Thrill on the Hill

Hello SGE Families,

As we welcome January and the start of a New Year, we also reach the midpoint of our school year. This is a perfect time to reflect on how far we’ve come and look ahead with optimism. Winter weather reminds us to slow down, stay safe, and care for one another. Our classrooms remain full of energy, learning, and determination as students continue to work hard each day, showing perseverance and growth in many ways. None of this is possible without the strong partnership we share with our families, and we are grateful for your continued support.

As we move into the second half of the year, we remain focused on growth for all…academically, socially, and emotionally and we are excited for the progress still to come!

Happy New Year!!!

Our Student Leadership Team sponsored a food drive in early December. Food items were collected and organized by our students. The food collected helped families here in our Spring Grove Community with over 700 items donated. Our second grade team collected the most items and earned an extra recess as their reward. Thank you to all of the families that helped to support this mission!

We are excited to introduce our Care Closet. Please use the button below to learn more...

With the uncertainty of the impending weather over the next few months we wanted to prepare you for the possibility of a Flexible Instructional Day (FID)/Virtual Learning. A FID is used to replace the traditional “snow day”. In the event school is closed, we can provide instruction to our students at home rather than in the classroom. This will count as a full day of school and we are not required to make up the day during the school year. Please stay tuned and wait for a district notification. In the event we close school and activate a FID, SGE teachers will communicate a schedule and provide additional information as needed. In anticipation of inclement weather, all students (K-4) will be bringing their iPads home. This will ensure they are prepared in the event that the district calls for a FID. Please use the link below to access reminders to support parents and students on these days.

The elementary second trimester ends March 3. Reminder that Report cards will be available in your Sapphire Parent Portal after they are released. If you haven't signed up for a Parent Portal Account please take the time to do so before the next report distribution.

Please use the link below for additional report card information.

School Counselors will be available to support students socially, emotionally, and academically. Students will have the opportunity to meet with counselors in a whole group setting for various social-emotional and career awareness lessons. Not only are counselors available to work with students in a whole group setting, students also have an opportunity to meet in a small group setting or individually with their school counselor. Dr. Moore and Mrs. Myers also manage academic 504 plans at SGE and are integral members of CST (Child Study Team) as well as SAP (Student Assistance Program). Please feel free speak to your child’s school counselor with any questions or concerns that you may have.

Mrs. Myers is the counselor for Kindergarten (Claycomb, Delair, Godman) and students in grades 1st and 2nd.

Mr. Moore is the counselor for Kindergarten (Clancy, Mann, Miller) and students in grades 3rd and 4th.

SAP is a systematic team process used to mobilize school resources to remove barriers to learning. It is designed to assist in identifying issues which pose a barrier to a student’s success. The primary goal is to help students overcome these barriers so they can learn unencumbered. While SAP is a great program it is not the answer for all student needs and issues, but it can be a great starting point. Please use the link below for additional information.

The Spring Grove Area School District uses a Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) framework to ensure every student receives the right level of support to succeed. It’s a team approach involving teachers, specialists, and families working together to monitor progress and adjust supports as needed. Here at SGE we call it our Child Study Team (CST). Please use the link below to learn more about the Tiered Support System used in the Spring Grove Area School District. Stay tuned as we will provide additional information about our CST process in a future newsletter.

Executive functioning skills come from the frontal lobe of our brain. This is constantly evolving and developing into our 20s. These skills are essential for higher level tasks such as attention, memory, organization, time management, and problem solving. This month we will focus on ATTENTION AND MEMORY SKILLS. Attention is used to listen to others when they are talking and focus on an activity while completing it. Memory skills are used to remember directions after provided, as well as recall learned skills and apply them to complete a task.

Environmental methods to improve attention and memory for school/home:

• make lists or use picture visuals – may use for morning routines, items needed in the backpack each day, use a planner/agenda/calendar to write down important dates or activities

• Pomodoro method for homework for improved attention (work for a set amount of time with built in breaks – starting in small bouts and building up tolerance),

• limit distractions during work completion including no use of electronic (unless required for the work) and having all required items needed at the designated work area before starting the task,

• complete teach back methods for recall of learned information (have the student repeat back to you the direction or have them teach you how to solve the problem).

