Otsego Elementary Extra

Ms. Sara has been a preschool teacher at Otsego since 2010. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in 2009 in Early Intervention from Ohio State University and earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Technology in 2012 from Bowling Green State University. Ms. Sara enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters in her spare time. She also enjoys extra sleep and exercising in her spare time! A fun fact about Ms. Sara is that she has an identical twin sister. She is proud to be an Otsego Knight!

Below are the remaining testing dates for all 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students:

Wednesday, April 26th: Math Part 1 (Grades 3-5)

Thursday, April 27th: Math Part 2 (Grades 3-5)

Tuesday, May 2nd: Social Studies Part 1 (Grade 4) & Science Part 1 (Grade 5)

Wednesday, May 3rd: Social Studies Part 2 (Grade 4) & Science Part 2 (Grade 5)

What can parents do to help?

While state testing is never our primary focus here at OES, we still strive to give our students their best chance possible. Parents can help with this by ensuring students are at school on the dates listed above, have had a good night sleep, and a healthy breakfast. At school we focus on encouraging students to do their best and show us what they know, reiterating that at home might help students feel less stress regarding taking these tests.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns! Thank you for your assistance in giving our students their best education possible!

Casey Kuron and Charis Mehl, 2nd graders at OES, were two of six children to earn an Honorable Mention in the K-2 category for an essay they wrote in class and then submitted to the Toledo Lucas County Library. This year was the 20th Anniversary of the Ruth Blank Venner and Mary Jane Blank McCormick Essay Contest. In years past, over 1,000 area K-12 students have entered this contest. Casey and Charis have been invited to attend a reception held for the winners in May. The winning essays can be found online at toledolibrary.org.

Field Day 2017

Parents and Guardians,

Can you believe that field day is just around the corner? We are asking for volunteers to help with the activities. The activities are scheduled from 9:20am – 11:20am on Monday, May 15th (K, 2nd, 3rd Coates & 3rd Digby) and Tuesday, May 16th (1st, 4th, 3rd Luidhardt & 3rd Seeger). Please report to the gym by 8:50 am. Please note we have a rain date for Thursday, May 18th and Friday, May 19th if needed.

Please fill out the information below if you are able to help. Return this form to school by Friday, May 5th . You may also email me with the information at Akonoff@otsegoknights.org. Thank you so much!!

Amy Konoff

Physical Education Teacher

-------Cut Here---------------------------------Cut Here --------------------------Cut Here -------

Field Day 2017

_______I can help on Monday, May 15th in the morning (Grades involved K, 2nd, 3rd Coates and 3rd Digby). 5th grade Hunsberger & Nofziger will be working in the morning.

_______I can help on Tuesday, May 17th in the morning (Grades involved 1st, 4th, 3rd Luidhardt & 3rd Seeger). 5th grade Riley & Gregorsok will be working in the morning.

Parent/Guardian Name________________________________________________

Parent Phone # & Email________________________________________________

Child’s Name_________________________ Grade/Teacher___________________

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We are going to be having a pet drive to collect gently used or new pet supplies and food. If you do donate food please make sure that it is not opened just for the safety of the pets. The collection dates are May 8th- 12th the donations will not be counted if they are turned in after 2:45 on Friday May 12th. If you would like to you can send your kids to school with any gently used or new pet supplies make sure that they have their class code on them. Some ideas are of things that you can buy them are, 1.Spray Cheese, 2.Long and short dog leashes, 3.Trixie Chess game, 4.Everlasting treats, 5.Large Kong Classic dog toys, 6.Plastic Gloves Medium, and Small, 7.Copy and Printing paper, 8.Paper towels, 9.Soft toilet paper, 10. Jif’s creamy peanut butter, 11. Trixie 5 in 1 Activity Center, 12. Clorox Bleach, 13. Water filter cartridges, 14. Grown catnip, 15. Tide, 16. Tick control, 17. Large brooms, and 18. Dog beds.

