Old Mill Elementary School

Yesterday, Kate stepped into the role of Principal of the Day and truly rose to the occasion! From providing thoughtful feedback to teachers, assisting with our schoolwide rally, and even joining our Young Athletes, she got a firsthand look at what it’s like to lead a school in action. Kate showed incredible confidence, responsibility, and leadership—perfectly modeling the Graduate Profile competency of an Innovative Problem Solver as she navigated real-world responsibilities and supported our school community. Way to lead, Principal Kate! 💛🐨

This week's Principal Connection comes to you from Principal Kate Howard and Mrs. Joiner. Click the link to hear about our upcoming events. Have a safe, warm weekend!

https://youtube.com/shorts/a20CDu8FeSo?feature=share

🌟 Student Spotlight: Community Contributors 🌟

We are so proud to recognize Charlotte and Clay for being outstanding Community Contributors!

After our Nutcracker performance, Charlotte and Clay went above and beyond to help Ms. Biglari by putting away the props and even helping transport and store them safely in her shed. Their willingness to lend a helping hand made a big difference and showed true responsibility, teamwork, and kindness.

Thank you, Charlotte and Clay, for supporting our school community and showing what it means to help others without being asked. Your actions truly reflect the spirit of OMES! 💙👏

🎯 NTI Graduate Profile Challenge! 🎯

Even on NTI days, our students are still growing into the graduates we know they can be!

Today, we’re challenging our students to show the Graduate Profile competency they chose as their personal goal this year—right from home.

👇 Families & Students:
• Comment with the competency your child chose
• OR share a photo/video of how they’re showing it today

💛 Whether your child is being a:
• Productive Collaborator
• Effective Communicator
• Community Contributor
• Self-Directed Navigator
• Mastery Learner
• Innovative Problem Solver

—We want to see our learners in action!

📸 Tag us or comment below so we can celebrate YOU!
✨ Bonus: Mrs. Joiner will be pulling names of student leaders from the photos and posts shared today, and those students’ classes will earn a special reward!

Our Morning Meetings will begin at 9:00 AM for all students! ⏰

Here’s a snapshot of our NTI school day. Please be sure to check your child’s Rooms for their specific schedule and live lesson links. Thank you for partnering with us! 💙💛

Over the long weekend, a group of our teacher leaders headed to the Get Your Teach On conference and it was incredible! Powerful speakers, fresh ideas, and lots of inspiration filled our cups and added even more fuel to the passion they already bring every day. They’re back and ready to pour that energy into our students at Old Mill! ⚡

There is so much behind the scenes that Mrs. Compton does for Old Mill, and she is truly an absolute rockstar. Not only is she present with our students every single day, pushing them to think in ways they never have before, but she is always trying new things, taking risks, and modeling what innovation looks like in action.
Beyond the STEAM classroom, Mrs. Compton leads our podcast club, photography club, STLP, and coming soon… Girls Who Code! 💻📸🎙️ She is an incredible teammate, pours her heart into our school, and our students absolutely adore her.
We are so lucky to have you, Mrs. Compton, thank you for inspiring curiosity, creativity, and confidence in our kids every day! 💛✨

Old Mill Elementary is rolling out the BLUE carpet as we celebrate the 100th Day of School on February 2nd! 💙⭐

Students can shine like movie stars in their Lights, Laughter, Learning–themed outfits or rock a traditional 100th Day shirt. We’ll have carpets, photo booth fun, and plenty of smiles as we celebrate 100 days of growth, learning, and memories together!

