Mrs. Gauthier Recieves Shine Award!

It is hard to believe we are coming to the end of 2014 with the anticipation of welcoming the New Year. I want to thank our Borlaug teachers, staff, and families for the great instruction and support given to our Borlaug students.  I wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

We had an exciting visit on December 9^th from Superintendent Murley to celebrate Borlaug’s outstanding secretary, Mary Gauthier. She was presented with the ICCSD’s Shine Award for her tremendous contributions and dedication to Borlaug Elementary’s students, families, and staff.  We thank Mrs. Gauthier for all she does for so many! Congratulations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Borlaug Reading Celebration

Hello, Borlaug Families and Staff,

Our Borlaug students have surpassed the goal of reaching 20,000 Borlaug Bulldog tickets! Today, Friday, November 25^th, the Borlaug students celebrated with buddy classes with a Read and Feed. Buddies curled up with books and snacks to enjoy literature and each other’s company. This was sponsored by our Borlaug PBIS Team as part of our school-wide celebration calendar of events, and you can find more photos on the front of the Borlaug webpage. We are so proud of our Borlaug Bulldogs and their diligence at making respectful, responsible, and safe choices. GO BULLDOGS!

Here is a link to our Reading Celebration: 

http://www.edline.net/pages/Borlaug_Elementary_School/Activities/Read_and_Feed

I wish you a relaxing Thanksgiving Break.

Principal Shoppa

Borlaug's Math and Science Night

On October 16th, we had our Family Math & Science Night at Borlaug from 6:30-7:30 pm!  The open house event was to learn more about our science and math materials and curriculum through hands-on activities. Here is a link to a slide show highlighting the evening’s activities. http://www.edline.net/pages/Borlaug_Elementary_School/Activities/Math___Science_Night_2014-15

Thank you for your time and participation, and thank you to our talented teachers for organizing this great event!

Picnic on the Lawn

Hello, Borlaug Families,

On Thursday, September 18^th, Borlaug Elementary students celebrated an achievement!  Our students have been respectful, responsible, and safe, and we have collectively earned over 5,000 PBIS tickets since the start of the school year.  To celebrate we enjoyed a picnic on the front lawn, and below is a link to a slideshow of our outdoor fun!

http://www.edline.net/pages/Borlaug_Elementary_School/Activities/Picnic_Tailgating_Table

Enjoy!

Principal Shoppa

Wonderful Attendance at Borlaug PTO Meeting

It was wonderful to see so many new faces at our first PTO meeting last week.  We hope to continue having such positive attendance, as we plan for our school and this school year.  Our next meeting will be Oct. 14^th at 6:30 in Borlaug’s Library.

 

We also had excellent attendance at our Team 3 and Team 4 Back-to-School Night on September 4^th. Our Kindergarten and Team 2 Back-to-School Night will be on Sept. 18^th.  This is our opportunity to share with families the curriculum & instructional materials unique to your child’s grade level, and to let your child share his/her classroom with you!  

First Borlaug Bulletin to be Published 8.25.14

Hello, Borlaug Families,

 

Our first Borlaug Bulletin of the 2014-15 school year will be published this Monday, August 25th.   We will publish our community newsletter twice a month, and it will be sent to our families electronically.  If you need a hard copy sent home instead, please call the Borlaug office at 688-1155.

 

It was wonderful to have so many Borlaug families at our Ice Cream Social on August 14^th.  We enjoyed seeing familiar faces and meeting new students and families. We were very fortunate to have the University of Iowa Credit Union sponsoring our event. I want to thank our generous Borlaug PTO and our caring staff for their time and organization which made for a successful evening.

During our first days of school we spent time teaching all of our students our behavior expectations for the lunchroom, bus, playground, hallways, and restrooms. All adults will recognize appropriate behavior with our gold Borlaug Bulldog Tickets. This is all part of our Positive Behavior and Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program coordinated through our district.  The Borlaug Family Handbook has more information to share in regard to PBIS. You can find our Borlaug Family Handbook on our Borlaug Elementary website at: http://www.edline.net/pages/Borlaug_Elementary_School

 

We start each day at Borlaug by reciting our Borlaug Pledge.  It is a reminder to us all that at Borlaug we are responsible, respectful, and safe.  We hope families will use the pledge as a way to talk with your children about their days.  We encourage families to display the pledge at home as a reminder.

The Borlaug Pledge

Borlaug Elementary is a caring community of learners

We respect ourselves and others

We make responsible choices

We are safe at school

We are proud to be the Borlaug Bulldogs

WOOF! WOOF!