• Use consistent routines – set a designated time to complete work or review math facts/words, use morning/nighttime routines for structure and improved independence

Activities to develop these skills -

• Play “Simon says”, red light/green light, or “what time is it Mr Fox” for attention to verbal directions and impulse control.

• Play games like checkers, uno, or scrabble for attention to external information and memory of the rules. (Simplify uno by only using color and/or numbers and removing all the extra cards.)

• Make your own memory game: Use numbers, sight words, or pictures having two of each one. Flip them over and play as you would any MemoryGame. To make this game easier provide less options, gradually increase by using more and more “tiles”.

• Spot the difference, word finds, Ispy activities encourage memory of the word or picture that is required to be found while also challenging visual attention while searching.

Consistency is key, some brains need more tools to complete routines and tasks more independently, while some brains just benefit from activities for practice.

Another important factor the significantly impacts attention and memory is SLEEP. Improve sleep by limiting use of TV or electronics 30 minutes to an hour before bed and instead use this time to complete a bedtime routine (may include shower, brushing teeth, reading a book, reflecting on your day together, straightening up your room, preparing your backpacks/clothing for the next morning, etc.).

Another tip is to create an environment for improved sleep considering temperature, using bathroom before laying down, cup of water beside bed if needed, room lighting, and possible use of a sound machine.

As always, whatever you do, make it fun and do it together! Happy new YEAR! ~Miss Osborne OT

Title I programs are designed to help children meet the state content and performance standards in reading, language arts, and mathematics. In buildings with 40% or more poverty, LEAs may use the funds to upgrade the entire curriculum of the school and are Schoolwide Programs. Please use the link below to access our annual Right to Know Letter.

Hello SGE Families,

Does Your Child Need a Dental Exam?

Spring Grove School District has partnered with Family First Health to provide school dental exams including cleaning, x-rays, preventative care and sealants. Parents will receive a dental report after the dental exam and information on where to receive further treatment if needed.

The Mobile Dentist will visit all students on February 6th at Spring Grove Elementary. Deadline to sign up January 23, 2026.

Please complete the link below if you want your child to receive a school dental exam.

MSD Enrollment QR Flyer (Link): ​2025-2026 MSD Enrollment QR Flyer 3 (1).pdf​

If you would prefer a paper flyer or have any questions or concerns, please contact the school nurse in your child's building.

Screenings

The health office is continuing health screenings. This includes the state required Growth, Vision, and Hearing screening. There may be documents that will be mailed to the address on file in Sapphire if your student is recommended for further assessment. The results of the screening will be uploaded in the medical notifications for your viewing when completed.

Health Room Reminders:

Illness or Injury

Students who have a temperature of 100 degrees or more, a contagious illness, or have had repeated episodes of vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours should not attend school. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school. Parents/guardians will be contacted if your child becomes ill or injured at school. For this reason, the current home, work, and emergency phone numbers must be maintained in the main office. Please inform the school secretary whenever your contact information changes. Please refer to the following if you are unsure if your child should attend school today.

I Need To Keep My Child Home If They Have:

• A temperature of 100.4 or higher
• Vomited within the past 24 hours
• Had diarrhea within the past 24 hours
• A body rash with itching or fever
• An itchy head active with head lice
• An eye infection or presenting redness, itching, and/or crusty drainage from the eye(s)

My Child Is Ready To Go Back To School When They Are:

• Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, i.e., Tylenol, Motrin
• Free from vomiting for at least two solid meals
• Free from diarrhea for the last 24 hours
• Free from rash, itching, or fever/have been evaluated by a doctor if needed
• Treated with the appropriate lice treatment at home, and the proof is provided to the school nurse
• Have been evaluated by a doctor and have a note to return to school

The children have been finding lots of great books to check out. Third and fourth graders are practicing using Destiny Discover (online card catalog) to find books of interest.

A few reminders to help the process run smoothly.

1. Please help your child find a safe spot for their library books at home – a shelf, in their bookbags, etc. Younger siblings and pets like books too, but often damage them.

2. Water bottles – PLEASE teach your child to keep their water bottle on the outside of their bookbag. If the books get damp or wet, they will most likely mold and your family will have to be billed. A large Ziploc bag or a plastic grocery bag could add some protection.

