SUPERINTENDENT’S

NEWS

December 22nd, 2015

Volume 4, Issue 5

Elder Grove School District #8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Going to School Regularly

Matters ..................................... 2

Tips for Regular Attendance .... 2

IC Parent Portal ...................... 2

Setting Goals ............................ 3

Boys Basketball

Undefeated………………………….3

Bus Loading Zones.……………...4

Sponsors & Boosters

Program……………………...….…..4

Special points of interest

K-4th Grade Winter Musical

will be Thursday, Dec 10th

Boys Basketball team is unde-

feated with an 8-0 record!!!

Go Outlaws!

Boys Basketball Home Game

January 5th

WHERE, OH WHERE, HAS MY CHILD’S

CLOTHING GONE?

The lost and found is overflowing with like-new

clothing, including jackets, hats, mittens,

gloves, lunch boxes, etc. If your child is miss-

ing any clothing please have them stop by one of

the three lost and founds at school.

Main Office

Middle School Office

Lunch Room Door

Area

Thanks to Mrs. Phillips, our District

Technology Director, we have an all-new

website for our school. The website has the

same address:

eldergrove.k12.mt.us

On our new website you will be able to find all of the same documents you

were able to find on our old website along with up-to-date announcements

and information. I hope you will find this new website much more user

friendly and informative. Please refer to the website for school closure, alerts,

busing concerns, sports, school events, teacher’s webpages, and staff contact

information. This will be the last newsletter that we will print off. From now

on, the newsletter will be released on the website on the last Tuesday of every

month. If you would like a paper copy please notify your child’s teacher so we

can send one home with them.

I hope everyone has a great holiday break and I look forward to seeing all of

the students’ smiling faces after the beginning of the new year.

Happy Holidays,

Justin Klebe

Superintendent

With the holiday season

comes snow and bad

weather. Please send your

child dressed appropriately

for the cold weather.

The students will be outside

unless the temperature

drops below zero with the

wind chill. If your child is

not dressed appropriately it

can be a miserable time

outside.

TO CHECK YOUR CHILD’S

ATTENDANCE RECORD

You can check your child’s

attendance record simply by

visiting our website. After

clicking on the Parents

navigation you can then select

Infinite Campus Parent

Portal

Once you login, you can click

on Attendance on the left

hand side to see how your

student has been performing

up to this point.

If you have questions about

his or her record, or would

like help please let us know!

We are always striving for...

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

Aristotle

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student's academic success starting in

kindergarten and continuing through high school. Students who miss just 18 days of school in

a year are more likely to fall behind, struggle with grades, and even drop out.

Some absences are unavoidable (i.e. health related, etc). However, research shows the

following with regards to other reasons for absenteeism:

Children chronically absent in K-1st are much less likely to read at grade level by the end

of 3rd grade

By 6th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for

dropping out of school

By 9th grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade

test scores

Absences can add up quickly. A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days

every month!

Along with regular attendance, it is important for students to be on time consistently.

Unfortunately, we are unable to make up the lost instruction the student missed by being

tardy.

Our goal this year is to ensure that every student attends school regularly and arrives on time.

Please let us know how we can best support you and your children in this endeavor.

Let’s work together to ensure your child’s success!

Sincerely,

Nathan Schmitz

Principal

GOING TO SCHOOL REGULARLY MATTERS!

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TIPS TO ENCOURAGE REGULAR ATTENDANCE

Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime

Establish a morning routine

Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before

Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick

Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session

Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going

to school

Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up –call a family

member, ask a neighbor or another parent to take your child to school

With the new year comes all of the new year’s resolutions. Here

are some tips to help you keep your New Year’s Resolution

according to Gaiam Life.

First, be realistic in your resolution; plan ahead and outline your

plan. Then make a ‘Pros’ and ‘Cons’ list of items on paper to keep

your motivation strong. Talk about your resolution with your

friends and family so they can help support you during those

tough days. Make sure you reward yourself and track your

progress while attaining your goal. Don’t beat yourself up if you

slip every now and then, get back on your plan and stick to it as

best you can. Finally, keep trying and never give up, progressing

one minute, hour or day at a time.

