April 2012 Indianola Newsletter

Thanks & Congrats…

Service Above Self Seventh graders Tulane Eichhorn, Kyra Gunn and Xenia Holm represented Indianola at the Service Above Self Fair on Wednesday, March 21. Their project was cutting down on the waste our school contributes to landfills and making our cafeteria more eco-friendly. They incorporated composting into the project and called it “Grow Gardens From Garbage.” One fact they discovered is that our school contributes 47-49 bags of trash a day. If we increase our recycling and use biodegradable containers, that number would go down and make a positive impact on our environment. Congratulations to them on their participation! Invention Convention Congratulations to the following students who were selected to proceed to the Regional Invention Convention at Columbus State Community College in May: Nathaniel Clay, Elise Coneglio, Sarah Heink, Sophia Kushner, Elijah Lothrop, Jake Scheckelhoff, Julian Shuttleworth, Carley Staz, and Max Wissman. Nine of our fifteen competitors moved on to the next round! CCS Middle School Honors Chorus Sisters Darby (6th grade) and Danon Clark (8th grade) were chosen to participate in the Columbus City Schools Middle School Honors Chorus. They attended practice weekly from October through January, and sang in two performances: in December at Capital University (along with the Columbus Children’s Choir), and at the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the January 16 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Birthday Breakfast. The girls had to be there at 5:45 am on their day off school—that’s dedication! Danon was presented with her 3rd year pin at the Capital U performance, honoring her participation in the CCS MS Honors Chorus all three years of middle school.

Middle School G/T News: Power of the Pen: Congratulations to the following students who advanced to the Regional Power of the Pen competition on March 31 at Dublin Henry Karrer M.S.: Rebecca Amonor, Emma Lou Andrews, Genevieve Belair, Isabel Erickson, Danon Clark and Maren Anderson. 6th Grade Math Challenge: Congratulations to Joseph Crump, Mary Doherty, Miles Fulmer, and Zampa Provenzale for finishing first place at the District 6th Grade Math Challenge on March 15. The students received top scores in all three rounds.

Special congratulations to Joseph for receiving a perfect score in the All in the Mind round. Other members of the team include: Julia Allwein, Matthew Garrison, Levi Hairston and Esther Amonor. Mock Trial: Jessica Toms from the Ohio Attorney General's Office visited Indianola on Feb. 29 to present a forensic science/criminal investigation with the mock trial team. Students studied how fingerprints, DNA, residues, and other evidence are obtained and tested during investigations to help solve crimes. --Michele Ballinger, Middle School Gifted and Talented Coordinator

Announcements… Newsletter Submissions If you have something you’d like included in the May newsletter, email it to Pat Merkle by Monday, April 30. The newsletter will be distributed Thursday, May 3.

Parent Consultant News Indianola K-8 April, 2012

Cass Freeland Pat Merkle [email protected] [email protected] 784-8140 262-2013

Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) The OAA test dates for this year are April 24, 25, and 26. Please do your best to see that your child gets a good night's sleep, has a good breakfast and arrives at school on time. We are in need of volunteers to serve as hall monitors for about two hours those mornings. If you are able to help, please contact Cass Freeland at [email protected] Take Your Child to Work Day Due to the scheduled administration of the Ohio Achievement Assessments during the week of April 23, Columbus City Schools has selected an alternate date of Thursday, April 12 in which to participate in the national “Take Your Child to Work Day”. This will provide students the opportunity to visit their parent/guardian’s work site, and alleviate unnecessary disruptions to our instructional school day and state-required testing. Drop Off Safety Our Vice Principal, Ms. Janaia Lee, has asked us to remind you of the drop off procedure in the morning. If you are dropping off your children, please use the drop off lane on Tibet Road. Please:

♦ Have your child exit the car on the passenger side.

♦ Do not drop children off on the south side of the street so that they have to cross the street.

♦ Do not drop children off on Calumet so that they have to cross the street.

