Important Information for 2013-2014

Mitchell Elementary Forms and Fee Day
Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Location: Mitchell Gymnasium

Time:
Last Name  A-H   12:00-1:00 or  3:00-4:00
Last Name  I-Q     1:00-2:00  or   4:00-5:00
Last Name  R-Z     2:00-3:00   or 5:00-6:00

After paying the school fee AND submitting all completed required school forms, your child(ren) will have their school picture taken.  Picture order forms will be included in the August mailing.

Classrooms will not be open.  You will be able to visit the classroom at Meet & Greet night on August 29th.

Mitchell's Meet and Greet (Parents and Students)
Date: Thursday, August 29, 2013
Location: Classrooms
Time: 5:30-6:30pm

Please bring your child's school supplies and take them to the classroom.

Information Booths will be set up from 5:30 - 7:00m by various school groups and community organizations to see all that we have to offer.

PIN... Parent Information Night (Parents Only).

Grades 5K, 1, 2 & 3
Date: September 5, 2013

Grades 4K, 4 & 5
Date: September 10, 2013

First Day of School
Tuesday, Septemeber 3, 2013

School Hours- Grades 5K - 5
8:25 AM - First Bell
8:30 AM - Tardy Bell
3:30 PM - Dismissal Bell

School Fees
4K - $50.00
5K - 5th Grade - $70.00

If you have been approved for Reduced Lunch, your child's school fees are 1/2 off (4K - $25, %k-5th - $35).  If you have been approved for Free Lunch, you child's school fees will be waived.  This information will be given to the office thru the district office.

Sodexo Fees
Breakfast - $1.30
Lunch - $1.95
Reduced Breakfast - $0.30
Reduced Lunch - $0.40

**THE SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE JULY 1ST, 2013 AND IT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE FORMS AND FEE DAY MAILING IN AUGUST.**

5th Grade Graduation Celebration

Here's the schedule for 5th Grade on Wednesday!

​9:00 a.m. ​5th Grade Completion Ceremony (gymnasium). All 4/5 classes will watch their
                                  friends graduate.

​10:00 a.m.​ Yearbook Signing, 5th Grade Memory Booklets, 5th Grade Memory DVD, etc.

​11:30 a.m.          5th Grade Luncheon in the field house-pizza, chips, soda, and dessert

​12:30 p.m ​Walk to Knights of Columbus (3200 S. 103rd Street).
                                    Dress appropriately!

​1:00 p.m.​        2 games of bowling at Knights of Columbus (5th Grade)
                                   **All parents that volunteered to chaperone are invited to join.

​3:15 p.m. ​Return to Mitchell School

​3:30 p.m. ​Dismissal

 

There has been a bit of confusion about the 5th Grade Completion Ceremony. Family members are invited to join us. We look forward to seeing you all as we bid the 5th graders a fond farewell!

All 4th graders will be staying back and watching a movie with Mrs. Ceel and Mrs. Graff while Mr. Krupar and I take all the 5th graders bowling.

If you have any questions about Wednesday, please feel free to contact me. Thanks!

Field Day Recap

Field Day was a great time today.  Both the girls and the boys won 2nd place overall!  Between all the sporting events and cheering, it will be an early bedtime for these 4th/5th graders! :) 

Basketball Shooting:

Girls-4th Place

Boys- 4th Place

 

Football Pass

Girls- 1st Place

Boys- 1st Place

 

Jump Rope

Girls- 1st Place (Tie)

Boys- 2nd Place

 

Circle Bump and Set

Girls- 2nd Place

Boys- 3rd Place

 

Relay

Girls- 2nd Place

Boys- 2nd Place

 

OVERALL

Girls- 2nd Place

Boys- 2nd Place

High Interest Day Reminders

Parents:

• If you signed up to help for this fun and exciting day, please arrive at Mitchell by 8:30am and check in at the front table.  If you know of any other adults that would like to help, please feel free to bring them along... the more the merrier!
• Lunch will be provided and served by your Mitchell PTA, so please make sure to come to the field house during lunch to relax and chat with one another. :)

Students:

• Please be on your BEST BEHAVIOR!  This is a very busy and fun day and we want everyone to enjoy this experience. :)
• Students who signed up for the T-Shirt Bag Session.  Please make sure to bring in a t-shirt on Friday.  The larger the shirt, the larger the bag and if your shirt has a design/logo on it, that's perfectly fine.
• (Students from my class signed up are the following: Latisa, Samantha, Gabby, Dayzia, and Brandon)
• Please wear comfortable clothes/shoes and dress appropriately for the weather.

