COMING SOON:
OCTOBER
4: International Walk to School Day8-14: Fire Prevention Week
11: Cancer Awareness Day! Wear a color to support any cancer awareness that is important to you!
19: Family Event! 6:00- 7:00 PM
23: Teaming up against drugs is no sweat! Wear your favorite sweats/sports team apparel.
24: My Future is bright drug free! Wear bright / neon colors.
24: PAC Meeting at 6:00 PM
25: Red Day! Be united against drugs! Dress yourself out in RED apparel.
26/27: NO SCHOOL
NOVEMBER
1: Picture Retake Day14/16: P-T-S Conferences/Book Fair 4:00-7:30 PM
17: P-T-S Conferences/Book Fair 12:30-4:00 PM
20: PAC Meeting at 6:00 PM
22-24: NO SCHOOL
Knapp's Notes
Happy October Quinney Families;We have had a great first month of school! Our "Journey to Excellence" began as we welcomed our returning students, including 93 new 2nd students, and many other students new to Electa Quinney. As always, I am super proud of our teachers and support staff and the outstanding job they did preparing for the start of a new year with the various building upgrades taking place.
Thank you, parents and families, for all of your support during the first month of school. The dedicated staff at Quinney are eager to help your children experience a successful school year of learning. We value collaboration and welcome your questions, comments, and ideas as we look to continually improve and evolve with the community and world around us.
I want to mention our upcoming Family Event on Thursday, Oct. 19th. It is a wonderful evening with lots of fun activities and is free. I look forward to seeing you at this and other upcoming school events. Watch each newsletter and our school website for a list/calendar of Upcoming Events.
What Went Well Wednesday
How are your conversations at home about school going? What Went Well Wednesday is Electa Quinney's effort to help our families experience rich conversations about school and continue to encourage a growth mindset for our students.
With many of us as parents as well, we realize the impacts daily schedules and activities have on our children, parents, and families as a whole. We know that "research...reveals...: that parents, of all backgrounds, don’t need to buy expensive educational toys or digital devices for their kids in order to give them an edge. They don’t need to chauffeur their offspring to enrichment classes or test-prep courses. What they need to do with their children is much simpler: talk." We know that our parents want to be involved in their child’s development and schooling; and, we know that a positive attitude and a growth mindset help students be successful.
We hope having no homework on Wednesday's other than to reflect and discuss what has gone well at school has brought a positive light to your conversations at home and what students are sharing about school.
With many of us as parents as well, we realize the impacts daily schedules and activities have on our children, parents, and families as a whole. We know that "research...reveals...: that parents, of all backgrounds, don’t need to buy expensive educational toys or digital devices for their kids in order to give them an edge. They don’t need to chauffeur their offspring to enrichment classes or test-prep courses. What they need to do with their children is much simpler: talk." We know that our parents want to be involved in their child’s development and schooling; and, we know that a positive attitude and a growth mindset help students be successful.
We hope having no homework on Wednesday's other than to reflect and discuss what has gone well at school has brought a positive light to your conversations at home and what students are sharing about school.
International Walk to School Day
A big thanks go out to all students who laced up their tennis shoes and walked to/at school on Wednesday, October 4. It was a beautiful day to celebrate International Walk to School Day, which gives us the opportunity to create a safe means for students to walk to school with teachers/staff from area parks, or the opportunity to walk during recess.
Fire Prevention Week
This year, Fire Prevention Week is October 8-14. The Kaukauna Fire Department uses the entire month to work with classroom teachers with instruction. This year’s theme is “Every Second Counts, Plan 2 Ways Out”. Each grade level will have the opportunity to have a visit in the classroom.
Background Checks Timeline
Background checks which are older than 6 years old were removed from Infinite Campus this summer. These volunteers will need to complete another background check form to be considered for volunteering again. The process takes a minimum of two weeks, so if you are interested in chaperoning, check early!
