Eastside Elementary

On Wednesday, Detective Burlingame and Det. Sgt. Heydenberk from Cody Police Department had a great time visiting Eastside through our Career Connections program! They spoke to the 4th graders about what it takes to be a detective, solving cases, and keeping the community safe. The students asked some great questions and got a glimpse into the world of investigative work! The detectives led the students through an investigative activity based on the Scientific Method and Science Learning Standards alongside our Computer Science and STEM Teacher: Sarah Magargal.

Eastside is 1 of 26 elementary schools across all of Wyoming that is exceeding Wyoming State School Performance Expectations. We are exceeding expectations thanks to our incredible faculty and staff, our diligent scholars, and our engaged and supportive parents and families.

On Thursday, 5th Grade students toured Cody Regional Health and were given a broad overview of the vast number of career possibilities in Healthcare. They also made a special visit to the Robotic Surgery Division, where they learned how robots are programmed and operated to conduct a variety of surgical procedures. Because our 5th Grade students have worked with a variety of coding and robotic programs in Computer Science Class and G.A.T.E. already this year, they were able to ask insightful questions during the Robotic Surgery visit. Students and teachers alike found this to be a highly engaging and exceptionally valuable learning experience. Thank you Cody Regional Health!

Park 6 Families, As winter continues and temperatures drop, Park 6 wants to remind everyone to take extra precautions during periods of severe weather and extremely cold temperatures. The safety and well-being of Park 6 scholars remain a top priority, and we appreciate your partnership in ensuring they are prepared for the winter conditions. Dress for the Cold Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather each day. Coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and appropriate footwear are essential for staying comfortable and safe, especially when waiting for the bus or walking to school. If your family needs assistance with winter clothing, please reach out to your child’s school—we are happy to help connect you with resources. Cold Weather & Transportation Extreme temperatures can make starting vehicles difficult. If you drive your child to school, please plan for extra time on especially cold mornings. Families utilizing Park 6 bus transportation should remind students to bundle up, as even brief exposure to the cold while waiting for the bus can be challenging. Staying Warm & Safe Winter weather can bring unpredictable conditions, including icy roads and wind chills that make it feel even colder. We encourage all families to make informed decisions on serving their families and to take necessary precautions at home and while traveling. Staying informed through local weather updates and Park 6 lines of communication will help ensure everyone remains safe. We appreciate your attention to these important winter safety reminders. Thank you for your continued support in keeping your children warm, safe, and the Park 6 Scholars ready for learning each day! WE ARE PARK 6!

Please click the link below to view our February newsletter. https://secure.smore.com/n/p3uhz-eastside-elementary

Today marked the 100th day of school. Our 1st Grade faculty and scholars celebrated by dressing as though they were 100 years older. It was a lot of fun for them. Also, Happy Groundhogs Day, early. On Thursday, our 4th Grade team: Audra Wood, Cassie Firkins, and Claire Wetzel went above and beyond to make learning engaging and fun by transforming their classrooms into a "Glow Party." Students used glow sticks to study Geometry (and other subjects). They followed geometric stipulations to construct a variety of shapes, per Wyoming State Learning Standards. One of the questions, which appeared on last year's State Exam, states: "construct a quadrilateral with 2 parallel lines and 2 right angles." Also on Thursday, the Missoula Children's Theatre was on site in 5th Grade to lead a workshop on acting. "This workshop explores the basic tools of an actor’s trade - observation, memorization, concentration, and imagination - in an entertaining way. The students participated in fun exercises, learning to apply the actor’s tools to performing and their everyday lives." This was an annual visit that the students enjoyed. As a reminder, earlier this week you received a text and email from your child's teacher(s) to sign up for the next round of Parent Teacher Conferences, which will be held on 2/11 & 2/13. Please make sure to sign up, if you have not done so already. As always, thank you for partnering with Park County School District #6 and our team at Eastside to meet your child's educational needs. Eastside is 1 of 26 elementary schools across all of Wyoming that is exceeding Wyoming State School Performance Expectations. We are exceeding expectations thanks to our incredible faculty and staff, our diligent scholars, and our engaged and supportive parents and families. It is our pleasure and privilege to serve you. SOAR Eagles! Joseff J. B. Smith Proud Principal Eastside Elementary

