Clear Creeks PAWSitive NEWS

Parental Awareness With School November 2013 Edition

Clear Creek (357-5288)

Clear Creek School is PAWSitive!

This is the November issue for the 2013-14 school year of the PAWS for News! We will be emailing this newsletter to home monthly and it will have important information about upcoming school activities. The newsletter will also be posted on the Clear Lake Website! If you have any suggestions, please call!

clearcreekelementary.org
Want information about Clear Creek? Stop searching we have our own domain! www.clearcreekelementary.org
Over 1,600 site visits this month alone! Dont miss out; log on and see whats happening!

Fall Back Daylight Savings Comes to an End! Sunday, November 3!

Set your clocks back on Saturday, November 2nd before you go to bed.

The Holly Jolly Pirates of Pinataville

4th grade Music Program Thursday, November 14 6:30 p.m. Clear Creek Gym
Dont forget your lawn chair! School performance Thursday, November 14 10:30 a.m.

Band Concert Grade 5-8 November 12 EB Stillman 7:00 p.m.

Thanksgiving Holiday! November 27 29 No School

Box Top Pizza Party Friday, November 1

Bring 100 Box Tops clip them place them in a zip lock bag, label the bag with the students name and teachers name, and turn them into the office by Friday, November 1 and you get to participate in the 1st Pizza Reward Party.

More PAWSitive News!

Our Theme this year at Clear Creek is, Clear Creek is PAWSitive! We will work hard to provide every child a positive place to learn, grow, and call Home! To do this we need your support Thanks for working with us!

Birthday Invitations
Please dont send birthday invitations to school unless you are inviting the entire class. Students can get their feelings hurt by being left out. We cannot give out addresses of families due to privacy laws.

Birthday/Party/Celebration Treats
The Clear Lake School District has a policy that requests all treats be purchased from a store and brought to school in the original store package. We are not allowed to serve homemade treats for birthday celebrations. If you have any questions, please contact your childs teacher or the school office.

2013-14 Music Programs

5th grade - Thursday, December 12, 2013 3rd grade - Thursday, February 13, 2014 2nd grade Thursday, March 6, 2014 DATE CHANGE 1st grade - Thursday, April 17, 2014 Kindergarten - Thursday, May 8, 2014 Variety Show - Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Iowa Assessments March 24-28 Grades 2-5 will also assess Social Studies. Special Education Teachers can begin as early as March 17. All materials are due Thursday, April 3

Planning on eating lunch with your child?

You are always welcome to eat lunch with your child. However, if you plan to eat school lunch, we do ask that you call the school office before 9 a.m. to be sure that we have enough food prepared.

Engage Coat Drive 2013

The Engage Coat Distribution will be held on Saturday, December 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 207 A South 4th Street in Clear Lake (near the Senior Citizens Center). If your child has a need for outerwear, please plan to attend. FREE coats, boots, hats and gloves are available for pickup. If you have a coat, boots or hats to donate, drop them off at Clear Creek.

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Human Growth and Development Curriculum on the Web www.clearlakeschools.org
Interested in knowing what the HGD Curriculum covers?
Every year in grades 3-8, our counselors and nurses cover topics during guidance classes regarding Human Growth and Development. This is a requirement of the state. We have included an overview of what will be taught to our students on the districts website. Look under Parents/Newsletters. Curriculum Topics for the Year: 5th Grade Puberty (October-November) 4th Grade Personal Hygiene (January) 3rd Grade Body Rights (Spring) This unit corresponds with the 3rd grade Body Systems unit.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the school @ 357-5288.

Lights! Camera! Christmas!

Fifth Grade Music Program December 12 @ 6:30 p.m. Clear Creek Gym

PBIS Assemblies
After meeting with the PBIS team we decided that we would follow the schedule below for PBIS assemblies each year: 1. August First week of school-Focus on Theme of the Year and expectations for the year Adults would lead 2. October Character Counts 3. January Issues that have come up 4. April Anti-Bullying 5. May Possibly during the end of year assembly

Hearing Screening
The AEA will be at CC on January 9 for 1st and 2nd grade hearing screening.

Early Dismissal Dates

2:00 p.m. Early Out - Every Wednesday Friday, December 20 1 p.m. Early Out Friday, May 23 1 p.m. Early Out Last Day

Get Ready - Coming Soon 3rd Annual Feed 30 Families for Christmas
Each class will help prepare a Christmas Dinner for a needy Clear Lake family. Our goal will be 30 family dinners. We will have a Caps for Christmas Dinner in December to help raise the money. Students will be asked to bring a dollar to wear a cap for the day. More details coming.

