SES Eagles Are Soaring With Good Character

May 2013

Eagle Edition

Saukville Elementary School

Greetings Saukville Elementary Students, Parents and Community Members:

Welcome to the last Eagle Edition of the 2012-2013 school year. It has gone fast but it has been an outstanding school year here at SES. I want to start by thanking the Saukville Parent Association (SPA) for all they have done this year to support our efforts. They have once again be held the Trek4Tech. This year we will be raising money to support the new iPads we will be getting. The first thing we will need are Apple TVs, which are digital media receivers that will allow our new iPads to connect to our SMART Boards wirelessly. We will hopefully also be able to raise enough money to help purchase additional apps for our student iPads. The Trek was on the May 24 this year which was the same day as our Volunteer Celebration. We couldn’t do all the things we do without all the parents and community members who have volunteered at SES this year. We were happy so many of you were able to join us for lunch.

Most importantly I would like to thank all our parents/guardians for allowing us to work with your children. I really feel we have a special place here at SES and we are just a reflection of our great families and the community as a whole. Just to highlight some of our success I have attached a Case Study that was done on SES by Renaissance Learning. I know it will be used to promote their products, but it was still a nice pat on the back they chose to highlight our success.

Lastly, I want to wish our retirees, Mrs. Lubner and Mrs. Leece a happy and fulfilling life after SES. We will be losing many years of experience and service to the district. They are both wonderful people and have touched the lives of many students and families. They will be greatly missed but never forgotten.

I want to close by wishing everyone a happy end of the school year here as summer approaches and as always… GO EAGLES! Mr. Brakke

Trustworthiness Respect Responsibility Fairness Caring Citizenship

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Eagle Edition

The Young at Art By Mrs. Leece As an art teacher my main goal is that students gain a working knowledge of art fundamentals of art terms and concepts. The really great thing about this is that we have fun along the way. Most recently doing the backdrops for Storybook Theatre. What a fantastic opportunity for our students here. Not many elementary art students can participate in something so wonderful.

We continue to create so many great projects each week. Through trial and error students are exposed to various processes, techniques and methods where they explore art from art history to the finished product. Students are engaged and productive, and like I said we are having FUN!

This summer when your children are bored get out the sidewalk chalk, paper, crayons, beads, and string. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to bring out the creativity and fun in your back yard.

Have a wonderful summer!

Musical Notes By Mrs. Smith

Kindergarten students have begun working on the songs that we are performing at our Kindergarten

Celebration Program. This takes considerable class time, but the experience of standing on the stage and per-forming is a valuable one. From announcing, to playing an instrument, to holding a picture card, we try to make sure that every student has some small, but special, part. We are taking an occasional break from our practicing to dance the Maypole Dance and review our keyboard skills.

First, second and third graders have been working on songs on the keyboards and then expanding/ enriching them to include circle turns on tone chimes, xylophones, bass bars , chime bars, autoharps (2nd, 3rd graders) and ukuleles (3rd graders).

Fourth graders are working on their recorder playing unit, pro-gressing through their lesson sheets. This is an individual unit and allows students to move along quickly, combing their note reading skills with new fingering patterns. Students who fin-ish early will be lent alto recorders and books and will work independently learning different alto fingerings.

Third and fourth grade enrichment students have been playing in xylophone and drum ensembles. After successfully perform-ing several pieces, they have been writing their own parts. We have then put them into combos to see how they would fit to-gether. The progress, shown in both skill and ability to create, is amazing!

We have again been invited to perform The Star Spangled Banner at Kapco Park (Concordia University, Mequon) for the Lakeshore Chinooks game on June 6h. We will include 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders in this event. More information will be forth-coming.

It is important for students to have a variety of group and indi-vidual singing and playing experiences and to be engaged in activities that require hands-on use of skills. Our SES music program uses keyboards as a basic instrument because current music education research continues to support keyboard play-ing as the crucial basis for total understanding of musical pat-terns and theory. The evidence continues to mount that qual-ity keyboard instruction also helps the brain develop connec-tions essential for comprehension of math, science and for de-velopment of spatial-temporal (proportional reasoning) skills. It is exciting to see this research backing up what many music teachers have long suspected and observed.

