Red Ribbon Week Activity

On Tuesday the entire school participated in some activities that we can all do to keep our bodies healthy. Everyone went outside to do different activities @ five minute stations. Station 1 w/Mr. Nellis involved stretching our muscles - Station 2 w/Mr. Smith was keeping beach balls in the air - @ Station 3 with Mrs. Hogue & Ms. Myers we did the Limbo - Station 4 w/Ms. Space we sang If You're Happy & danced the Hokey Pokey - Station 5 w/Mr. Clark involved running, jumping & jogging in place - @ Station 6 w/Mr. Rembold & some 6th grade helpers we danced & moved to music & @ Station 7 w/Mrs. Wingard we learned how to do the Chicken Dance!! What a great time we had, but boy were we tired by the end our 7th station.

Here are just a few pics of the children participating in healthy "fun" activities. Be sure to check out the picture of Ms. Myers & her cool hair! Other pics will be posted in the K1 - Candid Kids Picture Show.

Welcome .... Ms. Stegich & Conference Day News

We welcomed a new CUP student teacher to our classroom this week. I'm sure you'll be hearing lots of things about Ms. Stegich. She'll be helping & working in K1 thru mid-December. If you are stopping in for a conference on Nov. 13th, be sure to say hello to her.

On the topic of Conference Day, parent letters will be coming home soon. If the Nov. 13th date doesn't work with your schedule, please contact me to arrange a conference on a different date. I plan to start conferences by 7:30AM that day for those parents who want to meet before work.

Pumpkin Carving Day, Oh My!!!

A special thanks to Mrs. Smith & Mrs. Wolfgong for donating 3 great pumpkins for us to carve! Thanks also to Mrs. O'Neil, Mrs. Switzer, & our new student teacher Ms. Stegich for helping us carve pumpkins this week. Each group designed their pumpkin's face & then the adults got busy with their knives! It was fun to see the children pitching in to scoop out "pumpkin goo" & then separate the seeds from the goo. Last night, I baked all the seeds with a little oil, salt, & cajun spice. We'll be taste testing pumpkin seeds tomorrow - Yummmmm- O!!!!

Enjoy the before & after pictures from our great pumpkin carving event.........

Free eBooks

http://www.wizz-e.com/home.php Thanks to Mrs. Witkowski, our Instructional Technology Specialist, for finding this web site. Wizz-e is a kids interactive e-book website. It provides free children's electronic books (although not all the books are free), preschool games & children's activities.
Both Puss-in-Boots as well as the Elves and the Shoemaker are free to play online or download to your computer. The stories can be read to students who may struggle with reading on their own. Students can also choose to read the story independently without sound. At the end of each e-book is a quiz that checks for comprehension.
Wizz-e also has a few games that students can play online including puzzles and hidden picture hide and seek. Bookmark & check back at this site often as it looks like more things are being added.

Self-Concept

It is important for children to feel good about themselves in order to learn and do their best. In fact, it is important for all of us to feel good about ourselves in order to do our best work.
Here are a few ideas for helping your child feel good about himself or herself. See if you can add more ideas to this list................
1) At the dinner table, have everyone say one good thing about each person at the table. Try to do this at least once a week.
2) Tell your child one thing he or she does that makes you proud.
3) Put your child’s papers on the refrigerator door so that everyone can admire them.
4) Brag about your children in front of the grandparents ~ they love to hear things about their grandchildren!

Have a good week. Continue to enjoy your child at home as much as I do at school.

Saving Your Child's School Work

I came across a great idea in the October Real Simple magazine & thought it would be worth sharing with K1 parents. A woman from Idaho wrote when her children brought home school artwork she hung each piece on the refrigerator & with the child standing beside the artwork, she snapped a photo. In doing so, she & her children could part with the original work while standout pieces of artwork were framed & displayed. Later, the snapshots were placed in photo albums for future reminiscing.
This sounded to me like a very clever idea as well as a great way of organizing your child's schoolwork. I know we mom's would like to save almost everything our child does at school, but it soon proves to be impossible. I sure wish I had thought of this idea when my children were growing up. If so, my husband & I would have 3 less boxes & way more extra space in our upstairs closet!