Those are some ideas but if you want more ideas you can go on the website http://www.woodcountyhumanesociety.org/. Go on the wishlist and you can see what they want. If your child would like to bring any gently used or new items, they need to put it in the bins in their hallway and we are going to see what grade can give the most things to the pets. This will all be donated to the Humane Society sometime the weekend after the Donation drive is over. We really encourage that you let your kids donate and there will be a small prize for the class that wins. REMEMBER EVERY DONATION COUNTS! Even if your class doesn't win. It can be for any animal you want.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank our wonderful Otsego community for supporting our Artsonia.com program. Artsonia is the worlds largest online art museum for student work. It is great for sharing artwork with family and friends. We added over 1500 new art works this year! When items are purchased a percentage comes back to the school art program. This year we were able to purchase a brand new cutting board, lots of new colored pencils, some special water color papers and plenty more. Thank you again for supporting this fantastic program!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Helle

We still have a few hard cover yearbooks available. They are $21. Please make checks out to Otsego Schools.

Please contact jhelberg@otsegoknights.org to claim one of the extra copies or with any questions.

**Scholarships now available. Please fill out this google survey or contact Jessica Martinez (jmartinez@otsegoknights.org) for more information.**

Otsego Local Schools will be partnering with the National Inventors Hall of Fame to host Camp Invention, the country’s leading program inspiring creativity, innovation, and STEM interest in children in incoming grades K-6. (open to all current PK students who will be KDG next year and current 5th Graders) The program’s all-inclusive cost is $225 per child. The camp be held June 12-16 8:30 am to 3:00 pm at Otsego Elementary.

The program director will be our Elementary Technology Teacher, Jessica Martinez and will be instructed by other Otsego Elementary Teachers. Please click the following link for more information. OTSEGO STEM CAMP FLYER

We are working with local businesses to provide scholarships to students. Please register your child now to take advantage of discounts, and if scholarship money becomes available, we will reimburse as needed.

YouTube Videos – Below you will find videos that you can share with your students in class or post on social media:

· Launch™ Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OiFeEzgJwA

· Duct Tape Billionaire ™: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1La-KUenj1g

· Have a Blast™: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEoebK5xqhw

· Mission Space Maker™: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHiavm6TwIg

· Operation Keep Out™: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StVtc5AQYtc

Imaginations get their rocket fuel at Camp Invention! An exciting, weeklong summer adventure awaits with activities that explore connections between science, technology, engineering, and innovation while sharpening their 21st century STEM skills. A program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention allows children in kindergarten through 6th grade to experience real-world problem solving, creative thinking, invention, and teamwork. Children work together to transform the terrain and ecosystem of a distant exoplanet. They take risks as budding business owners, blast rockets, air cannons, and rubber chickens, and wire a circuit to create their own Spy Gadget Alarm Box! Local, certified educators lead a week of hands-on activities that fuel children’s confidence in their natural ability to dream and create. Early registration discounts are available so don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity. Visit campinvention.org or call 800.968.4332 for information.

If you have any questions please contact Jessica Martinez at jmartinez@otsegoknights.org

PTO has a lot of great events coming up! All the dates are listed below. Click on the link for more information about each event!

http://otsegopto.com/events

April 18 - May 1 Spirit Wear is for sale! http://otsegopto.com/2017/04/order-your-spring-otsego-spiritwear/

April 29th 8am - 11 am

All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast

Tickets at the door.

WIN A CAR! Raffle tickets and details at otsegopto.com

May 15th

Restaurant Fundraiser: Chipotle. Mention OTESGO PTO for 50% to be donated to PTO.

If you drop off or pick up your students, PLEASE be sure to follow these reminders to keep our students safe during this high-traffic time.

1. Please do not park in the circle drive. If you are getting out of your car and going into the building, you need to be in a parking spot. This way we can keep the flow moving.

2. Please make sure students are exiting the vehicle on the side of the school. This way we can ensure students are not hit by cars using the outer lane.

3. Avoid blocking or stopping in the cross walk. This way students can safely walk into and out of the building. This includes the crosswalk on both sides of the circle.

4. Please pull all the way up (past the cross walk) so that more cars can fit to allow students to exit their vehicles. This will make arrival and dismissal go much quicker.

Thank you for your assistance in keeping our students safe! As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns!

We are still accepting Kindergarten Registration for the 2017-2018 school year.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR CHILD MUST TURN 5 ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 1.

