Viking News
December 2019
Principal's Greeting
Greetings Viking Family,
It's hard to believe that December has arrived. As we slide into this season of giving, we pause to provide acknowledgement and thanks for our Crestridge community made up of a committed staff, eager learners, supportive families, and engaged community partners. The work we do together allows us to provide necessary resources to support equitable outcomes for all students, as well as a high quality education so that all students are successful learners and responsible citizens, with a global perspective.
The month of November was filled with teaching and learning. Our staff has been focused on building our toolbox to support second language learning across the building. As a result of our learning, you will see students using language frames and stems. An example of what a sentence frame may look like is, "Based on the experiment, I can infer that the ____will increase and the ____will decrease because ___." These language frames and stems model language structure, prepare students to communicate their knowledge effectively, and support with students acquisition and usage of academic vocabulary.
In the month of December, we will focus on Choosing Love by extending forgiveness. Forgiveness means choosing to let go of anger and resentment toward yourself or someone else, to surrender thoughts of revenge, and to move forward with your personal power intact. When someone forgives, they activate a neural network that connects different regions of the brain (Thompson & Waltz, 2008). Forgiveness is literally and figuratively a coming together, both biologically and behaviorally. The brain’s network of forgiveness includes the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, precuneus, and the inferior parietal lobule. Activating this neural “forgiveness network” results in a sense of personal relief.
This month, students will learn how to forgive themselves and others if they’ve made a mistake, caused an accident, or hurt someone as a result of their actions. Students learn healthy ways to express anger and to calm themselves down. They also learn how their brains and bodies respond to anger. They practice listening skills to support each other when they feel angry or are having strong emotions. Forgiveness has been shown to improve relationships, decrease anxiety and stress, lower blood pressure, lower the risk of depression, and strengthen immune and heart health. Letting go of negative emotions can often have a remarkable impact on the body (Thompson & Waltz, 2008).
During the month of December, our school family will build this practice of forgiveness by:
- Identifying the many benefits of forgiveness
- Learning how to be an upstander
- Helping others offer forgiveness
- Providing authentic apologies
- Flipping negative thoughts to positive ones
Below are sentence stems that can be used as discussions starters to help students practice the skills and concepts of forgiveness at home:
“To me, forgiveness is...”
“I show forgiveness at school by...”
- “I show forgiveness at home by...”
- “I show forgiveness in my community by...”
Lastly, we hope that you cherish the moments of the “season of joy” with your children, family and friends. These are the experiences that give richness and meaning to our lives and are to be treasured and fondly remembered in the years to come. Happy Holidays from the Crestridge staff and we hope you will join us for the winter program on December 12th at 10am or 2pm. Thank you for your continued support!
Go Vikings!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Valerie Varas
Principal
Crestridge Magnet
Omaha Public Schools
(531) 299-1280
Check Out What We've Been Up To:
Kindergarten Mathematicians
Veterans Day Assembly
Crestridge's International Dinner and Showcase
Parent Volunteer Spotlight
Community Outreach
Classroom Volunteer and Club Sponsor
Campus Beautification
Mark Your Calendar
The following are a few important dates to remember:
- Monday, December 2nd: Martial Arts Class @ 4:15- 4:45 in the gym
- Wednesday, December 4th: Martial Arts Class @ 4:15- 4:45 in the gym
- Monday, December 9th: Martial Arts Classes @ 4:15- 4:45 in the gym
- Tuesday, December 10th: Case Auditions and Crew Interviews @ 4:05- 5:30
- Tuesday, December 10th: PTO Dining Out Event @ Salsarita's PTO Event
- Wednesday, December 11th: Martial Arts Classes @ 4:15- 4:45 in the gym
- Thursday, December 12th: 4th and 5th Concert/ Band, Strings, & Chorus Performance @ 10 AM and 2 PM
- Thursday, December 12th: Cast Call Backs and Crew Interviews @ 4:05- 5:30
- Monday, December 16th: Crestridge Christmas Shopping Event
- Monday, December 16th: D.C. Trip Dinner @ 5:00-7:00
- Tuesday, December 17th: Cast Leads and Crew @ 4:05- 5:30
- Thursday, December 19th: 3rd Grade to the Durham Museum and the Mormon Trail
- Thursday, December 19th: All Cast and Crew @ 4:05- 5:30
- Friday, December 20th: Report Cards sent home
- Monday, December 23- Monday, January 6th: Winter Recess
A Look Ahead...
- Tuesday, January 7th: Classes Resume
- Thursday, January 16th: Kindergarten Round- Up @ 10 AM
SCHOOL CHOICE FOR THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR
The Following Information is from the Student Placement Office:
January 2020, starts the annual school choice application process for the 2020-21 school year. Students enrolled in a transition grade (last grade at the current school), will receive a school choice application.
