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HUBER HIGH FIVE PRESS February 5, 2016

Christopher Blados, Principal www.wcsoh.org Tyson Hilkert, Assistant Principal

THE CHARACTER EDUCATION WORD OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY IS: HONESTY

Jan. 25—Feb. 12: Yearbook Sales $15.00 each

Feb. 5: Interim Reports available online at PowerSchool

Feb. 12: Valentine’s Day parties at 2:30 pm

Feb. 13: Annual Westerville Community Bowl-A-Thon

at Columbus Square Bowling Palace 12:30-4:30 pm

Feb. 15: Presidents’ Day—No School

Feb. 17 : Group Picture Day/Yearbook Candids

Feb. 23: Third Rotation of Specials begins

Feb. 19: Mother/Son Event

Feb. 25: Early Release at 2:30 pm

Feb. 26: All Pro Dads 8:00 am in the library

Feb. 29-Mar. 18: Pennies for Patients

Feb. 29-Mar. 4: Scholastic Book Fair

Mar. 2: Read Across America/Dr. Seuss Day

Mar. 2: Journey Through the Genres Family Reading Night 6-8 pm

Mar. 2: Book Fair open during Reading Night 6-8 pm

Mar. 3: PTA meeting 6:30 pm

Mar. 9: Spring Pictures by HR Imaging

Mar. 9: 4th Grading period begins

Mar. 13: Daylight Savings Time Begins

Mar. 17: Third Quarter Grade Cards available online at PowerSchool

Mar. 25-Apr. 1: No School/Spring Break

April 7: PTA meeting 6:30 pm -Nominations for the new PTA Board

members due

April 18: GEM winners at the Board meeting

April 19: Interim Reports

May 5: PTA meeting at 6:30 pm – voting for 2016-2017 board

May : Buy One Get One Free Scholastic Book Fair

May : Spring Picnic

May 24: Last Day of School

Spring Break is coming! This year, Spring Break is March 25—April 1, 2016

Classes resume on April 4, 2016

Please Sign In!

For the safety of our students, all parents

and visitors must sign in at the office. A

buzzer at the front door has been installed

for the security of students and staff.

When coming to school and using the se-

curity system, please let us know who you are and the

reason for your visit. Thank you in advance for your

cooperation.

Annual Westerville Community Bowl-a-

Thon Slated for February 13, 2016

It’s time to make plans to participate in the Annual

Westerville Community Bowl-a-Thon! The event is

scheduled for Saturday, February 13, 2016, at the Co-

lumbus Square Bowling Palace, 5705 Forest Hills

Blvd. Funds raised from this event benefit the Wester-

ville Chamber Foundation, the

Westerville Education Founda-

tion, and the Westerville Sym-

phony at Otterbein. See more

at: http://

www.westerville.k12.oh.us/

districtNewsArticle.aspx?

artID=4061#sthash.ig9cOMUw.dpuf

Testing, Testing, Testing!

As the school year draws to an end, students will be taking Ohio’s State Tests and other required testing. Please be sure your student gets a good night sleep, a filling breakfast, and lots of encouragement. Second Grade: TerraNova—March 7-23 Third Grade: Ohio’s State Test ELA—April 5, 6 Ohio’s State Test Math—April 12, 13 Fourth Grade: Ohio’s State Test ELA—April 7, 8 Ohio’s State Test Math —April 14, 15 Ohio’s State Test Social Studies —April 20, 21 Fifth Grade: Ohio’s State Test ELA—April 7,8 Ohio’s State Test Math—April14, 15 Ohio’s State Test Science April 20, 21

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Please join us for our next PTA meeting on

March 3rd at 6:30 pm.

The April 7th PTA meeting will have nominations for the 2016-17 PTA board.

During the May 5th meeting, PTA members will be voting on the 2016-17 PTA board.

Box Tops Contest star ted on Jan. 22 and runs through Feb. 19, 2016. Save those box tops and bring them to your teacher.

