Lil Steamer Families --

Please note the following K-8 student expectations and home events that were sent out earlier today.

River Bend Families,

We have been approached about the number of students who run around unattended at football and volleyball games. When seeking adult support to address the issue, students often are attending alone and no adult is on-site to assist. In order to provide all event attendees with a safe and enjoyable event experience, new student expectations will be put into effect for all events held at Fulton High School. These student expectations begin on Friday, October 18, 2024 and include:

• all K-8 students must enter with an adult;

• all students are expected to watch the event, either sitting with the adult they entered with or in the section identified for each building;

• students will not be allowed to roam the hallway or campus without the supervision of the adult they entered the game or event with.

If a student misbehaves, he/she will be asked to go and sit with the adult responsible for them at the game.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter,

River Bend Administration

Strategic Planning

Thank you to those parents and community members who attended the first strategic planning meeting at FES last week. We will meet again on November 19 from 6:00 to 7:30 at FHS. Please plan to attend the second meeting if you'd like to join in the process. You are welcome to attend even if you did not attend the first meeting.

How to Teach Positive Self-Talk to Children

1. Model positive self-talk-Today was difficult, but I can try again tomorrow

2. Identify negative self-talk-Encourage them not to say things such as “I can’t” or “I never.” Show them that this can stop them from doing their best.

3. Teach positive affirmations-I can do hard things, I never give up, I am kind, I am loved.

Kindergarten had their pumpkin patch today where they got to do fun pumpkin activities outside, pick a pumpkin to take home, and had apple cider donuts for a snack. Thank you to the PTO for purchasing our pumpkins and snack! Also, thank you to McGinnis Melons for the pumpkins!

First and foremost, we understand that Halloween means different things to different families. If horror films, scariness, and spooky seasons are your jam - that’s great. But as a public elementary school supporting children as young as age 5, that’s not our jam.

To support all children, I want to be very clear that our Halloween celebration and parade will be school appropriate for all students and families. There are plenty of appropriate costumes for students to wear. A reminder to all parents we will not allow face paint, accessories, or costumes that are inappropriate for school (examples include dressing as horror movie/story characters, bloody/extreme/grotesque costumes, weapons, etc.). If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s costume, please contact Principal Jeffrey Hoese or Assistant Principal Kelli Parsons. We will be taking a very safe and considerate approach.

Weather permitting, the K-5 Halloween Parade will be held at 1:45 PM on the sidewalks outside of the building on Thursday, October 31, 2024. The path will go from the FES playground, up the hill towards RBMS, and then lap around the RBMS field. In the event of inclement weather, the parade will be held indoors in the hallways for students only.

Kindergarten through 5th grade students will have time to change into a costume prior to the parade. Costumes and makeup are not to be worn to school; they will have time before the parade to change.

What a fantastic start to the year for our PTO and school community!

House Lanyards: Just before Sorting Day, each of the four houses received brand new lanyards provided by the PTO! Both the students and teachers loved them, and you can catch a glimpse of everyone proudly wearing them in our previous newsletter. These lanyards will be used for years to come!

Coffee and Donut Fundraiser Success: Thanks to your support, our Coffee and Donut fundraiser raised over $4,800, making it our most successful fundraiser in the past three years! A huge thank you to everyone who participated! Special shout-out to 5C, the winning class, who earned a fun Popcorn Glow Party!

National Custodians Appreciation Day: On National Custodians Appreciation Day, our PTO proudly provided gifts for each of our hardworking custodians. We wanted to show our gratitude for all they do to keep our school running smoothly, so we gifted them some sweet treats and a gift card to Steam Anchor. Thank you to our custodial staff for all your dedication and care!

Upcoming Events:

• Trunk or Treat: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO LOW SIGN-UPS.
• Teacher Treats During Conferences: Eagle Brew has generously agreed to donate once again, and many parents have volunteered to drop off baked goods. We hope our teachers enjoy these treats as much as they did last year!

Polar Bear Patch Holiday Shop: Our PTO board is hard at work preparing for the beloved Polar Bear Patch! After great feedback from last year’s holiday shop, we have decided to personally shop for the items this year instead of using an outside company to provide the inventory. The kids loved shopping, and we’re aiming to provide an even better experience this year!

Coming Soon: Donuts with Grown-Ups is coming back this spring, a much-anticipated event loved by our community. Additionally, we're working on a few fundraisers that will make for great holiday gifts—stay tuned for more details!

Recent PTO Approvals: We’ve been busy approving requests that will benefit our students and teachers, including:

• Art supplies for Mystery Baskets in Mrs. Long’s Art classes.
• Speech supplies for Ms. Bri's current and future students.
• Play therapy figures and blocks for Counselor Mrs. Meumann’s students.
• Special Education supplies and games for Mrs. Whitney’s classroom.
• 1,056 bookmarks for all students visiting the library, requested by Mrs. Pannell.
• A reading program and supplies for Ms. Maloney’s classes.
• Pumpkins and apple juice for kindergarteners at the FES Annual Pumpkin Patch.
• A picture book series about making friends for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, requested by LeAnn Smith. This request approval is especially meaningful to our PTO members, many of whom have loved ones on the spectrum and understand the importance of friendship skills.

Next PTO Meeting: Our next meeting will be on November 12th at 7 PM (rescheduled due to Election Day). We hope to see you there!

Thank you for your continued support in making this a great year for our school community!

If you need to contact us, please reach out via Facebook at Fulton PTO, by email at fultonelempto@gmail.com, or connect with one of our board members:

• Lynne Coffey – President
• Abra Richards – Vice President & Media Manager
• Danielle Wilkins – Secretary
• Tarah Manon – Treasurer

Be sure to read through the conversation starters at the bottom of the newsletter for great ways to discuss how to be a self-directed student. Self-direct is our October monthly character trait!

Just an FYI that Clinton VNA is NOT doing the annual flu clinic at FES. This is due to lower numbers since COVID and the availability of other places to receive this. This program is not doing it at any schools, not just ours.

Email Principal Jeffrey Hoese at jhoese@riverbendschools.net to apply. An application form can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/4z8j9rp6

Art - Mrs. Long

Counselor - Mrs. Meumann

Speech - Ms. Bri

Intervention - Mrs. Fish

PK - Mrs. Kurtz

PK Resource - Mrs. Marten

KB - Mrs. VanZuiden

KC - Mrs. Gardner

K/1 Resource - Mrs. Whitney

1A - Mrs. Robertson

1C - Mrs. Schipper

2A - Ms. Maloney

2B - Mrs. Roos

2C - Mrs. Stern

2/3 Resource - Mr. Hartman

3A - Ms. Guerrero

3B - Ms. Norman

3D - Mrs. Kuehl

4A - Mrs. Alexander

4B - Mrs. Iben

4C - Mrs. Miner

5A - Mrs. Snyder

Home of the Lil Steamers!

Email: jhoese@riverbendschools.net
Website: riverbendschools.org/fes
Location: 1301 7th Avenue, Fulton, IL, USA
Phone: (815)589-2911
Twitter: @FultonSteamers