Overton Parent Newsletter

Spring Break is April 6 - 15

Mission Statement: The Overton staff, in partnership with students and families, will provide a safe and orderly environment in which all students have the opportunity to achieve academic success and to develop the character, which will enable them to become responsible members of a global society.

Vision: Each child a success! Education makes you a Super Hero!

April is School Library Media Month

School media centers celebrate the month of April as School Library Media Month in conjunction with, and sharing the same theme as National Library Week. This year’s theme is “You belong @ your library.”

http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslissues/slm/schoollibrary

Wear Your IRead T-Shirt any day you choose in April.

Habit of Mind:      

Habit of Mind for April

Thinking Flexibly is our April Habit of Mind. (Look at it in a different way! Change perspectives by generating alternatives, consider other options.)

Imagine knowing only one way to solve a problem. You are stuck and you can’t change because you are so set on one idea. If animals thought this way, it could reduce their chances for survival. That is why the chameleon, butterfly, and flounder think flexibly.

When pursuing prey, chameleons sit perfectly still on a branch. They are able to move their eyes independently of one another. The right eye can be looking up while the left eye is looking down. This flexibility improves a chameleon’s chance of catching its next meal.

Caterpillars turn into butterflies after going through metamorphosis. Caterpillars have special mouth parts, called mandibles, for munching leaves. Butterflies have a special mouth part, called a proboscis, for sipping nectar from flowers. Therefore, butterflies have to be flexible in their eating habits once they go through metamorphosis.

In the ocean, flounder exhibit, great flexibility. As a flounder grows, its body becomes flat. This flat shape helps adult flounders survive. Some species of flounder are known to dig themselves into the bottom of the sea floor and cover themselves with sand. When disturbed, this amazing fish will quickly swim away using a kind of fluttering motion that throws up a cloud of silt around its body. After it has reached a safe distance from the disturbance, it will settle back on the bottom and quickly become invisible.

Music for April

Music for April will be chosen by the Mini Funk Factory and Mr. Johnson

Parent Engagement

Reserve the dates for our first Donuts for Dads morning and Muffins for Moms morning. Enjoy your donut/muffin with your child then spend time with them in their classroom. Take a look at Overton’s classrooms in action. Wrap your time up talking with our administration and Title 1 Team. 

Donuts for Dads: April 20th, 7:45 a.m.  

Muffins for Moms: April 27th, 7:45

Overton Cares Family Night

Over 270 people attended Overton Cares Family Night.  Mrs. J. Anderson  put together an amazing program with the Overton Cares Committee Members. Readers Theaters, Singing, Poetry, and the Mini Funk Factory performed. A spaghetti dinner was enjoyed by all as they spread out across our new cafeteria tables and picnic style outside on the front lawn. 

When to keep your child home from school

This is the time of year when coughs, colds, flu, stomach virus and other such ailments abound.  Sometimes it is difficult to know if your child should come to school or stay home.  We want children at school as much as possible to learn and get the most from their education but there are times when a student should stay at home to give the body time to recover from an illness and/or to prevent the spread of disease to others. 

When should a student stay home form school?

• Fever 100° or greater.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that the student should not return to school until he/she is fever free without the use of medication such as Tylenol or Advil for 24 hours
• Discharge from the eyes
• Deep or persistent cough or trouble breathing
• Refuses to eat/drink due to sore throat
• Diarrhea or vomiting in past 12 hours

You should check with your health care provider if you have any questions or concerns.  Hope everyone has a healthy year.

Tamra Moore RN, BSN, NCSN; School Health Nurse

Overton Budding Artists

2012 Elementary Art Exhibition hosted by Waterworks Visual Arts Center

Congratulations to Overton’s young artists whose work was displayed at Waterworks Visual Arts Center from March 10 - March 29, 2012.

Kindergarten - Lilie Dekert, Ashley Rios

First Grade:  Quentin Hippert, Rockey Lara, Taylor Reese, Kenny Snider, and Kaalyn Wynn

Second Grade:  Angelina Ebeling, Sophie Chmiel, Mya Polk, Elijah Morgan, Amaya Surrat

Third Grade:  Bella Altemare, Natalie Lusk, Tajha Parker, Rogney Thomas

Fourth Grade:  Israel Guzman, Joseph Perez, Jazmyne Van Allen, 

Fifth Grade:  Sydney Baskins, Steven Camacho, Carolina Cruz, Ava Holtzman, Takiya Robbins, and Jonathan White

A special thanks to Mrs. Holli Crump for matting and preparing the artwork for this show.

