This school year the staff and students at Gertie Belle Rogers have been learning about the rules of The Energy Bus for Kids. If you are interested in learning more about this, check out the book as read by the author HERE.

The five rules of The Energy Bus for Kids are as follows:

1. Create a positive vision

2. Fuel your ride with positive energy

3. No bullies allowed

4. Love your passengers

5. Enjoy the ride

In January, we focused on rule one, Create a Positive Vision as we zoom in as a school community on the rules, what they mean, and how to embrace them. Classrooms have been teaching lessons on this rule, as well as taking part in grade-level-wide activities. In February, we will shift our focus to rule two, Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy.

We would love for these rules to reach our families as well. As a principal, I have been asked to share what families can do at home to further embed these rules into the lives of our students. Here are some simple ideas for rules one and two, as well as extended beyond those:

1. Ask your learner each morning what their positive vision for the day is? Help them nail down specifics to create a firm plan.

2. There is great power in affirmations! Students should be reminded they can fuel their own "rides" as well as the "ride" of others by affirming their positive vision or plan for the day. Simply repeating the words "I've got this!" in their heads can work wonders!

3. Remind your learners that life is full of ups and downs before they are going through ups and downs. What's important is that they learn to "Enjoy the ride!" This is hard to teach when learners are going through a "down." Instead, continue to be proactive and remind them how to manage when things seem either really good or really bad.

As you can see, these rules build on each other! If you are interested, there is also an adult copy of The Energy Bus which has ten rules that we use as principles to assist in teaching the five rules for kids.

If you wish to discuss this further, you can always reach out to Mr. Gubbrud in the GBR office!

Due to difficult weather, the Mitchell School District, having barely begun second semester, has already experienced far more ‘snow days’ than in a normal year. In light of this, our last day of school is planned as of now, for Thursday, May 25 because we are making up 4 snow days at this point. However, should we miss another day, that specific make-up day and final day of school will be Friday, May 26.

If we should have additional snow days, our elementary school students will be asked to complete work in a Snow Day Packet during the weather-related closure in lieu of making up yet another day. The packet likely contains multiple days of lessons, and should not all be completed at the same time. Classroom teachers will be sending home these packets with students should it appear necessary to do so based on the extended forecast. The packets contain both classroom specific review work, as well as lessons related to music, guidance, art, and PE. If you have further questions, please let your teacher or myself know. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Mr. Chris Gubbrud

Principal

Congratulations go out to Gertie Belle Rogers Teacher of the Year, Traci Wilson, and our Classified Staff of the Year, Randi Zimmerman. Mrs. Wilson is a third grade teacher and Mrs. Zimmerman is our Food Service Mgr. in our GBR kitchen. They will will represent GBR later this school year when they are presented with their awards at the TOY/CSOY Reception.

Congratulations, ladies! We are so proud to have both of you at GBR.

Our 2023 - 2024 Jumpstart sessions have been set. Mark your calendar for March 28th and March 30th. Times to be determined. If you have a child who will turn

age 5 on or prior to September 1, 2023, please contact your nearest elementary school to get their name on a list. You will need to attend the Jumpstart session at your child's home based school. We will be mailing out information packets towards the end of February.

Please call 995-3091 if you have any questions.

Please click on the form and complete if you have a future kindergarten who will be attending Gertie Belle Rogers in the fall of 2023.

Perhaps the MCL program is right for your student. Please take a look at the images below to learn more about the MCL program. If you have questions about this program, please contact Assistant Principal Mr. Bobby Reindl (bobby.reindl@k12.sd.us) at the Middle School.

Girls 3rd-5th grade:

When girls feel a sense of pride, they shine differently. From the first practice to crossing the finish line, Girls on the Run (GOTR) girls learn that their self-worth is paramount to all that they do. The lessons in the curriculum help girls unleash their inner superstar and teach them to never let their light dim. Unlock your girl’s limitless potential and join our Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary’s team this season! Spring 2023 season starts March 2 – May 11, Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:30pm to 4:45pm. GOTR registration opens January 11th at 8:30am! Go to www.embe.org/gotr for more information.

Coaches needed!

Communities are transformed by great leaders with big hearts. Did you know that 99% of coaches agreed that coaching Girls on the Run (GOTR) was a valuable experience? All you need is a compassion for helping others, availability to meet one a week for 1.5 hours and a desire to see the next generation achieve their dreams! You do not have to be a runner to coach. Contribute to the GOTR mission this season by coaching at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary. Spring 2023 season starts March 2 – May 11, Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:30pm to 4:45pm. Go to www.embe.org/gotr for more information.

You may also reach out to Mrs. Wilson for any further questions.

traci.wilson@k12.sd

If your child is missing any clothing items from shirt, coats, sweatshirts, gloves, mittens, hats, etc. please remind them to check out the Lost and Found. It is overflowing once again.

"Our school is about to take part in a special, schoolwide shared reading event called One School One Book. Every family will receive a copy of the same book and will be asked to read it together at home over the month of February. The title of the book will be revealed at our kick-off assembly on Friday, February 3rd ."

Attention Class of 2023 and Alumni of Gertie Belle Rogers.

Be sure to apply for the GBR Scholarship! Applications should be available in the Mitchell High School counselor's office. To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be a graduating senior at Mitchell Senior High, have attended Gertie Belle Rogers for 3 years, and be pursuing any higher level of education up graduation. Don't miss out..

