Erickson ExpressMarch 7, 2019

The Bloomingdale School District is Committed to:

Ensuring every child will learn

Treating everyone with honor and respect

Working together to achieve more

Erickson Elementary School

EDUCATING & INSPIRING THE FUTURE

Important Dates Paws for a Cause Paws for a Cause Paws for a Cause Paws for a Cause Paws for a Cause Paws for a Cause

Friday, March 8, 2019: Hot Lunch, No Preschool Classes, Report Cards Sent Home, PTO Family Night - Dinner & Movie

Monday, March 11, 2019: Hot LunchTuesday, March 12, 2019: School Store at Lunch

Wednesday, March 13, 2019: Wacky Wednesday, Donuts with Dad RSVP & Hot LunchThursday, March 14, 2019: PTO Meeting 5:45 pm

Friday, March 15, 2019: Hot Lunch, Creative Writing Stories Due, & Spirit Day

Returning Student Registration Form: Click here for information regarding the 2019-2020 returning student online registration process.

Student Placement Form: Creating class lists for the 2019-2020 school year will take place in May. Parents can assist in the process by completing a Student Placement Information form (click here). Parent input about their child’s academic experiences can provide valuable insight to this process. Parents should not use this form to recommend a specific classroom teacher.

Report Cards: Report cards will be sent home with students tomorrow. Please review the report card with your child and sign/return the report card envelope. If you have questions regarding your child's report card, feel free to contact the classroom teacher. Included with report cards will be OLSAT results & information regarding 2019-2020 online registration.

Wacky Wednesday: Student Council is sponsoring its monthly Wacky Wednesday this coming week. The theme for the Wacky Wednesday is College Day. Dress in your favorite College apparel.

Donuts with Dads: The PTO is hosting a Donuts with Dad event on Thursday, March 21st from 8:00 am - 8:40 am. Donuts with Dad is a fun time to share a donut and delightful conversation with the one you love. Donuts and juice will be served for all to enjoy. Please RSVP for this event so we know how many donuts to order.

Creative Writing Contest: Erickson is sponsoring a short story Creative Writing Contest during the month of March (see attached flyer). The winning stories will be acted out by Erickson staff members during a Creative Writing Assembly in May. Get out your paper and pencil, brainstorm some ideas, and write a great story for the Creative Writing Contest. Stories are due to the classroom teacher on Thursday, March 15th. Please contact Dr. Niemiec if you have questions. Click here for more information.

Spirit Day: Be BOLD and wear BLUE & GOLD on Friday, March 15, 2019. Help your class earn the Erickson Eagle for the month of March. Any class with 80% student participation on Spirit Day could earn a donut or ice cream party from the PTO.

Yearbook: It is time to order the 2018-2019 Erickson Yearbook. Click here to order the yearbook. Parents have until March 29, 2019, to order the yearbook and not have to pay for shipping. Click here for more info.

Character Counts! @ Erickson: Each classroom will “adopt” a pet for the month of March and raise money for their adopted pet by putting money in their class “doghouse”. The class that collects the most money will earn a pizza party.

March 7, 2019

MOVIE NIGHT: Movie Night is tomorrow! Doors open at 5:30pm - Movie starts at 6:00 pm. Pre-ordered pizzas will be available for pick up and concessions will also be available for purchase (popcorn, candy, beverages). Please remember, this is NOT a drop off event. Parents must accompany students.

ENTREE KITCHEN MEALS: Orders from the March menu are due this Saturday and will be delivered to your home or Erickson on 3/13. Erickson deliveries will be available for pick-up in the front office after school. Order online at: www.entreekitchen.com. See flyers or Click here for detailed info.

PTO COMMITTEE CHAIRS NEEDED: The PTO is seeking volunteers for open committee chairs for the 2019/2020 school year:

● Box Top Coordinator● Dine Out Nights● Pumpkin Decorating Night ● Holiday Cookie Decorating● School Supply Kits● Hot Lunch Co-Chair

Volunteers are needed to make these events successful for our school community. Without our volunteers, these programs and activities won’t exist. Please see attached flyer for position descriptions and email eriksonpto13@gmail.com with interest.

