The Monthly Flight Plan

Can you believe that we are completing our first learning quarter in only a few days? Please reach out to your child’s teacher to request a meeting to discuss any concerns you have about your child if the teacher has not already talked with you. To ensure that there is no loss of instructional time, we ask that you bring your students to school on time, all day, everyday. Every minute counts.

October is a busy month. The state school report card will be released, School Time Bible begins for 5th graders whose parents signed them up, we will continue with recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month, and we will have Red Ribbon Week at the end of the month. There are also various community events such as multiple “trunk or treat” style events including the annual Spooktacular at the South Congaree Arena. Congaree Elementary School PTO will be sponsoring a table to distribute candy at this event.

Thank you for voting for our School Improvement Council (SIC). We are excited about the work that will be done this year with engaging parents and improving our school. Continue to check Dojo for more information about how you can be involved with the school and how you can help your child.

Finally, we thank you for choosing Congaree Elementary School as your child’s school. We ask that you contact us if you have any questions or concerns about the school and how we can help you. Please help us as we work together as Champions for Children to make Congaree a “Destination School” where all of our students have success.

Christopher K. Dickey

Principal

Our second-grade Aviators have some important testing dates coming up, and we want to make sure our students are ready to SOAR!

Iowa Assessments: October 6–7
The Iowa Assessments are achievement tests that help us understand how students are performing in important academic areas such as reading and mathematics. These results give teachers valuable information about student strengths and areas where additional support or enrichment may be needed.

CogAT: October 15, 20 & 21
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) looks at different types of reasoning and problem-solving skills. Students are asked to think about relationships, patterns, and how information connects. CogAT helps us learn more about how students think and learn.

How Can Families Help?

- The best way to prepare is to make sure your child is at school and ready to learn!

- Get a good night's sleep.
- Eat a healthy breakfast.
- Arrive at school on time.
- Encourage your child and remind them to simply do their best.
- Avoid scheduling appointments or other activities during testing whenever possible.

- Most importantly, remind your Aviator that one test does not define them. We want students to come to school feeling confident, rested, and ready to show what they know!

Pilot of the Month: Ms. Wysong

This month, we are excited to celebrate our Pilot of the Month, Ms. Wysong!

Ms. Wysong is always willing to support our teachers and students and help us continue charting our course toward excellence. We are grateful for the expertise, encouragement, and positive energy she brings to Congaree Elementary.

Thank you for helping our Aviators SOAR, Ms. Wysong!

Aviators of the Month

Congratulations to our September Aviators of the Month! These students have demonstrated what it means to SOAR and represent Congaree with pride.

Guadalupe Villeda Estrada

Alejandra Gonzalez

Angela Martinez Canalas

Stan Darby

Stella Crumpton

We are so proud of these Aviators!

One of my favorite parts of being a Co-Pilot is getting to celebrate the amazing things our students are doing each day. We have had SO MANY positive office referrals this month!

A huge shout-out to the following Aviators for being recognized:

Britton Meisner • Addison Hill • Makynna Abbott • Sophia Velasquez • Danna Arjon Lopez • Guadalupe Villeda • Arianna Cowan • Ana Galvan • Khloe Krause • Meela Mayfield • Christopher Pina Martinez• Hilary Vasquez Ortiz • Willow Dixon • River Rogers • Esnayder Galeas Escobar • Prince Arjon Lopez • Justin Guzman Paz• Cole Cushman • Kailin Sanchez Camacho • Kaden Rivas • Dashawn Hughes • Madison Smith • Liam Meissner • Raelyn Jamison • Waylon Hughes • Naomi Cuello • Edison Mann

We are incredibly proud of these students for making positive choices, showing kindness, demonstrating responsibility, and helping make Congaree a place where every Aviator can SOAR!