3. Please be aware that when you receive a bill for a lost or damaged library book, your child cannot check out 2 books again until the bill is paid. If you find the exact book cheaper online, please feel free to replace the book in this manner (if it was a hard cover book, it must be a hard cover replacement). Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Looking forward to spreading our love of stories, informational text, and reading to your child. Please feel free to email me or call my extension if you have any questions or concerns.

Melissa Sneeringer sneerinm@sgasd.org 717-225-4731 x2085

LIBRARY SKILLS and ENRICHMENT/STEM LESSONS:

The children are VERY excited to become scientists. We read stories and then use the Engineering Design Process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Revise and Improve) to create. Some projects students will bring home, but other projects will be taken apart to reuse/recycle/repurpose. Please ask your children about what they have created so far.

• 1st Grade - Computer coding - Code Spark; Currently Native American Totem Poles; Up next - using Common Sense Media - being safe and responsible online; then Balancing an egg like the Emperor Penguin

• 2nd Grade - Just finished Computer Coding using Kodable; Next - Then Vs Now Inventions: as a class research and design a brand new invention

• 3rd Grade - Currently we are computer coding using Ozobots; Up Next - our Biography unit and then Architectural design using TinkerCad

• 4th Grade - Just finished Computer Coding using Lego Spikes; Up Next - Mountain Laurel Reader’s Choice unit

1st Grade:

This month in music, our first graders are beginning to prepare songs for their March concert while expanding their note-reading skills to include sol, mi, and la on the staff. They're learning to recognize and show how melodies move up, down, or stay the same through singing and movement, and discovering that melodies are made of both pitch (high and low sounds) and rhythm (long and short sounds). These skills develop coordination between what they see, hear, and do with their bodies, strengthening connections in the brain that support reading fluency and math problem-solving. Plus, they're building confidence as performers and gaining a deeper understanding of how music works!

2nd Grade:

This month in music, our second graders are beginning to prepare songs for their March concert while learning about the pentatonic scale (a five-note pattern used in music around the world) and improvisation (making up music on the spot). They're creating their own two-measure improvisations using the pentatonic scale and exploring the Baroque Period, when composers like Bach and Vivaldi used fancy ornaments like trills and turns to decorate their music. Learning to improvise builds creative thinking and confidence to take risks, while studying music history connects music to culture and how music functions at different points in history. Plus, they're discovering that they can be composers too, not just performers!

3rd Grade:

This month in music, our third graders are beginning to prepare songs for their March concert while advancing their music notation skills by listening to and writing rhythms using various note values. They're learning dynamic markings like mezzo forte (moderately loud), mezzo piano (moderately quiet), and sforzando (sudden accent), and discovering how crescendos (getting louder) and decrescendos (getting quieter) create excitement, anticipation, and suspense in music. Writing rhythms from what they hear strengthens auditory processing and the ability to translate sound into symbols—the same skill they use when spelling words they hear. Learning dynamics teaches them how music communicates emotion and meaning, developing their ability to express themselves and understand how artists create feelings through their work. Plus, they're becoming more sophisticated musicians who can read, write, and perform with expression!

4th Grade:

This month in music, our fourth graders are beginning to prepare songs for their March concert while continuing to develop their GarageBand compositions. They're reinforcing the difference between major (happy/bright) and minor (sad/dark) sounds, learning to recognize musical symbols like the staff, repeat signs, and double bar lines, and discovering tempo markings like molto (very), allegro (fast), and andante (walking pace). Understanding how major and minor create different moods helps students recognize how music expresses emotion, while learning musical symbols and Italian terms builds their ability to read and interpret written instructions independently. Plus, continuing their GarageBand work allows them to apply all these concepts as creative composers while building real-world music production skills!

Band & Orchestra

This month in band and orchestra, students are learning new notes and rhythms and discovering how they combine to create the songs they'll perform at their spring concert in April. Mastering new notes requires precision, focus, and coordination between reading music and operating their instruments—skills that strengthen problem-solving abilities and hand-eye coordination. Understanding how individual notes and rhythms work together to create complete songs teaches students how small details contribute to a bigger picture, building patience and attention to detail. Plus, they're experiencing the satisfaction of building their technical skills and working toward a meaningful performance goal!

