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Elementary News and Views - January


                                    

                                   
                                 
FROM THE DESK OF THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL………
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
As we start 2014, I hope you will encourage your child(ren) to get plenty of rest, study hard and eat well-balanced meals so that learning is at a premium. We need students to attend school daily and be active learners.

FOOD PANTRY             
As part of Dr. Garvey’s goal of participating in the Jefferson County Christmas Neighbor’s Program, we also raised over 2,000 food items. As part of an all-district event, Dr. Garvey, Mr. Vogel, Mrs., Blakeley, Mr. Wagner and Mr. Probst has to KISS THE ALPACA! Thanks to Mrs. Georgia Meyer, our district Occupational Therapist and her husband for bringing in 2 of their alpacas for this event!
I am SO very proud of all of the efforts our students and staff did on this project! What a wonderful reflection on our families and community!



UPCOMING EVENTS………….

  • January 2- School resumesWelcome Back!
  • January 13-24 MAP testing grades 2-5; PALS testing 4K, 5K and Grade 1
  • January 16- MARKET DAY
  • January 23- End of 1st semester
  • January 24- Early Release- students dismissed at 11:30; no PM 4k or EC  no lunch served


ATTENTION PARENTS: Due to the cold weather, all students will enter the building at 7:40, remove coats, boots, etc and report to the gym by 7:45. This will be in effect until further notice!  Since we will be in a structured activity, we ask that all parents not remain in the building after drop off. If you need to speak to a teacher, please contact the teacher for a time or stop in the office to register for a visitors pass.




ADULT SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD
                            RECOGNITION WEEK
The week of January 13-17th is the 12th annual Adult School Crossing Guard Recognition Week. This recognition event was developed through a collaborative partnership of agencies and organizations representing state, county and local levels. Members of the partnership include AAA Wisconsin, Milwaukee Police Department, Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Highway Safety Coordinators, Madison Police department, Traffic and Parking Control Company Inc, Wisconsin Traffic Safety Officers Association and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
Each day, dedicated crossing guards across Wisconsin Show up at their assigned crossings to assist students on their journey to and from school.
Please give a “thumbs up honk” to our Adult Crossing Guards: Veronica Caminata, Wendy Belongia, and Tammy Miller. Thanks for watching out for our kids!!!!!
Also, parents: Please encourage your children to cross the roads at crossing guard locations and not in the middle of the road. We do not want anyone to get hurt.
Remember, drivers need to stop when the crossing guard is in the road!

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Parents and students need to understand the importance of attendance, starting in the early grades and continuing through high school. Wisconsin law states that students are allowed only 10 absences during a school year., otherwise your child is considered truant. This includes all or part of a day. Good attendance will help your child do well in high school, college and at work. Here are some key considerations:


  • Your child can suffer academically if they miss 10 percent of school days or about 18 days. That can be 1 day every 2 weeks, and that can happen before you know it.
  • It doesn’t matter if the absences are excused or not excused. They all represent lost time in the classroom and a lost opportunity to learn.
  • Attendance matters as early as kindergarten. Studies show many children who miss too many days in kindergarten and 1st grade can struggle academically in later years. They often have trouble mastering reading by the end of 3rd grade.
  • Preschool is a great time to start building a habit of good attendance. Studies show that poor attendance in preschool can predict absenteeism in later grades.
  • By middle and high school, chronic absenteeism is a leading warning sign that a student will drop out.
  • Too many absent students can affect a whole classroom, creating churn and slowing down instruction.

