Oct. 2nd: PTO Meeting @7pm

Oct. 4th: K-3rd Grade Field Trip 9am-2pm

Oct. 6th: Coupon Books DUE, Wheel Spin Day & SIP Afternoon: students dismissed @11:20am

Oct. 9th: No School!

Oct. 11th: Erin's Law Presentations

Oct. 13th: End of Quarter 1 & Soda Sales

Oct. 14th: Junior High (5th-8th Grade) Lock- in 6pm-10pm (see below for details)

Oct.16h-20th: Pop Tab Collection Week

Oct. 18th: House Spirit Day: WEAR ORANGE FOR UNITY DAY!

Oct. 20th: Wheel Spin Day, Picture Retakes & Soda Sales

Oct. 23rd: Tech/Curriculum Committee Meeting @5pm & Board Meeting @6pm

Oct 24th: K-4th Puppet Show 12:30pm

Oct. 25th: House Shirt Day! (House Meetings & Competition)

Oct. 26th: No School! Parent Teacher Conferences 3pm-8pm

Oct. 27th: No School! Parent Teacher Conferences 8am-1pm

Oct. 31st: Halloween (see below for more information) and SIP Afternoon: students dismissed @11:20am

October's Cookie and Bookie

Cookie: Ghost Cookies

Bookie: Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds

• Jasper Rabbit has a problem: he is NOT doing well in school. His spelling tests? Disasters. His math quizzes? Frightening to behold. But one day, he finds a crayon lying in the gutter. Purple. Pointy. Perfect. Somehow…it looked happy to see him. And it wants to help.
  
  At first, Jasper is excited. Everything is going great. His spelling is fantastic. His math is stupendous. And best of all, he doesn’t have to do ANY work! But then the crayon starts acting weird. It’s everywhere, and it wants to do everything. And Jasper must find a way to get rid of it before it takes over his life. The only problem? The creepy crayon will not leave.
  

ZOOM Read Aloud Event will be Sunday, October 22nd @6pm. The link is emailed to parents by Sunday afternoon. Please fill out the form below to be emailed the link

In Illinois, Erin’s law requires that all public schools implement child-focused sexual abuse prevention education that:

• Teaches students in grades pre-K through 12th grade age- appropriate information about how to recognize child sexual abuse and tell a trusted adult

• Requires school personnel to be informed about child sexual abuse

• Provides parents and guardians with information on the warning signs of child sexual abuse, plus any needed assistance, referrals or resources to support victims and their families

We will be working with the Center for Prevention of Abuse that will coordinate our trainings. Below is an outline of what will be covered in each grade level. These presentations will be given on Wednesday, October 11th. However, we realize this is a sensitive topic for both parents and students and it is not the school’s intent to interfere with your role as the parents. Students are not required to attend the presentation and will not be penalized if you should desire for your child not to participate. Should you prefer that your child not attend these presentations, please fill out the form below and return to school by Tuesday, October 10th.

• Our doors open for learning @7:25am!

• Please continue to follow the cones all the way to the back of the parking lot vs. cutting across the middle. This helps with flow of traffic.

• Please have your child exit the vehicle anywhere within the white box in the arrival map picture vs. only having them exit at the main doors.
  

• Have your child ready to exit the vehicle.

Aramark is excited to announce the once a month, there will be a third entrée option for students! This limited time offer, will occur in the middle of the month and last for a week. This would not be in addition to an entrée but rather as one of their entrée options.

This month they will highlight Asian Fusion Flavors with Egg Roll in a Bowl. This dish features spring onions. Did you know spring onions are harvested approximately 2 to 3 months after planting and provide bright, fresh flavors, often viewed as one of the first vegetables of spring. The onions are also entirely edible, including the leaves and bulb, and can be utilized fresh or cooked. Spring onions are a rich source of Vitamins A, C and K. They help reduce blood sugar levels and boost your immune system. They support strong vision and strengthen your gums. This dish will be offered Oct. 10th-13th and students simply need to let their teacher know they want the monthly special.

