Benjamin Broadcast

Dear Benjamin Families,

This edition of the newsletter covers

the months of December and Janu-

ary. Please read carefully. The next

newsletter will be sent around the

beginning of February.

We continue to have lots of great

learning opportunities for our stu-

dents. Recently, Dan Brady visited

and spoke with our 4th graders about

the election process and how it

works. We have also had State Farm

volunteers teach some of our students

about beginning level computer code.

We have had hands-on experiments

with staff from the University of Illinois

Extension Office, teaching our students

about Agriculture in the Classroom.

We hope you and your family have a

restful and relaxing break. Happy Holi-

days!

Please contact our office at (309)557-

4410 if

you have

any ques-

tions.

Sincerely,

Marlys Bennington

benninmm@unit5.org

Principal

Food Service

The Food Service department is looking for dedicated, dependable, service oriented employees to serve

in entry level food service positions in school kitchens throughout the district. All positions require working

during the lunch hours. We are looking for detail-oriented candidates with a positive attitude who are able

to work in a fast paced environment. To apply visit the Employment tab of the Unit 5 web site and com-

plete an online application - choose JobID 4249: Food Service – Cook. http://www.unit5.org/

domain/50

McLean County Unit District 5

December 2016/January 2017

Volume 7, Issue 4

GROWL Winners 2

Save the Date! 2

Dine to Donate 3

Music & Chorus 3

Calendar 4

Book Fair Thank You 5

5Essentials Survey 6

Inside this issue:

United Way

Thank you to all who do-nated to our United Way Campaign. Our school,

was able to donate $1,125.01 to our commu-nity! We appreciate your

generosity. A special thanks to Mrs. Aper, Ms. Traynor, and the Student

Council for organizing and completing such a successful campaign!

Wednesdays are

designated as Spirit

Wear Days. Students &

staff may wear

Benjamin Bear clothing

or orange & black.

Business Bears

Congratulations to all of our Business Bears for their hard work and creative ideas! Busi-

ness Bears is an entrepreneurial program where students have the opportunity to learn

about starting a small business. They create their own product, come up with an advertise-

ment for it, and then sell their products at our Business Bears Sale.

Here are some important upcoming dates for all Business Bears:

Wednesday, December 7th—12:35pm—Business Bears Meeting

Thursday, December 15th—Our Business Bears will be mentored by Mrs. Julie Hinman’s

Entrepreneurial Class from Normal West—Students will learn about the marketing side of

starting a business.

January 13th—Advertisement Posters Due; January 20th—All Products Due; January

27th—Arrive at 7:00am; Sale Runs from 7:25-7:45am

Congratulations to the following

students who were our October

GROWL winners:

Olivia Bird (PE Delveaux), Jacob

Smith (PE Delveaux), Nolan

Burton (PE Myers), Paige Fisch-

er (PE Myers), Molly Mathias

(KF), Olivia Van Norman (KF),

Reese Lakamp (KH), Addy

Zeman (KH), Lynley Bradshaw

(KL), Mason LaKamp (KL), Col-

ton Nesvacil (1A), Leah Redinbo

(1A), Riley Barrett (1G), Luke

oyler (1G), Jackson Masters

(1H). Quinn Stephens (1H),

Vishwa Esakimuthu (1S), Amelia

Hutley (1S), Addison Miller (2F),

Carter Reiners (2F), Ella Kolb

(2G), Wyatt Percy (2G), Hamsini

Ganti (2K), Kailee Jani (2K),

October GROWL Winners

Yearbook Orders

Yearbook order forms will be sent home

towards the middle of January. Yearbooks

are hard back books and have colored

pictures. You will want to order your copy

ahead, as we only purchase a few extras to

sell when they arrive at the end of the school

year.

