October
Notes from the Principal:
Hello!
 
We are finally in a great routine here at Etna and the students are working hard diving into content in their classrooms.  We have implemented many new initiatives this year as we not only focus on achievement and growth, but also on community and team building.  Each Friday, every homeroom competes in a STEM challenge!  Check out our Facebook Page for pictures of the winning classrooms for the first two weeks of school!  It is awesome to see the student's creativity!

We also had our first Watch Dog event in September.  We had nearly 400 people in attendance and have had Watch Dogs in the building already!  If you would like more information on the program, please contact Mr. Pratt at jpratt@laca.org. We would also like to give a special thanks to our guest speaker, Mr. Andy Crisler, for his enlightening words and the many hours he spent at Etna last year with our Watch Dogs program!  

Thanks!

Tanya Moore
Proud Principal

The Southwest Licking Local School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other status protected by law.

Upcoming Events for the month

Please continue to check the District Website for updated calendar information, as well as our Facebook Page!
 
October 5 - PTO Meeting (6:00 pm)
October 7 - Parent Teacher Conferences (4 - 7 pm)
October 8 - Parent Teacher Conference Day
October 11 - Parent Teacher Conferences (4-7 pm)
October 20 - End of the 1st Quarter
October 21 - No School
October 24 - No School (Professional Development Day)
October 28 - Fall Party (2:00 pm) - arrangements MUST be made with teacher in order to attend.

** We will also have our Fall Book Fair in October.  More details to come. 




How to help your student learn
Tips for Success

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that children ages 6 to 10 get 10 to 11 hours of sleep per night, and that children in the other three age groups get 8.5 to 9.5 hours per night.

Is your child getting enough sleep?  How much sleep are they actually getting?  Are there distractions in their bedroom?  Do you have a regular nightly routine in place?  

These are all questions to ask as we, as parents, help our students prepare for their busy days ahead and start them off on the right foot.  

Teacher Spotlight
Rebecca Spaeth, 5th Grade Language Arts

Looking for a creative way to get her students excited about reading in the first weeks of school, Mrs. Spaeth transformed her classroom into a restaurant. Tables were covered with red clothes, light music set the mood in the background, and books became the main course. Walking into a "Book Tasting" of books with all flavors, the level of student engagement was off the charts.

Students rotated through 5 different genre tables, reading for 5 minutes at each table to just get a taste of their book. Every student gave a short book talk at each table and then rated the book on a 1-10 scale. Students ended their tasting with a reflection "napkin" that captured their thoughts about the whole activity.

Approaching reading and all content areas in real-world simulations makes learning meaningful for our children. Mrs. Spaeth is not the only teacher at Etna Elementary making the curriculum come to life, but this awesome idea needed to be shared with the masses.



Guidance Newsletter

Homeroom Guidance Lessons in October will focus on the first Habit of Happy Kids - Be Proactive.  Students will complete various games and other activities that focus on making good choices and taking responsibility for the consequences of those choices.  Students will learn that they have a great deal of influence over their own success because of the choices that they make.
 
Classroom Guidance Lessons - During the months of September and October students are learning about self esteem and how to pick themselves up when they are feeling a little down.  These lessons focus on 3 simple ways students can take control over their feelings of self worth:
 
  1. 1.     Focus on your Strengths - students are encouraged to think about their strengths and to realize that they get to choose what is good about themselves .
  2. 2.     You are Important to Others - students are reminded to remember all of the people that are part of their lives and to take stock in the fact that every person matters a great deal to others.
  3. 3.     Celebrate Your Differences - students learn how the characteristics that make them different are the very characteristics that make them unique.  This "one-of-a-kind" status brings tremendous value to every person.
 
Please encourage your students at home to remember these 3 easy ways to strengthen their sense of value in themselves.  


Contact
Etna Elementary
8500 Columbia Road SW
Pataskala, OH 43062
 
School Line:  740-927-5906
Attendance Line:  740-964-5207 
 
Tanya Moore, Principal
tanyamoore@laca.org 

Joe Pratt, Assistant Principal
jpratt@laca.org 


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