Jackson Jottings
FEBRUARY
FEBRUARY AT A GLANCE
FEBRUARY
1 Second Semester/3rd Quarter begins
8 First Day for IHD In Person Learning Grades 3-5
11 Valentine's Day Celebrations
12 No School Students
15 No School Students/Staff - President's Day
16 PTO Meeting (parents at 6:30/Cafeteria or Virtual)
18 Parent/Teacher Conferences
22 Parent/Teacher Conferences
24 Parent/Teacher Conferences
Free Dental Care for Children in Need:
Returning to School: Technology
As we return to face-to-face learning, it is important that you return all of your students materials to school including books, manipulatives, games, and technology
Students need to bring back:
- an iPad
- charging block
- charging cord back
Technology: Remove Restrictions
If you placed any restrictions on your child's iPad as a way to help you manage at-home learning, please REMOVE all restrictions so that the children to do run into difficulties in their classes with teachers.
A Note from our Volunteer Coordinator...
Volunteers,
As we transition the children back to school full-time, there will be opportunities for you to work on projects from your home to aid the teachers at Jackson. Look for an email to come out soon with details on how to help our school.
Following state safety guidelines, we will not be able to allow volunteers into the building this school year.
Questions on how to help? Email Lauren at LSinger@Shakopee.k12.mn.us
-Lauren
Lauren Singer
Jackson Volunteer Site Coordinator
952-496-5802
NURSE NOTES
Nurse Notes by Nurse Andrea:
February is a hard month in school. There are no long breaks and the winter is starting to feel really long. Here are a few ways to help your students stay focused in class and at home during these long winter weeks:
1. Make sure you are hydrated and rested.
One of the best ways to help your student stay on task in class and at home is making sure you get enough sleep. Also, making sure you drink enough water, so you stay hydrated. Keeping a water bottle at school so your student can have a drink when they feel thirsty helps towards staying sufficiently hydrated.
2. Get involved in discussion.
Instead of sitting passively while other people are talking, making sure your student participates in the class discussion. This is a good way to keep concentrating, as your student will need to think about the topic at hand and what other people are saying. Speaking up once or twice during a discussion is plenty.
3. Learn how to refocus.
You won’t always be able to completely remove distractions—so teach your child how to deal with them, instead. Help your child brainstorm ways to refocus on the task at hand when he or she becomes distracted. When your child is having trouble focusing, encourage him or her to get up and take a short break from what he or she is working on. For classroom distractions where getting up might not be an option, something as simple as your child closing his or her eyes and taking a few deep breaths can help refocus the mind.
4. Break things down.
Breaking down large assignments into smaller tasks can help improve focus by making things more manageable to tackle. Trying to take on too much at once is a recipe for boredom and distraction. By breaking things down, your child has a clear idea of what needs to be done and a sense of accomplishment once it’s completed. That accomplishment can be a big motivation-booster!
5. Make a dedicated work space.
A disorganized space can be a major cause of distraction for your child. Make sure your child has a dedicated study space such as a desk or table to work on. This space should be clear of clutter and only include items that he or she needs for that study session (like his/her textbook, notebook, study tools, and note-taking supplies).
6. Find something your child is excited about.
Lack of focus can come from a lack of engagement with the material. The solution: connect learning to something your child is interested in. For example, if your child is working on a book report but has trouble sitting down to read, try choosing a book on a topic he or she is interested in or wants to learn more about.
7. Keep an organized school workspace.
Just like at home, your child’s school workspace should be organized and provide the study tools he or she needs. This includes desks, lockers, and even backpacks. Encourage your child to clean out his or her school workspaces often, properly organizing stray notes into their proper binder and throwing away old, unneeded items (like that half-eaten lunch from two weeks ago).
Hopefully these tips can help your child stay focused at home and at school during the long weeks of winter. Below are a few more resources for students staying focused:
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/helping-kids-focus/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cahoB7rEyjc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A0S54yAgEg
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to us!
Andrea Richards
School Nurse at Jackson
952-496-5804
Candace Rotert
Licensed School Nurse for Jackson and Sun Path
Art Lines from Mr. Olson
Greetings from the Art Department!