Page 2 Be n ja m in Bro a dca s t V o lu me 7 , I s s u e 4

We just want to say how proud we are of our students. Overall, we believe that our students are pretty healthy. They are active at recess and during P.E. class. Many students are involved in outside activities, as well. This fall we have been playing lots of movement games, as well as testing some Project Fit activities and a cardio test called the Pacer. The Pacer is a running activity where the students run a distance of ap-proximately 63 feet. They start the test on a recorded beep. As the test goes on, there is less time between beeps. Students who are 5 to 9 years old just do this for practice. Students who are 10 and older actually have a healthy range that is governed by FitnessGram Standards for Healthy Fitness Zone. Their website is www.fitnessgram.net, if you would like to see some of the healthy ranges for kids.

We want to extend our warm wishes to you all for the upcoming holiday season.

Always,

Todd Delveaux & Jo Myers

PE Shorts

Save the Date!

March 3rd—5:00-8:30 pm Benjamin Carnival (Lights! Camera! Benjamin!)

March 7th— 6:00-7:30 pm Art Show

April 18th—6:00-7:30 pm Science Fair

Juliette Kennedy (2V), Eli Moore

(2V), Brady Eardley (3C), Lauren

Michaels (3C), Ethan Lelm (3D),

Julia Pranger (3D), Ava Modine

(3E), David Ruskiewicz (3E), Noah

Groonwald (3P), Hayley Michels

(3P), Noah Cox (4G), Abhinav Jinka

(4G), Srujan Cheedhalla (4R), Gavin

VanKanegan (4R), Walter Olson

(4S), Jansi Patel (4S), Jamie Carlock

(5G), AJ Mollenhauer (5G), Devin

Diaz (5J), Isabella White (5J), Srihi-

ta Sunkara (5L), Phoebe Sweeney

(5L), Kylee Anderson (5S), and John

Larson (5S).

These students celebrated by enjoy-

ing a pizza party with Mrs. Benning-

ton on Thursday, November 10th!

How does a Benjamin Bear receive a

GROWL? GROWLS are earned by

going above and

beyond our expecta-

tions in the areas of

respect, responsibility, or safety.

These are important behaviors

that will allow them to become

successful adults.

Each month, two students from

each class will be drawn from all

of the GROWL winners from that

month. These students will be

rewarded with a pizza luncheon

with the principal. They also re-

ceive a special GROWL medal.

We hope to recognize quality

character in many of our students

throughout the year.

(Brooke Lowery 4th Grade, on left, & Abby Baumann 5th Grade, right, National Pole Climb Record Holders)

Dine to Donate

Vocal Music & Chorus

Thank you to those who

participated in our Orange

Leaf PTO Dine to Donate.

We will be having another

Orange Leaf Dine to Do-

nate on Tuesday, Decem-

ber 20th from 3:00-

9:30pm! Stop by early or

head there after the con-

certs, and we will earn 10%

of all Benjamin profits! If

our sales are over $500, we

will receive 15% back in

profits.

We will host a Papa John’s

Dine to Donate on Thurs-

day, December 8th. Stu-

dents will receive a flyer to

give to Papa John’s so we

can receive 10% of profits

back to our school.

We will also have a Hy-Vee

Shop & Save weekend for

December 17th and 18th. By

simply shopping at Hy-Vee

on our designated days, Hy-

Vee will donate 5% back to

our school. This will be

great for the upcoming Holi-

day Weekend! They will

need to present a flyer,

which I will be sending

home soon. Our families

can make copies for their

friends, neighbors, or any-

one else who shops at Hy-

Vee.

Unraiser donations of $25

or more would be

matched by State Farm.

This is a common cash

donation example.

The process is very simple

and just takes a couple of

minutes to put in the re-

quest. You will need the

approximate date of your

Unraiser donation (most

7:00 - Chorus - This is a joint concert with Evans Junior High Choir groups. We anticipate a total of 50-60 minutes for all groups.

May 11

5:00 - Kindergarten

6:00 - 2nd grade

7:00 - Chorus

Here are the dates for our

upcoming music concerts

this year. All Benjamin

music concerts are held at

Normal Community High

School at 3900 East Raab

Rd. in Normal.

