Prairie Lane – Where Learning is Valued

As we begin to wind down another year, I wanted to make a list of the things that make Prairie Lane the great educational community that it is. So one afternoon, I was in Mrs. Slotkus’ classroom and I thought I’d get a few ideas from the students. I am so glad I did. As you can see, their list is longer than mine and I even received an email from a student later with another thought that she had not shared in class. I was impressed with the list as the focus of their thoughts was exactly what we, as a staff, work so hard to implement. The excitement and value in learning was evident in their comments. We are Prairie Lane! Student List My List

• Great Teachers • Technology and websites that help us learn • We try new things • Fun activities • Format, like the way the day goes

(departmentalization) • Cooperative partnerships between

students • Full of nice people • Reading • Plenty of things to do before and after

school • Using technology safely and respectfully • We follow the rules and expectations and

are ready to do what we need to do at school

• Field Trips – some that help us face our fears and help us learn

• Choice in how to learn best • Fun holiday parties • Our grammar skills get better because

every day we learn and read about things • How reliable students can be. It reminds

me of how much we showed integrity at recess and in class

• Great kids • Innovative staff • Dedicated parents • Outstanding PTO • Sue Gerber and Kerri Valentine • Fred, Ron and Steve • Milt Dean (enough said) • Community partnerships, including but not

limited to the Pleasant Prairie VFW, Vigeo • Wonderful music programs • Jump Rope for Heart • The annual Walk-A-Thon • Square 1 Art • Young Rembrandts • Chess Club • Book Fairs • Battle of the Books • Field Day • Tea parties

Camille Schroeder Principal, Prairie Lane Elementary

May/June 2015

PTO President’s Letter Prairie Lane Families, It’s hard to believe that we are counting down to the end of the school year already! It doesn’t seem possible that 8 months of learning have come and gone. I just wanted to take a moment to thank the volunteers who helped with Teacher Appreciation Week. We have very talented and caring teachers at Prairie Lane and it was wonderful to see so many families willing to help out with their time and/or donations to make the week one to remember! Thank you for making the staff feel special and appreciated. As I look towards the end of the year, we have a few more events planned for our students. On Wednesday, May 20, we are hosting our 2nd BINGO night. Please come and enjoy some good food, delicious baked goods and fun times with other Prairie Lane families. BINGO playing starts at 6:30, but come earlier to eat dinner and buy your BINGO cards. Ms. Tiffe is busy planning our yearly field day for our K-5 students. This day is scheduled for Friday, May 29. She is looking for volunteers who can assist with games so if you are available that day,

please return the form that was sent home. The PTO is providing a hot dog lunch for all students and volunteers this year so please be sure to return your form to ensure we purchase enough food for everyone. Let’s hope for good weather! Our end of the year parties are scheduled for Friday, June 5. Please keep an eye out for information from your child’s classroom parent about ways to help! DON’T FORGET TO SAVE THE DATE for our 2nd annual WALK-A-THON on Saturday, October 3 from 9 am-4 pm. It will be a great time and we will be raising money for our technology goal. We hope to see many of you there! Lastly, I wanted to personally say thank you to a couple of our board members: Kari Ray (secretary) and Cristi Gallagher (Vice-president). I truly appreciate all the help and time you have given the PTO board over the past 2 years. Thank you for your effort making this a great school!!! OUR LAST PTO MEETING FOR THE YEAR WILL BE ON THURSDAY, MAY 21 AT 7:00 PM IN THE LIBRARY. I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! Jessica Winnie Prairie Lane PTO President

Editor’s note: A special thanks also goes out to Jessica Winnie for her dedication and leadership as the Prairie Lane PTO president over the past two years. The Prairie Lane community appreciates all that you have done for our school!

I wanted to send out a special thank you for all the support and volunteering that parents and The PTO did to help me through Jump Rope for Heart, Field Day, roller skating and the many other gym activities throughout the year. Field Day volunteer slips have been sent home in Thursday folders. Please come join the fun and have lunch with us if you have an up-to-date background check in the office. See Mrs. Gerber in the office to help you with that. Have a wonderful summer, stay healthy and get lots of exercise and recreation into your days! Ms. Tiffe

Ms. Tiffe as Ms. Cool Duck! So much has been happening by way of technology! • Our Student Tech Team has published two

issues of their very 1st Online Newsletter for staff!

• Third graders are learning about an iPad writing app where they can create & publish a book! It's called "Book Creator." You might want to download it at home on your own tablet!

• Fourth graders & Mrs. Slotkus' 5th graders are creating Google slide presentations about Earth Day.