I am so excited to have the students back in the art room! The art room will look a bit different because I want all students to have a safe learning environment. Each student will have their own supply bin and I have moved the tables to ensure social distancing between groups. I am also using seating charts that mimic the seating chart in the students home classroom. Students will wash their hands/sanitize before art class and after art class as well.
Here are a couple of announcements:
· 4th/5th Graders- If your clay project is at home, please remember to bring it to school when you return.
· Remember your ART SHIRT
See you soon!
Sincerely,
Mr. Olson
Jackson Art Specialist
Music Department "Notes" from Mrs. Flatness and Mr. Taylor
Music Department “Notes”
February 2021
Students in music class will be building on the skills they learned during 1st semester while adding new music skills based on the National music standards.
2nd semester I CAN statements (kid-friendly statements based upon the National music standards)
Kindergarten
I CAN show a steady beat.
I CAN perform rhythm patterns.
I CAN sing high and low pitches, called so and mi.
I CAN show opposites in music.
1st grade
I CAN perform rhythm patterns.
I CAN sing high and low pitches, la, so and mi and create patterns.
I CAN identify instruments in the orchestra.
2nd grade
I CAN perform rhythm patterns that include half notes.
I CAN echo pitches, Do, Re and Mi.
I CAN create and perform music using pitches, So-La-Mi.
3rd grade
I CAN perform and improvise using new rhythms called sixteenth notes.
I CAN sing and perform the pentatonic scale.
I CAN perform an ostinato.
I CAN identify instruments in the orchestra.
4th grade
I CAN count rhythm patterns using traditional counting.
I CAN name notes on the music staff.
I CAN perform a 3 pitch song on my recorder.
I CAN create a song on my recorder.
5th grade
I CAN name and identify the Elements of Music words.
I CAN use the Element words to describe music.
I CAN perform music from other parts of the world in a variety of ways. (singing, movement, instruments)
Grades in music class:
There are no “E” grades given in music class.
A “3” means= Student has mastered the standard
A “2” means= Student is progressing towards the standard
A “1” means= Student did not demonstrate progress towards the standard
“Sing”cerely,
Mrs. Flatness and Mr. Taylor
Mr. Taylor, ctaylor@shakopee.k12.mn.us
Mrs. Flatness, sflatnes@shakopee.k12.mn.us
A Band "Note" from Mrs. Peoples
Hello Grade 5 Band Families!
We are excited to be learning at school! Band students need to bring their instrument, band book, and a pencil to school on those days. *Set a reminder the day before or the morning before your band lesson days so you remember to bring these 3 things to school.* It could be a month between lessons if they forget. Here’s a link to the schedule: https://www.shakopee.k12.mn.us/Page/10221 Students need to watch the clock carefully during the school day and dismiss themselves silently from class 5-7 minutes before their band lesson time. They then go to the band room, assemble their instrument and log in using the usual band code at their band lesson time. Be sure to find out what you missed in your regular classroom and make it up by the due date.
If you DO forget your instrument or book, you should STILL go to the band room and log on. Although it won’t be the best lesson, there are still things we can learn without the instrument.
SmartMusic is now in full force! Please encourage your child to use it daily when practicing assignments that were given during Google Meet lessons. From time to time students will also be required to submit recordings through SmartMusic (like the one that was due on Jan. 30). If you haven’t viewed the tutorial link yet, here it is: https://tinyurl.com/y6h83wyy
Thanks for all your support, families!
Please reach out if you have any questions or need anything regarding band!
Thank you for having your child in 5th Grade Band!
Stephanie Peoples
Physical Education Fun with Mr. Casey and Mrs. Tanberg
Physical Education
Jackson Jottings
February 2021
We are currently in an exciting unit of basketball. Students at Jackson Elementary School
learned various basketball skills such as: passing, shooting and dribbling the ball. We will
also learn how to play recreational games such as: Lightning, Make it or Take it, Around
the World, and H.O.R.S.E. Have your child take you outside and teach you one of these
fun games. Anybody can do it.
Our next unit is Floor Hockey. This is probably the most popular unit at Jackson
Elementary. Students will learn: passing, shooting, stick handling and rules of the game.
