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Red Smith prek-8 school “where Raptors roar”

DECEMBER 2015-JANUARY 2016 NEWSLETTER

Hello Red Smith Raptor Families,

November 24th marked the end of Elementary Trimester 1 (Report Cards) and November 17th the end of Middle School Grading Period 2 (Progress Reports). You can expect to see Middle School Progress Re-ports as they were sent home Monday, November 30th. Elementary Report Cards will be distributed to stu-dents on Monday, December 7th. I was pleased to see so many of you at Parent/Guardian Teacher Confer-ences. Your involvement makes a long-lasting impression on your student(s) and with our staff, and is key to an effective educational experience. If you were unable to attend, feel free to reach out to your student’s teacher(s) at any time if you have questions or concerns.

Brrr! It’s hard to believe that December is upon us. With daylight savings and cold temperatures comes the excitement and anticipation of winter activities, both at school and home. Please check the Red Smith School Activities link on the website for dates and times, or contact us. De-cember also brings inclement weather. It is important that our students dress appropriately for

conditions. When we have snow on the ground, Elementary students are reminded to have gloves/mittens, a hat, snow pants and boots. Students will be brought directly inside upon morning drop-off and stay inside throughout the day if temperatures are below zero (air temperature or wind chill). Otherwise, they will be outdoors. We monitor WBAY.com for accurate weather information.

For the safety of all students and staff supervising, please continue to obey street signage, be mindful of others and use caution around those who travel by foot. Staff members are present at critical locations to assist in the process of helping keep students safe, but cannot act as crossing guards. If you are unaware of traffic flow protocol around school, please call and I’ll help to ex-plain. We can also provide an electronic or hard copy updated map to you, if requested.

Since becoming the Principal here, I continue to be impressed with our Red Smith School Learning Com-munity and the high level of parent/guardian/volunteer involvement. Thank you for your commitment to your student’s education. The support and assistance you offer our teaching staff is also appreciated. I look forward to seeing you around school, hearing positive feedback or suggestions for improvement and en-courage you to continue to support all Red Smith Raptors!

On behalf of the entire Red Smith School staff, we wish you and your family a festive winter season. Enjoy the excitement and wonder through the eyes of your student(s)!

Sincerely,

Willie Birkholz

Principal

Together, We...

Value Learning

Inspire Thinking

Embrace Challenges

Celebrate Talent

Appreciate Diversity

Dream Big!

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Student Council Thanks You!

Student Council would like to extend a big

'thank you' to all of you who contributed to

the Humane Society Drive. Helping those in

our community who are in need, including

the animals, is a wonderful thing. Working

together we can help make the world a

better place.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Erin O’Connor

Student Council Advisor

Spanish Class-

-Parents and students, please be

sure to look for the new Spanish

Class website that will be

launched in the coming days. It is

a great way to stay up to date with

what’s going on in Spanish class

and to get important information

and resources for the year! An

email with the link will also be

sent out to anyone that provided

an email in infinite Campus. Stay

tuned!!

-Sr. Mineau

8TH GRADE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

Orientation for Preble High School

R e s e r v e t h e d a t e

Thursday January 7, 2016

Preble High School Auditorium

2 evening options will be offered -- times to be determined

There is a scheduled orientation for current 8th graders and families. Stu-dent services staff will address course offerings and other academic related items. A student panel will be available for a question and answer portion. Building tours will be provided by Peer Performance students. Families will be invited to browse and gather information from the curriculum depart-ments, extracurricular activities, and athletics.

Please join us!

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Red Smith Music Department Middle School Calendar of Events

2015-16

October 5th Mon Music Dept. Fall Fund Raiser Kick-off! Music Department 16th Fri Preble Football (Band 2/3 only) 7:00 pm PHS November 5 & 6 Th & Fr Matinee Performances 1 pm MS Gym 5th grades k-5 6th grades 6-8

5, 6, 7 Th-Sat Musical Performances 7 pm MS Gym December 8th Tue MS Band Concert 7 pm MS Gym 15th Tue MS Orchestra/Choir Concert 7 pm MS Gym 17th Thurs Elementary Vocal Music Concert 1 pm(K,1 & 2) MS Gym

