Monte Gardens News
January 22, 2018
“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Monte Gardens Community,
We are nearing the halfway point for this school year! It's amazing how time flies when you are having fun learning! This is evident daily at Monte Gardens as I observe students in class learning in many ways. This month students will be demonstrating how much they've learned and also informing teachers of what they still need to learn by taking the iReady second diagnostic test. The testing window is from January 22- February 15. You can help your student be prepared by encouraging them to try their best on the assessment as well as have a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast. Teachers have been working with students on test taking strategies and encouraging students to take their time, the assessment is not timed.
We are entering flu season so please take precautions in ensuring your child is remaining healthy and getting enough rest so they will not fall ill. Typically attendance rates take a dip in January so any precautionary measures are appreciated.
I want to invite all parents to attend a new opportunity at Monte Gardens. I will be holding "Friday with Fairholm" once per month on the last Friday of the month to engage in open conversations with our parent community. Please come by on Friday, January 26 at 8:00 in B-6 to have a cup of coffee and share your thoughts.
I want to thank you for sharing your children with us as we get to watch them grow. It is truly a privilege to be a part of their journey.
Together, school and home, students will succeed.
Your principal,
Erin Fairholm
Attendance
Student attendance is one of the leading indicators in academic success. Much of what is covered in class is not able to be replicated through and Independent Study contract. Please work to prioritize education and plan trips around the school calendar.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Carpool Safety!
Academic Calendar
LCAP SPEAKER SERIES
Special Education Workshops
School Safety
Counselor's Corner- Ms. Annie Hagglund
Happy New Year Monte Gardens families! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! It is hard to believe that 2018 is already here- wishing you a happy and healthy 2018!
In Social Superheroes news, December brought a focus on the life skills: FLEXIBILITY and CARING. We also focused on the POSITIVE SELF-TALK POWER; this is the power to communicate to yourself (either through thinking or actually talking) in a positive way. This power helps you grow and improves your self-confidence.
We celebrated our December Social Superheroes with an awards ceremony and schoolwide clap-off on the last day before winter break. Our 1st-5th grade Superheroes wore capes and masks and paraded around the school to music as everyone came out of their classrooms to clap for them. I would like to extend a big CONGRATULATIONS to all of our December Social Superheroes; their names are listed below:
Teacher
Caring
Flexibility
Amundson
Anari T.
Schwarz
Naomi J.
Naomi J.
Lane
Nikita D.
Dylan R.
Riley
Olivia S. & Sawyer P.
Gabriel G.
Welker
Madilyn C. & Enzo A.
Henry M.
Gaston
Geavanna F.
MacKenzie R.
Grisafi
Vicente T.
Mia B.
Petruzzelli
Josslyn C.
Krum P.
Walsh
Kylie E. & Sophia R.
Marica H.
Asselin
Daniela D.
Sebastien S.
Carter
Olivia R.
Jacob S.
Muller
Leyla L.
Brayden S.
Key
Joseph D.
Jonah O.
Smith
Maya C.
Carol F.
Urias
Jalen P. & Jackson J.
McKenna A. & Rebecca G.
Evans
Emiko S.
Adel K.
Araujo
Evan H.
Valeria C.
Johnston/Wright
Nathan T.
Sarah B.
Rogers
Delta M.
Andani P.
Sugden
Avery B.
Paige T.
Swenson
Abbi C.
Lukas A.
Way to go, Superheroes!! J
In January, as part of our Social Superheroes program, we are focusing on teaching and reinforcing the life skills: COURAGE and ORGANIZATION. We are also teaching our students about the POWER TO SPEAK UP; this is the power to stand up for yourself and/or others and let someone know if they are doing something that makes you uncomfortable. You can say “Please stop!” in a firm and respectful manner.
We will be doing some lunchtime lessons and games with our students in the cafeteria this month, teaching them about our January life skills and superpower, and we will be doing lessons and activities in the classrooms as well.
Should you wish to help reinforce the concepts of COURAGE and ORGANIZATION at home, here are a few suggestions for books you may want to read with your children:
COURAGE
Henry’s Freedom Box – Ellen Levine
Brave Charlotte and the Wolves – Anu Stohner
Brave Irene – William Steig
Howard B. Wiggle-Bottom Learns About Courage – Howard Binkow
If I Never Forever Endeavor – Holly Meade
Courage – Bernard Waber
The Wanderer - Sharon Creech
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
Fire from the Rock - Sharon Draper
A Girl Named Disaster - Nancy Farmer
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy - Gary Schmidt
The Boy Who Dared - Susan Bartoletti
ORGANIZATION
A Place for Everything (7 Habits of Happy Kids Series #3) – Sean Covey and Stacy Curtis
Too Many Toys – David Shannon
The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room – Stan Berenstain
Respect and Take Care of Things – Cheri J. Meiners and Meredith Johnson
Get Organized Without Losing It – Janet S. Fox and Steve Mark
For parents:
The Organized Student: Teaching Children the Skills for Success in School and Beyond – Donna Goldberg
Tips sheets with various organizational strategies will also be sent home with many of our older students; parents, please feel free to review these strategies with your children and talk with them about what works for you/them and why it’s important to develop these organizational skills.
The Great Kindness Challenge
Monte Gardens will be participating in the Great Kindness Challenge during the week of January 22nd-26th.
The Great Kindness Challenge is a national program, presented by Kids for Peace, which aims to promote a culture of kindness, acceptance, and tolerance. It is one school week devoted to performing as many kind acts as possible. Kind acts can include being kind to others, but also being kind to yourself, animals, and the environment.
During the week of January 22nd-26th we will be teaching and reinforcing the ideas behind the Great Kindness Challenge with games, activities, and skits at lunch in the cafeteria. Parents, you can help your children understand and appreciate these ideals by talking to them about what it means to be kind, and helping them come up with ways in which they can contribute and participate in this fun, rewarding initiative. In case you need some tips, take a look at the below. And feel free to try some yourself! One of the best forms of leadership is modeling- take this opportunity to show your children how great it feels to be kind J
- Leave a flower on someone’s doorstep
- Hold the door open for someone
- Smile at 25 different people
- Take a treat to your local firefighter or police officers
- Paint a picture and give it to someone
- Write a thank you note for your mail carrier
As always, parents, thank you so much for your support and participation!! Should you have any questions or wish to talk further, please feel free to contact me at (925)682-8000 x4644 or hagglunda@mdusd.org.
Upcoming Dates
January 25- ELAC 5:00pm in B-6
January 25- DBPC General Meeting 6:00 pm in MU
January 26- Friday with Fairholm in B6 8:00-9:00
January 26- K registration
January 27- Bambino's Fundraiser (check website for flier)
February 12- NO SCHOOL- Teacher In-Service
February 14- School SIte COuncil 1:15 in B6
February 15- Spelling Bee 4:00 pm in MU
February 16- DBPC General Meeting 8:30 am in MU
February 19- NO SCHOOL- President's Day
February 20-February 23- Book Fair!
March 2- End 2nd trimester
Erin Fairholm
Email: fairholme@mdusd.org
Website: http://montegardens.mdusd.org/
Location: 3841 Larkspur Dr. Concord
Phone: (925) 685-3834