Guidelines for Picking Up Afterschool
If your child is picked up after school, they will be waiting near the picnic tables on the playground near the corner of the school where there will be supervision until 3:20 PM. In the event that you are late, for the safety of your child, the supervisor will bring them into the office so that you can be contacted.
Leaving for Appointments & Phone Calls During the Day
Your phone calls are important to us! When calling during the school day, please be aware that you may be transferred to the staff member's voicemail if it is during instructional time. We work hard to avoid interrupting instructional time if at all possible. If an immediate message is needed, please let the office staff know and that message will be delivered via note/in person to the staff member.
Thank you for understanding!
PAC News
The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) had a successful first meeting of the year. We would like to thank everyone that took time to attend the meeting. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 24 at 6:00 PM. One of our objectives for the evening will be further discussing fundraiser ideas including a second possible year of the Color Run fundraiser. We have several PAC Chairperson/Board members positions that are still open. We hope you will consider nominating yourself or a friend for a PAC leadership position for the 2017-18 school year.
The PAC is a dynamic organization that makes a big difference in Electa Quinney and our school community/family. Some of the recent items that the PAC has assisted in funding for the students' benefit include alternative seating options for classrooms and amplification systems for classrooms. We know that children process and filter sound less effectively than adults do and are more likely to be “overloaded”. Amplification systems compensate for this and have been shown to improve student attentiveness, improve student comprehension, improve student behavior, decrease Special Education referral rates, and improve academic scores including higher reading and math scores. All of these items are of great benefit to our classrooms and students. THANK YOU EQ PAC!!!
The success of our school and organization depends on parents. So, here is another great opportunity to help your children, their teachers, and our school.
The PAC is a dynamic organization that makes a big difference in Electa Quinney and our school community/family. Some of the recent items that the PAC has assisted in funding for the students' benefit include alternative seating options for classrooms and amplification systems for classrooms. We know that children process and filter sound less effectively than adults do and are more likely to be “overloaded”. Amplification systems compensate for this and have been shown to improve student attentiveness, improve student comprehension, improve student behavior, decrease Special Education referral rates, and improve academic scores including higher reading and math scores. All of these items are of great benefit to our classrooms and students. THANK YOU EQ PAC!!!
The success of our school and organization depends on parents. So, here is another great opportunity to help your children, their teachers, and our school.
Red Ribbon Week - Oct. 23-26
News from the School Nurse
Is my child too sick to go to school? Often parents have a hard time deciding if their child is well enough to go to school. Ask yourself the following question: Is my child feeling up to participating in regular school activities; including recess? Having a sore throat, cough, or mild congestion does not necessarily mean a child can't be active and participate in school activities, however, if they are lethargic, clingy, complaining of pain or just not acting like themselves perhaps a sick day is in order.
Of course, never send a child to school who has a fever (even when their temperature is normal with fever-reducing medicine), is nauseated, vomiting, or has diarrhea. If your child is experiencing any one of these symptoms they need to stay home for 24 hours after the symptoms subside.
If you do bring your child into the doctor, remember to get a doctor's excuse for school so your child's attendance can be coded as a medical excuse. Thank you in advance for helping all students and staff stay healthy.
4th Grade Students & Parents - 5th grade BAND
Next year when you are in 5th grade, you will be able to participate in our district's band program so we want to make you aware of a change in our beginning band recruitment process. Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, students who are interested in being part of the percussion section will be expected to have at least 1 year of piano lessons. If you need information about local piano instructors or have questions about the band program, please feel free to contact Julia Langenhuizen (5th & 6th Grade Band Instructor) at River View Middle School (766-6111 x4183 or langenhuizenj@kaukaunasd.org).
Fourth graders learned the monochromatic colors as they painted tints, tones, and shades of one or more colors to the background of their square. A mandala (circle design of geometric shapes) was drawn with Sharpies on white or colored paper and cut and glued to their mandala.
