Dear Shelton Families,
Shelton is an amazing place to work and learn. As a staff, we take our school mission and vision very seriously. We work endlessly to equip and inspire our students to be active and engaged citizens. Our first Service Based Learning project was Friday, September 21st. Kindergarten students swept the upper blacktop and painted signs for the garden. Other primary students picked dead plants and and planted grass seeds in our community garden. Fourth grade scrubbed our school hallways and walls. Our fifth graders moved rocks and raked up leaves. All grade levels worked together to make Shelton a beautiful place to learn. Our next service-based day is on November 2nd.
We will celebrate Veteran’s Day and invite veterans to come to Shelton for a morning assembly. In addition, Student Council is conducting a hat drive to raise money for our troops. Each grade level is doing something different so stay tuned and find out what your child will be doing to help our Veterans.
We are working on revamping our library to make it more collaborative and engaging. Mrs. Maggie Chesser, our new Digital Teacher Librarian, applied for and won a $2,000 grant from Voya Financial to purchase two 3D printers for our school. Students are excited to begin using them. In addition, we applied for another grant for $10,000 to complete our library remodel and purchase more robotics and STEM activities for all students. Our mobile Makerspace is almost ready to use. We are still in the process of collecting a variety of materials. If you have anything to donate, please let Mrs. Chesser know.
Our garden is growing and growing . . . with bricks that is! Our donor brick sidewalk is complete so please check it out. Personalized bricks will be for sale again this spring.
Our PTSA continues to be extremely supportive. The Coyote Chase took place on Friday, September 28th.. Students ran their hearts out for a good cause, supporting their school. I foresee many marathon runners.
TOP FUNDRAISER AWARDS = based on the most amount of money collected per student:
- 1st Place: wins an IPAD mini or BIKE (Winner’s choice - $500 VALUE)
- 2nd Place: wins $100 cash
- 3rd Place: wins $50 cash
TOP CLASSROOM PER GRADE = based on the most amount of money collected per classroom:
One classroom in each grade level (K through 5th grade = 6 total) who raises the most money in their grade will each win a “Ninja Nation” Experience (45 minutes of nonstop fun on a world class ninja obstacle course including warped wall, buzzer, and steam cannon) on October 26, 2018. And their teacher will win a 60 minute massage!
EVERY STUDENT = who earns at least $50 will receive a $10 Target Gift Card!
In addition to the Coyote Chase, PTSA supports our Math and Science Night. Guaranteed, Shelton has one of the most engaging Math and Science Night’s in the county! Join us on October 18th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM.
We are again having a Silent Auction this year. Money raised will go for science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). Mark February 28th on your calendar! Help support our students as we work to transform student tasks.
This is our second year as a Professional Learning Community (PLC) School. Again, it will be part of our Unified Improvement Plan. During PLC’s, grade level teachers meet once a week for 70 minutes. During this time, teachers share their expertise and work collaboratively to improve their teaching skills to improve student performance. PLC’s are a cultural shift in regards to its purpose, use of assessments and response to student needs.
During our PLC’s, teachers focus on four questions:
- What do we want students to know and be able to do?
- How will we know they learned it?
- What will we do if students have not learned it?
- What will we do when students have learned it?
Each month I will highlight exciting events happening at Shelton and share with you the many reasons I love this school and community. Don't forget to follow Shelton on Twitter @School_Shelton
Thank you for your continued support. I am looking forward to a great year. We are already off to a great start.
Educationally yours,
Karen Brown