Elm Road Express November 2019

Thank you for your recent participation in

student/parent/teacher conferences. This important time

allows our teachers the opportunity to share student progress

with families and reinforce needed assistance at home. Please

take advantage of the information shared regarding free

computer programs available to your child. The programs are

aligned to grade level standards and are geared to the instructional needs of your child.

Safety is important at Elm Road School. The students have participated in all necessary

drills so far this school year. The drills serve as a reminder to all of our staff and students

and prepare us in the event we have an emergency. As our morning arrival becomes

darker, I remind parents to please be cautious when dropping off students. Parents are to

pull forward as much as possible along the curb and remain in a single file line. Please

remain in your vehicle, unless you use our parking lot and escort the students into the

building. As you pull into the parking lot, please stay on the far right side, so staff members

can enter in the morning and leave in the afternoon. Do NOT pass other vehicles. Thank

you for helping keep all of our students safe.

Nov 5th - Recess Day \ Election Day

Nov 7th - 1st Grade Vision - Optometrist @ Elm

Nov 8th - PTO Family Dance 6:30-8-:30 pm

Nov 11th - PTO Meeting 2:30 pm

Nov 11th- 2nd Grade trip to Penn

Nov 18th - 22nd - Food Drive

Nov 20th - 4th Grade to the Symphony

Nov 27-29 - Thanksgiving Recess

Please remember to set your clocks back November 3rd at 2 a.m. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep.

Congratulations to the following

“Eagles” for their wonderful

“SOAR” behavior

Barnes: Anavaya Hernandez & Nolan Markel

Portolese: Reese Fair & Gavin DeVreese

Renz: Reese Fair & Gavin DeVreese

Swaby: Allen Miller & Olivia Maxwell

Bush: Rupak Kaur & Jackson Bevis

Hinton: Lincoln Caston & Leighton Brown

Taylor: Madelyn Knefely, & Nora Slavinskas & Warren Haab

Clark: Bella Buxton & Blake Morales

Richard: Alex Vanvynckt & June Schmidt

Tornquist: Gabby Hintz & Kyle Sweezey

Anderson: Riley Hoover & Micah Cummins

Miller: Melina Perri & Royce Niles

Myers: Esmeralda Santos-Barrera & Isaiah Stark

Pillow: Chase Montague & Ava Rice

Cook: Bonnie Moore & Lucy Schmidt

Keough: Kayla Chau & Ethan Cummins

Newcomer: Lexi Dimicco & Dominic Fey

Freeman: Nevaeh Draper & Brooklyn Klatt

Kertai: Molly Barnes & Michael Nardini

Mellor: Alivia Dawson &Jacob Pennington

Shreiner: Emma Clark & Alyssa Goss

Website: elmroad.phmschools.org
Location: 59400 Elm Road, Mishawaka, IN, USA
Phone: 574-259-3743
Twitter: @ElmRoadES

Car Riders

• Student safety is important to us!
  
• When arriving at the school, please approach from the south off of Capital. That allows our traffic to keep flowing and does not interfere with our buses that are waiting to enter our parking lot to drop off the students.
• Parents picking up or dropping off children are reminded to have students exit curbside ONLY.
  
• Please pull up as far as safely possible to the next car before having students exit your vehicle. Always follow the directions of the safety patrol assistants.

• Please refrain from using your cell phones when you are not idling. Use this time to talk with your child or enjoy a read along chapter book. They are young, but for such a little time.
  
• Tune in and turn off.
• Please help your child memorize their car rider number. This helps dismissal go a little quicker!!

Elm Road Girls on the Run season is from February 24th through May 15th.

We will meet Mondays and Wednesday after school.

Please consider joining as an assistant coach. Daughter(s) of the coach are guaranteed a spot on the team.

Contact Jackie Anderson for more information.

JaAnderson@phm.k12.in.us

Do you know what day your student participates in their weekly SEL lesson?

Every week I have been going into the classrooms teaching your students Social Emotional Learning (SEL). During SEL lessons this month, your child(ren) will be learning more about feelings, self-control, calming down, and self-regulation. Make sure to engage your child(ren) in a discussion about how they are feeling. Communicating our feelings encourages us to learn positive ways to express our feelings. Work with me by sharing with your child(ren) about different coping strategies you use to manage your emotions in positive ways. If you would like to know more about SEL, here are some resources at the following website: https://www.phmschools.org/parents/social-emotional-learning#parent%20resources.

Any additional questions please contact me by email ashell@phm.k12.in.us or by phone 259-3743.

Thank you!

