Principal News from Mr. Kortens
Hello School Family!
It is April already and we are getting ready for a busy end of the school year at Park Community Charter School. We have several big events in April and early May. First is our 2nd grade concert, then our Author Visit, and the Kaukauna Strong Challenge. Check each out below. For more information on our school don't forget to follow us on twitter at @ParkSchoolFam.
Second Grade Concert April 5th
Our second graders have been working very hard in music class with Mrs. Nimmer and are excited to take the stage in our gym for our annual concert. This is always such a nice night to see our students shine and a sure sign of spring.Visiting Author Marla McKenna May 1st - See Video Below
On May 1st author Marla McKenna will be sharing her writing process with our students. She will be joining our school family for the day meeting with every grade level. The rest of the day will also share a sports theme related to her books. During the evening from 6:00 - 6:30 she will be sharing a parent version of her student presentation and speaking about how you can support literacy with your child at home. We will also be holding a short meeting about our Lambeau Field booth after her presentation that will be finished by 7:00.If you wold like to order her books CLICK HERE.
Kaukauna Strong Challenge 2018 - Sunday May 6th at Noon
This is the second year for this community event formerly known as the Park Community 4K5K Run/Walk. Last year we updated this event to broaden the audience for potential participants by adding a bike ride. We had our largest crowd ever and we are looking forward to even more participants in this important fundraiser for our school.The 5K Walk
The traditional 5K family walk will follow the same route as past years starting with registration in the school parking lot and beginning and ending at Veterans Memorial Park across from school. Participants will walk past the Grignon Mansion along the Fox River. There are no prizes for the walk but all participants who register prior to April 27th will receive an event T-shirt.
5K Run up Mt. Misery
Can you be the first to ring the bell at the top of Mt. Misery? Last year we added a competitive 5k Run that challenged participants to run up Mt. Misery in Gignon Park. This challenging route will award prizes for 1st and 2nd place and everyone who enters prior to April 27th will receive an event T-shirt.
10 or 20 Mile Bike Ride (Helmets Required for ALL Participants)
The ride will start at Veteran Memorial Park and head past our community partners Kaukauna Utilities and 1000 Islands Environmental Center. Both routes will head out County Road ZZ along the Fox River. The 20 mile route will continue to Wrightstown and back while a 10 mile route is available also (green line on map).
The Kaukauna Strong Challenge is OPEN to EVERYONE!
We are working hard to have this event become a regular spring Kaukauna community event. Please invite anyone you know who is interested in running/walking or biking to participate.Why - Funds from this family friendly event will be used to support further staff training in Conscious Discipline.
When - Sunday May 6th
Time - 11:00 Registration at Park Community Charter School with Noon start time for all events.
Anticipated End Time - 1:30 for the run and walk, 2:00 for the 20 mile Bike Ride.
Cost - $21.00 for Participants 13 or older, Participants 5-13 $11.00, Kids 4 or less Free!
Please Click Here to Register
If you are interested in helping at this event please contact Kevin Rykal at 766-6129 or rykalk@kaukaunasd.org.
Attention 2nd Grade Families! We need your help!
The district will be moving to online registration at all schools for the 2018-19 school year. In order to make sure things are working well before going district wide we will be doing a trial at Park Community the week of April 9th - 13th. The trial will be targeting 2nd grade families but any Park Family that would like to try it can. The plan is to use this new way to register to help eliminate much of the back to school paperwork and help maintain accurate records in our system. For families it will allow you to register and pay fees for all your kids in one sitting even if you have children in multiple district schools. This will help make visiting day in August more about what it should be, welcoming students back, and less about paperwork and fees. This is a trial registration and will be for 17-18 data. You will need to re register online for 18-19 once the system goes live district wide.
You must have a parent portal account to use online registration. Click HERE to get a parent portal account.
Click Here if you have a Parent Portal Account to Try Online Registration
PE News from Mr. Rykal
We will use the first week in April to finish up our rollerblading unit. The kids have been doing a great job so far. It's a tough task to get all that gear on and get skating in a 30 minute class! Please encourage your child to wear helmets when riding their bike or rollerblading in public. They have definitely saved a lot of injuries in gym class this unit!
I’m hoping the weather cooperates so that we can start taking the classes outside during April. We will start to work on a team sports unit. This will help the students understand the importance of teamwork and working together. We will also stress sportsmanship. Elementary kids struggle with this concept at times and need to understand how to be good winners and losers. They are getting better, but this skill takes time to learn.
Thanks to all the parents who put in all the work for Jump Rope for Heart. We raised a grand total of $4,600, which beat last years total! This is an amazing accomplishment and we are very proud of raising so much for a great cause.
Library News from Mrs. Lemke
4th graders worked on an interdisciplinary unit writing a legend in class, drawing a picture in art and putting a voice to their characters in library skills. Please watch Seesaw for notifications of your student’s final project! Students also reviewed accessing website and evaluating them.
