MacArthur Elementary School
December 6, 2019
Notes from the Principal
Dear MacArthur Families,
Excitement is in the air for our students. This week the students had a “Kindness Assembly”, Kindergarteners made Gingerbread cookies with Mrs. Beck and our Title I team, PTO’s Secret Santa Shop, Good News Club Christmas party, Christmas Story Readers read to our K-3 students, 4th graders learned to weave a basket, and our 5th graders went to see the Nutcracker performance at Crown Point High School. Also, this week our Student Ambassadors are organizing a “Toy Drive” for the children at the St. Joseph Carmelite Home in East Chicago.
Thank you for partnering with us to help raise our MacArthur students to be loving and kind individuals.
Below are 6 great reasons why parents should read to their children by an author known as, Kelly. Knowing that reading aloud to our kids and the reality of actually making it happen every day are two separate things. Maya Angelou has a great quote, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
The Single Habit That Raises Smart, Kind Kids?
This is what happens when you read aloud to your child every day:
· Your child will hear a wider variety of words. Here’s why this is important: “The one pre-kindergarten skill that matters above all others, because it is the prime predictor of school success or failure, is the child’s vocabulary upon entering school. Yes, the child goes to school to learn new words, but the words he already knows determine how much of what the teacher says will be understood. And since most instruction for the first four years of school is oral, the child who has the largest vocabulary will understand the most, while the child with the smallest vocabulary will grasp the least.” – The Read-Aloud Handbook
· You grow your child’s brain, literally. The more you read to your child, the more the neurons in her brain will grow and connect together.
· You put her on the path to be a lifelong reader. Reading is essential for the learning process, and kids who struggle with reading tend to struggle in school. But you have the power to give your child this one key to success in school and life because: “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”– Becoming a Nation of Readers
· Your child’s behavior will improve. When you read aloud, you increase your child’s ability to pay attention and concentrate – skills that definitely help your child in school. Also, reading aloud to a child can even decrease aggressive tendencies in the child.
· You build a stronger bond with your child. Kids love when you read aloud to them because of the physical closeness and emotional bonding it offers: “We’re blown away that kids time and again said the most special time they recall spending with a parent is reading together.” This makes sense when you think about it. In our busy modern lives, how often do we stop everything we’re doing, put down our phones, and just enjoy time with our kids? A strong connection with your child leads to better cooperation from them, and that’s something pretty much every parent could use more of.
· You increase your child’s capacity for empathy. When you read fiction to your child, her brain is “literally living vicariously through the characters at a neurobiological level.” In other words, you’re exposing your child to different types of people and giving her the ability to put herself in their shoes while you read. Growing your child’s empathy muscle will teach her to be a friend who empathizes, a partner who can see her partner’s side in a disagreement, and a compassionate person who helps others in need.
The moral of my little research project? The one single habit of reading aloud to your child kicks off a chain reaction of all these positive outcomes, and more. If you’re looking for the secret to raising smart kids, reading aloud is it.
Have a Great Weekend.
Marian Buchko
Contact Information:
Phone: 219-662-3600 ext. 16001
Email: mlbuchko@cps.k12.in.us
Don't forget to send in your Strack and Van Til receipts for the Apples for Students Program!
Important Dates
December 6: Parents Night Out 6-9pm "CANCELED"
December 10: Student of the Month 8:00am in Cafe
December 12: Group Picture Day
December 12: Birth to School Caregiver Cafe 9:30am
December 12: Birth to School Baby Music & Movement 2:00pm
December 16: Birth to School Early Literacy 5:30 in Library
December 18: 4th Grade Music Program 6:00pm in Gym
December 19: Birth to School Baby Mustangs 9:30am
December 19: Birth to School Mini Mustangs 2:00pm
December 23-January 3: Winter Holiday Break
Our Weekly Attendance Rate This Week
Kindergarten 92%
1st Grade: 98%
2nd Grade: 97%
3rd Grade: 91%
4th Grade: 94%
5th Grade: 96%
All Grade Levels: 95%
We need at least 97% for the year to become a 4 Star School!!
Please limit voluntary absences!
Hexbug Sale to Benefit MacRobotics Team
Starting Monday December 9th through Friday December 13th the MacRobotics team will be selling Hexbug robots in the lobby from 8:15-8:55. These robots swim underwater and would make a great gift for friends and family members for only $10. All proceeds will go towards competition registrations and ordering new robot parts for our team. Thank you for supporting MacRobotics.
Ned's KINDNESS Adventure
Our school gets the assembly for free because we're hosting a Kindness Sale.