We are very much looking forward to this new opportunity to learn about new foods, try something new, and provide students with healthy options for lunch.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a great time to talk about the power of choosing kind. October 18th is Unity Day. On this day we are encouraging everyone to wear orange as way to bring awareness to bullying.

Wearing and sharing orange shows a unity for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. It sends a message that no child should ever experience bullying. Here at LW we work hard to ensure the safety and acceptance of all students and will continue to promote a welcoming environment.

To learn more about unity day check out the video below from National Bullying Prevention Center.

"Young people might not be talking about stressful events but they are still trying to process them, and a book can be an incredibly powerful way to help them do that." ~Kate Cimo 6th Grade Teacher The Power of Read Aloud in the Middle Grades AMLE Blog Post

Here at Limestone Walters we work very hard to make sure everyone feels safe and appreciated. There are several ways we create a positive and welcoming culture throughout our building:

• Ron Clark Academy House System to strengthen culture and climate
• House council builds student leadership and upstander capacity
• School Wide Expectations to promote common understanding
• Into Reading and Social Studies curriculums weave in the CASEL framework
• Curriculum alignment provides common language throughout the building
• 3 full days of a social worker who provides push-in lessons to strengthen social skills
  
• Board/Card Games are available to build emotional intelligence
• Books and stories are shared as a springboard for important conversations

Talking with your child/children about what is bullying and what is not, is the perfect first step. Encourage your child to advocate for themselves and reach out to a trusted adult nearby or in the school. If you are looking for how you can support your child at home please check the links and videos below:

Into Reading K-6

This month, K-6 students will be moving into module 2 and beginning module 3 at various time depending on the class. Below you will find two graphics that share grade levels essential questions and the social emotional/learning mindset focus.

Social Studies

This month, grades 4th-8th will be wrapping up their first topic and beginning topic 2. Below you will find the graphic that shares grade level questions and social emotional focus.

Oct. 3rd: Away Game @ Pleasant Hill 5pm *bus leaves at 4:15pm
Oct. 5th: Home Game vs. Rankin 5pm

Oct. 10th: Away Game @ Monroe 5pm * bus leaves at 4:30pm

Oct. 11th 7th Away Game @ Blessed Sacrament 5:30pm *bus leaves at 4:30pm

Oct. 12th: Home Game vs Brimfield 5pm

Oct. 16th Home Game vs. Oak Grove 5pm

Oct. 18th: Away Game @ Parkview 5pm *bus leaves at 4pm

Oct. 19th-21st: 7th Grade Tournament St. Patrick TBD

Oct. 23rd: Home game vs. St. Jude 5pm

Oct. 25th & 28th: 8th Grade Tournament St Thomas TBD

Oct. 30th: Home Game vs. Pleasant Valley 5pm

Parent Teacher Conferences will be Thursday, October 26th 3pm-8pm and Friday, October 27th 8am-1pm.

Grades K-5

• these will be in person
• 15 minutes

Grades 6th-8th

• these will be virtual
• 10 minutes.

*The reason for this is all three of our junior high teachers meet with you and virtual allows for the conferences to stay on schedule. If virtual will not work for you, please reach out to the teachers and set up an in-person time.

Please know these decisions are made to accommodate as many people as possible, allow for the schedule to remain on time, and provide opportunities for everyone to get the most out of their conference.

We will be sending out a sign up next week once we have the website all set-up.

Halloween Events - Tuesday, October 31st

A quick reminder of the Halloween events happening:

Halloween Parade (K-4th) with Costume Competition to follow (5th-8th)

• Begins at 9:45am
• Parents are welcome and can start arrive at 9:30am
• We will have this in the gym
• K-4th students will parade through first and 5th-8th will then begin their costume competition
• Parties will start about 10:30amish
  
  

Costume Information

• Grades K-4th grade may wear their costume to school
• Grades 5th-8th need to bring their costume and change here at school
• Please make sure costumes are school appropriate
• Please keep costume weapons at home

In the event of inclement weather, you will receive a message from the school and information will be posted to local news stations. In the event of a school cancellation, please know this will be a snow day with no remote learning. To accommodate possible emergency days without adding days to the end of the year, there are 3 built into our school calendar. This allows us to hopefully be finished prior to Memorial Day and not add as many make up days to the end of the year.

