Gene Witt Elementary Witt Wire

January 28, 2019

Important Dates

Jan. 28-Feb. 1—Kindness Week

Jan. 29—School Spirit Night at Chipotle, SR 70, 5-9 p.m.

Feb. 1—Mother-Son Bowling-AMF Lanes, 6-8:30 p.m.

Feb. 4-8—Book Fair

Feb. 5—GWE Family Learning Night, 6-7:30 p.m.

Feb. 6—Early Release, 1:45

Feb. 7—SAC/PTO Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Feb. 12—Helping Hands. 8:30 a.m.

Feb. 18—Presidents’ Day– Schools Closed

Feb. 21—Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A. 3-9 p.m.

Feb. 22—Box Tops due

Visit us at—www.manateeschools.net/witt

Business Partners A great big Thank You to our 2018 - 2019 Gene Witt Business Part-ners! Our Platinum Business Partners have supported our school year after year and we are so grateful for you! Also, we are grateful for so many new businesses supporting us this year! Because of our business partners we can continue our AR program for all students and buy and continue many other educational programs at Gene Witt. When you need a service, please think of our Gene Witt Business Partners! Let's support those businesses that support our school! Platinum Business Partners Center For Sight, Dr. Melissa Hammond Hodges, Avrutis and Foeller PA, Scott Foeller Southern Values Cooling and Heating Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Powers Insurance Time of Bradenton, Inc., Adam Blumenthal Carl Reynolds Law Silver Business Sponsor Cool Today! Ackerman Plumbing, Inc. Also take a look at all our banners along car rider line, we have many businesses supporting our school that way. Lastly, when you are at school look at our Business Sponsor Bulletin Board outside the office near the cafeteria.

Each of the following businesses have partnered with Gene Witt Elementary: AMF Lanes, Big Brother Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More, Braden River Soccer Club, Cool Today-Plumbing Today-Energy Today, Culver’s of Bradenton, Drama Kids of Manasota, Gecko’s Grill & Pub SR 64, Holman Subz II, Inc. (Subway), Kona Ice of Manatee County, LWR Charger Soccer Club, Manasota Elite Agency of Horace Mann, Ovation schools of Musical Theatre, Schindel Orthodontics, Shipley Do-Nuts, Under the Lights Flag Football. These businesses have donated their time, talents or treasures to help make our school great. Thank you, ePie Business Partners!

B u s i n e s s S p o n s o r H i g h l i g h t

Important Information

Every classroom teacher at Gene Witt Elementary is certified in Pri-mary Education or Special Education. All teachers must also be certi-

fied in ESOL. This means they must learn the strategies to teach chil-dren that speak other languages. Teachers who have not completed their ESOL certification are considered out of field. The following

teachers are working toward their certification as teachers in Florida at this time: Candace Lamp, Angela Cannon, April Pellegrino, Megaan

Landry, and Kristen Nunn.

It’s that time again……..Bookfair time! The dates are February 4th through February 8th. We will be open during the school day starting at 8:00 am, and Tuesday evening from 6:00-7:30. Plan to stop in and check out the great books Scholastic has to offer.

We have a few more names just added to the Million Word wall……Eva Call, Foster Smith, and Jack Huggins. Congratulations on all your hard work.

Don’t forget, if you have a good joke you would like to tell on the morn-ing news, stop by and tell Ms. Douthett. Maybe you could be chosen to be on Comedy Corner in the mornings.

Our students finished the 2018 year playing:

*“Snowball Wars” - a dodgeball activity that focuses on overhand throwing at stationary and moving targets.

*“Invade and Conquer” (K-2), “Capture the Flag” (3-5) - flag football activities that emphasize important,

basic skills of football.

What we are doing during the month of January:

*Cooperation Stations – small group activities emphasizing teamwork, problem solving, peer teaching

*Tennis – introduction to the fundamentals of the sport

*“Funny Farm” and “Lord of the Rings” – focus on cardiovascular fitness, problem solving, strategic planning

PE Corner “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity” – John F. Kennedy

As usual, every

PE class starts

with fitness

activities that

improve upper

body strength,

abdominal

strength and

cardiovascular

endurance.

STEM News

Our new engineering challenge has been a lot of fun for all

of the grade levels! We have been building and firing straw

rockets. Each team has to calculate what force to use for the

amount of clay placed on their straw. They also have to use

the proper angle and aim. Each challenge has had different

targets to aim at with different point values. In the first

round, the teams were given an eight-inch rocket. The target

was a hula hoop and a five-gallon bucket. The school record

went to the “Supatoes”. The team of Natalie, Anna and

Aleah scored 145 points!

