In March, we will focus on Habit 6 of Leader in Me, Synergize. Synergize is when two or more people work together to create a better solution. At Snyder Park, our goal is to synergize with our teachers, students, families, and community to provide our students with the best possible experience while they are here. Elementary school is the foundation of education, which is why we want to make sure that we work together to develop life habits that will set your student up for success. We value your partnership and are excited about the many ways that we can work together to ensure success for your student now and for their future.

~W. Sledge, Principal

P.S. Attendance is really important! We will be having our second "Don't Be Tardy to the Party Silent Disco" dance on Friday, March 22nd. If your student has no unexcused absences or no more than two unexcused tardies from February 1st to March 22nd, they will be able to attend the dance!

4th-8th: Read Across America Spirit Week

7th: Academic Celebration Night (formerly Math & Literacy Night) 5p.m.-7p.m. Fun and Refreshments!

8th: Grading Period 3 ends

12th: Kona Ice Day!

14th: Parent Club meeting @ 6p.m.

20th: Spring Picture Day

25th-29th: Spring Break

April At-a-Glance

Please remember: Ohio's State Tests will begin April 9th.

8th: No School- Professional Development Day

9th: OST's begin

11th: Parent Club meeting @6p.m.

19th: Fourth quarter interims go home & Chuck E. Cheese Day from 3p-9p.

March 4th-8th is Read Across America Spirit Week! Your student can celebrate by participating daily.

Monday: Crazy Hat Day! Wear a crazy or favorite hat.

Tuesday: Read My Shirt Day! Wear a shirt that others can read.

Wednesday: Crazy Sock Day! Show off your crazy or mismatched socks.

Thursday: Reading Fun in the Sun! Wear your shades and your Hawaiian shirts for more reading fun!

Friday: Cozy Up With A Good Book! Wear your comfy sweats and sneakers! Get comfy and read a book!

Launched in 1998 by the National Education Association (NEA) and guided by a committee of educators, NEA’s Read Across America is the nation’s largest celebration of reading. This year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources that are about everyone, for everyone.

The titles and resources featured by NEA’s Read Across America include books that students can see themselves reflected in, as well as books that allow readers to see a world or a character that might be different than them. Readers who feel included, recognized, and a part of the world are engaged readers. (nea.org)

• If your student will be absent, please call the main office at 937-505-4430 to communicate the reason for the absence. Please remember to send documentation (doctor's note or written parent note) to excuse the absence. You may send in a written note to excuse the absence within the first 10 absences of the school year.
  
• Please remember there will be no early pickups after 2:45 p.m.
• If you are needing to make dismissal changes, please send a note to your student's teacher or call the office at 937-505-4430 no later than 2:30 p.m.
• For safety reasons, students should not arrive to school before 7:50 a.m. Doors do not open until 8 a.m.
• Please be mindful of our buses and students walking in the morning. During dismissal the turnaround is off limits due to the buses.
• If your student is a walker, please talk with them about the importance of walking on the sidewalks at all times. Some students are walking through our parking lots, which is not safe.
• Winter is here, please make sure your students are dressed appropriately and following our dress code.

Testing season is quickly approaching. Our Ohio State Tests will begin April 9th. We would like for you to understand what testing is about in the State of Ohio. Please click the link below where you can find more information and also practice exams for various grade levels.

Springfield City School District now has an app available that you can use to stay up-to-date on all things SCSD!

Riel Smith, 5th grade Snyder Park Spelling Bee Champion, will be competing in the Wright State University Regional Spelling Bee next week on March 6th. We are very excited to have Riel make it this far in the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition!! Best wishes for the evening and happy studying Riel! Snyder Park is very proud of you!

If anyone wants to attend, it will be held in the Apollo Room on the first floor of the Student Union at Wright State University. Parking can be found in Lots 1 or 2. Seating will begin at 5:45 pm and the Spelling Bee will begin promptly at 6:00 pm

March is Women's History Month! This year's theme is celebrating the “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” Educators in Santa Rosa, California, first celebrated Women’s History Week in March 1978 to increase awareness of women’s contributions to society. Organizers selected a week in early March to correspond with International Women’s Day on March 8. Over the next several years, other cities across the country joined Santa Rosa in celebrating Women’s History Week.

