1. education
2. school

WARE ELEMENTARY
NEWSLETTER
October 2014
Office Staff
LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL
As I mentioned in last month’s
newsletter, Ware Elementary is in
the midst of transition as we bring
several new staff members on board.
Given the fact over forty percent of
our staff is new to our building, we
have had a wonderful start to our
school year. Parents, staff and students are working in tandem to provide a positive and supportive environment in which we can work and
learn.
While I serve as the Principal of
Ware Elementary, we are blessed to
have the support of two Assisting
Principals. We are going to use this
column for the next three months to
introduce you to your building principals. I am entering my thirtyseventh years as an employee of
USD 475 and if you count the years I
spent in the district as a student that
would expand to forty-eight. I grew
up in the county jail as my dad severed as Sheriff. I now live on a ranch
in the Flint Hills where my husband
and I raise Hereford Cattle and
Quarter Horses.
During my years in USD 475 I
have served as a custodian, teacher
aide, secretary, teacher and principal.
I served as principal at Lincoln Elementary for ten years, Grandview
Elementary also for the last three of
those years. I am entering my fourteen year as principal of Ware Elementary. I also serve as an Assistant
Professor at KSU teaching Educational Administrative Coursework. I
am beyond blessed with a beautiful
daughter and a precious six year old
granddaughter.
Principal
As you can tell by my history,
this school district and Ware Elementary are a huge part of my life. I
care deeply for our staff and students
as well as our district.
I want you to know dogs are also
a big part of my life. My daughter
owns and operates a facility where
she grooms and boards dogs. I share
this to make the point that I understand the relationship many of you
have with your pets. However,
please help us by following our rules
of no pets allowed on school
grounds. We have students with
severe animal hair allergies and
those who are extremely fearful of
dogs. In addition, even well trained
and managed pets may react differently when faced with the volume of
650 dismissing students. For your
liability and ours, please leave your
beloved family pets at home when
coming to the school. Our district
lost a student to a tragic dog mauling several years ago and therefore
we take this policy very seriously.
We will soon be entering the holiday season. Please be reminded one
of the strongest acts a parent can
provide for their school aged child is
to ensure regular school attendance.
Excellent attendance is a direct correlate to high academic achievement.
And finally, thank you for the
opportunity to educate your child.
Dr. Deb Gustafson
Assistant Principals
Alicia Scofield
Dana Williamson
Secretaries
Olga Delgado
Chris Regan
Norma Cornejo
Karla Moody
Student Support
Kathi Blankenship
Jesse Shane
Erica Flenoury
Walk A Mile Day
2:00 pm
3
Picture Day
8
Third Gr. Music Program
6:00 pm
9
No School
Elementary Plan Day
10
No School—Professional
Development Day
13
Parent/Teacher
Conferences
No School
Dr. Deb Gustafson
Principal
Fall Festival
21-2223
23-24
31
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 2
Geary County USD #475
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
Geary County USD #475 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,
disability, or age in its programs and/or activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts
and other designated youth groups.
For questions or complaints based on race, color, national origin, sex or age, please contact:
Director of Human Resources at 123 N. Eisenhower, Junction City, KS 66441. Telephone
785-717-4000. For questions or complaints based on disability, please contact: Director of the
Exceptional Student Services Division at 123 N. Eisenhower, Junction City, KS 66441.
Telephone: 785 717-4000.
Ware Elementary is a Blue Ribbon School with over
700 students per year in kindergarten through fifth grade. Students reside in the McClellan, Burnside Loops and Forsyth areas on Ft. Riley. Due to the Army transition, we see an annual
turnover of about 55% of our total student population.
“Where All Reach Excellence”
6795 Thomas Ave.
Fort Riley, KS 66442
Phone: 785-717-4600
Fax: 785-717-4601
We Are On The Web!
www.usd475.org
Ware Elementary has approximately 100-115 certified staff
members per year. An inclusive Special Education Program
and an English Learners Program (ELL) are part of the Ware
educational setting.
Ware Elementary is a Professional Development School in
cooperation with Kansas State University. As a Professional
Development School the outstanding teachers at Ware agreed
to assist pre-professional teachers develop instructional methods, lesson preparations, and assessment techniques to facilitate learning for all students. Our school benefits from this
program by having additional people at Ware with an interest
in the success of our students. We look forward to continuing
our association with Kansas State University and the excellent
pre-professional teachers that are assigned to Ware.
