Friday, October 30, 2015

November Newsletter / Dates on deck

   November Newsletter      

DATES ON DECK
Wednesday, November 4th- 1:00 dismissal for Professional Development.
Wednesday, November 18th- 1:00 dismissal for End of 1st Elementary Trimester
Monday, November 23rd- P/T Conferences K-6  3:30-7:30pm
Tuesday, November 24th- 1:00 dismissal for 7-12 PD and K-6 P/T Conferences 3:00-7:30 pm
Wednesday, November 25th- NO SCHOOL Staff Comp Day
Thursday and Friday November 26th & 27th- NO SCHOOL-Thanksgiving Holiday

BCPTO MEETING
The BCPTO meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 2nd at 6:30 PM at Keystone Elementary. 

BENTON THEATRE
"You’re the One that I Want! Come join us for the Benton Theatre HS production of Grease on November 5, 6 and 7 at 7:30pm in the high school auditorium. Danny, Sandy and all the gang are rockin’ and boppin’ on stage as they explore the cliques, chicks and guitar licks that were every day fare in the 50s. Our show is loaded with music, dance and a lot of heartfelt high school angst, but as a school version it’s appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. Order online at showtix4U.com. “

IOWA ASSESSMENTS
Third grade students at Keystone Elementary will begin Iowa Assessment testing the week of November 9th.  Students will test during scheduled periods throughout each that week.  If possible, please try to have your student in attendance all day, every day to avoid having to reschedule testing time for students who are absent.  Thank you.

VETERANS DAY PROGRAM
All Keystone Elementary students will be participating in the annual Veterans Day program on Wednesday, November 11th at 9:30 a.m. at the BC MS/HS.   The public is invited to attend. Keystone students should wear BLUE for the program.

P/T CONFERENCES
Parent/Teacher conferences are from 3:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 23rd and from 3-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24th. NOTE-These times have been changed from what was previously written in the district calendar. Parents, please call Candi in the office to schedule your conference time. 319-442-3221

BOOK FAIR
The Scholastic Book Fair will be at Keystone Elementary from Thursday, November 19th through Tuesday, November 24th.  Students will have the opportunity to view and make purchases at select times throughout the school day.  The Book Fair will open online on November 15th. The Book Fair will also be open during conferences. The Book Fair can be previewed online using this link: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/preview.do?method=preview

THANKSGIVING VACATION
There will be no school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 26-28.
Classes will resume on Monday, November 30.

 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
Keystone students in grades K-3 will be having their annual Christmas program on Friday, December 4th at 7 p.m. More information will be coming home at a later date.

SHOW CHOIR APPAREL

The BC Show Choir has a HUGE variety of Bobcat apparel for all! Men’s/Women’s/Boy’s/Girl’s/Toddler – something for everyone for the holidays! Check it out at:  http://www.facebook.com/SportYourTeaminBling  Orders are due November 6th

Show Choir Apparel order form / Book Fair link


Show Choir Apparel order link
https://www.facebook.com/SportYourTeaminBling






Book Fair Link
http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/keystoneelemsch

Friday, October 23, 2015

Keystone Newsletter / Dates on Deck

Wednesday, October 28th- 1:00 PM DISMISS

Special Schedule
Monday 10/26:  Day 1- PE/Guidance
Tuesday 10/27:  Day 2- Art/Guidance
Wednesday 10/28:  Day 3- PE/Music
Thursday 10/29:  Day 4- Art/Guidance
Friday 10/30: Day 5- Music/Guidance

PINK
On Thursday, 10/29 Keystone students will be wearing pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness!

Nurse’s Notes
For information regarding head lice please check out the following link from the Iowa Dept. of Health

Benton Theatre
"You’re the One that I Want! Come join us for the Benton Theatre HS production of Grease on November 5, 6 and 7 at 7:30pm in the high school auditorium. Danny, Sandy and all the gang are rockin’ and boppin’ on stage as they explore the cliques, chicks and guitar licks that were every day fare in the 50s. Our show is loaded with music, dance and a lot of heartfelt high school angst, but as a school version it’s appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. Order online at showtix4U.com.

