Important Dates

January 5 – Classes Resume

January 6 – 4th Grade Field Trip

January 7 – Bookmobile (1-3 gr.)

January 8 – ITSCO meeting 3:40 p.m.

January 9 – Domino’s/SHEF Pizza Day

January 12 – STAR testing begins

January 12 – ELL Access testing begins

January 14 – Bookmobile (4th gr.)

January 14 – BOE 7 pm @ admin. center

January 16 – Teacher Institute Day –

No School

January 19 – Martin Luther King Day –

No School

January 21 – Bookmobile (1-3 gr.)

January 21 – PBIS Store

January 21 – End of 2nd quarter

January 23 – Hot Lunch Day

January 23 – ITSCO Activity Night

January 27 – Market Day P/U

January 28 – Bookmobile (4th gr.)

January 28 – BOE 7 pm @ admin. center

January 29 – Fire Safety Day (1-3 gr.)

January 29 – Domino’s/SHEF Pizza Day

January 30 – STAR testing ends

January 30 – Treat Day

January 30 – Report Cards Issued

Indian Trail School

Home of the Trailblazers

20912 S. Frankfort Square Rd.

Frankfort, IL 60423

815-469-6993 phone

815-806-8352 fax

www.summithill.org

Reminders:

Office Hours are 8:35 a.m.-3:50 p.m.

Attendance Hours Are 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Please report your child’s absence by 9:10 AM the day of the absence

Please remember to send a lunch with your child daily. Be sure the

lunch is labeled with the child’s name.

If a lunch is forgotten, parents may drop off a lunch on the cart in

the vestibule outside the office (by 11:30, please!). Please have the

child’s name and teacher’s name clearly labeled.

Campbell’s Soup Labels, BoxTops for Education, and Capri sun pouches

are collected to benefit our school. Please send them to school in a

baggie with your child’s name and teacher’s name

If you shop at Target with a Target card, you can elect to have

Indian Trail receive a percentage donation when you shop. Info is

available online or at your local Target Store.

Please maintain regular communication with our teachers.

Frankfort Square Road in front of the school is a designated no

parking zone- please use the 78th Avenue Lot or North Lot for pick-up

and drop-off.

Trailblazer Trib.

January 2015 Edition

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our Trailblazer Families a happy and healthy

new year. On behalf of the Indian Trail Staff, we hope your holiday was extremely relaxing,

filled with wonderful memories, and that you had time to reflect on the previous year and the

wonder that is ahead. I am looking forward to 2015 and all the excitement it will bring.

School Closings and Delays

As we begin to enter the months of possible inclement weather, please pay attention to any

school closing or delayed start information. In the event of a closing, Mrs. Rains will notify

families utilizing the Power School Notification system. Now would be a good time to view

your notification preferences to ensure you receive the messages. You can also view the district

website www.summithill.org to check the status of an emergency closing.

STAR Assessment

The STAR Assessment will begin January 12 and will take approximately 3 weeks for all

students to complete. Students will take both the Reading and Math assessment. These tests are

used to monitor student growth throughout the year, estimate students’ understanding of state

standards, predict students’ performance on state tests, as well as help teachers determine

appropriate instructional levels and skills of their students. Please ensure that your child goes to

bed early, eats a healthy breakfast and has a healthy lunch to help support concentration.

End of the quarter

The end of 2nd quarter is around the corner on January 21st. Please be sure to check grades

online and work with your child alongside their teacher to navigate a successful end to the

quarter.

Think Central

Just a reminder that you have access to our online Math and Science resources from home at

http://www-k6.thinkcentral.com. If you do not remember your username and password, please

contact your child’s teacher for this information. The District has created an online video to

help you navigate the site. Please go to http://www.summithill.org/parents.html. Once at the

site, click on Go Math Overview.

Thank you for all you do to partner with us in your child’s education!

Respectfully Yours,

Mrs. Wright

Ms. Gallaher’s students KELSEY BULTHUIS

and GAVIN BRANDANI display Gingerbread

books that they read in class.

LAYNE LARSEN, LEENA TAHER, ELIZABETH

ARDAGH, and JONATHAN ALUYI in Mrs. Clough’s

class show off their gingerbread people from

“Around the World”

NATHAN STRUTHERS in Mrs. Cisneros’s

Class is excited to share his gingerbread man

with the class.

Miss Callaghan’s class is thrilled to share their

gingerbread people with you.

MADISON STANG, ZOE SCHMITZ and NICO

MANCINI.

First Grade Celebrates “Around the World”

The First Grade Students at Indian Trail School celebrated “Holidays Around the World” in December. Our Unit

covered many different countries and how each country celebrates their own holiday season. The students

researched a country at home and decorated gingerbread people accordingly. Each classroom participated in

various activities to demonstrate their understanding of the different countries and the holidays celebrated. The

first graders enjoyed their travels!

Second Grade

The month of December proved to be quite busy for the second graders! First, they made reindeer t-shirts with

their hands and feet to wear for the holiday music program. With the help of many parent volunteers, this feat

was accomplished with great results! Then, students in Mrs. Schober’s class made their very own gingerbread

houses. They were classifying, estimating, designing and creating….each in their own unique way. Talk about a

scientific method! Also, students in Mrs. Pfeiffer’s class used their newly obtained knowledge in math, and applied

those new skills when measuring snowmen in inches and centimeters. It’s a great way to “measure” our success!

Featured below from Mrs. Schober’s class are (left to right) Dylan Presnak,

Peyton Fischer, Abby Salgado and Ben Schwarz.

Pictured below are Jacob Llanes and Christina O’Leary.

