SIS November News Fall 22

Hello, SIS Families!

I cannot believe we are already into November! In full disclosure, I didn't even realize it was time for our November newsletter to be sent out until I receive the HS newsletter! I guess I have been enjoying the fall weather, pumpkin patch, and Halloween festivities a little too much!

Speaking of October fun, I wanted to take a minute to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all of our families for your support with our School-Wide Halloween Party! Our students had a great time and we couldn't have asked for a smoother, more enjoyable afternoon! Thank you for your generous donations of snacks, prizes, and your precious time! We are so very blessed by your continuous support!! I've included a few pictures below of the fun we all had!

A few reminders as we move into November:

• As the weather turns colder, please consider writing your child's name inside his/her coats and/or sweatshirts. Our lost and found is growing. This week the weather is expected to drop to the 50s. Please do encourage your child to bring a coat. Our playground area is quite breezy.
• Conferences begin next week. If you haven't yet signed up, please head on over the following link and secure your time with your teacher: https://ptcfast.com/schools/Solon_Intermediate_School (As a reminder, if you have a student on Mrs. Walden's roster, please sign up to conference with both your current teacher and Mrs. Walden. More detailed information about conferences and report cards can be found below.
• LOST AND FOUND - Our Lost and Found keeps growing! Be sure to stop by the office during conference nights to check for any items that may have been misplaced by your kiddos. Anything not claimed after conferences will be taken to Goodwill.
• We will have an early release on Nov. 22, which is a Tuesday. This is the start of our Thanksgiving Break.

Finally, I want to extend a warm thank you to both our staff and students for their kindness and thoughtfulness this past month! October is National Principal Appreciation Month and our students and staff took the time to write me many notes of appreciation that really filled my heart! The theme was Our Principal is the Apple of Our Eye! What a blessing it is to work for such an amazing community of teachers and staff, students and families!

Until Next Month,

Mrs. Holtz

As we prepare for report cards and conferences, we wanted to take a minute to re-explain the marks on our standards-based report cards. Standards are representative of the skills and knowledge we expect students to know and do by the end of the school year. The markings are as follows:

• E - Exceeding - Applies skills/concepts above grade level standards (academics only)

• P - Proficient - Applies concepts/skills at grade level standards (expected by END of year)

• D - Developing - Learning to apply concepts/skills at grade level standards

• AC - Area of Concern - Rarely applies concepts/skills at grade level standards

It is expected that at this point in the year we will have more students at the developing (D) level than any other mark (AC, P, or E) over several of our assessed standards. “Developing” represents that while a student has not yet mastered the standard, they are making adequate progress towards meeting proficiency by the end of the year. It is rare to have students already meeting the end of grade level proficiency of standards this early in the year. Any standard unmarked is a standard not evaluated at this point in the school year and will not appear on the report card until it is assessed later in the year. In addition to the current marks in each subject area, teachers have provided comments to help better explain the content covered during the trimester. You will also find personalized comments about your child’s progress in reading, writing, and math. Teachers will cover more specifics with you during conferences. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions.

We look forward to seeing you at conferences on November 10th and 17th, respectively.

During the month of October our SEL (social-emotional learning) groups and our guidance lessons focused on friendship. As SEL groups we brainstormed how we can be good friends to those around us. When students were seen demonstrating friendly actions towards others staff members filled out an "Friendship Card" for students and they were each recognized as SIS Stand Out Students at our end of the month assembly!

Additionally, classes competed against one another in a "Hula Hoop Connection Challenge" where classes worked together to move through the hula hoop as one connected unit. Students held hands with the hula hoop between them and weaved their class through the hula hoop. Fourth and fifth grade classes timed themselves and the fastest class from each grade level squared off. In the end, it came down between 5A and 4A with Mr. Folkert's class completing the challenge in 0.42 seconds!

Congrats to 4A, who holds the Orange Chair Trophy for the month of November!

Congratulations to the students pictured below who were recognized as SIS Stand Out Students for embracing friendships this past month!

Anastasia The Musical

Saturday November 5th @ 2:00pm & 7:00pm, 2022

Sunday November 6th @ 2:00pm, 2022

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR TICKETS? Online of course!

Tickets can be found at https://sc4a.ludus.com

• Click on the show you are wanting to attend.
• Choose your preferred seats.
• Pay online and email/text your tickets to yourself!

We exited to share that our 4th and 5th grade students will once again be afforded the opportunity to enjoy lunch and time to visit with seniors once a month through Old Gold Dining! Classes will take turns visiting the Solon United Methodist Church to eat and chat with seniors in our community! Old Gold Dining will take place the second Friday of each month.

Our LV/SIS PTO Sponsored Book Fair will be Nov. 28 thru Dec. 2. Please note - Due to conflicts with Scholastic's availability, these dates WILL NOT coincide with our fall parent/teacher conferences. Shopping dates are tentatively set for Nov. 29-31st.

SIS Students will be afforded the opportunity to shop the book fair during the day. Parents can send cash or utilize the ewallet option with Scholastic to set up a budget for students to purchase books. Kelsey Gerlits, who helps set up, run, and organize our book fair will also look to keep the store open a little beyond the school day for any parents wishing to shop. Stay tuned for more details!

Questions? Contact Kelsey Gerlits at (319) 530-0177

Did you know there's more than one way to support our LV/SIS PTO? Check out it out!

Please see this newsletter from the SCSD Nutrition Department.

The staff at the Solon Community Center has asked that we share with parents that after school activities are currently held on both Mondays and Thursdays.

• Mondays from 3:00 - 5:30 pm
• Thursdays following Early Dismissal

For questions, please contact the community center directly.

Our troop would LOVE to have you join in activities and create memories with us! Your child will have the opportunity to make new 5th Grade friends and options for activities include but are not limited to: swimming, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, enjoy campfires, and create friendship that will last a lifetime!

If you are interested, please contact: Jennifer Allen via text @ 563.593.1280 or jen.sorensen.allen@gmail.com or Abby Mertka at abby.mertka@hotmail.com

Nov. 4: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nov. 11: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nov. 22: 2-Hr Early Dismissal

Nov. 23-25: Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 23-Jan. 2: Winter Break

Email: mholtz@solon.k12.ia.us
Website: www.solon.k12.ia.us
Location: 200 West 5th Street, Solon, IA, USA
Phone: (319) 624-3401
Twitter: @theholtzfamily4