With each purchase, you help keep kindness going in three ways:
- Gives your child a kindness reminder
- sends the Kindness Adventure to other schools for free
- Provides income for artisans in Kenya
- Each school that hosts the assembly and the Kindness Sale is helping provide clean water for kids in Kenya. Learn more about this year's well project at Kindness Adventure.com/giving.html
News from Our School Counselor
The Zones of Regulation is a great program used to increase self-awareness in our students and children. Sometimes, when emotions run high, we see our students struggle with identifying how they are feeling OR knowing how to communicate these feelings to others. The Zones of Regulation is a great tool used to create a common language of emotional self-understanding and self-regulation. We model emotional regulation and awareness to our students and children by saying, “This morning I was in the Blue Zone because I was feeling___but now I am in the Green Zone because I am feeling ____.” Feel free to check out the chart, and together let’s create the common language of emotional regulation at school and home!
Alicia Bellamy M.S. Ed, LPSC
School Counselor
Holiday Concert Series
CPHS Music Department presents…
Band- December 10 at 7:00 PM
Orchestra- December 15 at 2:00 PM
Orchestra – December 15 at 4:00 PM
Choir- December 19th at 6:30 PM
Beginning/Intermediate Bass, Intermediate Treble, Show Choir (Keepin’ T.A.B.S), and Advanced Treble
Choir- December 19th at 8:00 PM
Beginning Treble, Bella Voce, QYP, CPHS Chorale
Band Concert – On Sale – Monday, Nov. 26
Orchestra Concerts – On Sale – Monday, Nov. 26
Choir Concerts – On Sale – Monday, Dec. 2
Kindergarten Letter Shirts
We are very excited to announce that the following students have earned their Letter Shirts. Students must be able to recognize both upper and lower case letters in random order.
Mrs. Hummel:
PTO News
Up Coming Events:
January 10: MacArthur Back from Break FUNraising Night @ Jakk's Warehouse
February 22: Dinner/Silent Auction Playground Fundraiser @ the Lighthouse
Cafeteria Information
Cafeteria Manager: Michelle Milner
Contact Information: mmilner@cps.k12.in.us or 662-3600 ext. 16603
Meal Prices for 2019-2020
Breakfast $1.50
Reduced Breakfast $.30
Elementary Lunch $2.35
Reduced Lunch $.40
Milk $.40
Adult Lunch $3.40
December fruit of the month is Tangerine
Tangerines are a hybrid of Mandarin oranges. They originated in Tangier, Morocco. Tangerines are smaller and more rounded than common oranges. The most common way tangerines are eaten is peeled and out hand, however, they are also used in desserts, salads and main dishes. Tangerines not only look and smell good but they are healthy for you. They help fight against aging, help with digestion, regulate blood pressure, protects the heart and helps reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Two common varieties you may have heard about are Cuties and Halo brands of tangerines. We will be sampling tangerines in the lunch room on Friday December 13th.
Crisp Apples with Citrus Dressing
1 apple, cored and cut into chunks
2 tangerines, juiced-divided
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white sugar, or more to taste
1 pinch salt
Toss apple chunks into a bowl with 2 teaspoons tangerine juice. Whisk remaining tangerine juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, and salt in a bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour over apples and toss.
CP Birth to School
Upcoming MacArthur Birth to School events in December:
-Thurs. 12/12/19 Caregiver Café @ 9:30am
-Thurs. 12/12/19 Baby Music @ 2:00pm
-Tues. 12/17/19 Early Literacy Workshop, session 2 of 4; 5:00-6:00pm at the Learning Center
To register for this event, please submit this form: https://forms.gle/Fjpf9SiiFuPGCkLD7
-Thurs. 12/19/19 Baby Mustangs @ 9:30am
-Thurs 12/19/19 Mini Mustangs @ 2:00pm
Every time you plan on attending a Birth to School event, please contact MacArthur Birth to School Liaison, Jennie Duffy, at jduffy@cps.k12.in.us so we may best prepare for your arrival, unless otherwise specified.
If you have any questions, would like further information, or are interested in enrolling in the Birth to School program, please contact Birth to School Coordinator, Jamie Kalk, at jkalk@cps.k12.in.us.
When is my child too sick to go to School?
Attendance
School Start & End Times
Doors Open 8:15
Breakfast 8:15-8:45
Student Full Day 9:05-3:44
Student Half Day 9:05-12:14
Boys and Girls Club Calendar
Craft & Vendor Fair
Town of Cedar Lake Open Gym Night
Douglas MacArthur Elementary School
Website: https://www.cps.k12.in.us/Page/3689
Location: 12900 Fairbanks Street, Cedar Lake, IN, USA
Phone: 219-662-3600