1:45 pm (3,4 & 5) MS Gym January 28th Thurs (POSSIBLE) 5th grade instrumental recital TBA MS Gym February

4th Thurs 5th grade Orchestra Spring Fling 7pm Preble HS 11th Thurs Show Choir/Jazz Band Elem. Tour All Day

Red Smith Matinee 1:35 MS Gym 27th Sat Middle Level Solo & Ensemble Festival All day Preble HS 29th Mon Spring Fundraiser Kick-off! March 4th Fri Show Choir/Jazz Band S/E Festival PM/Preble HS 17th Thurs Jazz Concert 7 pm MS Gym April 12th Tue WSMA Orchestra Festival East HS 19th Tue WSMA Band Festival Washington MS May 6th Fri 5th Grade Instrumental Concert 1:45pm MS Gym

7th Sat State Solo & Ensemble Festival All Day UWGB 19th Thurs Band Concert 1 pm MS Gym

21st Sat 7/8 grade Music Dept trip All Day 26th Thurs Orchestra and Choir Concert 7 pm MS Gym

June 2nd Tue Elementary Vocal Concert 1:00 pm MS Gym

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INTRA-DISTRICT TRANSFER WINDOW

The application windows for students requesting to attend a different Green Bay Public School (other than

the one in their attendance area) for the 2016-17 school year are as follows:

Preference Window: January 4 - January 29, 2016

Applications submitted during this window will be considered prior to those submitted through Open En-

rollment.

Additional Window: February 1 - April 29, 2016

Applications submitted during this window will be considered at the same time as applications that are sub-

mitted through Open Enrollment.

Information Letter and Application form:

The information letter and application form can be found on the Green Bay Area Public School District

webpage (www.gbaps.org) by clicking on the Parents tab and then choosing Forms, or at a district school

building starting December 1, 2015.

Applications will not be accepted before January 4, 2016.

Applications should be submitted to the Green Bay Area Public School District, Central Registration –

Room 116, 200 South Broadway, Green Bay, WI 54303.

Students who have previously completed an Intra-District Transfer Application and were approved are

not required to reapply unless the approval was for the current year only.

Students who were placed on a waiting list but not accepted for intra-district transfer during the 2015-16

school year must reapply if they wish to be considered for attendance at the requested school for the 2016-17

school year.

Questions? Please contact Jenny VandenPlas at 920-272-7069.

The Brown County Health Department staff came to our

school this past month to provide

Hearing and/or Vision Screenings.

The Hearing Screens targeted the following grades –4K, 5K and 1st grades, and any students requested by teachers, parents or

guardians.

The Vision Screens targeted the following grades –4K, 5K, 1st, 3rd, 5th and any students requested by teachers, parents or/

guardians.

The Health Department would like to take this opportunity to say “Thank you” to the following volunteers

who came in to assist with the screening process: Melissa Putzier

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ATTENTION MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILIES

Believe it or not, the scheduling process for 2016-2017 will begin short-ly. Please be mindful of the following dates and look for information that your student should be bringing home. The info will also be linked on our Red Smith home page (look for it coming the early part of December). Just click the scheduling tab on the left side of the home page.

Current 6th grade: Mrs. Brecklin and Mrs. Villarruel, School Counselors, will be presenting

course information to your student during the week of December 14th. Please be on the lookout for a course description book and a registration form that will be given to your student to select “electives” for the 2016-2017 school year. The core academic subjects (math, science, social stud-ies, and language arts) will not be determined at this time.

Current 7th grade: Students in 7th grade will receive “elective” course information during the

week of January 4th. Please be on the lookout for a course description book and a registration form that will be given to your student to select “electives” for the 2016-2017 school year. The core academic subjects (math, science, social studies, and language arts) will not be determined at this time.

Current 8th grade: Preble Counselors will be at Red Smith on Thursday January 7th to distrib-

ute course information books and registration sheets. This presentation will take place during first hour. Preble counselors will return to Red Smith on Thursday, January 14th to enter course re-quests. You and your student are invited to attend a “Freshman Orientation” at Preble High School on the evening of Thursday, January 7th. This is a great opportunity for you and your student to hear about all of the wonderful happenings at Preble and to ask any questions you may have. Please consider attending this important informational event.