Salish Ponds Elementary School
February 2024
February!
Dear Dragonflies Families,
As we begin February, we want to emphasize our important work of staying focused on our two monthly themes: Black History Month and friendship. Our staff has been working diligently on creating Friday activities for our students and classrooms, as well as fostering friendships with grade level peers. In addition, we are striving to be more informed about Black History Month and the significant impact that African American leaders have made on our world. We will be highlighting the individuals we have studied during our upcoming math night. Please be on the lookout for more details about this event in the near future.
I also wanted to remind everyone about the upcoming events this month. We will be having coffee with Mrs. Stevens on Tuesday, February 6th, from 4 to 4:25pm, and our math night will be held on Thursday, February 22nd, from 5:30 to 7pm. Flyers will be distributed soon, so keep an eye out!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the potluck on January 25th. We will be rotating events to bring our community together, so stay tuned for more opportunities to connect.
Wishing you all a fantastic month, and as always, we are eager to hear from you!
Gracefully,
Mrs. Stevens
Principal
Salish Ponds Elementary School
1210 201st Avenue, Fairview, Oregon 97024
PH: 503-492-7260
PTO updates
Los padres de Salish Ponds/ Parents for Salish Ponds se reúnen con Google Meet cada otro martes a las 4 p.m., ¡y nos encantaría recibir su opinión! Venga y ayúdanos a crear una visión para nuestro grupo y cómo queremos apoyar a nuestros estudiantes, maestros, y escuela. Este mes, nuestras reuniones son el 6 y 20 de febrero. Envíe un correo electrónico a parentsforsp@gmail.com para ser agregado a la reunión.
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Parents for Salish Ponds meets on Google Meet every other Tuesday at 4pm and we would love your input! Come help us create a vision for our group and how we want to support our students, teachers, and school. This month, our meetings are on February 6 & 20. Please email parentsforsp@gmail.com to be added to the meeting.
Friendship Day!
As we approach February 14th, we are excited to announce that the last 30 minutes of the day will be dedicated to "Friendship Celebrations" in all classrooms. This will be a fun and inclusive way to recognize the importance of friendship and kindness in our school community.
We want to remind everyone that, as per district guidelines and communications, we will not be allowing any sweets or treats for the celebrations. However, if you are looking for prizes for any activities, please consider items that can be helpful to our students at school, such as pencils, erasers, pens, and other school supplies.
Additionally, we will be introducing Friendship Fridays during the month of February. Each classroom will be working on a friendship activity with their class or grade level. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to spread positivity and appreciation to their peers.
We believe that promoting friendship and kindness is essential for creating a supportive and nurturing environment, and we hope that these activities will help foster a sense of community within our school.
Thank you for your cooperation, and we look forward to celebrating friendship with all of you on February 14th!
Library Corner
We have many exciting books in the school library that support this celebration. We have books about activism, biographies of influential figures, rich fiction books with African American characters, beautiful picture books featuring African American characters, and many more choices. If you are interested in helping your student learn more about the books we have, you can look up books by title, topic, and author in Destiny, which is our library catalog. The link is here. https://search.follettsoftware.com/metasearch/ui/122464
If you would like help reserving any of these books for your student, you can also call us at (503) 492-7260 (ask to be transferred to the library) and we are happy to help!
Immunization exclusion Day
Exclusion day for the state of Oregon is Wednesday, February 21st. Letters will be mailed to parents whose children are not up to date or whose records are incomplete. If you receive a letter, please update your information as soon as possible to avoid your student being excluded from school. If you need help locating a health care provider or clinic, please contact our school Nurse Susan Myers.
Family Math Night!
We are excited to have you join us on Thursday, February 22nd, for a fun Math art night with our staff! Grade level teams will be greeting your families in their grade level hallways and disco room, to play some math games and connects with art. Please come visit us from 5:30-7pm for some art and mathematics to take home!
Counseling and Social Workers Corner!
Welcome to February! We are so glad you are here. This month, we are celebrating Kindness and the act of taking care of ourselves and our community. Kindness might look like inviting peers to play during recess, helping someone when they are hurt, or taking a moment to remind oneself of what is going well. It continues to build on skills we have learned from our previous themes of empathy, inclusion, and gratefulness. Practicing Kindness begins with ourselves, so be gentle with yourself and know that you are resilient.
Games & Activities
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/kindness-lesson-plan-rebecca-alber
https://www.playworks.org/resource/twelve-activities-to-develop-kindness-in-children/
https://www.glsen.org/activity/beauty-skin-deep-grades-3-5
https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/affirmations-activity/
Here are some books for K-2nd graders:
When We Are Kind / Nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo (English and Navajo Edition) by Monique Gray Smith
I Walk with Vanessa: A Picture Book Story About a Simple Act of Kindness Hardcover – by Kerascoët
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
Each Kindness by Jaqueline Woodson
The books for 3rd-5th graders that follow are all E-books:
The Little Things: A Story about Acts of Kindness by Christian Trimmer & Kaylani Juanita
Pete the Cat’s Groovy Guide to Kindness by Kimberly & James Dean
The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border by Stephen Briseno and Magdalena Mora
The Power of One: Every Act of Kindness Counts by Trudy Ludwig & Mike Curato
Henry is Kind by Linda Ryden & Shearry Malone
We are also celebrating Black History Month, honoring Black and African Americans contributions to and accomplishments in the United States. The theme for 2024 is African Americans and the Arts. The arts can play an important role in health outcomes at the individual and community level. Here are some resources that you can might want to share with your student to learn more about Black and African American role models and history:
https://parents-together.org/quiz-do-you-and-your-kids-know-these-black-history-facts/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/black-inventors-and-pioneers-of-science
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month
https://www.businessinsider.com/black-history-month-explained-origins-themes-colors-2023-1?op=1
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/black-history-month-2024
We also have some great books in our School Library that your student can check out. Your student can talk to Mrs. B or Trista for more information.
We are here to support your student and your family! There are clothes closet and food pantries throughout the district, and we can also connect you with other resources to help you and your student succeed in school. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Michael Vanpool, Social Worker, x 3038 (or text 503-808-1276), Arianne Delos Reyes, K-2 School Counselor, x3008, Virginia Rose, 3-5 School Counselor, x3037.
Cultural Awareness: Black History Month!
In February scholars will be learning about Black History month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated in February in the United States. Please look for activities coming home from your scholars learnings!
Learning opportunity
Upcoming events in February
- Upcoming Dates:
- February
- Tuesday, February 6th, Coffee with Mrs. Stevens 4-4:25
- Monday, Feb. 19th Holiday/No School
- Thursday, Feb. 22nd: Math night 5:30-7pm
- Friday, Feb. 23rd No School
- March
- Tuesday, March 5th, Coffee with Mrs. Stevens 4-4:25
- Wednesday, March 20th- 22: Conferences/No School
- Monday, March 25-29th, Spring break/No school