In 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 National Women’s History Week, urging everyone in the United States to participate. According to Carter, "too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength, and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well."

The week-long event officially became a month-long one in 1987 when Congress passed a resolution designating March as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month has been celebrated in the United States every March since. (from kids.nationalgeographic.com)

Synergize is when two or more people work together to create a better solution that either would have thought of alone. It's not your way or my way, but a better way. Talk about the equation 1+1=3 (or more). How is that possible? 1 person + another person= 2 ideas+ many more than either of them would have thought of alone. Synergy is taking good ideas and making them better by working together. Discussions can focus on other examples of synergy in nature, history, literature, and personal experiences. For example, synergy happens in nature when a flock of geese heads south for the winter. They fly in a V formation because due to the updraft, the entire flock can fly farther than if each bird flew alone.

Try this at home:

1. With your children, choose a problem that you may have (like curfew or completing tasks). Use the Synergy Action Plan to summarize your child's solution and your solution: (1) Define the problem. (2) Share your views. (3) Think of solutions. (4) Choose the best solution together. See if you can reach a better solution (the High Way) than either of you would have come up with alone.

2. Institute a "15-minute program" where everyone drops what they are doing and pitches in to work as a team to clean the kitchen, pull weeds in the garden, wash the dishes, sweep the front porch, etc. Cutting out a small block of time where everyone helps makes the work go quicker.

3. If your child has siblings, ask each to identify what they think their brother or sister is really good at, then share the lists with each other and discuss how they could Synergize on homework, chores, playing games, sports etc. If your child does not have siblings, you can do the same exercise using his or her best friends- or you.

4. Read Chapter 6 of The 7 Habits of Happy Kids book with your child and then complete the Parent's Corner.

All information from FranklinCovey| Education, www.TheLeaderInMe.org

Leader in Me has encouraged all Springfield City Schools to identify a W.I.G. (Wildly Important Goal). Our W.I.G at Snyder Park is; Starting September 2023, by incorporating the 7 Habits, 70% of Snyder Park students will have met their typical or stretch growth target on the Acadience and/or i-Ready reading assessments by May 2024. WE CAN DO IT!

Morning Greeters with Mrs. Bacon, our Reading Specialist!

Announcement leaders with Ms. Patrice, our Secretary!

Students receive PBIS points for being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe. Students also receive PBIS points for attendance. Each month, classroom time is set aside for students to shop our online PBIS store where they are able to use their points to purchase items of their choice. Some items include bouncy balls, spinning bracelets, cotton candy, freshly popped popcorn, extra recess, high fives with Mr. Holliday, and fine dining. Our fine dining has received a 10/10 rating from our fourth grade students!

Our attendance data shows that we have the most absences on Monday's and Friday's. Please encourage your student to attend school each day and to be here on time. We will have another "Don't Be Tardy to the Party" dance on March 22nd! Your student will qualify to participate if they do not have any unexcused absences and no more than 2 unexcused tardies from February 1st- March 22nd.

We had lots of fun on February 5th! We were visited by motivational speaker, Jim "Basketball" Jones, for a school assembly! Jim covered topics such as The 7 Habits, being respectful, kindness, personal growth and how the choices we make impact us.

Our students, staff, and parents enjoyed shopping at our Scholastic Book Fair February 12th-16th!

On February 21st, our Kindergarten classes celebrated their 100th day of school!

Fourth grade science classes have been studying the earth's features. We have learned that the oldest rock would be on the bottom of the layers and the youngest rocks are at the top. We have been examining erosion and the factors that affect how much rock erodes these are the speed of the water as well as how long the water is touching the rocks. The classes were able to see erosion working by using sand and building a "river" in the sand surrounded by rocks. The students decided what speed to pour the water over the sand. We then poured water into the sand to observe the rocks and sand collapsing or eroding.

~Mrs. Abbey, Fourth Grade Teacher

The Health Partners of Western Ohio Mobile Dental Clinic visited us February 23rd- March 1st!