Then deadline to apply is Monday, April 3rd. Applications

The Mitchell Community Scholarship Fund is a 501(c)3 organization created in 2001 and maintained to provide scholarships for every graduating senior from MHS or MCHS that qualifies. This fund assists Mitchell’s graduating seniors to attain their goals of continuing educational opportunities and to demonstrate Mitchell’s belief in their youth. The student must attend a postsecondary institution to receive the scholarship money and complete the necessary claim form. A board of directors oversees the efforts, and all monies raised are done through fundraising and special events. Community members and school representatives are members of the board that has no fiscal relationship with the Mitchell School District or Mitchell Christian School. Funds are held and managed by the Mitchell Area Charitable Foundation with 100% of money raised dedicated to scholarship awards.

Friday, February 3rd - Student Council School Store OPEN

Saturday, February 4th - Spelling Bee at DWU

Friday, February 10th - Student Council Store OPEN
Saturday, February 11th - Knight for a Princess Dance

Monday, February 13th - School Board Meeting

Monday, February 20th - PTA Pizza Ranch Fundraiser - 5 pm - 7:30 pm

Friday, February 24th - PTA Let's Glow Dance - 7 pm - 9 pm

Tuesday, March 28th - KDG. Jumpstart

Thursday, March 30th - KDG. Jumpstart

Thursday, March 30th - SPRING Pictures

Monday, May 8th - 5th grade recognition ( more information later)

Tuesday, May 9th - 5th grade district band concert at the PAC

Mark Your Calendar for NO SCHOOL on these Dates

Friday, February 17th and Monday, February 18th

Thursday & Friday, March 16th & 17th

Monday, March 20th

Friday, April 7th

Monday, April 10th

Our GBR 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students held their grade level spelling bee and crowned their winners for each grade level. The winners are listed below.

The winners will go on to participate at the Spelling Bee on Saturday, February 4th at DWU. Good luck to each of our winners.

The student council will be selling foil wrapped chocolate roses for $3.00 a piece in preparation for Valentine’s Day. You can choose from 1 of 3 notes to go with your rose: I’m Grateful for You!, I Appreciate You!, or You’re the Best! Student council members will be taking orders starting Monday February 6. They will be on the stage each morning that week before school until they run out of roses. They will then deliver your rose and note to the person you designate on the card on Valentine’s Day. It must be a student or staff member at GBR for them to deliver to.

LET'S PLAY SOCCER!

REGISTRATION OPENS FEBRUARY 6TH!

Little Kickers (birth year 2019)

Youth Soccer League (birth year 2015-2018)

Academy (birth year 2013 - 2014)

MSA Competitive (birth year 2012 - 2004)

*Scholarships available based on need*

For registration and season info go to:

https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/mitchellsoccerassociation

and click on registration information.

Like us on Facebook!

Mitchell Soccer Association

Help our school by continuing to save the County Fair Saver Cards and turning them

into our school. Our school receives 55 cents per card from County Fair.

This is a big way for our school to earn extra money... We will be having another classroom / PTA contest in March 21st - April 17th.

Empower Our Educators, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization created to help empower educators in the Mitchell community by not only financially supporting some out-of-pocket classroom expenses incurred throughout the school year, but also recognizing those educators who go above and beyond on a daily basis.

Will you please help us spread the word about this positive organization and the "Educator of the Month" program EOE has created to recognize the impact educators have on students, staff, and the community?

Nominate an educator in the Mitchell Public School District today! Click the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/EOEFORM

We were excited to have Junior Achievement (JA) volunteers in our school once again! JA volunteers shared their knowledge with our students about careers, money, owning a business, and ethics.

JA volunteers teach engaging and interactive lessons while sharing their own career journey. By sharing their personal and professional stories it allows students to start making a connection between their schoolwork and their future careers. We appreciate the time JA volunteers spend in the classroom making an impact on South Dakota’s future workforce!

JA strives to empower students to achieve their dreams and seeks to instill hope for a promising future. This year, nearly 2,000 JA classroom volunteers have committed to teaching JA programs with the hope of reaching over 55,000 South Dakota students.

Please extend a special thank you to the volunteers and teachers listed below who participated in JA during the 2022-23 school year. If you are interested in sharing your knowledge and business experience with students in our community, please click here to see a list of open JA classes still in need of volunteers this year. Or, if you would like to sponsor a student for $25, please contact the JA office at (605)336-7318 or jasd@ja.org.

The South Dakota summative testing window runs from March through May 5. We do the bulk of our testing in April. Please avoid scheduling appointments during the school day, if at all possible. Testing with their peers is the most normal testing environment possible for our students. Your help is much appreciated! More detailed grade level information will come out when the schedule is finalized.

When dropping kids off in the morning please avoid parking in the cut-out area on the north side of the school. This area is for the Foreman school buses that are dropping kids off in the mornings and picking kids up in the afternoon. All students are required to enter through the doors on Kimball Street unless you are a bus student they will enter through the north doors with the bus supervisor.

Congratulations, to 4B Slytherin, for being chosen as the library’s “House of the Semester”. They each received a handmade wand by our very own, Ellie Dobesh’s grandmother, Terri Mohror. They also earned the House Cup. The students were able to reach into Harry Potter's travel bag and let the “wand choose the wizard”. Way to go 4B!