In the final picture are Jayme Lester,

Ben Schwarz and Dylan Presnak.

Third Grade is Typing Up a Storm!

Third graders at Indian Trail are learning an essential skill, KEYBOARDING!!! We have been learning basic

keyboarding skills with the Type to Learn program in the computer lab. Within the program, students are taught to

type without looking at the keyboard by using the home row. There are lesson quizzes that students must pass in

order to move on to the next lesson as well as fun games such as Drone Control and Message Master. The students’

accuracy and speed are used to measure success when passing each level. The students have truly enjoyed working

with their teachers and the Type to Learn program and are looking forward to continuing their journey through

keyboarding!

Grace Llanes and Kaleigh Young Riley Seymour Toby Bistas

Fourth Grade

The 4th grade students at Indian Trail have been reading individual novels this month! The students have been

trying to find novels that are at their reading level to build stamina with reading. Each classroom had their own

requirements for the type of novel the students were required to read. In order to hold the students accountable

for their reading, they were required to “build” a story tree. This story tree challenged the students to share

their information in a poetic form known as a Didactic Cinquain. This form of the known Cinquain uses a specific

number of words rather than syllables. The different lines tell a different aspect of the novel that the student

read. The students were then able to decorate their trees in many different ways! Not only did this allow the

students to share with each other what they were reading, but it also gave us a chance to celebrate the winter

season!

Kayan Finzel and Abby Dobesh Kayan Finzel and Abby Dobesh

Gabrielle Juarez and Matthew Sebek Gabrielle Juarez and Matthew Sebek

Make Difference News

Indian Trail School held a toy drive for the Will County Toys for Tots program for a course of two weeks. The toy

drive was headed by the Make a Difference Club. The children were happy to share many games, puzzles, stuffed

animals, dolls, action figures, and Play-doh. The Will County Marines picked up over 100 toys from our school and

will distribute them to the less fortunate families this Christmas.

From the Nurse’s Office:

Breakfast Basics

You probably heard it from your own parents: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But now you're the

one saying it — to your sleepy, frazzled, grumpy kids, who insist "I'm not hungry" as you try to get everyone fed

and moving in the morning. But it's important to try.

Why Bother With Breakfast?

Breakfast is a great way to give the body the refueling it needs. Kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier

overall and are more likely to participate in physical activities. Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired,

restless, or irritable. In the morning, their bodies need to refuel and rehydrate for the day ahead after going

without food for 8 to 12 hours during sleep. Their mood and energy can drop by midmorning if they don't eat at

least a small morning meal.

Breakfast Brain Power

It's important for kids to have breakfast every day, but what they eat in the morning is crucial too. Choosing

breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fiber, and protein while low in added sugar may boost kids' attention

span, concentration, and memory — which they need to learn in school.

Kids who eat breakfast are more likely to get fiber, calcium, and other important nutrients. They also tend to keep

their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels and fewer absences from school, and make fewer

trips to the school nurse with stomach complaints related to hunger.

Making Breakfast Happen

It would be great to serve whole-grain waffles, fresh fruit, and low-fat milk each morning. But it can be difficult

to make a healthy breakfast happen when you're rushing to get yourself and the kids ready in the morning and

juggling the general household chaos. So try these practical suggestions to ensure that — even in a rush — your

kids get a good breakfast before they're out the door:

Get everyone up 10 minutes earlier

Maddie Yacobazzi making ornaments

Luke Trotter making a card

Packing up our snowman soup

Let kids help plan and prepare breakfast

Have grab-and-go alternatives (fresh fruit, individual boxes of cereal, yogurt or smoothies, trail-mix) on

days when there is little or no time to eat

Stock your kitchen with healthy breakfast options

Hydrate & drink fluids

The morning meal doesn't have to be all about traditional breakfast items. You can mix it up to include

different foods, even the leftovers from last night's dinner, and still provide the nutrients and energy kids

need for the day.

This information was provided by KidsHealth®, one of the largest resources online for medically reviewed

health information written for parents, kids, and teens. For more articles like this, visit KidsHealth.org or

TeensHealth.org. © 1995- 2014 . The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth®. All rights reserved.

Service Club

The Indian Trail “Make a Difference Club” students in Frankfort have been busy little elves this holiday

season! The students and their sponsors have had a myriad of projects going on.

First the students helped the troops overseas by creating some “Snowman Soup” for the soldiers. The

students packed up over 150 bags of hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, and peppermint sticks to be sent overseas

via Operation Care Package. The students also included a cute Soup Poem to brighten up their gifts.

The students also helped out local nursing homes by creating beautiful ornaments, cards, and pictures. They

wanted to cheer up and send out Christmas wishes to those in need. The students really showed how much they

care for others with these special projects.

SCIENCE CLUB

SWEET!! That is what Science club has been this month! 1st and 2nd grade Indian Trail Scientists have been getting

sticky with Candy! We have been working with a variety of candies in order to learn about color separation.

Student were able to work with Gobstoppers and candy canes to see how colors separate and sometimes do not mix.

Students became very creative by changing the variables in their science experiments.

Summit Hill Jr. High Winter Concert at Indian Trail

On Monday, December 15, the Indian Trail students were treated to a winter concert put on by the Summit Hill

Junior High band and choir department. The concert gave our students a chance to see what they could do in the

next few years within the Summit Hill music department. Congrats on a job well done to all Summit Hill music

students!

Thank you to our SCO and all the volunteers

that helped to make the holiday shop a great

success!

Winter Music Program

“A Rockin Holiday”

December 18, 2014