GARDNER GAZETTE
NOVEMBER 2019
BOUNCE HOUSE
On your mark, get set, go! Bounce House Night will be on Friday, Nov. 15th. Only the first 100 students in each grade will be able to attend. 4th grade will jump from 6-7 and 5th grade will jump from 7:30-8:30. A Permission slip and waiver with ALL the information will go home Monday, November 4th. Be on the lookout for those and remember to have your student turn in their signed permission slip along with payment ASAP.
COLD WEATHER
The weather is starting to change and students need to remember to dress appropriately for the colder temperatures. Check the temperature with your student the night before or the morning of school, and keep in mind that if the "feels like" temperature is 21 or above, and not raining, students will go outside for recess. Thicker coats, hats, gloves, and long pants are all things they need to consider wearing to school. Wearing more layers also brings about lost items. Please remember to have your student write their name in all of their items and to check the lost and found in the cafeteria if they lose an item.
HALF BIRTHDAYS
Everyday at Gardner Elementary student birthdays are recognized during morning announcements. Starting November 20th student half birthdays will also be announced. Your student is welcome to bring in birthday treats (store bought, please) for their half birthday.
YEARBOOK
PAPA JOHN'S NIGHT
McTeacher's Night
ST. JUDE's MATH-A-THON
Our annual fundraiser for St. Jude's Hospital will run from 11/4 to 11/29. Our students are joining in the fight against childhood cancer by participating in a St. Jude's Math-A-Thon. This event helps kids refine their academic skills while teaching them that they have the power to help others. Ask your child about their opportunity to take part in this event.
4TH GRADE NEWS
Reading- We are creating images with fiction text, and determining importance (summarizing) with nonfiction text.
Writing- We are working on adding interesting, descriptive words to writing and creating longer and longer texts.
Math- We are working with fraction concepts, including equivalencies, comparisons, and simple addition/subtraction.
Social Studies- We are learning about the influence of the French on Monroe County and the state of Illinois.
Science- We are learning how different parts of the human body work.
Thank you to all parents who attended parent teacher conferences to celebrate your child’s accomplishments this year!
At Gardner, we consider ourselves a family. We celebrate our success together and support one another during difficult times, and we know the holiday season can be especially stressful for those with limited resources. We want to meet all the needs of our students-- not just academically, but physically and emotionally as well. The House of Neighborly Service is a local organization that works with our schools to accomplish this mission. If you need assistance with anything, please call their office at 939-8900.
5TH GRADE NEWS
Fifth graders proudly displayed their work in the main hallway and in their classrooms for Parent Teacher Conferences, which were a huge success. Teachers enjoyed meeting with families and keeping the lines of communication open so all learners have the opportunity to excel, as well as taking time to discuss areas of potential growth. Mathematicians are nearing the end of Unit 2, which focused on the standard method for multiplication, division and the partial quotients strategy.
In reading learners read a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts and used various strategies such as highlighting, sticky notes, re-reading and underlining to help them determine the importance in the articles. Our Cahokia Mounds field trip for social studies was a great success and we represented our district well and received several compliments from the staff. Next, your historian we will be learning about Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth leading up to the colonization simulation. Young scientists really enjoyed their engineering unit in which they strive to build the tallest index card tower and strongest book stacking platform. They are moving right along and are beginning to investigate matter through various investigations. Second quarter has just gotten underway and our 5th graders are already working hard to meet building and classroom expectations so they can participate in the next quarterly reward, which is Reindeer Games.
BAND AND CHORUS NEWS
Congratulations to the 5th grade Chorus for their excellent Fall Concert. The band is looking forward to present their premier concert. The Band and Chorus Holiday Concert will be Thursday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m. The attendance for band and chorus rehearsal has been amazing for the first quarter. Remember if your child has to miss a practice, please send an email or written note.
STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
Thank you to all of the students for their participation during Red Ribbon Week. Student Council was very proud of all the support! Our canned food drive was a huge success as well.
In November Student Council is cooking something up for Thanksgiving! More to come on how Gardner students can help our community.
NOVEMBER MINDSET
A WORD FROM OUR READING TEACHER, MRS. JONES
Days are shorter, sunsets are bright crimson- it’s the month of thankfulness, and I can truly say I'm thankful for all of my students. They’ve taught me so much! In the words from the children’s story, The Little Prince, “Grown ups never understand anything by themselves, and it’s tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”
This month for reading tips:
Read about it, talk about it, think about it! Building understanding of written work is the goal of reading. We want to help students find fun and unique ways to help them become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your student when reading at home.
Make books special. Turn reading into something special. Take your kids to the library and have students get their own library card OR log on to Amazon.com and create a Kindle (electronic reader) account for your student. Students can look at the books that attracted other readers and sample, for free, the first chapter of the books. If they enjoy the book, rent the book or you can purchase the book for your student as a gift.
Get them to read another one. Find ways to encourage your child to pick up another book. Introduce him or her to a series like The Lightning Thief by Riordan or The Wings of Fire by Sutherland or to a second book by a favorite author. Teachers can give suggestions as well so please don't hesitate to ask for recommendations!
Crack open the dictionary. Let your child see you use a dictionary- online or book. Say, “Hmmmm, I'm not sure what the word means… I think I'll look it up or ask Google/Alexa.”
Talk about what you see and do. Talk about everyday activities to build your child’s background knowledge, which is crucial to listening and reading comprehension. Keep up a running pattern, for example, while cooking together, visiting somewhere new, or after watching a TV show- Talk about it!
First drafts are rough. Encourage your child when writing. Remind him or her that writing involves several steps. No one does it perfectly the first time. Changes are meant to be made to edit and enhance the writing.
Teach your child some “mind tricks.” Show your child how to verbally summarize what you did or a story you read in a few sentences or how to make predictions about what might happen next on their favorite TV show. Both strategies help a child comprehend and remember.
Are we there yet? Use the time spent in the car for wordplay. Talk about how jam means something you put on toast as well as cars stuck in traffic. How many other homonyms can your child think of? When kids are highly familiar with the meaning of words, they have a less difficult time reading.
NOVEMBER CALENDAR
Nov. 4th - Nov. 29th St. Jude's Math-A-Thon
Nov. 6th - Papa John's Night
Nov.11th - Veterans Day - No SchoolNov. 14th - Student Council Meeting 2:40 - 3:40
Nov. 15th - Mid Term
Nov. 15th - Bounce House Night
Nov. 27th - Half day - town dismissed at 11:10 - bus dismissed at 11:25
Nov. 28th - Thanksgiving - No School
Nov. 29th - No School