From the Principal’s Desk Reopening the school for

another year of learning has to be my favorite time of year. The building is shinny and clean smelling of fresh wax and paint. Teachers have carefully designed their rooms to welcome students and prepare for the learning ahead. There is a sense of energy, purpose and anticipation for us all!

Well over 600 students and family members attended the Open House and Back to School Night held on August 17th. Open House provided a great opportunity for students to meet their new teacher and to get a feel for their new classroom. I’m sure Open House helped calm the anxiety experienced by some students and generated excitement for the coming year. Back to School Night provided parents with a brief overview of the year and an opportunity to hear from the teachers about their plans to educate their students. I would like to sincerely welcome our new families. I was able to meet many of you at our Open House and Back to School Night and I look forward to working with you this year.

The Opening Day of School went extremely smooth this year. Mrs. Forbes, my administrative assistant, deserves much of the credit for the positive start. The work she did accounting for the students and how they travel to and from school assured the safety of each student.

At our Back to School Night I shared that we would be working on developing a Growth Mindset in our students. This is an area where I have done extensive research over the past two years. Helping our students to adjust their perspectives to adopt a growth mindset can and

will significantly impact their growth as learners. This is an area where we need your help and support at home. Please review the diagram below to begin fostering a Growth Mindset with your child.

School Nurse Tips Welcome back! We’ve had a great start to the

school year. If you haven’t yet done so, please log into the Sapphire parent portal to update your child’s health information and also indicate whether your child has permission to take over-the-counter medications. I look forward to a safe and healthy school year!

Reminder: All 3rd grade students are required by the state of Pennsylvania to provide proof of a dental exam. Exams dated during your child’s second grade year (after 07/01/16) are acceptable. Please refer to the district website under the District Services/Health Services/Forms area for a copy of our dental form.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s health, please call the health room at 691-4580.

&

Elmwood Elementary School

Elmwood Elementary School

100 E. Elmwood Avenue

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

717-691-4578

ww.mbgsd.org

John P. McIntosh, Principal September 2017

Fall Fair Preparation Help! Fall Fair is on Saturday, October

21st. To make Fall Fair a huge success, we need volunteers to help gather donations for the giant raffle baskets. If you would like to help with raffle prizes for Fall Fair, please contact Mr. John Green at 691-4578 or by email jgreen@mbgsd.org.

Counselor’s Corner Welcome back to school!

Like me, you are probably having mixed feelings about returning to the routines and structure of the school year, the homework and projects, the early waking of your children and the complaints of earlier bedtimes. But deep down we know that it is all good, meant to help our kids become the learners and achievers we want them to be. So, with that said, I hope your start of the year goes smoothly!

I will be making visits to the classroom many times over the course of the year. My first visits will be in September, and the focus will be to re-introduce the role of the counselor to the students. In 1st grade, we will make the connection of how Mr. Potato Head is like the school counselor *(should be interesting!),” in 2nd grade we will be making a Counselor First Aid Kit, in 3rd grade we make a “counselor catcher” (similar to a Dream Catcher), and 4th and 5th graders get to play a fun game based on popular TV game shows. In going to the classroom, I inform students know who I am and how they can use me to help them with their concerns or to promote good social and life skills. And finally, in conjunction with our building-wide focus on the Growth Mindset, we will also be talking about setting “SMART” goals for the year.

Please know that I am available for parents as well. If you have needs as a family or you need help with a particular issue, please feel free to contact me here at school by phone (691-4578) or by email mbaum@mbgsd.org.

Welcome new students….. Over the summer,

much activity takes place at school. Mrs. Weber, our district registrar, spends countless hours registering those who move in to our district over the summer or who are changing schools within the district. This

year, I matched new students with a Peer Buddy at the Classroom Visitation on August 17. Current Elmwood students met and will continue to assist with transition to their new school by spending time with them at lunch, recess, and even visit them in their classrooms. Welcome to our new students and their families!

Praising Effort over Accomplishment One way that parents can really help their children

is by carefully choosing the words that are used when they praise them. Every word parents say and action they perform sends a message to their children. These words and actions tell children how to think about themselves. Parents should always praise their child’s effort instead of praising accomplishments. The following table includes some examples:

Do Not Say… Do Say… You are really athletic! You really work hard and pay

attention when you are on that

field!