In our second round, the teams used a six-inch straw rock-

et. They had the same targets, but a 20-point bucket was

added. This allowed the students to focus on their “aim”.

The school record went to Keali’i, Daniel, Landon, Tyvan,

Ryan and Ethan with 380 points.

Our final round is titled “The High Point Challenge”. In our

final round of straw rocket competitions, three 50-point

buckets were added. The problem is that the buckets are a

lot smaller than the rest of the targets. Good luck to all the

competitors! Our current record holders are Jaiden and

Reagan from Mrs. Wittner’s 4th grade class with 510 points!

Saturday, January 12 the robotics team participated

in FIRST LEGO LEAGUE, a regional tournament held

annually in Ft. Myers. The kids competed against 27

other teams, most of which were middle schoolers. Our

team did an amazing job in all three areas of the com-

petition: Core Values, Research, & Robotics.

Great work, Eagles!

Welcome back students! Hope everyone had a restful break and

are ready to dive back into school with some new goals!!! The

Big Life Journal has some great ideas to get each student and

family in the goal setting mode! Happy 2019!

√ MAKE A FAMILY BUCKET LIST

Gather your family together and grab a piece of paper and some

markers.

Brainstorm a list of accomplishments, experiences, or achieve-

ment goals.

At the end of the year, you can look back over all the things your

family has accomplished! Encourage teens to use online tools

such as Trello and Evemote to help create the family bucket list

of to make one for themselves.

√ DRAW A WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Draw a wheel divided into segments, much like what you would

do with a pizza.

On each segments, write important categories in life: Family,

Friends, School, etc.

For each category, each participant will write out goals they

would like to accomplish in a set period of time.

Color and decorate the wheel, then hang it somewhere promi-

nent.

√CREATE A VISION BOARD

Take some old magazines and cut out pictures that represent

your hopes and dreams.

Paste these pictures onto a piece of poster board and decorate

with colors, glitter, stickers.

Ask your child what different pictures represent and how they

plan to achieve their dreams.

√PLAY 3 STARS AND A WISH

First, come up with 3 “Stars”, or things you do well. This can be

anything from running fast to comforting friends when they’re

feeling sad.

Next, discuss together HOW you became so good at these “Stars.”

Next, come up with a “Wish.” The Wish is something you need to

work on (a goal).

√ASK FUN QUESTIONS

Ask, “What would you do if you won the lottery? If you had a su-

perpower, how would you use it?”

Discuss that they can take their fate into their own hands by

making a plan to achieve their hopes, goals, and dreams.

√INTEREST MAPS

Older kids can learn a lot about themselves by paying attention

to their interests. Do they like art or science or writing or

sports? Write down all their favorite interests.

See if they can find patterns in the things they enjoy doing.

Once they see their interests mapped out, they can create goals.

Check out for more growth mindset ideas @biglifejournal.com

Shared by your school psychologist

Music Notes

This month students in kindergarten through second grade are singing about winter, as they enjoy Mrs. Juday’s vast snowman collection, which is displayed in the music room. Winter song repertoire includes “The Mitten Song,” “The Glove Song,” “Rabbit Run on the Frozen Ground,” “Here is a Snowman” and part of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” Through singing songs and playing children’s game, students prepare for learning musical concepts and then practice those concepts. This month kindergartners are identifying fast and slow tempos as they move appropriately to music. First graders will learn the name of their new “mystery” note! Spoiler Alert: It is Do (pronounced as in “Doe, a deer, a female deer”). Second graders are synthesizing their note reading skills by sight sing-ing from the five-lined staff. They use the syllables do, re, mi, so and la, and the rhythms ta (quarter note), ta ti (eighth notes), quarter rest and ta-a (half note). Third through fifth graders began the New Year with a unit on folk dancing. Fourth and fifth graders play drums and dance to “Sasha,” and all three grades are learning “Alabama Gal,” an American folk song and dance. They are learning to accompany “Alabama Gal” on Orff instruments, and advanced recorder players will learn to play the song for their avocado green belt. IT’S CHOIR TIME! Fourth and fifth graders, don’t miss your chance to sign up for the Soaring Eagle Choir. Applications are in the music room and must be returned by February 8. No audition is necessary; the only requirement is that you must earn at least a 3 in participation during regular music class. Third graders must audition, and I will accept as many as I have space for. Third grade audition permission slips are avail-able in the music room. Auditions will take place during music classes the last week of January and the first week of Febru-ary. Choir rehearsals begin Thursday, February 14, after school until 4:45. Our evening Spring Concert is Friday night, April 26, 2019.