Feb. 2 – Convocation

Feb. 2 – PTO meeting

Feb. 9 – School Spelling Bee

Feb. 9 – Mr.Gatti’s Sports Awards 6-7p

Feb. 15 – Mid-Term reports

Feb. 16 – Math Bowl

Feb. 16 – WBIW Spelling Bee

Feb. 20 – Snow make-up day

Feb. 23 – Title 1 Family Night

Feb. 27 – Snow make-up day

Feb 28 – Choir concert 7 pm

March 1 – Math Bowl

March 1 – PTO meeting

March 5-14 – ISTEP

March 12-15 – IREAD for 3rd grade

ISTEP begins on March 5th. This is an important test for our school and your child. These tests help us evaluate your child’s ability and determine where the school’s efforts should be placed. Please talk with your child about the importance of doing their best and make sure they get plenty of rest the night before.

IREAD is the state test all third graders are required to take. It is important your child is rested and ready for this test. Failure to pass the test will result in having to take the test again and may require summer school and/or retention.

Congratulations to those making the Math Bowl Team:

Kassie Kile, Amy Martin, Lexi Lindsey,

Nicole Pokorny, Nicholas Isom, Reese Brady,

Emily Byford, Sarah Gaither, Taylor Porter,

Jace Rhorer, Owen Tackett, Brandon Flinn,

Ella Fountain, Owen Beaver, Macy Hardesty,

Kyanna Logsdon, Josie O’Brien, Olivia Enochs,

Their first meet is February 16th at BNL.

February 20th, 27th, March 16th, April 6th, 13th, 27th are snow make-up days. We will be out of school on these dates if we do not miss a regularly scheduled day due to inclement weather.

Breakfast is offered at all NLCS schools. The cost for breakfast is $1.25 for students (.30 for reduced students) and $2 for adults.

Our boy’s basketball team went undefeated this season and capped it off by winning the North Lawrence Elementary tournament. Congratulations to all!!!

Both basketball teams, cheerleaders and dance team are invited to a season ending celebration on February 9 at Mr. Gatti’s. We will begin the celebration at 6:00 and finish by 7:00 pm. Congratulations to all those who participated!

Kelsey Poore, 4th grader from Mrs. O’Brien’s classroom, won Shawswick School’s Geography Bee this year. This is the first time an elementary student has won the school-wide bee. Kelsey defeated students in elementary and middle school to claim the title.

Starting March 5th, any parent who plans to enroll their child in kindergarten for next year can call for an appointment. Children must be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2012. Shawswick’s roundup will be Friday, March 30th. On the day of the screening, parents should bring the child, the child’s birth certificate and immunization records, and proof of custody (if applicable).

The Lawrence County Health Dept will be available at all kindergarten roundups to vaccinate your child . This service will be available for children with no insurance, those with insurance that does not cover vaccines, and children with Medicaid. If children have Medicaid, they will need to provide their Medicaid card.

Children with insurance that covers vaccines are encouraged to set up an appointment with their physician. The state funded Vaccine for Children Program will no longer allow us to vaccinate children who are fully covered by insurance and the health dept is currently not set up to bill insurance.

Growing Respect

Respect and obedience are not the same things. It’s important for children to obey out of respect, not fear. To encourage this: Build your child’s self-respect by praising your child for the tough things they accomplish. Model respect for yourself and others. Develop mutual respect with your child by listening to them and sharing your thoughts. Stay in control when things go bad. And, expect respect. Talk about your family values and how people should be treated. It’s not okay, for example, for anyone to belittle someone else.

Dec. 1 – Basketball - home – St. Vincent

Dec. 5 – 9 Secret Santa Shop

Dec. 13 – Basketball at Springville

Dec. 20 – Last day before break

Jan. 3 – Return to school

As colder weather approaches, students should plan to dress for the weather. Students may go outside even when it is cold. Coat, hat and gloves are recommended. Please place their name inside any coat so we can return it to them when found.

Congratulations Spell Bowl Team

The Spell Bowl team competed at BNL on Nov. 17. The team improved on their number of words spelled correctly over last year’s championship team. Unfortunately, Emerson had a better total number of correct words to defeat our Farmers. Our team finished 15th in the state, a great job by our spellers!!

Once again this year, we will have a Secret Santa Shop. Gifts may be purchased by students from the shop during the week of Dec 5th. Students will need to bring their money with them and select their gift during their class-assigned time.

Our life skills for December are "effort" and "community." I will be talking about the need for effort to succeed and how effort can overcome anyone’s weaknesses. Students need to understand no one is ever stopped by their talent or intelligence - they are only stopped when they refuse to put forth the effort.