3rd graders experienced how to navigate a website on a chromebook. They learned about switching through tabs, scrolling all the way to the bottom for evaluation purposes and finding specific answers. Besides this, they learned about chromebook shortcuts for easier guiding through sites and practiced using google forms.
2nd graders learned how websites are set-up, and where to click to get what and where they need . Students practiced finding answers to specific questions at different places within the website. They also took a google form quiz to get familiar with the format. They are getting pretty quick at signing in to chromebooks and accessing the library webpage to find what they need.
1st graders created book reviews in class, drew pictures of their book cover in art, and taped them in library skills. Then, we took each book review and created a QR code for the book that each student reviewed. It’s posted in the book for others to hear. Also, students listened to other classmates and will present their review to kindergartens. These can be viewed on our library website “Creation Tools” tab. I also created a letter that you will receive from your child’s teacher.
Kindergartens reviewed authors this month. We discussed how authors have patterns in their writing and in their books. We looked at some famous authors like Dr. Seuss and decided he likes to rhyme and use silly words and illustrations. Then, we discussed number, letter and picture patterns. We shared patterns we found and created our own patterns.
Art with Mr. Theder
Kindergarten Artists are currently working on their owl paintings. They got are learning about how to paint with tempera paint. They first found a picture of an owl they liked. They drew their owl and traced it with sharpie and erased their pencil lines. Kindergarten got a chance to learn about parts of a paint brush and how to use and care for it.First Grade Artists are in the process of finishing their chinese dragon painting.They are learning about color family and how paint with tempera paint. They got a chance to learn about parts of a paint brush and how to use and care for it. They also learned briefly about dragons and how they are apart of the chinese culture.
Second Grade Artists are just finishing up their city printmaking project. Second grade got a chance to learn how to make a printing plate. They learned about the process of how to roll ink out on their plate and print. Students got a chance to paint their background of their sky and water. After printing they got to learn about how to make a ghost print and incorporated it into their final piece for the reflections in the water. They also made a painting of a dog or cat by using warm and cool colors.
Deven Schmitt 2-Gardner
Third Grade Artists are currently working on their clay project. They got to learn how to construct objects out of clay by using coils. They started with a slab of clay and rolled their first name initial out of coils. Third grade learned how to attach clay together by slipping and scoring. At the ed they got a chance to decorate their initials and slab of clay however they would so choose.
Lydia Effa 3-Hinkens
Fourth Grade Artists are currently working on their clay pinch pot. They got to learn how to make a pinch pot by rolling a piece of clay into a ball. They then pinched the sides to make the body of their animal. Fourth grade also learned how to attach pieces of cla together by slipping and scoring. The last thing they need to do is paint and decorate it how they wish.
Logan Verboncouer 4-Serwe
Music Notes from Mrs. Nimmer
Our birthday composer for the month of March was Antonio Vivaldi. All students learned about the life and music of this famous Italian composer. Vivaldi is most known for his piece called The Four Seasons. We listened to the movement called "Spring" and followed a listening map to the piece. We could hear birds, butterflies, and a thunderstorm all through the sounds of the string instruments!Kindergarten
In kindergarten, we are continuing to explore our singing voices. Using songs, chants, and fun “stories,” we explore different ranges of our voices as we are developing as singers. During the month of March, we enjoyed stories and songs about leprechauns, bunnies, and spring. In kindergarten music, we often integrate stories, poems and literature into our musical lessons, as stores often use the same rhyme and rhythm patterns that songs do! We learned the song “Alphabet Soup,” which is a song used to assess pitch-matching skills. Movement songs continue to help us work on steady beat and rhythm patterns. We also had a chance to learn how to dance “The Bunny Hop” this month!1st Grade
1st grade students are showing great development in pitch-matching skills as the year progresses. We have used the dry erase boards to practice drawing basic rhythm patterns with quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. We enjoyed singing “The Leprechaun Leap” and “The Bunny Boogie” this month. We learned about verses and refrains in songs. We also followed a listening map to a classical piece called “The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks,” and we learned what a repeat sign is used for in music as we followed the map to the song.2nd Grade
The 2nd graders are very excited to share their 2nd grade concert with their families and friends on Thursday, April 5th at 6:30 pm. Students should arrive at 6:10 that evening. The performance will last approximately 30 minutes. We can’t wait to share a night of music with you!3rd Grade
The 3rd graders attended the second field trip of the "Artistic Adventures" program through the Fox Valley Symphony Partners in Education outreach program. This second field trip was a trip to the PAC to hear a live symphony concert, featuring 4 pieces that we studied this year in the music room. We learned symphony orchestra vocabulary and appropriate audience etiquette as well. What a great way for us to put all of our learning in action in a real-world experience. Artistic Adventures is a great community partnership for our district! Thank you to the third grade homeroom teachers, Mrs. Hinkens and Mrs. Nicholson, for organizing the field trip portion of the program!4th Grade
The 4th graders began their studies of our last instrument family, the percussion family. We will then review all of the instruments that are options for the students to play in band/orchestra next year at River View! We learned a new folk song called "Sarasponda" this month, and continued our work on recorders and moving through the different levels of our Recorder Karate program.