Good Afternoon Parents and Families, Football Friday this morning was a lot of fun. All sorts of team apparel could be spotted across our building at the high school, college, and professional levels. It's hard to tell, but I think the most supported professional team at Eastside is either the Broncos or the Bills. Go Bills! Congratulations to our 5th Grade Eastside Team for earning 2nd place in the District’s Challenge of the Books competition (out of six elementary teams)! These students read for months and missed recess for over a week in order to build their knowledge of ten Indian Paintbrush books. WAY TO GO! We are SO PROUD of you! Our amazing PTK was looking for ways to say thank you to our vigilant Law Enforcement partners, so we came up with a treat basket. The officers can stop in anytime to say hello to staff and students while enjoying a refreshment and a snack. I love having our local police officers in the school. Their presence is a deterrent to any bad intentions, each officer is a career on display, and it builds positive rapport with students. Thank you Cody, PD and our PTK. Our Eastside Social Committee treated our faculty and staff to healthy snacks at the start of the week. We are so spoiled by our generous PTK, Social Committee, and faculty/staff volunteers. There's no staff lounge like Eastside's staff lounge. We are blessed with a team that enjoys each other's company and that shares expertise across grade levels. Please don't forget that next Monday (1/20) is an In-Service date. Students will not be in school on Monday. As always, thank you so much for partnering with our Eastside Elementary Team and Park County School District #6. It is our pleasure and privilege to serve you. Proud Principal, Joseff J. B. Smith Eastside Elementary Park 6

Parents, please click the link below to view our December newsletter. https://secure.smore.com/n/pqkyv-eastside-elementary

Faculty and Staff, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." - John F. Kennedy I am incredibly thankful to be a part of the tremendous team at Eastside Elementary. The work you have done over the last few years is unprecedented. Please enjoy this time with your family and friends making lasting and meaningful memories. Happy Thanksgiving. - Principal Smith

Parents, This is a message we are going to communicate over and over again. For the last 7 years in a row, Eastside Elementary has MET or EXCEEDED Wyoming State school expectations. On our most recent School Performance Report Card, Eastside Elementary received a school score of 2.7/3.0, OR 90%! Eastside Elementary is a GRADE A elementary school. It gets even better! We scored highest in the areas of Student Growth and Growth Equity (how much our most struggling students grew, year over year). EASTSIDE GROWS STUDENT LEARNING. Our students who need us the most, grow the most! That's not all! Only 26 schools in all of Wyoming received a score of 90% or higher, and we are one! Better yet, Eastside Elementary is currently being considered for nationwide Blue Ribbon status! We are very good at what we do, because we are blessed with an unbelievable faculty and staff that are laser focused on highly effective teaching and learning, while putting students' needs first. Eastside is a GRADE A school. Help us spread the word! If you haven't thanked your child's teacher, or if you haven't shared a positive word with them lately, go out of your way to do so today. They deserve it, and so much more.

Here are our Schoolwide plans if we were to have a Snow Day. Please be on the lookout for schoolwork/plans that will be coming from your student's teacher at the end of this week.

Our EMS Day was an incredible experience for students today! Every grade level rotated through learning and exploratory stations by the Cody Regional Health EMS Helicopter, Ambulance, and Park County Fire District #2 Fire Truck crews. Students learned about our community's emergency response capabilities and careers in EMS. Thank you Cody Regional Health, Park County Fire District #2, Cody Police Department, and our faculty and staff who made this possible. Thank you Cody Enterprise for running the story.

Yesterday we had our Ribbon Cutting for our new Book Vending Machine, and then our October GRIT winners got to choose their books! What a fun way to celebrate our students' successes!

We are thrilled to announce an exciting new addition to our school! To enhance and promote literacy, to share a love of reading, and to let students know we care about them, we added a Book Vending Machine to our school. Every student on their birthday will receive a golden coin from their teacher to select a free book of their choice from the book vending machine. Additionally, to encourage and celebrate positive character and behavior, all students who earn the monthly GRIT Character Award will be given an additional token to select another free book from the machine. In this way, we can reinforce positive behavior while generating authentic excitement for books and reading. Thank you to the Park 6 District Office and our Board of Trustees for authorizing the purchase of the machine, as well as providing funding to stock the machine with books that engage and inspire kids, and that parents in our community will appreciate. Any books placed in the machine are first recommended, vetted, and approved by our Library Committee which consists of parents, teachers from every grade level, our District Librarian, and the principal. If you have any interest in joining the committee, please let our Main Office know.