Parents and Students:

• Due to High Interest Day, Friday is cold lunch day for the students. The students can either bring a bag lunch from home or order a bag lunch from school.

High Interest Day

High Interest Day will be on Friday, May 24.  For those of you who have never heard of or participated in High Interest Day before, it is a whole day event dedicated to students choosing activities that most interest them.  Basketball, a Smoothie Station, Mani/Pedi Station, Archery, and Dodgeball are among some of the most popular activities to choose from.  Each student from grades 2-5 participate and pick 5 activity stations to go to through out the day.  Ask your student what activities they signed up for.

"Dig Into Reading" at the West Allis Public Library

This summer, the WA Public Library will have a summer reading program for children ages 3-11. Children 12 and up are encouraged to participate in the teen summer reading program. Students can register anytime between June 3 - August 9th. The program runs from June 3rd through August 24th. There are many opportunities to earn prizes and tickets to local events. This is an excellent way to keep students reading this summer. A large blue flyer went home last week. Happy reading!

Field Day

Field Day is on Wednesday, May 22nd. In the event of a rain out, Thursday will be the rain date. Students should come to school dress to compete. Watch the weather forecast and apply sunscreen if needed. Students will compete in the following events:

1. Basketball Shooting
2. Football Pass Relay
3. Circle Bump and Set
4. Jump Rope Relay
5. Water Relay
6. Distance Run Relay

We begin competing at 9:00. An awards ceremony will take place outside at 11:30 a.m. Parents are welcome to come and cheer the students on!

Fluency in Multiplication Facts

As we begin work with the Algebra Unit, we are finding that all students have shown the ability to pick up the new skills. However, knowledge and quick recall of multiplication facts is key to student success. Without fluency in multiplication facts, student accuracy will not be at a proficient level. Please ensure that your child works with these facts nightly, if they struggle with recall of multiplication facts. There are multiple ways to practice multiplication facts:

• Flashcards
• Math Fact Apps
• Math Fact card and dice games
  • Dice and Card Games to Practice Math
  • Making Math More Fun: Math Card Games

Thanks for your ongoing support at home!

Bake Sale

*5^THGRADE*

**BAKE*SALE**

WEDNESDAY, May 8^th

1pm-2:30PM & 6:00-7:30

BEFORE AND AFTER AM & PM SPRING SING CONCERTS

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO SUPPORT 5^TH GRADE GRADUATION & CAMP UPHAM TRIP 2013

Math Update

We will be structuring the final math unit differently than the previous units. Instead of splitting students between the four classrooms, students in Mr. Krupar's class and my class will be team taught by Mr. Krupar and myself. We will still analyze data from pretests and MAPS tests to establish an understanding of student background knowledge - this will not change. In addition, students will still work through the various stages of Math Daily 5.

Art Contest Winners!

Congratulations to Mitchell School Art students! Mitchell students entered the Blick Celebrating Art contest and has once again received top honors. All of the winners will be published in the Spring 2013 Great Laces Celebrating Art book.

Congratulations go out to teacher Jenny Landowski and her art students.

Spring winners for the Blick Celebrating Art contest are:

Sarah Morgan -2nd grade

Michaelene Carrasquillo -4th grade!

Chloe Zeleznak -3rd grade

Alondra Toledo -5th grade

Savannah Pipal -4th grade

Amayah Williams -5th grade

Jonathan Wojak- 5th grade

Hannah Pisarski - 3rd grade

And Rayna Hess - 3rd grade

 

 

New Inquiry Unit

This week we began a new inquiry unit. This unit will have a science focus to it. In the fourth quarter students are focusing on Plants! Here are some key components of the unit:

Essential Question:
Why are plants so important to humans?

