February Newsletter

Greetings Thurston Elementary Families,

As we step into the month of March, we are nearing the end of our second trimester and eagerly welcome the first signs of spring. The School Garden Project has started back up for our second graders, giving them the opportunity to learn about growing and enjoying their own food and plants. About 100 of our third, fourth and fifth grade students participated in OBOB (Oregon Battle of the Books). Our winning team will be competing in the local tournament on March 15th at Thurston High School. Kindergarten just celebrated the 100th day of school and first grade celebrated the 101st day of school. Both grades enjoyed activities and art projects for those celebrations.

As we gear up for Spring Break, I urge everyone to take this time to rest, rejuvenate, and spend quality time with loved ones. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child's education. Together, we can create a positive and enriching learning experience for all our students.

Warm Regards,

Amber Mitchell, Principal

If you would like to stay up to date on the latest announcements and TES events, check out the links below.

TES Parent Teacher Group

TES Facebook Page

TES Website

We are already preparing for next year's kindergarteners! If you have or know of a student who lives in our attendance area and will be 5 on or before September 1st, they will be able to attend kindergarten here. Please contact our office (541-744-6411) and we'll put him/her on our pre-enrollment list. We plan to have our kindergarten orientation later this spring (date to be determined).

March 4-8 is SPS Classified Appreciation Week. Classified staff are school staff who are not licensed teaching staff. This includes our educational assistants, custodians and maintenance staff, cooks, office and health room staff, librarians, bus drivers, and staff in our downtown office. At TES, we have more classified staff making the school run than we have teachers. When you see one of them this week, please tell them "thank you" for helping make TES the wonderful school it is!

Our final battle was Wednesday, February 26th, between The Queen Bees and The Phoenixes. The Queen Bees won that battle and will represent TES at Regionals on March 15th at Thurston High School.

If your child wants to participate in next year's OBoB, they can get a jump on reading the books; here is a partial list of elementary books for next year:

• Better With Butter by Victoria Piontek. (Realistic Fiction).
• Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein. (Mystery). Available in Spanish as Escapa de la biblioteca del señor Lemoncello.
• Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome. (Historical Fiction).
• Million Dollar Race, The by Matthew Ross Smith. (Realistic Fiction).
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. (Historical Fiction). Available in Spanish as ¿Quién cuenta las estrellas?
• The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla. (Mystery, Graphic Novel)
• Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter. (Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel). Available in Spanish as Apachurrada: Una novela gráfica.

Our district's Safe Routes to School coordinator has shared information about biking education school and workshops. Click the flyers for more specific info.

If you are hoping to help in your child's classroom or on a field trip, please make sure you have a valid volunteer application approved through Raptor. Please allow us a week for processing. Click here to reach the application page. Thank you!

Please call the office by 9:30 a.m. to let us know when and why your child will be absent. Also, we try to have consistent after-school plans for each student. If your child's after-school arrangement is different than usual (i.e. being picked up at school rather than riding the bus), please let us know by 2 p.m., so that we can get a message to your child in a timely manner. The office phone number is 541-744-6411.

** March 3 - Cheetah Gear ordering begins - through March 20

** March 6 - Parent Teacher Group Meeting 6 pm

** March 7 - Popcorn Day!

** April 3 - Parent Teacher Group Meeting 6 pm

Heroes of the Hallway is a fun opportunity for dads, grandpas, and other significant people in a student's life to come into the school. As one of our Heroes, you can volunteer in a classroom or on specific days participate in special activities with our students and other Heroes! You must complete a district Raptor volunteer application (see above for the link). Our next Heroes date is April 11. Contact Collin Waldahl for more information.

March 3-20 - Cheetah Gear ordering window open

March 3-7 - Classified Appreciation Week

March 6 - Parent Teacher Group meeting 6 pm

March 9 - Daylight Savings Time begins - "Spring Forward"

March 13 - Spring Pictures

March 14 - Early Release

March 15 - OBoB Regionals, THS

March 20 - 3rd Grade Music Performance 6 pm

March 20 - 5th Grade Music Performance 7 pm

March 21 - NO SCHOOL for students; grading day

March 24-28 - Spring Break

March 31 - School resumes, report cards will be sent home this week

April 1 - Dental Screening

April 3 - 3rd Grade to SHS for Eugene Youth Symphony Orchestra

April 3 - Parent Teacher Group meeting 6 pm

April 7 - Grades 3-5 to UO Softball game 11-2:15