No School
Dec. 23-Jan. 1 - Christmas Break Thursday and Friday - Jan. 2 and 3 Staff Training Friday, Feb. 21 Staff Training Mar. 10-14 - Spring Break

Drop Off and Pickup Information

We are having trouble in the Parent Drop off and Pickup lane with Parents parking in the designated BUS AREA. We have preschool and k-prep buses pick-up in that lane during the day. Please do not park in the BUS ZONE, LOOK FOR THE CONES! Some Reminders: Drive Safely Drive slowly watch for students and other cars especially during the first week of school. It will be very busy since the traffic flow will be new to many drivers. ONE WAY - The west parent pickup drive is a ONE WAY. o You enter on South 12th street and you exit on 8th Avenue South. Please be patient - If youre in a hurry you will probably get frustrated. Questions - If you have any questions, please call the school.

Service Dog Here to Help!

We have a student that will be using a service dog to assist him. The students parent will always be with the dog and the student. We wanted to give everyone a heads up so if you see a dog in the school..dont worry hes here to help!

Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive November 11 15

Clear Creek will be holding their annual canned food drive. Bring canned food and nonperishable items to school the week of November 11-15. Collected cans will be donated to the Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank and helps feed our local families.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Last year we collected over 1100 pounds of food.

High School Performs The Invisible Man October 31 @ 9:00 a.m. buses will be here to load at 8:40 a.m.
The HS will be performing The Invisible Man this year for grades 3-5. HS students will be dressed in 1940s attire, and will act out the play as though we were taping a radio show. Buses will load at 8:40 a.m. for grades 3-5 to attend. The program is approximately 75 min.

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Christmas Giving Tree
The Mirror Reporter along with the Clear Lake and Ventura Community Schools are joining with community organizations, churches, and community members in sponsoring the annual Christmas Giving Tree for children and families in the Clear Lake/Ventura school districts. We have sent a letter home with all children preschool through 6th grade; however, this opportunity is open to all CL/V students. If you are in need and would like assistance for the holiday season, the form can be found on our website or you can get the form at any CL school. After completing the form, place it in a sealed envelope, and turn it in to the school office. These letters are also being sent to Clear Lake Head Start, Lake Town Charlie Brown and may also be returned to those offices. All replies are confidential. Our desire is that all of the children in the Clear Lake/Ventura area will experience the joy this season brings of giving and receiving. Giving Tree forms were available Oct. 24 and Oct. 29. Forms are due back to the school by November 8th. If you are in need of a form, call 641-357-5288 and ask for Sally or Bethany.

4 Year Old Preschool Conferences

November 7th and 12th If you have questions, please check with your childs teacher.

Stone Soup NIACC December 4

2nd and 3rd grade students will travel to NIACC to watch the production of Stone Soup. Buses will leave around 9:00 and return before lunch.

Parents Visiting-Check In
When you come to Clear Creek to visit or volunteer, please be sure that you sign in and out in the office and get a Visitors Badge. Also, when you drop off or pick-up your children. Its for the safety of our students. We appreciate your willingness to cooperate.

Future Dates
December 1. Skills Iowa Reading Test grades 3-5 December 4. Stone Soup NIACC buses leave at 9 a.m. 2nd and 3rd grades December 4,11,18... 2 p.m. Early Out December 12..... Fifth Grade Music Program @ Clear Creek @ 6:30 p.m. December 20........ 1:00 p.m. Early dismissal Christmas Break December 23-January 3...... Christmas Vacation January 6 .. Skills Iowa Math Test grades 3-5 January 6 .. Skills Iowa Reading Test grades 3-5 January 2 & 3.. Teacher Training January 6. School Resumes January 8,15,22,29. 2 p.m. Early Out January 21.... (Martin Luther King Day) School is in session February 1 Skills Iowa Reading Test grades 3-5 February 5,12,19,26. 2 p.m. Early Out February 13..... Third Grade Music Program 6:30 @ Clear Creek February 11. 5th 6th grade Band 7th and 8th grade Jazz Band EB Stillman 7:00 p.m. February 21........ No School K-12 (Training) Feb. 27 and March 4. (PK-5) Parent/Teacher Conferences 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. March .......... ... Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 ITBS testing March 1. Skills Iowa Reading Test grades 3-5 March 5,19,26. 2 p.m. Early Out March 6... Second Grade Music Program 6:30 p.m. @ Clear Creek March 10-14... ... . Spring Break April 1.. Skills Iowa Reading Test grades 3-5 April 2,9,16,23,30. 2 p.m. Early Out April 17........ First Grade Music Program 6:30 p.m. @ Clear Creek April 29.....5th 6th grade Band EB Stillman 7:00 p.m. May 1 Skills Iowa Math Test grades 3-5 May 1 . Skills Iowa Reading Test grades 3-5 May 7 and 14.. 2 p.m. Early Out May 8..... ...... Kindergarten Music Program 6:30 @ Clear Creek May 20.. Variety Show, CC Gym - 6:30 May 23......... Last Day of School 1:00 p.m. Early dismissal