Students will then be divided up into teams and play tournament games of hockey. It is a
fun and exciting unit. The best is that they have lots of fun and everybody gets great
exercise. They will sleep well at night on the day they come to gym and play hockey.
Last but not least, our cup-stacking unit will also take place in February. This sport is
becoming increasingly more popular in physical education since it increases eye hand
coordination, right and left-brain activation, as well as bilateral coordination. Try racing your
child one time and you will see just how fast they are! If you have any questions, feel free to
call.
Jeff Casey & Susan Tanberg
Physical Education Teachers
Jackson Elementary
Mr. Jeff Casy (jcasey@shakopee.k2.mn.us)
Mrs. Susan Tanberg (stanberg@shakopee.k12.mn.us)
If anyone has some old tennis shoes that they would like to donate to the Physical Education Department it be greatly appreciated. We have students who do not have tennis shoes to wear for physical education and we would like to give them a pair. Please make sure the tennis shoes are clean and free of rips and tears.
Greetings from the Learning Commons!
February is “I LOVE TO READ” month!
Join us in celebrating “I love to read” for the month of February and teach children the value of reading. Our staff makes every effort to surround our students with a rich variety of literature and literacy experiences to help foster the belief that reading is worthwhile. I encourage families to plan reading activities together each day with your children to promote reading for enjoyment as well as reading for information. Here are some easy guidelines to follow:
· Set aside times each and every day to read to your child OR to have your child read to you.
· Explore and enjoy a wide variety of stories and genres.
· Pick topics that are high interest to your child.
· Keep a wide variety of literature around your house.
· Make sure you child has his/her own library card and set a special date each month to visit your local library and check out some new great books!
· Set an example! Let your children see you reading at home.
If you haven’t been making reading a priority in your family, make a commitment this month to show your children the value of reading.
Media Classes
We continue to focus on digital citizenship – how to be safe, respectful, and responsible when we are online. These themes will continue throughout the school year.
Now that we are back to in-person learning, students will be returning to the library to check out books. If you have any school library books at home, please make sure they are returned to school when your child has finished reading them.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions you have!
By: Betsi Arvin
PTO NEWS
Most of our students, teachers, and staff will be back together this month, how exciting! We are thinking of everyone and hoping everyone stays safe and healthy. Although some “normal” is coming back, our events are still on hold.
We do have a parent meeting on 2/16/2021 at 6:30 PM. It will be held virtually at https://meet.google.com/hdm-vjsp-xwj We hope you can join us. We will have a board member from SEEF giving information about their program and we will be reviewing teacher grants. We had some technical difficulties with our last meetings. We are hoping this meeting will go better. We will have a board member monitoring our FB page, Jackson Parents, so if you are having issues getting into the meeting let us know there and we will try to address the issues.
We will also be providing meals to our wonderful teachers and staff for conferences and we are wrapping up our Blizzard of Wishes campaign to provide supplies that our teachers have been wishing for. If you have wanted to participate and haven’t had a chance this is the link https://m.signupgenius.com/?fbclid=IwAR0KeC5kbt1yvRdCjEqQWMYQpR75Z_e90GbTuW7RlMG4qNfIwnZji14Lj3U#!/showSignUp/60b0945afae2fa4fd0-blizzard
Lastly we will be partnering with Marcos Pizza for a fundraiser again, however, we will not be able to do the usual, fun box night fundraiser we have done in the past due to COVID. Marcos has graciously agreed to give us 20% of proceeds on the evenings of 2/23, 2/24, and 2/25 if Jackson Elementary is mentioned when order is placed. A flier will be sent out closer to those dates with more details.
Thank you for your continued support to our students, teachers, staff, and your PTO thru this wild year! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at jacksonPTO28@gmail.com. We are also hoping to connect with individuals that may be interested in finding out more information about the PTO and to become more involved with our wonderful school while meeting more Jackson parents. If this might be you, please contact me at the above listed email address.
Happy and healthy wishes to you all!
Kjersta Hoffman
Jackson Elementary PTO president
Have a safe, healthy, as wonderful as you can make it holiday season!!!
As always, thank you for supporting our Jackson Community!
Kjersta Hoffman
PTO President