Family Newsletter - January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
Principal's News - Barb Grell
Snow Days - It's been nice having a full week of school. Not only do students like to get back into a routine, but so do the adults at school. Hopefully we won't have any more snow days this year. Please note the snow make up days below the Upcoming Events.
Student Safety - This is a reminder to use the east parking lot circle to drop off students in the morning. With the weather being cold and sometimes snowy, we have had parents dropping off student in the bus lanes. This can cause an unsafe situation when students are walking in front of cars or worse yet, buses. Please follow the procedures for your child's safety. Thank you.
Student-Led Conferences - Teachers have sent out schedules for conferences. Please take this time to meet with your child's teacher to talk about your child's strengths and goal areas. If you did not receive a conference time, contact the classroom teacher. Remember to bring your child to conferences. They play a big role in this meeting.
Lost and Found Items - We will display the lost and found items at conferences. Stop and see if any of the items belong to your child. Any items left at the end of the month will be given to charity.
Enjoy your weekend.
Mrs. Grell
Upcoming Events
Jan. 18 No Preschool
Jan. 18 Elementary P/S/T Conferences, 4-8 pm
Jan. 20 Early Dismissal - Professional Development
Jan 21 No School - Elementary Only
Jan 21 Elementary P/S/T Conferences, 8 am-8 pm
Jan 22 No School - Teacher Comp Day
Jan 25 No School - Staff Development
Snow Make Up Days
Dec. 8 will be made up on Feb. 15
Dec. 9 will be made up on May 27
Dec 10 will be made up on May 28
Dec 14 will be made up on June 1
Jan. 6 will be made up on June 2
Jan. 7 will be made up on June 3
Jan. 8 will be made up on June 4
Lifeskill of the Week
Friendship - to make and keep a friend
Nurse News - Deb Blodgett, District RN
Brrrrrrrrrr!
The Kreft Primary School Health Office is sending out a friendly reminder to dress appropriately for this inclement weather. Keep in mind that all of us are susceptible to frost bite in this kind of weather, but young, exposed skin is even more susceptible to injury. Children waiting at bus stops are especially vulnerable to the effects of our frigid temperatures. Appropriate clothing for this kind of weather is a warm coat, hat, gloves, scarves, warm socks, and boots. The health office is always happy to receive donated coats, hats, gloves, boots and scarves that are clean and in good condition. We put them to good use and as always, we strive to keep our students healthy and safe from the effects of inclement weather.
PTA News - Jennifer Jorgensen
Attention Parents! Lewis Central PTA and Kreft and Titan Hill schools are once again teaming up with Original Works to offer a spring art fundraiser. This program allows you to have your child's very own artwork reproduced onto a selection of products including magnets, mugs, mouse pads, t-shirts, tote bags, tiles, and more!
Your child will be creating their artwork in school. You will then have the opportunity to order whatever products you wish at a reasonable cost with your child's artwork featured on each and every product.
We are thrilled to be participating in this unique program as well as encouraging the arts at the same time! Please watch for complete program information, your child's finished artwork, and pricing information coming home in February!
Proceeds for this fundraiser will help support PTA programs. If you have any questions about this program, please feel free to contact Jennifer Jorgensen at 309-9114. Thank you!
Enrichment News - Kristi McMullen
Kindergarten students are continuing to learn about Detective Thinking (analytical thinking). Detective thinking focuses on the following concepts:
- There is only one right answer
- Students may need to put together many pieces of information in order to find the right answer
- Students may feel like saying "I have it!" when they find the answer
- Students may not see the answer right away but keep looking at the clues
- Patience is important so they don't jump to wrong conclusions
Students are listening to the book It Wasn't Meby Udo Weigelt. In this story, the characters didn't look for all the clues to find some missing raspberries, so they jumped to the wrong conclusion. Discussion includes how important it is to look for all the clues to solve a problem and not to jump to the wrong conclusion.
Some things to do at home include playing guessing games like 20 Question, I Spy, Clue, and Guess Who.
First Grade students are beginning to learn about Inventor Thinking (divergent thinking). They are being introduced to Isabel the inventor, and learning about the following concepts:
- In divergent thinking, there are many correct responses
- It is important to be able to see ordinary things in new and unusual ways
- Unusual and wacky ideas are to be encouraged
- It is OK (and should be encouraged) to piggyback ideas
While listening to the story about Isabel, students were able to brainstorm some new ideas/uses for a whisk, such as a paddle, bat, or fish catcher. After the story, students use their own divergent thinking to invent (draw) a "bicycle" for one of Isabel's friends, Yolanda the Spider. At home encourage your child to think of different ways to use ordinary things found at home.