Also, please do not stop in front of school to drop off or pick up children during school hours, or in the areas marked "No Stopping.” This area must be maintained for loading and unloading buses. School Absence If your child is absent, please notify our attendance secretary, Denise Holland, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 365-5579. Email is preferred; your email will also serve as the excuse note. If you call, send an excuse note when your child returns to school. Mileage Club Mileage Club has begun for the spring. Look for us on the Calumet Playground from 8:20 – 8:50 Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you would like to receive e-mail notifications about Mileage Club, please e-mail Cass Freeland at [email protected]. If your child is participating in Mileage Club, please donate a couple of dollars for supplies if you are able. We have not received many donations this year.

Litter Club The Litter Club has begun cleaning the grounds Thursdays after school. They would like to do this on Tuesdays as well. If you are able to volunteer one hour after school on Tuesdays to supervise this activity, please contact Maria Conroy at [email protected]. She has litter grabbers and gloves on loan from Keep Columbus Beautiful. The key tasks are making sure the materials are returned to the parent room and that the kids are on task with the clean up effort. Nominations for 2012-13 PTO Board Positions Nominations are being accepted for next year's PTO board. The board consists of President or Co-Presidents, Vice-president or Co-Vice-Presidents, Treasurer or Co-Treasurers, Secretary (no co-secretaries, please; let's stop the madness) and Volunteer Coordinator. All Indianola families are encouraged to nominate themselves and others for any and all positions. Nominees must agree in writing to be considered; please nominate the willing. To put forward a candidate, or to be considered, please email Catherine Bird at [email protected]. Nominations may also be accepted from the floor during the May 9th PTO meeting. There will be a vote/election held during that meeting. Thank you for supporting your Parent/ Teacher Organization. Indianola K-8 Community Garden News The garden has been abuzz with activity! We have started a blog for school members and the community to be able to stay informed: http://indianolasschoolgarden.blogspot.com/. We have also started a website that has the same information on it as the blog, but can be viewed from school computers. Check it out at: https://sites.google.com/site/indianolasschoolgarden/home. We hope to get some Facebook activity soon as well. If you have questions or would like to be put on the mailing list, email us at [email protected]. --Catherine Bird, parent garden volunteer Tips for Talking to your Middle School Child Got a teen? Read on: ~Be available when your kids want to talk. Set aside family time. ~Kids act out for reasons – honor the need while redirecting the behavior. Be considerate and respectful of their perspective as real for them. ~We all resist at some point – don't take it personally but expect respect.

Four reasons teens may have a hard time making better choices: ~They often believe endorsements by adults contaminate otherwise good ideas ~Sometimes being right is more important than being sensible ~If someone else helps solve the problem, then it means it doesn't count ~It is embarrassing to change while everyone is watching. SO… ~Let kids do it their way within reason. Acknowledge the need to save face. Provide room for appropriate experimentation or failure. ~Establish limits based on child's ability and earned trust/responsibility. Base consequences on the goal – what shared value, need, or skill are you working towards? Be consistent versus escalating with consequences. ~Don't wait for motivation, trust, consensus or rapport – respect is more powerful. ~Create opportunities for your teen to have other adults they can talk to. Seek help earlier rather than later. Consult if you're not sure. Make the referral based on mutual goals/needs. Think of it as an opportunity vs. to fix the problem or blame.

Classroom & School News and Events… Talent Show

The Indianola Talent Show took place March 2 and 3. The audience was entertained by musical acts,

baton-twirling staff, and “hooping”. Next year’s Talent Show will take place in the fall

Room 220 Titanic Sharing

On March 29 Room 220 was transformed to look like the Titanic. Although Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio were not in attendance, Amy Pezzatta’s 3rd graders participated in an in-depth sharing, with nearly 100 friends and family members attending. (The 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking is April 15, 2012.) In preparation, each student researched and represented a person who sailed on the ship. They created a small replica of a room on the ship, made a book about the Titanic, and studied the class system. Ms. Amy and many family members and guests "boarded" the ship dressed in Edwardian era costumes. There were tuxedos, fancy hats, beautiful dresses and more modest period outfits.

The sharing began with a dance where the students arrived on the ship, waltzed, danced an Irish jig and performed a very moving representation of the tragic sinking. Passengers, crew, and guests experienced the ship's famous grand staircase, a first class suite complete with fireplace, and 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-class dining areas. Students sang two songs for the guests, the ship's violinist (Griffin Hughes) played, and foods served on the Titanic were sampled. The evening ended with a candlelight ceremony.