BOX TOPS: Congratulations to Mrs. Bucci’s second grade class! They are the second trimester winner and will be receiving their PTO treat soon! Keep collecting and turning them in - the 3rd Trimester contest has started.

PTO SCHOLARSHIP: If you have a graduating Senior who attended Erickson, the 2019 PTO Scholarship application is now available.Click here to access the application form. Completed packets are due 4/8.

AMAZON SMILE: Don’t forget to support Erickson PTO while shopping on Amazon. Go to Smile.Amazon.com and select Erickson Elementary PTO - we will get a small percentage of your purchase. You use the same login as your regular Amazon account and your shopping cart carries over.

PTO EVENTS

March 8Movie Night 5:30 pm

March 9Entree Kitchen orders due

March 13Entree Kitchen Delivery

Dad’s with Donuts RSVP due

March 14 PTO meeting 5:45 pm

Follow us at:

TWITTER: @PTOErickson

REMIND TEXTS: remind.com/join/ptoer

PTO Meeting Noteshttp://bit.ly/1tyTRHQ

If you would like to get involved or have comments or questions, please email us at: ericksonpto13@gmail.com

Co-President Co-President Vice President Treasurer SecretaryKathy Boebel Shauna Hogan Julie Coronato Tina Moran Jessica Lynch

March Calendar 2019Erickson Elementary

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 NO SCHOOL 2

3 4

Casimir Pulaski Day

NO SCHOOL

5 6Hot Lunch (Jan 30)

Movie Night RSVP due

7 8No Preschool

Hot Lunch (Feb 1)

Report cards go Home

PTO Family Movie Night

9

10Daylight Savings

11

Hot Lunch (Nov 26)

12

School Store

13

Hot Lunch

Wacky WednesdayCollege Day

Donuts with Dad RSVP Due

14

Coffee with the Principal 8:45 am

5:45 PTO Meeting

15

Hot LunchSPIRIT DAY

Creative Writing Stories Due

16

17 18

Hot Lunch (Jan 28)

19 20Hot Lunch

Early Dismissal1:40 pm

Pillar DayEagle Nest

21

Parent University7:00 pm

Donuts with Dad

22

Hot Lunch

Ozzie Reading Program Ends

23

24 25

No School

26

No School

27

No School

28

No School

29

No School

30

31CLUBS Before/After School

Chess Club (Grades 1-5) - Every Monday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm(No class 3/4 and 3/25)Yoga Club (5th Grade) - Every Monday

Drawing Club (All Grades 1-5) - Every Wednesday 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm ( No class 3/20 & 3/27)Drama Club (Grades 1-5) - Every Thursday from 3:30 pm to 4:35 pm (No class 3/28Let’s Build It (Grades 2-3) - Every Thursday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm (No class 3/28

CausePaws for a

Each classroom will “adopt” a pet for the month of March..

Students, staff, and families will raise money for their adopted pet by putting money in their class’ “doghouse”.

The classroom who collects the most money by the end of the month wins a class pizza party!

A FUN TIME TO SHARE A DONUT AND DELIGHTFUL CONVERSATION WITH THE ONE YOU LOVE. DONUTS

AND JUICE WILL BE SERVED FOR ALL TO ENJOY.

A PTO Sponsored Event!

WHO: DAD, BROTHER, UNCLE, GRANDPA OR OTHER DYNAMITE PERSON & Erickson Student(s)

DATE: MARCH 21, 2019TIME: 8:00-8:40 AMPLACE:ERICKSON ELEMENTARY GYM

Please RSVP by March 13th if you will be attending Donuts with Dad.