What can you do as a family to make a difference?
  • Families should avoid extended vacations that require students to miss school. Try to line up vacations with the school’s calendar. The same goes for doctor’s appointments.
  • For younger children, you can set a regular bedtime and morning routine. Make sure they get 9-11 hours of sleep. You can lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
  • For older children, you can help set homework and bedtime routines that allow 8 ½ to 9 ½ hours of sleep. Make sure the lights go out, so do cell phones, video games and computers.
  • Get to know teachers and administrators. With younger children, make sure you introduce your child to teachers before school starts and keep in touch with teachers throughout the year. For older students, school officials can help you stay on top of academic progress and social contacts to make sure your child stays on track.
  • Above all, set an example for your child. Show him/her that attendance matters and that you will not allow an absence unless someone is truly sick. Lead by example and be on time for your work or appointments.
  • You can turn to the school for help. Many schools offer services for the whole family.

What to say to your child…..
  • School is your first and most important job. You’re learning more than math and reading. You’re learning how to show up for school on time every day, so that when you graduate and get a job, you’ll know how to show up for work on time every day.
  • Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate and find good jobs. In fact, high school graduates make, on average, a million dollars more than a dropout over a lifetime.
  • School gets harder when you stay home too much. Sometimes it’s tempting to stay home because you’ve got too much work or you don’t understand what’s going on in class. But missing a day only makes that worse.

Remember, school is important and you need to have your child be present every day for our community. Chronic absences can drag down standardized test scores and thwart school improvement plans. Improvements in classroom teaching and curriculum won’t yield results unless students are actually in school. Chronic absenteeism can affect our economy. Dropouts are less likely to succeed in a career. And even those who do graduate won’t do well at work without good attendance habits. Student absences can cause parents to miss work, affecting local employers.


What is the district doing regarding absenteeism?  now tracking the right data- chronic absenteeism- so we know which students have a problem with absenteeism. That way, we can intervent to turn the problem around. We are increasing resources at school- monitoring health issues, mentoring at-risk students and using counselors for those who need more help. We are engaging the whole community- from the Health Department to the Housing Authority to Truancy Court, we are working together to bring back kids to school



          KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION AND CHILD FIND
On February 21st, Johnson Creek Elementary School will be doing screenings for perspective 4 and 5-year olds. If your child will be 4-years old by September 1st (eligible for 4K) or is eligible for 5-year old kindergarten in the fall, please call the Elementary Office at 699-2511 to schedule a screening time. This screening will take place in our Elementary building.

Also, if you have a child who is 3 years old, who you think may be exhibiting delays in a developmental area (language, speech, social-emotional, cognitive, motor or adaptive skills), we will also screen your child during this time frame.
Flexible Routine
As a parent, you've probably spent years working on a routine for your family at home. And you know as well as anyone how changes happen frequently and require you to be flexible and patient. So how can you make plans without becoming frustrated when changes have to happen?
Plan each day for the next day. One way to have a flexible routine is to have an idea of the tasks that need to be done weekly, and to plan each day as it comes. Sometime in the evening, sit down to jot down your ideas for the next day. What household tasks need to be done? What is waiting for you to do at work? What's for dinner? Planning just a day in advance allows you to create space for activities and requirements specific to that week, while working in your household tasks as you have the time and energy.
Accomplish your hardest work when you have the most energy. It makes sense to match up tasks with the time of day that best fits the energy required. For instance, if you are a morning person, make it a priority to accomplish your most intensive or delicate tasks during that time. Or if you're most awake and fresh at night, after your children are in bed, set aside a few minutes to knock out whatever is most pressing on your to-do list for that week.

Every morning, do the one task that you are dreading. The author of the blog Simple Mom describes this as "eating a frog." With your least favorite task out of the way, you can move through the rest of your day knowing that you've accomplished something important. If the rest of your schedule is bumped off-track by an unexpected event, you will still have the satisfaction of being able to cross one thing off your list.


Help Your Child Feel Connected to School
As a parent, you want your children to get good grades, have good friends, and get along with teachers. You want them to be healthy and avoid engaging in risky or harmful behaviors.
Parents have the largest influence on their kids when it comes to health and education. And with the help of caring adults in the school environment, your child can flourish.
Students who are connected to their school and feel the staff and other students care about them have better grades, stay in school longer, and attend school more regularly. They are less likely to smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs, have sexual intercourse early in life, carry a weapon, consider suicide, or have emotional distress.

