Springmill STEM Family Newsletter

Time is beginning to pick up pace now that we are rolling toward the end of the year. There are many exciting events and things to accomplish in a short amount of time. Our staff is dedicated to making sure students reach their goals and have some fun along the way! That is hard work. If you would like to thank a teacher for their dedication to the students of Mansfield, teacher appreciation week is May 6 - May 10. While we have a great week planned for teachers, it would great if they received notes of thanks as well.

For safety reasons, I want to reiterate the importance of proper shoes at school. Many students are wearing crocs, but "forget" that they have to have the strap on their heal. After being reminded for 8 months they should know this. From now on, there will be consequences for forgetting in order to help students remember to have their strap on. Also, please practice shoe tying with your student. There have been many students that have tripped because someone accidentally steps on their laces (or they trip over them themselves). If they can't tie yet, please tuck their laces securely in the shoes.

As the weather warms up students are pulling out their summer shorts and shirts. As the students have grown over the year, it's possible that they "shrunk" in the drawer. As a reminder, shorts need to reach midway between their hip and knee. Shirts must cover the belly completely. We have some extra clothes on hand and will ask students to change if not.

We have so many field trips and classroom events over the next 6 weeks and I am excited to see how much the students have grown! I hope to see everyone at conferences on April 30 so you can see it too.

Cara Will

Building Principal

Springmill STEM Elementary

A special thank you to our music teacher, Mrs. Griffin, for her hard work putting the spring choir concert together. Our K, 2nd and 4th graders did a great job getting up on the stage. And how about those solos! Wow!

Our third grade classes have been learning about seed adaptations that allows seeds to be moved from one place to another. Students have been creating models that show how seeds can be transported by wind or animals.

During this time of year, people make decisions about where their students will go to school next year. Because we are a school of choice with a focus on STEM, I want to take a moment to share with you some of the things we do here that are unique to our school. I want all of our students to be successful! In order to do so in a STEM school, there are some things that students need to be able to do as a STEM student.

• We do a lot of science! We go outside, we do experiments & projects about science. If your student does not like science, it will be tough to be successful in a STEM school.
• We do Projects! Because we are a STEM school, we include PBLs in our curriculum. PBL stands for Project Based Learning. These projects are designed to challenge students and allow them to learn from hands-on work. They are often inter-disciplinary, meaning one project could impact the grades for reading, writing, math, science, etc. If your student refuses to do these types of projects, your student will not be successful in a STEM school.
• We use the engineering design process! From kindergarten, students in a STEM school learn how to use the design process to solve problems. This could be in any subject, like reading, math, social studies. One of the hardest steps in this process is IMPROVE, because it means students have to accept that what they did could be made better. If your student resists feedback to make improvements or just doesn't care, your student will not be successful in a STEM school.
• We teach Habits of Mind! As a STEM school, our goal is that every student leaves with the ability to solve problems. Problems could be as simple as how to tie their shoe to solving global warming. In order to do that, students must learn the following "habits of mind": curiosity, creativity, flexibility, persistence, collaboration and communication. One of the hardest for students is persistence. If your student refuses to try again after failure, your student will not be successful in a STEM school.

If you have any questions about how your student is doing in any of these areas, please have a discussion with your child's teacher. Most students thrive in this environment, but not all - and that's ok! We usually start to see students start to struggle in a STEM environment in 3rd grade. From K-2 students are being taught the basics of the design process and habits of mind, but in 3rd grade and up, students are expected to be able to use those tools to start solving problems themselves. Have a very open and honest discussion with your students (starting in 3rd grade) about how they feel about being in a STEM school - do they like doing projects? do they like science, technology, engineering and math? do they like to solve problems?

This is not just your average neighborhood small school. We are STEM!

I often hear from parents wondering why students have to take so many "tests" this time of year. It is a great question! A lot of it has to due with state law. The state department of education sets the required testing schedule for the Ohio State Tests. These tests are for students in grade 3-8 in ELA, math and science (5th only). We have to give these tests during the windows of time the state permits.

Additionally, the state of Ohio has mandated that all students in grades K-3 be screened for dyslexia this year. This screening is done with a different test than OST. Our district has chosen to use iReady as our dyslexia screening tool. It was given to students in January and must be given again by the end of the year.

Our district has also chosen to use iReady as a diagnostic tool for all grade levels. iReady is a computer based program that determines students' strengths and weaknesses in reading and math. This is given in the fall, winter and spring. We use data we get from this test to identify students that are struggling in specific skills. Then we provide those students with interventions (extra help) in those areas to help them improve. By checking multiple times, we can see if what we are doing is working, or if we need to try something different.

We do not like all this testing any more than the students do, but we really do get valuable information about how our students are doing in order to provide the help they need to be successful.

If you have any questions about any of the above listed tests, please contact me at will.cara@mansfieldschools.org .

Penny Wars! See flyer above for details.

5th Grade Math Test pt 2

4th Grade Math Test Pt 1

4th Grade Math Test Pt 2

Progress Reports Sent Home

No school for students - teacher work day

Parent-Teacher Conferences starting at 4:30 - 8pm

We have an exciting opportunity for students who will be in grades K-6 next school year. We have partnered with Camp Invention to offer a new and exciting WEEK long camp that is STEM based.

Camp will run June 10 - June 14 from 9:00am-3:30pm

Scholarships have been going fast so please reach out to Jade Harner (harner.jade@mansfieldschools.org) at our school to get your child's name on the list for camp this summer!