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 3
K I ND ER GA RT E N
Fall is here! Can you
believe your kindergartner
has been in school for almost an entire quarter?
Your child has grown so
much in the two months
he/she has been in school.
You will notice that your
child is reading simple
words, sentences, and
even books.
We have
learned about half of the
letter sounds in the English alphabet. In October
we should finish learning
the rest of the letter
sounds and use them to
spell and read more difficult words. We have been
working very hard to create a love of reading. You
can help encourage this by
providing guidance on
R&R homework each
night. Studies show that
20 minutes of NIGHTLY
reading helps children
grow into stronger, more
proficient readers. Enjoy
listening to your child
READ!
Autumn brings with it
many exciting areas of
study. We will complete
our human body unit,
Head to Toe, within the
next week. We will also
be studying the season of
fall, and begin our unit on
food and nutrition. All
exciting concepts to kindergarten students. Children love learning about
the world around them,
how things work, and why
we do the things we do.
Help your child develop
their love of wonder and
discovery by discussing
thematic ideas with them
each night using the thematic vocabulary list for
the current unit. The
more meaningful dialogue
your child has about our
thematic concepts, the
stronger the knowledge
on the subject, as well as
their overall vocabulary.
Thank you for taking the
time to talk to your child
about their day and pro-
mote learning in all areas
of their life.
In math we continue to
explore the numbers 0-5.
We are decomposing and
composing numbers like
crazy! The more a child
practice, the more fluent
they will become with
math skills later in their
elementary career.
To
practice these skills give
your child 5 small objects
and ask he/she to show
you one way to make five.
Praise and encourage your
child to come up with as
many other ways to make
five as possible. This activity is fun for kids and
using different manipulatives each time makes the
activity even more inviting!
Thank you so much for
your support in your
child’s education.
A
strong parent/teacher
partnership is essential for
academic success.
Kindergarten
Teachers
Mr. Scruggs
Miss Brown
Mrs. Walker
Miss Bartlett
Miss Willems
Mrs. Huff
ESSD Teacher
Ms. Tracy
FIR ST GR ADE
Ms. Francis
Mrs. Scott
Miss Schoen
Miss Wilhelm
Miss Otte
Mrs. Blume
ESSD Teacher
Ms. Tracy
Fall is officially here
and all the pieces are
starting to fall into place
for our first graders! We
are very pleased with the
progress our students are
making in reading! It is
very important that your
child is reading each night
for twenty minutes as the
stories continue to get
more difficult. All students will be formally
tested at the beginning of
October to determine
their new reading level.
At that time, they may
either stay with their current reading teacher, or
move to a different group
depending on where they
test.
We have been implementing the College and
Career Readiness Standards in first grade for a
few years and we continue
to be amazed with the
students’ growth in math.
They are learning to understand the value of
numbers. In addition, they
are becoming amazing
little problem solvers.
Check your child’s
Ware Bear folders for upcoming events including
Fall Festival (October
31st) and Parent-Teacher
Conferences will take
place October 21-22-23.
Please make every effort
to attend as they are crucial to the success of your
student.
We look forward to
seeing you!
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 4
S E CO ND GRA D E
Second grade is off to
a great start! The first
quarter is quickly drawing
to a close and we are excited about all that we
have been learning so far.
In math we’ll be focusing on money and place
value. Students will also
continue to practice their
math fact fluency strategies.
Be looking for
homework coming home
each week.
In reading students
will continue to become
more independent readers.
All students are expected
to read for 20 minutes
each night and complete
their Read and Respond
form, which they turn into
their reading teacher.
In social studies we’ll
learn about geography
and how to read maps.
Please make sure that
you check your student’s
Ware Bear folder each
night for homework and
important notes. Also,
your student has a planner where they will write
down their homework for
each day. This is a great
way to encourage communication between the parents and teacher as well.
Parent/Teacher conferences will be on October 21 and 22 from 3:307:30 pm, and on October
23 from 8:00am-12:15pm.
Be looking for more information on conferences
and no school days. It is
very important that you
meet with your student’s
teacher so that you can be
informed.
Your Second
Grade Team,
Mrs. Larson
Miss Hutchinson
Mrs. Morgan
Mrs. Blagg
Miss Stingo
Mrs. Smith
ESSD Teacher
Mrs. Felton
THIR D GR ADE
Third Grade
Rules!
Mrs. Pushee
Mr. Larson
Mr. Williamson
Miss Thurman
Miss Keller
ESSD Teacher
Miss Tozier
Unbelievable-It is Fall
already and the first quarter of the school year is
almost done. Time has
just flown by since starting school in August and
students are settled into
their daily routines.
