SUNNYSIDE SCOOP MARCH, 2019
Principal Points March 2019 Smartphone Apps - Resources for Parents This month I’m taking a different route than I usually do for my monthly newsletter. I know many of our students now have smartphones, and while a vast majority of the applications kids can download are safe, as parents we should also know what types of apps are out there which our students may use. The resource I'd like to share with you today originates from the Sherburne County Substance Abuse Prevention. Attached to this newsletter, you'll find an infographic with ten apps of which parents should be aware. I've outlined a few I believe are the most prevalent, and added two not on the infographic that are worth noting. House Party: House Party is an app for video chatting that allows up to eight users to chat together. Benefits of this app include security, in the sense that video chat cannot take place without agreement from both users, and it can be useful for bringing a group together since so many users can chat simultaneously. Concerns include privacy settings - unless a room is "locked," a contact's mutual friend may enter the chat. Other things to be aware of include the fact that there is no age verification, and inappropriate content may be shared. Kik: Kik is often used as an alternative to texting. Kik has features that include video, sketch, bot, and friend scanning. This app makes it VERY easy for strangers to connect to your child, and requests for explicit content including photos and videos is common. Snapchat: Snapchat is an app that allows messaging of user-created content including photos, videos, texts, and calls. Snapchat is known for "snaps"(messages) only being viewable for between one and ten seconds before disappearing. This is somewhat true, unless users are accessing a third party app, in which case messages can be saved. Snapchat has the reputation of being a "sexting" app due to fact that outgoing and incoming messages are not saved, but many teens use the app to send fun, silly pictures. Be aware that the "discover" content teens can access on the app often includes harsh language, explicit content, violence, and advertisements, and there is no option to "opt out." Also, be aware that locations of users are often public. VSCO: This app is often used to edit photos - I have friends who use it and describe it as fantastic. Users can create accounts and edit, post images connected with a profile. Worth mentioning, however, is you must manually turn on privacy settings. I added this app on the list as a general reminder that even utilitarian apps at times share locations, and have privacy setting that must be accessed manually. Continued on Next Page...
Principal Points continued Vault Apps: Vault apps generally hold password protected photos or videos not accessible in the photo and video apps on the phone. Some vaults can also hold apps as well. Vault apps are often disguised as calculators or file managers on phones. An easy tell-tale of a vault app is if your child has multiple calculators, or utility apps. I included a screenshot of a search in an iPhone for a vault for your reference. I want to be clear that technology is not bad. Apps for communication and connection are not bad - we want our children to have meaningful connections and relationships with their peers, and this is often their device of choice. The goal of this months write up is not to condemn any particular app, but to make us think about what we use and to provide information about apps that are relevant. As parents and educators, we need to be aware of apps with features that may put our students at risk, and that is the purpose of this month’s newsletter. The list I have shared is not exhaustive by any means, but a launching point. I hope this letter will serve as a platform for conversation with your child about authentic communication, technology, what apps they use, and how they use them. Partnering with you, Dr. Nathan Flansburg Principal
Important March Dates: Friday, March 1 Dress as your Favorite Character Day Monday, March 4 Junior Coach Meeting Tuesday, March 5 PTA Meeting, 6pm in Library Wednesday, March 6 Junior Coach Meeting Thursday, March 7 Common Communication Night and Grade 3 Folk Dance Friday, March 8 Student Leadership Meeting, 7:35-8:05am Star Lab Ends Monday, March 11 Student Leadership Team Food Drive Begins Tuesday, March 12 March Birthday Lunches with Principal Thursday, March 14 First Day of Spring Break - No School! Friday, March 22 Last Day of Spring Break - No School! Tuesday, March 26 7th/8th Grade Edgewood Band Concert at Sunnyside Thursday, March 28 Spring Picture Day Friday, March 29 Student Leadership Team Food Drive Ends
March Specialist Update! 1st Grade: Music - Continue practicing sol-mi by performing, composing, and notating simple melodic patterns using these solfege sounds. Practice identifying one and two sounds on a beat with simple songs and nursery rhymes. (Looking Ahead: Spring Programs during specialist times April 1-4) Art - Pinch Pot Drawing and Winter Cardinal Paintings Phy Ed -Bowling and Island Hoppers Science -Star Lab 2nd Grade: Music - Continue working on spring program play as well as introduce half note and half rest rhythms. (Looking Ahead: Spring Programs during specialist times April 1-4) Art -Glaze Clay Owls and Henri Rousseau Jungles Phy Ed - Bowling and Island Hoppers Science - Star Lab 3rd Grade: Music - Review instruments of the orchestra and their families. Introduce and practice half note, prepare sixteenth notes, and mi, re, do melodic pattern. (Reminder: Folk Dance Night Rescheduled to March 7, 6:45pm) Art - 3-D Earthenware Clay Fish Phy Ed - Bowling and Island Hoppers Science - Star Lab Technology - Pixel Portraits in Google Sheets 4th Grade: Music - Continuing practice of reading, identifying, and performing B,A,G, and E on the staff. As well as begin learning spring program selections. (Looking Ahead: Spring Program April 11 6:30pm) Art -Earthenware Clay Face Pots Phy Ed - Bowling and Island Hoppers Science - Star Lab 5th Grade: Music - Ukulele unit and spring program selections. (Looking Ahead: Spring Program April 11, 6:30pm)) Art - Cubist Portraits and Linear Perspective Phy Ed - Bowling and Island Hoppers Science - Star Lab
Orchestra News: The 4th and 5th grade Orchestra students are getting geared up for several upcoming events. On March 12th, the 5th grade orchestra students will get to perform a piece with orchestra students from Edgewood Middle School here at Sunnyside. On April 8th, the 4th grade orchestra students will get to perform with the Irondale High School Orchestras for the West Side Orchestra Festival at 6:15pm at Irondale. Both 4th and 5th grade will perform their spring concerts on May 8th during the school day and at 6:30 at Bethel University. The students are sounding great and looking forward to performing for you soon! Summer Orchestra is coming soon! If you are in 3rd grade, this summer is the first opportunity to join orchestra and learn life-long skills and make new friends. More detailed information will be sent home soon, but the dates for Summer Orchestra for all new and returning elementary students are: Grades 4, 5, 6: July 8-August 1, 2019, MTWTh, 4 days per week
Band News: 5th Grade band is going really well! It's almost time for 4th grades to try some instruments! More detailed information will come out as the time gets closer. For now, 4th graders, be thinking about what instruments you may want to try! Summer Band sign-up is coming up. See the flyer on the following pages for more information!
Did you know? Sunnyside is participating in a program called “Food to Hogs.� After students finish eating their lunches, their waste items are either placed in a 1. Recycle Bin, 2. Organics Bin, or 3. Trash Bin. It cuts down on Sunnyside’s waste and the organics are provided to local farmers. The program started in late February. Be sure to ask your student about it!
Title One at Sunnyside Elementary School Sunnyside Elementary is a Title One School. Title One funds are used to support additional literacy needs. Sunnyside Elementary wants to ensure that all children are making growth and are meeting their academic goals. Teachers work together as a team and make decisions on how best to meet the literacy needs of each and every student. One way we help to ensure that children are making the needed growth, is by providing an additional small group in reading for those students who would benefit. In this small group, students meet with a reading intervention teacher for literacy instruction at his/her instructional reading level, in addition to meeting with their classroom teacher.