The winning classroom with the most box tops will get a popcorn party from Huber Ridge PTA!

Yearbook Sales continue until Feb. 12, 2016. The Huber Ridge Yearbook 2015-16 costs $15.00 this year. Order yours

today!! Do you have candid photos of students or school events to incorporate into the yearbook? Please email them

to cksjm00@yahoo.com (subject line:Yearbook).

Valentine’s Day Parties will be Feb. 12 at 2:30 pm.

Check with your class-room parent or teacher if party items

are needed .

Feb 29 through March 4, 2016 will be the Scholastic Book Fair. Please sign up to volunteer at the book fair. The students are always excited about the new books at the book fair and, without volunteers, the fair doesn’t happen. The fair will be open during lunch and dur-ing the Journey Through the Genre Reading Night. on March 2, 2016 6-8 pm.

Are you volunteering at Huber Ridge? Be sure to sign in and out so your volunteer hours are properly recorded. PTA has rec-orded over 1300 hours so far this school year!! Thanks so much for helping our students.

Intra-District Open Enrollment

Intra-District Open Enrollment applications are being accepted for the 2016-17 school year. The deadline for applications for middle and high schools is March 15, 2016. For elementary

schools, the cut off date is May 1, 2016.

The program is coordinated through the Deputy Superintendent’s Office for families who are enrolled full time in the Westerville City School District. Parents or guardians wishing to have their children attend a different WCS school from their home school of attendance must complete and submit an Intra-District Open Enrollment application. With this program, transportation to and from school becomes the responsibility of the parent. Parents or guardians will be notified of the decision in writing.

Application forms are available at each school building; at the Westerville City Schools Enrollment Center (300 Polaris Parkway, Suite 3200); at the Early Learn-ing Center (936 Eastwind Drive, Suite 200); or at www.wcsoh.org, where gen-eral guidelines can also be found. Please call 797-5756 or email Jennifer Farris at farrisj@wcsoh.org with any additional questions.

News from the School Nurse

Medicines are to help your student feel better and do well at

school. Medicines can be given to students at school, but the

proper forms must accompany all medicines (prescription or

over-the-counter). The forms insure that your student is getting the proper

medicine at the right time. Feel free to talk with the nurse whenever you

have a question about medicines and the required forms. All medication

forms can be printed from the Westerville City Schools website if you

follow the links-departments-office of health and safety-health ser-

vices. The link to the forms is http://www.wcsoh.org/

administrativeDepartment.aspx?aid=64

Family Vacations

When planning vacations, we ask that you please consult the district calen-dar. For your help in this matter, the district calendar is created a year in advance and made available on the district web site. Students lose valuable learning time when out of school. Huber Ridge appreciates your coopera-tion regarding this important issue. A pre-excused absence form should be completed before leaving on vacation and is available in the office or online. After submitting the pre-excused form, ask your teacher for home-work well in advance of the vacation so it can be ready for your student to take on vacation.

Attendance

Whenever your student has missed school whether it is a few hours or a couple of days and was seen by a doctor,

please remember to get a doctor’s note so we can excuse your student as medical. Doctor offices may fax excuses to us at 614-797-7151.

Please send the office a note if your student is leaving for an appointment or will be late due to an appointment. Please allow yourself enough time to sign your student out as your student might be at their special and will need extra time to gather their belongings before leaving.

Kindergarten Registration and Kindergarten 101

Westerville City Schools is beginning the registration process for the 2016-17 kinder-garten class. We look forward to meeting our new families. Kindergarten is required for children before entering first grade. If your

child will be five years old on or before September 30, 2016, you may register him/her for kindergarten in Feb. 16, 2016. Please check the district website at http://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/content_page.aspx?cid=664 for more information. The website lists the requirements for regis-tration and the needed immunizations for all new kindergarten students. Kindergarten 101 will be on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 from 7:00-8:00 pm at Huber Ridge. Free childcare (ages 2 and up) will be available upon request. Parents will have the oppor-tunity to pick-up informational materials, as well as schedule an appointment for registration. (We will not be holding a packet pick-up this year). Parents who do not schedule an appointment during Kindergarten 101 will do so when they pre-register on Registration Gateway just as they would with any other registra-tion.

