News and Notes from University Elementary
U’s News
www.university.mccsc.edu
K. Michiko McClaine, Principal
A Note from the Principal
I am pleased to share with you that the
University School faculty has been
exploring the International Baccalaureate
(IB) program. From our research and a
school visit to an IB school in the Indianapolis area, we
have found there are many possible benefits to our
students, teachers, and families. We feel the IB
philosophy and methodology are a good fit for our
naturally global school community.
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program
focuses on the development of the whole child as an
inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.
The following information was taken from the attached
IB informational publication. The program:
 encourages international mindedness,
 engages students in inquiries,
 develops their awareness of the process of
learning so they become lifelong learners,
 encourages learning beyond traditional subjects
with meaningful, in-depth inquiries into real
issues,
 and emphasizes the development of the whole
student – physically, intellectually, emotionally,
and ethically.
To give you an opportunity to learn more, we will be
hosting an IB Informational Parent Meeting on Tuesday,
April 15th at 6:00 PM in our library. This is a very
exciting time for us, and I am happy to bring our
families into the conversation. Hope you can join us!
Thank you for your continued support,
K. Michiko McClaine, Principal
President’s Active Lifestyle Awards
Congratulations to Clara Voskuil and Noah Smith for
earning the President's Active Lifestyle award for the 3rd
quarter! Both students logged their physical activities of
at least 60 minutes a day, 5 days of the week, for 6
weeks. They also chose healthy eating habits each
week. Way to do your homework, students
March 28, 2014
University Playwrights
Recently, students in
Mrs. Loudermilk, Mrs. Darby,
Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Grose, and
Miss Cerwinske’s classes
submitted mini-plays to the
Bloomington Playwright Project’s Mini-Play
Competition. Everyone did a fabulous job writing
extremely creative five to ten minute plays. The topic of
this year’s competition was, “The _____ Living Room,”
and each student incorporate this theme into his or her
play when crafting settings, characters, and storylines or
plots.
Awards were given for the top three plays at the
elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
This year, all three winning playwrights in the
elementary division were University students! The three
students, in no particular order, are Hunter Latiolais
from Mrs. Darby’s fourth grade class, Helen Christ from
Ms. Cerwinske’s sixth grade class, and Anabelle
Thomassen from Ms. Cerwinske’s sixth grade class! All
three plays, "Aliens in the Living Room," "There's No
Such Thing as a Coincidence,” and "The Living Living
Room," will be performed as part of the Mini-Play Camp
and Festival. Student in grades 3 through 12 taking part
in the camp will direct and act in the winning plays. The
plays will be presented at a community event at the
culmination of the camp on Sunday, April 13th.
In addition to the top three winning plays written by
playwrights from University Elementary School, two
of the five playwrights who received honorable mention
are also from University! These students are Kunga
Lhamo from Mrs. Davis’ sixth grade class who wrote,
“Because of a Lollipop”, and Meg Shepherd from
Mrs. Loudermilk’s fourth grade class who wrote, “Dog
Bone Beach.”
We are so proud of all of our wondrous writers at
University School who took part in this year’s contest.
Congratulations to the winners and runners-up!
High Five Ms. Burkhart!
Last year, the kindergarten and first grade teachers
were the recipients of a generous donation of over 30
Leap Frog Tag books. In order to utilize the books,
Ms. Burkhart submitted a project called, “Flourishing
Kindergarten Readers,” to the DonorsChoose.org
website. Ms. Burkhart asked for four Leap Frog Tag
System pens to create a literacy center within her
classroom. After being posted for only three days, her
project was fully funded through Duke Energy!
The new pens will allow her to upload stories and will
also help her students to read new and unfamiliar words.
Ms. Burkhart was impressed with the how easy and
helpful the whole process was and will continue to
utilize this source for future classroom project funding.
High five, Ms. Burkhart!
March is Youth Art Month
March is Youth Art Month, and several
MCCSC students will have their art
displayed at various locations in
Bloomington. University Elementary is
proudly represented by several of our own.
Kunga Lhamo
Ben LaPointe
Ada Lynch
Alex Cloud
IU Art Museum
Elena Kim
Kira Kunzman
Meena Kim Naina Prabhakar
Seeun Kim
Annie Record
By Hand Gallery
Kunga Lhamo Gretchen Wheeler
The following students had art featured in the Board
Room at the Administration Bldg. during the month of
February:
Grace Blouin
Alex Cloud
Jacob Hogan
Kunga Lhamo
Elena Kim
Meena Kim
Daniel Park
Alexi Raglin
Zoe Slatkin
Marlena Wagschal
Gretchen Wheeler
Annie Wrasse
Let it “Bee” known…..
….that Andrew Swank recently received word that he
has qualified for the State level of the Geography Bee.
The contest will be in Indianapolis on the IUPUI campus
on Friday, April 4th. He is very excited, as are all of us
at University School! Way to go, Andrew!
