USC Elementary REBEL Review
You Matter! Every Child - Every Day
Welcome Fall!!
October 4th - Walk to School Day - See information below
FALL PARTIES - We will be having Fall Classroom Celebrations in all classrooms on Tuesday, October 31st. More information will be coming home from your child’s teacher. Teachers will be putting individual classroom times and events in their newsletters.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month - Tuesday, September 26th we supported Childhood Cancer Awareness by wearing gold - the color identifying childhood cancer. For $1.00 students could also wear a hat for the day. We collected $402.00 from our K-12 students!! All proceeds are being donated to the Brighter Tomorrows group in Rochester. This organization supports families who are dealing with childhood cancer diagnosis. Thank you for supporting this great cause!
October 3rd - Two-Hour Late Start
Once again, USC teaching staff will be working in Professional Learning Communities. This time is used to analyze data, research best practices, and engage in group planning to improve student achievement. The first PLC is scheduled for October 3. School will begin two hours late. It will start at 10:20 A.M. and breakfast for students will not be served at school.
We realize this can be difficult for some parents to find supervision for their children on these late start days. In order to help with this, elementary students in grades K-6 will be allowed to come to school from 8:20 – 10:20 A.M. and be supervised by staff. During this time they will be viewing a Rated G or PG movie in the elementary music room. Students should report directly to the music room. Students must be here by 8:20 A.M. in order to be supervised, and they will not be allowed to leave the building once they get here. Students coming to school to be supervised from 8:20 – 10:20 A.M. will need to be transported because buses will only be running on the two hour late schedule.
USC Walk to School Day - October 4
Growth Mindsets - Character building
Negative thoughts are draining. Just as words are powerful, so are thoughts. If you find yourself thinking, “School is hard, and learning is even harder,” try to reframe your thoughts in a positive statement, such as, “Learning is hard, but it is rewarding,” or, “School is hard, but it makes me stronger.” If you change your thoughts, you can form new pathways to the brain which may, in turn, change your experience in life and in this world. Actively thinking in a positive way doesn’t mean you are always happy. It just means you approach the situation in a more positive and productive way. Don’t let your negative thoughts hold you back. You are capable of so much more in life.
October is Bullying Prevention Month
*Rude vs. Mean vs. Bullying: Defining the Differences (Adapted from Signe Whitson, Author; Child and adolescent therapist)
Kids need to know how to get along with one another. We know that social skills are one of the leading indicators of future success. Kids need good role models, rules to follow, and kudos for kindness. But they are going to make mistakes. They are going to have mean moments. No parents want to admit that... but c’mon, admit it; you’ve said mean things too. Please understand, this is not a justification for being mean. There is no excuse for meanness, but there is a difference between a mean comment and ongoing harassment of an individual student. Both need to be dealt with, but perhaps differently.
The main distinction between "rude" and "mean" behavior has to do with intention; while rudeness is often unintentional. Mean behavior very much aims to hurt or depreciate someone. Kids are mean to each other when they criticize clothing, appearance, intelligence, coolness or just about anything else they can find to belittle others. Meanness also sounds like words spoken in anger -- impulsive cruelty that is often regretted in short order. Very often, mean behavior in kids is motivated by angry feelings and/or the misguided goal of propping themselves up in comparison to the person they are putting down.
Rude = inadvertently saying or doing something that hurts someone else.
Mean = purposefully saying or doing something to hurt someone once (or maybe twice).
Make no mistake; mean behaviors can wound deeply. Adults can make a huge difference in the lives of young people when they hold kids accountable for being mean. Yet, meanness is different from bullying in important ways that should be understood and differentiated when it comes to intervention.
Experts agree that bullying entails three key elements: 1) an intent to harm, 2) a power of imbalance, and 3) repeated acts or threats of aggressive behavior. Kids who bully say or do something intentionally hurtful to others and they keep doing it, with no sense of regret or remorse -- even when targets of bullying show or express their hurt or tell the aggressors to stop.
