I am still tapping my toes. The Christmas Program was wonderful and the Sixth Grade students demonstrated how much they have learned in choir and band. I am fortunate as I had the opportunity to see the programs more than once.

The Student Council felt it was important to demonstrate concern for others. They organized the "Penny Wars" to raise money for the Food Bank. They were able to raise $2,330 to feed needy families. Their community service is impressive.

It appears we will have a white Christmas. I hope you and your family have a wonderful break and come back on January 5th rested and ready to delve into the second half of the year.

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays

Despite the fact that the holidays are right around the corner, the students are working hard. The fourth, fifth and sixth grades took the State’s Direct Write or Direct Math Assessment depending on their grade level. Both assessments require that students demonstrate their prowess in either writing or math. We are confident that they did very well. I know the students and teachers have been working hard this fall and I believe the results will prove this!!

We are very excited about the Penny War. It was a fun way to raise funds for the Idaho Food Bank. The school raised an amazing $2,234! These funds will help to feed families in the area over the holiday season- a worthy cause.

Our Christmas Programs are coming up. They are always well attended and we hope you will pay close attention to the time assigned to your family as it can become quite crowded and we would like to give everyone the best viewing opportunity possible. If you have a 6th grader, don’t forget to check the calendar for the choir and band performances. We have an exciting couple of weeks left before break!

Have a safe and relaxing holiday!

Second Six Weeks

Look for the second six weeks report card to come home on Friday, Nov. 21st. For those of you who are interested, Kindergarten report cards are available online this grading period. It is an opportunity to sit down with your child and discuss progress toward the goals they have set. It also provides a chance to talk about responsibility, and how you can help to support your child. We are always available to address any concerns you may have and look forward to providing you with resources to extend learning beyond the classroom walls.

Tears for Joy presented a terrific performance that appealed to all grade levels. They asked the students to concentrate on the puppets and ignore the puppeteers, and it was amazing how they were drawn into the moment and the characters came alive for the children.

This week we have awards assemblies. We will be acknowledging perfect attendance, reading accomplishments and positive social skills. You are always welcome to attend these awards assemblies that provide us with the opportunity to positively reinforce skills that contribute to academic and social growth.

During this time of the year we are concentrating even more on the needs of others- whether they are members of our school or our community. We are collecting clean and gently used coats for needy families. We are also contributing to the food bank. There is a significant need in our community. Please watch for notices from our student council regarding these two initiatives.

Heart Attack

We have had an exciting week. My excitement started as I entered my room and found that I had been “Heart Attacked”. The students cut out hearts and wrote messages for me for Boss’s Day. The room was covered in red and full of interesting notes. I am carefully reading each, wonderful message and taking down just a few a day. I may be done by the end of the year! Students are terrific!

The upper grades had the opportunity to hear from a visiting author who expressed the importance of both reading and writing. We are always encouraging our authors. We hope to have one of our own standing in front of the group some day.

The students are developing habits necessary to be responsible. We teach the three “R”s in school, but responsibility should be added as a fourth “R” since responsible students grow up to be responsible adults. There are many things that contribute to responsibility, and some habits that promote it can be encouraged.

The first habit would be to set goals. Goals keep students focused on the future. That is the reason they form the foundation of responsible behavior- and success in school. All of our students set goals in their classrooms. You can help them to set goals. Talk to your child about how much improvement he or she would like to see in a particular subject or perhaps what two things your child would like to accomplish this school year. Then discuss what will be needed to meet the goals.

Goals help students focus on what’s important. If they have a vision of where they want to go they are more likely to accomplish it. Ask you child what goals have been set at school this year and join as a part of the team to support your child.

A Focus on Learning

This week illustrates the priority Ellis gives to developing the skills and knowledge every child needs, and providing the support necessary to achieve those goals. Parent/ Teacher Conferences help us to partner with parents as we identify the strengths and areas where students struggle. With your help, we can ensure that students maximize learning in a caring environment. Students set individual goals, helping them to recognize their responsibility in the educational process. I want to personally thank all of you who took the time to attend the conferences. We recognize how important you are in the educational process.

We took time to honor students in grades K-3 this week in the areas of reading and attendance. Students are forging forward and improving their reading skills that help them in all areas of their education. Attendance is critical to the educational process since when a child is absent they miss a great deal.

The PTA did a wonderful job at the Book Fair. I found many books to add to my library. Curious George is one of my favorites!

Have a terrific weekend.