Red Ribbon Week & Halloween

A few weeks back, I posted students were encouraged to wear sports or team jerseys instead of costumes on October 30th for the Team Up Against Drugs Parade. I originally posted students weren't to bring costumes to school on that day. Since that time our directions have changed. The information listed below will clarify some questions that have risen about Red Ribbon Week & Halloween.................
For Friday of Drug Free Week & the K - 4 parade.......... if students wear sports team apparel they may wear it all day. If they choose to wear traditional Halloween attire (without weapons, of course) on Friday of Drug Free week, they will be permitted to change into their costume later in the afternoon before the parade. If your child plans to change into a Halloween costume, please help them practice dressing themselves as I won't be able to help each child get dressed. The parade will be the culminating activity of the "Team Up Against Drugs" theme.
Also, I would like to carve a couple pumpkins in class & then roast the seeds to eat on Friday. Does anyone have a pumpkin(s) to donate? If we get more than 1 pumpkin, I’ll be looking for volunteer(s) to come help us carve them. If you are able to donate a pumpkin &/or come in to help us carve a pumpkin, please write a note to let me know what you are able to do. I plan to carve pumpkins on Tuesday, October 27th.
If you have questions, please send a note in your child’s folder or email.

Fine Motor Skills.....

Calling all K1 Parents..............

Colder temperatures have arrived & I need some help from home. Please work with your child to help them master the zip, snap & button skills. Many of the children are having difficulty snapping or buttoning their jeans/pants as well as their jackets & coats. If you take a few minutes each evening to practice these fine motor skills, this will be a tremendous help to me as I'm doing an amazing amount of these 3 things every day!!!
Also, anytime you feel your child is ready, tackle the "tie your shoe" skill. It will be slow going at first, but practicing a few times each evening will lead to success --- eventually!! I've tied so many shoes since the beginning of school, I'm beginning to dream about inventing a self-tying shoe!
Thanks for all your help & support at home. :)

October Newletter

We're off to a great start this year. Can you believe we have been in school 23 days already? The children (& I) are getting into the groove & have a routine pretty well set.
We had a lot of fun this week sharing the Fall bags. The children found loads of unique things & were excited to share their items.
Thanks also for helping your child read his/her take-home book each week & seeing they are signed/returned to school the next day. As I stated in the explanation letter, these little books should be saved & reread often.
I'm also looking for a medium sized pumpkin to cut into a jack-o-lantern & then bake the seed so we can do a taste test. If anyone has a pumpkin to donate, please contact me.
October 1st was midterm for our first grading period. Report cards will be distributed the 2nd week of November. Report card skills areas are: counting to 20, appropriate coloring skills (staying inside the lines & filling in "ghosty" spaces), using scissors properly, recognizing sight words, knowing the upper/lower case letters Nn, Aa, Dd & the sounds they make, naming shapes, reciting (not singing) the alphabet in sequence, printing first name, observing school/classroom rules, & following directions. You can help at home by practicing any skill areas your child may show as a weakness.
Upcoming important dates:
Oct. 7 - Walk at School Day - we'll be walking on the High School Track so please make sure your child wears their sneakers.
Oct. 22 - Open House 6 - 7PM
Oct. 26 - 30 - Red Ribbon Week - watch for handout on events for this week
Oct. 28 - Apple Crunch Day - we'll be tasting a variety of apples during this week as well as making apple crafts.
Oct. 30 - Halloween party @ school
Nov. 13 - Parent Conference Day - parent letters will be sent home at the end of the month to schedule a conference appointment. If you are unable to meet on that date, contact me to arrange a different time. I plan to start as early as 7:30AM for those of you who would like to meet before work.

Cold & Flu Season: Q & A's

With the cold and flu season fast approaching, here is some important info from our school nurse......... keep this in mind for you and for your family.

1) Why do colds and the flu increase in the Winter?
The reason has nothing to do with the temperature, at least not directly. Cold weather itself does not cause these illnesses, but people are more likely to stay indoors and spread germs to one another when it’s cold outside.

2) When should I stay home from work or keep my child home from school?
It is important to stay home when you are most contagious. For colds, you are contagious the entire time you have symptoms, but you are most contagious right after you contract the cold, before you even have symptoms. For the flu, adults are most infectious from the day before symptoms start until about the fifth day of symptoms.

3) When should I see my doctor?
If you experience complications such as high fever, shaking chills, chest pain with each breath, coughing that produces thick, yellow-green mucus, or if your symptoms do not go away as quickly as you would expect them to, see your doctor.

4) How can I avoid passing my cold or flu on to my family?
There are many steps you can take to try to avoid spreading germs to the people around you. Always cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Sneeze or cough using the "Dracula" method - bend your arm & cough/sneeze into the bent area. If using a tissue to cover a cough/sneeze, throw used tissues away immediately. Wash your hands often, especially after you sneeze, cough, or touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. Keep your distance from others — don’t kiss, hug, or stand so close to someone that saliva might get on them when you talk. Make sure someone is disinfecting household surfaces and items frequently, including children’s toys.

5) Is it OK to get a flu shot when I have a cold?
Yes, you can get vaccinated when you have a cold as long as you are not feeling very sick and do not have a fever.