• Fifth graders in Mrs. Huff & Tobalsky's classes have been creating Google slide presentations on ocean animals

• Students in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grades are finishing their Internet Safety lessons. These lessons come from a combination of two excellent sources: 1. www.netsmartzkids.org<http://www.netsmartzkids/org> 2. www.commonsensemedia.org<http://www.commonsensemedia.org>

The Library, Art, Music & Gym programs are excited to be collaborating on a common school-wide theme for next year! "Let's Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, Renew, Refresh, Relax!" In planning, here are some of our ideas: • Students will make Library bookmarkers for

their books out of recycled paper from our recycle bins

• In Art class, students will be making a mural for a wall in the library out of recycled bottle caps (see pictures)

• Students in Music class will be making various instruments out of recycled materials

• We would like to start a "Green Thumb" club to assist with our Prairie Lane garden

• Staff will collaborate with the 4th grade team as they work on putting on an Earth Day themed play

• Staff & students will work together throughout the year, especially on Field Day, to clean up our school yard

• Have presenters come in & talk to our students about recycling, reusing, and Earth Day

• Work with PBIS team to offer a "relaxing" lunch time in the library where students and/or staff may come to listen to music or watch events on TV In preparation for this, we are asking that you, as parents & students, begin collecting bottle caps from bottles. Any kind & color will be great for our mural, but plastic ones will be used in music. Also, think about saving those recyclables for projects next school year!

Our 4th and 5th grade choir, band and orchestra students are going to present a concert on Thursday, May 28 beginning at 6:00 P.M. It should be short, but VERY sweet! All students who are performing are asked to wear black on the bottom and white on the top! Oh say! Can you see…….? Our choir students will be famous! They are singing the National Anthem on Friday, May 29 to open a Kenosha Kingfish game! That also happens to be Prairie Lane night at the game! What a fun way to spend a Friday night! Choir parents, a note went home regarding this. There is also a copy of that same note linked on my web page under the choir section. Kenosha's children's theatre academy will be holding auditions for "Legally Blonde Jr." the musical on Jun 1. It will be open to all Kenosha kids in grades 3-5. For more information, find a link on my webpage under "Music Beyond the Classroom". Ms. Roland

5/29 is Prairie Lane Night!

Thank you to everyone that has ordered Market Day. We have earned over $765 for the PTO since January. This has been a very successful program to bring back to the school and we hope to keep it going strong with all of your participation. The May order deadline is May 23 and the next pick up is Thursday, May 28 from 6:00-7:00pm by the front entrance. If you qualified for the Frequent Buyer Program, make sure you place your order of $40 or more this month to receive your FREE set of two Collapsible Storage Bowls with your May pick up. Market Day is also still offering $5 off a $25 purchase if you are a first time Market Day customer who places their order online. Use promo code NEWFIVE at checkout to receive that savings. Remember Prairie Lane provides drive thru pickup for all customers who prepay for their order online at www.marketday.com. Just pull your car up in front of the school and we will load your order into the car for you. No need to park and get out of your car. If you have any questions about Market Day, please feel free to contact Megan Calhoun at megmirs13@hotmail.com or 815-236-4044.

p A Note From:

Ms. Roland

Written by: Amie Miller

Based on the book/novel June 8 – at 6 pm Prairie Lane Gym

Last Day to turn in Box Tops is May 29!

Last year our PTO introduced School Kidz to our school and we are offering it again! We are extending the due date to May 29th! Order your kit and all their supplies will be in your child's class at open house. It's that easy!!! No shopping, no searching, just a quick order and it’s all there! If you have any questions please contact Kari Ray at kariray01@gmail.com. Please order at www.shopttkits.com school account # 53022

Ashleigh’s Fight Against Leukemia Dear Prairie Lane Families, As a parent I can't begin to express the overabundance of joy and love our family has received during this journey we've been on. It's definitely not the easiest news to receive hearing that your innocent child has to face such difficult situations in life. The extended amount of love and support that has been provided to both Ashleigh and our family during this time is beyond what we ever expected. I wish that I could personally thank each and every one of you and tell you how much each card, gift, and monetary donation has helped put a smile on Ashleigh's face during the worst days. These are things that our family never expected, but very much appreciated and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for giving us such positive vibes to make it through each day! Ashleigh had a rough few months, but is now on the road to recovery. Come June she will be entering maintenance, which will last until December 2016. We've still got a long road to travel, but we know with the love and abundance of support we will make it through! Thank you all so much for keeping us in your daily thoughts and prayers. YOU are the reason Ashleigh can make it thru this with a smile on her face! Sincerely, Tonya

Mrs. Ricciardi’s daughter, Keelin is a sophomore at Harborside. She is helping organize a clothing drive as part of her veteran awareness project. Keelin interviewed a WWll vet (Fred) and learned that he sends clothing to the Philippines. We are having a clothing drive at Prairie Lane to help her class collect clothing to send to the Philippines. Light weight clothing for warm weather is needed. Children's clothing is greatly needed but men's and women's will be appreciated too. Please send items to your child's classroom May 11-21. The class collecting the MOST items will win a Pizza Party sponsored by Ruffolo's Pizza. Thank you !

