2014 Retirements
Eight Riddle staff members are retiring at the end of the school year. Please join us in thanking them
for their service and dedication to our children.
Cheryl Armstrong School Psychologist
Bruce Barnard Principal
Deborah Barr Head Cook
Peggy Bitting Custodian
Sarah Lawrence Art Teacher
Jeri Morris Secretary
Terrie Pelham 1st Grade Teacher Sandy Stewart Paraprofessional
Inside this issue:
Young Authors
District Winners
Gr. 2 Mrs. Poorman
2
Gr 5 Mrs. Stewart
Gr 3 Mrs. Simpson 3
Gr 1 Mrs. Sweitzer
Gr 4 Mrs. Oberhill 4
Riddle’s Third
Quarter Honors
Battle of the Books
5
Calendars
April, May, June
Illinois Readers
Choice Winners
February Bluestem
Winners
6
From the Principal’s Desk . .
BUSINESS NAME
Riddle Reporter
I love this job and thank my lucky stars every day I have the honor and privilege of being Principal of Riddle Elementary School. I have the opportunity to positively effect hundreds of children every day by leading the establishment and maintenance of a safe, secure, and truly child-centered learning environment. I supervise the instructional activities presented to the children to maximize their intellectual and academic growth. I hire and supervise the teachers and support staff. This, in my opinion, is the most important part of my job. The people your children interact with at school must genuinely care about each child as a unique and valuable human being and have the skill to help the child learn and grow. These are all very complicat-ed tasks and require constant attention and response from me. Some days go better than others . . . I have found my way to cope with tough days. I talk with a 5th grader. Kindergarteners are sweet, little huggers; first graders can read; second graders start to be independent; third graders can make a decision; fourth graders tell jokes; but fifth graders are all of those things rolled into one - and they are beginning to see the world beyond themselves. With fresh, alert, innocent eyes they see possibilities and hopefulness. They want to feed the hungry, house the homeless, reduce-reuse-recycle and promote peace on earth … and they really mean it … they are refreshingly, absolutely right. They remind me of all the good things about humanity and they renew my hope. If you find yourself having a bad day or up against a tough situation, take a few minutes to talk with your child. (Especially a fifth grader … ) They will lift you up and remind you why you must press on. Sincerely,
Bruce E. Barnard Bruce E. Barnard, Principal
Virtues for April 2014 April 7 Service April 28 Tact
This year Riddle Elementary School will send two students
as representatives to the 2014 Young Authors Conference held at
Illinois State University on May 17. Aiden Hudson is a 2nd grade
student from Mrs. Boyer’s classroom and Chloe Pruitt is a 4th
grade student from Mrs. Boyd’s classroom. Summaries of their
winning manuscripts are below.
K-2 Winner - Aiden Hudson (G 2, Riddle Elementary School) - Rainbow
This very creative manuscript also serves as a lesson how
rainbows are formed. Each color of
the rainbow is described through a
variety of objects that young children
can identify.
3-5 Winner - Chloe Pruitt (Gr
4, Riddle Elementary School) -
Friends Forever
The main character, Emily, shares her love of horses with her new
friend, Cassie. They experience many fun times together, and some scary
ones, too. Unfortunately, Cassie unexpectedly has to move, leaving Emily
feeling upset and missing her best friend. Emily displays maturity and com-
passion as she copes with her feelings about Cassie.
Congratulations to Aiden and Chloe!
Second Graders have been having lots of fun learning about author, Candace Fleming, and her great sto-
ries for children. Each second grade class read a story written by her and did several fun activities to go with the
story. The projects that students worked very hard on were displayed at our Curriculum Exposition. We hope
everyone enjoyed them!
Reading Fun! Submitted by Mrs. Poorman
2014 Young Authors District Winners
Page 2
Riddle Reporter
Mrs. Stewart’s fifth graders have been trying to bring Spring to the classroom. While learning about plants in
the reading series, they have conducted several seed and plant experiments. One of their favorite projects has been
“Soil Sammy”. Using grass seed, potting soil, and knee highs, the students were able to make their own “Soil Sammy”.