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Pennies for Patients Our “Pennies for Patients” campaign kicks off Monday, Feb. 29 thru Friday March 18, 2016. So be looking for loose change in the cushions and in piggy banks. Huber Ridge’s goal is $2200. The collected money will be donated to the Central Ohio Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help pa-tients and research. Collection boxes will be sent home soon. Look for a calendar of spirit events that

will be coming home in your child’s red folder near the end of Feb. so everyone can participate in the fun events. The Leadership students will be making an-

nouncements and posters about the cam-paign.

Yearbook Group Picture Day

Are you a Crossing Guard? Member of Leader-ship Summit? Recycler? Are you in Scouts and will you need your uniform? Are you a tutor? HR Imaging will be at Huber Ridge to take

group pictures on Feb. 17, 2016. Listen to the announcements and be ready with your beautiful smile!

Arrival and Dismissal Times

Is your child eating breakfast? Remind your students to come in for breakfast when they are dropped off, instead of playing so they have plenty of time to eat and not be late to class.

Students arriving at 8:30 am for breakfast must stay in the cafete-ria until the first bell rings at 8:50 am. Students arriving early and not eating breakfast will wait outside unsupervised until the bell rings at 8:50 am as the teachers and staff may have meetings and are generally preparing for the school day. Students should not be dropped off earlier than 8:50 am per the district handbook unless they are eating breakfast.

Please make sure your student is on time for school. The bell rings at 8:50 and the tardy is 9:05.

When there is a 2 hour delay, breakfast is NOT served.

Dismissal time is 3:30 pm. Please insure that your student is picked up on time. Before your student leaves for school, please make sure your child knows how he/she is going home after school

to avoid any confusion in their routine. Notes from parents to the

teachers are needed for any changes in their dismissal plan. Without a note about changes, students will be sent home their normal way.

Are You Moving? Have You Moved?

The Change of Address Form may be found on the district website on the right side of the Enrollment page (under Enrollment Docu-ments). The completed form, along with required documentation, must be submitted to the Enroll-ment & Family Resource Center for processing. Failure to update your address within the first 30 days following your move could result in the de-nial of your open enrollment request and provide a delay in receiving school communications and transportation assignments.

Lost and Found

The huge box of Lost and Found is overflowing with coats, gloves, hats, and lunchboxes. Is your student missing any of these items? Please check the box near the gym.

Weather Issues

Make sure your student is wearing his/her coat on these bitterly cold days. Students are to wait outside until the first bell rings at 8:50 and it can be very cold just standing. If the temperature drops to 20 degrees, students may wait inside for the bell but it is still rather cold by the glass windows. Please ensure that your student is bundled up for the cold wintery weather. Check the local TV/radio stations for school closings. Please do not call the school to find out about closings.

Sick Student?

While we don’t want students to miss school, we also don’t want them at school sick. If your child has a fever, their fever must be under 100 degrees for 24 hours without any medicines before they can return to school. Please keep any student who has been throwing up home so they can get better. Remind your student to wash their hands frequently. Please inform the nurse of any com-municable diseases such as pink eye, streph throat, etc. See the district handbook for more health information.

Lunchroom News

You can check your student’s lunch account by log-ging onto Ez-Pay to see if your student has enough money for lunch and /or breakfast. Lunch is $2.60 and breakfast is $1.25. Milk is 60 cents.

Journey Through the Genres

Join our Huber Ridge community at the family event as we cele-

brate reading during our “Journey Through the Genres” Night on Wednesday, March 2 from 6-8

pm. Fill out your reading gameboard to earn a free book by traveling to various reading sta-

tions with your family! Experience literacy through technology, participate in different

activities, visit our poetry cafe, listen to “famous” guest readers, visit the Westerville

Library table and our PTA Book Fair, and more! Before leaving, enter our genre basket raffle! Don’t miss out on this fun-filled even-

ing as we celebrate our love of books!