Overton 2012-13 Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Ms. Ashley Dohme, Overton’s 2012-13 Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Dohme came to us from Florida. Ms. Dohme is a graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She has taught elementary school for seven years. Overton has had the fortune to have Ms. Dohme for two of those seven years.

FOOD LION STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Our wonderful partnership with the Food Lion Store #1 on Mahaley Avenue allows us to recognize the most improved students each month. Congratulations to Guillermo  .  Guillermo is a wonderful young man in Mrs. Wanner’s 1st grade class. He is always polite and respectful of others.

Guillermo’s favorite class is math and he likes football. His favorite food is pizza. Guillermo would like to be a police officer when he grows up. 

Something special that everyone notices about Guillermo is that he is such a hard worker. With all of his hard work he has been able to improve his grades.

Kindergarten Registration  

North Carolina public schools serve every child who comes to their doors, as long as that child is 5 years old on or before August 31, 2010. You should take the required documents to the school your child will attend to register them for school. It is preferable that children be registered before the school year begins if at all possible. Overton’s kindergarten registration begins the week of April 16^th – 20^th. Registration hours are 8:30 a.m. through 3:00 p.m.

Age Requirement: If your child's birthday falls on or after August 31st the child is not eligible to enroll. Programs are available statewide for children with special needs--including academically gifted children. Typically, any child who is 5 years old on or August 31^st will be enrolled in kindergarten. 

To enroll a child the parents need the following:

1. Birth Certificate
2. Immunization Records-proof of immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, mumps, and red and German measles. Certain exemptions are possible for extenuating health or religious reasons.
3. Kindergarten Health Assessment-proof of a current physical examination when enrolling in North Carolina schools for the first time.
4. Proof of Residency (One of the following)-The following documents may be used to establish residence per Rowan-Salisbury School’s Board of Education:

• Current utility bills
• Social Services financial assistance documentation
• Current lease agreements
• Current rent receipts
• Current contractor agreement/loan agreement for a primary residence with verification of utility bill to follow
• Driver’s license
• Property owner verifies that person is living at the domiciled address*

*owner of property must complete a signed affidavit about where the child lives. This form is available at the school.

PLEASE SPREAD THE REGISTRATION NEWS WITH FAMILIES AND FRIENDS THAT HAVE CHILDREN MEETING THE AGE REQUIREMENT.

iPADS and Second Grade

All second grade students now have an iPad to use. Ask your child what they have learned to do on their iPads.  One of the first things I saw them do was use Google Earth to locate the school and their homes. The activity integrates technology into Social Studies Standards on Community.

STUDENT AND PARENTS DONATIONS

The Overton family did a great job raising funds for the Fun Run. They raised $5,828.72.        

SPONSORS                                                        TOTAL:  $7,250.00

•Ruscho - $500

•Ralph Ketner (Catawba School of Business) - $250 •Alan Rutherford CPA - $100

•Argentum & Company - $100 •Just The Thing - $100

•Walser Technology - $100 •Willard Thompson M.D.- $100

The money raised has been rolled against a Matching Funds Grant for an additional $10,000.00. 

The funds will purchase  additional technology for classroom instruction.

School Improvement Team

School Improvement Team meetings are open to all Overton stakeholders. The meetings are on Mondays at 2:30 p.m. Minutes of the meeting are posted on Overton website.

The dates of the meetings are:   April 16th, and June 4th.

Parent Communication/Conferences

Communication is an essential part of the educational program. We feel it is very important for parents to keep in close contact with their child's teacher concerning his/her progress. Please remember to schedule a conference in advance so a time that is convenient for all can be established, i.e. before or after school and during teacher planning periods.

What is RTI?

RtI is a 3-tiered system of increasingly intensive interventions for students who are struggling academically. Several elementary schools in Rowan county are piloting this program, with the eventual goal of having all elementary schools follow this model.

•How does RtI work? Universal Screenings- Each child is screened for academic skills in reading, math and writing three times during the school year. Each child is given a percentile ranking in particular skills based on their performance in those screenings. Students who fall below the 25th percentile are referred to RtI by their classroom teacher.