December 20

5:30 - 1st grade

3rd-5th Grade Chorus is held on Wednesdays from 2:30-3:30 pm.,

Lost & Found

Lost & Found is growing

everyday. Please stop by

or have your children

look for items that belong

to them. Some items have

been placed in storage. If

you don’t find your items,

please see our custodians.

Items not claimed by

December 22nd will be

donated to charity.

Page 3 Be n ja m in Bro a dca s t V o lu me 7 , I s s u e 4

Did you know that State

Farm is now doing a gift

matching program that

would double your gift

donations? The Benja-

min PTO is now eligible!

This is a new change in

the last few months, but

any donations made in

the 2016 calendar year

are now eligible. So any

State Farm Matching Gift Program

were the end of August)

and the amount of the do-

nation. When it asks for

an email for verification,

you can enter Amanda

Fischer’s email, aafisch-

er2@gmail.com, as she is

our PTO president.

Thank you for helping our

school in this way!

Unit 5 will implement 12 Late Start Wednesdays this year, which will have all students

arriving one hour later than regular school start times. Elementary schools will start at

8:45 A.M. on these days. Transportation pick up times will run one hour later on these

days than on regular days.

The purpose of Late Starts is to allow Unit 5 staff members to meet for 90 minutes of

job embedded professional development and collaboration, which will improve class-

room instruction, enhancing the learning opportunity for students, despite the state’s

financial crisis. Research supports ongoing, sustained, results oriented collaboration.

This common meeting time will allow teachers to: continue training in literacy practices

and assessments, develop student achievement goals driven by data, collaborate in

the development of instructional strategies, develop common course assessments,

analyze assessment data to guide instruction, collaborate on differentiating instruction

for students, and enhance classroom technology integration through training.

Upcoming Late Starts: December 14th & January 25th

*Please note that the March 22nd and April 12th, 2017 Late Starts have been

cancelled by the district.

Benjamin Elementary School 6006 Ireland Grove Rd. Bloomington, IL 61705

http://www.unit5.org/

Domain/9

Dec. 7th 2:30-3:15pm Student Council

2:30-3:30pm Chorus

3:45-4:30pm Chess

Dec. 8th Papa John’s Dine to Donate

Dec. 12th 6:30pm PTO Meeting in the IMC

Dec. 14th 8:45am Late Start

2:30-3:30pm Chorus

3:45-4:30pm Chess

Dec. 16th 3rd Grade to David Davis Mansion & McLean

County Museum

Dec. 19th Chorus to Sing at State Farm

Dec. 20th 3:00-9:30pm Dine to Donate at Orange Leaf

5:30pm 1st Grade Music Concert at NCHS

7:00pm Chorus Concert at NCHS

Dec. 21st Discovery Museum Visit for 2nd Grade

Dec. 21st 1:30pm Classroom Parties

Dec. 22nd Last Day of School Before Break Begins

Dec. 23rd-Jan. 8th Break

Jan. 9th No School—School Improvement Day

Jan. 10th School Resumes

Benjamin Calendar

Phone: 309-557-4410 Fax: 309-557-4511

Benjamin Mission Statement The Benjamin Bear community will educate and empower all students to be proactive leaders.

McLean County Unit District 5

Late starts during the 2016-2017 school year

Calendar Continued

Jan. 11th 2:30-3:15pm Student Council Meeting

3:45-4:30pm Chess

Jan. 13th Yearbook Group Photos—Morning

Jan. 16th No School—Dr. Martin Luther King Day

Jan. 18th 3:45-4:30pm Chess

Jan. 21st Chorus to Sing at ISU Basketball vs.

Drake

Jan. 25th 8:45am Late Start

Jan. 27th 7:25-7:45am Business Bears Sale

(Business Bears should arrive at 7:00am.)