Students also need to understand how being part of a community can help them succeed. A community supports them so they can be successful.

Please discuss these important ideas with your child.

Take time to be a parent.

We will use the automated calling system to contact you for school closings. You will need to answer the phone and say something before the automated call will activate. The announcement will also be placed on the local radio station. We will try to contact you before 6:30 a.m.

We talk about the different types of nutrients we need daily so our body functions properly but does our body and mind need anything else? Yes, and they are just as important. First, daily exercise is very important. Our body feels better and works better when you speed up your heart rate. We also need to read daily. Reading may be the most important thing we can do to get our brain working. Set aside time every day to exercise and read daily.

Through the McKinney-Vento Act of 1987, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, federal funds are available to support programs to meet the needs of homeless children and youth. The state defines homeless as;

Sheltered – students living in emergency, domestic violence or transitional shelter

Hotels/Motels – students living in hotels/motels for lack of housing

If you feel your child falls in any of these categories, please contact your child’s school office for a list of benefits and a statement of rights.

Oct. 28 – PTO Teach and Treat

Nov. 1 – Basketball at Fayetteville

Nov. 2 – Picture retake

Nov. 3 – PTO 3:20

Nov. 7 – Basketball at Parkview

Nov. 9 – Vision Screening for 1st

Nov. 10 – Basketball at Heltonville

Nov. 14 – Basketball home Dollens

Nov. 14 – Title 1 meeting in café 3:30-4

Nov. 15 – Basketball at Lincoln

Nov. 15 – Sports/Group pictures

Nov. 17 – Spell Bowl at BNL 5:00 pm

Nov. 19 – Benefit for Mark Starr

Nov. 21 – Basketball home Stalker

Nov. 22 – Progress reports

Nov. 23-25 – No School

Nov. 28 – Basketball home Needmore

Nov. 30 – Animal show convocation

Dec. 1 – Basketball home St Vincent

As colder weather approaches, students should plan to dress for the weather. Students may go outside even when it is cold. Coat, hat and gloves are recommended. Please place their name inside any coat so we can return it to them when found.

Remember to set your clocks back one hour the evening of November 5.

On November 9, first grade students will travel to PVP by corporation bus for the North Lawrence vision screening.

Congratulations to the Spell Bowl team on their victory at BNL on Oct 4. The team spelled more words correct than many of the larger schools. Keep working hard and the Nov 17th meet will be spelled V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. Good Luck Farmers!

Title 1 parents and students are invited to attend literacy Night on Monday, Nov 14, 2011. It will be in the school cafeteria from 3:30-4:00 pm. Please come and enjoy some special time with your child. We will provide the food, fun, and games.

Girls Basketball:

Jorie Allen McKenley Byers Rylee Kelly Kassandra Kile

Jolynn Kline Abbie Lee Jaylee McKeaigg Josie O’Brien

Nicole Pokorny Natalie Thomas Savanna VanHoy Gabby Wilson

Manager: Amy Martin Coach: Steve Hooten

Boys Basketball:

Brayton Bailey Jake Brown Cale Bunch Brandon Flinn

Landon Hayes Dalton Nikirk Taylor Porter McCall Ray

Jace Rhorer Drew Shoufler Owen Tackett Chase Terry

Managers: Cameron Jeskewich, Ezra Sullivan, and Owen Sullivan

Coaches: Jerry Hawkins, Kristin Messmore

Nov. 1 Away at Fayetteville Nov. 2 1 Home vs. Stalker

Nov. 7 Away at Parkview Nov. 28 Home vs. Needmore

Nov. 10 Away at Heltonville Dec. 1 Home vs. St. Vincent

Nov. 14 Home vs. Dollens Dec. 13 Away at Springville

Nov. 15 Away at Lincoln

This month our life skills are friendship and caring. These two skills intertw ine and are needed by every person. Young students especially, sometimes struggle to make and keep friends. Please talk with your child about forming friendships and how to know when to keep a new friend and when to walk away. Remind them of the importance caring for others and themselves takes in their life.

Shawswick Elementary, with the Middle School, will celebrate Veteran’s Day on Friday, Nov. 11. Grades 1-5 students will join to sing during this convocation. You are invited to this patriotic celebration starting at 2:00 p.m. in the middle school gym.

We will use the automated calling system to contact you for school closings. You will need to answer the phone and say something before the automated call will activate. The announcement will also be placed on the local radio station. We will try to contact you before 6:30 a.m.

