SIS November News

November has arrived and with it colder temperatures. These cold temps often remind me to remind families about our morning routines. Here's a few things to keep in mind:

• Staff arrive at school around 7:30 am. Please do not drop students off or send students to school sooner than this as we do not have adequate staffing for supervision until 7:30 am.
• Students being dropped off by a family member should be using the front entrance, circle drive. The back parking lot entry way is reserved for buses. Car drops should be done out front in order to ensure student safety and smooth transitions for our large buses.
• We are still doing our AM Amp Up (morning arrival time) outdoors most mornings unless it is raining. Students need jackets and proper cold weather gear. Please help your child to remember to bring these items to school on a regular basis as weather can change quickly throughout the course of a day. It's always a good idea to write your child's name inside these items too. You'd be surprised how quickly our lost and found grows!

In addition to these reminders, please also be aware of our upcoming parent/teacher conferences. A link for sign ups went out earlier today but HERE it is again for those that need it. We look forward to visiting with you about your child's progress in the coming weeks! In the meantime, take a peek at some of our October fun!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Holtz

Nov. 2: Election Day

Nov. 6 & 7: HS Fall Musical Performances

Nov. 11: Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:00 - 7:00 pm)

Nov. 18: Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:00 - 7:00 pm)

Nov. 23: Early Dismissal - Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 24-26: No School - Thanksgiving Break

The book fair will run online from Nov 4th - 17th.

In-person book fair shopping will be:

• Friday, Nov. 5th from 2-4pm,
• Tuesday, Nov. 9th from 2pm-6pm,
• Wednesday, Nov.10th from 10am-3pm, and
• Thursday, Nov. 11th from 2pm-7pm.

An informational flyer will be shared soon.

For now, PTO is looking for a few folks to volunteer to help with the Book Fair. If you'd like to help, please sign up HERE

As you may or may not know, Solon teachers and administration frequently review student performance data and use this data to make formative decisions for classroom instruction. In a recent review of student data, we recognized a need for more phonics based word study. Enter Words Their Way. Words Their Way is a supplemental literacy program used for teaching spelling, phonics, and vocabulary. Each of the 5 stage-specific levels features words sorts, online learning opportunities, and word work activities designed to help guide students through each stage of spelling development from emerging to derivational relationships. This differentiated approach to learning supports students at their identified spelling stage and gradually builds on their knowledge-base to fill gaps and raise their achievement levels.

In addition to word sort cards, word games, and activities students are also engaged in an online learning platform where they work within their spelling stage to sort words, identify word patterns, and build their vocabulary. Each word sort invites students to sort words or images by sound and word patterns, building on the lesson before as they gradually word through each spelling stage.

Often times, each new lesson is first teacher-directed and then gradually releases students to independence, first modeling, then practicing and applying their learning in various hands-on learning sorts and online activities before assessing student progress. The best part is this work fits within the literacy instructional block and can be done in about 15 minutes a day!

Learn more about Words Their Way by asking your child about their classroom experience or visit https://youtu.be/0E05hxCsP-g to watch a short video on the benefits and use of Words Their Way.

Solon Community Families, it is time for another musical!

Solon Drama’s Sister Act the Musical!

November 6th @ 2:00pm and 7:00pm

AND

November 7th @ 2:00pm, 2021

We are presenting Sister Act the Musical, in a few weeks and are super excited to share it with the community! This Fall has been so fast, that it is almost time to purchase tickets! All tickets will be purchased online, otherwise, if still available, can be bought in person at the door, on show day! Tickets prices are as follows: $7, $9, $12, & $15, depending on where you are seated!

FOR IN PERSON TICKET ORDERS:

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 your tickets to yourself!

Show times are:

Saturday November 6th @ 2:00pm

Saturday November 6th @ 7:00pm

Sunday November 7th @ 2:00pm

Please direct any specific questions to the director, Sami McAtee smcatee@solon.k12.ia.us

Thanks!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the SIS Library Storybook Pumpkin Painting Activity. Students did a great job of painting pumpkins as their favorite storybook characters. There were a total of 9 submissions at SIS. Check them out below!

Sincerely-

Mrs. Pflughaupt

School lunch will be free again this year for ALL students. You can access the menus on our school website HERE.

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