 

Principal Shoppa

Borlaug's 2014-15 First Day of School

Hello, Borlaug Families,

What fabulous first day at Borlaug!   We had so many excited and smiling faces both from the children and the staff.  Be sure to check out the Borlaug webpage for some first day photos.

When looking at our end of the day dismissal procedures, we want to share a few reminders with our families.  Each day this week is a 2:00 dismissal day for all Iowa City schools.  Be sure to review with your child daily how he/she will get home.  If there is a change in the regular routine, please send a note to school for your child’s teacher, or call the Borlaug office at 688-1155.  This keeps us all well-informed so we know how to help your child at the end of the school day. All of our students will be escorted to their dismissal destinations each day, so older students will need to meet up with younger siblings at these locations, not at classrooms.  We have staff members for every grade level who will walk our bus students, carline students, walking students, and BASP students to their dismissal destinations. 

We want to remind our car line families to be sure to have a sign in your front window showing the last name of your children for pick-up.  Thanks for your child’s teacher, your student may have even come home with a carline sign today. Be sure it is large enough for the carline staff to see easily.  This will help us speed up the carline process.

If parents are meeting students to walk home, 1^st through 6^th grade students will meet parents at the east playground gate, while our kindergarten parents meet at the front entry.  This will elevate the congestion by the front entry, as we have students being escorted to their dismissal destinations by staff. 

Thank you so much for your support, as we are off to another great start!

Principal Shoppa

A Message from Borlaug's PTO

The Borlaug PTO would like to extend a warm welcome to all new and returning families!  Please see below for some important information.

Boohoo/Yahoo Breakfast

Everyone is invited to join us after drop-off from 8:15-9:00 on the first morning of school for an informal time of socializing and a light breakfast.  This is a great chance to get to meet other parents.

Spirit Wear

Ordering for spirit wear is now open!  You will be able to order until Thursday, September 4th, and this will will be the only time this school year that Borlaug gear will be available.  Merchandise will be received and delivered to you sometime after September 18th.  Click on the following link to order:  https://ugpogo.undergroundshirts.com/groupIndex.php?cart_id=3621 

PTO Welcome Packet

We would also like to encourage you to read our PTO Welcome Packet to find out how the PTO serves our Borlaug community and the many ways in which you can contribute.  You may find the welcome packet here: http://tinyurl.com/borlaugptowelcome.

Thank you, and we look forward to an exciting school year!

Best,

Borlaug PTO Board

Borlaug August Reminders

Dear Borlaug Families,  

On behalf of the Borlaug staff, we welcome you to the 2014-15 school year. I have three reminders to share.

Borlaug’s Ice Cream Social will be on Thursday, August 14^th from 5:30-6:30. The educational wings will be opened at 5:30, as teachers will still be preparing classroom until the social begins. Class lists will be displayed on the front entrance windows, the multi-purpose room windows, and on the library windows upstairs.  In the multi-purpose room Borlaug’s PTO will have volunteer opportunities, along with other information.  There will be ice cream to enjoy outside as well. We hope you will be able to join us. 

We want to remind our families the first week of school, August 19^th through August 22^nd, will have 2:00 dismissals. The next week will follow the regular schedule, with 3:00 dismissal on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 2:00 dismissal on Thursdays.   Our morning preschoolers begin on Wednesday, August 20^th, and our afternoon preschoolers begin on Monday, August 25^th.

 The last reminder is to update your E-registration accounts. To be enrolled for the 2014-15 school year, we need the student accounts updated so approvals can be made, and for accurate enrollment numbers for class lists. Thank you for your support, and we are looking forward to a wonderful third year at Borlaug!

 Mrs. Shoppa, Principal 

 

Welcome to Borlaug's 2014-15 School Year!

Hello, Borlaug Families and Staff,

Welcome to the new school year! This is Principal Shoppa with Borlaug information to share. E-Registration is open, and it is mandatory that families update each student’s Power School account. To be enrolled for the 2014-15 school year, we need the student accounts updated so approvals can be made.

The 2014-15 Borlaug Family Handbook is on the front page of our Borlaug website, under the News heading. It has a great deal of helpful information in preparing for the fast approaching school year. The Family Handbook contains the school supply list, but if you need a hard copy you will find them in the local stores or you can stop by the Borlaug office. If you need a hard copy of the Family Handbook please let us know as well.

