The Press-Dispatch

PRINCIPAL POINTS MILLER MOMENTS From the desk of Principal Rich Padgett, Otwell Miller Academy October and November are packed full of activities for the students to get involved in a variety of experienc- es that compliment, expand and rein- force the book lesson. Mrs. Schoppenhorst (5th) and Mrs. Tusing (2nd) entered their classes in- to the southern Indiana Sumdog math contest. To participate in the contest, each student has to complete 1000 math problems in the allotted time (usually one week). The individual competes based on the percentage of correct answers out of the 1000. Then the class average is used to rank the class as well. In some schools only five students make up the "team" representing the class, but our folks have enlisted all members of the class in order to partic- ipate in the contest. So when you see these results, understand that ours is a true class ranking, not just the top students in that class. Overall standings in the state competition were fifth grade finished first, out of 41 classes, based on average correct and completed. The second grade group finished 19th out of 41 classes and the best we can tell, was the youngest group partic- ipating. These are elementary and middle school classrooms. The fifth grade group then entered the national level con- test, using the same criteria of best out of 1000 questions. 2974 classes entered with 1551 classes qualifying, represented by 25,283 individual students. Our class finished in third overall with every member of the class in the top 1000 students out of the 25,283 entered individual students. Our average correct answer completed was 781. All six grade levels will be or have taken a field trip during this semester that allows the students to see some element of the textbook lessons come to life in the world outside the school. These trips vary considerably depending on the age level of the students. We also work together as a staff to ensure that each class or group has a unique experience outside of the classroom. These have had to be adjusted somewhat because of COVID and trav- el times to destinations. A short list of places to be visited this fall: Lark Ranch, Crane Naval Base, Dubois County Museum, Angel Mounds State Park, and Jefferson Township Fire station. Our staff also takes advantage of technology to travel re- motely to a variety of sites that would be out of reach based on travel time. Examples of these have been Dairy operations, na- tional parks, and meeting pen-pal classrooms. The second se- mester will offer another round of trips for our students to ex- perience and explore the world around them. Another effort has been developed by Mrs. Hoffman in first grade with her Community partners outreach program. This program is designed to bring community members into the first grade to share the many things happening right here in our local area that have an impact not only here locally but al- so reaches out on a state and national level. If you are interested in speaking to the first graders please reach out to her at ahoffman@oma.school or call us at 812- 354-0800. Our Vex robotics team will participate in two events in the next two weeks as this new program for OMA takes its first steps into the competitive side of the robotics club activities. They have been meeting after school weekly over the last months to build the robot to specs required for the competi- tions and building a field to compete on. They will have a scrim- mage (practice competition) this Saturday and our first robot- ics competition will be in Indianapolis on Nov. 5. Students will compete in the VEX IQ Slapshot competition. They will have one minute to work with another team to try to get as many disks knocked out of the dispensers and across the field into various point zones. Stay tuned for more information about the club and how each class is exposed to the elements for our STEM experiences. Please join us at the Otwell community center gym for our Veterans Day program November 11 at 11 a.m. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us. Phone 812-354-0800 or email me at rpadgett@oma.school. ESKIMO MOMENTS From the desk of Aaron Meyer, Winslow Elementary School Principal School has always been a challenge, but during the most re- cent school reforms, we have focused almost exclusively on rig- or and raising the standards. In talking about rigor we must also remember to focus on the other Rs: Resilience, Relationships and Rele- vance. Resilience – Second Step, Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS). Students are often asked to push themselves in school and to put themselves into challenging positions. We have been working this year to help students develop a set of skills that will help them to navigate the so- cial and emotional challenges that life can put in the way of learning and en- joyment. If students can master these skills and apply them to their lives they will increase their time spent on academics and be happier, healthier students. Relationships - Active P TO, American Education Week (AEW ), Spirit Week. Let's talk specifically about AEW. When I came to Winslow everyone talked about AEW. It didn't matter what age or how long they had been out of school, they had a fond memory of this week. It is so special to have a week during the year that brings together our Winslow Community. This year's theme of Travel the World feels especially pre- scient after being sequestered away for the past two years. We always end the week on two high notes with our Fall Festival on November 18th and parents and grandparents coming in on the following day to share a meal with us and their students. Relevance – Science of Reading, STEM, Math Talks – Our staff works diligently to keep school relevant to our students, preparing them for a world that is sometimes difficult to imag- ine. This year we are focused on incorporating teaching practic- es that ensure we maximize student potential to become profi- cient readers. We are also starting on a journey toward STEM certification. We recognize that the jobs of the future are in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We want to give our students the best chance to secure the jobs of tomor- row, and that starts with a school-wide focus on these skills. School is more than just drilling facts and figures into stu- dents. We have a motto that we say, "Skill for Thrill." You de- velop skill in school because the world becomes a more thrill- ing place to you when you know more about how it works. That learning is through rigorous instruction, relationship building, instilling resilience, and keeping school relevant. We are excited to continue on this journey as we end our first se- mester of the 2022-23 school year. The Press-Dispatch D-3 Wednesday, November 2, 2022 SCHOOL Submit school news items: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: schoolnews@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Winslow Elementary WES FIRST GRADING PERIOD HONOR ROLL GRADE 3 All A's Honor Roll Trinity Gross Hunter Seger A/B Honor Roll Braxton Barley Haiden Cook Raegan Drew Ava Hinton Elisha Jenkins Tobias Manning Aubree Martin Elijah McConnell Khloe Nixon Charlotte Robertson Addison Sams Gracie Zimmerman GRADE 4 All A's Honor Roll Ryleigh Gard Jax Hudson A/B Honor Roll Malachi Barrett Kendall Daugherty Wyatt Knight Kacee Mason Madison McCandless Carter Moss Naomi Stafford Nola Thompson GRADE 5 A/B Honor Roll Teytum Fenwick Alexis Gayhart Gemma Gonzales Creighton Gromer Blake Houchin Beau Kellams Adyson LeMond Zoey LeMond Ebony Mason Jayla Miller Kodee Miller Sylas Osborne Tate Pauw A xel Russell Neva Schilling Rayden Schooler Braylee Schuessler Ava Seger Piper Thompson Eli Woolsey Kindergartener Brayden Barrett was the top sell- ing student for the Paragon fundraiser. He earned a variety of prizes including a scooter, giant chair and Walmart gift card. Brayden Barrett and Ryland Gerber are the proud owners of a giant chair. They earned these chairs from the Paragon fundraiser. Varsity Basketball Coach Hunter Elliott passes out t-shirts to the students after the Youth Basket- ball assembly. Members of the boys and girls PC basketball teams came to the school and shared some basketball fundamentals with the elementa- ry students. They teamed up with the students in relay races. The PC Youth basketball program is open to all grade 1-4 students. Naomi Stafford and Kacee Mason participat- ed in the Youth Basketball assembly and received a t-shirt. Students were teamed with members of the Pike Central basketball teams in a relay race during the presentation. Officer Buck Seger and his dog, K9 Bleck visited the kindergarten students. He told them about their role in the community as the students learn about Community Helpers this week.

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