Winter Apparel
With the temperatures dropping, students should be wearing weather appropriate apparel.  If you are in need of assistance in supplying these items, contact Candi in the office.

FALL FESTIVAL
Keystone Elementary will celebrate their Fall Festival on Friday, October 30th. Students should NOT wear costumes to school.  They may bring costumes, but will not be dressing up until later in the day. Please, do not send weapons or costume accessories with your child. K-3 students will be doing their annual costume parade at the Keystone Nursing Center at 1:45 p.m. and having their classroom parties.

Socktober
First graders are still collecting socks the entire last week of October!

RED RIBBON WEEK
October 26-30
Monday:  “I pledge to be Drug Free”- Students will WEAR RED and will sign a classroom pledge.
Tuesday:  “Sock it to Drugs”- Wear CRAZY SOCKS!
Wednesday:  “Team up to Whip Drugs” -Students are asked to war team shirts and a special treat will be handed out compliments of our BCPTO.
Thursday:  “I CAN make good choices Drug Free” Students are asked to bring a canned food item to donate to the local food pantry. 
Friday:  “Tune Out Drugs”- we will be playing music in the lunchroom! 


Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Parent tips for young readers

Another great resource from the Iowa Reading Research Center.  Take advantage of these great resources to help your young reader at home.

http://www.iowareadingresearch.org/blog/parent-tips-for-young-readers/

Thanks for all you do!

Mr. Junge

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

How can you help your child become a better reader?


Reading 20 minutes a night
A huge piece of helping your child become a better reader is making reading an important part of your daily/weekly routines.  There is strong research and data that shows the impact of reading 20 minutes a night.  Please click on the link to read some information on this topic. http://www.k12reader.com/why-read-20-minutes-a-day/   Also included in this link are some fantastic resources that address specific skill areas of reading, writing, and math that would be great for all kids to use from time to time at home.  When there are extended breaks from school an hour of learning time can go a long way to help reduce the dips that occur during those breaks. Impact of 20 minutes of reading a night.

Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, & Comprehension
These are the "Building blocks of Reading" that our staff and students work on everyday to create a complete reader.  The function of each can be scary and overwhelming for parents when working with students.  Please click on the link to learn more about each of these.  http://www.iowareadingresearch.org/blog/building-blocks-of-reading/


Learning Games
Don't be afraid to allow your children to use games as a way to extend and engage them in learning. Research suggests that learning games are a great way to engage kids in their learning.  Please reference our Keystone Symbaloo page, http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/keystonetech, that we use with our kids.  This allows you to have one safe site for kids to conduct searches and play specific games without worrying about inappropriate content.  The kids use it frequently and they should know it well.


School and Home Collaboration
Always feel free to reach out to your child's teacher to ask questions about their learning and how you can help at home.  All of our teachers have multiple resources you could use at home with your child.  For our students and your children to maximize their learning potential it needs to be a team effort between school and home.  Learning can be more effective for your child when there is collaboration between school and home.

Thanks for all you do!

Mr. Junge







Friday, October 16, 2015

Fire Education, Lock Downs, ALICE evacuations

Fire Education - We are having our bus evacuations on Wed. Oct. 21st along with our Fire Education time with the Keystone Fire Dept.  Keystone Fire Dept. will be here Wednesday morning to talk about fire safety at home and educate on evacuation plans from the home.  Be prepared for questions and suggestions from your kids:)

Lock Down Drills - In the next two weeks we will also be conducting a "lock down in place" drill.  This would be a situation where something has happened in the community and law enforcement has contacted us and said there is a potential threat in the area.  In these situations we lock everything down and do not allow anyone outside the building until the threat is over.

ALICE evacuations - During this two week time we will also be conducting our ALICE evacuation drills for an active threat inside the building.  Our rally point for all students and staff is the Keystone Nursing Care Center.  I am including a link that gives some good information about ALICE. ALICE evacuation information