Enduring Understanding:
• Photosynthesis
• Reproduction
• Pollination
• Adaptations

MAPS Testing

This week begins our spring MAPS testing window. The purpose of MAPS testing in the spring is to gauge student progress from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Students will set goals for each of the three tests. Their goals will be set based on their fall score and the target score that is set for the spring test.
MAPS Schedule

Monday, April 29th
Math Test
9:25-9:55 & 2:25-3:15

Monday, May 6th
Reading Test
12:45-1:30

Tuesday, May 7th
Reading Test continued
Time is TBD

Wednesday, May 15th
Language Arts Test
9:25-9:55 & 2:25-3:15

Notice that we have shorter testing periods each day. This spring we are asking students to only complete half of the test in one sitting. The goal is to get the most accurate score possible. In talking with students, they have made it clear that the tests can be long. By splitting the test, students will be able to give their best effort and stop before they are "out of gas". This was tried with some students in the winter. It was a success! Student attitudes and confidence toward testing were remarkably higher.
Parents, you can help us at home. Talk with your child about the importance of these tests. The scores are used to inform our instruction. In addition, scores for 5th grade students are used by the intermediate schools to make decisions about classes for next year. The goal is for students to understand the importance of the tests without making them overly nervous. I remind students that we see great things out of them everyday. When taking the tests, use your strategies and complete the tasks as you normally would and everything will be fine.

Thank you again parents for your continued support!

If you have any questions about MAPS testing, please contact me for further information.

Inquiry Fair!

Our first Inquiry Fair was a huge success! We were all very proud of the hard work students put into their projects. Even though we worked with them every step of the way, it was amazing to see the final products and talk with students about their new learning. It meant a lot to students to be able to share their research with the Mitchell community. Last but not least, a big "thank you" goes out to all the parents for guiding and supporting students throughout the process!

Mitchell Elementary Spring Sing

Mitchell Elementary Spring Sing

Wednesday, May 8^th 2013

1:30-2:00PM: 

Ashenberg, Gale, Kendall, Pemberton, Reichert, Reiser, Richards, Rostermundt, and Zelinski   

                            6:30-7:15 PM:
         Carson, Germain, Hansen, Ceel, Hart, Leal, Nowak, Krupar, Dierbeck, Franz, Vasta, and Graff

At Mitchell Elementary School Gym

There will be 2 separate performances to assure that we have ample seating in the gym for everyone who would like to attend.  The 1:30 performance  will be short and will include students in the following classes: Ashenberg, Gale, Kendall, Pemberton, Reichert, Reiser, Richards, Rostermundt, and Zelinski.  The 6:30 performance will include students in the following classes: Carson, Germain, Hansen, Hart, Leal, Nowak, Vasta, Ceel, Dierbeck, Graff, and Krupar.   

All students in the 6:30 performance should be at Mitchell no Later than 6:10 to ensure that we are ready to start on time. 

Because this is a performance, students are required to dress nicely.  Khaki, dress, or black slacks would be a great choice with a polo, button up dress shirt, or blouse.  Dresses and skirts are welcome as long as they are knee length.  Heels for girls are OK as long as they are comfortable and easy to walk in.  Keep in mind, students will be standing on platforms or risers. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Lisa Bong

General and Vocal music

General Mitchell Elementary School

(414) 604-4500 Ext. 4540

bongl@wawm.k12.wi.us

                                                                                  

Thank You!

The FACE Committee would like to send out a HUGE thank you to all families and staff who attended the spaghetti dinner during the Inquiry Fair.  Turnout was a tremendous success!  We earned a profit of over $1,000.00!!  Remember, 100% of this money will be used at Mitchell to help enhance the learning environment of our children.  Thank you to all who volunteered during this event.  Without volunteers, events like this would be impossible.  Also, a huge thanks to Mr. Hill for his continuous support and enthusiasm.

 

Information on the Spring Fling will be coming soon.  Mark Thursday, June 6^th on your calendars for this fun and action-packed afternoon.  We look forward to seeing everyone on June 6^th!

5th Grade Graduation Planning Meeting Information

ATTENTION ALL 5^TH GRADE PARENTS

End-of-the-Year Planning Meeting

Wednesday, April 17 (3:45-4:30)

Room 110

Plans for our 5^th grade end-of-the-year celebrations are under way. There will be a meeting on Wednesday, April 17 for parents who are interested in being involved. The following committees will be formed:

• 2013 T-shirt
• Memory booklet
• Last day refreshments

If you would like to join a committee, but are unable to attend the first meeting on April 17, then please return this form with your name, phone number, and your area of interest circled.

