the middleton monthly
february 2017
Message from the Principal
Dear Middleton Families,
It is hard to believe that the month of January has already come and gone! We have spent the early part of
January revisiting school wide expectations focusing on what our school should look like, sound like and feel
like throughout the building. We have 770 pre-k through 5th grade students and 100 staff moving through
the building daily. It is important to have procedures in place to keep the school running smoothly. The
students have been working hard on transitioning in the hallways with a zero voice while applying line
basics, appropriately using the bathrooms and playing safely and kindly at recess. Also, the month of January
all Students in K-3rd were given the Benchmark Assessment System reading test, which is a 1 to 1 reading
assessment to determine how your child is progressing towards grade level reading standards. Our students
in 4th and 5th grade have also had assessments throughout the month to check on growth towards academic
goals. This reading data along with other academic information will be shared with you at parent teacher
conferences, which are the end of February. Please make sure to sign up for a conference time!
Conference Sign-Up
Visit us on the web
mes.sowashco.org
Contact Information
Sara Palodichuk, Principal,
651-425-4901
[email protected]
Jenna Downs, Asst. Principal,
651-425-4908
[email protected]
Alicia Newman
Social Worker 651-425-4924
Judy Laabs Foss, Psychologist
651-425-4904
Jennifer Thomas, Office Coord.
Jennifer Gullickson, Office Support
Main Office-651-425-4900
Fax 651-425-4915
Sharon Holtquist, Nurse
651-425-4920
Janelle Shopbell, Health Asst.
651-425-4902
Attendance Line
651-425-4906
Kerri Hanson, Kitchen Manager
651-425-4910
Justy Veenbaas, Cashier
651-425-4909
It’s time for Winter Conference Sign-Up at Middleton Elementary! Conferences are on Thursday, February
23rd and Thursday, March 2nd. Select the link below to sign-up with your teachers). Contact the teacher if
you need assistance or have any questions.
https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Middleton_Elementary In addition to signing up with your classroom
teacher, you have the option to also sign up with a specialist teacher if you choose to. If you have any
questions or need assistance, regarding sign-up with a Specialist teacher, please contact the Specialist
teacher or Jenna Downs, Assistant Principal, at 651-425-4913. Thank you!
The month of February we are busy… We will be observing: I Love to Read Month, Black History Month,
Dental Health Month, Groundhog’s Day, Middleton Carnival, Jump Rope for Heart, Valentine’s Day,
President’s Day, and the 100th Day of School! I am sure I am missing some other special observances, but
needless to say, we have many special celebrations this month! For more information make sure you are
checking out the Weekly Wire, your child’s classroom newsletter and our school website.
This Month we will also be hosting our Pre-K and Kindergarten registration event. If you have a Pre-K or
Kindergarten student joining us at Middleton next school year 2017-18 we look forward to seeing you on
Tuesday, February 21st in the evening from 5:30-7:00. During this time families can drop off their registration
materials, meet our staff, tour the school and get your questions answered. The format for the evening will
be Open House style with Mrs. Palodichuk’s presentation scheduled for 6:15 in the gym for all Kindergarten
families. If you have any questions, please contact our school Secretary, Jennifer Thomas at 651-768-4900
for more information.
Throughout the week at Middleton we have a lot of volunteers helping in classrooms or pod areas, parents/
grandparents coming in for lunch, and special projects. For data privacy and student safety security we ask
that all volunteers or special guests not take personal pictures of students without the permission from
school staff first. Please contact the office or our district communications director Barb Brown
[email protected] if you have further questions or concerns about this request. Thank you for your
understanding and support.
Middleton’s Carnival is a favorite event for many of our students and families. This event wouldn’t be
possible without your generous donations, classroom themed baskets for raffle, silent auction gifts, and the
many volunteers to help run the event. If you haven’t had an opportunity to sign up to support our winter
carnival event here is the link for you…
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044eafab29a5fe3-winter4 it pays to volunteer!
Volunteers: Sign up for a shift and earn 5 free tickets. Sign up for 2 shifts – earn 10 free tickets!
January – March our lost and find grows rapidly and this year is no different. There are many pairs of
mittens/gloves and hats currently in our lost and found. Encourage your child to spot by the lost and found
table before school and look for their lost items.
