Shoshone Elementary Pride Store

Students attended our third Pride Store today, and cashed in more than 1,000 tickets earned for good behavior. We are so proud of our students!

A Snowy Day

Students had a fantastic time playing in today's snow.  Those who chose to, stayed in the library and enjoyed the warmth.

Christmas Spirit Comes to Shoshone Elementary

We had great fun celebrating the Christmas season on Dec. 21st.  Santa even made an impromptu appearance.

Chocolate Assembly

The World's Finest Chocolate Asembly was held on December 19 to celebrate the success of our chocolate fund raising.  We are very proud of our students' sales abilities, and we wanted to reward them for their hard work to benefit the school.

The top seller from grades K-2 was Rhyland Turner, top seller for grades 3-5 was Patti Fitzgerald, and the top seller from the entire school was Lane Frandsen.  The class who sold the most chocolate overall was Mrs. Bennett's class. Thank you to ALL the kids who participated, and an even greater thank you to the wonderful community who supported our fund raising efforts!  The proceeds from the sale will help us provide students with opportunities in the future.

ZAP Club

“Zeros Aren’t Possible”, is a new homework policy established for Shoshone Elementary School students.  We are committed to ensuring every student’s success in school, and as part of that commitment we have established “Zap Club” to help students complete all their missing or unfinished homework assignments.   Therefore – “Zeros Aren’t Possible”.

Homework is an important component to your child’s learning.  It provides extra opportunities to learn math concepts taught during the school day, and it provides practice for becoming excellent readers.

Shoshone Elementary teachers understand students have been in class each day for a long period of time, and know they are tired when they get home. With this in mind we have set the following limits on daily homework assignments.   For the average student in grades K-2 homework should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.  For the average student in grades 3-5, daily homework should take approximately 35 minutes to complete.  Your child may take shorter or longer time to finish their homework based on their ability and age.

Shoshone Elementary teachers also understand not all students are able to complete homework due to many different circumstances.  For example; parents may arrive home late from work and time is limited, students may be unmotivated to do their homework, or parents and students may be confused on how to do the homework.  We want to change that!

If your child has unfinished homework (for any reason), they will attend “ZAP Club” during their scheduled lunchtime.  They will get their lunch tray and report to the classroom of the supervising “Zap Club” teacher.  Their lunch period will be spent eating and finishing homework.  This process will be repeated each day until all missing homework assignments are completed. We will not be contacting parents prior to students attending “ZAP Club”.  We want to take immediate action so that missing or unfinished homework is completed as quickly as possible.  Your child will be responsible for letting you know they attended “Zap Club” that day.

“ZAP Club” will help your child in several ways.  Homework will be completed, their grades will improve by having no zeros for late assignments, and they will be practicing the skills necessary to become a successful student.

“ZAP Club” will begin meeting on January 9th and will continue for the remainder of the school year. Thank you for supporting this new program.  As we work together as partners in your child’s education we can do great things!

Plato Pizza Party

Thursday, December 15th was an exciting day for students in grades 3-5 attending the Plato Pizza Party.  This event was a reward for students doing well on their Plato benchmark tests.  Students who showed a 10% growth or remained proficient or advanced were eligible to attend.  Over 60 students enjoyed pizza and root beer the last half hour of the day.  We'll do this again in February, so encourage your students to work hard and learn lots between now and then.

Parent Involvement Policy Feedback request

Parents - We want your input for the elementary school! 

Shoshone Elementary School is seeking input into our parent involvement policy.  An open comment meeting will be held in the library on Tuesday, December 13 from 4:00 – 5:30.  Parents are invited to stop by at any point within the time frame to give comment on the policy.  If parents are unable to make the meeting, feedback can also be given through the following email:  feedback@shoshone.k12.id.us  until Wednesday December 21^st. 

You can read the draft parent involvement policy below:

PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY FOR SHOSHONE ELEMENTARY     
The staff of Shoshone Elementary believes one dynamic of effective schooling is parental involvement.  In order to encourage parental involvement, the staff at the school will assist in the following ways:

District Responsibilities
Develop sound educational policies
Implement research-based programs
Establish an effective evaluation process for those programs

Teacher Goals and Responsibilities                                                                         
Establish clear, concise expected learning results
Monitor results
Provide high quality instruction and resources
Provide timely information to parents and students

Distribution Information
The Parent Involvement Policy for Shoshone Elementary will be posted in the school, as well as on the school web site.  A copy of this policy will be included in the student handbook in both Spanish and English. Information related to school events and parent meetings will be communicated in both English and Spanish to parents through invitations sent home with students. Classroom teachers will provide achievement test information during conferences and parent meetings.  Printed information will be sent home. The compact outlines how teachers, students, and parents will share in the responsibility for improved student achievement.  This compact will be discussed with students and sent home for your review and signature.

Parent Participation
Parents will receive information and have opportunities to participate in activities planned throughout the school year.  Opportunities will be provided for parent input regarding the education of their children through surveys and parent-teacher conferences. The school will provide opportunities for conferences, as requested by parents, to discuss suggestions and make decisions regarding the education of their children. Within established guidelines, parents are encouraged to observe instruction and other school activities that involve his/her child. Parents are encouraged to volunteer at school and/or participate in the Parent Teacher Organization Committee.

Meetings
Parents will be informed at the annual Title 1 meeting about the school’s participation in the Title 1 program, the requirements of the program, and their right to be involved. Parent meetings and conferences will be held at various times to meet the needs of families.

The school and family working together is an essential dynamic that can help students achieve the expected learning results of the school.  We believe parental involvement has the greatest influence when the school personnel, students, and parents share responsibility for the growth and development of each student.