Berthoud Eagle

Principal to Parent Dear Families,

October 2012

Our Parent/Teacher conferences are October 10th, 11th, 16th and 7th. Our fall conferences will focus on your childs current data & progress, and sharing successes and challenges he or she may face. It is important to meet as early as possible in order to establish our school to home partnership, share information, and plan to meet student needs. This will be an opportunity to listen and ask questions in a one-on-one situation! Grades will not be complete at conference time as we are moving to trimesters this year. Instead report cards will be available through Parent Portal on Thursday, November 9th. There is more information below in how to set up an account if you have not already done so. Each Wednesday, when students leave early, staff members engage in meaningful endeavors to collaborate to examine student data, progress toward goals, assess skills group placement, participate in professional development for instruction, curriculum, technology tools and to examine current research in learning and child development. It is what we have done together for many years and the time is invaluable to the continued success of our students. We are blessed that nearly every one of our licensed teachers has a Masters degree in education as this enhances the level of expertise and knowledge available when collaborating to ensure we are doing our best for each student. A few years ago, in an effort to be awarded Race to the Top funding, House Bill 191 was passed to provide a statewide system to evaluate teacher effectiveness. Thompson School District is a pilot district for the new evaluation tool. I have been working on a district committee and with the state to determine the areas that need support as it is implemented statewide next year. One of the exciting components is the light the tool shines on areas of excellence and areas we need coaching. We are committed to our own continued education and growth as educational professionals. I will try to share information with you periodically as we continue the process. On a separate note, we have on-going concerns about students being dropped off before school and picked up after school in a hazardous manner. Please, please take the time to use the crosswalks, walk with your child/children, park safely away from and stop at the crosswalks and walk safely. Our children are our treasures. Mrs. LoJeske

OCTOBER COUNT DATES

It is very important that all students attend school during the October Count scheduled from Monday, September 24th through Monday, October 8th. School funding depends on our students being in attendance on these days. If for some reason your child will be absent due to illness, please call our attendance line at 970-613-7590. If at all possible, please try to schedule appointments either before or after school and schedule family vacations outside of this time. If for some reason this is not possible, please contact the office. A letter will be required to excuse your childs absence during this time if the absence is due to a vacation. To celebrate attendance, students are invited to wear their favorite hat on Monday, October 1st.
Tardy Policy If a student is tardy, a parent/guardian must come in to the front office to sign the student in. If a student comes in late unaccompanied by an adult then that student will receive an unexcused tardy on their attendance record. If your child is going to be late due to an appointment, please notify the office by 9:00 a.m. if they need a school lunch ordered.

Attendance If we do not receive a call on the attendance line (970-613-7590) by 9:30 am, an automated system will contact you by phone and/or email. You will then be asked to contact the attendance line regarding your childs absence. If you do not want to receive calls at home, work, on your cell or by email, you can change those settings on Parent Portal. If you did not receive information regarding how to set up a Parent Portal account, please contact the office. News from the Front Office Reminder the fall student paperwork is due October 12th. This includes the blue emergency closing form (one per family) and the white discipline code review (one per student). If you need another copy of either form please contact the front office by stopping in or calling 970-613-7500. News from the Health Office The following is an excerpt from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Pertussis Information and Guidelines for Schools and Child Care Settings September 18, 2012. The state of Colorado is experiencing a record number of cases of pertussis (also known as whooping cough). From January 1 through September 8, 2012, a total of 849 cases of pertussis have been reported in Colorado, compared to a 2007-2011 average of 180 cases per year during the same calendar period. Rates of pertussis are highest among infants < 6 months of age, followed by infants 6-11 months, and children 11-14 years. Though the increase is widespread, the largest number of cases has been reported from Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, and Jefferson counties. There have been no reported deaths in Colorado due to pertussis in 2012. However, a number of other states have also reported an increase in pertussis with 13 deaths reported nationwide as of August 24, 2012. Evaluate students for pertussis if they have any of the following symptoms: o Severe cough often accompanied by gagging, coughing fits, and/or vomiting o Persistent cough lasting longer than 14 days o Apnea (a pause in breathing) or gasping in infants Children and staff with these symptoms should be evaluated by a health care provider who can determine whether testing and treatment is appropriate.

Exclude: o Any child or adult diagnosed with pertussis must be excluded from school, child care, and extracurricular activities until they have completed 5 full days of antibiotics (return on 6th day after antibiotics were started) or until 21 days after the cough began if antibiotics are not taken. o Siblings of pertussis cases who also have a cough should stay home until they have completed 5 full days of antibiotics (return on 6th day after antibiotics were started). o These guidelines are especially important for employees in high-risk occupations (e.g. school teacher, school health care worker, child care center staff). Encourage social Distancing in staff and students: o Frequent hand-washing o Covering the mouth and nose with the inner elbow (Dracula Cough) and not hands when sneezing and coughing o Staying home from work, school, or daycare when ill o Avoiding close contact with sick people Is It a Cold or the Flu? Below are cold symptoms and flu symptoms. See the differences and similarities between a cold and the flu. Remember students must be fever free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. Symptoms Fever Headache General Aches, Pains Fatigue, Weakness Extreme Exhaustion Stuffy Nose Sneezing Sore Throat Chest Discomfort/Cough Complications Prevention Treatment Cold Rare Rare Slight Quite mild Never Common Usual Common Mild to moderate Congestion, earache None Treat Symptoms Flu Characteristic, high Prominent Usual; often severe Moderate to Severe Early and prominent Sometimes Sometimes Sometimes Common; can become severe Bronchitis, pneumonia Annual Vaccine Antiviral Meds first 24-48 hrs