Congratulations and good luck!
Congratulations to Younwoo Shin for representing
University Elementary School and placing third in the
Regional Spelling Bee held at the Monroe County
Library on February 22, 2014.
And even more to BUZZ about…..Congratulations to
these 1st and 2nd Grade Level Spelling Bee Winners:
Grade 1
First: Dash King
Second: Zayd Farzad
Third: Kolcun Terwilliger
Grade 2
First: Claire Cho
Second: Daniel Cho
Third: Layla Vamos
Math League Contest
Each year University School participates in the Indiana
Math League contests. This year, with 57 schools
competing in the 6th Grade and Above Math Contest,
University Elementary placed 3rd in the state with a team
score of 136. Congratulations to Nicholas Goh, Jacob
Hogan, Diego Smith, Andrew Swank and Tony Yu for
placing in the top 33 students in the contest.
Top UES Scorers in 6th Grade and Higher Math Classes:
Mrs. Grose -
Tony Yu
Nicholas Goh
Jacob Hogan & Diego Smith (tie)
Mrs. Kinkead – Andrew Swank
Bryce Berger
Lara Breithaupt
Mrs. Holly Davis – Tyler Hoffman
Naina Prabhaker
Binglin Xiao
Mrs. Knepper – Griffin Loudermilk & Teagan Hill (tie)
Xiang Ru Tan
Grace Frank & Allie Burton (tie)
Mrs. Melinda Davis – Haley Terrell
Yulim Oh
Ms. Cerwinske – Kai Anderson
Ashwin Prabhakar
Congratulations Essay Writers!
Each year, the Bloomington Human Rights
Commission (BHRC) sponsors an essay contest for
students. This year marked the 23rd annual contest
and its theme was "Choose Civility: The Best Examples
I've Seen of People Being Considerate to Others.”
Coleman C. Oliphant, in Mrs. Darby’s class won third
place and Kira Kunzman, in Ms. Cerwinske’s class won
first place in the essay contest. Mayor Mark Kruzan
presented prizes honoring the award winners at a
ceremony on Wednesday, March 26th.
Mark Your Calendars for the UES
Learning Festival
On Friday, May 9th, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., UES will be
hosting its annual Learning Festival…one part student
showcase, one part hands-on activities, and a whole lot
of fun!!! Rooms will turn into activity booths, hallways
into student showcases, the cafeteria into an elaborate
food booth and entertainment center, and the gymnasium
into the best silent auction you’ve ever seen! Watch for
more information through the afternoon e-mail
announcements. See you there!!!
Several students in Mrs. Darby’s class wrote essays for
Black History Month-Bloomington Style sponsored by
the City of Bloomington. Oscar Burkson, Annie
Hokanson, Avery Njau, Sophia Ramlo, Annie Record,
Tilly Robinson, Olivia Ryan, Faith Stimson, Andrew
Swank, Lucy Theiler, and Bryce Zurbuch were presented
with Certificates of Participation in honor of their work
to learn about some of Indiana’s heroes.
Counting Box Tops – An easy way to help!
Looking for ways to be involved with your child’s
school but have a busy schedule? The box top team is
always looking for assistance in counting box tops. It is
a low commitment job and it’s easy to do. We meet on
the first Monday of each month and simply count box
tops for two hours. You do not have to stay the entire
time, nor do you have to sign up for every month. Any
amount of time you can help is great and much
appreciated.
Cheers to the Chess Club!
Congratulations to the following students who
participated in the State Teams Chess Tournament in
Terre Haute on March 22, 2014.
6th Grade and Under Division:
Pictured: Thaddeus Cole,
Tony Yu, Asher Huddleston,
& Thomas Burns. Not
pictured: Andrew Swank.
There were 34 teams in their division and they placed
2nd.
3rd Grade and Under Division:
Pictured: Ethan Brodnax,
Yuxuan (Richard) Xun, &
Marcus Westphal.
There were 60 teams in their division and they came in
49th place. To play with only 3 players and still place
where they did is great, congratulations to them all!
Box Tops, Campbell’s Labels and the Tyson A+
Program are great ways to generate money for the
school. So the more we can count, the more we can
receive! If you have any questions or are concerned that
you can only help a small amount of time, contact Stacy
at [email protected]
UES PTO Raising Money to Update
Playground Areas
University Elementary PTO is raising money to update
existing structures. This will include new equipment
and surfacing. Our school needs to raise a substantial
amount to make this a reality, and we are looking for
donations from our families and our surrounding
community. There will be lots of opportunities to for you
to help with donations and activities. Some of the
fundraisers in the works are:
Dining for the Playground - Look for announcements
from the PTO to dine at local restaurants on special dates
set aside for playground fundraising. All you have to do
is enjoy a night out and the restaurant will donate a
portion of its profits to our fund!