James Cameron would have been impressed with the creativity and hard work of these Indianola students. This evening will be one that the students and their families will remember for a long time. Special thanks to Ms. Amy for giving the students a memorable experience and to the many families who helped make the event a success!

--Paul Staley

D.A.R.E. On behalf of the 7th grade, we would like to thank Deputy Gabriel for instructing the D.A.R.E. program. Both 7th grade classes are participating in the 2-week program and are learning how to say "No" to drugs and violence. Through role-play, we are being taught how to stand up to peer pressure and "agree to disagree." Deputy Gabriel has also shown us the severe consequences you face if you take part in crimes or drugs, and the harsh lifestyle that awaits you in jail. We are thankful that Deputy Gabriel is showing us the importance of steering clear of drugs and violence. --Ally and Sydney McKeel, 7th grade

Room Reps… Stay tuned for info on our next meeting… Teacher Room Rep(s)

Mrs. M Jennifer Schmied Michelle Holly Ruggerio Elizabeth Kate Wilkinson Julie Lisa Pfeifer Amy H. Elizabeth Douglass Emilie Mark Klingler Shannon Jennifer Nolte Sue Catherine Bird

Chrissy Gilbert Danielle/Nicole Jessica Starr

Cass Freeland Tracey Kelly Chellis

Amanda Hullinger Amy P. Karen Staley Tiffany Maria Conroy Ronda Sarah/James Bartczak Sylvia Tani Kushner Melissa Patti O’Toole Maree Lyen Djakov Andrew Marty Biggs Trina Mary Brown Jennifer Susan Belair Lisa Elizabeth Days Stephanie Denise Jacobs Monica Emily Adesiji

Parent Engagement Workshop On March 21 we had an exciting turnout for the Parent Engagement Workshop. Our guest speaker was Dwan Robinson, PhD, a former Indianola parent and PTA president. She is currently a Professor of Education at Ohio University, with a focus on family engagement. She began by talking about why family engagement is important: students with engaged parents are more successful in school and have fewer antisocial behaviors.

From there, Dr. Robinson moved into what is required to have an engaged community: a team of people to recruit others to head activities or events, people at the helm who are “doers” and will follow up and give others a gentle nudge. Dr. Robinson suggested a survey of staff and parents to assess needs and priorities. To that end, a staff survey has already been created and distributed thanks to the efforts of parent Julie Haar. Several themes emerged from our discussion: First, our community is much larger than it once was. With nearly 600 students from ages 5-14, it is harder for us to get to know each other. Second, our building moves have been hard on our community. There was discussion about how to build bridges across ages and geographical areas. Parents expressed reluctance to assume responsibility for events for fear of being stuck doing all the work themselves. A consensus emerged about how to move forward: first distribute a staff survey and hold a follow up meeting. Next, survey parents and form a committee to nominate PTO board members, as well as a group to identify strategies for building a community. A follow up meeting will be held Wednesday April 18 at 7 pm in the library. Please join us, whether or not you were at the first meeting!

Fundraising, Donations & Service… Purple Pages Congratulations to the team who worked together to put out the Indianola Purple Pages, an advertising booklet that went home with each child in March. Not only did this book create a way for families and supporters of Indianola to get the word out about their businesses, it made approximately $2,780 for our PTO! Many thanks to Sarah Case, Michelle Brown, Julie Haar and Ray Arebalo for working hard on this project. Thanks to Kenwel Printers for printing the booklet. Look for information on next year's Purple Pages in the fall. Minerals for Fossils The Indianola community also raised over $500 for Ohio State University’s Orton Hall Geological Museum, which was vandalized this winter. A thank you letter from Dr. Joseph Steinmetz, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences read: “We are so grateful for the generous support of our alumni and friends of the Orton Geological Museum…Gifts like yours will help us make

