Rocket News

Royal Oaks Families,

I hope this November newsletter finds you well enjoying the best season of the year (in my opinion).

It is hard to believe that today, November 4th is the last day of the First Quarter. It was great to see so many of you during Parent/Caregiver/Teacher Conferences a couple of weeks ago. We are SO thankful for our Royal Oaks Families and their engagement not only during conferences, but throughout the year. As I have said a couple different times, this year has been one of the best starts in recent memory. We appreciate you.

One of the many things that makes Royal Oaks a special place to learn and work is the involvement of our parents and caregivers. We take great pride in being partners with you in the education of your son or daughter. Many years ago, we started a program called Watch DOGS (Dads Of Great Students). It took off! Fathers and father figures signed up for either a half day or full day of volunteering to support our Rockets. Several years later we added Watch MOMS (Moms Of Marvelous Students). We are continuing this tradition, but with a NEW NAME! We are rebranding Watch DOGS and MOMS and making it our Rocket Boosters Program! We look forward to the same commitment of our parents and caregivers and look forward to our continued partnership in helping our Rockets Launch! Please see the Rocket Boosters description below this article. We started our Rocket Booster Program today.

As November is a month where we reflect on what we are thankful for, I encourage you (and your child) to find the things that you're grateful for. Simply making a list can be relaxing and peaceful. I encourage you to put that list somewhere you see it regularly. As we approach a very busy time of year, it's important to find the things we are most grateful for. There are many!

I am thankful for you.

As always please reach out if you have any questions. Those open lines of communication are essential in supporting our Rockets!

Love,

Mr. Ackley

We need YOU!

As we have in years past, we started our Rocket Booster (formerly known as Watch DOGS & MOMS) program today…the first day of the 2nd Quarter. Rocket Booster is meant to provide parents and caregivers an opportunity to spend a half day or full day volunteering at Royal Oaks in our classrooms, on the playground and in the cafeteria. Though you will spend some time with your son(s) and/or daughter(s) it is not an exclusive day in your child’s classroom. It is a day of service to ALL Rockets! If you are interested in volunteering just in your child’s classroom, please reach out to your child’s teacher and arrange a time.

Classroom activities include:

• Reading to students

• Listening to students read

• Playing math games

• Helping with projects and activities

• Joining in activities in the classroom

Playground activities include:

• Supervising activities

• Joining in and playing games with kids

• Pushing students on the swings

• Playing with your child and their friends

Cafeteria activities include:

• Supervising students

• Eating with your Rocket

You will not be asked to discipline students if they are not listening. We have staff for that. It is meant to be a fun day for you to spend some time with your child and see what a “day in the life” of a Royal Oaks Rocket is all about.

If you are interested in signing up, please contact Zoe Horant at (608) 834-7210 or click on the link below to find a half day or full day that works best for you.

Thank in advance for spending some time with us and helping us Launch our Rockets!

During October we had our Rollerblading unit in PE. Every grade at Royal Oaks participates in roller blading but we are looking for different things with each grade level. With Kindergarten and 1st grade we hope by the end that they are getting their own equipment and learning some independence at the end of our 3 week unit! When 2nd and 3rd grade are done with the unit we are trying to just get comfortable on the roller blades and able to move on their own. By 4th and 5th grade they are trying to work on moving in different ways that they could use outside of the gym if they choose to rollerblade on their own. For example, doing a squat on their roller blades and they can avoid branches that may hang low over the sidewalk and rolling over or avoiding polyspots on the floor to simulate the bumps in the sidewalks. In all this is a fun unit to see the students progress from kindergarten to 5th grade!

Welcome to the Royal Oaks Library Corner. This is a place to keep you up to date with what is going on in the library.

Our Rockets are reading up a storm with2,488 checkouts this month, and 4,968 books checked out so far this school year. Our third graders are leading the pack with 540 books. Wonderful work, Rockets!!

Our top books are:

Non-Fiction: Tarantula vs Scorpion by Jerry Pallotta

Graphic Novel: Babysitter Club series

Fiction: Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey

Everybody: The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willems

In class this month, Kindergarten and First Graders are continuing to work on mastering library routines - especially using self control - and how to find a Just Right Book. Please take a look at the books your child brings home and give them feedback about their choices as they work to become independent users of the library. The 2nd - 5th grade Rockets will be spending the month learning about media literacy with topics ranging from how to effectively search online to how can you make sure that images and information you encounter daily is accurate to how content creators use tools like color, music, and font to make the user feel a certain way. It is one of my favorite units to teach and one the students enjoy as well.

