BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSLETTER

January 11, 2013 www.blufftonschools.org

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION: It’s time to think about Kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year. Kindergarten Screening is scheduled for April 15-17. Any child who will be five years old by August 1, 2013, is eligible to enroll. In order to develop a kindergarten mailing list, please contact the elementary office at 419-358-7951. We will need the following information: child’s name, birth date, parents’ names, address, and phone number. You may send the information via email to marquartt@bf.noacsc.org. All children are required to have their immunizations before starting school. The Allen County Health Department provides immunizations but appointments must be made. Their website is: allencountyhealthdepartment.org. More information will be mailed home to future kindergarten students on our mailing list and in future Student Newsletters. ELEMENTARY CHRISTMAS SERVICE PROJECT: Thank you for your generous food donations in December! Our hallways were lined with many items that were donated to the Bluffton Food Pantry. SCHOOL SAFETY: School security is on all of our minds especially because of the recent event that occurred in Connecticut. Bluffton schools staff attended an updated School Safety program on January 8th after school. We have had many administrative meetings and conversations in how to make our buildings secure. We are currently working with a few different companies for the best solution for security such as a “buzz in” system for each of our buildings. We will notify you of any additional changes and/or updates. Please contact Mr. Closson or Mr. Denecker if you have any questions.

PTO NEWS: P.T.O. Bakery Bingo: The Bluffton Elementary School P.T.O. will be holding its annual Bakery Bingo event on Saturday, January 26th, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Middle School Cafetorium. You can help make this year's event a success by contributing to your child's classroom raffle basket, donating a baked good, volunteering to work, and attending! Classroom raffle basket donations will be accepted until January 18th. Simply send your donations to school with your child. Class themes are: Kindergarten - Arts & Crafts; !st Grade - Family Movie Night; 2nd Grade - Family Game Night; 3rd Grade - Read-A-Thon; 4th Grade - Family Fun Night; 5th Grade - Pirates. If you have any questions on basket donations contact Allison Mittendorf at a-mittendorf@onu.edu

Donations of baked goods should be brought to school by 6:00 p.m. January 26th. If you are willing to donate a baked good, or have any questions regarding this, contact Kimberly Hansen at yarnin_mama@yahoo.com. Volunteers are needed for Bingo set up, working concessions and raffles, and clean up. If you are able to help please contact Kendra Nickel at kendrasmiley@yahoo.com. All donations and time volunteered count towards the "Classroom Cash" contest, helping your child's teacher earn money to purchase additional educational materials for their classroom! We hope to see you January 26th!

Market Day News: Market Day orders for January are due to the school by January 18th, or can be placed online through January 23rd. Pick up will be January 28th from 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. See your Market Day flyer for more details! ELEMENTARY MEMORY BOOKS: A colorful elementary Memory Book for the 2012-2013 school year is on sale until January 31st. The price is $15 per Memory Book or it can be upgraded to a hardcover for $19.50. An informational flyer was sent home with each student this week.

ANNOUNCED 2-HOUR DELAYS: Please mark your calendar! Bluffton Exempted Village Schools will have 2-hour delays on: January 23rd and April 3rd. Teachers and administrators will work on the implementation of the new “Common Core Curriculum Standards” with “Formative Instructional Practices”. Teachers and administrators will be receiving over 25 hours of training this school year to prepare for our future state adopted curriculum.

FIFTH GRADE QUIZ BOWL SEASON BEGINS: January 28th will be the first Quiz Bowl match. All matches will be held at Shawnee Middle School. Our team members are: Ben Baxter, Olivia Burner, Lilly Campbell, Brennan Davies, Patrick Estell, Madison Fleece, Neil Metzger, Ana Neufeld-Weaver, Danielle Novak, Grace Paquin, Kaitlynn Rieman, Duncan Scott & Harrison Stechschulte. They are coached by Mrs. Holly Bertka. Good luck team! BLUFFTON EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS ALERT SYSTEM: If you would like to be notified of the delays and/or cancellations via a text message on your cell phone, visit the school’s website at www.blufftonschools.org and sign up. On the website’s home page, under the “Parents/Community” heading, click on “Parent Alert System” and follow the simple steps to subscribe to alerts. Contact the office if you have any questions.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES: Please remember that if your child is going home a different way than normal, he/she will be required to have a note from a parent. If your student does not have a note, then he/she will be sent home the normal way. A Bus Request form must be signed in the elementary office if a parent is changing a daily pick up or drop off. This form is available on the school’s website.

January

Friday 18 End of second grading period Monday 21 No School – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Snow day - if needed) Wednesday 23 2 Hour Delay - Teacher PD Friday 25 Grade Cards go home with students Saturday 26 Bakery Bingo–Middle School Cafetorium @ 6:00-8:00 p.m. (Feb 2nd Snow Day-if needed) Monday 28 5th & 6th Grade Quiz Bowl @ 4:30 p.m. – Shawnee Middle School Monday 28 Market Day pick up in elementary gym @ 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Tuesday 29 Assembly: Lincoln Books Made The Man

February Saturday 2 Bakery Bingo – Middle School Cafetorium @ 6:00-8:00 p.m. (Snow day-if needed) Monday 4 PTO Meeting @ 6:30 p.m. – Elementary Library Monday 4 5th & 6th Grade Quiz Bowl Tourney @ 4:30 p.m. – Shawnee Middle School Monday 11 5th & 6th Grade Quiz Bowl Tourney @ 4:30 p.m. – Shawnee Middle School Monday 18 No School – President’s Day (Make-up day, if needed) Friday 22 Midterms go home with students Monday 25 5th & 6th Grade Quiz Bowl Tourney @ 4:30 p.m.–Shawnee MS Monday 25 Market Day pick up in elementary gym @ 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.