Mark Your Calendars:

March 17th - SGE Night of Music at Spring Grove Area High School (Music Classes)

April 16th - Spring Band & Orchestra Concert at Spring Grove Area High School (3rd and 4th Grade Band & Orchestra)

Happy 2026! We are getting closer to mid-year assessments. All students across the elementary schools will be completing reading assessments at the end of January and beginning of February. Parents will receive a progress report from Acadience to review student growth.

Please continue reading with your child at home. Thank you for your continued support!

Did you know?

• Children who are read to at home have higher success rates in school.

• Children who read books often, score higher in math, vocabulary, and spelling.

• Daily reading lowers stress levels in children and adults by as much as 68%.

Check out the following...

Welcome winter!

Our kindergarten friends are all like snowflakes…all different in their own beautiful way. Some students are blending and reading cvc words while others are mastering their sounds. Many are stretching their sounds in their writing with adult help while a few are trying to stretch their sounds with less guidance. Our writing is piling up just like the snow could be as we add transition words and adjectives. This month we complete our winter district assessments in reading and math. It’s “snow” secret we are learning and growing!

There’s “snow” one that loves numbers like kindergarteners! Many have learned their numbers to 10. We are exploring addition and subtraction!

To end the month, we will have “snow” much fun on our 100th day of school.

At home on those cold winter nights...

-Warm up with a good book and retell what happens in the story.

-Count to 100 and have fun as you transition by 10s (1-10 pretend to shovel, 11-20 throw snowballs, 21-30 build a snowman, 31-40 pretend to make a snow angel, 41-50 sled down the hill, 51-60 ice skate, 61-70 ski, 71-80 walk like a penguin, 81-90 drink hot chocolate, 91-100 crawl through the snow)

-Slide your finger under CVC words as you read them.

-Write your heart words on little pieces of paper, crumble them up, and have a snowball fight! Read them after you are done.

My how time flies!! Happy New YearJ!! Let’s have a WONDERFUL 2026!!

We continue to practice our reading strategies so that we are using the skills that first graders need to be independent readers. Please continue reading and retelling with your childJ! Remember it takes a team!!

In math, we are learning how to write equations to solve addition and subtraction word problems. Please continue to reinforce +/- facts to 20 as we will review strategies so that your child becomes more proficientJ! The children are trying their best with the addition and subtraction timed tests. The goal, for winter, is to correctly complete 17 mixed +/- facts in 2 minutes. Keep up the hard work!

Second grade students celebrated the holidays by rotating to different classrooms for hands-on activities. We all drew, sang, and crafted our way to winter break!

As we returned from break, many classes set goals for what we’d like to achieve in the months ahead. Some of these goals were educational and some were personal. Either way it is fun to set goals and celebrate once they are achieved!

In math we continue to learn strategies to add and subtract two-digit numbers. It is important to learn many ways to do this, as to allow each of us to choose which strategy works best! Knowing the basic facts automatically helps students easily add and subtract when using any of these strategies. Next up in math is measurement.

Second graders are enjoying learning about the different types of texts authors write during our Interactive Read Aloud. Some of the upcoming stories we will read will feature humorous characters, characters who are facing challenges, and the importance of determination. We all enjoy this read aloud time, as it gives us a chance to learn how authors write and how we can better understand what we read.

In math, third graders are starting to learn about fractions. We are identifying and showing fractions of a set, fractions of a whole, and fractions on a number line. Students are also applying their understanding of multiplication and division to find equivalent fractions. Continued fact practice at home will greatly benefit all third graders.

Third graders will also start learning about new science units this month. Mrs. Starck’s and Mrs. Brady’s classes will be learning about forces. They will be investigating how objects’ motion can be affected by push and pull forces. Mrs. Miller’s and Mrs. Warntz’s classes will be learning about weather and climate. They will also be interpreting data for various climate zones. Mrs. Bupp’s and Mrs. Back’s classes will be learning about plant and animal life cycles and fossils.

In ELA, third graders have been learning about identifying the theme of a passage. The theme can also be called the central message or lesson of the story. In coming weeks, we will read two different passages and compare the themes of each. Honesty, courage, friendship, hard-work, responsibility, loyalty, and forgiveness are some common themes in children’s literature.