We can’t wait to celebrate with our Old Mill stars for the 100th Day! 💫🐨

🎯 Congratulations to Our OMES Archery Team! 🎯 We are so proud of our OMES archery team for placing 3rd overall in their tournament this past weekend! A special shout-out goes to: • Brynlee, who placed 3rd for Elementary Girls • Connor, who placed 3rd for Elementary Boys Way to represent OMES with focus, determination, and teamwork. Great job, everyone! 🏹👏

This week's student shout out goes out to Leo. He showed what it means to be a self-directed navigator when he noticed a friend was upset after falling down. Leo took it upon himself to offer a hug and invite his friend to play. His kindness and initiative made a big difference! 💛

✨ Stronger Together: Session 1 ✨ Tonight marked the launch of our Stronger Together initiative, and it was such a powerful start. 💛 In partnership with Bullitt County Pediatrics and expert guests from Spalding University, we came together to address concerns our families have shared around screen time, anxiety, and emotional regulation. Some key takeaways we discussed: • Screen time isn’t inherently bad—but balance matters • Not all screen time is the same • Screens are very reinforcing for developing brains • We don’t just take screens away—we replace them with connection, movement, reading, and calming strategies • Helping children manage big feelings takes patience, consistency, and support What made tonight so special was the shared commitment to working together—school, families, medical professionals, and higher education—to positively impact our kids and our community. Thank you to everyone who joined us for meaningful conversation and learning. This is just the beginning. 💫

Today our Kindness Club worked on an act of kindness for Ronald McDonald House! We stuffed treat bags and made Valentines for the 56 guest families who may stay with RMH of Kentuckiana. We also had a guest speaker, Tracy Waldridge, who shared with us “Five Lessons I’ve Learned about Kindness”  based on his work with a team building homes in Honduras.    He also shared about recent service his team at G.E. Appliances by preparing meals for Ronald McDonald House!

🌟 Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Ellis 🌟

“I love the passion and confidence Mrs. Ellis has when teaching her curriculum to her students. The students walk out of her class every day with some amazing project or craft that she has used to connect to a lesson and the culture she is teaching about. She is amazing!”
— Mrs. Mason

Mrs. Ellis brings learning to life through hands-on projects and meaningful connections that celebrate culture and creativity. Her classroom is a place where students feel inspired, engaged, and proud of their work. Through her dedication and enthusiasm, she truly exemplifies our Students Matter Most core value by putting student learning, voice, and experience at the heart of everything she does.

Thank you, Mrs. Ellis, for the incredible impact you make every day! 💛✨

📣 Reminder: Family Wellness Night at OMES! We’re excited to partner with Pediatrics of Bullitt County and guest expert Dr. King from Spalding University to support our families in navigating anxiety and screen time. ✔ Practical tools ✔ Expert insight ✔ Time for questions ✔ Strategies you can use immediately 🗓 Tuesday, January 13 | 6:00 PM 📍 Old Mill Elementary Cafeteria

Report Cards Are Available!

Families can now access 2nd 9 Weeks report cards in Infinite Campus (IC). Hard copies will also come home tomorrow in Tuesday folders.

If you have any questions or need help accessing IC, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your continued partnership! 💙

📚✨ BCPS Library Shout-Out! ✨📚
A huge thank-you to the BCPS Library / Mt. Washington Public Library for joining our kindergarten classes for the opening event of their upcoming Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit! Your visit helped launch our learning in such a meaningful way by introducing students to the power of stories, empathy, and curiosity. Our kindergarteners were so engaged as they explored new vocabulary, shared their thinking, and began wondering how storytellers can use empathy to better understand misunderstood characters. We are so grateful for your partnership and for helping set the stage for an exciting and thoughtful PBL journey! 💛📖

🎨 ATTENTION OLD MILL ARTISTS! 📚 We are thrilled to announce our FIRST EVER Bookmark Design Competition! We want to see your creativity shine as you show us: "What does reading mean to me?" The Rules: Student-Powered Only: We want to see your unique art! Please, no help from parents or adults on the drawing. Due Date: Turn in your masterpiece during the week of January 26–30. The Grand Prize: The winner will receive a $50 Book Fair certificate! Plus, your winning design will be professionally reproduced and handed out to every single student in the library! 🏆 Winners will be announced in February. We can’t wait to see what reading looks like through your eyes!

Congratulations to our archery team for walking away with 4th place at their first tournament! Great job, Koalas!

🎯 Shout Out to Our OMES Archery Team! 🎯 Good luck to our amazing OMES Archery team as they compete in their first tournament of the season today! We are so proud of your hard work, focus, and dedication. Aim high and have a great time representing OMES! 🏹💙