Medication Reminder As the end of the school year approaches, please remember to pick up your child’s medication on the last day of school. Any medication not picked up and taken home will be discarded. The school will not store any medication for the next school year. A reminder for next year:

• All nonprescription medication must be in the original bottle or package with the child’s name clearly marked on the container. All prescription medication must be in the original pharmacy container with correct information on the label. If half tablets are to be given, the parent will be responsible for sending the medication in that form.

• All medication, prescription or nonprescription, must be accompanied by a “Request for Medication Administration During School Hours” form, with parent or guardian’s signature. Prescription medications will also require a physician’s signature. Medications will only be administered at school the specified times noted on the form. Any changes in dose, time or medication will require a new form, and new container with the corrected pharmacy label.

• The above rules still apply to any medication a student may need to carry with them, such as Epi-pens or inhalers. Both the medication and the medication administration form must be checked in at the office. The physician must check “YES” on the form stating “Student may carry medication for Emergency purposes.”

Medication administration forms must be renewed annually. The form and medication may be brought to school in the fall prior to the first day of class. All medication must be brought to school by an adult. Students may not transport medication themselves.

Summer Activities

Think Summer, Think Fun!

The Kenosha Unified Recreation Department will again this year offer numerous summer activities for the children in Kenosha. Swim registration begins May 6th. All other class registration begins May 13. All programs start June 15. You may go to the Recreation Dept. website for further information www.kusd.edu/departments/recreation-0 Swimming lessons for ages 6-14. Classes held at Bradford pool (free) Tennis Lessons - For beginners to advanced held at Bradford, Indian Trail, & Tremper (free) Elementary basketball lessons - Held at various school playgrounds (free) Elementary soccer lessons - Held at various school playgrounds (free) Elementary baseball/softball lessons - Held at various school playgrounds (free) Competitive Swim Team - Practices at Bradford for ages 7-17 ($25 fee) Free supervised Playgrounds - Run June 15 – July 31, Mondays – Fridays from 9:45am-3:15 pm daily. This program consists of arts & crafts, games, storytelling; bounce ball, volleyball & other activities of interest to boys & girls ages 6-12, supervised by college student directors. You may register beginning June 16th on the playground at following Playground sites; Bose, Brass, Nash, Pleasant Prairie, Southport, and Stocker. You must register for any of the programs (except Playgrounds) at the Recreation Department, which is located in the west end of the Kenosha Senior Citizen Center on Roosevelt Road and 28th Avenue.

May - Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Activities May brings flowers and great learning experiences for Prairie Lane students… including Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness activities.

To begin, Alisha Bronk, an ASL story teller, is coming to our school to share her lively interpretation of stories in sign language for our younger students. School-wide activities will take place on May 26, 27, and 28. Activities include solving a sign language mystery puzzle as well as exposure to the history of deaf culture and other interesting information. ~The DHH Team

I Love You in sign language

ALL STUDENTS must be registered for next year online before the end of the school year! To register, go to http://www/kusd.edu/portal and enter your username and password. Once there, go to your inbox. Click on the link to register your child/children and add any new children entering KUSD for the next school year. If you do not know your username and password, please stop in the Prairie Lane office or email sgerger@kusd.edu or kvalenti@kusd.edu. We are happy to assist you!

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time or made a donation to help make Prairie Lane Staff Appreciation Week such a success!

Upcoming Events! May 18 – 22 - Winter Wraps Coat Drive 19 - Spirit Day! 20 - Bingo Night - 5:45 – 7:30 21 - PTO Meeting – 7 pm - Library 28 - Band, Orchestra and Choir Concert Market Day Pick-up - 6 – 7 pm 29 – Field Day

Prairie Lane Day at the Kenosha Kingfish Game Last day to turn in Box Tops Last day to order School Kidz

June 4 - Alternate/Rain Date for Field Day 5 - End of the Year Class Parties Walk-a-Thon Pep Rally 11 - Last Day of School!

A note from Milt Dean: Over the course of 34 years teaching at Prairie Lane, I was also the intramural instructor, a position I have now extended into my 43rd year at the school. I’m sure most of the Prairie Lane families are unaware that Kyle Sebetic attended our school. Kyle was a part of my classroom for the 2001-2002 school year. He excelled at every sport we played in intramurals that year – especially football. He was also a model student and achieved high marks in all subject areas. Kyle’s strong work ethic brought him many accolades in college. Recently Kyle signed a contract to play defensive back for the GREEN BAY PACKERS after a short stint with the New York Giants. From a small school a Pro did grow!! I will not slight the girls here. My class of 1984-1985 held the greatest girl athlete I ever had the opportunity to work with. Besides her athleticism, Tanya Bertog was also a model student in all aspects. Tanya eventually earned Holy Rosary’s Girl Athlete of the Year in her senior year at Tremper High School and went on to excel athletically at Parkside University where she is now a member of their Hall of Fame. Tanya married Dan McGonegle, and their two children, Maria and Ryan, attended Prairie Lane where they too were a part of my intramural program. Both are now excelling in sports areas in middle school and high school. Proud to be Prairie Lane!