Bullying = intentionally aggressive behavior, repeated over time, that involves an imbalance of power.
Bullying may be physical, verbal, relational (threat of taking friendship away) or carried out via technology:
All three issues need to be addressed. However, when we use a term repeatedly as a catch-all for behaviors, the actual issues are not addressed properly. It is important to distinguish between rude, mean, and bullying so that teachers, school administrators, police, youth workers, parents, and kids all know what to pay attention to, how and when to intervene.
Cherrydale Fundraiser!!
A very big THANK YOU to everyone who sold items for our school fundraiser!! Once again it was very successful and that is because of all of you! Every item sold helps us provide our students with great field trip opportunities, fun lyceum events, and Rebel Bingo and rewards.
September 25 - Money should have been turned in
October 25 - Pick up from 3:00-6:00 pm in the USC Commons
October Events:
October
3~Two- Hour Late Start 10:20am start - No breakfast served
4 - Walk To School Day - Watch for flyer
5~ 6th Grade to Rendezvous in Albert Lea
13~ PreK to Terrace View Fall Festival @ 8:45 am-2:00 pm
16, 17, 18 - 1st Grade to visit Blue Earth Hospital
17~ School Board Meeting - 5:30 pm
18~Kindergarten to Center Creek Orchard @ 8:45 am-2:00 pm
18~ 4th/5th Grade 2017 MCA Reward Party to Wow Zone in Mankato
19-20~ No School - Education Minnesota Break
23~ No School PK-12 - Staff Development Day
25~ Fundraiser pick up - 3:00-6:00 pm in the Commons
31~ Halloween
November
8~End of 1st Quarter
10~ Veteran's Day Program 9:00 am
16~Elementary Conferences @ 3:30-7:30 pm
21~ Elementary Conferences @ 3:30-7:30 pm
21~ School Board Meeting @ 5:30 pm
22~ Elementary Conferences @ 7:30 am-3:30 pm
23-24 - NO SCHOOL - Happy Thanksgiving!!
S.T.E.M. Home Challenge
Each month we will share a Science, Technology, Engineeringl, Math (S.T.E.M.) challenge. Students may choose to participate by creating a a project and bringing it to school to be displayed for the month. We encourage you to work with your child and let them use their creativity and higher order thinking skills. Here is this month's challenge:
What can you do with.......... an unsharpened pencil?
To participate in this home challenge, you will need to create something (anything) using an unsharpened pencil! You can use any additional materials in your creation! The only rule is to BE CREATIVE!!
We will display all of the creations! Bring your creation into school before the end of the month!
USC District Testing Information 2017-2018 Testing Schedule
September
September 5-Oct. 6 FAST Testing K-6
September 6-15 STAR Reading and Math K-12
October
October 11 PSAT – Grade 11
November
November 13-22 STAR Reading and Math K-12
January
January 10 ASVAB - Grade 11
January 22- February 2 STAR Testing Reading and Math K-12
January 29-February 23 FAST Testing K-6
January 29 ELL (ACCESS) Testing Window Begins
March
March 5 MTAS Reading, Math, and Science Begins
March 23 ELL (ACCESS) Testing Window Ends
April
April 3 ACT Testing – Grade 11
April 16-20 MCA Reading Grades 3-8, 10
April 23-27 MCA Math Grades 3-8, 11
April 30 -May 5 Science MCA Grades 5, 8, and 10
May
May 4 MTAS Math, Reading, and Science Ends
May 7-18 STAR Testing Reading and Math – K-12
May 7-18 FAST Testing K-6
Friends!!!!!
3rd Grade Lunch Helpers
Helping kindergarteners figure out the cafeteria!
Making new friends too!
4-H 2nd Annual Fall Rally
USC Elementary Breakfast and Lunch Menus
United South Central Elementary
Elementary Principal
Email: tmagnuson@unitedsouthcentral.org
Website: www.usc.k12.mn.us
Location: 600 11th St SW, Wells, MN, United States
Phone: (507)553-5810
Facebook: facebook.com/UnitedSouthCentralSchools