Tier I- Students who fall below the 25th percentile start at Tier I. At this tier, the teacher contacts the parent to ask the parent to do extra practice in the child’s areas of deficiency at home. The teacher also differentiates instruction during the school day to meet the student’s student kill. CIS volunteers can also work with students on activities at this level to help in deficient areas. After six weeks, the student is reassessed. If the student has made progress, he may stay at Tier I or move out of the program altogether. If he has not shown progress, he moves to Tier II. Tier II- Interventions become more intensive, often requiring support staff to work with students. At Overton, Tier II students are referred to Title I’s WaterforI program. Students go twice a week for 30 minutes each time. At this tier, the teacher will assess the student every other week to monitor their progress toward their goal. After six weeks, all data is examined to determine if the student is making progress and needs to remain at Tier II or move to Tier III.

Tier III- This is the most intensive level of intervention in the RtI program. Students work in a very small group (no more than 3 students with similar deficiencies) with an intervention specialist 3-5 times per week for 30 minutes each time. The Student Assistance Team meets with the teacher to determine what interventions should be used with this student. This

tier lasts for eight weeks, with a student’s progress monitored twice a week. If a student has not shown improvement at Tier III, the are moved to Tier IV. Tier IV- All data from the RtI process is given to the Exceptional Children team, and the child is entitled for EC services. These services are a by product of the RtI program, not the goal.

Ways to Help Overton

Please check your cereal, cake mix boxes, flour bags, and other grocery items to see if they have the logo for "Box Tops for Education." If you see this logo,please cut it out and send it to school. Please enroll your Food Lion MVP Card (MVP Rewards) to Overton Elementary by going online to www.foodlion.com , then “MVP Rewards” and then Rewards r MVP Cards”. Enter your 12 Cards MVP Card Number. Next enter Overton Elementary’s code 214002Elementary  local Food Lion store and purchase Food Lion Brand, Healthy Accents, Home 360, Nature’s Nature On the Go Nature  Smart Option and Taste of Nature products. A portion of the sales will be awarded to the school.!

Please provide Overton's ID number (70062374) while shopping at Office Depot. Overton receives 5% of the purchase. Please link your Target card to Overton and a percentage of your purchase will go to the school.

Parent Communication/Conferences

Communication is an essential part of the educational program. We feel it is very important for parents to keep in close contact with their child’s teacher concerning his/her progress. Please remember to schedule a conference in advance so a time that is convenient for all can be established, i.e. before or after school and during teacher planning periods.

Board of Education Policy 5-18 School Volunteers

Rowan-Salisbury Schools relies on the efforts of volunteers to provide services and support our mission statement. We value their involvement and appreciate their hard work. Volunteers have a right to be treated respectfully and with sensitivity to their particular strengths, capabilities, limitations and needs.

The Board of Education recognizes that volunteers are an asset to the schools and make many valuable contributions to children and teachers. Volunteer services should supplement the school program and should not be considered as a substitute for paid professional and paraprofessional staff. .

All volunteers who routinely work directly with children must be recommended by the principal and approved by the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources prior to volunteering. Only when the initial screening process has been satisfactorily concluded will the volunteer be allowed to begin volunteer services.

A background check will be used as one of the screening tools. Potential volunteers must sign a consent form for the Rowan-Salisbury School System to request a background check. Potential volunteers may also be screened for offenses that occurred outside of North Carolina, which would be considered an indictable offense in the state of North Carolina.

The records will be accessible only to the superintendent/designee(s) involved in reviewing the criminal history or other personnel who have obtained prior permission from the superintendent/designee. The Criminal Records History will be filed in a locked, secure place.

Volunteers, under no circumstances, are to transport students or their families in private vehicles.

Volunteers are expected to respect and maintain the confidentiality of information about participants, volunteers and staff gained through the role or presence as a volunteer within the Rowan-Salisbury School System.

Rowan-Salisbury Schools reserves the right to not accept a volunteer’s services or to tervolunteer olunteer at anytime.

Volunteers must also go through a volunteer training with Communities in Schools. The dates for the trainings are listed below:

COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS 2011-2012 TRAINING 

Location is 204 E. Innes Street with parking in the back

Communities in Schools has a part-time liaison, Crystal Kelly, at Overton this year. This will help with quick placement of volunteers.