The Omaha Public School’s Student Assignment Plan for elementary and middle school students called the Partner Plan (grades K-8) consists of eight (8) elementary partner zones and four (4) middle school partner zones within the district. Your residential address and corresponding neighborhood school determine your partner zone. A student’s residence and distance to school determines transportation eligibility. If you have had a change of address, please contact your child’s school immediately as this could impact your Partner Zone and transportation eligibility.
SCHOOL CHOICE UNDER THE PARTNER PLAN
Families may apply for their child to attend any OPS school. Approval of a request depends on the availability of space at the student’s grade level in the requested school and these priorities:
1. Neighborhood school (guaranteed placement).
2. Siblings residing within the Partner Zone are selected first, followed by siblings residing outside the Partner Zone (not eligible for transportation).
3. Students residing in the Partner Zone. OPS remains committed to diversity in our schools. Applications are prioritized within the Partner Zone between schools with significantly different neighborhood characteristics.
4. Students residing outside the Partner Zone (not eligible for transportation). Applications are prioritized for any remaining space between schools with significantly different neighborhood characteristics.
TRANSPORTATION ELIGIBILITY
(The school choice application must be received by January 29, 2020)
· Students are eligible for transportation IF they attend their neighborhood school and reside more than 1.0 mile from their elementary school or more than 1.5 miles from their middle school.
· Students are eligible for transportation IF they attend one of their Partner Zone schools and reside more than 1.0 mile from the elementary school or 1.5 miles from the middle school.
· Students are NOT eligible for transportation IF they attend any school outside of their Partner Zone.
EARLY CHILDHOOD INFORMATION
If your child is currently enrolled in an early childhood program and will be age-eligible for kindergarten for the 2020-21 school year, she/he will be enrolled at the neighborhood school. If you would like to be considered for placement at a non-neighborhood school, you must complete the school choice application that will be provided by your child’s current school.
KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UPS will be held in January 2020. Please attend Round-Up at your neighborhood school based on your residential address. School Choice Applications will be available at Round-Up and throughout the month of January for families who wish to request a non-neighborhood school(s). Round-Up dates will be posted on the OPS Web page or check the date with your neighborhood school.
MIDDLE SCHOOL RECRUITMENT LETTERS will be mailed in December to families of students currently in the last grade level of their school. The purpose of the letter is to provide information about middle schools and their respective Open House dates.
If you have questions about the Omaha Public Schools Partner Plan or the School Choice process, please contact the Student Placement Office at (531) 299-0302.
Attendance Matters- No Tardy December!
Every year, school absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break, as families squeeze a few more days of vacation out of the holiday season. To promote good attendance during the month of December Crestridge students and staff will be partaking in a No Tardy December contest. Below we have included details of how it works:
For each day the students are here on time for the full day, they will receive a No Tardy December Ticket. They can receive a ticket for each day they are here on time and remain the full day. The students will write their name on the back of the ticket, then place the ticket in the classroom envelope. The tickets will be collected on Friday and will be used for weekly drawings.
We want to continue to strive for 95 here at Crestridge! We know that just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time. Thank you for your support in making sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. Make sure your child is in school every day because the best gift you can give your child is a good education.
Notes From the Health Office
A kind reminder that changes to your home telephone number or work number should be communicated to the secretary, so information can be updated. It is imperative that the school have accurate contact information to reach families
Additionally, please note that "Cough Drops" are medication. If your student needs a cough drop at school:
1-The Health Office needs to keep them in the medication cupboard.
2-We need both a Doctor's note of permission and
3-We need a parent permission note also.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Student Safety
We will continue to refine our practices around student safety. One area where we know improvement is needed is dismissal. Mrs. Varas has requested our School Safety department to assess our current practices and to provide recommendations to increase safety at this time.
- Please adhere to all posted street signs including the one way signs and the stop signs
- In the event that you have pull behind a car parked in a stall, please be prepared to move if an individual needs to get out
- Refrain from pulling in or stopping in cross walks
- When traveling north on Meadow Rd, please refrain from turning West on Leavenworth Road. We ask that families loop around to Crestridge road at the next block down.
Cold Weather Guidelines
As the winter months inch closer, please remember that breakfast does not begin until 8:35. Students should not be dropped off prior to 8:35 am. This can become a safety issue once the temperature begins to drop.
Please take a moment to review the cold weather recess guidelines below. It is important that students come to school with the proper clothing to stay warm and safe. Students without proper clothing for the weather will need to have indoor recess.
'Feels Like' Temperature Guidelines
58 or above - students may choose what they wear
50-57 - sweatshirt, jacket, long sleeves with upper temperatures
40-49 - coat, legs covered (sweatshirts & lighter jackets not accepted)
32-39 - coat, gloves, hat or hood, legs covered
21-31 - coat, gloves, hat, legs covered, recess limited to 15 minutes max
20 or below - indoor recess
*Snow boots are required to walk/run in the snow, snow pants are required to play in the snow
An additional reminder that we make every effort to get students outside weather permitting. If you are in need of coats, hats, or gloves, please contact us at Crestridge. We are happy to help!