Friday, August 26, 2016

OB Weekly News 8-26

AUGUST
30 K-2 Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m.(Parents Only)
SEPTEMBER
5  NO SCHOOL- Labor Day
6  3-4 Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m. (Parents Only)
7  Dine Out Night- California Pizza Kitchen, 4-7 p.m.
8  School Picture Day!
   PTO Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
14 Walk in the Park (during PE)
Announcements:
Morning Drop Off News
We are all adjusting to the construction nicely! At the same time we are preparing for fall weather which will certainly mean some increased drivers on inclement weather days. As a trial effort, we are going to keep the front circle drive open to morning drop off to provide some relief.
Please note:
1. You will not be able to park anywhere in the circle drive.
2. Drop off students next to the curb only for their safety and remain in a single file line. 
3. If our buses arrive and no curb access is available, we must bring the buses into the center of the circle drive to unload. This means that if your car is near the curb you may be held in place and asked to turn off your car for a few minutes while we unload the buses.
Remember that there is a crossing guard available from Stacy Park to the school sidewalk if you prefer to drop off there.
Picture Day
Picture Day is Thursday, September 8. You can order portraits now at mylifetouch.com using Picture Day ID JO016168Q0.
PTO News
Buzz Book- Don’t Forget! Sept. 2 is the last day to get your Buzz Book form turned in to be included in this year’s buzz book.
Did you know most of your Amazon.com orders could support our school? Simply make your purchases through AmazonSmile:Youshop.Amazongives. and select "Old Bonhomme Parent Teacher Organization" as your charitable organization and our school will get 0.5% of each eligible purchase!
Thank you to all of the families that signed up to volunteer at any of our great events and fundraisers. If you'd like to get involved, please send an email to oldbonhommepto@gmail.com.
Our new fall FUNraiser is here! The Old Bonhomme Dance-A-Thon will have our students moving and grooving throughout the month while raising money for our school! Look for detailed information and an invitation to an evening family event coming home in backpacks.
Nurse’s Notes
The nurse needs your outgrown clothes! If your kids have clothing that no longer fit, consider donating them to the nurse. The clinic especially needs underwear (new or gently used) and bottoms (shorts or pants) for sizes 5 and up. Thank you!
OB Spirit Wear
Get your Old Bonhomme Spirit Wear HERE! We have all new designs this year. Please have your order in by Thursday, September 1, and your purchases will be sent home with your child the week of Sept 12. If you have any questions you can contact Amy Doughty at amyleahs@yahoo.com.

Principal News
Dr. Allen, the Ladue Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, is sending information to all elementary school parents about changes in the curriculum and instruction areas including some staffing changes that took place over the summer. Please take a minute to read over her letter because it goes more in depth about the new math materials being used to teach our curriculum objectives this year. I wanted to share a few additional notes.
The Math in Focus program, based on Singapore Math, was researched for almost two years prior to adoption. It is being introduced in Kindergarten through Third Grade this year, and next year Fourth Grade will implement it. The new series has increased rigor as well as classroom strategies for intervention and enrichment.
This year we have a full time Math Specialist Teacher role, filled at OB by Mr. Andrews. His main responsibilities will be providing extra assistance to students who find math challenging, collaborating with grade level teams to best differentiate math instruction to meet the needs of all students, assist with the implementation of the new math materials (Math In Focus), and provide coaching and professional development on best instructional practices in math. At Old Bonhomme we also have Ms. Spellmeyer, a Math TA hired through Title 1 funds, for math support. Although there will not be an Enrichment TA this year, we intend to work collaboratively with all of our resources to meet the needs of all students. The 2nd and 4th grade robotics program will be facilitated through the collaboration of the Technology Specialist and the classroom teachers.
Curriculum Night
We hope to see you on your child’s curriculum night (K-2 on 8/30 and 3-4 on 9/6) The following Specialists will also be available to answer any questions you might have:

3-4 Curriculum Night:
Learning Lab- Stacy Butz
Math Intervention- Kevin Andrews

Spanish- Anton Martin
PE- Coach Connie Jander & Coach Matt Prange
SSD- Stephanie Fulford
Counselor- Hayley Arnold


K-2 Curriculum Night:
Technology- Patricia Brown
Music- Meghan Ladue
Library- Susan Kelley
Enrichment- Tammy MacLean
Art- Lisa Roth
Learning Lab- Becky Bennick-Butts 

Counselor- Hayley Arnold
LEF NEWS
It's a special 10th Anniversary Celebration for the Ladue Education Foundation. Join us at our
Annual Community Breakfast on 9/30 from 79 a.m. at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. $50 individual reserved seats Featuring Special Guest Speakers and Foundation & District Updates REGISTER NOW: LEF Breakfast Registration Form For ten years, we’ve funded innovative grants and programs that support the Ladue School District. On this 10th anniversary of the Ladue Education Foundation (LEF), we hope you’ll join us in continuing our pursuit of excellence on behalf of all the students in our community. SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE: Breakfast Sponsorship Form
Then. . . lace up your shoes and join us for the LEF Annual ‘Due Run on Saturday, October 1!
After the run/walk, the festivities will continue at the finish line, with attendance prizes, music, food and drinks. Please continue to enjoy homecoming festivities throughout the day. Register now to secure your spot, guarantee your t-shirt size, and save $5 on fees! Early bird registration available until September 18:'Due Run Registration Form The ‘Due Run 4 Education is a community-wide event supporting the LEF’s mission of advancing the excellence of the Ladue School District by expanding opportunities for student success. Your sponsorship is a crucial source of funding. SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE: 'Due Run SponsorshipForm
We depend on donors like you, who come together as a community to celebrate our successes, learn about current initiatives, and support our future programs. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

