January 2025 Edition

Ottawa Elementary School

Dear Little Bucks Families,

We are excited to welcome back our staff, students, and families on January 6, 2025! It's a brand new year and we can't wait to get it started!

January brings a new year and mid-year assessments. The three assessments we administer to kindergarten and first grade students are the NWEA (math/reading), DIBELS (reading) and DELTA Math. We use these assessments to structure our intervention programs and how we determine whether students need to be placed on an IRIP (Individual Reading Intervention Plan). Specific testing days will be shared in this newsletter and in my weekly updates. If you are not receiving the updates that I send, please contact our school office so we can update your email and cell phone information.

We will spend the first few weeks after break going over our expectations and procedures to refresh everyone's memory through our 'Buck 3 Reboot Bootcamp'. This is where we practice all of our Buck 3 expectations just as we did the first weeks of school. We are going to be handing out Buck 3 tickets and Buck High Fives to encourage great behavior!

We hope all of our students had a fantastic winter break and are ready to come back to school to see their friends and teachers and get back to learning!

If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach me by Class Connect, phone, or email and I will be happy to speak with you.

Stacey Denison, Principal

sdenison@buchananschools.com

Our school office is open 8:00am-4:30pm

Phone: 269.695.8409

Mrs. Stacey Denison, Principal

sdenison@buchananschools.com

Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson, Administrative Assistant

ejohnson@buchananschools.com

REGULAR DAY OF SCHOOL

8:35am-3:43pm

ECSE AM 8:35am-11:50pm

ECSE PM 12:25pm-3:43pm

WACKY WEDNESDAYS

8:35am-3:10pm

HALF DAYS OF SCHOOL

8:35am-12:05pm

No ECSE Classes on these days!

JANUARY

6 School Back In Session

8 Wacky Wednesday Early Release at 3:10 pm

10 Report Cards will go home with students

14 RESA Playgroup 9:30 am (Children under 4)

14 PTO Meeting 6:30-7:15pm

15 Wacky Wednesday Early Release at 3:10 pm

16 Kickstart to Career Deposit Day

20 No School-MLK Day

21 Board of Education Meeting 6:00pm

22 Wacky Wednesday Early Release at 3:10 pm

29 Wacky Wednesday Early Release at 3:10 pm

31 No School- Staff Professional Development

Each test takes between 25-40 minutes and students may work at their own pace, if extra time is needed, that time will be afforded to students. They may also take a break if necessary, but generally most students complete the session without a break. If you have further questions, please reach out to your child's teacher.

NWEA Math

• Week of the 13th

NWEA Reading

• Week of the 20th

DELTA Math

• Week of the 27th

If your child is absent for any of the testing days or needs more time to finish outside of what is already scheduled, there will be additional days and times offered for completion.

These will be going home on Friday, January 10th in your child's red folder. If you do not receive your child's report card or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

We do live in Michigan and along with that comes cold, winter weather! We will be going outside for recess each day when the Real Feel temperature is 10 degrees or higher.

Items that all students should bring every day include the following:

• Coat
• Snowpants
• Boots
• Hat
• Gloves/Mittens

If your child is in need of any of these items, please contact our office. We do have some items available upon request, just call our office to inquire.

During the winter months, if there is snow on the ground and a student does not have boots, they will be asked to stay on the blacktop to play.

Michigan Gateway Community Foundation and Honor Credit Union will be collecting deposits on Thursday, January 16th! Students may bring in their deposits on Thursday in a sealed envelope with the following information: Student Name, Grade, Graduation Year and Account Number found in their personal savings account register booklet. If you have questions regarding deposits, please contact the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation at 695-3521.

We model and teach what we expect to see from students with the Buck 3. Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. Next week will be our first week to choose students that have been working hard at following the Buck 3. Pictures will be displayed on our wall for the entire school to see on their way to lunch and names announced during our announcements.

Each recipient will received a signed certificate that can be taken home to share with their family.

Congratulations to these Little Bucks of the Week! We are so proud of you and appreciate the example you lead for others at Ottawa! Keep up the phenomenal work!

Preschool: Malcolm T. and Piper B.

Kindergarten: Carter O., Carter M., Ryleigh W., Nova R., and Ronan P.

First Grade: Annabella H., Aurora P., Brianna B., Clayton R., and Callie P.

This form will be coming home in student's folders at the end of the week! Please note that due to our professional development day, preschool classes will not be in attendance for the Jan 30th popcorn day. If you have a preschooler you can submit .50 cents for the 16th, unless you would like to donate a $1.00.

Right before winter break, the students achieved their ticket goal and collected enough Buck 3 tickets to reach the goal line in our ticket bin. We were visited by Magician John Dudley for a fun and entertaining magic show! Way to go Little Bucks! Keep collecting those tickets! Thank you PTO for funding this reward!

We want to make sure every single student gets out the door and home safely. Please remember the following:

• You MUST contact our school office by 2:00 pm if you need to make changes to your child's transportation routine.

• If you need to make changes involving a bus, these changes must be communicated to our office by 1:30 pm, before the buses leave for their middle/high school routes.

• Please do not message or email teachers as they are often in session and do not receive the messages until it is too late.

• If you need a numbered car tag for the pick up line, please come into our office.

• If you are picking your child up as a walker, they will be dismissed at the doors by our front office.

• Only car riders with parents in the pick up line will be dismissed at the north parking lot doors.

269.695.8402

• January 21st
• February 18th
• March 17th
• April 21st
• May 19th

Meetings will be called to order at 6:00pm unless advertised differently.

269.695.8400

Superintendent

Mrs. Patricia Robinson probinson@buchananschools.com

Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent

Mrs. Michelle Munyon mmunyon@buchananschools.com

Director of Operations/Instructional Systems Coordinator

Mr. Mark Kurland mkurland@buchananschools.com

Business Office Specialist

Mrs. Carrie Brunsting cbrunsting@buchananschools.com

Director of Special Education

Mrs. Karin Falkenstein kfalkenstein@buchananschools.com

Director of Technology

Mr. Philip Place psplace@buchananschools.com

We work hard every day to make our school the best it can be. Please tell us how we’re doing!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedhHzyguA0_cCpd2Ue17lUTG5bV9LXzCoe6sP2f_BJrovA1Q/viewform