Please bring the following items to the Elementary office with you when you are registering: Birth Certificate, Proof of Residency (rental agreement, utility bill, real estate tax receipt) with full physical address and parent's name, and Custody Papers (if applicable). Also, when registering we will need the Registration Form and Transportation Form completed. Prior to the FIRST day of school we will need the Doctor Physical Form and Updated Immunization Form completed.

If you have any questions, please call the Elementary Office at 419-823-4381 option 4 or e-mail jhelberg@otsegoknights.org and/or barmitage@otsegoknights.org

The Problem:

When young people fail to complete tasks like finishing homework, cleaning their rooms, or getting along nicely with brothers and sisters during a long car ride, this can lead to conflict with adults. Adults are often quick to choose consequences for misbehavior, which can lead to even more conflict if the consequences appear harsh or unfair. This can create a cycle of arguing, moaning, and groaning.

The Solution:

Mystery Motivators are a strategy for increasing the tasks, deeds, and behaviors we would like to see more of. Mystery Motivators work by identifying the target behavior and providing real motivation for the young person to complete it. This leads to better choices, better behavior, and more cooperation among peers and adults.

The Procedure:

1. Identify some rewards that may motivate the young person. Include things you can do together like reading a story, playing dress-up, or taking funny pictures. Keep in mind that, to be motivating, the reward needs to be something the young person really enjoys. To identify these, simply observe their behavior. If each night ends with pleading and whining about staying up later, staying up an extra 15 minutes to watch TV could be incredibly motivating.

2. Write prizes on individual slips of paper and separate the prizes into smaller rewards and larger rewards. Be sure all rewards appear motivating to the young person and that you can follow through on them.

3. Provide the young person a chance to draw one of the prizes out of the hat after successfully completing the often-difficult activity. Be sure the available prizes appropriately reward the necessary effort. For example, a trip to the zoo would be too much of a reward for picking up all the socks on the floor but may be just right for getting good marks on a report card.

The Science:

Mystery Motivators tap into research on basic human behavior and reinforcement. One principle many parents remember from their youth was displayed at your dinner table. To encourage you to eat your vegetables, you were promised dessert. This concept is known as Premack's Principle, or more affectionately, Grandmother's Law (as she may have been the first to enact it). The principle states that you can increase some undesirable or difficult activities like finishing homework or washing the dishes by providing opportunities for desirable activities (like an extra 10 minutes playing video games) as a reward.

For more information about PAX and it's creators, visit wright.edu/prevention-science

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Ronnie has a new website specifically designed to display Weather with Ronnie weather forecasts. Hunter Thomas, a 9th grader, at the HS decided this would be an easier way to streamline the process and make it more accessible to view current and past videos, send positive comments to Ronnie, and learn about what goes into the production of it. It's really impressive! Please subscribe on the site for updates so you can continue watching them each week as new videos will be updated every Monday morning for the remainder of the year. Below is the site to subscribe:

https://20hthomas.wixsite.com/weatherwithronnie

April 26 & 27 - Math State Test for Grades 3-5

April 27 - 1st Grade Music Program, 7pm

April 29 - PTO Pancake Breakfast and Auction, 8-11am

May 2 & 3 - Social Studies State Test Grade 4

May 2 & 3 - Science State Test Grade 5

May 15-16 - Field Day

May 18 - Kindergarten Graduation

May 25 - Last Day for Students

“There’s a Minion reasons to join PTO”

Check out the PTO on Facebook and follow on Twitter @OtsegoPTO

www.otsegopto.com

The next PTO meeting is May 2 at 6:00 in the Elementary Library.

3rd Annual All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast PTO Fundraiser

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Serving 8:00 am - 11:00 am .

Otsego Elementary School Commons

$7 Adults, $5 Seniors/Children, Under 3 Eat FREE!

Unlimited Pancakes, Sausage and Drink

Be ready to catch your pancakes - Chris Cakes will be FLIPPING your breakfast!

Silent Auction & Raffle 8:00 am - 10:30 am

Raffle Tickets: $1 each, 6 for $5, Otsego Cup with 35 for $25

Funds raised will go towards elementary field trips and teacher mini-grants. Do not need to be present to win.