OB Weekly News 8-19

AUGUST 
23 Room Parent Mtg. 7p.m.
24 Chair Committee Mtg. 7 p.m.
30 K-2 Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m.(Parents Only)

SEPTEMBER
5  NO SCHOOL- Labor Day
6  3-4 Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m. (Parents Only)
8 School Picture Day!
Announcements:
THANK YOU FROM MRS. KIRCHGESSNER
Thanks for a wonderful first week of the 2016-17 school year! I’ll admit to having a few nightmares about the construction and early start time, but I should have known this community would pull together and make it work! It was amazing to see the flexibility and patience of everyone involved in making it a smooth transition for our students. Everyone played a part and I’m extremely grateful that our students were able to see the way adults show character and how to “Choose to be Nice” even when faced with challenges! It makes me proud to be an Old Bonhomme Eagle!
OB Summer Updates
You may have noticed the new lights on our parking lots and our new marquee. Now that we have our key and new letters for the marquee we can’t wait to start using it!
Picture Day
Picture Day is Thursday, September 8. You can order portraits now at mylifetouch.com using Picture Day ID JO016168Q0.
MAP TEST RESULTS
MAP test results from last spring will be released from the state and sent home to parents of current fourth and fifth grade students in mid September. If you have any questions about this please contact Mrs. Arnold at harnold@ladueschools.net
OB Spirit Wear
Get your Old Bonhomme Spirit Wear HERE! We have all new designs this year. Please have your order in by Thursday, September 1, and your purchases will be sent home with your child the week of Sept 12. If you have any questions you can contact Amy Doughty at amyleahs@yahoo.com.
PARENT HANDBOOKS AND SAFETY LETTER
If you were a little overwhelmed with getting the year started and only glanced at the Old Bonhomme Parent and Ladue Schools Elementary Student Handbooks, we encourage you to take time this weekend to really read through it. You may be surprised how much great information they contain.
Also this week you will receive the OB Parent Safety letter with information about our Safety Procedures. It even has a link to the script we use when we practice for building intruders so be sure to check it out!
Summer Reading Program
Did your student participate in the St. Louis County Library summer reading program? If so, be sure to send in the reading log you kept over the summer to the Old Bonhomme library so Mrs. Kelley can celebrate your reader!

PTO THANK YOU!!!
The PTO would like to thank The Grill Master Dads and all who helped make the Back to School BBQ a fun time! Without all your help we wouldn't have been able to pull it off. There are still spots available for volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Simply send an email to oldbonhommepto@gmail.com.
Thank you to all the parents that stopped by the First Morning Coffee, it was great to meet so many new people.
Also, don't forget to fill out your Buzz Book forms. All PTO forms are due by Friday, September 2, 2016. We have about 100 families that have joined the PTO thus far.
We are very excited for this year at Old Bonhomme, it's looking to be a great one!
Any questions feel free to contact your PTO Executive Board below:
President - Jen Jim jen_jim@ymail.com
VP of Events- Sara Goellner goellnerse@gmail.com
VP of Fundraising - Sarah Glasser
smteal@yahoo.com
Co Treasurer - Stephanie Dahl
sfarmst@monsanto.com
Co Treasurer - Jillian Thomadsen
jillianthomadsen@yahoo.com
Recording Secretary - Jenny Kissel
jenny.kissel@gmail.com
Corresponding Secretary - Heather Lloyd
gleasonheather@hotmail.com
Parent District Council Rep - Anna Poger
annapoger@gmail.com
Parent District Council Rep- Heather Huewe
hhuewe@hotmail.com
Past President- Becky Marbarger
beckymarbarger@sbcglobal.net
Don't forget to check out our new PTO Website at
www.obpto.squarespace.com
OB’s Got Character
Howdy! You may have noticed staff members wearing rodeo attire this Wednesday. We weren’t just horsin’ around. Each classroom teacher lassoed his or her students together and took them through several stations around the building to teach school-wide expectations. The stations included the cafeteria, hallways, and practicing what it looks and sounds like during arrival and dismissal. Those school-wide expectations are: Be in control of your voice, Be in control of your body, and Do your work. While the classroom teachers took their students through the building stations, Coach Jander and Coach Prange trotted through Recess Rodeo where they talked to the students about recess expectations. We feel It is important to teach our students the value of appropriate behavior in a school setting. We focus time and energy at the elementary level on the prevention of misbehavior through proactive instruction and interventions. We are looking forward to a great year and appreciate you encouraging these positive behaviors at home too!
The Ladue School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, socioeconomic status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age or any other characteristic protected by law in its programs or activities. Inquiries related to the district’s employment practices may be directed to Ken Rossics, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. Inquiries related to district student programs may be directed to Dr. Derrick Wallace, Director of Student Services. Both administrators can be reached at Ladue Schools Administrative Center, 9703 Conway Road, Saint Louis, MO 63124; 314-994-7080.