The Family Handbook outlines procedures for pick-up and drop-off as well as dismissal procedures. The east parking lot is for car parking and for the car line after school, while the west parking lot is our bus loop. Please remember patience as families learn the routine in our opening days. Safety is our number one goal for all of our students and their families.

The first school day bell rings at 8:25 with an 8:30 tardy bell. Students may start lining up at their designated playground areas as early as 8:10, which is when teacher supervision begins. The 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th graders will line up at the colored circles on the west playground and the kindergarteners, 5^th and 6^th graders will line up at the colored circles on the east playgrounds. Classroom teachers will be out the first day to let students know which color dot is theirs. Each of the four days the first week of school will have a 2:00 dismissal time.

We want to remind you of our Ice Cream Social on Thursday, August 14^th at 5:30 to 6:30pm. Class lists will be posted that evening. It is sure to be a wonderful night for all, and we are exciting to begin our school year together!

Sincerely,

Principal Shoppa

Borlaug 2013-14 Slide Show!

Hello, Borlaug Families,

On this first day of summer vacation, there are so many memories that come to mind of our 2013-14 school year.  We want to share with your family a slide show of Borlaug photos from the past school year.  A special thank you goes to Diana Larsen for creating the slide show for us. We hope you enjoy, and we wish you a fabulous summer!

http://tinyurl.com/borlaugslideshow1314

Principal Shoppa  

Borlaug Students Surpassed Goal!

Our Borlaug students have surpassed the goal of reaching 50,000 Borlaug Bulldog tickets!  On May 9^th, the classes celebrated with buddy classes by designing and flying airplanes on the Borlaug lawn.  Their spirits were soaring high along with their aircrafts. This was sponsored by our Borlaug PBIS Team as part of our school-wide celebration calendar of events, and you can find more photos on the front of the Borlaug webpage.  We are so proud of our Borlaug Bulldogs and their diligence at making respectful, responsible, and safe choices. GO BULLDOGS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Borlaug Carnival is an evening of fun!

What a wonderful evening of fun!  Tonight's Borlaug Carnival was such a success measured by the abundance of smiles and laughter from our Borlaug Community.  Thank you, Borlaug PTO and Carnival Committee, for your dedication, talents, and efforts to create an outstanding carnival experience! We hope you enjoy the carnival slide show linked below:
http://www.edline.net/pages/Borlaug_Elementary_School/Activities/Carnival

Borlaug’s International Festival was a success!

Our second annual International Festival was a wonderful event! I want to thank our dedicated parents and staff for an outstanding evening. It was wonderful to see us gathered as a community celebrating our various cultures through displays and sharing delicious foods. The Press-Citizen Newspaper visited and will be publishing a story about our celebration of Dr. Borlaug’s 100^th birthday and our International Festival.

Principal Shoppa

Happy Birthday, Dr. Borlaug!

Hello Borlaug Families,

As a special gift to each of our Borlaug students, your child will come home today with a World Food Prize poster in honor of Dr. Norman Borlaug and his life’s work.  Today is the 100^th anniversary of Dr. Borlaug’s birth, so your child was able to celebrate his birthday by learning more about his life and accomplishments. 

Today is also special because Dr. Borlaug’s sculpture is being unveiled in Washington D.C. in Statuary Hall.  The statue depicts the scientist and Cresco, IA native holding his notepad in a field of wheat.  Dr. Borlaug is sometimes referred to as “the man who saved a billion lives,” for his work in developing high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties and working in other countries to assist farmers.

On April 22^nd at 6:30pm and on April 25^th at 8:30pm, Iowa Public Television will air, “Norman Borlaug: Journey to Statuary Hall.”  It will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how much work and determination went into the Borlaug statue.  The program will also be available online at Iptv.org.

Dr. Norman Borlaug is one of only three Americans who have been awarded the Noble Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.  We are very proud to have our school named for such an outstanding person.

Principal Shoppa

Borlaug's International Festival

In honor of Dr. Borlaug's world travels and his March 25th birthday, we invite you to Borlaug's annual International Festival! This year it will take place on Friday, March 28^th, from 6:00-7:30 pm in the gym and the multi-purpose room. The festival is an open house for our community to celebrate the rich diversity of Borlaug Elementary. It is a way to experience the different food, dress, games, music, literature, and other attributes of the native countries and family traditions that represent the cultures of all Borlaug students. Please come anytime between 6:00 and 7:30 pm to take part in the food and displays prepared by many of our Borlaug families.

Celeste Shoppa, Principal