Reading and math
groups are exploring
strategies to become better readers and mathematicians and students have
learned to become better
writers by using strategies to find great ideas to
write about.
Students should continue reading 20 minutes
each night and complete
their Read and Respond
to bring to their reading
teacher each day. Research has shown that
when students practice
reading, just like practicing any other activity,
they become better readers. If your student is not
bringing you a Read and
Respond form to sign
each night, ask them
about it. Reading teachers
keep track of who turns
them in daily.
Speaking of reading,
ask your students about
Reading Counts. Students should be reading
books from the library
and taking short quizzes
on those books. Your student’s home room teacher
can give you more infor-
mation about how well
your student is utilizing
Reading Counts.
We hope you
and your family
have a wonderful
Autumn!
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 5
F OURT H G RA D E
All fourth graders will
be participating in the
district Water Safety Program during October.
Don’t put away those
swimming suits quite yet.
In math we are continuing to learn about multiplication problems and
one of our main focuses is
learning those multiplication facts. Your child
should be practicing on
his/her facts at least 5-10
minutes each night if they
have not yet learned
them. We do have a
timed test everyday to
keep up with our progress. Your support at
home is very much appreciated.
The Northeast Region
of the U.S.A. is still our
concentration in social
studies. Just a reminder
that planners are sent
home each night so that
you know what homework needs to be completed. Please take a moment
to review and sign them.
We look forward to seeing all of you at the
Parent/Teacher Conferences scheduled for October 21-22-23.
Have a great October!
Fourth Grade
Rocks!
Mrs. Akard
Mrs. Patch
Mrs. Hilton
Ms. Besler
ESSD Teacher
Mrs. Parker
KSU Student
Karen Hays
Sara Annis
F I FT H GRADE
Your Fifth
Grade Team,
Mrs. Deville
Miss Taylor
Miss Fairbank
Mrs. Whitlock
ESSD Teacher
Miss Hemberger
With the arrival of October, fall is in the air.
We are looking forward
to the changing season
and the changing leaves.
Please remember that fall
is also a time for changing
weather and have your
Ware Bear dress accordingly.
This month in math,
our fifth graders will be
working with decimals in
many forms. In science,
our students are studying
the scientific process and
investigating the properties of matter. In social
studies, we will continue
to learn about early
American civilizations and
begin discussing world
exploration.
October is a very busy
month here at Ware.
With the end of the first
quarter, we are wrapping
up our current units and
preparing to take our end
of quarter assessments. It
will be very important for
all students to be at
school every day during
this busy time. The end
of the first quarter also
brings with it Parent/
Teacher Conferences.
This year conferences will
be held October 21-23.
We are all looking forward to this opportunity
to meet with you and review your child’s progress.
There are many special
activities at Ware during
the month of October.
Awards assemblies for the
first quarter will be held
on October 30. The end
of October is Red Ribbon
Week, and our Fall Festival celebrations. Please
watch for further information on those activities.
Page 6
WARE BEAR NEWS
L I BRARY LIN E S
Our Ware Bears have
been super busy reading!
So far this school year,
7,315 books have been
checked out from the Library Media Center.
What can I say, our Ware
Bears are rockin’ readers!
Kindergarten classes
have weekly lessons in
the library. We recently
finished an amusing book
called, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. Check with their
homeroom teacher for
their regular library day.
You can help remind
them to bring their books
back so they are able to
checkout a new book!
Grades third, fourth
and fifth have had the opportunity to preview the
William Allen White
Award Nominees for 2014
-2015. They are encouraged to read these books
so they can vote on their
favorite book in March.
For more information on
these books, visit
h t t p : / /
www.emporia.edu/libsv/
wawbookaward/.
ship education in the library. It is our goal to
help students flourish in a
world of media and technology. We are learning
to become respectful, responsible digital citizens.
Veronica Wait
Library
Media
Specialist
Library
Clerks:
There are some incredibly
interesting books this year!
Mrs. Gyuran
Mr. Miller
Students are continuing their Digital Citizen-
PE LINES
Your PE Teachers,
Mr. Derek Scott
derekscott@usd475.org
Miss Aubrey Koeppe
aubreykoeppe@usd475.org
Friday, October 3rd, is
Bramlage “Walk a Mile”
Day and all Ware students will take an afternoon break to participate
in a one mile walk around
McLellan Loop north of
Ware Elementary. All
U.S.D. 475 elementary
and middle schools will be
participating, as well as
students at the Freshman
Success Academy and St.