Thank you to the many volunteers and Leah Runyon and Samantha Ryckeart for co-chairing the Scholastic Book Fair. The Book Fair was a huge success! Sales were over $1,500 and our library received about $1500 in books for our Library. Many thanks to all of you for your purchases!

The students have been enjoying their books. Please ask them about the books they've been reading. Set an example, let them see you read. When children read independently for pleasure, they are building a strong foundation for future success in school and in life.

Thank you to the many Library Moms, Dads, and Grandparents that help with classes in the library every week – you are very much appreciated.

Mrs. Knapp

I hope everyone had a wonderful fall break and enjoyed the extra family time! Before we know it, winter break will be here!

I am proud to announce that we have our first set of “Readers of the Month!” These students were chosen by their teachers. Students were chosen based on their hard work and love for reading!

Kindergarten: Cameron Burns

First: Molly Cummins

Second: Bella Buxon

Third: Avery Runyon

Fourth: Layna Tropp

Fifth: Ben Decicco

Congratulations to all students! Each student will receive a book and bookmark. Students will also have their picture posted under our “Spotlight Readers” bulletin board located by the gym. Soon we will announce our October Class winner for daily reading! Make sure your child is reading nightly and documenting their reading! At the end of each month, have your child turn in their reading calendar to their teacher!

Any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at azache@phm.k12.in.us

Happy Reading!

-Mrs. Zache

In the month of November, 1st-3rd grade students will be studying George Frideric Handel and 4th and 5th grade students will be studying John Philip Sousa. 4th grade will be taking a trip to the South Bend Symphony on November 20th. Circle the State rehearsals begin on November 12th. Here's a little more of what each grade is working on:

1st: Steady Beat Activities, Introducing So and Mi

2nd: Finish SML unit, xylophone activities

3rd: Rounds, Rhythm Performance Task

4th: Take a break from recorder, do Star Spangled Banner unit

5th: 6/8 unit

Please email me with any questions!

Mrs. Nakayama

Elm Road Music Teacher

enakayama@phm.k12.in.us

Website: sites.google.com/phm.k12.in.us/elmroadmusicclass

Dear Families,

Happy Autumn! During the month of October, your child has practiced the following fire safety procedures during physical education: calling 9-1-1, stop-drop-and roll, staying low and crawling, opening and closing doors and windows, and learning that fire fighters are our friends (not to be scared or hide from them). We also appreciate our parent volunteers for being our 9-1-1 operators so students could practice making a 9-1-1 call and recite their address! Firefighter Hintz was a great guest speaker for our students! Please continue to work with your child(ren) on knowing address and a fire safety plan.

In addition to fire safety, all grades closed the month of October with enhancing our overhead throw and developing team strategies with games like “Hula Hut Throwdown”, “Monster Ball”, and “Snowball Fight”. We played “Wizard Tag” and “Pumpkin Tag” to warm up and exercise our hearts! A focus was placed on healthy food choices and heart rate through our game of “Haunted House”. All grades have been learning about the importance of the skeletal system and how to keep our growing bones strong and healthy.

In the month of November, all grades will be celebrating Veterans' Day and Thanksgiving with games in the gym as well as a visit from our martial artist.

A focus during gym has also been placed on basic locomotor skills. Please help your child practice tying, hopping, jumping, skipping, throwing and catching when there is opportunity. Many kindergarten through second graders are needing lots of help with tying!

Our 4/5 grade girls finished their after school basketball program with the fifth graders vs. Staff! These girls worked hard and demonstrated tremendous growth with their ball skills!

Thank you to Mrs. Tropp and Mrs. Nardini for monitoring our 4/5 mileage club runners at recess on Tuesday and Thursday!

Debbie Parisi & Sarah Sime

Social-Emotional Learning

For the month of November, the Social-Emotional Learning lessons at the elementary level will focus on self-management/regulation. Self-management/regulation refers to the ability to recognize and manage one’s emotions. Regulation skills build positive self-control, positive self-discipline, and impulse control. Students will discuss identifying and labeling feelings so they are better equipped to recognize situations that may cause frustration and stress and take appropriate steps to work through it, think before they act, and/or make changes. Students will also learn how different parts of their brain is activated when they feel stressed. Lessons will also touch on Self-Awareness/Insight, which refers to the ability to know your emotions and how they affect your thoughts and actions. Gaining insight is an important skill for building self-confidence, self-esteem, and empathy for others. Insight helps students recognize their own strengths and areas of growth.

Jennifer Sears, Ph.D.

Director of Social-Emotional Learning & Mental Health

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation