Rocket News
May 2023
A letter from your principal
Royal Oaks Parents and Caregivers,
We have a motto here at Royal Oaks for the last quarter of the year and that is Finish Strong! That motto has served us well historically. It is our reminder that we "get to" show ourselves, our parents and caregivers and our teachers how we have grown as a learner. We "get to" show ourselves, our teachers and our parents and caregivers how we have become "Highly Engaged Learners Who Own the Learning Process." The end of any school year is usually filled with all sorts of enend-of-yearssessments. Though these are important, they are not the single indication of growth. We place a lot of value on educating the whole child....academically, socially, and emotionally.
As you have "end of year" conversations with your Rocket(s), please continue to ask questions like What are ways you changed as a reader and mathematician? How have you grown? What made you change? I'd also encourage you to ask how your Rocket has changed in showing the Rocket Way (Cooperation, Assertiveness, Responsibility, Empathy and Self Control). How have they grown in overcoming barriers in their learning? Are they an empathetic friend? What does empathy mean? There are so many ways in which we grow as learners. It is truly an exciting time to be a learner....let's continue to model that as adults.
May and early June are set to be a very busy time. Please continue to read the communications that are sent out by teachers and Royal Oaks. We are excited to celebrate with our departing 5th Graders with a celebration on our last day of school Friday, June 9th. Fifth grade parents and caregivers please keep your eyes open for information regarding this special event. This particular newsletter has a lot of important information in order to Finish this year Strong and Start next year Strong!
Thanks for all you do to make Royal Oaks a great place to learn and work.
April was Autism Acceptance month...
April has been a busy month at Royal Oaks learning about and appreciating those on the autism spectrum! Our Rockets have learned that neurodiversity is the fact that all brains work differently and we all respond differently when taking in sensory information such sounds and sights. Famous people on the spectrum were highlighted this month such as Greta Thunberg, Armani Williams, Temple Grandin and Max Park. Ask your Rocket what they remember about these amazing individuals!
Lastly, all Rockets created a school bulletin board to highlight how we are all unique and special - and that's why we love each other!
Sensory Friendly Rocket Rally
Pokemon Day
April was Month of the Military Child
April is the month of the military child. This is a time to honor the sacrifices made by military families worldwide with an emphasis on the experiences of children of military members serving at home and overseas. Purple Up! Day for Military Children is held every year to show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifice. Wear purple to show your support. Why Purple? Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military. Purple is the combination of Air Force blue, Army green, Navy blue, Marine red, and Coast Guard Blue.
Kindness Club Spring Food Drive
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the spring food drive. Your generosity allowed us to contribute many pounds of food as well as monetary donations to help the Sun Prairie Food Pantry fill its shelves and help our community members.
SEL Spotlight
In May, students are finishing up Second Step lessons for the year, focusing on Problem Solving. They are learning the Problem Solving steps of Say the Problem, Think of Solutions, Explore the Options and Pick a Solution or STEP. This helps students identify the problem without blame, think of ways to solve the problem and figure out which is the best solution to try. In Life Skills, students are exploring careers. This means thinking about their interests and skills and discovering jobs that match those interests in skills. We'll wrap up the year focusing on gratitude and thinking about what we are thankful for as we wrap up the school year.
Thank you to our Guest Reader
On Friday, April 14, our Kindergarten, First, and Second-grade students had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with a "real" published author! Courtney Dicmas is an author who lives in Madison and has written several children's picture books. Courtney shared the process she uses to write her books, and she had students use that process to come up with some book and story ideas of their own. The students were also able to ask her questions. Hearing from a real published author lets students know that their writing has a purpose. We want students to know that their voice matters and that they have ideas worth sharing with others. We thank the Sun Prairie Education Foundation for funding this wonderful opportunity. Maggie Bauman, one of our First Grade Teachers, and Mary Loeffler, our Instructional Coach, wrote the grant. Each Kindergarten, First, and Second-grade classroom teacher will receive two of Courtney's books for their classroom as a part of the grant as well.
Congratulations to the 5th graders who participated in the Regional Math Meet on Wednesday, April 19th. Way to go Ben, Hrishan, Shaun, and Islam. Way to represent Royal Oaks and the Sun Prairie Area School District!
Math 24 has ended for the 2022-2023 school year. Thank you, John Thao (parent of Abby and Isabelle) for the many hours you spent running the club. Mr.Thao's time and energy are greatly appreciated! Thanks for the great learning opportunity during lunch recess for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade Rockets.
Reminder to check your child's immunization status
The 2023/24 school year is just around the corner and we want to remind you to check your child's immunization status to make sure they are up to date for school next year.
The Sun Prairie Area School District in partnership with SSM Health is offering a FREE vaccine clinic for students, families, and staff age 5 and up!
- When: Tuesday 5/2/23 from 3:30-7:30pm
- Where: Sun Prairie Area School District - Professional Learning Center (220 Kroncke Drive, Suite #28, Sun Prairie WI 53590)
- What vaccines are offered? Tdap, Hepatitis B, Meningococcal, Polio, MMR, HPV, Varicella, Influenza, COVID-19
Click here for more information and to sign up!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4DA8AD2AA3FF2-sunprairieSome furry fun...
