From the Desk of the Principal...

Inside this issue:

February 26, 2016

J O H N S T O N E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L

Community Connection

Special Points of Interest:

2/29 —3/4—Dr. Seuss Week 2/29—PTA Chuckie Cheese Night 3/9—Late Start (Bell rings at 10:22 AM) 3/14—PTA Meeting 6:00 PM 3/17—Luck O’ the Irish, Wear Green 3/24—End of Third Quarter 3/24—Wear PJs to School 3/25—No School 3/28—4/1—Spring Break

Dr. Suess Week

Summer School

Learning With Technology

Great Outcomes Don’t Just Happen Award

Safety Patrol

Spotlight on Physical Activity at Johnston

Extended Student Absences

Attendance

Box Tops

Lost & Found

Yearbook Photos

Lunchroom Supervisors Needed

Dear Johnston Parents: I would like to take this opportunity to thank our drama students for an incredible performance of this year’s school play: Mother Goose, Inc. Everything from the acting to the set design, costumes, stage crew and public relations was amazing. I feel very fortunate to lead a school with a wonderful tradition of dra-ma performances for 20 years and running. Mrs. Pitts and her fellow staff mem-bers and volunteers deserve a great deal of credit for their ongoing support of the school play. Of course, you – our parents – also deserve our deepest grati-tude for all that you do to support the play as well. Your donations of snacks, materials, and time along with your willingness to deal with the crazy schedules, line practice, rehearsals, and attending the performances with family members make all the difference in the world. As we move into March this is the time of year that I can’t stress enough the importance of ensuring good routines of sleep, reading, diet, activity, on-time attendance, and communication with your child. These are the important developmental characteristics that will make a huge impact on their success. As adults, we have a responsibility to be good role models for our children as well. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not always easy - as the father of four elemen-tary school-aged children there are certainly times that I fall short in that area. Sometimes I have to stop and reflect on what is truly important for my children, which means making some difficult choices about how I spend my time and how I can refocus on the important job of supporting my children in being responsi-ble, respectful, safe, and healthy. I hope you know that I have a deep respect for parents and caregivers and am grateful to do my part in providing a safe, nurtur-ing environment here at Johnston that allows and encourages all students to reach their potential. Warmest regards, Principal Benz

Johnston Elementary Celebrates Dr. Seuss’s

Birthday!

Let’s have a SEUSSATIONAL celebration to help us celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday! We have a

week of special events based on some of Dr. Seuss’s books planned for students at Johnston.

Get involved and have fun!

Monday, February 29th: If I Ran The Zoo Monday!

It’s a zoo at Johnston! Bring your favorite stuffed zoo animal to

school.

Tuesday, March 1st: 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins Tuesday!

Wear a crazy hat, or have crazy hair, at school to celebrate reading!

Wednesday, March 2nd: Thing One and Thing Two Wednesday!

Dress like a twin with someone you know! Have fun!

Thursday, March 3rd: My Many Colored Days Thursday!

Dress in as many different colors as you can!

Friday, March 4th: Fox in Socks Friday!

Wear your craziest socks, matching or not to

celebrate this beloved Seuss tale!

Other activities that will be happening throughout the week include:

I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! Contest

Or can you?! Shadow shapes of Dr. Seuss characters will be on display in the LMC.

Students may guess characters’ names and place guesses in a special box. Winners

with the most correct answers will be drawn on Wednesday, March 9th

and will receive a prize.

What is your favorite Seuss book? Be sure to put a sticker on the chart and make

your vote count!

Seuss Trivia Contest

Listen to the announcements for questions about Dr. Seuss’s books. Write down

the answer and put it into a special box in the LMC. Students with the correct

answer may be drawn for a special prize. There will be primary and intermediate

questions!

April 7th from 5:00-7:00 p.m.at Johnston Elementary

Lego LeagueBackyard HackersAppleton Park and Rec

Building For KidsAppleton Public LibraryFox Valley Tech for KidsYMCAThe FireTrout MuseumAppleton Farmers Market

Timber Rattlers and FangValley Transit

Johnston PTA...and Other AASD Summer School camps

{family night to exploRe}

Summer School

Registration, with free prizes for all

students who register that evening. We will be

serving free pizza for all families who

attend!