They have enjoyed watching the “hair” sprout. Students will display their finished projects at the Curriculum Exposi-
tion/Book Fair on March 25 from 3:10-6:00 pm.
Working hard pays off! Stu-
dents in Mrs. Simpson’s third
grade class were probably not
thinking they were having a
good time as they were bub-
bling in answers and writing
reading extended responses.
However, now that it is over,
these students got a chance to
relax and enjoy some treats as
a reward for working so hard.
I am very proud of all of them.
Every student stayed focused
and did their very best work.
Congratulations ISAT takers, I
know you did just fine!!!!
Celebrate Hard Work, Come On! Submitted by Mrs. Simpson
Hurry Spring! Submitted by Mrs. Stewart
Page 3
Mrs. Sweitzer’s fabulous first graders have
had a blast reading and learning with Dr. Seuss!
They have read several silly Dr. Seuss books and
have even created a tally graph on which books
were their favorites. One of their top picks was
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, where first
graders created a bar graph based on how many col-
ored goldfish they each received. Another one of
their favorites included Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Students created projects that display what they
want to be or do when they grow up. A silly book,
If I Ran the Zoo, had first graders using their imagi-
nations to create funny make-believe animals they
would have in their own zoo. First grade cannot
wait to see what Dr. Seuss has in store for them
next!
Fourth graders have been working very diligently at learning their basic multiplication facts. Many have
noticed that math becomes much easier and can be done slightly faster when the facts are committed to
memory.
Throughout the year fourth grade students take a three minute, fifty question multiplication test. After
each test, we informally graph our results and keep it in our math folder.
At the beginning of the year, fifty questions seemed out of reach. Now, it doesn’t seem quite so unattain-
able. While some are still working toward their fifty question goal, they are improving with every test that we
take.
Prior to Curriculum Exposition, we took our informal graphs and turn them into something a little more
exciting. Using Microsoft Excel, fourth graders enter their data, and create a colorful bar graph that shows the
progress they’ve made throughout the year. Hopefully, you were able to visit the fourth grade wing during Cur-
riculum Exposition to see our colorful graphs. If you weren’t, there are some below. Check out our growth in
multiplication during the 2013-2014 school year!
Multiplication Timed Tests Submitted by Mrs. Oberhill
Dr. Seuss - Fun in First Grade! Submitted by Mrs. Sweitzer
Page 4
Riddle Reporter
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GRADE 4: Allison Brant, Bailey Evans, Wesley Mefford, Devin Woods, Derrius White, Tehya Cloyd,
Maya Cook, Timothy Crask, Alexa Dhom, Gannon Dow, Brandon Eveland, Ian Goodwin-Gage, Nicholas
Hurt, Damion Knorr, Josiah Koons, Emma Plunkett, Chloe Pruitt, Jordon Richardson, Alyssa Triplett,
Destinee Tuttle, Tejas Zala, Wyatt Arndt, Robert Bradbury, Korrin Cassady, Katie Clatfelter, Samantha
Copsy, Jayden Currie, Whitley Dearing, Ivie Edwards, Paige Farmer, Skyler Mansfield, Gabriel Parks, Mal-
lory Ramage, Isabel Spear, Samantha Stephens, Kaiden Stivers, Josh Carter, Ashton Caughran, Brock
