BACK TO SCHOOL!

GCMS Elementary Gibson City, IL September-2014 Volume 1, Issue 1

ELEMENTARY EXPRESS KEAN NOTES:

SAFETY 1st

Greetings! Welcome to the 2014-15 school year here at GCMS Elementary School. For those that don’t know, th my name is Justin Kean and this is my 4 year as principal at GCMS Elementary. My wife Erin and I have 4 kids (3 boys and 1 girl), and we are very happy to call Gibson City our home. I want you to know how excited I am to see all of your kids each day and how much I cherish their smiles, fist bumps, and hugs that I get on a daily basis!!!! Thank you for sending us your kids!!

I hope you had the opportunity to come in during parent orientation to visit your child’s classroom and to see our new walls, doors, and windows throughout the building. I enjoyed seeing many of you in the cafeteria at the end of the night and we were very comfortable due to the cool air from the new air conditioning system in the cafeteria. We are very proud of the upgrades to our building, and we are thankful to the school board and to Mr. Galindo for making the safety of our kids and staff a priority. Please thank them if you get a chance.

PARTNERSHIP

“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” - C.S. Lewis

The Daily 5

We plan to do some great things this year at GCMS Elementary School, but we cannot do it without your partnership. Thank you for partnering with our teachers and staff to make GCMS the best school around. We value our relationship with parents and the community, and we invite you to call, email, or come in if you have concerns. My only request is that if your child is having problems in class, or if you have questions about something that is going on in the classroom, please contact the teacher first. Many times, a simple misunderstanding can be cleared up with a short face to face meeting or a phone call.

We have adopted a new structure for our reading block, and we are very excited about it. As a building, we have implemented a structure called The Daily 5. This structure will allow our teachers to differentiate the learning in the classroom and will give students some choice in what they are reading and what activities they are doing. The Daily 5 consists of five reading and writing choices: 1) Read to Self 4) Listen to Reading 2) Work on Writing 5) Word Work 3) Read to Someone We are very excited about this structure and I am especially excited about the amount of time that students will spend reading (for more information go to http://www.thedailycafe.com/).

REMINDERS:   

For the safety of your kids and others, please drop kids off only going south by the office and do not pull off to the side. Please model respect for your kids (that is our Sept. BUG theme) Please remind your kids that the playground is closed immediately after school so that we can make sure that everyone gets home safely.

Elementary Express

Page 2

A MOMENT WITH McFERREN: nd

I am so excited for the 2014-2015 school year! My name is KiLee Lidwell-McFerren and this is my 2 year serving as assistant principal at GCMS Elementary and Middle School. I am thankful every day that I am able to work with such a dedicated and passionate group of educators and students. GCMS is a wonderful place to be! We are continuing the reading incentive program “Miles to Minutes” again this year. Please make sure to sign and date your student’s reading logs each week. We will continue the tradition of having quarterly celebrations with those students that meet their reading goal at least 8 of the 9 weeks of the quarter. Please remember that reading minutes can be the number of minutes the students reads at home, the minutes the student is read to by parent, guardian, sibling, teacher, and AR reading minutes will be accepted. Grade level minutes will be translated into miles and the weekly total will be displayed on the Miles to Minutes map displayed in the main hallway. Students will be able to monitor the progress of their class as they conquer their region of the United States. I am here to support you, our students, and our staff. Please let me know if you ever need anything at all.

NURSE’S NOTE… Tricia Lozier & Jen McMullin The nursing office has been busy with paperwork lately. Please remember to turn in your physicals, immunizations, dental exams, eye exams, medication authorizations and emergency care plans. We will be sending out letters if your student is in need of any exams or immunizations. Please contact us if you have any questions, concerns or if we can assist you in obtaining these items. Cold and flu season will be here before you know it. The basics will keep you healthy: Wash your hands frequently. Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing. Get a good night’s sleep and eat healthy foods. All of this will provide your body the strength to fight off viruses. Your child should be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medicine before returning to school. Discuss with your healthcare provider whether your child should receive a flu shot.

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.” ― Carol S. Dweck

BEYOND THE BOOKS… Mrs. Schmitt

Important Dates September 12th Elementary Picture Day September 16th Midterm of 1st Quarter September 23rd Mindset Hot Topic Night

From Summertime to Time for School: How to ease the transition Some students (and adults) feel that the start of school means the end of fun and free time. Here is a quick list of things that might help with the switch from summer-mode to school-mode. 1. Reset the body clock (children and adults alike) by shifting to-bed and wake-up times to allow for adequate rest. 2. Get back to healthy eating. A changing schedule can often usher in a change in eating habits. Try having healthy snacks available when things get hectic. 3. Find a work space for homework and help your student organize it in a way that works best for them. 4. Organize the night before. Encourage your student to think about what they might need for the next day (homework, signed assignment books or permission forms, school supplies, and show & tell/share items, etc.) and have it gathered and ready before bed time. 5. Give students the 4-1-1. Oftentimes “the unknown” can cause anxiety and worry. Give your student as much information as you can about the daily/weekly routine, especially if it is new or changing. 6. Take time to talk through worries. A new school year can introduce many changes - a new teacher, new classroom, new routine and increased responsibilities. Take time to talk about it, but don’t dwell on it. Listen closely to the content, get them refocused and encourage them to look at things positively. 7. Encourage them to work hard!