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October Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 2

Riley Elementary

1324 Walnut St., Fostoria, Ohio 44830

http://www.fostoriaschools.org T: 419-436-4145

Fax: 419-436-4158

From the Desk of Mrs. Bernal, Principal

Drop-off and Pick-up Procedure

As we are adjusting to the pick-up/drop-off procedure, I want to remind

everyone to pull all the way up to the cone closest to Thomas Street in

order to allow for more parents to drop-off or pick-up their child. At any

time, if you need to discuss an issue or concern with the teacher, please let

the teacher know when you pull-up and they will have you pull around to the

parking lot. This will allow for us to continue dismissing students as quickly

as possible. If it is a major concern, please call the school and set up a time

to meet with the teacher.

K-3 Literacy

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) added a new area to the state

report card called the K-3 Literacy. Below are some key points regarding

the K-3 Literacy piece:

The goal of the state is for students to score at least 400 proficient

on the third grade assessment.

Students will be assessed in the fall using a state approved

assessment to determine on-track/not-on-track.

Students scoring not-on-track will be placed on a Reading

Improvement Monitoring Plan (RIMP) for that school year, providing

students with daily intensive reading intervention

The following year, students will be assessed to determine if they

continue to be not-on-track or on-track.

The score on the state report card will be calculated based on the

percentage of last year’s not-on-track students that are now reading

on-track.

Riley students were assessed in August using the Reading Diagnostic

Screener. If your child scored not-on-track, and placed on a RIMP plan, you

will be notified during the October Parent-Teacher conferences.

Upcoming Events

September 30

Bernal’s Lunch Buddies

October 3

Home Football Game

October 6-10

Fire Prevention Week

October 13

Evacutation Drill

October 17

Fall Theme Day/Field Trip

End of 1st Quarter

Home Football Game

October 20

BOE meeting 6:00 pm

PTO meeting 7:00 pm @ FJSH

October 22-28

Book Fair

October 23 & 28

Conferences 4-8

October 23

Pick up Fundraiser Items

October 24

Riley Café

October 29

Picture Retakes

Bernal’s Lunch Buddies

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Attendance Policy

This is just a reminder that each child is allowed 6 parent excused absences per

year. Starting day 7, parents will need to provide a doctor’s note in order for

the absence to be marked excused. In order for your child to grow academically

and socially, it is important for them to attend on a regular basis.

Bernal’s Lunch Buddies

Riley students will have the opportunity to each lunch with special guests and

myself once a month! Teachers will choose 2-3 students per month based on PAX

behavior. Every child will get the opportunity to participate.

PTO Information

The PTO will be sponsoring our annual Trick-or-Treat Bingo on Thursday, Oct.

30th from 5:30-8:00. If you are interested in helping out, please complete the

form that was sent home with your child. Please call the school if you have any

questions. We look forward to seeing everyone!

Please feel free to join us at any of the PTO meetings. They are now held at the

FJSH library at 7:00 pm, following the Board of Education meetings. If you

are unable to attend the meetings, we are always looking for people to help at the

events. If you have any questions, you can email the PTO at:

ptopresident@fostoriashools.org

Meeting Dates: 10/20, 11/17, 12/15, 2/17, 3/16, 4/20, 5/18

Spirit Fridays

Students are encouraged to show your REDMEN pride on each Friday that the

REDMEN have a home football game! Let’s see everyone wearing red and

black.

Campus wear is not required and jeans are permitted if wearing Redmen

clothing or red and black.

Redmen Spirit Days are: October 3 October 17

Pumpkin Patch

October 17th all students will be

attending the pumpkin patch.

The cost will be $2.00 per

student. Teachers will be

sending home information in the

near future.

Fundraiser

Fundraiser items will be available

for pick-up on October 23rd from

4:00-8:00. This will be done

during conference, so that

parents do not have to make

multiple trips to the school. A

reminder will be sent home with

your child later in the month.

Riley Book Fair

We will be holding our book fair

the week of October 22-28.

Students will have the

opportunity to attend the book

fair during the school day. It will

also be open during Parent-

Teacher Conferences.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Information regarding dates and

times will be sent home in the

near future. Grade cards will be

handed out during your scheduled

time to meet with the teacher.

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A Note From Mrs. Mummert

Music students this month have been studying and doing listening activities of the famous American

composer George Gershwin. 1st grade students were trying to find their singing, speaking, whisper, and

shouting voices. They were also working on steady beat. 2nd graders were reading and singing sol (high)

and mi (low) melodies. They were also playing the bass xylophones while singing the traditional song “Engine,

Engine #9.”

Getting Fit with Mr. Haupert

Since the beginning of the year, we have been working on; overhand throwing and catching. We have

reviewed the 6 cues of throwing; 1. turn 2. listen 3. step 4. point 5. throw 6. grab. Your students should

also know how to hold their hands when catching a ball above their waist; thumbs together, fingers point

up. As well as catching a ball below their waist; pinkies together, fingers point down. At the conclusion

of throwing and catching, we are going to move into our fitness concepts and body awareness unit.

Mr. Romigh’s Art Corner

This month the Riley art room has been all about lines. Students have learned about different types of

lines and what they look like. We then used these lines to create original artworks. First grade

students created an abstract line design using crayon and watercolor paints, while second graders

created a “crazy hair day” portrait using tempera paint and oil pastels. Students have been doing a great job

and I am looking forward to getting their pictures displayed around the building for others to enjoy.

Title I News

THE MENTORS ARE COMING!

THE MENTORS ARE COMING!

The Riley Elementary Mentoring Program will officially kick off on Monday, September 22, 2014. We are once

again lucky to have 15 parents, and retired educators who are willing to come and spend at least 30 minutes

assisting one of our first or second graders with fluency, sight vocabulary, number facts and math problem

solving, once a week. If you find yourself with 30 minutes of time and would like to assist in such a program,

please contact Carol Wines, Mentor Program Coordinator, at Riley School. We are always looking for a caring

individual to assist one of our students.

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Mrs. Dunn, School Counselor Ginger, School Therapy Dog

During classroom guidance, students were introduced to Ginger, our School Therapy Dog. We learned the rules of having a dog in our school as well as the many things that make Ginger so special to be in our school. Students were able to observe Ginger demonstrating “Responsibility” by following the command (direction) the first time. We focused on always trying to do our best by doing what is asked of us. She sure was a big hit!

Ginger in her superhero cape!

“Safety Soccer” was the highlight of our guidance lesson while we talked about the character word “Responsibility.” Students were asked about safe and unsafe situations while they moved down the soccer field toward the goal. The best part was getting to kick the soccer ball in the net when the question was answered correctly. Please discuss with your child the importance of making safe choices to keep them or someone else from getting hurt. A few key points we talked about were:

Never touch a gun and tell an adult if one is found

Talking to strangers can be dangerous

Playing with knives, lighters, matches can cause serious harm

Always swim with an adult

NEW***Winter Clothes Program

Seneca County Job & Family Services is accepting applications for children enrolled in and attending grades K-12 starting 9/15/ 14-10/10/14.