Xavier Catholic School.
The purpose of this event
is to promote healthy and
active lifestyles and to
show students that it’s as
easy as taking a walk
around the neighborhood.
Each participant will be
entered in a drawing at
their school for a new
scooter (grades Kinder-
garten through second)
and a bicycle (grades third
through fifth). There will
also be a district-wide
grand prize drawing for
an Xbox 360 console with
Kinect, including two
games: Kinect Adventures
and Kinect Sports. All adult
participants are also eligible in a drawing for a Fitbit Flex Band activity and
sleep tracker. Learn more
at www.fitbit.com.
The grand prize and
district adult prize winners will be announced
the morning of Monday,
October 6th, on KJCK
1420 AM radio during the
8:15am news. Ware Elementary prize winners
will be announced to our
students at the end of the
day on the day of our
Walk a Mile event.
The day of our event we
will meet in the new gym
at 2:00pm for a brief assembly before beginning
our one mile walk. In the
event of inclement weather we will complete our
walk indoors throughout
the day during each grade
level’s Block Activity
Time. Make sure to send
students to school with
comfortable shoes for
walking.
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 7
NURSE NOTES
Awww… Fall, one of my favorite Seasons!
With the change in weather
your Ware Bears need to be prepared for unpredictable weather.
You may want to send them to
school with a jacket, some mornings are very cool. Layering
clothing may be helpful also, if
the day turns warm, they could
remove the top layer to be comfortable.
Just a reminder that a good
breakfast is so very important for
your child’s ability to concentrate
and learn.
Cold and flu season is just
around the corner! Remind your
children about the importance of
washing their hands. This is the
single most important way to
prevent the spread of germs. Also encourage them to cover their
noses and mouths when they
cough or sneeze. Please consider
having your child vaccinated for
the flu.
Just a friendly reminder…
 Please bring in physical/
immunization form ASAP.
Many physical are due in October.
 If you have a student that
may require a change of
clothing while at school,
please put extra in their
bookbags. My Ware Bears
have visited my closet frequently and my supplies are
getting low.
 If your child comes home in
school clothing, please return
them to me after they have
been washed.
 Again please keep your contact information and emergency contact up to date.
Your correct phone numbers
are essential for us when we
need to contact you for an
injured or ill child.
 The Nurse office is still in
need of small pants sizes 5 &
6 and new underwear for
boys (size small) and girls
(size 4 & 6). Any donations
will be greatly appreciated.
I am starting to do vision
screenings. Notes will be coming
home with the results. If your
student needs further vision evaluation a letter will be mailed to
you.
Healthy Trick
or Treating
 Eat a good
meal before
going to
parties or
trick or treating.
 Check all treats for tampering
 Try to ration treats
 Travel in groups
 If at all possible, walk with
your children never to enter a
home or car to get treats.
Whishing you all
a great October!
Karen Roles, RN
School Nurse
MUSIC NOTES
Your Music
Teachers,
Mrs. Susan Gillespie
SusanGillespie@usd475.org
Mr. Drew Horton
DrewHorton@usd475.org
KSU Intern
Erin Beal
Please join us on
Thursday, October 9, as
the third grade students
present “Just For Fun.”
Their program will be at
6:00 p.m. on the Ware
Elementary auditorium.
We hope to see you there.
Students have been doing a lot of singing, playing and moving in their
music classes this fall.
From drumming to the
barred instruments, students are learning proper
playing technique as they
explore rhythmic and me-
lodic patterns. Creative
movement and folk dancing have been our focus
for movement this quarter. All students are only
being assessed on behavior and effort for the first
quarter.
Upcoming programs
this semester include music from the U.S.A. by the
fourth graders on November 13 and the fifth graders presentation of The
Nutcracker on December
11. All programs begin at
6:00pm.
As always, if you have
any questions or concerns,
feel free to contact us at
717-4600 or send us an
email.
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 8
I have visited each classroom the last couple of weeks talking to student’s about perseverance. Perseverance is a part of our school guidelines for success. It means sticking to something even when it’s
hard. This October I will continue visiting classrooms and teaching students about important character
traits in order for them to have a safe and positive school year.
As a reminder, If you feel you child needs to see me, please fill out an informed consent form in the
front office or give me a call at (785) 717-4320 ext. 6930. Remember, school counselors do not provide
“therapy” or “traditional counseling.” Referrals for outside counseling services are available if needed. I
will be available at Ware Elementary on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays if you need to speak with
me.