As we enter the season of late fall and winter, please take a moment to review the Unit 5 Handbook

for recommendations regarding sick day guidelines found on page 26 of the link below. http://

www.unit5.org/cms/lib03/IL01905100/Centricity/Domain/49/ElementarySchoolHandbook1415final.pdf

Remember that the number one way to help stop the spread or contraction of any viral/bacterial illness is PROPER

HANDWASHING!! Rem ind your student(s) to w ash hands frequently and correctly throughout the

season. http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

***ANY COUGH DROPS CONTAINING MENTHOL, such as the Halls/Riccola brands, REQUIRE a complet-

ed Unit 5 medication form signed by a physician AND parent before the student(s) can use them at school. There

are several types of drops that do not contain menthol (e.g., Citrus Breezers/Ludens). These types do not require a

physician signature.***

Also, remember that if your student requires ANY medication during school hours, the proper form must be

completed. The physician and parent must BOTH sign the form before the medication can be adminis-

tered. This includes any prescription medicines, over-the-counter medications and any medications pre-

scribed by emergency department or immediate care prescribers.

Finally, please remember that as colder weather approaches and hats and coats are worn regularly, it is im-

portant to check your student(s) for signs of head lice. Remind your students that sharing hats, coats and

other clothing is discouraged as a way to reduce spread of the pest. We have not seen any unusual activity

in this area at this time. It is our goal to be proactive and limit any outbreaks in the school. We can better

accomplish this if we are informed of any positive cases.

Thank you for all the support you provide for the students and staff in the area of

health!

Notes from the Nurse ~ Mrs. Murray

Benjamin Car Window Cling Decals

The PTO is selling Benjamin car window decals for $3.00 each. If you are inter-ested in purchasing one, please send your money to school in an envelope. On the front of the envelope, include the following information:

Attn: Angela Redinbo/PTO

Child’s Name & Room Code

Angela will pick up orders, and decals will be delivered to your child’s class-room. If you have questions, you may contact Angela at a.redinbo@gmail.com.

Thank you for supporting our school!

Thank you for supporting our Book Fair!

Our book fair during the evenings of parent-teacher conferences was a great success. Thank you for stop-

ping in the library to enter the raffle and to make purchases for your book shelves at home. Our lucky win-

ners in the raffle were a second grade and fifth grade family.

We will be able to add some great new titles to our collection because of your support. Thank you for help-

ing to make our library a great place to be! If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Jennifer Mroz.

Carnival Information

Save the date for the Benjamin school carnival - Lights! Camera! Benjamin! - scheduled for Friday, March 3rdfrom 5:00-8:30 p.m. Using funds from last year’s carnival, we were

able to support PTO activities to provide landscaping around the school and help enhance the science curriculum for each grade level. To help make this year’s carnival a success, we are seeking donations for gift baskets, which are al-ways a popular draw at the carnival. If you have anything that you would be willing to donate (e.g., sports tickets, hotel stay, merchandise, etc.) please contact Kelly Weber (kweber79@gmail.com) or Tricia Oyler (trishacleansgreen@gmail.com). Any questions or suggestions about the Benjamin carnival can be directed to Erika Hunt at erika.lee.hunt@gmail.com or Dan Fischer at dfischer17@yahoo.com. Thank you for your support!

5Essentials Survey

Parents,

Beginning November 16th, teachers, parents, and students across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the Illi-nois 5Essentials Survey.

This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school.

Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the environment at your child’s school. Your iden-tity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be conducted November 16, 2016, through January 16, 2017.

To take the survey:

1. Visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/

2. Click on the “Take the Survey” button at the top of the page

3. Select “Parent Survey”

One person per household should take the survey. Please take a separate survey for each school where you have a child enrolled.

For those parents who would prefer, the survey will also be available online at your child's school. Please go to the office to be directed to the survey location.

The Illinois 5Essentials gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are

Effective Leaders

Collaborative Teachers

Involved Families

Supportive Environments

Ambitious Instruction

Research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools strong on at least three of these indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ reports, please visit https://illinois.5-essentials.org. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essen-tials@uchicago.edu.

Thank you in advance for your participation..