Whether a cold or the flu- the best treatment is prevention- Wash your hands, cover your cough, stay home if you are ill or have a fever, avoid others who are ill and get plenty of fluids and rest! If you have any questions feel free to contact the health office at 970-613-7502. Thank you, Rebekah Beckett, SHOA

Kristi Street, R.N.

Vision & Hearing Screenings Our annual Vision & Hearing screenings will be performed on Monday, November 5th and Tuesday, November 6th. If you would like to volunteer to assist with the screenings, please contact our Health Aide, Rebekah Beckett at 613-7502 or rebekah.beckett@thompsonschools.org PTA Membership Its never too late! PTA is still accepting Memberships for the 2012-13 school year. Parents need not attend meetings to join. Our children benefit just by you becoming a member, so JOIN PTA TODAY!!! Membership is only $10.00 for the year. For more information contact Dawn Williams at 970-593-8925. Teacher Fall Dinner PTA will be sponsoring a luncheon for teachers and staff during conferences on Wednesday, October 10th. From 4:00p-7:00p. If you would like to donate food or drinks, please contact Toni Cox at 970-7441947.

Fall Fundraiser Orders Thanks to everyone who participated in the Fall Fundraiser! You will be able to pick-up the well earned prizes and purchased items on: Tuesday October 23rd from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. Don't forget to mark your calendar! If you have any questions please call Linda Pennock at 970-532-2348. All orders must be picked up on this day.

Fall Carnival Put the date on your calendar Fall Carnival is Friday, October 19th ~ We are continuing the wristband program for the carnival games~ For $10, the wristband will allow children to play the games as much as they want all night long no tickets to worry about ~ Raffle tickets will still be available for $1 as usual ~ Dinner will be available from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and the carnival booths will be open from 5:30-8:00pm. Students will be able to redeem tokens in the Library Redemption center until 8:15 pm.~ Kindergarten will be hosting the ever popular cakewalk ~ Please bring in baked goods or healthy treats to the Vital room on the day of the carnival for the cake walk. There will be a silent auction with class baskets and a few other items as well as the Raffle. If you have items and/or services you wish to donate for the raffle, please contact Ann Yuska @ 970.420.8189. We encourage all of our students and their families to attend and participate in this years event, coming dressed in costume (please do not come dressed in anything too scary or bloody) ~ Students should not wear costumes to school that day. If you have any questions, please contact the Carnival Chairperson, Ann Yuska at 970.420.8189 or annyuska@hotmail.com. Red Ribbon Week Red Ribbon Week is Monday Friday, October 22nd 26th. We will again join schools across the nation in promoting an anti-drug message. At BES we will emphasize the responsibility of making good, healthy choices throughout life. Students will receive red wrist bands to wear. Monday will be a Sock it to Drugs Day and everyone can wear the craziest socks they can find! Tuesday we will wear red (as much as we can!) to support Red Ribbon Week. Wednesday will be Hats off to a Safe and Healthy Life where we can all wear our favorite hat. Thursday is dress nicely to Show Respect for You. Friday will be Team up for Success where we can all wear our favorite jerseys. Have fun supporting this special week of awareness! Bully Blocker Education Berthoud Elementary is proud to be continuing the use of the Bully Block curriculum throughout our 1st5th grade classrooms this year. This program is presented by Mrs. Stapleton our school counselor. Classified Staff Recognition Week The week of October 15th 19th will be a time to recognize the invaluable contributions of our secretary, health aide, librarian, paraprofessionals, faculty assistants, classroom aides, technologists, kitchen staff and custodians. Please take a moment to let them know how much we appreciate all they do to support our staff and students!

Spirit Days!! On October 1st, wear your favorite hat to celebrate attendance. On October 12th, wear tie-dye to represent all the character traits. Please see above for the additional Spirit Days during Red Ribbon Week.

Parent/Teacher Conferences Conferences will be scheduled on Wednesday, October 10th, Thursday, October 11th, Tuesday October 16th and Wednesday, October 17th. Contrary to previous years, school will be in session for all students every day as conferences are being held outside of school hours; Wednesdays will begin at 2:40 and Thursday/Tuesday will begin at 4:10. You will be contacted by your students teacher regarding your conference time. Please remember these days are set aside for you to have these very important meetings with your child(ren)s teacher(s). Thank you for treating these conference appointments as you would an appointment with any other professional by trying not to reschedule or change them.