The middle of the school year is also a great time for families to

check-in with students on goals. Setting academic and personal

goals helps motivate, energize, and focus students. It is a

valuable skill that will benefit learners throughout their lives!

The 7th & 8th grade 2015-2016 Elder Grove Boys

Basketball team has started the season with a 8-0

record and they won the YBGR Mustangs Shootout

Tournament. Coach Eddie Cochran has installed an

up-tempo, fast-pace style which has resulted in

multiple double-digit wins. Coach Cochran describes

his team as, “Energetic, Exciting, Enthusiastic, and

High Flying”. Please support our boys as they make a

run for the Yellowstone County Schools

championship. The last time our boys basketball team

won the championship was in 2009.

The next home game is January 5th vs. Home School.

Go Outlaws!

SETTING GOALS IS IMPORTANT

BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM UNDEFEATED!

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“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” Albert Einstein

Please refer to our website or

Facebook page for school

closure alerts or bus delays.

A special thanks to U-Do Yogurt for

supporting academic success at Elder Grove

ELDER GROVE SCHOOL

DISTRICT #8

We are an independent kindergarten

through 8th grade district separate

from the Billings and Laurel school

districts. Our district spans 64 square

miles and stretches from just west of

Shiloh almost to Molt. With over 500

students we are the 10th largest

independent district in the state of

Montana.

Our mission statement is “Outlaw

Pride: Generations of Success,

Striving for Excellence.” All staff at

Elder Grove School take this

mission statement very seriously

and make giving a quality education

to all students at Elder Grove their

number one goal. We have a great

reputation for the quality of our

education, and we want to maintain

that reputation, continuing to “Strive

for Excellence”.

SPONSORS & BOOSTERS PROGRAM

Elder Grove School District #8

1532 S 64th St West

Billings, MT 59106

Phone: 406-656-2893 x200

Website: eldergrove.k12.mt.us

Our Sponsors & Boosters program is off to a great start. The installation of sign-

age by Dan Roller of MOJO Graphics in the middle school gym will take place

over Christmas break. I want to thank “Outlaw Country’’ for making this program

a success. Please contact Activities Director, Dominick Vergara, for membership

information. We still have booster and sponsorship opportunities available.

Mission statement: Promoting team and school enthusiasm, pride in

our sportsmanship, and community involvement.

Thank you Outlaw Country!

BOOSTERS

KLEBE FAMILY

SCHMITZ FAMILY

VERGARA FAMILY

PHILLIPS FAMILY

EDDIE COCHRAN

SPARKS FAMILY

MICHAEL MAYOTT CONSULTING

BRIAN S. LETHERT

GARY & HOLLY ADAMS

THE FRANK PELKEY FAMILY

THE SAM BUCHANAN FAMILY

HENRY & TYLER CONTRERAZ

WARNICK FAMILY

DANNENBERG RANCE INC.

SPONSORS

CAREER CENTER

GRAND AVENUE DENTAL CARE

RUN-N-GUN YOUTH BASKETBALL

LEAGUE

BEARTOOTH BANK

SPARKS INC

TOUNSLEY ELECTRIC INCORPORATED

STOKKE FAMILY DENTISTRY

CLC DATACOM

DALE & JAX DOOR & GLASS, INC

FISHER WATER SERVICE

MITCHELL GOLF

HOME IMPROVEMENT WHAREHOUSE

CABINET WORKS

GREAT HARVEST BREAD CO

LEAVITT GROUP INSURANCE

BUS LOADING ZONES – CAREFUL WHERE YOU PARK

Dropping off students and picking them up can be a

dangerous time for the students. Please drop students

off in front of the buildings at the appropriate drop off

areas. Make sure your child uses the crosswalks and

waits for the crossing guard.

If you drop your student off in front of the old building

please make sure you are NOT parked by the stairs or

ramp to the north of the bell tower, otherwise the

buses cannot make the corner.

If you need to, you can either go through and come

back around or park in the main parking lot and walk

over to pick up your child. Parking creates a safety hazard for the buses and

students so please try not to park by the stairs and ramp to the north of the bell

tower.

Thanks for helping to keep the children safe!

All future newsletters will be

in digital format only.

If you need a paper copy or if

you are not receiving emails

from the school please let

Mrs. Vogele know in the

Main Office at

406.656.2893 x200

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