Avilla Elementary Family Newsletter

Avilla Families,

We did it! This Friday afternoon we will all begin winter break. Our staff is grateful for all of the effort that you have helped with at home. We know that many of you have had to keep your kids home for a number of different reasons and different lengths of time. Some of you have had more than one big stretch of time that your child couldn't come to school. We also know that many students have had extended periods of time without their assigned classroom teacher. We really are all in this strange time together, supporting one another the best we can. Thank you all for your efforts! You have all played a part in keeping our school open and we appreciate that!

However you celebrate the holiday season, I hope that you enjoy it together with your kids. Once again I need to express my gratitude to all of you in supporting our school. Thank you, Avilla Families and happy holidays!

Jeff Harper

Principal

email: jharper@eastnoble.net

phone: 260.897.2301

This week for her lessons in Kindergarten, Miss Williams read the story Giraffe Problems with the kids. In this story, a giraffe named Edward doesn’t like his long neck because he looks different from all of the other animals. He meets a turtle named Cyrus who wishes he had a long neck like Edward, which helps Edward understand that his long neck doesn’t make him weird! Miss Williams used this story to talk to the kids about how we all have things about us that make us unique and that it isn’t a bad thing! The kids colored their own bowties (like the one Edward and Cyrus ended up wearing in the story) and shared with their classmates what made their bowtie unique.

Avilla's PTO once again sponsored Claus' Closet, a store for our students to shop for gifts. This year we had a very generous donation from community members. Every student that did not bring money was able to buy items in the store thanks to this donation. Although the donors wanted to remain anonymous, we would like to thank them for their generosity!

Plan Your Winter Break Escape

There's no place like home for the holidays, but, these days, home may be feeling...claustrophobic. Escape the monotony and join us for some virtual family fun!

Science Live! - St. Nick's Science Show

Program Description: Ever wonder how Santa fits down the chimney? Or how his sleigh flies? Well, a little bit of Christmas Spirit, joyful cheer, and Santa's magic is all you need to be a part of this winter wonder Science Live show! Join us for St. Nick's Science Show as we use hands on demonstrations and delve into how Santa and his Elves make Christmas happen.

Content Provider: Don Harrington Discovery Center Amarillo

Grade: K-2nd grade students

Date/Time: 12/30/20 at 10:00 am EST

Program Length: 45 Minutes

Cost to Register: FREE

Additional Information: Parents/guardians will be emailed a link to join the videoconference approximately one week prior to the event. Participants can partake in science experiments at home; a list of materials needed for at-home experimentation will be provided. Please have a parent or guardian join the videoconference with the participating child if possible.

REGISTER FREE

Grossology

Program Description: Poop, vomit, and slime make this videoconference a guaranteed gross time! We’ll investigate why animals do ‘gross’ stuff, how it helps them to survive, and maybe meet some disgusting animals – you might be surprised by who you’ll meet!

Content Provider: Saint Louis Zoo

Grade: 4th-6th grade students

Date/Time: 12/29/20 at 10:00 am EST

Program Length: 45 minutes

Cost to Register: FREE

Additional Information: Parents/guardians will be emailed a link to join the videoconference approximately one week prior to the event. No materials are required. Please have a parent or guardian join the videoconference with the participating child if possible. Participants will receive a recipe on how to make slime that can be completed after the program with adult supervision.

REGISTER FREE

*These virtual programs are open to the public and are not limited to the Fort Wayne community. If you know of a student that would enjoy participating in either program, please feel free to share this information.

Our lost and found area has been growing! If you've noticed some missing items from your child's wardrobe there is a good chance that they could be here at school. After a few weeks we donate clothing items that are not claimed. One way to avoid lost items is to always write your child's name in outdoor wear like coats, jackets, hats, gloves, snow pants and boots.

Our PTO will not be meeting in January. The next meeting will take place on Monday, February 1 at 3:30 pm in our school library. Please enter at door 1.

There have been an increasing number of students coming into school without masks. Please be sure that your child has a mask for school each day.

We are always striving to keep students safe. During this time, masks are mandated on the bus for safety. If students are not wearing masks on the bus, the bus driver and school may be communicating that to you. Thanks for continuing to help us keep everyone safe!

Our car line process is going pretty well. We need your help to make it a bit better. Doors open daily at 7:50 (8:35 on Mondays) and we dismiss at 2:45. Here are some tips to help us with our car line:

• Arriving early and waiting will most likely take more of your time than showing up closer to our doors open and dismissal time. We need everyone to show up closer to our advertised times in order to lessen traffic on streets close to the school.
• Preschool parents should be the only people in our car line before 2:30. Our preschool parents pick up around 2:10 and have been blocked by people waiting for our 2:45 dismissal. Please help us by keeping the car line open for preschool pickup. These students need the most help with car pickup and a clear line really helps.
• Please do not park your car and walk across the street to greet your child. When you remain in your car it helps us to worry less about pedestrians and takes less time to get students to where they need to be.

Check out Avilla Elementary on the free East Noble app. The app is a great place to see real time updates and important information.

Click here for the Android app

Click here for the Apple app

Click here for a complete 2020-21 East Noble School Corporation calendar

Jan. 4 No preschool classes --teacher professional development day

Jan. 8 Progress report grades available online, Google Slides for K-2 and Powerschool 3-5

Feb. 17 End of trimester 2

Week of Feb. 22-26 Elementary parent/teacher winter conferences by invitation only

Feb. 22 Report cards issued

March 8-19 IREAD-3 Testing window

April 13 Progress report grades available online, Google Slides for K-2 and Powerschool 3-5

April 30 Fifth grade visit to Junior Achievement Biz Town

May 27 Report cards issued on last student day