You are so smart! You work hard in school and it

shows!

Your drawing is wonderful;

you are my little artist.

I can see how you have been

practicing your drawing; what a

great improvement!

You are a great athlete.

You could be the next

LeBron James!

Keep practicing, and you will see

great results!

You always get good

grades; that makes me

happy.

When you put forth effort, it really

shows in your grades. You should

be so proud of yourself. We are

proud of you!

Library News – Mrs. George

This year in the library students will be working on lots of different skills and activities including coding, robots, digital citizenship, and literacy, of course! We will do some STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) challenges and will work on Makerspace activities. We will once again be collecting items for our Makerspace. A big thank you to everyone who donated last school year. This year a wish-list will be posted on the library website, which you will be able to access through the school website. Thank you in advance for your donations and support of our programs.

A slight policy change this year is that after May 1st no library fines will be refunded if lost books are found. This change is because we weren’t able to spend all of our funds in previous years just in case a student found a book at the end of the year. Before paying for a lost book please ensure your child has thoroughly looked for it at home as well as at school. Thank you for your help!

Meet Mr. Underkoffler

My name is Joe Underkoffler and I am thrilled to be temporarily filling in as Dean of Students for Mrs. Witters this fall. I have been with the district for nearly 15 years, all of which have been at Northside Elementary, where I have taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades, but most recently teaching math, science, and social s tudies in 4th grade. When I’m not at school, I enjoy coaching basketball and baseball in the community, visiting national parks around the country, and working with my hands around the house. Personally, my wife and I, along with our two sons, ages 6 and 8, live in the district, and have fallen in love with the schools. Each one has been warm, welcoming, and inviting, and the Elmwood community has been especially kind and gracious to me as I transition into this new role. Thank you so much and I look forward to meeting you all soon.

New Elmwood Teachers

PTO Monthly Meetings

Come on Monday, September 11t at 7:00 PM in the school library for our monthly PTO Meeting. It is a great way to meet other parents and get involved with our school. Babysitting is provided.

Wild West Book Fair Coming Soon!

You are invited to visit our Scholastic Book Fair and experience a celebration of reading. This year’s theme – Wild West Book Fair: Saddle Up and Read! – is part of an exciting reading event that brings to school a wonderful selection of fun, engaging, and affordable books that kids want to read. Reading is vital to every child’s success, and raising kids as readers means getting involved while they’re young. Since there will never be a substitute for a parent’s direct involvement in his/her child’s education, please make plans to visit our Book Fair!

Book Fair Dates: Monday, September 18th through Thursday, September 21st

Shopping Hours: September 20th and 21st during school hours, as well as after school (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.)

Special Events:

Book Fair Bingo: Thursday, September 21st – 6:00-7:00 p.m. (pizza, drinks and snacks will be available for purchase)

Also, the Book Fair will be open from 6:00-7:15 p.m. that evening!

We are also looking for volunteers to share their time and talents with us. If you are able to volunteer, even for an hour

or two, please visit www.timetosignup.com/elmwood and sign up by Tuesday, September 12th. Questions? Contact Erin Arva at 717-877-8893 or earva@comcast.net.

Grace Adams 4th Grade

Chris Cowan 4th Grade

Deborah Diernbach 4th Grade

Melissa Gotthard-Shumate 2nd Grade

Melanie Walker English Language Development

September 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1

NO School

Labor Day Recess

2

3 4 NO School

Labor Day Recess

5 Cycle day 4

6 Cycle day 5

7 Cycle day 6

8 Cycle day 1

9

10 11 7 PM PTO Meeting

Cycle day 2

12 Cycle day 3

13 Cycle day 4

14 Cycle day 5

15 Cycle Day 6

16

17 18 Cycle Day 1

19 Cycle day 2

20 Cycle Day 3

21 Cycle Day 4 6PM Book Fair Bingo

22

No School for Elementary Schools

Act 80 Day

23

24 25 Cycle day 6

26 Cycle Day 1

27 3rd Grade Oaks Museum

Cycle Day 2

28 2nd Grade Enivro. Ctr.

Cycle Day 4 Monthly School Community Meeting

29

30

Book Fair Previewing Book Fair Buying Days