Stonegate Elementary Weekly News

• January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr Day - No School
  
• January 23 - International Fair 6:00-7:30pm
• January 24 - PTO Spirit Day - Crazy Socks
• January 27-31 - Box Top Collection Week
• February 3-7 - School Counselor Week
• February 7 - Global School Play Day (see information below)
• February 10-14 - Food Drive Week
• February 13 - 3rd Grade Specialty Fair
• February 13 - Family STEM/Wellness Night from 6:00-7:30pm
• February 14 - Valentine's Day Parties
• February 17 - President's Day - No School
• February 18 - Teacher Professional Development Day - No School for Students

Happy New Year and hope you have all had a restful winter break!

Our preschool class has been working on letter recognition and letter sounds. We enjoy singing our “Alphardy Song” every day to help us with letter sounds as well as learning the alphabet.

Preschool is also learning how to recognize and manage their emotions. The kids are learning how to name their feeling and by naming their feeling can help make the feeling less strong. We are learning the strategy of belly breathing. When we feel strong feelings it’s important to manage those feelings. By putting your hands on your tummy and saying “stop” are ways to begin to calm down. We continue working on our fine motor skills with writing, using scissors and opening lunch items. Our pre-k class will begin practicing their last names. The weather has also been mild so we have been taking advantage of playing outside.

Play has a significant psychological and cognitive impact on children.

Positively, play...

• develops physical fitness,
• refines physical (gross motor and fine motor) skills,
• provides practice for social and emotion development (requires cooperation, problem-solving, work in close proximity, requires emotional regulation, etc...)
• at times requires high levels of strategic thinking,
• and assists in developing skills to navigate risk and fear.

In other words, play can be considered the "work" of children.

Current research bears out significant negative impact on a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development when play, especially unstructured play, is absent from children.

Research findings illustrate that a decline in play is closely correlated to

• a decrease in empathy,
• increase in anxiety and depression,
• a decline in creativity,
• and deficits in socialization skills.
  

Simply put, Global School Play Day started in 2015 with the intent to set aside one day (or a portion of the day) for students to engage in unstructured play. It is an opportunity to introduce and inspire us to consider the necessary benefits of play.

After careful consideration, our staff decided that on Friday, February 7th. This day will provide us the opportunity to:

• observe and interact with students as they engage in authentic social exchanges,
• use this time to witness how your children navigate peer relationships,
• expand our understanding of your child as a person that has academic, social, and emotional aspects of their well-being,
• witness how they interact, show empathy, assist one another, problem-solve, and create
• glean more insight and information in order to provide more feedback to you (parents/guardians) that we are often unable to provide from our typical school day programming.

Our staff was inspired to consider participation when we viewed a Ted Talk by Dr. Peter Gray. In this Ted Talk, Dr. Gray shares his research on the impact of decreased play. I have the Ted Talk below. He definitely provides some interesting food for thought.

Zionsville Community Schools is continuing with the Food for Thought discussions. This dinner series is an opportunity for families to come together to talk about how we define community and if that definition has changed over time. Each dinner can accommodate 21 participants. The second of three events will be held on January 28th from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the Carolina Grill. Registration is open. Sign up today:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zionsville-community-schools-food-for-thought-series-registration-84937348897

How Does Food for Thought Work?

You sign up to be a part of a small group discussion over dinner (participants pay for their own meal and drink). Your host will guide the conversation, but the people at the table will drive it. All you need to do is come with a willingness to listen to learn and a desire to contribute to the conversation.

Details:

When: Tuesday, January 28th from 6:30-8:00 pm

Where: Carolina Grill

Sign-Up: There are only 21 spots available! 21 years and older only, please.

GO FAR

THIRD and FOURTH GRADE: Are your ready to GO FAR (Go out for a run) and be STRONG in EVERY WAY? REGISTER NOW at http://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/running-club.cfm

SGE Go Far Running Club: Grades 3rd-4th- Go Far is a 10-week comprehensive fitness program designed to teach children of all abilities about healthy eating, goal setting and how to train to walk/run a 5k. Club will meet each Monday beginning March 9th. Club will not meet the week of spring break. Our final club meeting will be May 11th. The final 5K event will be the Schools Out 5K on Thursday, May 21st in Zionsville. GO FAR Club participation fee will cover the cost of entry for this event. Email Mrs. Torrance dtorrance@zcs.k12.in.us or Mrs.Frobig lfrobig@zcs.k12.in.us with questions. Lace up your shoes and join us beginning Monday, MARCH 9, at 2:30!

