Important Reminders_______________________________________________________________
~From the office of the school nurse
Health Screenings are scheduled for August 19, 2022.
Thank you! Nurse Libby Leute, RN, BSN, CPN eleute@gpsne.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
~ Birthdays
If your child is celebrating a birthday, classroom treats can be ordered through F.A.N.S. (GPS Food & Nutrition Services) HERE You also have the option to send individually wrapped, store bought treats. No homemade treats please. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
~ Lunch Menus
Lunch menus can be found under the parent tab on the main page of the Thomas Elementary website or also in the quick links at the bottom of the page under the FANS label. Each day students are able to choose from the following options: yogurt & cheese, hot lunch entree of the day, or the daily sandwich. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
A yearbook is a treasured way for your child to remember their time at Thomas Elementary. If you missed out on ordering a 2021-2022 yearbook last year, we have good news! We have some extras available while supplies last. Yearbooks are $5 each. To reserve your yearbook, please send your check or cash payment to the office with your student.
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DATES TO REMEMBER
August 25th - Curriculum Night 6:00 - 8:00 pm 6:00 & 6:30 pm 4th & 5th grade 6:30 & 7:00 PM KG, 1st Grade & Special Area Presentations 7:00 & 7:30 PM 2nd & 3rd Grade August 30th - PTO Meeting 5:30 - 6:30 pm September 12th - 21st - Book Fair Sept. 22nd - Preschool Dragon Dash Sept. 22nd - Picture Day Sept. 22nd - Kg - 5th grade Dragon Dash 
~Family Circles at Thomas Elementary
Family Circles is an experience we incorporated during the 2015-2016 school year and have continued each year. Most staff members in the building have a group of students assigned to them from kindergarten through 5th grade. Each group has approximately 10-11 students. The students in each group remain the same from year to year with the exception of 5th graders leaving and kindergarteners joining. Family circles meet once a month for about 30 minutes. During this time, each group does an activity or a lesson that will be appropriate for all students. Some lessons may focus on character traits, while other times we may work on creating a cohesive group. It is a great way to encourage caring relationships within our building, create a stronger sense of community and individuality, as well as increase knowledge of adults and students. When you are in the building for parent/teacher conferences, come check out our Family Circle Tree for all Thomas students and families to view their Family Circles. If you have any questions or concerns about Thomas Family Circles please call or email Mrs. Wolverton at 402-332-5578 or swolverton@gpsne.org. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
~TES Employment Opportunities:
We are still looking for support staff in the following areas for this school year and next: A. Pre-School Paraprofessionals (29.5 Hours-Mon.-Thurs.) B. K-5 Paraprofessionals (29.5 Hours-Mon.-Fri.) C. If you have any questions about the position, please contact Bret Basye at 402-332-5578 or email bbasye@gpsne.org. D. If interested, click the link below to apply: GPS Employment Application and please note that you are interested in working at Thomas Elementary School on your application. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ GPS F.A.N.S. (Food and Nutrition Services)
Gretna Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services is hiring. Our kitchens provide a fast paced work environment that is perfect for accommodating a school calendar. Open positions are for elementary through high school 9:00am-2:00pm. No nights, no weekends... only work on school days! Applications can be completed online at the link HERE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Kids Connection is hiring for:
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~ From the Counselor
Need Help? Please contact your school counselor!
Sometimes there are moments in life we need some help. Mrs. Wolverton has a variety of agencies who contact her throughout the year to offer help with food, clothes, and other needs. It is confidential! You can call or email her for more information at swolverton@gpsne.org or 402-332-5578.
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Need Help? Please contact your school counselor!
Sometimes there are moments in life we need some help. Mrs. Wolverton has a variety of agencies who contact her throughout the year to offer help with food, clothes, and other needs. It is confidential! You can call or email her for more information at swolverton@gpsne.org or 402-332-5578.
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~ Lunchroom expectations and accountability
One of the most important times in a student's day is lunch. It is a time to refuel their bodies and socialize with their friends so they can stay focused for the remainder of the day and have fun. We want students to have an enjoyable experience in the lunchroom, so we have specific lunchroom expectations along with an accountability system. Below are the common expectations for the lunchroom:
* Stay seated and raise your hand if you need something
* Use good table manners (hands to self, chew with your mouth closed, use your silverware, etc.)
* Eat your food
* Clean up after yourself
* Listen when an adult is on the microphone
* Use appropriate voice volume
When students are displaying positive lunchroom expectations they will be earning Dragon Dollars from the lunch supervisors. They will take these back to their classroom where they will be counted and students will earn incentives that Mr. Basye puts in place to reinforce their positive behavior.
When a student is not meeting lunchroom expectations, they will earn a red practice card. The students will take the card, give it to their teacher and an in class consequence will be given; this consequence will depend on the motivation system used in the classroom, but will be small and match the severity of the behavior. The teacher will sign the red practice card after the consequence is finished and bring it back to the lunchroom supervisor.
When a student earns their 3rd red practice card it will come home with a note explaining the repeated problems in the lunchroom. The 3rd red practice card will need to be signed by an adult at home and returned to school. If there are significant problems in the lunchroom, or repeated issues we will reach out to you to discuss further consequences and strategies to help the student be successful in the lunchroom.
Thank you for your support and reinforcement at home for positive lunchroom expectations!
One of the most important times in a student's day is lunch. It is a time to refuel their bodies and socialize with their friends so they can stay focused for the remainder of the day and have fun. We want students to have an enjoyable experience in the lunchroom, so we have specific lunchroom expectations along with an accountability system. Below are the common expectations for the lunchroom:
* Stay seated and raise your hand if you need something
* Use good table manners (hands to self, chew with your mouth closed, use your silverware, etc.)
* Eat your food
* Clean up after yourself
* Listen when an adult is on the microphone
* Use appropriate voice volume
When students are displaying positive lunchroom expectations they will be earning Dragon Dollars from the lunch supervisors. They will take these back to their classroom where they will be counted and students will earn incentives that Mr. Basye puts in place to reinforce their positive behavior.
When a student is not meeting lunchroom expectations, they will earn a red practice card. The students will take the card, give it to their teacher and an in class consequence will be given; this consequence will depend on the motivation system used in the classroom, but will be small and match the severity of the behavior. The teacher will sign the red practice card after the consequence is finished and bring it back to the lunchroom supervisor.
When a student earns their 3rd red practice card it will come home with a note explaining the repeated problems in the lunchroom. The 3rd red practice card will need to be signed by an adult at home and returned to school. If there are significant problems in the lunchroom, or repeated issues we will reach out to you to discuss further consequences and strategies to help the student be successful in the lunchroom.
Thank you for your support and reinforcement at home for positive lunchroom expectations!