News from the School Nurse
Mrs. Sundelius
Are you thinking about planning a family vacation but aren’t sure if you want to have your child miss school? The District does understand that time spent together as a family during a vacation can be an important part of family life. Additionally State law and District policy does allow for 10 absences per year. However, the instructional process does not stop when students are not at school, and lost instructional time cannot be recovered or recreated. Therefore, the following are some helpful guidelines to minimize the loss of instruction time for your child during a vacation.Mrs. Sundelius
- Schedule vacations in the summer or around the existing school vacation days.
- Prearrange the absence with your child’s teacher so homework can be prepared in advance for your child.
- Try to minimize the pre-vacation excitement for your child to help reduce instructional time lost due to distraction and over excitement just prior to vacation.
You can also help your child make a smoother transition back to school by talking with them about the return to school and getting them back in the normal school day routine as soon as possible.
SCHOOL COUNSELING NEWS!! From Mr. Zamost
During the month of April, I will be teaching in all of the K-4 classrooms and presenting on the topic of DECISION-MAKING SKILLS! In today’s world kids are faced with more and more important decisions at much younger ages…(Should I focus on baseball or basketball?, Should I try that cigarette or say no? Should I play that T rated video game at my friends or suggest a different activity?) It is so important for kids to develop strong decision making skills. In each grade level we will discuss the Decision-Making process, role play decision-making skills, and understand how to apply these positive social skills while interacting with others. All classes will be focusing on the benefits of sharpening our interpersonal skills to show good character!K-Kids Update!
The month of April will be busy for K-Kids! We are organizing a toy drive for the Ronald McDonald House, will be making dog toys for Saving Paws at our next meeting and ending April with spring cleaning help at 1000’s Island. More information to come on each of these events so stay tuned!Check Out this K-Kids Video about their toy drive.
News from our Reading Specialist
Mrs. Keehan!
Mrs. Keehan!
WHAT RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S EDUCATION
Parent Expectations and Student Achievement:School age children spend 70% of their waking hours (including weekends and holidays) outside of school. The most consistent predictors of children’s academic achievement and social adjustment are parent expectations of the child’s academic attainment and satisfaction with their child’s education at school.
Decades of research show that when parents are involved students have:
- Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
- Better school attendance
- Increased motivation, better self-esteem
- Lower rates of suspension
- Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
- Fewer instances of violent behavior
When children practice reading at home with parents, the children make significant gains in reading achievement compared to those who only practice at school. Parents, who read to their children, have books available, take trips, guide TV watching, and provide stimulating experiences contribute to student achievement.
Families whose children are doing well in school exhibit the following characteristics:
- Establish a daily family routine. Examples: Providing time and a quiet place to study, assigning responsibility for household chores, being firm about bedtime and having dinner together.
- Monitor out-of-school activities. Examples: Setting limits on TV watching, checking up on children when parents are not home, arranging for after-school activities and supervised care.
- Model the value of learning, self-discipline, and hard work. Examples: Communicating through questioning and conversation, demonstrating that achievement comes from working hard.
- Express high but realistic expectations for achievement. Examples: Setting goals and standards that are appropriate for children's age and maturity, recognizing and encouraging special talents, informing friends and family about successes.
- Encourage children's development/ progress in school. Examples: Maintaining a warm and supportive home, showing interest in children's progress at school, helping with homework, discussing the value of a good education and possible career options, staying in touch with teachers and school staff.
- Encourage reading, writing, and discussions among family members. Examples: Reading, listening to children read and talking about what is being read.
(Excerpts taken from: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Final_Parent_Involvement_Fact_Sheet_14732_7.pdf)
Additional News from
Our Math Coaches
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| Mrs. Nelson |
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| Mrs. VandeHey |
Updates from Mrs. Tennessen
CLICK HERE for more information on the following community events for elementary level students.
The Great Bunny Train
2018 Kaukauna Softball Flyer
2018 Electric City Soccer Flyer
Safety Town Flyer
Walking for Wishes Flyer
ARTgarage Youth Summer Camp Flyer
Pop Warner Football - Grades Entering 3-5
2018 Fox River Girls Hockey Club Flyer
Kids Fun Night YMCA Flyer
March of Dimes Registration
Best Friends Bike Tour Flyer
Earth Month Flyer
Kaukauna Jr. Dance Tryouts for 2018-19 packets are available in the Office for those interested.
Bowling for Kids
This is a great Free summer activity for kids at Super Bowl. Check it out!
