Husky Headlines

March 6th marks the end of the THIRD Quarter! Can you believe it? We are entering our fourth and FINAL quarter of the 23-24 school year. It's the final countdown! While we are getting close to the end of the school year, we do still have eleven weeks of school left. Please help us to keep your child(ren) on track to have an amazing - and complete - school year.

We will be gearing up for our Nebraska NSCAS Testing along with our S-RC District assessments (MAP Growth and Acadience for all K-5th grade students). Teachers will be talking to your child(ren) about their personal goals for end of year testing. Take some time to ask your child(ren) about their goals and how they are going to work to meet their goals!

• March 6th - End of 3rd Quarter
  
• March 7th - No School 🌷☀️🌷Spring Break🌷☀️🌷
  
• March 8th - No School 🌷☀️🌷Spring Break🌷☀️🌷
• March 11th - No School 🌷☀️🌷Spring Break🌷☀️🌷
• March 12th - Bank at School! 🏦
• March 12th - Spring Picture Day!
• March 14th - National Pi Day!!
• March 14th - Board of Education Meeting (Open to the Public)
• March 15th & 16th - Alumni Weekend! Hoopfest & Spikefest
• March 17th - 🍀 St Patrick's Day 🍀
• March 19th - 🌎 Earth Day 🌎
• March 22nd - National As Young As You Feel Day
• March 25th - Village Tornado Drill (9:00-9:15) 🌪️
• March 26th - ACT Day: No School for PK-5th Grade Students
• March 27th - Staff Development: 10:10 Late Start
• March 29th - No School 🐣🌸🐇 Easter Break 🐣🌸🐇
• April 1st - No School 🐣🌸🐇 Easter Break 🐣🌸🐇

Kindergarten Registration for the 24-25 school year is now open!

Please feel free to contact the elementary office for an enrollment packet (if your child is currently enrolled in S-RC 4 year old Preschool, a packet will come home with them - you do not need to contact the office). When turning in enrolling paperwork, we will need the following documents:

Enrollment Paperwork (completed)

Original Birth Certificate (we will make a copy of the original - we can not accept a copy)

Immunization Records

Required Physicals: Physical Exam (completed by a doctor), Vision Exam, and Dental Exam

We will then add your child to our list for our 24-25 Kindergarten classes!

Kindergarten Round-Up is scheduled for Friday, May 3rd. Once your child is on our list, you will get a packet to let you know more information about Kindergarten Round-Up!! Packets will be sent out in the first 10 days of April.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Thompson at hthompson@shelby.esu7.org

Spring Picture Day is Coming!! Students will take pictures on Tuesday, March 12th. You will then be able to order online through Digital Solutions using your child's online code and your email address. Proofs will be sent home with students as soon as they are made available to us.

Attention Parents: Shelby-Rising City's Bank at School is back for deposits on March 12th!

If you and your child have not visited the branch to get a savings account open—now is the time! Then be sure your child brings their account information with them on Tuesday, March 12th as we do not have access to account information from the school.

We will have our 5th grade bank tellers on hand to continue helping your child become savvy savers and build up their existing account.

Note: No change will be accepted for deposits at school. We ask that deposits are $1 minimum.

February was a FANTASTIC month for Book-It!

As a school, 90% of students made their Book-It goal!

There were only 17 students who were not able to make their personal goals last month.

My hope is that we can finish the year off with something that has never been done - 100% of students reaching their Book-It goals!!

In order for this to happen - we need your help, parents! Please help to encourage reading at least 15-20 minutes each night at home and remind your child(ren) to take their AR tests (if they are in 3rd-5th grades).

Our FINAL deadline is APRIL 3rd - so don't forget to turn in that reading log (grades K-2) or take those AR tests (3-5)!

We had several grade levels who had EVERY STUDENT make their goal for February!! Shout-out to Mrs. Topil's kindergarten class, Mrs. Gabel's 2nd grade class, and Mrs. Kubik's 3rd grade class, and Mr. Riggs' 5th grade class!!

