th.

Basketball – Week of November 11th through the week of December 9th.

Dodgeball #1 - Week of January 13th through the week of January 27th.

Dodgeball #2 – Week of February 4th through week of February 24th.

Sport Stacking – Week of March 3rd through week of April 7th.

Ultimate Frisbee - Week of April 14th through the week of May 5th.

4th Grade will meet on Tuesdays 3:20-4:15

3rd Grade will meet on Wednesday 3:20-4:15

5th Grade will meet on Thursdays 3:20-4:15

You must be caught up in your schoolwork

and homework to be able to participate in a club. Students will be allowed

to ride the activity bus home, walk, or be promptly picked up at

4:15. Late pick up could mean losing your enrollment slot.

High Plains Elementary October 2013

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

Battle of the Books meetings are held Friday mornings from 7:20-7:55am in the Library at High Plains. Any questions, please contact Ms. Smith (staci.smith@asd20.org) or Mrs. Edgar (dawn.borne@asd20.org) at 234-4700.

CUBEHEADS (Grades 3-5)

Learn to use the Rubik's cube and prepare for the Cool Science Cube competition in October. Our last meeting will be Wednesday, October 9th and we are NOT meeting on Tuesday Octo-ber 8th. See you all there on Wednesday!

Harvest Celebration Classroom Parties

Parties will be held on Thursday October 31st at 2:30pm. Parents will be allowed to go into classrooms at 2:15 pm. If you need to drop off party food, or any other items before this time, they must be brought to

the office. Costumes are optional for children. Masks, makeup or weapons are NOT allowed. We encourage adults to NOT wear costumes for safety reasons. Thank you!

High Plains Elementary October 2013

What about Breakfast?!? Only one in five children comes to school having had a nutritionally-adequate breakfast. Yet breakfast provides the first nutrition the body has had in 10-12 hours (a full half day). If a child comes to school without any breakfast, this means that the body will be without food for a 15-17 hour stretch!

How important is breakfast? Those of us who work with children in school situations could answer this question quickly and emphatically: VERY IMPORTANT!! It is often easy to identify the child who hasn’t had breakfast. He or she is usually slow to get started, cranky, difficult to motivate, and generally negative in attitude, all of which create barriers to learning. Frequently, these children develop mid-morning stomach aches and headaches, causing them to spend valuable class time in the health room. I would like to pass along a few “breakfast thoughts” to parents who work “in” and “out” of the home.

Parents who work “out” of the home can plan ahead and have things on hand which children can prepare easily and quickly on their own. Frozen waffles and French toast which can be popped in the toaster and individual packages of instant hot cereals are just some of the foods available. Fruit juice and milk from the refrigerator, when served with waffles, toast, or cereals, make quick nourishing meals.

Parents who work “in” the home can establish a rising time which gives children ample opportunity to eat before they leave for school, even if your children leave at different times. If your child is difficult to rise in the morning and often “runs late,” have breakfast ready to grab on the way out of the house. Mornings can be hectic times, as we rush to get everything accomplished.

Consider these options: You don’t need to eat a traditional bacon and egg breakfast. Leftovers from the night before can be just as nutritious in the morning. Hard boil a dozen eggs on the weekend and keep them in the refrigerator. If you are concerned about your kindergarten or first grader spilling milk or juice, pour a glass the night before and cover it with plastic wrap so he or she can reach for it off the shelf. Don’t want you child using a sharp knife? Cut a hunk of cheese into small pieces and cover with plastic wrap for their easy reach. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein. Make a simple peanut butter sandwich the night before. Don’t like corn flakes all over the floor in the morning? It takes just a second to pour a bowl full and leave it on the table for your child in the morning. Bananas, grapes, celery, and cherry tomatoes are all finger foods and easy to have on hand.

I hope these suggestions will prove beneficial and cut down on the numbers of the “Skip Breakfast Club.”

Source: California School Nurses Organization http://www.csno.org

Jane Manderfield, School Nurse

A N OT E F R O M T H E N U R S E

High Plains Elementary October 2013

P TO H AP P EN ING S

~ October 2013 ~

September was a great month full of fun events and activities! Our Back to School Movie

night was so much fun and we loved seeing all the kids in their jammies. Everyone had a

great time at Skate City night, too, skating in their Broncos gear. Thank you to everyone

who came to support the school and make these evenings a success! And a special thank

you to all those who volunteered for Field Day – we couldn't have done it without you!

Mark your calendars for Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, October 8th, PTO Meeting : 1:45pm at High Plains. (Please bring your kids if

you need to. There is an area available for them to play quietly.)

Monday, October 14th – Thursday, October 17th : Fall Book Fair - Come buy books for

your child and/or their classroom. They make great gifts, too!

Wednesday, October 16th : Staff Appreciation Dinner – Help us show our teachers how

much we appreciate all their hard work by bringing a food item for their dinner after a

long day of parent teacher conferences! Look for a note to come home to volunteer to

send an item.

Tuesday, October 29th : McTeacher night at McDonalds – Take the night off from

cooking and come enjoy a meal with friends and family at McDonalds. Many of the staff

from High Plains will be there and it's a great way to support our school!

Volunteer Opportunities:

We are always looking for great volunteers at our school even if you can only volunteer

once or twice a year. Don’t forget to turn in your volunteer form and student directory

form.

We are collecting Box Tops and Labels for Education. There are lots of new products for

both programs including Box Tops on Avery brand labels and binders

Items and Labels for Education on POST cereals and Pop Secret Pop-

corn.

Would you like to know more about coming events? You can send an

email toHighPlainsPTO@gmail.com and we will get you added to the

PTO Members email list.

Thanks for all you do!

High Plains PTO

High Plains Elementary October 2013

October 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

3rd Grade

Field Trip

PTO Meeting 1:45 pm

PRIDE Assembly 2:30 pm

-NO SCHOOL- Elementary

Teacher

Workday

Professional

Development

Day

NO

SCHOOL Evening Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher

Conferences

B O O K FA I R 1 4 T H - 1 7 T H ←

4th Grade Music

Program

McDonalds

McTeacher

Night

Halloween

2nd Grade

Field Trip

Title I Family Night 5:30-7:00

Spirit

Day

Harvest Celebration 2:30pm

3rd Grade CoGAT Testing 9:00-10:00am

ITBS 3rd Grade 9-10am

ITBS 3rd Grade 9-10am

ITBS 3rd Grade 9-10am

S a f e t y W e e k & W e l l n e s s W e e k

Kinder Field Trip 9:30

High Plains Elementary October 2013

High Plains Elementary October 2013