Fabulous Fall

This fall has been fabulous in many ways including the weather we have been experiencing for the last week. The fourth grade has had an incredible week with the opportunity to visit Swore Farm. They explored environmental issues including the need to preserve our water supply. Take a look at the KPVI website to see some of our students!
Congratulations to Mrs. VanEvery's class as they had the highest attendance (99%) for the month of September, and they will receive lunch (a healthy version) from McDonalds! Next month we start fresh and all classrooms will have the opportunity to win. Attendance is important as it promotes the development of educational skills, and we miss the students when they are not here.
I would like to thank the many volunteers who help to make our school a better place. Your involvement is important and contributes to the warm and caring environment at Ellis. We recognize how all parents help to support the educational growth of students and look forward to seeing all of you at Parent-Teacher Conferences next week.

Building Knowledge

Writing is not only an important communication skill, but it helps to create better readers as well. Last week Ellis welcomed a nationally recognized writing expert who worked with teachers and students. She emphasizes the use of relevant topics and a process that continually improves the final written product. I hope you will have a few extra minutes as you stop by school next time to take a look at all of the wonderful creative stories lining our halls and classroom bulletin boards.

Next week we will also spend time improving as a faculty. There is no school on Thursday or Friday as we strive to improve our skills and knowledge to help provide a challenging and nurturing environment for all students.

I am particularly excited about our fifth grade Lego Robotics program that meets after school. This program helps students think critically and develops mathematical concepts in a manner that engages all students.

I don’t think we could ask for better weather! Have a great weekend.

Beginning Happenings

We have had a terrific couple of weeks! It was wonderful seeing all of you at Back to School Night and what fun it was meeting so many of our Grandparents on Grandparents' Day. I know that many of you have joined our Grandparents' Club. Our upper grades have had a musical start with the "Strings Demonstration" and the visit of some of our Sixth Grade students to Highland High School to hear band instruments.
We also put into place safety measures to ensure that we provide the best possible environment and precautions for a variety of situations. We conducted a fire drill and a lockdown drill. It is important to be prepared for those situations that we hope will never happen.
Enjoy the wonderful weather this weekend as cooler weather is right around the corner!

Feeling at Home

The students have settled in beautifully this first full week of school. They have the routines under their belts, including how to respond in a fire. As you walk the halls you notice that the students are engaged in learning and working hard. It is going to be a great year!
Back to School Night was well attended, and we appreciate the opportunity to talk to you about the upcoming year. The PTA did a great job of providing popcorn and ice cream for students. They could certainly use your help in a variety of ways this year so if you have the time, please contact Teresa Daigle and they will put you to work!
I want to thank those of you who signed up for email notices. They should start in the next couple of weeks. We need a little time to get the addresses entered into the system and we will provide you with notices via email. This helps the school, the environment and you as it will get messages to you in a timely manner.
I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Off and Running!

It has been an exciting first week. We were all looking forward to having the students back and they made the classrooms and halls come alive as we started a new school year. We have many new faces in the school this year and our seasoned students reacted as we thought they would by welcoming them to the Ellis Family. We look forward to seeing more of you next week at the Orientation/ Back to School Night. Please watch for the notice coming home to remind you.
Some of you are signing up for online messages. It does make our school a little "greener" and helps to ensure that you get messages that are located at the bottom of a book bag or dropped along the way home.
As we get going we would also like to remind you about how important attendance
is! It has a significant impact on student achievement and even being a few minutes late may make the difference as to how a student understands a lesson. You can help to make the day better by having your child to school regularly and on time.
We have some exciting projects we are working on this year. The Fifth and Sixth Grade are looking at implementing a Robotics program providing we can come up with the funds. It is extracurricular and business usually helps to support it. The students are involved in problem solving and math related concepts while collaborating as a team. If you know of a business that would be interested in helping, please contact us.
New technology has been placed in some of our classrooms. This technology allows for creative and innovative ways to provide instruction and to involve students in the learning process. Come in and take a look at it.
All of the teachers are hard at work maximizing learning for all students. If you have time to volunteer we would love to have you in the school.
See you on Thursday night at the Back to School event.

Welcome to a New School Year!

It is with great pleasure that we welcome parents and students to the 2008-2009 school year! We have an exciting year ahead full of learning, challenges and fun.

First, we would like to celebrate the fact that students and teachers set goals last year, worked hard and maximized their learning. This is demonstrated in the overall percentage of students who scored proficient in math (93.5%), reading (89.8%), and language (81.2%) on the Idaho State Achievement Test. As a result, the school met Adequate Yearly Progress for the sixth year in a row. We recognize that parents are an important part of this effort and look forward to working together again this year.

