BOWMAN WOODS BULLETIN · 2019-02-04 · BOWMAN WOODS BULLETIN February 2019 Dear Parents, What a wild weather ride we experienced the past couple of weeks! We certainly missed your

BOWMAN WOODS BULLETIN

February 2019 Dear Parents, What a wild weather ride we experienced the past couple of weeks! We certainly missed your children on our inclement weather days. We were very sad to postpone the Sock Hop, but it has been rescheduled for Friday, March 8, from 6:00-7:30. This is a night of fun for the whole family. Your child must be accompanied by a parent who stays on site that evening. We set up chairs in the gym for parents who want to have a front row seat for the dancing or parents can take a break in our cafeteria. Parents are always welcome to show off their Twisting, Jitterbug, Mashed Potato, or other dance skills! Thank you to the many families who have already signed up to share about a special country or culture at our second annual Country and Culture Fair. Please see page nine of this newsletter for more information. That wonderful family night is coming up on Friday, February 22, from 6:00-7:30. These family nights are always offered to our families at no charge. Thank you to our PTO for organizing these evenings of learning and fun. Parents, our Reach Out project this month is writing letters to residents in nursing homes. There are some residents who never receive mail and we want to brighten their days during this month of kindness and friendship. Some letters will be written in school, but you are welcome to write additional letters at home and send them to school to be included in our disbursement. Our students have earned over 40,000 ROAR slips this year. We will celebrate this Friday with a dance party and premiere of our staff video for this year. This assembly will be combined with our “kick-off to kindness week” taking place next week. We are extremely proud of the kindness our students demonstrate regularly. Thank you for taking time to peruse this newsletter. There are many helpful and informational articles regarding upcoming events including the sign-up process for our spring conferences. As usual, we thank you for your partnership. Sincerely, Tina March

Capture Your Memories in this Year’s

Bowman Woods Elementary School Yearbook! Order your yearbook now to keep all those memories from the

2018 – 2019 school year.

To Order go to www.treering.com/validate

Enter our school’s passcode: 21014576276104991

Cost = $17.85 Order deadline is April 12th

MISSING ITEMS at

HOME? Check

Lost/Found!!!!

February News from Mrs. Wiley

Kindness Week is coming. The week of Feb. 11-15

we will be celebrating Kindness Week at Bowman Woods. This

is something that we have done for the past two years.

Throughout the week, students will participate in kindness lessons

and activities as well as trying to complete their Kindness Checklists,

where they have to do 25 random acts of kindness.

Conferences are

coming!!

Watch for important

instructions to come home

with your student(s) so that

you can sign up for your

parent/teacher conference.

Conferences are the week of

March 4th.

Common night conferences

are March 5th and 7th

.

Orchestra News…… The 5th Grade Orchestra students have been working very hard on new notes and

rhythms in preparation for the Winter Orchestra Concert on Tuesday, February

5th. Students will be meeting in the High School Auditorium for the Dress Rehearsal

before school that morning from 7:40 – 8:10 a.m. Parents, please drop your child

off on the north side of the building (door #3) by 7:30 a.m. to allow students

enough time to unpack and find their seat on stage. A bus will provide

transportation back to school following our rehearsal together. The concert begins

that evening at 7:15 p.m. All are welcome to attend and support our 5th Grade

Orchestra!!

Upcoming Orchestra Events…

· Tuesday, May 7th – 5th Grade Orchestra Spring Concert at Oak Ridge Middle

School

Kelly Vieth

Associate Director of Orchestras

Bowman Woods ~ Indian Creek ~ Linn Grove

Novak ~ Wilkins ~ Excelsior

Office: (319) 447-3219

Notes from Music—Mrs. Dunnick

5th GRADE CONCERT: On Thursday, February 28th at 6:30 p.m. 5th graders will be

present the first “decade’s concert’ with their concert called, “This is the 80’s!” We will

be celebrating the music, history, fashion, and popular culture of the 80’s through this

informational and musical concert.

ORCHESTRA IOWA PERFORMERS: Linn-Mar Elementary schools are very fortunate

to receive performances from band and orchestra members of Orchestra Iowa. The 2nd

graders will hear a string quartet, the 3rd grade will hear a woodwind quintet, and the

4th graders will see a brass quintet.

CONFERENCE SIGN UP

Parent On-line Conference sign up opens on Thursday, February

21, at 7:00 a.m. and closes on February 28 at 10:00 p.m.