The Eagle Way

We do the right thing because it is the right

thing to do.

Third Grade Subtraction World Series Third grade held their second math World Series: Subtraction. Mr. Brakke served as the official umpire for the game and Mrs. Bares’s class was the host. The Team Jake was crowned World Series Champion and Math Blasters were runners up. We are looking forward to the Multiplication World Series next!

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3rd Grade News

Our crossing guards are the best!!

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Regions of the US

Third graders recently studied the regions of the United States. They learned how the states are grouped into the 5 regions that make up our coun-try. For each region, they also learned about land and water features, landmarks, natural resources, products, and culture. The students have culmi-nated their learning by creating a tri-a-rama to dis-play their knowledge. Please check out the stu-dents’ work, on display in the library.

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Kindergarten Kapers Earth Day Activities

The Kindergarten children had a messy surprise when they entered school on April 22. The hallway was filled with lit-ter. They had a great time working together to clean it up and then sorted the items for recycling. The children were involved in many activities throughout the week that fo-cused on taking care of the earth. They are also collecting aluminum cans to help pay for field trips.

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A Great Big Thank You!!

We would like to recognize a team of individuals who without their patience and dedication our lunchroom would not be the same. Thank you to our wonderful Lunch Hostess Mrs. Melissa Bergin, and to our awesome Lunchroom Supervisors Mrs. Amy Gielow, Mrs. Sarah Gonzalez, Mrs. Michelle Hebein, Mrs. Laura Henning, Mrs. Liz Hierlmeier, Mrs. JoAnne Landing, Mrs. Lois Lopez, Mrs. Robin Meyer, Mr. Barry Tremelling, and Mrs. Katrina Winter who make sure the lunchtime runs smoothly.

You’re the greatest!!

Book Swap

There were plenty of smiles when the kindergartners were able to pick a book during our Annual Book Swap. There were so many books it was hard to choose the perfect one.

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44thth Grade NewsGrade News

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Madison The fourth grade class made their annual trip to Madison this on Friday, May 17! Students were able to explore at the Children’s Museum, run on the field at Camp Randall, and tour our beautiful State Capitol. A big thank you to all our chaperones, Badger Bus Company, and to everyone who helped with our fundraising efforts. The fourth grade students of Saukville Elementary had a great time and will have many positive memories to look back on!

Persuasive Writing

Mr. Brown’s fourth grade class recently finished persua-sive writing pieces in regards to the iconic game Monop-oly. A recent decision was made to do away with the thimble token and replace it with a more modern item. Once the students finished their compelling final drafts, they decided to send them to the one and only person who could make their dreams of a replacement token a reality; the Vice President of Marketing of Hasbro Corpo-ration.

A few weeks later a rather large box appeared at Saukville Elementary, and to the students’ surprise there was a personal letter addressed to the class from the Vice President of Marketing, Jonathan Berkowitz. He told the students how much he appreciated their efforts and how he enjoyed reading their persuasive letters. He was so impressed with their work, that he had included five brand new Hasbro games for the students to enjoy. The generosity displayed was a moment none of the students in Mr. Brown’s class will soon forget!

Eagle Edition

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“I Need A

Vacation!”

Storybook Theatre’s Production Of...

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Eagle Edition

MUFFINS

WITH

MOM

2013

A few of our First Graders were spotted with a couple strange looking friends!

As a part of our High Interest Day, SES was treated to the sounds of Dave the Horn Guy. Kyle enjoyed listening to the music and learning a little bit about how music is made. Dave the Horn Guy was great! Kyle liked the streamers he shot out of the horn on his back the best!