Community Events and Activity Flyers
There are a great many worthy undertakings in the Kaukauna Area School District that understandably deserve public support. The Board of Education/School District assist with this process in providing notice to students and/or families of certain non-school-related community activities/programs that are for public school-age students (that apply and meet policy conditions). Click here or visit the school district website to view the up to date list of events and flyers.Art News with Mrs. Siegel
Welcome to the new school year! This year all students receive art for an hour in the Day 1-6 schedule. Students created a “dot” that was formed into a fish for International Dot Day! Students then created a square project for the annual “Square1Art” fundraiser that benefits NDLC. The art projects will be sent to the Square1Art company and will be returned with an order form around mid-November. Any products ordered that are printed with your child’s artwork will be shipped early December and ready for holiday gift-giving. More information will be coming.
SQUARE1ART THEMES:
Second and third graders used colored tissue squares and water to “stain” the background of their square. A detailed drawing of a flower was drawn on white paper with Sharpies, and cut, and glued to the colored background.
All students worked on following directions and on their fine motor skills.
Library News from Mrs. Wolf
Second Grade: Second graders have been discussing good library manners. We read The Shelf Elf, by Jackie Mims Hopkins. We are also learning to take good care of books. We will always use a shelf marker while searching for books, keep books away from food and anything wet, keep books safe from babies and pets, and always use a bookmark to hold our place. We learned that our library has eBooks or digital books that we can access from home! We shared the eBook, Bats at the Library or Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies. To try this from an Internet-connected computer or other digital devices, follow these directions:
- https://kaukauna.follettdestiny.com
- Click on Quinney/NDLC
- Click on the Catalog Tab
- Click on Destiny Discover (on left)
- Scroll down to eBooks
- Click on the title you want to read
- If asked, enter username: eqstudent and password: cougar
- Click Open
- Navigate from using arrows at side of screen
Second graders also heard the story, The Book Just Ate My Dog, a Golden Archer Nominee.
Third Grade: Third graders are becoming experts at using the library’s online catalog, Destiny. We have been practicing using the basic search screen. They have also been hearing Judy Blumes chapter book, Muggie Maggie.
Fourth Grade: We reviewed library procedures and manners by participating in a scavenger hunt! Students followed the clues around the library with a partner. Students reviewed the use of the online catalog and the EQ-NDLC Library Media Center Web Page. Students are also hearing the chapter book, Frindle, by Andrew Clements.
Music Notes from Mrs. Krueger
Hello! My name is Sheri Krueger, and I am one of the music teachers at Electa Quinney this year. I also teach all of the NDLC classes as well.
I am looking forward to a great year here at Electa Quinney!! Each class attends music three times in a 6-day rotation for 30 minutes at a time. We do a lot of singing and also a variety of other activities such as playing rhythm instruments, movement and listening. The major concepts we study are matching pitch, rhythm, steady beat, dynamics, and tempo. Also, the 2nd graders perform in a concert, and the 4th graders learn to play the recorder.
I believe that music is very important in the lives of children. I love working with children, and I will do my best to instill in them a love and appreciation for music that they can take with them through their adult lives.
The 2nd graders started the year by reviewing our routines and expectations. They also worked a lot on their singing voices and their ability to match pitch. Some of the songs they worked on were: The School Song and The Character Tango which they will sing for our monthly all-school assemblies. They also worked on The Birthday Song, It’s In Every One of Us, Mr. Sun, and What’s More American.
The 3rd graders started the year by reviewing our routines and expectations. They also learned a partner Hello Song that we start each class with. Some of the other songs they worked on were: The School Song, The Birthday Song, Feelin’ Good, This Land Is Your Land, and It’s In Every One Of Us. They also learned some vocabulary words: staff, treble clef, refrain, and verse.
The 4th graders started the year by reviewing our routines and expectations. We talked a little bit about their 4th-grade year and playing recorder. They also learned Feelin’ Good, It’s In Every One Of Us and The Star Spangled Banner.