Your partner in Education,
Sara Palodichuk
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The Middleton Monthly
Important Upcoming Dates
February 7th- Band, 2:00 PM
Smashburger Night, 5-9 PM
February 8th- Student Council Meeting, 7:50 AM
February 9th- Choir after school
February 10th- Jump Rope for Heart
Winter Carnival, 6:30-8:30 PM
February 13th- Culver’s Night, 5-7 PM
February 14th– Valentines Day, Band,2:00 PM
February 16th- Choir after school
February 20th- NO SCHOOL– President’s Day
February 21st- Band, 2:00 PM
Kindergarten Round Up/Pre-K Enrollment
5:30-7:00 PM
February 22nd- Student Council Meeting, 7:50 AM
2nd Grade Field Trip to Science Museum
Art Club after school
February 23rd- NO CHOIR
Conferences, 3:30-8:30 PM
February 24th- Reading Rivalry
4th– 9:00-9:55 AM
3rd– 10:00-10:55 AM
5th– 11:00-11:55 AM
February 27th- Angelina’s Kitchen Night, 11-9
February 28th- Band, 2:00 PM
March 2ndNO CHOIR
Conferences, 3:30-8:30 PM
March 3rd5th Grade History Fest, 1:30-2:30 PM
F e br u a r y 2 0 1 7
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Band News
Hello Middleton Band Parents
Hope you have had a good start to the new year so far. Our band students are starting to move
forward in their method books in preparation for the next year in sixth grade. We are also
preparing for our upcoming spring concert on Tuesday May 23rd and we will also be preparing
for a special concert for our fourth grade students to get them excited about signing up for
band next year. Speaking of next year, the counselors from Lake Middle School will be coming
over to talk to your students about signing up for music electives for sixth grade. All sixth grade
students at Lake Middle School are required to sign up for a music ensemble elective in sixth
grade as part of their schedule – either BAND, CHOIR or ORCHESTRA. Your children have done a
wonderful job at learning their instruments and I would HIGHLY encourage them to continue
this trajectory and be a part of the Lake Middle School Band. Not only will they receive more
instruction on their instruments at Lake Middle School, but also great instruction from the band
director, Mr. Bradley. There are also more opportunities to perform beyond just two concerts at
Lake Middle School so your children will not be disappointed. Please discuss this with your child
as those sign-up cards come home from your teachers. Feel free to e-mail me at
[email protected] or call me at 651-425-4916 if you have any questions. Please remind
students to fill out their practice records and get them signed so I can see how much practicing
is happening at home. Have a great February!
Sincerely,
Mr. Utell
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T h e M i dd l e t o n M o n t h l y
PSYCHOLOGIST CORNER
Each year I like to share this article because I believe we all need love. Valentine’s Day is
coming and I will pose a question, how do you show your child that you love them? Is it
unconditional? I will define unconditional love as an expression of care that shows
acceptance and affirmation to someone for who they are and not for what they can do. Much
of the information in this article will come from the book; Five Love Languages of Children
written by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell.
Why is it that some children just appear easier to love and others we find more difficult to just
be around? Mr. Chapman has a theory that there are five specific love languages that we all
need yet one will generally be our primary. If we can assess which one our child needs the
most to feel loved, they may be easier to parent; such as with discipline, motivation, teaching
them responsibility, and in developing into a healthy adult. The five love languages are;
· Acts of Service, which is seen as helping your child with a loving and positive attitude.
This child will say, “I know my mom and dad love me when they help me with my homework,
my science project or in teaching me how to do things.”
· Gifts are described as a genuine expression of love. All children like presents but this child
will always make much of receiving the gift for it is an extension of your love to them. This
child will say, “My teacher loves me, look what she gave me” holding up an inexpensive
bookmarker. The gift is more than the material object but the action it self.
· Physical touch can be defined as holding your child as you read a story, the pat on the
back, those extra hugs and kisses. The amount all children receive will vary from the infant to
the teenager. This child will say, “Getting a hug from Mom or Dad makes everything better.”
· Quality time is seen as undivided attention, not easy when we are busy and may require
real sacrifice from parents. It does not require going somewhere or doing something
expensive but it is that time you take for relationship building. You will hear this child say; “My
Dad will turn off the TV when I just need to talk.”
· Words of Affirmation communicated in love is powerful for this child. They can
encourage, guide, praise for what they have done and an appreciation for just being them.
“My Mom loves me just because I am his son.”