Similar to last year we have 3 emergency days have been build into our calendar. This allows us to hopefully be finished prior to Memorial Day and not add as many make up days on to the end of the year.

The following Mondays we will not be in session unless an emergency day is used:

• Monday, May 6th
• Monday, May 13th
• Monday, May 20th

If we do have emergency days we will have session on the above Mondays depending on how many we need. Our other two emergency days will be after May 24th and May 25th.

Our PTO meets the first Monday of the month at 7pm in the library. This is a great way to get involved in fundraisers and activities that support our school. If in person doesn't work for you, they also have a virtual Zoom option. The links are always emailed out closer to the date.

PTO updates:

Coupon Books--Coupon book sales are underway for $25 each. These quickly pay for themselves with only a few uses. Please turn in any unsold books or packet with money by Friday, October 6.

Junior High Jamboree--The PTO will be hosting a fun night geared specifically towards the interest of our LW junior high students. The event will take place on Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 6-10pm. Parents volunteers will be needed and a sign-up sheet will be shared soon. See the attached flyers for more details.

Flamingo Flocking Fundraiser-- The pink, feathered friends are still making their rounds to homes in the Limestone Walters District. We anticipate to continue flocking until the weather gets too cold/windy making conditions unsafe for our flamingos. Didn't get flocked this time around? Don't worry! The PTO hopes to pick up again in the spring if the weather allows. Otherwise, we'll begin in the fall of 2024.

BoxTops for Education--Remember to scan those receipts to earn credit towards a treat party for your childs' class! 6th grade is currently in the lead with 3rd grade trailing behind them. This is available to anyone including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc! Competition ends on November 30. See the attached flyer for more details.

Concessions Sign-Up for LW Boosters-- We are needing help with the concession stand for girls basketball games this year. Please use this link to sign-up.

Volunteer for PTO Sponsored Events-- Do you want to be involved with the PTO or would like more information? The PTO sponsors or helps with several things throughout the year and we need your help! Use this link to indicate where you'd like to volunteer. Please see the attached flyer for more information about LW PTO or attend a meeting on the first Monday of the month!

LaGondola Meal Day--Thank you to all who participated in the meal day at LaGondola on September 27!

Holiday Walk-- This will be coming up on Saturday, Nov 11th from 9am-1pm. We will have several vendors and crafters. This is the perfect time to start your holiday shopping.

Lunch time read alouds are one of my favorite ways to build a culture of readers here at LW. On Wednesdays, I read picture books to all K-4th grade students and on Friday's I read the first chapter of a novel to all 5th-8th graders.

Readers thrive when they are surrounded by a supportive reading community. I curated this list over the last couple of years that covers a wide variety of ages, genres, topics, themes, etc. Your purchase means it will be shipped directly to the school, find its way into a classroom, and have a label with who donated it! Please make sure to include your name when purchasing.

Please feel free to share our list with family and friends! I can't wait to see where our farthest book comes from!

Remember

I loved the excitement around lunch time read alouds beginning. Voices exclaiming...are you reading today are you reading today?... are good for the soul.

Gratitude

I'm grateful for a supportive Board of Education, pumpkin spice lattes, and seeing readers in a reading emergency (curled up with a good book).

Goals

• attend and support staff during curriculum Professional Development
• visit more classrooms during PE, music, library, art, and WIN
  
• organize and work on storage for our board/card games utilized during 5th-8th grade lunch

~Mrs. Stefanie Pitzer, Principal

Email: spitzer@limestonewalters.com
Website: https://www.limestonewalters.com/
Location: 8223 West Smithville Road, Peoria, IL, USA
Phone: 309-697-3035
Facebook: facebook.com/LWrockets316
Twitter: @lwrockets