We are also jumping into our narrative writing unit. We will focus on writing a personal narrative first, before jumping into fictional narratives. Our personal narrative will focus on a small moment of our lives that we expand upon in great detail.

Later this winter we will explore fictional narratives written by some of our favorite authors. We will study how each author is able to develop the setting, characters, and plot to create a cohesive story that unfolds naturally. We will also examine interesting and creative methods for adding dialogue, details, strong leads, and creative endings to our own writing. Be on the lookout for some great stories coming home over the next few months.

Happy New Year!!!

Its January and we continue to collect a lot of items. If you have been looking for a missing article of clothing please stop by to peruse our collection.

This year our school doors open every morning at 8:25 with homeroom starting at 8:45. If your child arrives after 8:46 they will need to report to the office at which time they will be marked Tardy.

If your child is going to be absent or has been absent, from school please fill out an excuse card in your Sapphire Portal. If you do not have access to a computer please contact our main office for assistance.

If your child arrives between 10:16-12:05 or leaves between 12:06-1:54 they will be considered absent for 1/2 school day. If they arrive after or leave before 12:05 this will be considered a full day absence.

Arrival and Dismissal

Arrival: 8:25 – 8:45 AM

Arrival time for students is 8:25 AM. Please be aware that students are NOT permitted to enter the building prior to 8:25. All AM car riders are to follow the car line around the back of the school. Students will enter the building through door #3 by the cafeteria. Students arriving by bus/van will enter the building through the main entrance. Students must be in their classroom by 8:45 AM. They are considered “tardy” at 8:46 AM.

Dismissal: 3:20 PM

• Occasional Car Rider - If you choose to pick up your child at dismissal on any given day, it is extremely important that you notify the school office by email (whites@sgasd.org), sending a note to school with your child, OR by calling the office by 2:00 PM. The occasional car rider will be dismissed from the ART ROOM. (Please see attached map) When writing notes, please be sure to include child’s first and last name, date, and teacher. Please notify the district transportation office, ext. 3024, with any transportation changes. ALWAYS use the cross walk when crossing from the parking lot to/from the car rider door. Please DO NOT cross in between the vans/buses, or permit children to run freely to the parking lot.

• Rocket Rider - If you plan on transporting your child at dismissal each and every day, please contact the school office to make arrangements to pick up your “ROCKET RIDER” tags before the start of school. Rocket Riders get dismissed from door #3 by the cafeteria. (See attached map) You must have a NEW Rocket Rider tag in order to pick up through the line. You may not use signs from previous years.

• Bus Transportation – Transportation information can be found in your Sapphire Parent Portal.

Student Emergency Form - Please review and make additions or corrections to your child's emergency form in your Sapphire Parent Portal. Use the link below to access the Sapphire Parent Portal. If you need to create an account please use this link "Apply for a Sapphire Community Portal account."

If your child is arriving at school late or leaving early due to a doctor or dental appointment, please be sure to get a note from the physician. The time may be considered unexcused if a note is not provided. You will find further information on this subject in the student handbook. If your child is arriving late, we ask that you check the child in at the school office. Please do not drop the student off and leave without accompanying him/her to the office.

Please remember that all visitors must sign in at the office upon arrival. Every person that enters SGE will be asked to sign in using our RAPTOR security system. You will need to have your drivers license/identification scanned at least one time in order to be in our system. We kindly ask that you have your identification with you at all times when visiting a district building.

ALL volunteers must complete the volunteer registration process before volunteering in any district school. You may find more information on the volunteer process by visiting Volunteer Services on our district website.

SGE communicates mostly by email or by posting information on the SGE webpage. Please be sure to include your email address on the student emergency form. For split households, please include both parent email addresses. We want to make certain that all parents/guardians are aware of SGE news! If you do not have email access, please make note of such on the emergency forms.

Starting with the 25-26 school year, students will no longer be receiving free breakfast/lunch. A student school breakfast is free for all students, and a school lunch is $2.45. Please go onto the district website & apply for the free/reduced lunch program. You may access your child’s lunch account through myschoolbucks.com.