Davee, Carielle Glenn, Trevor Geyer, Kris Jacobs, Andrew Loy, Abby Mathias, Wyatt Mayhall, Emma
Mingus, Justyce Prather, Madison Pauley, Allie Wells, Corralyn Clark, Joleigh Cougill, Matthew Gordon,
Jarrett Harris, Chloe Jobe, Caitlyn McGahey, Chandler Melton, Ian Mitchell, Rylee Price, McKenzie Ren-
fro, Halle Stanley, Hannah White, Jenaya Carter, Josh Croft, Caroline Davis, Willow Harris, Dakota
Hensley, Nate Huddleston, Haylie Hutton, Braden Kelly, Mataya Larson, Jesse Mast, Courtney Platz,
Carly Robison, Aidan Spurgeon, Keylee Stoneburner, Jackson Whalin
GRADE 5: Jackeylnn Bolin, Marcus Curce, Seven Allah, Gracie Croy, Gavin Gonzalez, Amira Johnson,
Mackenzie McCullough, Anna Morton, Tharyn Price, Hannah Schrock, Nico Scott, Zach Shick, Preston
Smith, Pierce Wallace, Taylor Warren, Deja White, Destyne Arthur, Nicholas Doty, Christopher Drum-
mond, Ginger Gardner, Briannin Garvin, Paige Hopgood, Stepahnie Hunt, Dominick Laws, Jacob Legg,
Tinley Risinger, Maddie Thomason, Nathaniel Triplett, Logan Beals, Andrew Coffey, Alexis Donner,
Xylia Greeson, Ryleigh Hawkins, Jayde Hoshauer, Aurora Kemp, Mackenzie Kirby, Allison Stapleton, Cy-
rus Steele, Bradon Thompson, Hayden Williams, Chloe Williamson, Abigail Carter, Torrie Clark, Caiden
Decker, Pierce Farmer, Maggie Fauke, Tyson Gass, Callan Haldorsen, Gracie Helms, Berkley Howell,
Madison Miller, Gabi Smith, Haley Hubbart, Mollie Auer, Nivea Bryant, Paiziah Chounard, Chloe Grasl,
Pacie Hussong, Hadley Laster, Jonathan Mast, Madeline Sharp, Megan Thomas, Zoie Thomason, Maggie
Uphoff, Zach Watkins, Xavier Worker
Riddle 3rd Quarter Honor Roll
Page 5
Battle of the Books Submitted by Mrs. Muzzy
Riddle will be hosting the eighth annual Mattoon Battle of the Books on Monday, March 31. Good luck to our competing teams from fourth and fifth grade!
4th Gr: Golden Readers
4th Gr: Brainy Bunch 5th Gr: Infinity Readers
5th Gr: Tweeter Readers
Illinois Readers Choice Awards
have been announced! Thousands of students across Illinois have voted and the results are in! The Monarch Award winning book is Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery. The Bluestem winner is Wonder by R. J. Palacio. Check them out!
Mattoon CUSD #2 Riddle Elementary School 4201 Western Avenue Mattoon IL 61938 (p) 217 238-3800 (f) 217 238-3805
Mr. Bruce E. Barnard, Principal Mrs. Christine Bough, Assistant Principal
Respect+Responsibility+Relationships=Results
APRIL 3 2:30 Kdg Musical Dress Rehearsal
7:00 Kdg Musical
8 6:00 PTA
7:00 School Board Mtg
10 Gr 4 Body Walk - Public Health
7:00 Band @WES
11 Gr 5 Body Walk - Public Health
Gr 1 AM Field Trip
Gr 2 PM Field Trip
Midterm Ends
12-20 SPRING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
21 School Resumes
22 Gr 3 Arbor Day
23 Gr 4 PM Field Trip
1:30 Tornado Drill
24 2:00 Gr 5 Full Band Rehearsal
5:30 5th Gr to 6th Gr
Orientation @MMS
25 Midterms go Home
28 7:00 Band @WES
29 2:45 Grs 4-5 Birthday Assembly
7:00 Band Concert @WES
30 2:45 Grs 1-3 Birthday Assembly
MAY 2 Special Olympics
6 Gr 4 Field Trip
1:00 Tornado Drill
13 7:00 School Board Mtg
15 2:45 Grs 1-3 Birthday Assembly
16 2:45 Grs 4-5 Birthday Assembly
17 Young Authors Conference
In Bloomington, IL
22 Kdg Field Trip
Blackwell, Bradley, Storm
23 Kdg Field Trip
Sharp, Conlon, Truesdale
26 NO SCHOOL Memorial Day
30 Gr 5 Field Trip
JUNE
3 2:00 Student Awards Assembly
LAST STUDENT DAY
Bluestem Drawing Winners for the month of February:
Whitley, Connor, Gannon, Anna.