We need:

1) Pancake Breakfast Volunteers

Event is April 29th. We are looking for a few more volunteers to help sell raffle tickets and collect donations for the event. Choose your volunteer slot here: http://otsegopto.com/current-volunteer-opportunities/

2) Communications Co-Coordinator

PTO needs help updating our Facebook and Twitter accounts with all of the exciting things happening! Can you help? Email PTO.

3) Mud Hens Game Event Coordinator

In April/May we will be having an Otsego community event at a MudHens game. We need someone to help coordinate this event. Interested? Email PTO.

There will be a Community Forum on May 17th with Racing for Recovery. We will be discussing addictions and the road to recovery. The forum will start at 6pm. We will be sending more information out later, but we wanted to give everyone a heads up early on this so that you can clear your schedules. http://racingforrecovery.org/

This summer program is for children with autism who are 3-6 years old and are able to engage in group activities without the support of a one-on-one personal aide. The focus will be on developmental skills and social interaction skills using a combination of teaching techniques, speech and occupational therapies. Monday’s session will have an emphasis on aquatic therapy. The focus will be on ADL’s for dressing/undressing for the pool, along with sensory, motor, cognitive and language activities. Thursday’s session will occur in a classroom environment and focus on teaching skills needed to improve picky eating, self-feeding, table manners and social interaction skills.

This 6 week program will begin June 19th and will meet two times weekly ending on July 27th. There will be a morning session and an afternoon session to choose from. This year we have received a Community Grant from Autism Speaks that will pay $150 of the pool costs for each child in June. Students must sign up for all 6 weeks of the program.

COST:

The cost of this program is $635 with a breakdown of the fees as follows:

CLASSTIME:

Afternoon Class - 12:30-2:30 – June 19 – July 27, 2017

*For more information or to register call 419-354-3099 or email beightlerb@woodcountyhospital.org

To all Otsego 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders

It is a new season…

Time to think about the upcoming youth football season. Now under new management, we would like to ask you to think about your child becoming a Knight Youth Tackle Football Player or Cheerleader. In the 2017 season we would love to have our Knights all come from our very own school district and help build our athletes for our local high school to have a successful future. Focusing on the fundamentals and building a pride in our own community.

We will be having an informational parent meeting on April 23 at 6:00 pm in the Elementary school commons where anyone can attend and ask any questions of the KYTF board. Sign ups are welcome and fees, fundraising and other information will be discussed.

This organization is made up of parent volunteers. We are in need of coaches, assistant coaches and help with many of the organization’s committees. Be involved and let our kids have fun and learn skills that they will always stay with them.

This organization is not affiliated with Otsego Local Schools.

If you can not make the meeting you can contact:

Scott Jeremy - 419-304-5767

Rikki Jeremy. - 419-377-7618

Ginger Grolle. - 419-601-3408

Preschool: @OtsegoPreK

Kindergarten: @OtsegoK

1st Grade: @OtsegoFirst

2nd Grade: @OtsegoGrade2

3rd Grade: @OtsegoGrade3

4th Grade: @OtsegoGrade4

5th Grade: @OtsegoGrade5

School Counselor: @OEScounselor

SAVE ALUMINUM CAN TABS

Please help our students by collecting tabs from aluminum cans. Each tab is easy to remove and can be donated to the Ronald McDonald House. The tabs help fund various projects for Ronald McDonald Houses and its visitors. Send the tabs in a bag to the school and our students will do the rest!

SAVE BOX TOPS AND CAMPBELLS SOUP LABELS

You can help the school earn money for supplies by collecting Box Tops and Campbells labels from soup, juices and snacks. Our PTO collects and counts them and puts the money straight back into the school.

*This year our PTO is going to collect Box Tops monthly, and the class that collects the most will get a pizza party in May.

Please send me an e-mail or give me a call!

Principal

Email: kbaughman@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4005)
Twitter: @kbaughman723

Assistant Principal

Email: mwiley@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4009)
Twitter: @PrincipalWiley

School Counselor

Email: lmikesina@otsegoknights.org
Website: http://oesknightscounselor.weebly.com/
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4010)
Twitter: @OEScounselor

Administrative Assistant

Email: barmitage@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4001)

Administrative Assistant

Email: jhelberg@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (4003)

School Resource Officer

Email: bruckstuhl@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381

School Nurse/Records Secretary

Email: jgray@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381 (2102)