5^th Grade Completion Activities/Celebration Time Frame:

Tuesday, June 11      (1:00-3:00 pm)

Bowling at Knights of Columbus

Wednesday, June 12 (9:00-9:45 am)

5^th Grade Completion Ceremony

Wednesday, June 12 (10:00-11:30 am)

Refreshments and memory book signatures

Thank you,

 

Mrs. Ceel        

Ms. Dierbeck

Mrs. Graff      

Mr. Krupar

SPARC Update

Dear Parents of SPARC Students,

There will be NO SPARC classes held next Thursday, April 18^th due to our Inquiry Night/Spaghetti dinner event.  Hope to see you at this fun event!

Sincerely,

The Mitchell Staff

Inquiry Fair

Reading Calendar Reminder

It's hard to believe March is coming to an end. Hopefully it will take this cold weather with it! Students should be finalizing their monthly reading calendars. This would be a good time for students to check how far they are from their goal and do some extra reading if they are behind the target of 30 minutes a night. at the end of the month, please have your child total their minutes for March and have you sign it. Calendars will be collected on Monday, April 8th.

April reading calendars will be handed out when students return to school on Monday, April 8th.

Inquiry Homework

Wow! Students have been hard at work this week planning and building their inquiry projects. Mr. Krupar, Mr. Kallie, and I have met with groups to discuss their progress. Many students discovered that while they had relevant facts and details, they don't have enough to put together a full scale project. We would like students to provide more than a list of facts. They should find some facts that can be developed with more information. 

This is where you will be a valuable resource. Ask your child to share the following with you:
- their thick question
- what they plan to present to answer their thick question

Since you haven't been a part of the unit, you will be their first audience. What questions do you have based on what they presented? Many students have interesting facts, but they lack the detail that people want to know when they hear the facts. Identify those questions for your child and have them continue their research to fill those gaps. Moodle is a great resource for students to check out. While they have spent a lot of time there, they may have passed over some detail that they previously thought was not important. If Moodle is not enough, it's okay for students to search the web on their own - with your permission. A trip to the library may also be needed.

Students do not need to begin any posters or projects of any kind. We will do that after break. What students can do is plan what they will write on those posters. If they are doing iMovie, they should plan their slides out. The expectation is not built around a number of slides but total speaking time. We are looking for 1-2 minutes of speaking time. This will help students gauge whether they have enough information. Students can also plan for the type of photos they'd like to find for their poster or iMovie presentation.

We want to get the word out early so students can properly space out their work. In most cases, if time was used wisely, this shouldn't be an overbearing assignment. Students have been working for three weeks to gather information and plan. Thank you for your help!

Inquiry Project Update

Students have been collaborating with classmates all last week in an effort to plan out how they would like to present their research at the Inquiry Fair in April. As groups get their plans approved, they are working to create a "rough draft" of their final products. For example, posters will be planned out on loose leaf paper and iMovie presentations will be organized and planned. Even in situations where students plan to dress up and act out their understanding, students will be expected to write up what they will wear, how it helps their presentation, and what they will do. The idea behind this is to help the students prepare for creating their final projects and in some cases, help students recognize that more research is needed. Mr. Krupar, Mr. Kallie, and I will review the rough drafts and help students accordingly.

These "rough drafts" need to be finished by the time students return from Spring Break. Students will have time to work on them over the next three school days. Any rough draft work that is unfinished will go home as homework over Spring Break. Ask your child about their plan, especially if they plan to dress up. We have asked those students to ok it with parents first since they will require unique clothing and attendance at the Inquiry Fair. Students that use their work time wisely, will have little to no work to do over Spring Break.

When students return from Spring Break our focus will shift to creating the final projects for the Thursday, April 18th Inquiry Fair.

Book Fair Coin Challenge

Thank you to all the students that brought in pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollar bills for the Book Fair Coin Challenge, and also to the families that bought/donated books for the classroom as well. We raised a total of $29.80! That money was used to purchase seven books for the classroom library.  They will be a welcomed addition!

Touring Madison

Wednesday, the 4th graders had a great time touring the state Capitol building in Madison. As part of the tour, students saw both the Senate and House Chambers, the Supreme Court room, and the Governor's conference room. After our tour of the Capitol building, we went across the street for a brief tour of the Veteran's Museum.

Mr. Krupar and I would like to give a special thanks to all the parents that joined us! It was a great field trip!