We will see some change this year. We have some new faces on the staff and are very excited about their addition to the Ellis Team. The first grade team welcomes Ms. Henson, and the second grade has two teachers new to the school, Ms. Magnuson and Mrs. Zohner. Familiar faces popped up in third grade. Mrs. Graham is partnering with Mrs. Shore, and Mrs. Reese graduated from first and moved to third. The fifth grade group is enhanced by the addition of Mr. Hall and sixth grade is excited to have Mrs. Orr on board. If her name sounds familiar, it may be because her husband was the DARE officer at Ellis a couple of years ago. In our resource room we have Mrs. Churba who we are looking forward to working with the K-3 students. In addition, we have a terrific psychologist, Mrs. Sears, who is new to the district. In the area of curriculum, the School District has adopted a new math series (K-5) and we will continue to implement the new social skills program. Check the webpage for updates on this.

Registration will be on August 7th . Parent Orientation on August 28th will allow parents to review the program for the year. This evening provides us with the opportunity to let you know what will be happening this year and to hear from you and set any appointments you may want to schedule.

We value your participation in the educational process. We are always looking for volunteers and have a wide variety of opportunities available including activities that may be done at home as we realize there are some who are committed during the day. Please contact us with suggestions or any questions you may have. Our doors are always open.

Great Endings!

It seems like yesterday that all of the children came to school for the first day. This year has been a productive whirl wind and this week was no exception. We held our awards assembly and recognized those with 100% attendance, citizenship, Lion's Club Essay winners, and many other accomplishments. It was a great opportunity to show how much we respect and honor the the students' hard work. They are all winners in my book. I am honored to work at Ellis with such a terrific group of students.

The rain held off long enough for us to have our Field Day between showers on Tuesday while the Fifth Grade braved the elements and went on their bike ride. We were introduced to a great deal of talent during the grade level talent shows- it is amazing what you can do with a hula hoop!

Mayor England was the speaker at the Sixth Grade Graduation. He wisely told them this was a beginning, not an end, and they need to plan for their future. The Bringhursts created a wonderful show that was enjoyed by everyone. The students will be missed, but we know they are well prepared for Middle School. As the summer passes we hope that the students will all visit the library as they have wonderful programs that will ensure that future sixth grade students are also prepared for the future.

Have a relaxing and enjoyable summer! We will see you in the fall.

Celebrating Accomplishments

If you walked through the halls of Ellis this week, you found events taking place every where. We have been celebrating the hard work and accomplishments of the students. The Kindergarten classes held their graduation ceremonies. Their singing was wonderful, and smiles stretched from ear to ear. They are ready for first grade!

Students in the Sixth Grade held an International Fair. They learned a great deal about the country they chose, and then were able to share that information with students, parents and teachers. The Sixth Grade also tested their physical abilities as they went rock climbing.
Two plays entertained and informed parents and visitors to the Fifth Grade, and Mrs. Shore/ Naylor's Third Grade. The Fifth Grade presented Sh' We're Writing the Constitution. It was full of historical information and the students were dressed for the part. The Third Grade performed a play about the Rain Forest and parents heard about the issues surrounding the preservation of this important resource.

It was wonderful to see so many parents at our Breakfast Buddies. After enjoying breakfast with their student parents picked up information that will help children keep academically active over the summer and prepare to come to school in the fall.

I hope you will all have a fun and relaxing weekend as we have plenty ahead next week!

An Eventful Week

It has been very busy at Ellis this week. Students in the fifth and sixth grade had the pleasure of hearing the Hawthorne Middle School Choir, while our own sixth grade choir and band presented to some of the fourth and fifth grade classes. They did an outstanding job.

The fourth grade students experienced some of the activities during their Rendezvous that would have been essential to survive in the wild west. They made bread, candles and on the lighter side, dolls. The Kindergarten class visited the Fire Station while the first grade class went skating.

Next week is just as action packed so check your calendars so you don't miss a thing. I also had the honor of attending the Volunteer Reception at the District Office where I had the pleasure of seeing some of our volunteers. We certainly appreciate all the volunteers do. They are an integral part of our school.

The weather forecast indicates we are to have a beautiful weekend. Enjoy it!

Congratulations DARE Graduates!

This week we had our DARE Graduation for sixth graders. It is one of the first signs that we are truly near the end of the year. We are very proud of how hard they all worked to develop skills they will need for the rest of their lives. We want to thank Officer Hall and the Chubbuck Police Department for supporting the students in this effort!

It was also a week to recognize teachers. The PTA helped to recognize the work they have done all year to support and maximize learning for all students. Students even recognized teachers as Mrs. Graham's efforts were highlighted in the news by one of her students. I know how much I appreciate the teachers' and paraprofessionals' dedication and the time they devote to creating a school that engages students in learning in an inviting environment.

I am sure you all heard about our Jump Rope Assembly on Friday. This assembly helps to promote exercise and positive interactions among students. Have fun jumping this weekend!