During this event, these organizations will have tables in the hallways where they can inform Johnston families of various summer activities that may interest them. The multipurpose room is where summer school registration and the free pizza will be held. In the gym there will be a buy 1 get 1 FREE Book Fair, FREE arts and crafts from the YMCA and FREE face painting from Johnston Art Club.

in Appleton

Summer School Summer Fun

Things to Do

 

Learning with Technology

Make a Producer/Consumer Table by Brian Bartel, Technology Integration Specialist February, 2016

A professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University recently wrote a book for parents coping 

with the current and future demands of technology that children will face.  Parenting for 

Technology Futures, Part 1 (by Illah Nourbakhsh) offers many suggestions toward raising 

“technologically fluent” children. 

One recommendation is for families to 

make a “Producer/Consumer Table.” Sit down 

with your child and compile a list of ways she uses 

a computer. Then rewrite the list into a series of 

columns labeled with: Produce, Interact, 

Consume. Activities that involve watching shows, 

reading cartoons and looking online should be 

placed in the Consume column. Activities such as writing, drawing a picture or editing a video 

would be placed in the Produce column. Other activities that require interaction, such Typing 

Instructor, playing games or using Khan Academy would be categorized as Interact.   

Nourbakhsh says that “if the activities are evenly distributed between Produce, 

Consume and Interact, then you are doing very well indeed. If there are nearly no activities 

under Produce, and the Interact category lacks creative or knowledge­building examples, then 

there is room for mindful improvement.”

 Find more “Learning with Technology” information at: http://goo.gl/TY4VCM  

THE PETIT & DOMMERSHAUSEN “GREAT OUTCOMES DON’T JUST HAPPEN” AWARD

What is the “Great Outcomes Don’t Just Happen” award? The annual award is given to an AASD Staff member, teacher, coach, extracurricular coordinator, volunteer or paraprofessional who makes a positive difference in the life of a student. In this time of decreasing budgets and salaries for schools, Petit & Dommershausen would like to acknowledge the efforts and sacrifices made on a daily basis by our school employees and volunteers. THE NOMINATION PROCESS: The candidate can be nominated only by a student, parent, guardian, or foster parent of a student. Only one nomination per person. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION:

1. Has the nominee gone above and beyond to provide an exceptional educational experience? How?

2. What positive changes or outcomes have occurred because of the nominees efforts?

THE AWARD: One award will be granted in each category; elementary and secondary. Elementary is defined as pre-k through 5th grade, secondary as 6th through 12th. Each finalist will receive a plaque or certificate indicating that they were nominated and were one of the three finalists. Each winner will receive a cash prize of $250. No restrictions are given for the use of the monies. While this is planned as a yearly award, Petit & Dommershausen reserves the right to terminate the program at any time or not award the prize. RELEVANT DATES: Nominations must be received at our Midway Road office by noon on 3-11-16. Late entries will be ineligible.

Finalists will be selected on or before 4-15-16.

Winners will be announced on or before 5-6-16 on our firm website, face book page, and notification will be given to the school district. LEGAL: The finalists and winners will be selected by Petit & Dommershausen, and its employees. If insufficient entries are received, Petit & Dommershausen, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to not award a prize. All submissions become the property of Petit & Dommershausen and will not be returned. All submissions may be featured on the Petit & Dommershausen face book page and/or website but will not be included in advertisements. Finalists will be announced on the Petit & Dommershausen face book page and/or website and will be communicated to the principal of the school, the nominee and the person nominating. The finalists and winners may be provided to the Appleton Post-Crescent and/or the Oshkosh Northwestern. The name of the child will be withheld from publication if the parent, guardian, or foster parent requests.