State Capitol Field Trip

Tomorrow the 4th graders are heading to Madison to tour the State Capitol Building and the Veteran's Museum. Here are some quick reminders to prepare for the field trip:

• We will leave as soon as attendance is taken in the morning. Our target is an 8:30 departure. If you are chaperoning on the field trip please arrive with your child before school.
• Students should pack a bag lunch. We will be eating in the Capitol building. There is no need for a backpack, lunches and coats will be locked up prior to the tour.
• Students can bring a camera to take photos during the tour. This includes personal devices that are used as a camera. Students must use their devices as a camera only during the tours.
• Students should not bring any money. We will not have any opportunity to buy souvenirs.
• We will leave Madison at 1:00.

Geometry Unit

Tomorrow, students will begin the Geometry Unit in math. Students have worked on wrapping up the current Measurement and Data Unit and taking the Geometry pretest. We will use the pretest along with data from the winter MAPS test to help us place students in rooms that will deliver skills at their instructional level. Stay tuned to the blog for information regarding the skills of this unit.

Inquiry Research

As students continue to research their area of interest, some have exhausted all of the resources we have at school. Mr. Krupar, Mr. Kallie (Mr. Krupar's student-teacher), and myself are working hard to bring in new materials as we locate them. Talk to your child about their progress in researching their question. It may be beneficial to visit the public library to find more materials on their topic. Students can also do further research at home by logging onto to our Moodle page or surfing the internet with parental guidance. If you have any questions please contact me at school. Thanks for your support!

Scholastic Book Fair

This year's Scholastic Book Fair will be taking place between March 18-21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at Mitchell Elementary.  We are also offering a Family night on Wednesday, March 20 from 6 to 8 p.m.  We hope to see you all there!

Future Chefs Competition

Please join us on Wednesday, March 20 in Nathan Hale High School’s cafeteria as our own Dayzia Marek competes with five other finalists in Sodexo’s Future Chef Competition. Dayzia will be preparing her Crunchy Apple Salad. Judging begins at 5:45 pm with sampling for all our guests to follow. Award Ceremony at 6:30 pm.

Hope to see you there!

Inquiry Fair Update!

There has been a change of date for the Inquiry Fair.  Students will "go public" with their projects at Mitchell's Inquiry Fair on Thursday, April 18th. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming inquiry fair.

4th Grade Field Trip to the State Capital

On Wednesday, March 20th, the 4th graders are taking a field trip to tour the State Capitol building and the Veteran's Museum. Look for a field trip permission slip if you haven't handed it back in. Permission slips are due back by March 13th. Please email me if the permission slip does not make it home. I can email you a PDF of the permission slip. I will post more information about the trip as it nears.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Inquiry Fair!

We have reached the point in our unit on the Northeast and Southeast Regions to begin digging deeper into topics of interest. Students have selected an area of interest from the following categories:

1. Colonization
2. The American Revolution
3. Slavery
4. The Civil War

Students then selected a "thick question" that they wanted to answer. A "thick question" is one that is not easily answered using a single source. "Thick questions" require deeper research using multiple resources and reading strategies. Answers often are not specifically laid out, instead students need to infer and draw conclusions when reading.

This is an exciting time! Students are working with topics of high interest. Ask your child about their research. You will be surprised with the information they will be able to share with you.

Students will "go public" with their projects at Mitchell's Inquiry Fair on Thursday, March 21st. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming inquiry fair.

Snow Day!

There will be NO SCHOOL today (2/27/13) due to the snow.

Happy Snow Day to all!  Have fun and see you tomorrow!

Future Chef's Contest Finalist!

Congratulations to our very own Dayzia for being a finalist in the Future Chef's contest!  She along with 5 other students will compete at Nathan Hale High School to move on to the national competition.  Dayzia will be assembling a Peanut Apple Salad as part of the competition and will be judged by various members of the community.  The event will take place on Wednesday, March 20th.  Good Luck Dayzia!

WKCE Meeting

Good Afternoon Parents!

As you know students in grades 3-5 took the WKCE State-wide assessment in October.  The results will be sent home with your child on Friday.  The State has recently changed the way proficiency is identified using national test cut scores.  The scores on this year's report may look significantly different from your child's report from last year, if he/she took the WKCE.  I would like to invite each of you on Thursday to discuss what the results mean for your child and how they relate to our School Report card.  Please pick a time that best fits your schedule.  The meetings will be held this Thursday, February 21st from 8:45AM to 9:30AM, 1:00PM to 1:45PM, and at night from 5:45PM to 6:30PM in the IMC.

Thank you!