November Book Recommendation

We are Grateful : Otsaliheliga written by Traci Sorell ; Illustrated by Frané Lessac

A look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation

The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-le-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences.

November is Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month, a time to honor the rich cultures, traditions, and enduring legacies of Indigenous communities across North America and beyond. It’s also an opportunity to recognize the resilience, leadership, and influence of Indigenous peoples—past and present—who continue to shape our world in countless ways.

To deepen our understanding and appreciation, we’ve created a PowerPoint presentation highlighting important Indigenous leaders, activists, and cultural figures whose stories inspire change and pride within their communities and throughout the world.

[View the Presentation Here]

From trailblazers who fought for land and cultural rights to modern-day advocates preserving languages and traditions, each individual featured reminds us of the importance of respect, education, and acknowledgment.

As we celebrate this month, let’s take time to learn, reflect, and engage with Indigenous perspectives—not only in November, but year-round.

We have been working on lots of great social-emotional skills at Royal Oaks and wanted to share them with you. These PDFs include our Zones of Regulation tools as well as our problem solving and bullying prevention tools. We hope students can also use them at home to regulate and problem solve!

K-1 SEL Tools

2-5 SEL Tools

The School Nutrition Department is truly dedicated to providing a diverse and nutritious menu to all our students. Our priority is to expose children to a wide range of nutrients and meal components, which is critical for their overall health and development, and for encouraging them to build a positive relationship with food.

Because we serve over 5,500 meals daily across the district, we operate as a mass production kitchen and must adhere to strict USDA guidelines. To maintain consistency and efficiency, we are unable to cater to individual meal preferences without a doctor-signed medical necessity form. If your child has a medical situation with the foods they consume, please contact us.

We understand that not every meal we offer will be every child's favorite. On days when the main entrée may not appeal to a student, our Offer vs. Serve program is a great solution. Students can decline the main dish and still select our fruits, vegetables, and milk, which together constitute a complete and vegetarian-friendly meal. Remind your students that they must take a ½ cup fruit or vegetable (or both) with every lunch.

To ensure children always have a satisfactory lunch, we encourage all families to review the monthly lunch menu closely. On days when their preferred items aren't on the menu, caregivers may send a packed lunch from home that meets their child's specific dietary needs or they may wish to supplement the school meal with an item the child likes.

This year we have begun a food sampling program where all students, even children with lunches from home, can taste test some of the foods we offer. For example, we have offered Naan Bread and Hummus to students at Royal Oaks, Meadow View and Token Springs recently. We also served samples of Roasted Butternut Squash at Bird, CS, ES and HE. In September, PV students got to try samples of Beef Gyros. We surveyed the students that tried these items and that data will help us decide whether or not to continue serving them. More information about our taste tests will be found in upcoming newsletters.

Thank you again for your support as we work to uphold the nutritional guidelines and serving procedures that allow us to provide thousands of healthy meals efficiently every day.

Barb Waara

Director of School Nutrition

bmwaara@sunprairieschools.org

If you need assistance with winter clothing/gear or accessing holiday programs please contact our School Social Worker, Kaitlyn Curtin, at 608-834-7253 or kmcurti@sunprairieschools.org.

Parent(s)/Caregiver(s) are responsible for reporting your student's absence to Royal Oaks by calling our Attendance Line at 608-834-7200, press 1 to report a student absence. Please do not leave a message on the attendance line after 8:00 a.m. You can call Ms. Zoe directly at 608-834-7210 anytime after 8:00 AM to report any absence or your student leaving early. If we don’t hear from you by this time, we will contact you at home or work. We want to make certain of every child’s safe arrival. We will call every number on your child’s emergency contact list until we can reach someone. Please make sure these contacts stay up to date. Please leave a short message with the following information:

· Child’s name

· Teacher’s Name or Grade

· Reason for Absence

· Who is calling

Please do NOT call your child’s teacher.

If your family is planning an absence, please indicate the dates that your child will be gone. Send or give this to the main office PRIOR to the day of absence.