February PTO NEWS

Mark your calendars Tuesday, Feb 12, 6:30 – 7:30 PM: PTO Meeting

Every Bowman Woods parent is a member of the PTO. Attend the monthly meetings to stay informed of how fundraising dollars are spent, hear building/district updates from Mrs. March, brainstorm improvement ideas and voice questions/concerns. Meetings are held in the media center. Free childcare is provided.

Friday, Feb 22, 6:00 – 7:30 PM: Free Family Event – Country & Culture Fair

Learn about other countries and cultures at this fun event for Bowman Woods students and their families. Visit booths representing international destinations, view traditional costumes and art, snack on food provided by PTO and enjoy live performances.

Keep up with School Happenings Like us on Facebook (Bowman Woods PTO) to see upcoming events and dates for PTO meetings. Website: www.BowmanWoodsPTO.com Email: [email protected]

2018-19 Bowman Woods Invention Conventions Winners

Congratulations to the following fourth graders: Benita Anyanwu, Halen Holt, Kaden

Witzenburg, Abby Rubin, Elliott Krueger and Sophia Minard.

All of the projects were fantastic!

Congratulations to Elliott Krueger and Benita Anyanwu who were the top finishers

and will be representing Bowman Woods at the State Invention Convention.

January BW Volunteers

Lunchroom Helpers – Danean Kirchner, Christine Lehman-Engledow

Volunteer Workshop – Ro Delaney, Elizabeth Strimple, Ruth Schroeder, Melinda

Crow, Mary Hutton, Kathy Sharp, Donna Bean, Deborah Ryon, Stephanie Kathmann, Kathy Peterson, Kari Ross.

Second Grade Field Trip volunteers - Rachael Bonefas, Dawn Ovel, Ruth

Schroeder, Becky Bolsinger, Beth Mills, Brianna Riedel, Tom Moran, Milagros Gonzalez, Christine Lehman-Engledow.

Box Tops/HyVee Receipts – Ruth Schroeder, Erin Wittkoski, Jenna Holmes,

Shawna Clemente, Elizabeth Strimple, Melinda Crow, Madhavi Mungala.

Just a reminder on Inclement Weather….

If severe weather, including fog, forces a late arrival, early dismissal, or cancellation

of school for the entire day, announcements will be made on:

District Facebook page as status update (“like” Linn-Mar Community Schools on Facebook)

Txtwire – click on LM Emergency Notifications at the bottom of the LM webpage to register

TV Stations: KCRG, KFXA, KGAN, KWWL Radio Stations: KCCK, KHAK, KKRQ, KMRY, KZIA, WMT

Unless you see an announcement, assume school is running as usual.

If we have a late arrival: - Watch for our sign out front!

School will start at 10:30a.m.

All before school activities are cancelled

ATTENTION – FIFTH GRADE PARENTS! Each year, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is given to all 5th graders in the district. The CogAT is a standardized test, but is quite different from NWEA, Fastbridge Assessments and Iowa Statewide Assessments of Student Progress. The CogAT measures students’ learned reasoning and problem-solving abilities in the tree areas most linked to success in school—Verbal, Quantitative, and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The skills measured by the test show the cognitive processes that a child has developed to learn new things and solve problems. Experiences both in and out of school affect this skill development.

The CogAT consists of three separate tests: Verbal, Non-Verbal, and Quantitative. The test battery will be administered over three days during the week of February 19-22 for 45-50 minutes each day. The results of this test, in combination with NWEA and Iowa Assessment scores, are used in the identification process for the Middle School Talented and Gifted (TAG) program.

Please make sure your child is at school on time each day. It is important that students are well-rested and eat a healthy breakfast to help them do their best. If you have any questions about the test, please contact your school counselor or Brenda Bauermeister, Elementary TAG Coordinator, at [email protected].

MANE EVENT GALA – MARCH 1ST, 2019

MARCH 1ST, 2019 LINN-MAR MANE EVENT – CRUISING FOR LINN-MAR KIDS!

PURCHASE YOUR EARLY BIRD TICKETS BY FEBRUARY 15TH! TICKETS

AVAILABLE AFTER JANUARY 1ST, 2019 Set sail with us at the Linn-Mar Foundation’s Annual Mane Event, Cruising for Linn-Mar Kids!

This annual event is continuing with our new format from 2018. Guests will enjoy a longer

social time from 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m., and this is just the beginning of a grand evening.

Right out of the harbor, we begin with delicious, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, live

DJ music entertainment and a silent auction. As the night continues, you will be cruising to

participate in action-packed games, exciting live auction, casino fun, cash raffles, a wine

pull, mobile bidding and more!