TCAP Testing Dates The TCAP testing dates are scheduled for February 27th 28th and March 11th March 29th. Please avoid scheduling appointments or vacations during the testing windows. You may consider scheduling any appointments or vacations during Spring Break which will take place from April 1st April 5th. Thank you in advance for your support!

Dear Parents and Guardians, Box Top Update: For the month of September we have collected 3,127 Box Tops for a total of $312.70! WOW! Its approaching the first Box Tops submission time. Our goal for October is 5,000 Box Tops! Well be sending in all the Box Tops weve collected by October 31. Please send as many Box Tops as you can in October to help reach our goal. Look for the October collection sheet at the end of this newsletter and coming home soon. Please send all clipped Box Tops and finished collection sheets back to school in your childs folder, or drop them off in the Vital Room. Thank you for your help!!! - Jessica & Melissa A Big Thank You Goes To The Fall Fundraiser committee and all of you for your orders! PTA membership drive support Parent Volunteers who helped with Picture Day All parents and friends who came out to support Field Day! Early Childhood
Early Childhood would like to thank everyone who is closing the gates behind them. Keeping the gates closed on the East side of the school ensures the safety of the young children attending Berthoud Elementary Early Childhood. Thank you all for your help and support.

Odyssey of the Mind If you are interested in sponsoring OM for this years students please see the front office to speak with Mrs. LoJeske about the new district regulations for this ASAP! Check out these websites for more information on Odyssey of the Mind: www.odysseyofthemind.com www.coloradoodyssey.org State of Colorado Department of Transportation CDOT is sponsoring Walk/Bike to School month during the month of October, this years theme is Stroll or Roll to School. More information on the program can be found at www.WalkBiketoSchool.org More information regarding Safe Routes to School resources can be found at http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/bikeped/safe-routes

Monthly Glance October 1 1 1-5 3 10 11 12 15-19 16 17 19 22 23 23 23 24 25 26 11/1 11/2

Student Count Day; wear your hat to support attendance National Stomp out Bullying Day; wear your anti-bully blue rubber bracelet 3rd Grade Tipi Week Chick-Fil-A Night Parent Teacher Conferences beginning at 2:40 Parent Teacher Conferences beginning at 4:10 Spirit Day; wear tie-dye to support all the colors of our Character Traits Classified Staff Recognition Week Parent Teacher Conferences beginning at 4:10 Parent Teacher Conferences beginning at 2:40 Fall Carnival/Dinner/Silent Auction 5:30-8:30 Red Ribbon Week Sock it to Drugs: Wear your craziest socks! Red Ribbon Week Wear Red Fun Service Order pick up SAAC meeting 4-5 Red Ribbon Week Hats off to a healthy lifestyle: Wear your favorite hat Red Ribbon Week Dress for Success: Show respect for yourself & wear your best Red Ribbon Week Team up against drugs: Wear your favorite sports jersey End of First Trimester No School; Teacher Work Day

1st Annual Thompson School District Science Fair This year, Thompson School District will be hosting a district science fair for elementary and secondary students on January 12, 2013 at Thompson Valley High School! All students are welcome to participate. Categories for projects include: Animal Sciences, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Chemistry, Earth & Space Sciences, Energy & Transportation, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics & Computer Sciences, Medicine & Health, Microbiology, Physics, and Plant Sciences. Awards will be given in each category. Students will compete in Grades K-1, 2-3, 45, 6-8, and 9-12. Secondary students may be able to also participate in the Regional Science Fair in Greeley in February. Important! All projects must complete the required paperwork prior to beginning an experiment. To find the required paperwork, please visit: http://www.csef.colostate.edu/ISEF_Paperwork_Guidelines.htm and click on Requirements for ALL research projects. Special projects may have additional forms, also found on the page linked above. For more information about science fairs, please visit the Intel Science and Engineering Fairs website at http://www.societyforscience.org/isef. To learn more about the TSD science fair and for volunteer opportunities, contact Carol Swalley at Carol.Swalley@thompsonschools.org or 970-613-5058. More information will be forthcoming soon. From the Thompson Education Foundation Cultivating educational opportunities in the Thompson School District HELP KIDS SUCCEED SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE 2012 Day 1 through Day 4 of the Help Kids Succeed campaign! This year, community volunteers filled 1400 backpacks for students in the Thompson School District. Thank you to Rocky Mountain Cheer & Dance for allowing TEF to take over your studios for several days in a row. United Way of Larimer County coordinated all the fantastic community volunteers who moved supplies, filled backpacks, and recycled boxes. Loveland Sertoma Club made sure all the backpacks were delivered to schools quickly and efficiently. The Help Kids Succeed campaign benefits from countless community individuals and organizations that donate supplies, funds and time to help the students start school with the supplies they need. Sponsors include Johnson Controls, Loveland Sertoma Club, Rocky Mountain Cheer & Dance, The Salvation Army, Thompson School District, Thompson Valley Rotary Club, United Way of Larimer County and Wal-Mart stores.