In an effort to improve student behavior and academics, we have been encouraging our teachers to implement more student engagement strategies. Below are some student engagement strategies that teachers are encouraged to implement.

• Think, Ink, Pair, Share
• Simultaneous Round Table
• Talk Moves
• Rally Coach
• Numbered Heads Together
• Using Visuals
• Comprehension Check Questions

• Mrs. Matuke's Sixth grade class showed the most growth in the district on I-ready!
• Mrs. Greene and our Parent Leaders for hosting a successful Book Fair!

KG: Jay'Ceon W., Khloe B., Naicha B., Kel'eah G., Parker K., Dakota S., Jose D., Adalynn E., Aubrielle F., Iris H., Morgan M., Gabe M., Easton M., I'Laya R., Luna R., Treyton S., Maranatha C., Alliah C., Marcelo H., Neymar H., Jean M., Johnsley S., Lannetaly T.

1st: Branden B., Kyzar R., Braxton W., Colton A., Steven C., Angel H., Brandon M., Jeremiah M., Messiah N., Georgetta O., Jeremiah D., Amya H., Messiah K.

2nd: Nilaa B., Dustin E., Anderley F., Daphne H., Dominic M., Kiyanna P., Monaissa P., Lennon S., Willo W., Aldovitch A., Chloe C., Londyn D., Hayden G., Braylin H., Marc H., Embrie J., Zoey K., Peyton K., Jazzlyn M., Damian W.

3rd: Ariyan B., Yeferson C., Chloe D., Kinsley E., Kason M., Lyric M., Kylynn R., Evallana S., Izaiah W., Robert A., Jae'Lynn C., Rubi H., Sacky L., Samuel T.

4th: Jaelynn B., I'lynn C., Abishai J., Eli K., Raiquan S., Jaxson W., Kevin C., Calianna D., KatieLynn H., Hans J., Nylen L., Wheaton P., Victor V., Sebastian A., Roneldine A., Alissama D., Immanuel K., Havanna M., Merly T.

5th: Amarah B., Eduardo C., Jarely D., Jay I., Sulza I., Kamarih J., Jordin K., Timothy M., Genesis M., Marxondy M., Ian P., Jonathan R., Layla S., Madison C., Caytlyn D., Kaeden D., Jacob I., Samuel M., Riel S., Maddox S., Isabella W.

6th: Cameron B., Marlene D., Drake H., Parker H., Weetney J., Nasha L., Bayron V., Vedler V., Eli A., Jonathan B., Elliott F., Christina H., Hunter H., Peter I., Dezmynd K., Aliscia M., Zoey P., Carlos P., Kailynn S.

Please remember our meetings are the second Thursday of each month @6p in our cafeteria. Please come if you are able.

Thank you to all who helped out during our Candy Gram sale and Book Fair! We sold 1,028 Candy Grams! The profits from this sale will be used towards school and classroom needs. Thank you!

Our Parent Club provided Subway for our teachers and staff during Parent Teacher Conferences on February 13th!

• Our next meeting will be Thursday, March 14th. Hope to see you there!

What time would it be if Godzilla came to school?

Time to run!

What dinosaur had the best vocabulary?

The Thesaurus!

What does a book do in the Winter?

Puts on a jacket!

My Name is Mrs. Matuke. I teach 6th grade Math and Science at Snyder Park Elementary. I am married and have three grown children. Marvin Matuke, David Matuke and Ruth Matuke. All of my children are products of Snyder Park Elementary and graduates of Springfield City Schools. I am originally from Cameroon, Central Africa, and have lived in the US for over three decades. I enjoy cooking, music, and dancing. My favorite time is when family is all around and we spend quality time feasting and playing games together. I enjoy traveling and attending events with my nephews. Now that my kids are grown my nephews keep me busy. I love and enjoy what I do in the classroom everyday. Although it can be challenging at times, I would do it all over again. Every year I tell my students that I would be a farmer if I was not teaching Ha ha!!! Contributing to the development of young minds is my singular mission. I started my teaching career here at Snyder Park, moved out, returned, and hope to stay on until my retirement.