Music Notes from Mrs. Nimmer
(for the homerooms of Ebben, McKinnon, Dercks, and Rosenbeck)
Each month, we celebrate the birthday of a famous composer. We learn facts about the composer's life, and we listen to music written by that composer. For the month of September, our birthday composer was George Gershwin. We learned about his life, and how he often partnered with his brother Ira to compose songs. George would write the music, and Ira would write the lyrics. We learned to sing the song "I Got Rhythm," written by George and Ira Gershwin. We also listened to and compared several different recordings of the song, including recordings by Judy Garland, Sara Vaughn, and even a Barbershop Quartet!
In 2nd grade we learned about piano and forte, and used these concepts to play a circle game called "Rig a Jig." We also learned how to play the piano/forte hiding game. We learned how to read verses in written music in our song Bill Grogan's Goat, and compared the song's story to the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The students learned the Quinney School Song, Shake My Sillies Out, Everybody's Got to Grow, and Joy of Music to work on our pitch-matching skills. We had fun playing the "Red Shirt" game to practice our quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests.
In 3rd grade, we learned to sing Jambo. We get to sing in Swahili, Spanish, and Japanese! Jambo means "hello" in Swahili. We also listened to a piece from Africa called Kwaheri, which means "goodbye" in Swahili. We added drums, maracas, and tambourines to the piece, following a rhythmic read-along chart using quarter notes, eighth notes, and eighth rests. We learned two folk songs this month. The first, Old Joe Clark, tells a funny story! We learned about the guitar, and got to sing with the guitar for this piece. We also reviewed the concepts of verse/refrain in this song. Playing a circle partner game to the song John Kanakanaka was a class favorite! We will be studying the string family this year, and the students watched an overview video of the String Family of instruments to preview some of the orchestral and non-orchestral string instruments we will be learning about this year. We will be partnering with the Fox Valley Symphony and our 3rd grade classroom teachers to participate in the Artistic Adventures program this year, which will include a trip to the Trout Museum this fall to hear a string quartet, as well as a trip to the PAC in spring to hear the Fox Valley Youth Symphony. We are very excited for this great opportunity and partnership for our students!
In 4th grade, we learned a piece in a jazz style called Dancing on the Rooftop. We even got to try out some of our own jazz dance moves while singing the piece, and got to try some scat-singing. We watched a video demonstration of jazz singing and scat-singing. We learned our state song in September, On Wisconsin. We then segued into the National Anthem. We learned about the War of 1812, and how Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics for The Star Spangled Banner after witnessing one of the battles. We discussed the meaning of several of the words, including dawn, twilight, gallantly, ramparts, and o'er. Understanding the words we are singing is so important when singing our country's song! We have been reviewing music staff vocabulary this month, in preparation for learning to play the recorder later this fall. We can't wait to put our music-reading skills to good use! The 4th graders will be studying brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments this year. We will be starting with the brass family. We watched an overview video about brass instruments and how they produce sound. The students will get to see live demonstrations of many of the instruments they can choose to play at Riverview next year!
Counselor's Corner
The first month of school brought big changes for everyone in PE land. First was the addition of Mr. Halloran! We feel very happy to have him be apart of the Quinney adventure team! The second was the new schedule. This new schedule allows for more team teaching opportunities for us. Cooperation has been the name of game this month. Working on skills like teamwork, communication, and self-reflection. Classes have combined to play games like, Steal the Gold, Battleship, and Hula Hut Throwdown! October is going to bring on football. 2nd-grade classes will focus on skills like throwing, catching and route running. 3rd grade will focus on punting, route running and eventually some 4 down flag football. 4th grade will review skills from the previous years and get into 4 down flag football as soon as possible. We are hoping to get outside and get some great games in! We know with all this work on cooperation in September we will have great teamwork in football!!
In 2nd grade we learned about piano and forte, and used these concepts to play a circle game called "Rig a Jig." We also learned how to play the piano/forte hiding game. We learned how to read verses in written music in our song Bill Grogan's Goat, and compared the song's story to the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The students learned the Quinney School Song, Shake My Sillies Out, Everybody's Got to Grow, and Joy of Music to work on our pitch-matching skills. We had fun playing the "Red Shirt" game to practice our quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests.