GIRLS ON THE RUN

Girls on the Run inspires 3rd and 4th grade girls through a 10-week program, with lessons focusing on self-esteem, intentional decision making, empathy, and teamwork! The team positively impacts their community by completing a community project and eventually they will run in the Indy Fuel Girls on the Run 5K, May 9 at Marian University with over 1,000 participants, running buddies and friends from the community. Girls on the Run will meet Mondays 5:30-6:45 p.m & Thursday’s 2:30-3:45 p.m. beginning February 24. Register here: https://www.gotrci.org Confidential scholarships are available – no girl is ever turned away! Email questions to: marcie.cates@girlsontherun.org

Not sure which club to choose? Sign up for both! No experience is necessary!

Coaches are Needed

Two Spring Running Clubs Complement our mission: Strong in Every Way! Stonegate students are fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in both! We are looking for a few more volunteer staff or parent coaches for each running club. Commitment is minimal (1 practice per week) however, the impact on the youth you coach is life changing! Email dtorrance@zcs.k12.in.us to help out with GO FAR or marcie.cates@girlsontherun.org to help coach Girls on the Run. Whether you can assist at 1 session or all 10, your support is appreciated! Please e-mail for more details.

ERE OFFERINGS AT STONEGATE ELEMENTARY!

Academics

• French https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/french-grades-5th-6th.cfm
• Spanish https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/spanish.cfm
• Math Pentathlon https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/math-pentathlon.cfm

Music

• Choir and Orchestra https://www.dropbox.com/s/8gj4bzhh8o45gma/Course%20offerings%20in%20music4.0.pdf?dl=0

Arts & Crafts

• Paint It! Kids https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/paint-it-kids-fall-sessions.cfm
• My Art https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/myart-by-art.cfm
• I Must Have More Art https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/i-must-have-more-art.cfm

Enrichment Winter Break

• Chess Camp https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/winter-break-chess-camp.cfm
• Chess https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/chess_-winter.cfm
• Minecraft Winter Break Minecraft Adventure Camp @ZCHS https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/minecraft.cfm

• Cheer Clinic https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/2020-winter-cheer-clinic.cfm
• Witsken Tennis https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/team-witsken-tennis.cfm
• All Out Training Basketball w/Eddie Gill https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/all-out-training-basketballbrwith-eddie-gill_-winter.cfm
• Game On https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/game-on.cfm
  
• Go Far Running Club https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/running-club.cfm
• Volleyball https://programs.zionsvilleeaglerec.com/volleyball.cfm
  

We value partnerships with our families and welcome parents and guardians to serve as volunteers in our schools. Each ZCS building offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities.

Examples include:

• Field Trip Chaperones
• Out of Town/Overnight Chaperones
• Tutors
• Volunteer Coaches
• Classroom Helpers (PTO parties/room parents)
• Library Helpers
• After Prom Workers
• Field Day/Jog-A-Thon Volunteers
• Book Fair Sales/Athletic Ticket Sales

During the school day, all volunteers are expected to sign in at the front office. Prior to the volunteer opportunity, all volunteers must sign a Non-disclosure Acknowledgement Form and have successfully completed a Full Criminal History Background Check. Necessary background check paperwork is available on the ZCS website at the Volunteers/BRAVO link and should be submitted at least 10 days prior to the intended volunteer date. Volunteers must also view the state-mandated confidentiality/bullying video, provided on the Volunteer/BRAVO website. The volunteer will pay the fee* for the full background check which will expire after 5 years. The link to apply for the full background check can be accessed on the Volunteers/BRAVO link on the ZCS main webpage. For more information, contact the Volunteer/BRAVO Coordinator.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VISITORS

During the school day, all visitors must enter via the front door and sign-in at the front office. Visitors need to be prepared to present a government-issued photo ID which will be scanned against the National Sex Offender Registry. All visitors will be issued a visitor badge/tag to be worn inside the building at all times.

Examples Include:

• Lunch Guests
• Classroom Guest Speakers
• Classroom Special Events (Grandparent Day/Famous Hoosiers/etc.)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences

We ask that all visitors schedule an appointment to meet with teachers, counselors, administrators and all other staff members so that we may best serve everyone. Visitors other than parents/guardians must be prearranged and organized through the main office.

*ZCS thanks all volunteers for their generous support of our youth and schools. Thank you, too, for supporting assurance of student and staff safety by completing and paying for a volunteer background check.

ZCS Food Service Associate positions available at several of our cafeterias with a NEW starting pay of $13.00/hour! Click here to apply directly and call 317-733-4804 with any questions! Come join our team and meet us via this awesome (one click) video!

ZCS, like other public schools, has a no-idling policy for vehicles on campus. The purpose of the policy is to limit vehicle emissions that might be brought into the schools and adversely impact the health of our students and staff. If you are stopped on campus for more than 5 minutes, please remember to turn off your engine. We thank you for abiding by this policy to help reduce the exposure to these emissions.

Website: http://sge.zcs.k12.in.us/
Location: 7312 W Stonegate Dr, Zionsville, IN, United States
Phone: 317-873-8050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stonegate-Elementary-667262290025971/
Twitter: @ZCSStonegate