Parents, We just wrapped up the 11th week of school, and what a fun and full week it was! I have much to share from this week, which can also be seen in some of the attached photos: 1. Career Connections: Following our first ever Career Connection activity with our partner Cody Regional Health, multiple businesses have contacted us, expressing an interest to join our program. These career exploration opportunities include: Engineering, Veterinarian, and Heavy Equipment Operation. Representatives from these organizations are working with our STEM and Computer Science Teacher: Sarah Magargal, to schedule and plan engaging real world learning for our students, which is tied to multiple learning standards. 2. Book Vending Machine! (see attached photo) Our District Office, with Board of Trustee approval, has purchased a book vending machine for Eastside, along with providing funds to initially stock the machine. This is an object which we had at my previous school in New York. At my previous school, we found that students were not purchasing books at book fairs due to lack of funds. Families and kids just didn't have the extra money at home to purchase books from the book fair. To help families, to enhance and promote literacy, to share a love of reading, and to let students know we care, we added a book vending machine to our school. Every student on their birthday will receive a golden coin from their teacher to select a free book of their choice from the book vending machine. Additionally, to encourage and celebrate positive character and behavior, all students who earn a coveted GRIT Award will be given an additional token to select another free book from the machine. In this way, we can reinforce positive behavior while generating authentic excitement for books and reading. 3. Halloween was a Blast! Often viewed by educators as the craziest day of the school year, Halloween was a lot of fun this year. There were no overly grotesque or horrifying costumes. Parents, thank you! Kids and teachers alike enjoyed the costumes, which added a comical and engaging element to our day. Kindergarten and 1st Grade completed their annual parade through the halls, receiving high fives from 2nd - 5th grade students. It was crazy, but a fun crazy. Thank you to our dedicated 1st Grade Team. Each 1st Grade Teacher stayed late into the evening on Wednesday to transform their classrooms into "bat caves." They did a phenomenal job. The students were so engaged in their transformed learning environment. It was a lot of extra work, and I am blown away by the creativity and dedication of the 1st Grade Team. If you see any of our teachers, thank them for the work they do. They don't receive the praise and appreciation due them frequently enough. Every day they sacrifice their time, energy, and compassion to help their students in need. Thank them. 4. Our monthly SOAR Assembly went very well today. There are currently no photos of that yet, but they will be posted to our Facebook page and website soon. No school I've ever been at does as excellent a job singing the Star Spangled Banner or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as our students do at Eastside. Thank you so much to our fantastic faculty and staff at Eastside. They are doing a tremendous job preparing and teaching our students. Congratulations to all of our GRIT and SOAR Award winners for the month of October. You make us all so proud and you are the example of what it means to SOAR. Keep flying high! As always, thank you for partnering with Park County School District 6 and our team at Eastside Elementary. It is our pleasure serving you. Thank you for the great work you do of supporting your child's learning from home, and for communicating effectively with our team at Eastside. Together, we can help your child SOAR. SOAR EAGLES! Joseff J. B. Smith Proud Principal Eastside Elementary

Good Afternoon Parents, What an incredible 10th week of school! We celebrated faculty birthdays, hosted our first ever Career Connections guest, conducted training for faculty and staff, experienced STEM night, and so much more. It was a jam packed week full of learning and excitement. Here are a few things you might have missed: Principals from all over Park 6 spent time at Eastside this week, observing our teacher teams collaborate and plan their units and lessons. Each observed grade level team received positive feedback on the great work they're doing. Officers Justin Dollard and Blake Stinson led Halloween Safety presentations for every grade level, reminding kids of how to stay safe during Halloween next week. Officer Dollard even came early to read with students. An educational specialist from EduProtocols spent time at every grade level, modeling teaching excellence for our faculty and staff while showcasing numerous strategies and resources. Our Career Connections partner, Cody Regional Health, sent two excellent X-Ray Technicians to lead Healthcare career exploration and skeletal system activities for all 3rd and 4th Grade students. STEM Night on Thursday was incredible! We had 480 attendees! Thank you to all who attended. Thank you to Cody Regional Health, and all of our volunteers, for leading such a wonderful night of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math exploration. Thank you to our amazing faculty and staff for creating a memorable night for our Eastside students & families! Each one of you makes Eastside a fabulous place to work!  Tonia Reed, Ashley Wilson, Rachel Cowger, and Kim Roberts all celebrated birthdays this week. Happy birthday! We are so fortunate to have you all at Eastside! Congratulations to Ryan Cowger and Jeremy Brod for being nominated for the Park 6 Employee of the Month Award. You both set a tremendous example for all at Eastside. Parents, thank you for all you do. Thank you for partnering with Park County School District 6 and our team at Eastside Elementary for your child's educational needs. It is our pleasure to serve you. Thank you for the work you do to ensure your child is ready to learn each day. GO EAGLES! Joseff J. B. Smith Proud Principal Eastside Elementary

Reminder: Tropical Thursday group photo at 3:30pm...Main Office. Tropical Thursday is just another way to have fun at school.

As part of our Career Connections program at Eastside, two wonderful X-Ray Technicians from Cody Regional Health taught our 3rd and 4th grade students about the skeletal system, x-ray reading, and a career in the Healthcare Field. We are so blessed! Thank you to our Cody Regional Health partners!

Please join us on Thursday, October 24th. Family STEM Night is going to be INCREDIBLE! Put it in your calendar.

Park County Fire District No. 2 spent over three hours at Eastside today, teaching every 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade class about fire suppression, prevention, and emergency exit planning. It was a tremendous learning experience for our students and we are so appreciative of our outstanding Fire Dept. and volunteers in Park County.