Take care and lets continue to have a wonderful school year!
Amy Hayward
Elementary Counselor
Ware Elementary- (785) 717- 4320 ext 6930
News from the Speech Team!
Speech Services have begun! We are having a great time getting to know all
our students. We enjoy seeing them learn and grow.
Our first Homework sheets went home the end of September. These provide
more practice opportunities for you to work with your child at home. Remember, returning completed Homework sheets earns your child a Pride
Ticket. If you ever have any questions or concerns please call (785-717-6747)
or email us. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Laura Twilling, M.A. CCC-SLP
lauratwilling@usd475.org
Melissa Demuth, B.S. SLP
melissademuth@usd475.org
Page 9
WARE BEAR NEWS
Math Challenge:
Critical Thinking: Figur e out th e sh apes that need to go into each section of the tw o cir cles
(venn diagram) that is labeled below them? Hint: one shape doesn’t belong in any section.
Large
Shaded
Both Shaded
and Large
(Answers are located on the Ware Elementary website http://web.usd475.org/school/wr/SitePages/Home.aspx under “Parent Information”.
October has some special weeks—
October 6-9 is Fire Prevention Week. Ware invites firemen and women to visit the school to go over
fire prevention and safety.
October 13-17 is National School Lunch Week. If you are interested in joining your student for lunch
during this week please call the school before 9:00 a.m. the day you are coming to request a school
lunch.
October 20-26 is National School Bus Safety Week.
October 27—November 2 is Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is an annual alcohol, tobacco and
other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign.
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 10
PTO General Meeting
Tuesday, October 14 at 3:30 p.m.
Interested in joining PTO? Come to the September meeting to find out more.
Membership is just $3 per family.
The Ware Elementary Parent Teacher Organization is a group of parents, teachers and Ware
staff that work together to enhance the school experience for all of the students and teachers of
Ware Elementary. PTO helps support many of the events at the school. For PTO to fund all of the
special activities for students, we have to raise funds. We try to do this in ways that benefit your
family and are not intrusive. We know there are lots of groups that are in need of funding so pick
and choose what works for you and your family.
PTO & Papa John’s Spirit Night
PTO is excited to partner with Papa John’s once a month to raise money. It is
easy to participate in, solves the “what to have for dinner” crisis, makes it
easy for Ware families to eat together, and raises money for PTO.
Papa John’s Nights are scheduled throughout the year for the third Thursday of every month
(except December, March and May).
Coupons are sent home to be used each month for this event.
Box Tops for Education
You wouldn’t throw away a dime would you?
So, don’t toss out those Box Tops! Send them to school on collection sheets
or in baggies. Make sure to include your student’s name and teacher’s name.
Go online for a list of products, www.boxtops4education.com.
Shop. Snap. Earn.
Hassle-free Fundraising
Download the free Shoparro app
 Join the 7,000+ schools already earning thousands through Shoparoo
 Snap pictures of your receipts
 Every receipt counts!
Earn cash for Ware



Shoparoo makes a donation for every receipt you summit
Share with your friends
There is strength in numbers—the more supporters we have, the more we earn!!!!
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 11
Congratulations to the 2014-2015 Student Council Representatives:
FORTH Grade: Jayden Garcia, Yazmin Gonzales, Makayla Flenoury, Mira Huff, Flavio
DeNovellis, Emma Gray, Christian Cruz, and Abihail Feliciano
FIFTH Grade: Elena Curtis, Malika Thomas, Tyson White, Jasmin Wright, Cole Donahue, Grace
Ramos, Moeva Pine, Larry Wesley
Ware Mart is our Student Council school store and will be open each Friday morning starting
at 7:30 am. All students are welcome to shop after eating breakfast. Items are priced between
$0.25 and $5.00. Proceeds from Ware-Mart are used to support school projects and community service projects.
Spirit Day – Friday, October 3 –
Tuesday, October 21
3:30—7:30 pm
$6.00 each
child & adult sizes
Wednesday, October 22
3:30—7:30 pm
Thursday, October 23
8:00am—12:15pm
T-shirts are available in the
office throughout the school
year.
We look forward to seeing you!
WARE BEAR NEWS
Page 12
R EB E
BA
EA
EW
WW
AA
RE
R RNN
EW
SS
Page 13
“This Institution is an equal opportunity provider”
Page 14
WARE BEAR NEWS
OCTOBER
MENU