repairs to the exhibits, so it can continue to serve our faculty and students, who use its resources for their research, and the community through visits by school groups, scouts and other visitors.” “No Stuff” Fundraiser The “No Stuff” fundraiser is in progress and runs through spring break. Please donate what you are able to online (www.indianolakids.org) or by dropping a check in the PTO lockbox in the office. Treasurer’s Report PTO Treasurer's report Since last reported... ~we have received a very generous donation for the purchase of new sound equipment for our auditorium which will be greatly appreciated during future assemblies and performances!! A huge "Thank You" to The Shinn Family Foundation!! ~the amazing Indianola community donated a total of $420.00 to be used during this year's Staff Appreciation Week. Thanks! ~we have received Community Rewards from Kroger, Meijer, GFS and GoodSearch, adding up to $1,114.17. Remember to re-enroll your Kroger card to continue earning $ for Indianola. ~$40 more in PTO Membership dues trickled in. ~Indianola Night at Skate Zone 71 earned our PTO $206.00. Thanks to those who joined this evening of fun--103 people attended! ~the "No Stuff" Fundraiser has brought in about $330.00 so far. ~PTO has spent funds on items including ribbons for Invention Convention participants and winners, Teacher Dinner supplies, a deposit for Carnival inflatables, and PTO meeting childcare...all totaling about $225.00. --Amy Staz, PTO Treasurer Pennies for Patients On behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the families of Emma Schwartz-Anderson, Ian Case and Miss Donna's nephew, thank you for your support of our Pennies for Patients campaign. I could not have imagined how you would rally around this cause. Our school nearly doubled the impressive total we had from a year ago, raising $4042.05. Eight of our classrooms raised between $100-$199, eight more brought in between $200-$299, and our top classroom, Miss Amy Hill's,

donated an amazing $489.30! The most entertaining part of our fund-raising was "Stuck for a Buck!" Ms. Janaia Lee, our Assistant Principal, patiently stood on a milk crate while over 450 pieces of duct tape were stuck to her body. Thanks to Miss Jennifer and April

we were able to stream the video live throughout the school! Everyone was able to witness the moment of truth, when Ian and Emma, our heroes, pulled the crate out from under Ms. Lee and all of that tape held her up! I heard stories of children saving their change for an entire year; children donating their birthday money; a young man holding a bake sale after school. There was no shortage of stories of tremendous generosity and caring, but I have to share a personal one. A kindergarten young man stopped by my office every day during our campaign. He put his backpack on my cot, fished around the bottom with his hand, pulled out a fistful of coins, saying, "I'm helping those kids" - he was pointing to a poster of children battling blood cancers I had on my door. "And tomorrow I'm going to have more!" The joy of giving and helping others is a lesson best learned at a young age. If our Pennies for Patients campaign is any indication, we have set our children on a meaningful and rewarding path. --Nurse Katie

Events Around Town…

Children’s Day at Ft. Hayes Indianola K-8 will be joining Ft. Hayes this year for the annual Children's Day celebration. The event is April 29 from 11-4. There will be student performances of all kinds, games, and music. Mark the date on your calendar and plan to come join the fun with students from other Columbus City Schools.

Get Involved…

*Attend the PTO Carnival planning meeting April 18 *Attend the PTO business meeting April 18 at 6 pm *Attend Part II of the Parent Engagement Workshop April 18 at 7pm *Make a donation to the “No Stuff Fundraiser” to support our school *Log on to www.indianolakids.org to see what’s been posted since your last visit. *Submit an article &/or photo for the May newsletter

Have a delightful Spring Break! See you April 16th!

The Columbus City School District does not discriminate because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or handicap with regard to admission, access, treatment or employment. This policy is applicable in all district programs and activities.

Important Dates Thurs. 4/5 Early dismissal 3:00 pm Fri. 4/5 PTO Plant Sale orders due Fri. 4/5-- NO SCHOOL Fri. 4/13 Spring Break Weds. 4/18 PTO Business meeting 7 pm Indianola K-8 library Tues. 4/24 Reading OAA Grades 3-8 Weds. 4/25 Math OAA Grades 3-8 Thurs. 4/26 Science OAA Grades 5-8 Thurs. 4/26 Interims home For children having difficulty Fri. 4/27 Middle School Dance 7—9 pm Indianola K-8 gym

PTO Officers Other Positions of Note: Co-‐Presidents: Fundraising: Beth Rapach Jenn Eichhorn [email protected] [email protected] Rob Cohen Sarah Case [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer: Web Administrator: Amy Staz Ray Arabelo [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Brue Hoyt [email protected]

Next year: YOUR NAME HERE?

April 2012 Indianola Newsletter

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