In 3rd grade, we learned to sing Jambo. We get to sing in Swahili, Spanish, and Japanese! Jambo means "hello" in Swahili. We also listened to a piece from Africa called Kwaheri, which means "goodbye" in Swahili. We added drums, maracas, and tambourines to the piece, following a rhythmic read-along chart using quarter notes, eighth notes, and eighth rests. We learned two folk songs this month. The first, Old Joe Clark, tells a funny story! We learned about the guitar, and got to sing with the guitar for this piece. We also reviewed the concepts of verse/refrain in this song. Playing a circle partner game to the song John Kanakanaka was a class favorite! We will be studying the string family this year, and the students watched an overview video of the String Family of instruments to preview some of the orchestral and non-orchestral string instruments we will be learning about this year. We will be partnering with the Fox Valley Symphony and our 3rd grade classroom teachers to participate in the Artistic Adventures program this year, which will include a trip to the Trout Museum this fall to hear a string quartet, as well as a trip to the PAC in spring to hear the Fox Valley Youth Symphony. We are very excited for this great opportunity and partnership for our students!
In 4th grade, we learned a piece in a jazz style called Dancing on the Rooftop. We even got to try out some of our own jazz dance moves while singing the piece, and got to try some scat-singing. We watched a video demonstration of jazz singing and scat-singing. We learned our state song in September, On Wisconsin. We then segued into the National Anthem. We learned about the War of 1812, and how Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics for The Star Spangled Banner after witnessing one of the battles. We discussed the meaning of several of the words, including dawn, twilight, gallantly, ramparts, and o'er. Understanding the words we are singing is so important when singing our country's song! We have been reviewing music staff vocabulary this month, in preparation for learning to play the recorder later this fall. We can't wait to put our music-reading skills to good use! The 4th graders will be studying brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments this year. We will be starting with the brass family. We watched an overview video about brass instruments and how they produce sound. The students will get to see live demonstrations of many of the instruments they can choose to play at Riverview next year!
Counselor's Corner
Hello! My name is Ashley Duda and I am the new School Counselor at Electa Quinney Elementary School and New Directions Learning Community. I grew up in Green Bay so naturally, I’m a huge Packer fan! I recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with my Master's degree in School Counseling. I also recently finished a year of service in AmeriCorps as a licensed School Counselor and volunteer recruiter within the Barron Area School District.
I consider myself a people person, therefore, spending time with family and friends is always something I look forward to. I enjoy spending time volunteering for local organizations and causes such as Wisconsin Special Olympics and the American Red Cross. Lastly, when I have free time I enjoy traveling and experiencing new places.
The most common domains I provide support in are, academic, social, emotional/behavioral and career development. Each classroom will receive 30 minutes of developmental guidance from me every month. I also conduct individual and small group counseling throughout the year. October's lessons will revolve around keeping our bodies and brains healthy by staying drug-free. I am overjoyed to be a part of the Kaukauna Area School District and look forward to meeting you!
Please feel free to contact me at any time via E-mail or phone if you have any questions. dudaa@kaukaunasd.org 920-766-6116 ext. 3309
P.E. Play by Play with Mr. Halloran and Mrs. Stratton
The first month of school brought big changes for everyone in PE land. First was the addition of Mr. Halloran! We feel very happy to have him be apart of the Quinney adventure team! The second was the new schedule. This new schedule allows for more team teaching opportunities for us. Cooperation has been the name of game this month. Working on skills like teamwork, communication, and self-reflection. Classes have combined to play games like, Steal the Gold, Battleship, and Hula Hut Throwdown! October is going to bring on football. 2nd-grade classes will focus on skills like throwing, catching and route running. 3rd grade will focus on punting, route running and eventually some 4 down flag football. 4th grade will review skills from the previous years and get into 4 down flag football as soon as possible. We are hoping to get outside and get some great games in! We know with all this work on cooperation in September we will have great teamwork in football!!