Volunteer Appreciation

This past week was volunteer appreciation week and we had many people to thank. You may have seen many parents and grandparents with flowers. This was a way for us to recognize the many things that volunteers do to help make our school a better place. We sincerely appreciate all they do.
The snow took us by surprise, and resulted in postponing the sixth grade Olympic Games. They were however able to have traditional Greek bread, and Channel 6 came in to Mrs. Kress' room to talk about the weather and how weather predictions are developed. The class was also recorded as they gave the answers to the "Brainstorm" questions of the week. I hope you were able to catch them on the news!
We do have some changes taking place in the staff this year. We regretfully say goodbye to Mrs. Jorgensen and Mrs. Hansen as they retire after many years of service to Ellis. Mrs. Reece will move to third grade in Mrs. Hansen's place, and filling Mrs. Reece's position will be Mrs. Hensen, who has worked with us in the past as an ISU student. Mrs. Naylor is moving closer to her family on the east coast and her position will be filled by Mrs. Graham who wants more time to devote to teaching the piano. Mrs. Naylor will be missed! As Mrs. Graham's position opens, it is to be filled with a terrific teacher from Grace Lutheran, Mrs. Magnuson. In our second grade we will also welcome back Mrs. Holguin who has been on sabbatical for a year. We also have a new paraprofessional, Mrs. Christiansen who will be working with Mrs. Griggs to service the lower grades. Finally, as we sadly say goodbye to Mrs. Jorgensen, her position will be filled by Mr. Hall who has been working at the school this year and we are excited to have him on the team. We are fortunate to have such a capable and enthusiastic staff! It will be a great year next year!
Have a terrific weekend!

Arbor Day

We were worried about the weather on Friday as the fourth grade was invited to an Arbor Day presentation with the Mayor. The weather was fine and we even had a little sun!! I am looking forward to some of that sunshine this weekend. The students were informed about the basics of planting a tree so if you need help they will be prepared.
ISATs are continuing and I am proud of the effort the students are putting forth. I have seen them working hard to show us what they have learned this year.
Parents have brought a concern to my attention. They are worried about the center lane in the parking circle. That lane is only for cars traveling through or on their way out. Please do not stop in that center lane as it blocks traffic and it is dangerous for students to cross in front of cars to get in. Safety is a top priority. If necessary, please park on the far side of the street and walk over at the crosswalk to pick up your child. We want to make sure no one is hurt.
Have a terrific weekend!

Spring is Coming!

Even though the weather does not indicate that spring is coming, there are other signs. Last week was an exciting one. Field trips are underway. The fourth grade went to the museum at Montpelier and had a wonderful experience that enhanced their study of Idaho History. Grades K-3 attended an entertaining, interactive fairy tale performance by Highland High School students.

Testing has started and we are very excited about the unofficial ISAT results. Students are trying their best and working hard to show the gains they have made this year. The staff is forming the cheer leading team, and the students efforts are obvious. Thank you for all you do!



We want to thank the PTA for all of the things they have done for students this year. Jill Eagan, Melissa Nelson, Amy Godfrey and Susan Bringhurst have helped us to have a successful year. They have spent a great deal of time to help the school and I know how much we appreciate their efforts. The new board will start in June and we would like to welcome Teresa Daigle (President), Michelle Figeroa (Vice President), Jen Elizarrara (Secretary) and Jennifer Mount (Treasurer). We look forward to working with all parents next year.

It's hard to believe we are talking about next year! Time flies when you are having fun.

It appears that spring may at last be coming! The sunshine is teasing us a little this week as we head into the last six weeks of school. How time flies!

This time of year means that we have testing right around the corner. We are in some ways looking forward to the results of ISAT testing which starts next week and the IRI testing which starts on May 1st. We are confident that the students will perform well as both the students and the teachers have worked very hard this year to maximize their learning. It will provide us not only with an indication of student growth during the year, but we will also use it to improve our instruction as we move forward.

We thank you all for your support and efforts this year as you have encouraged the educational process.

Look carefully at the school calendar as we have many end of the year events coming up. We look forward to seeing you in the next few weeks.

Reading Night

Last night we had a terrific turnout for our book exchange night. We had more than 225 participants who exchanged books, read, and of course enjoyed refreshments. The evening proved to be a wonderful way to get new books into the hands of all students who attended just before Spring Break. I want to thank Mrs. Reece, Mrs, Reynolds, Mrs Allen and Mrs. Thurman who worked to make it happen. Have fun reading during the vacation! I know I will.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent conferences are going well. We appreciate the many parents who come in and join with us to help provide the best possible education for students at Ellis. Many of the conferences are student led, allowing the students to reflect on progress toward their goals. We hope that you realize how much we value your input into the educational process at any time, and feel comfortable coming in and sharing with the staff. If you have been unable to attend, just give us a call and we will be happy to schedule another time or set up a phone conference. Drop in, spend time and be involved. You are an important part of the process!