Following are some actions that you can take to help your child become more connected to his or her school:
  • Encourage your child to talk openly with you, teachers, counselors, and other staff about his or her ideas, needs, or worries.
  • Find out what the school expects your child to learn and how your child should behave in school by talking to teachers and staff. Attend school meetings. Support the school's expectations at home.
  • Help your child with homework and teach him or her how to use time well.
  • Encourage your child to help adults at home, at school, and in the community.
  • Meet regularly with your child's teachers to discuss grades, behavior, and accomplishments.
  • Ask teachers if your child can participate in parent-teacher conferences.
  • Offer to share important aspects of your culture or job with your child's class.
  • Get involved with your child's school to help plan school policies and school-wide activities.

Get Started on Reading to Your Kids   

Reading to your children should start early…..Really early. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting as soon as your children are born.
Reading stimulates brain development and language skills. It also fosters a closer emotional bond between parents and children. Follow these tips:
  • Read widely. Infants respond to voices around them, so start out by reading anything that's handy--sports pages and cookbooks will do, as well as very simple picture books.
  • Ask questions. As your child grows older, get him or her involved. Ask your child what he or she thinks will happen next, or why a character behaved that way. You'll start teaching some basic critical thinking skills, and you'll make the experience more enjoyable.
  • Read every day. Make reading a regular activity. Don't just limit it to bedtime. Bring a book with you to doctors' appointments and the store so you can read while waiting.


Is Your Child Doing Too Much?

"Mom, you brought my pink tights. I wanted the white ones!" Your daughter melts into tears as she pulls off her soccer cleats. With no time to return home between the soccer game and ballet class, she needs to change clothes in the van, down a small orange juice, and ready herself for dance rehearsal. Those tears may be a sign that more is wrong than the color of her tights. She may be facing activity overload.

More Choices, More Activity
Your child lives in a world of almost unlimited choices. The Internet gives us an overwhelming amount of information and access to hundreds of friends. The Internet opens doors for our curiosity and enables us to explore; it also increases our appetite for activity.
Everything sounds interesting--sports, music, enrichment classes, games, etc. We enroll our children in classes, engage tutors, and encourage them to play a sport or two or three. Soon our children are frenetically moving from activity to activity, often experiencing activity overload--too much busyness that saps their emotional and physical energy.

More May Be Less
Whether you are an introvert who regroups during quiet moments or an extrovert who loves a party, you need rest. Your child needs rest, too. Is your child keeping late hours to finish homework because he or she is busy with activities in the late afternoon and early evening? A recent study at Columbia University in New York suggests teens who get too little sleep are more likely to experience depression and have suicidal thoughts.
Beyond curtailing their time for sleep, by keeping our children busy, we rob them of precious time to reflect and use their imaginations. Reflection promotes emotional well-being and maturity. Unorganized play helps children learn to amuse themselves, to get along with other individuals, to master the art of conversation, and to develop their imaginations--tools that will serve them well in their adult years.

Less Is More
How do you protect a child from activity overload? First, limit your child's involvement. Help your child choose one or two activities and focus on doing them well. As adults, your children will not have the luxury of participating in everything that looks interesting. By helping children choose wisely, you prepare them to be decisive in later years.
Next, model rest and reflection. Turn off the television, silence the computer, and let phone calls go to voicemail. Let your child see you put your feet up and read a good book. Spend time visiting with your child; tell family stories. Brainstorm and dream together.
So, retire those ballet shoes or help the team find another goalie. Protect your child from activity overload by helping him or her limit activities and enjoy a healthier, more restful pace.


Thanks for your continued support of Johnson Creek Elementary. If you are interested in volunteering in our building, please stop in the office. We are always looking for people to read to our students, help in the library and make bulletin boards for staff.
Stay warm!
Kris Blakeley
Elementary Principal


                                 

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