______________ ________________ Student(s) Name

One adult per student(s)

Open Committee Chairs for the 2019/20 School Year

Box Tops: An Erickson PTO volunteer organizes the collection and submission of box tops throughout the school year to the Box Tops for Education program that supports schools and the education of our youth. Current Chairperson: Lisa Cozzi

Dine Outs at Restaurants and Family Event Nights: An Erickson PTO volunteer coordinates and schedules various dine out dinner nights at local restaurants that support local schools. The restaurant gives a percentage of sales back to the PTO for those who dine at the restaurant on the scheduled date and time. The volunteer also coordinates and schedules various fun family nights at local entertainment venues, such as Coachlite Skate Center, Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park, Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park, where the venue gives a percentage of sales from the event back to the PTO. Current Chairperson: Kathy Boebel

Pumpkin Decorating Family Fun Night: Two volunteers work together to coordinate Pumpkin Decorating family fun night in the Fall. The list of activities may change from time to time. Current Chairpeople: Kristie Knacksteadt and Tina Moran

Holiday Cookie Decorating: One volunteer coordinates with an outside vendor (Entrée Kitchen) to have a holiday cookie decorating event on an evening in December at Erickson Elementary. Children decorate cookies to take home. Santa makes a visit and provides a small treat to the students. Current Chairperson: Julie Coronato

School Supply Kits: One volunteer coordinates the sale and distribution of school supply kits needed for each grade as a service to busy parents. The kits are sold in the spring and distributed before the first day of school in August. Current Chairperson: Tina Moran

In addition, our current Hot Lunch Chairperson is looking for a Co-Chair:

Hot Lunch: Hot lunches are currently provided on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the school year to students in first through fifth grades. The hot lunch chairpersons research potential vendors; make vendor selection and the lunch menu. The chairpersons also schedule the 8-9 volunteers that are needed on each hot lunch day to separate, set up and distribute lunches to the students. Current Chairperson: Jamie Battaglia

Bloomingdale School District Standards Based Grading

Grades should accurately reflect student achievement and areas for growth.

Grading Principles1. Student behaviors (effort, participation,

adherence to class rules, etc...) are not included in student grades.

2. Students will not receive a lower grade for assignments turned in late.

3. Students are not provided extra credit or bonus points to increase a grade. Seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level of achievement.

4. Academic Dishonesty does not result in a grade reduction.

5. A student is graded on his or her academic performance and not as a group.

6. Timed Assessments & Pop Quizzes should not be included in a student’s grade.

7. Every activity or assignment that is assigned to students are not graded and recorded in the gradebook.

8. Don’t assign grades using inappropriate or unclear performance standards; provide clear descriptions of achievement expectations.

9. Don’t assign grades based on student’s achievement compared to other students; compare each student’s performance to preset standards.

10. Don’t rely on the mean; consider other measures of central tendency and use professional judgment.

11. Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment; use alternatives, such as reassessing to determine real achievement or use “I” for Incomplete or Insufficient evidence.

12. Don’t use information from formative assessments and practice to determine grades; use only summative evidence.

13. Don’t summarize evidence accumulated over time when learning is developmental and will grow with time and repeated opportunities; in those instances emphasize more recent achievement.

14. Don’t leave students out of the grading process. Involve students – they can – and should – play key roles in assessment and grading that promote achievement.

15. Homework is for practice of skills and are not factored into a student’s grade.

Why Standards Based Grading1. Grades should accurately reflect student

achievement and areas for growth.2. There are over 20 standards in math & 40

standards in Reading/Language Arts. Standards Based Grading allows educators and parents to know exactly which standards students have mastered and which standards students still need support.

3. Averaging penalizes a student who does not know the content at the start of a unit, but fully understands the content at the conclusion of the unit. Educators should look at a student’s most recent attempt & mode to determine a grade.

4. A student with an 88% average is not very different from a student with a 91% average, although the two students will most likely receive a different grade on the report card. Under Standards Based Grading, these two students will receive the same grade.

5. Teachers are working collaboratively and have a common understanding of what students need to know in order to master a standard. This will bring uniformity across grade levels & buildings in the Bloomingdale School District.

6. Students will only be assessed on their achievement and not on behaviors such as effort, participation or homework completion. The 15 grading principles will bring consistency to grading practices.

7. We want students to take ownership of their learning. With Standard Based Grading, students will focus more on mastering standards and less on getting a score on an assignment.

8. Effort & work completion will continue to be expectations of teachers in a Standards Based Grading system. This information will be contained in the Work Habit portion of the report card.