The Five Love Languages of Children has a checklist that you can do on (or with) your child to
help in determining their love language. You can find this on line or in the book. This is great
book I think should be in every home. I believe that discovering your child’s love language
(and even your own) may take time yet it will be well worth it in building your family
relationships. Gary Chapman has a series of love language books you may also want to
check out.
Judy Laabs-Foss, Licensed School Psychologist
Page 5
F e br u a r y 2 0 1 7
PTO Update
Carnival: Friday, Feb 10th 6:30-8:30pm
Ticket Orders:
Pre-ordering by Friday, Feb 3rd, will earn you 5 free tickets!
Even better, you can bypass the busy lines at the beginning! You can also pre-order raffle tickets
(Want to save time there too? Fill them out ahead of time or pop a return address sticker on them)
You can still pre-order through Tues, 7th and your tickets will be sent home. All orders received
Wednesday or later will be available for pickup at the Will Call table the night of.
Volunteers: We will be in need of many hands to help make this a successful event for all! Sign up
for a shift and earn 5 free tickets. Sign up for 2 shifts – earn 10 free tickets!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044eafab29a5fe3-winter4
Auction Happenings:
Don’t miss out on the crowd favorite at the Silent Auction, the TEACHER FEATURES! Many of our
amazing staff have donated some fun auction items. Find things like:
Lunch or breakfast with your teacher
Rock Hunting with Mrs. Garry
A ride on the 'Zamboni' with Mr. Steve, the custodian
Conducting Lessons & a chance to conduct at the concert with Mr. Utell
Principal for the Day
And so much more!
Do you own your own business? Are you a photographer or author? Do you have a cabin you could
spare for a weekend? Do you sell a fantastic product like Thirty One, Health/Beauty Supplies, etc? Did I
miss something else awesome?? Please consider donating time or products for the Silent Auction. It’s tax
deductible and a great way to help support Middleton! Please contact Amanda
([email protected]) ASAP if you are interested.
T h e M i dd l e t o n M o n t h l y
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Our current PTO board is in our 3rd year and have loved every minute! However, with boundary changes and children graduating out of
Middleton :(, we are looking for new board members for next year. Below you can see the positions available and what each one entails. Note: this does not mean you are entirely in charge of all of these events/activities by yourself - Many have chairpersons who head the
various events/activities. If you have even the slightest interest or aren't sure which area would fit you best, check in with one of us! We've
loved our time on the board and would be happy to give you more detailed info. If you'd like to shadow us to get a feel for it, we'd love to
have you do that as well. And no pressure if you ask for more info and decline. (Some of these positions have already been spoken for, but
we wanted to give you the whole picture.)
Co-President
Monitors email & Facebook page
Oversees & assists VP of Communications/Staff & VP of Enrichment
Co-President
Runs meetings
Oversees & assists VP of Community & VP of Fundraising
VP Communications/Staff
Weekly Wire/Middleton Monthly
Yearbook
Feed the Teachers signup
Staff appreciation coordination
Room Parent coordination
VP Community
Boo Bash
5k Fun Run
Restaurant nights
Spiritwear
School Toolbox
Twins outing
BooHoo/Yahoo
Open House
VP Enrichment
Reading Rivalry
Bookfairs
Prairie Fire
Art & Science fair
VP Fundraising
Chip Shoppe/Fall Fundraiser
Winter Carnival
Walkathon
Treasurer—Financial statements, taxes, provides cash for events
Secretary—Takes notes at meetings, student directory
Current Board:
Mindi Wolsky & Amanda Derheim: Co-Presidents
Katie Hedges & MacKenzie Bilunas:Co-VPs
David Kuhn: Treasurer
Tara Jordan: Secretary
F e br u a r y 2 0 1 7
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T h e M i dd l e t o n M o n t h l y
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F e br u a r y 2 0 1 7
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Box Tops Collection Time is Approaching!
Start packing up the Box Tops you've been clipping - we'll be
collecting them the week of February 13 - 17th! In addition to
prizes for the top individuals and classrooms, we will be
drawing a random winner each day - and you only need to turn
in ONE Box Top to be entered into the daily raffle! Information
will be sent home next week so you can decide which day you
want to turn in your Box Tops.
In the meantime - keep clipping!
Coming Soon!
Prairie Fire Theater is returning to Middleton to present . . .
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
April 17th-22nd
This wonderful opportunity to perform in the show is
available to all Middleton students ages 7 and up!
More information to follow. Registration will begin in
March.