Mistakes are an essential part of learning. Students many times fear making mistakes. They think a wrong answer will get them into trouble or will confirm that they are "stupid." However, research shows that people actually learn better by "getting it wrong" to begin with. Next time your child asks for help with their homework, let them take a stab at answering on their own. Give them little hints about what to do if they get it wrong and let them try again.

Oct. 4 – Spell Bowl at BNL

Oct. 6 – PTO 3:20 - cafeteria (Title 1)

Oct. 7 – Vision Screening-grades1,3,5

Oct. 14 – End first grading period

Oct. 18 – Parent-Teacher Conferences

Oct. 20-21 – Fall Break

Oct. 26 – Honor Day 2:00 pm

Oct. 28 – "Teach and Treat" at the school

Nov. 1 – Basketball at Fayetteville

Nov. 3 – PTO 3:20 - cafeteria

Title 1 Staff will be available on Oct. 6th from 3-3:15 pm to answer any questions you may have about the Title 1 program. A booth will be located outside the cafeteria doors.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on October 18th. Only evening conferences will be available. Students will attend school all day with conferences starting at 3:30.

We would like to meet with all parents who wish to conference but the limited time may require us to meet at other times or conference over the phone.

Congratulations to the Spell Bowl team: Owen Beaver, Cadence Burkhart, Alaina Deckard, Addie Del Fierro, Morgan Dunn, Ella Fountain, Elizabeth Isom, Cassie Moore, Dalton Nikirk, Kelsey Poore, Jace Rhorer, and Gabby Wilson.

The first Spell Bowl match is October 4th.

All of our 1st, 3rd , and 5th graders will have their vision checked by the Bedford Lions Club. This will be done at school, October 7, during the school day. If you do not wish to have your child’s vision checked, please contact the school.

Your child should bring to school any corrective eye wear.

Tryouts for boys and girls will begin Oct. 10. Players must have a permission slip and physical form on file with the school. Practice times will be sent home later.

This year’s Student Council members are Avery O’Brien, Seaver VanHoy, Brayden Perry, Ally Rhorer, Lucas McKinney, Chelsea Scott, Adam Tlustek, Brayton Bailey, Reese Brady, Cale Bunch, Jacob Hall, Nicholas Isom, Abby Prince, Mallori Beyers, Jacob Brown, Sarah Gaither, Averie Jones, Kassie Kile, and Lexi Lindsey.

PTO is sponsoring a family fun night on Oct. 28th. The event will begin at 6:00 and end at 7:30 pm. Teachers will pass out candy and we will have a chili super and other fun activities. Students are invited to dress for Halloween, but this is not a requirement to attend. The entire family is welcome to come and enjoy the evening!!!

Our words for the month of October are change and responsibility. For students to be their best and grow into the adults we expect them to be, they must deal with change and be responsible for their actions.

We all deal with changes in our lives differently. When you sent your child to school the first time, he or she may have simply taken off from your side, or maybe they cried (maybe I cried a little). Students need to feel supported when trying new things. They also need to be given opportunities to attempt new things. Depending on their readiness, the opportunity may be little or big. If you see the change is too stressful, give them a simple change and build to bigger events. An example is: Spend the night with grandma before spending the night at a neighbor’s home.

A child who understands their responsibilities is a child who can control themselves. When things go great, talk with your child about how they were responsible. Let them figure out some of the things they did which created the success. In like manner, when a child has problems, talk with them about what they did wrong and how they can correct this problem. Once again, let them explain some of what they did and how they can correct. This will give them ownership of their actions so they can take responsibility and make the needed changes.

A new policy from the State of Indiana: No outside food may be brought into the cafeteria for students to eat. This means a parent may not bring McDonald’s or other fast food into the cafeteria for their child to eat.

Thank you for not sending peanuts, peanut butter, and tree nuts with your child to school. This helps us keep all children safe at school.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

The 2012 Shawswick yearbook will be on sale Oct. 3-17. The price is $29 with at least $15 paid in advanced to reserve a book. For your convenience, you may order a copy online at jostensyearbooks.com.

Reserve your copy today!

Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 6. Move your clocks back one hour on Sunday Nov. 6.

Any time there is a delay or cancellation of school you will receive an automated phone call. This call will be made as early as possible. If there is a reason for school to be delayed or cancelled and you do not receive the call, please listen to the radio and then call the school office to update your contact phone number.

Dance Team

At this time, we still do not have a Dance Team coach. If you are interested, please contact the school office. We are unable to have a dance team without a coach.