Play for the Playground - University Elementary will
be hosting a fun filled carnival on September 6th from
10:00 - 1:00 p.m. We'll have lots of fun things to do and
yummy food. Your help is needed to make this event a
success. Please contact Dana Backs at
[email protected] to learn how to help!
Community Garage Sale at UES - Start saving your
gently used items! Best sellers are furniture, bikes, tools
and toys in good condition. Clothing and bedding don't
tend to sell well. This event will happen on the same day
as the Carnival from 9:00 to 2:00. You can purchase a
space to set up shop and keep the profits for yourself or
donate them back to the Playground Fund. Tell your
friends and neighbors! More information will be coming
out at the end of the school year. More great events will
be planned so check back to see what's new!
Kindergarten Registration Opens April 1
MCCSC Kindergarten Registration begins April 1. For
more information on kindergarten readiness, log on to
www.mccsc.edu/kreg. Visit any MCCSC Elementary
School from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on April 17th for our
2014 Kindergarten Open House. All MCCSC
elementary schools are participating! Parents may see
their child's new school, meet the principal and other
staff members, and have questions answered.
Literacy Night: How to Support Your
Child as a Writer
Parents from all grade levels attended our Literacy
Night on Writing on February 20th. Special thanks to
Mrs. Loudermilk, Ms. Schroeder, and Mrs. Sheets for
coming and answering questions specific to grade levels!
It is always a pleasure to discuss how students’ progress
through all of the writing stages, how parents can be
aware of this process, and how they can support their
children at home. In early March, a newsletter went out
on the ListServ that specifically addressed some of the
points from this workshop. It specifically addressed the
need for a routine in the family that allows your child to
have the time and place to do their assigned work. This
routine sets up an expectation for responsibility and
practice. It sets them up for success in the middle and
high school years where homework is essential for their
learning and understanding. It also gives them a place to
explore their own personal interests. Again, this should
be an enjoyable time once the routine and expectation is
set up for success.
The Following were Key Points Elaborated in the
ListServ Article:
 Have a Reading and Writing Center. This is your
child’s special place to read and write. It can have
interesting books and colorful pencils and paper on
which to write and respond.
 Have a NO SCREEN ZONE.
 Have a NO SCREEN TIME.
 Help them to notice the routines and order around
them.
 Have RICH conversations!! Students who can tell
stories and talk about interesting things are good writers.
They need to practice talking!
 Play word games. This is great for developing
vocabulary – which also makes writing more interesting.
 DO take advantage of birthdays and holidays to write
meaningful letters and thank you notes.
 Check out readwritethink.org. There is a section
entitled: Parents and After School Resources by Grade
Level that has some great ideas.
 At conferences or through email, check-in with the
teacher and writing.
The Following is an Additional Topic of Importance:
 THINK OF WRITING AS TIME ORIENTED
RATHER THAN TASK ORIENTED!!! THIS IS
AMAZINGLY EFFECTIVE AND SIGNFICANT.
 When students are asked to complete a writing task,
sometimes they will do a little bit and think, ‘I’m
finished.” They were asked to do something; they did it.
Revising, adding more, making changes and playing
around with ideas is difficult when a student feels that
“I’m done.” Building stamina in writing can sometimes
be difficult when they are writing with just a task in
mind.
 When children are expected to “write the whole time”,
they quickly learn to do just that. They will still be given
an idea and a strategy to practice, but now they are free
to explore, to revise, to examine, and to reflect.
 When children are expected to “write the whole time”,
the stamina for writing in one of our first grade
classrooms went from 10 minutes to 30 minutes in a
couple of weeks – and children were disappointed when
writing time was over.
 When children are expected to “write the whole time”,
they are focused on the process of writing and not the
product. They are focused on practicing as well as
producing.
 When children are expected to “write the whole time”,
they are often not ‘done’ at the end of the writing time.
This is an excellent writer’s technique. It is much easier
to start writing the next day when you are in the middle
of an idea or paragraph.
 When children are expected to “write the whole time”,
they become better writers much more quickly.
Upcoming PTO Sponsored Events:
-Skate Night: April 22nd; 6:30-8:30 p.m.
-UES Learning Festival: May 9th; 5:30-8:30 p.m.
FOR YOUR CALENDAR
Mon, Mar 31Fri, Apr 25
NWEA Spring Testing: Grades 1-6
Tues, Apr 8
PTO Meeting – Teachers’ Lounge
(child care provided) 6:30-7:30 pm
Tues, Apr 15
International Baccalaureate
Informational Meeting for Parents
Library – 6:00 pm
Thu, Apr 17
Kindergarten Open House;
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Tue, Apr 22
Skate Night – Western Skateland
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Wed, Apr 23
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
Tue, May 6
NO SCHOOL – Professional Staff
Day
Fri, May 9
UES Learning Festival, May 9;
5:30-8:30 p.m.
Tue, May 13
PTO Meeting – Teachers’ Lounge
(child care provided) 6:30-7:30 pm
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