The First Grade had a great time in West Bend at the West Bend Children’s Theatre’s presentation of “Rumpelstiltskin”. After the show, a special first grader got the chance to pose with Rumpelstiltskin himself!

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2nd Grade News

2013-2014 Registration

Plans and scheduling are already in the works for next school year. Registration packets will be mailed in July. Be sure to check the Student Information form carefully and make any necessary changes. Registration is Wednesday, August 7 from 7am-7pm. Your child’s classroom placement will be posted that day.

We are continuing to work hard in second grade! Recently we have been studying three different authors which include Shel Silverstein, Patricia Polacco, and Tomie de Paola. We have enjoyed learning about these authors and how they started their careers in writing and illustrating children's literature. In addition to, we have been doing activities to go along with each au-thor such as writing a letter to Patricia Polacco, creating silly poems similar to Shel Silverstein, and writing narratives like Tomie de Paola. We have really enjoyed learning about these authors!

1st Grade News

Physical Education News By Mrs. Piontek

3rd Grade Field Trip We took a field trip to the Ozaukee Ice Center! Students loved to learn and practice their ice skating skills! Ozaukee Ice Center is always a great place to get out and play in the winter months! I was so im-pressed at how many students picked up the new skill so quickly!

2nd Grade Field Trip We love to go out and into the community for our field trips! Second graders especially loved an afternoon of swimming and playing at our local YMCA! This is a great introduction to our summer time activities! I have to say, everyone left the YMCA very tired!

What are we doing? We just finished our fitness testing for students in first through fourth grade! Students did a fantastic job! Students were tested in sit-ups, push-ups, flexibility, and endurance! Other areas we covered in physical education include:

4 Square Baseball Kickball Throwing/Catching Following Directions Taking turns/Problem Solving Manipulative Stations Dollar Days Team work/Cooperation Health/Personal Hygiene

SHOES! I know it is close to the end of the year, but all students need a pair of gym shoes for class. Some are too small to wear or have no laces. Please take the time to help your child be prepared for an active physical education class. Shoes should be a GOOD tennis shoe. Flat shoes used for skateboarding can cause foot problems. WE RUN A LOT! Students need a good shoe!

Field Day Field day is set for Wednesday, June 5! I am looking for parent helpers to run stations for both Kindergarten in the morning and ALL DAY for grades 1-4! If you can come and run a fun game, please let me know!

Summer is Coming Lots of information is coming out for summer programs. Elementary school children need to be exposed to a lot of different activities! Try to look at our local YMCA or recreation department for activities that they would enjoy! Family bike rides and walks are also a must! The more you move the better!

Stay Active and Healthy!

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You’re Amazing!

Thank you to all of our dedicated parents and volunteers for the time, talent, and countless hours you donated to help the students and staff at SES. With your incredible support, we have once again had a wonderful school year.

You are truly the best! End of Year Checklist

All outstanding fees must be paid. Meds have been picked up in office. All library/classroom books have been returned. Lost and found has been checked for items.

Thank You!! We would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing SPA Officers Sherri Yandry, Michelle Boese, and Melissa Niemeyer for their dedication to our Parent Association during the past several years. We truly appreciate all you have done and your leadership will not be forgotten.

SPA Updates

The Saukville Parent Association has had a fantastic year and we’re still going strong! We would like to thank all of our fabulous volunteers for their time and energy—we couldn’t do it without you!

Within the past few months, SPA has sponsored some of our biggest events of the year. Back in April, the students had an awesome time at High Interest Day where they experienced everything from an FBI investigation to mosaic t-shirts made with carrots to Cool Science to pickle ball and so much more! This day truly provides something for everyone! In the afternoon the students came together for a performance by Dave the Horn Guy, who brought a great deal of excitement with his highly unusual and amazing musical talent. Thank you to all those on the High Interest Day Committee as well as our event volunteers for making this day possible!

