January Bowlesburg Newsletter

This month we are shining our spotlight on our Associate Principal, Mrs. Wynes. She has been chosen as the RIROE Bowlesburg Staff Member for the month of January. Mrs. Wynes has been at Bowlesburg for 22 years, serving as a 3rd grade teacher for the majority of those years. Mrs. Wynes is always willing to go above and beyond for staff and students and has a strong desire to help students, teachers, and Bowlesburg families succeed. Along with her administrative day to day duties, Mrs. Wynes oversees the Social Emotional MTSS process and serves on the Culture/Climate and Guiding Coalition Committees. We have chosen Mrs. Wynes for her dedication to the school, students, and staff which is evident in and around the school. The following are other areas, events, or programs Mrs. Wynes is responsible for:

• Created and Painted the School Logo at BB’s Entrance

• Shop with a Cop Lead Contact/Organizer

• PTA Restaurant Fundraising Organizer

• Pioneer Telecom Shoe Giveaway Lead Contact/Organizer

• Coats for Kids-Silvis East Moline Rotary Club Lead Contact/Organizer

• Former Girls on the Run Coach and current substitute

• School-Wide Hockey Game Event-Organizer/Lead Contact

We are very fortunate to have her on our Team. Thank you Mrs. Wynes for all that you do!

Starting Wednesday, January 10th we will begin administering our M.A.P. (Measure of Academic Progress) assessment to all students. The purpose of the M.A.P. assessment is to measure student growth in Reading and Math. Your student’s scores will be discussed with you at Parent/Teacher conferences. It is very important that your child do their best on these assessments so that we can get an accurate measure of their progress. You can help your child do his or her best on the test by:

1. Making sure, if possible, that your child attends school on the days of testing;

2. Making sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before testing;

3. Making sure your child eats breakfast either at home or at school on the mornings of testing;

4. Reminding your child to ask their teacher questions if he or she does not understand the test directions;

5. Letting your child know that you have confidence in his or her ability to do his or her best; and

6. Advising your child not to worry about the test – just do the best he or she can.

Thank you for assisting us in helping your child do their best.

As you may have heard from your students, we have started our "Bowlesburg Families" just before Winter break. Your student will be part of a small family within the school, consisting of students from across different grade levels and a staff member. The families will meet twice a month and grow together. Here is a little bit about our Bowlesburg School Families:

• Bowlesburg Families: The whole idea of creating classroom Families is to build a community within the school. This includes all staff members and kids intermingling amongst different grade levels. The topics for each gathering are meaningful and focused on Social Emotional Learning. We hope to build relationships across grade levels and all staff. We feel building these relationships are of great value to create a community in which we all feel a part of.

The January PTA meeting will be Tuesday, January 23rd in the Bowlesburg Library.

If you or your student is planning to bring snacks to school, please follow the District Wellness Policy.

In accordance with the Wellness Policy:

1. ALL SNACKS PROVIDED AT SCHOOL WILL COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL SMART SNACK GUIDELINES This means that we have to make sure that we are giving students healthy items such as: *fruits and vegetables *low sugar snacks *low fat snacks

2. ALL SNACKS/TREATS BROUGHT INTO THE SCHOOLS MUST BE PREPACKAGED (no homemade treats). Due to the increase in severe food allergies, all food must not only comply with the Smart Snack guidelines but they must also be packaged with a listing of ingredients. Fruits and vegetables do not have to follow this guideline. Healthy snacks are available to purchase from the Food Service Office on the district website.

3. WE ARE MOVING AWAY FROM USING FOOD AS INCENTIVES and FOODS FOR CELEBRATIONS. We want our students to know that celebrating a birthday doesn’t have to mean treats. It can be as simple as a teacher offering a special activity for that child to celebrate a birthday. Please see our website for more information regarding our new wellness initiatives.

• January 10th-17th - M.A.P. Testing
• January 12th - End of 2nd Quarter
• January 15th - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• January 23rd - PTA Meeting 6:00 p.m.
• January 26th - 1/2 day Early Dismissal at 11:30 a.m.
• February 1st - School Trip to QC Storm Hockey Game.
• February 8th - Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
• February 9th - Morning Parent/Teacher Conferences
• February 16th - Teacher Inservice Day. No Student Attendance.
• February 19th - No School. Presidents' Day.