5-8: Hispanic Heritage Spirit Week

6-7: IOWA Testing (2nd)

9: Professional Development - No School for Students

12: Weather Make-Up Day - No School

14: End of 1st Nine Weeks

15: SIC Elections Due

15, 20-21: CogAT Testing (2nd)

21: Report Cards

26: Red Ribbon Week - more information coming soon

28: Early Release @ 11:30

31: Halloween

Each day a class has 2 or fewer unexcused absences, tardies, or early dismissals, they will earn a "bone" to help fill Ace's bowl. Every bone earned brings the class closer to exciting rewards at the individual, grade, and schoolwide levels. The ultimate reward? A chance to Silly String Mr. Dickey! This attendance challenge runs from Tuesday, September 1st through the end of the first nine-week grading period.

Halloween Reminder: When sending in candy, sweets, or other items; please be mindful of students who may have allergies and do not send in items that contain nuts. Please check with your child’s teacher about any food items not allowed.

As the cooler weather approaches and students are wearing more layers, please check your child’s head frequently for Head Lice. Head Lice can be a common among school-age children. They can spread by direct and indirect contact. Lice do not jump, hop or fly, and do not transmit communicable diseases. When treating/controlling Head Lice be sure to follow package directions completely and check other family members. Also, remember to disinfect personal articles (like a book-bag) by washing in hot water for 20 minutes, or seal in airtight plastic bag for 10 days, or dry clean. Vacuum upholstered furniture and carpeted areas where children spend a lot of time.

Please visit the Department of Health’s website for more information:

https://dph.sc.gov/health-wellness/child-teen-health/early-childhood/head-lice-pediculosis

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/no-panic-guide-to-head-lice-treatment

Orange Health Promotion Specialists forms were sent home. HPS is a group of Dental Hygienists that come to the school to provide dental cleanings, sealants, and protective fillings. There is a cost for their services; so please read the form carefully for details. If your child already sees a dentist regularly, please consult with them first, your child may have already received services.

At this time, there is not a scheduled time for HPS to come to the school.

2nd Grade – Book Care
Second graders reviewed how to take care of library books and practiced good library habits. We read Manners with a Library Book and talked about how we can be responsible book borrowers.

2nd and 3rd Grade – Finding "Just Right books

Students discussed how to find a “just right” book—a book that is interesting, enjoyable, and a good fit for their reading level. We practiced thinking about our interests and choosing books that help us grow as readers while still having fun!

3rd–5th Grade – Taking Care of Our Resources
Students reviewed proper library book care and how to be responsible Chromebook users! We talked about taking good care of our devices, when to ask their teacher for help, and when to bring their Chromebook to Ms. Broyles for assistance. We’re building good technology habits one step at a time!

4th–5th Grade – Finding Books with Destiny Discover
Students learned how to use Destiny, our online library catalog to search for and locate books they are interested in reading by title, author, subject, or topic. We also have a good bit of eBooks, digital titles students can access through Destiny by logging in with their username and password.

VIP – Community Helpers & Kindness
Students focused on community helpers and read If I Were a Park Ranger. We also read Be Kind and talked about making positive choices, showing kindness, and treating others with respect.

Leaders of the Month: Trustworthiness

Here at school, we have been very busy learning about being trustworthy, what it means, why it's important, and how to show it! At the end of September, one student per class showing the most respect will be chosen and celebrated as Leader of the Month! Learning happens best when it is done both at school and at home. A hard copy newsletter on respect should have gone home from their classroom teachers.

Vehicle Day

Students will learn about a variety of careers and the vehicles essential to their work the morning of Friday, October 23rd. Last year, vehicles included the police car, ambulance, fire truck, garbage truck, mini excavator, utility truck, 18-wheeler, VAC Truck, school bus, and tractor trailer! If you or someone you know utilizes these kinds of vehicles or others for work, feel free to start talking about their functions at home.

This voluntary, incentive-based reading program, developed by South Carolina Athletics, encourages elementary and middle school students to build strong reading habits and discover the joy of reading. Students who participate earn ONE FREE ticket voucher to a USC men's basketball game and ONE FREE ticket to a USC women's basketball game. The voucher will allow one student and one adult into a game for free. These ticket vouchers will be given to participating students in November who completed their reading log. We’re excited to see how much our students can read! Every page counts! All reading logs are due back Oct. 16 to Ms. Broyles.