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Counselor Corner with Mr. Rex

The main focus during my recent classroom les-sons has been empathy, or having the ability to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes”. We have been talking about being able to understand how other people feel and then respond to those feelings accordingly. Across grade lev-els, we have been reading some great books, role playing different scenarios, and really trying to see things from an-other person’s perspective. At home, you can challenge your kids by trying to get them to think about how other people might be feeling in different situations!

FROM THE

PHYSICAL

EDUCATION

TEACHER,

MR. AHERN

Classes are currently playing a game called pillo polo. It is basi-

cally just like floor hockey but safer. We use smaller sticks that

have foam padding on one end. Teams are small in number so

to ensure maximum participation. Students are learning things

such as keeping the pillo polo stick below waist level for safety,

having your favorite hand in the middle of the stick for better

control, spreading out and finding open space, and keeping their

eyes up so to see open teammates. This game is a great workout

for the students. Remember to get your 60 minutes of physical

activity each day!

Library Notes from Mrs. Gawalek:

The library has been bustling with students

and staff working with resources. Some students

in grades 2-5 have visited with their chrome-

books for an Hour of Code. During this time, they

learned how to write computer programming lan-

guage using some of their favorite characters

from Frozen, Minecraft, and Star Wars.

Some of the subjects were tackling in the library are the Dewey

Decimal System in the third grade, sections of the library in second

grade, author and illustrator in Kindergarten and First grade. A num-

ber of our fourth and fifth graders have explored the World Almanac. Parents, research can be an overwhelming task. Families with students in grades K-12 have a free research resource, INFOhio, that includes online versions of the World Book Encyclopedia at reading levels from Primary to High School; Ebsco: A magazine and picture database; and Science-Online. The web address is www.infohio.org. A generic username and password is required upon your first vis-it. Please contact me through email at gawelekj@wcsoh.org to get the password for our district.

Music Notes from Rm. 113 Hello Huber Ridge Families! Here’s what’s happening in your child’s music class.

First Grade: We are practicing our un-derstanding of musical opposites: fast/slow, loud/soft, high/low. We are begin-ning to focus on steady beat and adding rhythm instruments to our songs. Second Grade: We are practicing melodic elements so and mi, and rhythmic elements ta and ti-ti. We are preparing for ta-rest. We are singing - Bow Wow Wow, Hot Cross Buns and Naughty Kitty Cat. Coming soon . . . Half-note

Third Grade:We are practicing reading, writing, and per-forming melodic elements: la, so, mi and do. We are having fun singing the Long-legged Sailor, and I’ve Got A Car. Ask your child about the Superman verse. Fourth Grade & Fifth Grade: We are practicing ta, ti-ti, ta-rest, half note and preparing tika-tika. (sixteenth notes) We have also been learning about Ludwig Beethoven and his music, for example: Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, 5th Sym-phony and 9th Symphony.

In the Art Room with Mr. Britton

This month 5th Graders are exploring how Art is used in different careers. They are going to work as automotive designers to create a design for a concept car. Fourth

graders just finished a 3-dimensional relief sculpture and are beginning a unit of study on the Middle Ages. 3rd grad-ers are beginning a long-term study on the subject of color theory. 2nd graders are finishing up their study of the art of Claude Monet. 1st graders are getting experience with ce-ramics by creating clay fish.

Clinic Clothing

The clinic loans clothing to students at school when needed. We are running low on pants for both boys and girls. If you have old pants in sizes 4-16 for either boys or girls and would like to donate them to the clinic, we would gladly accept them. We have plenty of tops at this time.

If your student has been loaned clothing, please wash and return it to the clinic so it is available for other stu-dents.

February is Dental Health Month. Are your students properly brushing their teeth? Children are encouraged to brush their teeth two minutes, two times per day, and read for 20 minutes as a way of building good oral health and literacy habits.