Proceeds from the Mane Event directly benefit the Linn-Mar Community School District by

providing important K-12 classroom grants for our teachers, support for new curriculum

programs, funds enrichment opportunities including fine arts and field trips, literacy and

music education, emerging classroom technology and so much more for the students of

our district.

2019 EVENING SCHEDULE:

6:00 p.m. Our Linn-Mar Harbor opens, Hors d’oeuvres & Cash Bar, Silent Auction, Cruise

Ship Games and DJ!

Hors d’oeuvres available from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. only

8:00 p.m.

Presentation of the Dessert

Short Foundation Video & Words of Thanks

Heads & Tails

Live Auction

Cruising games & dancing will resume after Live Auction

9:30 p.m. Silent Auction mobile bidding ends – check out on your phone for a shorter

check out experience

10:00 p.m. Check Out Open to pick up items you have won

Attire: Break out your evening chic or maybe you want to go more nautical, beachy or

channel your favorite Love Boat character! What ever you choose, you will look simply

smashing we know it!

February Library News

Stories Alive Program We will be welcoming David LaRochelle, author, to Bowman Woods on the afternoon of

March 26. Kindergarteners through third graders will see him for a 45 minute presentation.

His visit is sponsored by Hills Bank and Trust and the Linn-Mar Foundation who partner

with the Linn-Mar Stories Alive program. A flier of his books on sale will be sent home and

here is the link to it as well. Books can be ordered through the Bowman Woods Library until

February 26.

We read How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans by David LaRochelle and then

created our own pictures of fruits and vegetables that were not happy about being eaten.

There is a great chance that many students were thinking of their own adventures with

unhappy produce!

Grant Wood AEA Resources A bookmark was sent home with an updated list of all the Grant Wood AEA resources for

you to use at home. There is a username and password on the bookmark that can be used to

get into all of the resources listed. Here is the website to access these:

https://www.gwaea.org/educators/online-resources

Usborne Book Fair is Coming in March! The library will host an Usborne Book Fair during the March 4-8. Family Conference nights

are March 5 and March 7, so stop by the library to look at books with your child on those

evenings until 7pm.

Redemption Warm your heart when you collect Hy-Vee receipts

and Box Tops for Bowman Woods Our Hot Chocolate contest runs through February 22nd. The grade with the marshmallows in their

mug wins a Hot Chocolate party! Earn 1 marshmallow for every 50 Box Tops or Hy-Vee receipts submitted.

Remember to keep an eye out for expiring Box Tops! Many Box Tops have an expiration date of March 1, so be sure to turn in any Box Tops with a date of

3/1/19 as soon as you can so they can be submitted in time.

Bowman Woods Volunteers--you are the heart of our

school! Thank you for all you do!!

Bowman Woods

Reaches Out

During the month of February, we are making cards for nursing

homes. Students will make cards in their homeroom classes

and they will be delivered.

Bowman Woods PTO Family Night - Country and Culture Fair

We are hosting our 2nd annual country and culture fair at Bowman Woods and are in need of booth hosts to represent a country (of their choice) and display its culture. E.g. A show and tell for the kids to explore. The event is on Feb 22, 6-7:30 PM. A booth host will be required to be in attendance during this time and will also need to set up any artifacts or posters etc they will want to present/ showcase. Additional volunteers will be there to help with set up and tear down. This is another wonderful opportunity to work on a project with your BW student at home and share with everyone at school! We are looking for representation from all continents. The below is guidance on hosting a booth. Please contact the PTO (or [email protected]) if you are interested in participating and hosting a booth at the fair.

Bowman Woods Country and Culture Fair Booth Guidance Sheet Each booth host will be provided with a 6-foot table. It is up to the host how creative they want to be and present the country they have chosen. The intent of the event is to showcase different cultures from around the world. When preparing your booth, please provide the following:

Display map of the country and point of any key cities or historic sites of relevance General knowledge information about the country:

its current population year of independence or formation of the country (as applicable) number of states or territories whether it has a monarch (UK/Thailand/Sweden etc). for example- the country of UAE has 7

emirates (they are not called states because each has its own ruler, aka “emir” or “sheikh”)

Here are other suggestions you may want to include in your booth:

A clock with the current time in the country Wear clothing from that country or display the clothing in your booth Display Games that are commonly played and other artifacts that represent, showcase the culture (please

ensure you bring artifacts that kid friendly, no sharp objects allowed) A calendar of holidays/festivals/celebrations and pictures of how these holidays are celebrated -

Weddings are another great example Pictures of food with explanations of what it contains, (please no actual food should be brought in for this

event) A boom box/speakers may be used to play the country’s (kid-friendly lyrics and soft tunes only) music in a

reasonable volume (not too loud to drown out another booth’s music) Instructions that are commonly used in the culture - if they are small enough, bring to display, or pictures/

photos An interactive quiz or game piece to reinforce what they saw: for example a matching game where kids

can draw a line from the name of the country to its flag, match a picture of a girl to that country’s girl clothing etc.