5th graders are experiencing and learning about therapy dogs. Dan Darmstadter (a former Rocket parent) is bringing Cody to visit our classrooms - Cody loves to hear students read. 5th graders Reese, Ella, and Zainab had the fantastic idea for Royal Oaks to have a therapy dog and we are grateful to Mr. Darmstadter and Cody!
Pancake Day
The Ademi Family is a Royal Oaks Family and also owns Sir Hobos Restaurant here in Sun Prairie. Recently they asked if they could make a pancake for every Rocket (students and staff). Tuesday, April 25th 3rd, 4th and 5th had pancakes and Wednesday, April 26th K, 1st, 2nd had pancakes. Thank you so much for the treat Ademi Family!
HAVE YOU MOVED OR DO YOU PLAN ON MOVING OVER THE SUMMER?
If so, and you have not yet informed the school office , please do so as soon as possible. It will help us to maintain current and accurate records. If you are moving to another address in the Sun Prairie School District, we will need a proof of residency for your new address. If you have any questions pertaining to this request, please contact the main office at 608-834-7200.
Student Job Spotlight
This Month we would like to recognize some of our amazing Rockets who help us with Jobs around the school every day! Mikaelan changes our sign in front of the school and helps deliver packages, Landon helps us get our mail, and Devonte takes care of our garden! Thank you for all you do Rockets!
Bus Lost and Found
Kobussen has a Lost & Found for items left on the bus. The driver keeps the lost item on the
bus for a few days, then turns it in at the Kobussen terminal. If your child has a lost item don’t
forget to check with Kobussen. Feel free to stop by the terminal at 1500 Forward Drive, Sun
Prairie or call (608) 825-8700.
Middle School Information for 5th Grade
Fifth Grade Families, click here to read about important transition to middle school information!
Recycling project
The final Results from the film plastic recycling challenge are in! Rockets you did an amazing job by raising 125.16 lbs of plastic. Our totals will be combined with Prairie View Middle School and the District Office who we partnered for the project. If we outcompeted the other districts who were a part of the challenge, Sun Prairie will win a bench from Trexx made from recycled plastics. We are no longer taking donations at school but if you would like to continue to donate you can do so at the nearby drop-off sight at Metro Market.
A Day of Music
On Tuesday, June 6th we will be having a concert for every grade level, K-5! We are calling this day A Day of Music! The Concert will be held in the gym during the hour of the day they would normally have Specials. Please see the schedule below. There is also a separate concert time for 4th/5th-grade students in the Choir Club.
Please read the information below carefully:
Second Grade Concert
- Arrive between 8 and 8:10 as the concert begins at 8:10 sharp
- There will be about 20 minutes of music (8:10-8:30ish)
- Once the songs finish, you will have 10-15 minutes (8:30-8:45ish) to socialize with your Rocket before they have to return to school, and we transition to the next grade-level concert.
Fourth Grade Concert
- Arrive between 9:00 and 9:10 as the concert begins at 9:10 sharp
- There will be about 20 minutes of music (9:10-9:30ish)
- Once the songs finish you will have 5-10 minutes (9:30-9:40ish) to socialize with your Rocket before they have to return to school and we transition for the Choir Club Concert. Any 4th-grade Choir Club students and their caregiver(s) should remain in the Gym during this transition.
Choir Club Concert
- Arrive between 9:35 and 9:45 as the concert begins at 9:45 sharp
- There will be about 20 minutes of music (9:45-10:05ish)
- Once the songs finish, 4th-grade choir club students will return to class, and 5th-grade choir club students and caregivers will remain in the gym during this transition.
Fifth Grade Concert
- Arrive between 10:05 and 10:15 as the concert begins at 10:15 sharp
- There will be about 20 minutes of music (10:15-10:35)
- Once the songs finish you will have 5-10 minutes to socialize with your Rocket before they have to return to school
Third Grade Concert
- Arrive between 11:30 and 11:40 as the concert begins at 11:40 sharp
- There will be about 20 minutes of music (11:40-12:00)
- Once the songs finish, you will have 10-15 minutes (12:00-12:15ish) to socialize with your Rocket before they have to return to school and we transition to the next grade-level concert
Kindergarten Concert
- Arrive between 12:30 and 12:40 as the concert begins at 12:45 sharp
- There will be about 15 minutes of music (12:45-1:00ish)
- Once the songs finish you will have 10-15 minutes (1:00 to 1:15ish) to socialize with your Rocket before they have to return to school and we transition to the next grade-level concert
First Grade Concert
- Arrive between 1:30 and 1:40 as the concert begins at 1:40 sharp
- There will be about 20 minutes of music (1:40-2:00)
- Once the songs finish you will have time to socialize with your Rocket before they need to return to their classrooms and pack up for the end of the day (release at 2:40). Please communicate with their classroom teacher or myself if you will be changing their end of day plans at all. ex) If they normally ride the bus but you choose to take them home please notify us for safety’s sake
We are trying something new this year and we appreciate your flexibility. We are excited to see all of you at our Day of Music!
If you have any questions, concerns, or confusion please feel free to reach out to Ms. Petersen. You can email her at mcpeter@sunprairieschools.org, or call her phone at (608)834-7249. Please leave a voicemail if she does not answer, and give a workday for a response by email.