AND I'd like to add a second SPECIAL shout-out to Mrs. Kubik's 3rd grade class, because her entire class has made their goal every single month so far this year - one month to go and they will be the first class EVER to have a PERFECT YEAR!

Our biggest struggle with students this past month has been DEFIANCE. Perhaps you are seeing the same issues in the home?

When working with students, and tracking behaviors, defiance is defined as: Non-Compliance. It is when a student engages in brief or low intensity failure to respond to adult requests (example: a refusal to do or not to do something).

Here are some interventions that can be used BOTH at school and at home:

• Acknowledging positive behavior *instead of focusing on the negative behavior, try acknowledging the things that are going really well! People naturally respond far better to positive reinforcement then negative.
• Clear, consistent, and predictable consequences *whenever dealing with consequences, try to remain calm and collected. Avoid escalating the situation by lecturing or giving consequences that are unrealistic in nature. Try to use simple language and make sure children know why they ae getting a consequence.
• Give choices *any time choices are given, make sure all options are choices that are acceptable to you. Do not offer something that you would not want your child to pick (because chances are, that will be the option they select!!). Some great examples might be:
• You could do your homework at the table or at your desk.
• You will need to do your homework and do your chores before dinner. I am going to let you pick which one you do first.
• If your child is struggling making choices, you can provide a timeline for them. That could sound like this: “I gave you several choices. If a choice isn’t made within 10 seconds, I will choose for you” (this prevents the choosing process from going on all day)
• Teach relaxation techniques *It's important that kids know that everyone feels stressed/worried/ overwhelmed/frustrated (and so many other feelings). We need to make sure that our kids know what to do when they DO feel those emotions. It might be a great idea to make a list with your child of what works for them.
  
• Here are some relaxation techniques: deep breathing, count to 10, write in a journal, draw, color, scribble, read, visualize (picture yourself in a better situation), listen to music or nature sounds, take a break, go on a walk - the list goes on!

Parents are welcome to come and enjoy lunch with your child(ren) at any time. In order to do so, please make sure you:

1. Contact your child's classroom teacher prior to your visit to let them know you will be coming.
2. Check in at the front office and get a visitors badge to wear for the duration of your visit.

Please also understand that parent visits for lunch are restricted to the lunchroom only. Parents cannot accompany their child out to recess.

Adult lunches cost: $3.65. You can bring money with you, or use money from your child's account if you have a positive balance. Adults will not be able to eat and charge an account that has a negative balance.

Lunch Times for Each Grade Grade Level

Kindergarten & 1st Grade - 10:50-11:20

2nd Grade & 3rd Grade - 11:10-11:40

4th Grade & 5th Grade - 11:30-12:00

Currently, more than 25% of K-6 students, nationwide, are chronically absent and most students have ground to make up in math and reading. To be considered chronically absent, a student would would have missed 10% or more of their days at school (we are currently around the 100th day of school - so if your child has missed close to 10 days, they would be considered chronically absent). Research shows that the average student would need more than four additional months of instruction to catch up to pre-COVID reading levels.

At the same time, there’s a gap between how parents think their child(ren) are doing and the reality. Many families aren’t aware if their child is behind academically, or may not understand how absenteeism is impacting their child’s progress. Here at Shelby-Rising City, we are attempting to leverage real-time data so families can understand more than just what your child's grades are. This communication and data hopefully feels relevant and actionable to you.

Some ways that we provide data to you are:

• Monthly Newsletters
• Board Meetings (principal reports with data included can also be found in the minutes online if you are unable to come to meetings)
• NebraskaREADS letters to K-3 families of students who are not reading at grade level (these letters are required by the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act)
• Report Cards
• Progress Reports (for students with IEPs and 504s)
• NWEA MAP Assessment

Elementary Principal

Special Education Director

Shelby-Rising City Public Schools

Email: hthompson@shelby.esu7.org
Website: https://www.shelby.esu7.org/
Location: 650 North Walnut Street, Shelby, NE, USA
Phone: 402-527-5946 5718
Twitter: @mrs_thompson007