Just a week later, almost 90 SES students showcased months of hard work when they presented our Storybook Theatre production for 2013, “I Need a Vacation”. The high school stage was filled with talent and the musical production was enjoyed by hundreds at both an afternoon and an evening performance. Special thanks to our directors and coordinators as well as to all of the parents who work to make this performance come together on stage!

In May, we had a fantastic Buy One Get One Free Scholastic Book Fair and we were happy to see many of our students taking home some great summer reads! Many families also enjoyed our annual Muffins with Mom celebration and we’d like to thank the coordinators and volunteers that helped make those events happen.

The second week of May was Teacher Appreciation Week, and our hard-working and creative committee gathered volunteers and donations to offer our teachers and staff some gifts and treats to show them how much we all appreciate everything they do for our children. The staff at SES consistently goes above and beyond to make our school an amazing place for all kids to learn and we wanted them to know that their efforts don’t go unnoticed!

On May 24, was our third annual Trek4Tech. Our students collected pledges and walked around Saukville to raise money for technology equipment that will enhance learning. Some of the items on teachers’ wish lists include Apple TVs to make our SMART Boards work with iPads as well as a variety of apps for the grade-level sets of iPads the students will be using next year. Our district is working hard to provide the latest in technology for our students and we are proud to support that effort. We appreciate your help and support of this great cause and want to thank the volunteers who worked to put this fundraising event together!

Our last family event of the year will be our Family Picnic on Friday, May 31, complete with another popular dessert decorating contest. Speaking of technology, we have on-line sign-up available for this event! Go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F45A4A62BA46-endofyear by Tuesday, May 28 to register your family for a fun evening to celebrate another great year at SES! Hope to see you there! Although it hasn’t happened yet, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the fabulous volunteers who are working hard to coordinate this event!

The common theme through all that SPA does is VOLUNTEERS! Our parent group offers many incredible events and opportunities for our students and their families, but it can’t be done without the help of many, many people. As you relax and enjoy the summer, please take some time to think about how you might be interested in volunteering to make SES even better for 2013-2014!

Eagle Edition

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News from Guidance and the Psychology Corner By Ms. Brown, Psychology/Guidance

At SES In Guidance classes we are just wrapping up our Friendships and Standing up to Bullies Units. These lessons included discussions, activities and videos focused on making and keeping good friends and what to do if someone is not being a good friend. We have also completed our Character Journals for the months of March and April which focused on the Character Pillars of Responsibility and Fairness.

In Our Community On a separate topic, I know that many of our families struggle to find community based resources in Oz Co. I’ve attached a quick and easy to read guide to local and state services offered for families in our community. Remember to stop in or send me an email if you have any questions about housing services, resources, employment, family services, or any other general community based need. I have a lot of connections to agencies across the county and would be happy to help my SES families get in contact with assistance.

Be empowered and get connected! Spring has finally arrived! Enjoy the weather and keep smiling :)

Eagle Edition

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Happy Reading! By Mrs. Kurten, Reading Specialist

By focusing on the Super Six Com-prehension Strategies and language on this bookmark with your child, you can support the improvement of your child's understanding of text. Keep this bookmark in a place where you read with your child to encourage rich discus-sions of what your child is reading. All classroom teachers at SES are also using this bookmark with students so your child will be familiar with the language used. Super Six Comprehension

Strategies Bookmark

Make Connections • I know...about this topic. • This reminds me of a text-to-self

connection, text-to-world connection.

Predict/Infer • I think this is about...I know this because

the clues include… • I inferred...by using the clues… and what

I know about…

Ask Questions • I am wondering… • What could a teacher ask? (who, what, when, where, why, how) • I would like to ask the author…

Monitor • Does the reading make sense? • What are the difficult words and ideas? • How can you fix up the problem? (reread, read on, look for parts your know)

Summarize/Synthesize • I can summarize the main ideas and

events in a few sentences. • The theme, moral, and lesson is… • Now I think…

Evaluate • How do I rate the reading material,

author’s style, ideas, and my reading? Super 6 Comprehension Strategies by Lori Oczkus;