Winter, 2014-15 Building NewsletterMargaret Davis Drive www.remsencsd.org T: 315.831.3797

REMSEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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Upcoming Events

December 9Board of Education Meeting @6:00 p.m. (Budget Meeting); 7:00 p.m. (Regular Meeting) at the E.S.

December 10Elementary Band & Chorus Christmas Concert @ 7:00 p.m. in the JSHS Auditorium

December 12REMSEN Parent-Teacher-Group (PTG) Movie Night @ 6:00 p.m. in the ES Cafeteria

December 16Elementary Musical (K-3) @6:30 p.m. in the ES Cafeteria

December 17JSHS Band & Chorus Christmas Concert @ 7:00 p.m. in the JSHS Auditorium

December 15PTG “Sneaky Santa” @11 a.m.–2:00 p.m., daily at the ES

January 22Winter Recess (no school)

December 15PTG “Sneaky Santa” @11 a.m.–2:00 p.m., daily at the ES

January 22Winter Recess (no school)

December 15PTG “Sneaky Santa” @11 a.m.–2:00 p.m., daily at the ES

January 7PTG Meeting @6:00 p.m., in the ES Library-Media Area

January 13Board of Education Meeting @6:00 p.m. (Budget Meeting); 7:00 p.m. (Regular Meeting) at the E.S.

January 22Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Obs. (no school)

January 30PTG Winter Dance @ 6-8 p.m. (grades 4-6) at the ES

A School in the School?!

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Teachers’ Association at REMSEN Elementary School held their annual Food Drive again this year. Many boxes were filled due to the generosity of students and staff at the Remsen Central School. Food donation will benefit local families this Christmas season. A Olaf theme encouraged all to participate by hiding and finding Olaf, a character from the wildly popular Disney movie Frozen. For every food item each student brought in they were able to put their name in to win the Olaf basket.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

REMSEN Elementary Students will have recess outside when the weather is 20-degrees or higher. Please be advised that students should bring clothing for cold outside play! Gloves/mittens, coat, snow-pants, boots and a hat are a must. Please contact the office to request any of these items. We are happy to help!

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Let it Go…Let it Go!

School [skool] noun

1. An institution where instruction is given, especially to persons under college age: The children are at school.

This year we are focusing on learning in some very different and exciting ways. Something very important for all of the adults in our students’ lives to remember is that school itself is a word that means different things to different people. Some “love” school, some “hate” school. Some go because they “hafta”, while some can’t wait to tackle the next challenging homework assignment.

One might ask teachers how they feel about school, and they, more than likely, will say that they love their job, but also that they “did well” in school or “really enjoyed” school. Pretty much across the board, one might find that to be true. Would someone, after all, choose education as their profession if they didn’t somehow really identify with school? Sometimes the hardest realization for us to face as educators is that our students might not always enjoy school as much as we think they should.

We are in a new age, however, so that we can acknowledge the differences in our students – their likes and dislikes, their backgrounds, family values, and their abilities. Therefore, while “school” means something different to each of our students, our job is, many times, to unlock the potential for each one to love learning at school and beyond. What would it mean if school were a place where all students and their caregivers felt as if it were more than a place of mortar and brick, blocks, computers, pencils and paper and tests? What if “school” meant a place of comfort – of belonging – of opportunity to grow wonder into the path of interest into a real job? What if school felt good every day for every child, and the challenges they face are hurdles they can handle?

“School”, I can tell you, to me means a never-ending pursuit of positive outcomes for students, faculty and staff. Learning never ends, and each day carries amazing potential to gather more connections between what we know, what we want to know, and what we need to know. Learning shouldn’t be like carrying rocks and treading water, and I don’t think we see learning that way at Remsen Elementary School.

And so, with a month of the new school year under our belt we move onward to that pursuit of positive outcomes for every student, every caregiver and every educator. It’s a tall order, but it’s possible. It’s necessary. Please continue to take interest in your child’s education

– even to the point of letting us know your ideas, dreams, and expectations for your children and your school. Don’t ever feel that you’re not important in the definition of that word “school”. Together, we help students earn their definition, form their definition, and experience their definition of the word. While the definition of “school” might be still different for each of them, we can strive to make those differences work within a larger context of a positive image of school.

Charge on! Into a positive school year in which every child will grow academically, socially, and, in a very positive sense, cultivate a sense of belonging to school. Remsen Elementary School is a great place to learn - with a talented and caring support staff and dynamic programs focused on helping kids to love their time here.

Charge! for great things to come!

Dr. Crankshaw, Superintendent/Principal

This year, Remsen students in grades 5 and 6 have teamed up with Trout Unlimited to raise brook trout from eggs to 2” fry in a tank

located in the School’s Media Center. In June, they will release the fish into a local, approved cold water stream. The act of raising,

monitoring, and caring for young trout connects students to their local watershed, teaches them about water quality and gets them to care about fish and the environment. We began with 200 eggs in the beginning of November and currently have 150 fry learning to swim. Stop by and have a look!

MINECRAFT CLUBMinecraft is an online world in which players will follow directions to collaboratively build a world of homes, shops, schools – anything imaginable, we can build in Minecraft! The educational version is self-contained and will be closely monitored for polite behavior. We

hope to teach proper online “netiquette” within the confines of our REMSEN community. We will be sharing examples from some of our students’ personal YouTube channels, as well as Minecraft worlds developed by other schools across the globe.

Over 60 REMSEN elementary students are currently participating in this new afterschool club!

Empathy. Pride. Innovation. Collaboration.

Students from Remsen, Westmoreland Middle School, Sauquoit Middle School and Oriskany Jr. High took part in a youth leadership training to learn more about the traits of empathy, pride, innovation, and collaboration on November 24, 2014 at the high school. The entire 6, 7, and 8 grade student body was fortunate to attend an inspiring assembly with guest Erin Gruwell, dynamic teacher and inspiration for the movie, Freedom Writers. True to the message of Ms. Gruwell, by writing, art and physical team building the

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Teachers’ Association at REMSEN Elementary School held their annual Food Drive again this year. Many boxes were filled due to the generosity of students and staff at the Remsen Central School. Food donation will benefit local families this Christmas season. A Olaf theme encouraged all to participate by hiding and finding Olaf, a character from the wildly popular Disney movie Frozen. For every food item each student brought in they were able to put their name in to win the Olaf basket.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

REMSEN Elementary Students will have recess outside when the weather is 20-degrees or higher. Please be advised that students should bring clothing for cold outside play! Gloves/mittens, coat, snow-pants, boots and a hat are a must. Please contact the office to request any of these items. We are happy to help!

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It’s

EPIC!

students will be working together towards a common goal-encouraging kindness in our school communities.

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