Hello and other friendly greetings written/ pronounced in the country’s language(s) How long does it take to travel to the capital city from Cedar Rapids, IA. for example: Cedar Rapids IA to

New Delhi, India takes about 18 hours (approx) by air and it is 7503 miles. Any famous/current affairs relevant information relating to that country can be highlighted. For example:

Korea can have pics/talk about the recent winter Olympics held there. Sweden booth can have a set-up about it being the home of the “Nobel Foundation” - The Nobel Peace Prize etc.

Laptops can be brought in to show videos of cultural dances, or other kid friendly videos. Activities that kids can take part in that showcase the culture (e.g. Henna design is very famous in India,

Pakistan and Bangladesh)

WONDERING WHAT IS GOING ON

IN THE DISTRICT???

LOG ONTO THE URL ADDRESS:

http://www.linnmar.k12.ia.us/

This address will direct you to the DISTRICT Full Event Calendar. Filter

“Bowman Woods” if you just want to see what is happening at OUR GREAT

SCHOOL!

EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS ___________________ _ The Linn-Mar Community School District offers programs for three, four and five year old children. The number of sections, the location sites, and daily

schedules for these programs will be determined by the district after schools have collected the data needed for making these decisions.

Online registration will be held Wednesday February 20th, 2019 at noon. Registration and preschool information can be located at

http://tinyurl.com/EarlyChildhoodLM . Computers will be available at the LRC building at 2999 North 10th Street in Marion for those

needing assistance for registering their three or four year old children.

Priority enrollment will be given to families that live in the Linn-Mar School District and 20% of the enrollment for the four year old placements will be reserved for families that qualify as low-income.

Children age 5 on or by September 15, 2019, may be served in one of two program models:

Screening dates are February 26, 2019 and March 4, 2019. If you plan on having your child screened, please contact

Dianne Van Praag at 447-3015 to set up an appointment.

Even if you are having your child screened, please plan on attending the Kindergarten Information Night at your

neighborhood school.

For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/EarlyChildhoodLM

E A R L Y C H I L D H O O D P R O G R A M S

Preschool for Three Year Olds

Age 3 on or by September 15, 2019

$200 Monthly tuition

Half day, Four days a week

Preschool for Four Year Olds

Age 4 on or by September 15, 2019

No cost due to Linn-Mar being a part of the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program

Half day, Four days a week

Kindergarten

Kindergarten Information Night is January 29th. Please contact your neighborhood school on the time.

Early Childhood Blended Program

If you are unsure if your child is ready for kindergarten, Linn-Mar’s Early Childhood Blended Program may be an option. This program is an all-day program for children that qualify through a screening process.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1(4)

Early Birds AM

4(5)

5(6)

Orch. AM

Orchestra Concert

HS- 7:15pm

Kindergarten Parent

Meeting – 6 pm

6(7)

Early Birds

AM

7(8) Band AM

Orch PM

5th Gr Band

Concert – 6:15

HS

8(1)

Early Birds AM

11(2) 12(3) 13(4) 14(5) 15(6)

Kindness Week

Orch. AM

Vol Workshop

8:45am

PTO Meeting @ 6:30

Early Birds

AM

Band AM Friendship Parties

-2:30

Orch PM

18 19(7) 20(8) 21(1) 22(2)

NO SCHOOL

Orch AM

Early Birds

AM

Band AM

Early Birds AM

BW Night

Urban Pie 4-9

Online

Preschool

Registration

Begins @ noon

Parent Online Conference Sign

Up Opens At 7 am

Orch PM

PTO Culture Fair 6-7:30

25(3)

3rd-5Th Hearing

Screeing

26(4)

Orch AM

27(5)

Early Birds

AM

28(6)

Band AM

Orch PM

Parent Online Conf. Sign Up

Closes At 10 pm

5th gr. Concert @

6:30 pm