SIS February Newsletter

January brought with it bitter cold and WAY too many indoor recess days to count. Here's hoping that February will have more typical winter weather and kids can get outside to enjoy the fresh air and more space to move!

Despite the cold temps outside, there has been lots happening inside! Students have been learning how to express and support their opinions. 4th graders have been eating up their mystery novels while 5th graders are enjoying researching ecosystems and habitats of chosen species. Math has had students in both grade levels exploring place value and operations with decimals. I'm continually impressed with the work that our teachers and students do on a daily basis!

Teachers and staff are not only thoughtfully working with students to grow them as learners but to also help them make connections and know they are cared for. From our first sledding days to special lunches with the teacher, to morning meeting check-ins our students are interacting with one another and our adults in consistently positive ways!

As we venture into February we hope to see warmer weather for more outdoor recess fun and we'll share in Some Valentine's day fun, and start to get our second ground of parent/teacher conferences scheduled, and enjoy the book fair once again!

With conferences right around the corner, please watch your emails from a note from your child's classroom teacher. He/She will be sending out a sign up genius for you to secure your conference spot. These conferences will be student-led. Please plan to bring your child with you to his/her conference. Conferences will once again be offered in person or via Zoom.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Holtz

Our February focus for SIS will be on kindness. Our Spartans of the Month will be chosen by those who exhibit consistent traits of being kind to others. As part of our focus, we will be asking students to focus on being kind to themselves and the importance of self-care. With that, Mr. Williams and I have created a physical and mental health challenge for students to complete. Students who complete either/both challenges should bring their signed by parents sheets into the office by Friday, March 4th. We will gather all of those who completed the challenge and recognize their act of kindness and attention to taking care of themselves. Mr. William’s challenge correlates with the upcoming Winter Olympics and challenges students to improve their physical health. Mrs. Pentico’s challenge is a daily reminder to take care of our well-being by practicing strategies to improve our mental health. Please see both challenges below and we hope to have all students participate and be kind to themselves as well as to one another.

With both challenges, print out a copy and x out the day when completed. If you would like your student to bring home a copy, those will be available in the office for them to pick up.

Mr. Williams Winter Olympics Fitness Challenge

Mrs. Pentico February Self Care Challenge

5th Grade Families: Please see check out the information regarding Lifeskills Training conducted by Prelude Behavioral Services These instructional times will take place in your student's 5th-grade classrooms on Wednesdays beginning February 16th until April 20th. Any Wednesday’s missed due to late starts/early dismissals or snow days will be made up the following Wednesdays.

Did you know you can support our LV/SIS PTO while ordering gift cards for some of your favorite stores! Get full price gift cards for various locations and a portion of your purchase goes back to your favorite PTO!

Scrip Gift Card Order Info

Check it out and grab some gift cards today!!

Our 21-22 Yearbooks are ready to be ordered! Orders can be made online or by filling an order form. All orders are due by Friday, June 10, 2022. To order online, use the online order code below.

February may be cold and often snowy but we do have a few fun things to look forward to. Check it out!

Valentine's Day Celebrations

Students will enjoy a little Valentine's Day fun on Friday, Feb. 14. Individual classrooms will plan to celebrate the last hour of the day. As we look to celebrate, we will follow these guidelines:

• Students may bring Valentine's to share (please no toys, trinkets, or candy)
• Celebration snacks will be organized/communicated by the classroom teacher and should follow the district's classroom snack guidelines
• School staff only (no visitors or guests)

Feb. 28 - Mar. 4: Read Across America Week!

We'll celebrate Read Across America Week with a little Dr. Seuss fun! Take a peek at our dress up days and encourage your child to join in! All of our days are tied to the fun of one of our favorite authors....Dr. Seuss of course!!

• Monday, Feb. 28: The Cat in the Hat: Hat Day!
• Tuesday, Mar. 1: Character Day: Dress as Your Favorite Book Character
• Wednesday, Mar. 2: Wacky Wednesday: Dress Wacky!
• Thursday, Mar. 3: Fox in Socks: Wear those Crazy Socks!
• Friday, Mar. 4: The Sleep Book: Pajama Day!

Book Fair!

In conjunction with Read Across America Week, the PTO Book Fair will be set up and available for you to shop during our Mar. 3 conference nights!

Feb. 1: NAEP Testing for Select 4th Graders

Feb. 14: Valentine's Day Classroom Celebrations

Feb. 21: No School - Prof Development

Feb. 24: SIS Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:00 - 7:00 pm)

Feb. 28 - Mar. 4: Read Across America Week!

Mar. 3: SIS Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:00 - 7:00 pm)

Mar. 11-20: No School - Spring Break

Mar. 28: ISASP Testing Begins

Apr. 14: SIS Spring Music Concert (6:00 pm)

School lunch will be free again this year for ALL students. You can access the menus on our school website HERE.

As the weather continues to drop and we prepare for the potential of snow, please keep the following in mind:

• Recess is held outdoors as long as the real feel is 10° or higher.
• Students can ALWAYS use encouragement to wear their coats, gloves, and hats outside.
• It's a good idea to write your child's name in his/her personal belongings.
• When snow begins to fall, students will need boots and snow pants to go off of the concrete during recess.

As winter weather arrives, be sure YOU stay in the know! Earliest notifications will be available through our Solon App! Download the app to your smartphone or other device and be the first IN THE KNOW!

Once you download the app, be sure to set notifications to ensure you are alerted to any weather related schedule changes! Here's how:

1. Download the app (see image in upper right corner)
2. With the app open, tap in the 3 lines to the bottom left of your screen
3. After completing step 2, tap on the "settings" gear wheel in the lower right of your screen
4. When a new menu appears, tap on "Push Notifications"
5. Select the notifications you wish to receive (district, by school)
6. When finished selecting, tap "done"

It's that easy!

Now is also a good time to check that your email and phone number are up-to-date in our Powerschool system. To do this, please log into your Powerschool account, click on "forms" and then edit your contact information.

Email: mholtz@solon.k12.ia.us
Website: www.solon.k12.ia.us
Location: 200 West 5th Street, Solon, IA, USA
Phone: (319) 624 - 3401
Twitter: @theholtzfamily4