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Weekly News from Steele Elementary

02 04 2016   
Contents
From the Principal
School News
PTA News
Community News
Quick Links
Dates To Remember
From the Principal
Growth Mind Set
The New York Times recently published an article titled, "Nice Try is Not Enough!". The article highlights Dr. Carol Dweck's work around developing a growth mind set. I have had parents; colleagues and friends forward me this article so I thought I should share with you. The gist of the article is that we need to make sure that students don't expect absolute success just because they tried hard. Dweck writes, "Students need to try new strategies and seek input from others when they're stuck. They need this repertoire of approaches-not just sheer effort-to learn and improve." Nice Try is not enough, we actually need to teach our students to have a growth mind set. We need to continue to help them develop strategies and confidence to learn from their mistakes and also how to strategically solve problems that they don't know how to solve. I have attached the NY Times article and a link Dr. Dweck's original article which it was based on. I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did.  

Balarat as our new Outdoor Education Experience for students
I recently sent a letter to 4th grade parents letting them know that we would be changing our student's outdoor education experience from Camp Cheley to Balarat. Balarat is part of Denver Public Schools and funded by the tax payers of Denver. They are designed to be an outdoor educational experience that combines team building with hands on education about the flora and fauna of Colorado. The 4/5 team and I made this decision after a lot of conversation about what is best for our students and families. The letter I sent to 4th grade families is attached. It goes into great detail about the reasons for this decision.

School News

JumpRopeJump Rope for Heart 
Jump Rope for Heart is coming soon! The Kickoff Assembly featuring the Claim Jumpers jump rope team is on Friday, February 5 right before lunch in the gymnasium. For more information, click here.

Art Show Matting
ArtShowReserve the evening of May 12 for our Spectacular Steele Art Show. Please help make this a wonderful show by coming in to mat students' artwork. No experience is necessary, and times are flexible -- you can come any time during the 3:00 to 7:00 PM window on the specified dates. Signup details and dates are now posted in MySchoolAnywhere. Your help is greatly appreciated!

After School Enrichment
There are many wonderful after school programs being offered at Steele this spring to allow children to broaden their cultural horizons. Visit the Steele website for further details on these and other programs offered. 
 

PTA News
ptaNext PTA Meeting: February 9
The next PTA meeting will be Tuesday, February 9.  Join us in the New PTA Logo auditorium from 6:00 to 7:30 PM; child care will be available in the gym for $3 per child. Drinks and conversation will continue nearby following the meeting.
danceSteele All-School Winter Dance: February 19 
No Dates, No Drama...Just Dancing!!!! Friday, February 19, 6-8pm, Steele Auditorium.
Tickets: $5pp  (Steele students and parents only due to space limitations.Everyone will need to buy a ticket) Family fun, DJ entertainment and light snacks provided!
Not a drop-off event; students must have an adult responsible for them present 
 
Ticket sales will be Monday, 2/8 thru Thursday, 2/11after school from 3:00-3:20. Tickets will also be available in the school office throughout the day 2/8-2/17, or until sold out.
 
Parents are needed to help set-up, during and clean-up.  See all available volunteer opportunities by logging into MySchoolAnywhere  with your password or request to have your personal sign up link sent to your e-mail. Questions? 
Email Crissy Lucado.

sdoNext SDO at Blackbird: February 16
Save the date!  Dine in or take out at Blackbird on February 16 from 11:00 am to close.  15% of the proceeds will be donated back to Steele!

Exciting News: Steele's After School Garden Program is BACK!
We're inviting 20 students to learn about caring for seeds, planting, and much, much more!  Registration opens now.  We will meet on  Wednesdays starting April 6-May 25th after school 3-4pm.  This year we will also include a garden milk jug experiment, transplanting, and if weather permits, planting a few beds in the garden.  Download the Registration Form  for more information.

Grocery Cards  
The card program has so far earned Steele $2000!  Don't have one yet? Get your Safeway or King Soopers grocery cards in the school office and Steele will receive 5% cash back every time you continue to add value to the card.  Stop in yourself or send cash with your child and they can pick one up for you.  The initial cost is $5.00 for either card. This is not a fee but a reimbursement for the initial card value which will be available to you at your first use.   
 

Community News
South High School President's Day Basketball Camp 
Is your student interested in basketball? If so, South is offering a basketball clinic from 1:00-4:00 on February 15th. Click here for more information.

South Mini-Rebels Cheerleading
If your child is 4-10 and interested in performing with the South cheerleaders at a South basketball game they can sign up for the mini-rebs clinic on February 13th and perform on February 19th. Click here for more information.

Merrill News
To check out what's happening at Merrill Middle School, click here.
To submit information to this newsletter, send it in edited, final-draft format to the appropriate person from the list below by 5 PM on Tuesdays:
For all other questions, please email Cynthia Swanson and Liz Marvan (parent volunteers) at steelestallionpress@gmail.com.