Mr. Hill

Volunteers Needed!

March 1st the PTA is organizing a school wide celebration of Dr. Seuss's 109th birthday. They are in need of volunteers for this great event. They are looking for parents that would like to donate/make cupcakes, donate juice boxes, be a classroom reader, or even decorate a cake for the Seuss-themed cake decorating contest. Please see the blue flyer that went home on Thursday for more information.

Youth Art Month Reception

          You’re Invited To Attend

WA-WM School District’s

Youth Art Month Reception

When: Sunday, March 3rd

Time: 1:00-4:00pm

Locations: WA-WM Administration Building

1205 S 70th St and

WA-WM Alternative Learning Center

1135 S 70th St

Valentine's Day Party!

This Thursday afternoon, we will have a Valentine's Day party. Students are welcome to bring in valentine cards to pass out to their classmates. A class list will be going home on Monday to help students complete valentines. If students bring cards to pass out, they must bring in a card for everybody. Treats will be provided by parents that are willing to volunteer.  If you would like to volunteer to bring in a treat for the class, please let me know! Thank you!

Scholastic Book Clubs

The February Scholastic Book Club order form is going home with your child today. Click here to go directly to Scholastic Book Clubs. Book orders are due by Thursday, February 14. Our classroom's activation code is LL9CK.

PTA Totally 80's Dance Party!

Totally 80’s Dance Party
Put on your leg warmers and tease up your hair! Let’s Breakdance and Moonwalk! Be there or Be Square!
Like When? Friday, February 22
Like What Time? 6:00pm to 8:30pm
Like Where? Mitchell Elementary
Like how much? Free for PTA Members or $5 per person
Like Duh, kids don’t forget to bring your grown-up.
Food – Sundae Bar – Music – Photo Booth

SPARC Update

From Feb 5-14th the specialists will be teaching SPARC. This is a time for SPARC participants to be involved in fun and exciting enrichment activities. During these 2 weeks students will need to be picked up at the main doors. Thank you!

Measurement & Data Unit

Next week, students will begin the measurement and data unit in math. Students will take a pretest tomorrow. We will use the pretest along with data from the winter MAPS test to help us place students in rooms that will deliver skills at their instructional level.

Camp Upham Woods Information Night

From Wednesday, May 29th -Friday, May 31st 2013, all fifth grade students from General Mitchell School in Mrs. Ceel’s, Miss Dierbeck's , Mrs. Graff’s, and Mr. Krupar’s classrooms will be going to Camp Upham Woods which is located a few miles north of the Wisconsin Dells. Upham Woods is a State 4-H Center, owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin.

​There will be an information meeting for all parents and their fifth grade child on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 2013 from 6:30-8:00 P.M. in the multipurpose room. At that time, we will explain the trip more completely, provide an overview of this year’s schedule, outline the costs for both students and chaperones, and respond to your questions or concerns. We will also discuss the students’ requirements for attending this trip. Parents who are interested in becoming a chaperone will be able to sign up that night.

A letter with more information will be coming home with your child next week.

Winter MAPS Testing

Next week begins our winter MAPS testing window. The purpose of MAPS testing in the winter is to gauge student progress through the first half of the year and get some fresh data to help us target areas of needs and strengths for the second half of the year. In the coming week, students will set goals for each of the three tests. Their goals will be set based on their fall score and the target score that is set for the spring test.

Parents, you can help us at home. Talk with your child about the importance of these tests. The scores are used to inform our instruction. In addition, scores for 5th grade students are used by the intermediate schools to make decisions about classes for next year. The goal is for students to understand the importance of the tests without making them overly nervous. I remind students that we see great things out of them everyday. When taking the tests, use your strategies and complete the tasks as you normally would and everything will be fine. If you have any questions about MAPS testing, please contact me for further information.

Schedule:
MAPS Math: Friday, January 25th @ 12:45
MAPS Reading: Monday, February 4th @ 12:45
MAPS Language Arts: Tuesday, February 12th @ 8:45

Mitchell Spelling Bee

Mitchell will hold its annual school Spelling Bee. The Spelling Bee will be held on Thursday, January 17th at 1:30 in the Multipurpose Room. Each 4/5 classroom selected 5 students to participate. Parents, extended family, and friends are invited to attend.