THE PETIT & DOMMERSHAUSEN “GREAT OUTCOMES DON’T JUST HAPPEN” AWARD

Nomination form (due by 3/11/16):

Name of student, parent, guardian or foster parent:

School attends:

Current grade:

School principal:

Person nominated:

ENTRY CRITERIA:

Provide, in 300 words or less, how the nominee has helped you to achieve a great outcome and/or

changed your life positively. Entries may be typed or handwritten. Entries must be legible. A single

photo or drawing may be attached to the entry. No video or audio attachments will be accepted. All

submissions must be nonfiction. No profane or inappropriate entries will be considered. Send to:

Petit & Dommershausen, 1650 Midway Road, Menasha, WI 54952 ATTENTION: “Great Outcomes

Don’t Just Happen” Award Contest

Johnston Safety Patrol

February/March

Week of February 29, 2016- Captain— Charlie Pingel

1. Theodore & Forest—Molly DeLain, Taye Derrico,

Elias DeWitt, Taylor Kohl

2. Clara & Forest—Christopher Garvin, Shjon Hanges, Logan Kostelecky

Week of March 7, 2016- Captain— Scott Cooper

1. Theodore & Forest—Maurisa Lattin, Logan Lowry, Jesus Martinez, Logan

McCabe-Training Matthew Suprise

2. Clara & Forest— Ryan Mesa, Kevin Osborne, Nick Osorio,

Julian Martinez, Training Allison Ward

Week of March 14, 2016- Captain— Kyla Lee

1. Theodore & Forest—Casey Hanzaki, Jackson Parker, Tyler Parks, Natalie

Piepenburg-Training T.J. Parker

2. Clara & Forest—Colton Schroeder, Aiden Straw, Kaleigh Schroeder, Alex

Apriesnig- Training Jake Stoffel

Week of March 21, 2016- Captain— Courtney Salveson-Krepline

1. Theodore & Forest –Cole Stoffel, Aaron Kollberg, Jaxson Ulrich,

Ian O’Connell-Training Olivia Linne

2. Clara & Forest—Kyler Van Ryzin, Jenna Vaughan, Paris Hall,

Andy Xiong- Training Zoey Geary

Spotlight on Physical Activity at Johnston

This year, our school has partnered with the American Heart Association (AHA) to increase the daily minutes of physical activity of our students. Through this partnership, Johnston is developing innovative ways to get our students active. Our school is already making strides in providing more activity through strategies developed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction known as the Active Schools Core 4+ strategies. Johnston is currently working to increase minutes of physical activity in [before school, after school, recess, physical education, classrooms] in order to help our students reach the daily recommendation of 60 minutes. By reaching this recommendation, students are found to be healthier and better learners. Go to http://www.heart.org/activewi to learn more, and keep up with the initiative on social media using #ActiveWI. Note: This work is supported in part by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Community Health. The content does not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.

ATTENDANCE

To report an absence:

Call the Johnston Office 920-832-6265 or email: Vanboogardkare@aasd.k12.wi.us

FAMILY TRIP/VACATION

FORMS

As a reminder, if your child(ren) will be out of

school for more than two days (other than

illness), please be sure to stop in the office to

complete an Extended Student Absence Form

at least one week in advance of the

scheduled absence. You can also call the

office and request a form be sent home with

your child. This form helps to ensure that

everyone involved with your child’s education

is informed and teachers have time to get

homework ready. Thank you!

The next TWO HOUR LATE START DAY is

WEDNESDAY,

MARCH 9, 2016 (Bell rings at 10:22 AM)

Remember to send in your Box Tops

Thank you!

LOST & FOUND

Parents: We have a couple of reports of stolen snowpants. Please check to make sure your child is not wearing something that does not belong to them. It is possible they mistakenly put on someone else’s snowpants without realizing it. If you notice

this, please turn them into the office.

Also, please remind your children to check the Lost & Found for missing items. In addition to clothing items, we currently have lost cell phones, an ipod and

prescription glasses waiting to be claimed.

DON’T FORGET TO PURCHASE YOUR YEARBOOKS!

Paid Recess Supervisors Wanted:

Johnston is seeking lunch/recess supervisors. I have openings for two Monday –

Friday positions. This is a paid (or volunteer) position that is very important to the

safety and well-being of our students. The times are 11:15 – 12:30 Monday

through Friday. The requirement for this position is simply a love for children and

a desire to serve. For more information or to apply, please see Principal Benz.

Please note that a current background check will be performed by the district.

Attention Families: Do you have photos of your child with friends from Johnston? Has your child participated in local charity runs, sports, choir, band, strings, Boy/Girl Scouts or other activities? Have you taken pictures at these events? The Johnston yearbook would like to use your photos this year! Please email photos (with your child's name and grade) to: johnstonyearbook@gmail.com. Photos will be accepted until February 29.