In our classroom, we held five mini-spelling bees to determine which students would represent our classroom. I have to say, there were plenty of very good spellers. In the end, five students emerged to represent Room 108. They are:

• Haley F.
• Aaron H.
• Koryn W.
• Ashley T.
• Arielle H.

Congratulations and good luck to our Spelling Bee participants!

5th Grade THINK Class

The 5th grade students have begun their 5 week THINK program with Officer Nelson from the West Allis Police Department.

The THINK program is a character-building program about understanding yourself, and THINK ing about how your choices affect you, your family, and your friends, and how you want to live you life.

The program consists of five lessons, taught to 5th graders, by Officers of the West Allis Police Department. Lessons focus on alcohol, tobacco, drug use, and the importance of good friendships. Students are provided with a THINK workbook that mirrors the program as well as identifying common violations of the law with associating fines—again highlighting consequences. THINK before making choices is the theme throughout the entire program.

T - Take a look at your choices
H - How will this affect you, your family, or your friends
I - Intelligence (Use your head)
N - Never be afraid to be different or to say "No"
K- Keep on learning from your choices - good or bad

Milk Cap Fundraiser Ending

Hello Mitchell families,

It is disappointing that this successful and easy fund raiser for the PTA is no longer available. However, at this time, please do not send any more milk caps to school for $.05 redemption.

· Kemps ended their program last year and we cannot submit any old caps

· It was just accounced on the news that Golden Gurnsey has closed it’s doors as of January 5^th. There are not many details forthcoming, but it’s safe to assume that they will not be redeeming any milk caps.

We are continuing to collect Box Tops, Labels for Education/Campbell’s, and Tyson labels.

Thank you for your support,

Tracy and Scott Nitzsche, PTA Volunteers, Milk Caps

Parent-Teacher Conferences for Grade 5K-5

General Mitchell School

Parent-Teacher Conferences for Grade 5K-5

Dear Parents:

 

We are in the process of planning the Parent-Teacher conferences for Tuesday, January 15, 2013 from 4:00-8:00 PM.  Thank you to the 194 families out of 339 who took our Mitchell Tech Survey!  96.6% of you have access and a tool to use online, therefore we are trying something new this 2^nd quarter.  You have the opportunity to sign-up for conferences online!  Parents will be able to login and sign up for their child(ren’s) conferences.  Scheduling online will allow you to instantly have your time locked in.  Please see the directions below to register online no later than 10:00 pm, Sunday, January 13^th.  If you do not have computer access you can use the form below and indicate a time frame that fits best with your schedule.  We will attempt to schedule conferences during your selected time frame. 

 

4^th & 5^th grade parents:  Only families that did not conference in fall will need to register online

 

If you would like to schedule a conference with a special subject teacher (Phy. Ed., Music, Art, Band, Orchestra, etc), please indicate this below.

 

We will be using the program SignUpGenius.  I recommend clicking on the box to receive an email confirmation.  You will receive an email confirming your conference date and time.  If you send in your request using the form below, a paper confirmation will be sent home with your child.

 

If you have not registered on-line or return this Conference Slip a conference will be scheduled for you.  Thank you for your prompt response.

Directions to schedule conferences:

Go to the following link or Use your Smart Phone and click on the QR Code.

http://tinyurl.com/a6zvncf

Enter the following access code:  Mitchell (it is case sensitive)

Scroll down to find your child(ren)’s teacher

Choose an available time and click on Sign Up

Verify the time and teacher

Type your child’s name in the Comment box

Fill the parent name and email address

Click on the box for a confirmation email

Click Sign Up

 

 

Deadline to Request your Conference Time online is 10:00 pm, Sunday, January 13^th

or return this form by 8:00 am, Thursday, January 10^th.

 

PLEASE INDICATE BELOW YOUR TOP THREE CHOICES TO MEET WITH YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER.

EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO ACCOMODATE YOUR REQUEST.

 

Parent’s Name______________________________             Child’sName_______________________________

Teacher___________________________________              Room _______________

 

I would like a conference with the following specialist(s) _____________________________________________________________

 

DATE:  Tues., Jan. 15, 2013

4:00-4:15 _______________

4:15-4:30 _______________

4:30-4:45 _______________

4:45-5:00 _______________

5:00-5:15 _______________

5:15-5:30 _______________

 

5:30-5:45 _______________

5:45-6:00 _______________

6:00-6:15 _______________

6:15-6:30 _______________

6:30-6:45 _______________

6:45-7:00 _______________