January Family Newsletter
Newsletter 5: January 2024
No School January 15, 2024
No School February 23, 2024
4K Registration
PTO Family Movie Night
Movie night is Thursday, February 22nd in the Parkside gym! Current Parkside students (and siblings) are invited to attend. All students must be with a parent/guardian or adult chaperone (age 18 or older).
The movie will be Leo. It is rated PG. Doors will open at 5:45pm. The movie will begin at 6pm. Families should enter Door 10 (3rd grade doors).
Students are encouraged to wear pajamas or Parkside shirts! Please bring a blanket or camping chairs to sit on during the movie and a water bottle to fill up. The PTO will provide free popcorn. To be sensitive to allergies and wanting to keep the gym floor clean no additional food/drink carry-ins will be allowed (candy, soda, sports drinks etc).
Inclement Weather Days
- The first and second inclement weather days will not be made up (no work for students to complete).
- The third and subsequent days will be asynchronous learning days and students will be responsible for at-home learning.
The at-home learning will be a digital choice board as well as a paper snow packet. Paper snow packets will be sent home at a later date. Chromebooks will not be sent home as a part of the plan. If you do not have a device/internet at home, just completing some or all of the paper packet is fine.
The asynchronous learning plan includes students spending time (parent/guardians should determine an appropriate length of time based on child’s age and developmental level) completing some or all of the packet and/or selecting a couple of items from the choice board to complete during the day while at home/daycare. On the day of inclement weather a Skyward Message and a Dojo Post will be made with information regarding the digital links and reminding students to complete their snow packet.
Please note that these tasks only need to be completed if the district makes the call for an inclement weather day. After the inclement weather day, students should turn in all completed work to the teacher.
PTO Family Fun Night
We are excited for our Annual Parkside Family Fun Night that will be held on Thursday, May 23rd from 4:30- 6:30pm! If you’ve never attended a family fun night you can look forward to a fun night of food, games and raffles! This event takes a lot of support from volunteers to make it successful.
We are currently looking for donations for our raffle! Our raffle themes include; Money Tree, Local Restaurant Gift Cards, Chain Restaurant Gift Cards, Local Shopping Gift Cards, Local Gear/Products (Monroe apparel, Cheese), Fun For Kids (technology items, games, toys, experience passes/tickets). Our baskets are built solely from family/staff and community donations! If your family or business would be willing to donate an item for one of the above themes (or you have another idea to offer), purchase a gift card, or give a gift of cash to support purchases for the above themes we would really appreciate it. Donations can be brought to the school office starting now through mid-March!
If you are interested in being a part of the planning for this event watch for updates from the PTO on Dojo or email the PTO at parksideelementarypto@gmail.com. A committee planning meeting will be scheduled for February.
LifeTouch Order Links
Parkside Caring Closet
If your Parkside student or family are in need of non-perishable food items, school supplies, winter gear, children's clothing, toiletry items please feel free to contact the school office or school counselor to access the Caring Closet. The Caring Closet is available to students or families during school hours or at school events. Items available change frequently based on donations.
Parkside Donation Wish List
New/unused school supplies- most needed include headphones, expo markers, washable markers.
- New/unused winter gear- gloves, hats
- New/unused personal items for accidents- underwear, socks
- Recess Toys- chalk, bubbles, sand toys, trucks/cars, large plastic animals for imaginative sandbox play, frisbees, balls, snow molds, child size snow shovels
- New/unused items for the Parkside Caring Closet- non-perishable food and personal care and household items (tooth brush, tooth paste, shampoo, paper towel, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc).
- Monetary donations- funds donated directly to PTO support support student field trips, school celebrations and classroom needs
Watch for specific needs and sign ups throughout the year in our newsletters!
Contact the school office or the PTO if you have interest in supporting our school through donations.
PTO Bowl-A-Thon Winners!
Congratulations to our Bowl-A-Thon prize winners!
3rd Grade was the top earning grade and received a popcorn and movie party!
The top 3 Fundraisers enjoyed lunch with Mrs. Trame!
The grand prize winner (every $20 raised received an entry into the grand prize drawing) enjoyed a $100 shopping spree on the square with Mrs. Trame!
Parkside School Store
What is the school store?
The school store is a small store that teachers and students set up at Parkside.
When is the school store open?
During lunch recess (11:00-12:30) on the following dates:
Friday, January 19, 2024
Friday, February 16, 2024
Friday, March 15, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
How much will school store items cost?
Items will vary from 25 cents to $3. All items will be in $0.25 increments.
-Mrs. Meier
Title I Math
Mindful Moment
As we move through the month of January and we start to set intentions for the New Year it is a good time to start working on a growth mindset. There are activities that as parents/guardians we can do to help our children with a growth mindset and turning negative thoughts into positive thoughts. As we do this, it starts to become natural for both our children and ourselves. Here are a few things you can do at home.
1. Practice kind thoughts by prompting your child to think of 5 people they’d like to send kind wishes to. Have them breathe in and say I send kindness to ..... and as they breathe out say the name.
2. When your child uses a negative or limiting statement, show them how to place a positive spin on the phrase by altering the language.
3. Do research together about famous people who failed but then overcame adversity and were successful.
4. Catch them being persistent.
5. Attach your praise to something specific. Rather than 'You're really smart,' try 'It was really clever the way you experimented with a few different ways to solve that problem. Nice work!'
6. Speak of failure and challenge in terms of them being an opportunity to learn and grow.
7. When they say 'I don't know how to do it,' encourage them to replace this with, 'I don't know how to do it yet.'
Have a wonderful January!
-Mrs. Houston
Parkside Recess/ Snow Rules
SNOW RECESS INFORMATION
Students will have 2 recesses per day (lunch and morning/afternoon).
Students must be dressed appropriately.
All students will be expected to go outside unless we have a doctor’s signed excuse stating that they should not go outside.
TEMPERATURE GUIDELINES
The wind-chill factor has to be 1 degree or above for outside recess.
If the wind-chill factor is below 0 degrees, recess will be indoors.
Additional recess and snow rules are attached below.
Snow Gear Expectations
Snow pants, snow boots, and gloves must be worn to play in the snow. Students without boots are limited to the dry areas of the blacktop/near the side of the building when all areas are covered in snow.
Please remember to label coats, hats, gloves, ect.
Please see attached poster for more information.
Recess is outside unless it is raining or there is a negative "feels like" temperature.
(Please label sweatshirts, coat, gloves, hat, etc.)
SELF Class
Happy New Year!
Before break in SELF we were learning about how to manage our emotions. Students have learned the importance of recognizing the clues our bodies give us when we are experiencing a strong feeling as well as clues to identify how others are feeling.
We have been practicing different ways to calm down to stay in control and make good choices.
Some ways we’ve been discussing to calm down are:
Belly breathing
Draw or color a picture
Take a walk
Read a book
Talk to someone about it
Get some fresh air
Snuggle a pet or stuffed animal
Do something you enjoy
Practicing these steps in a calm state will help them become more natural when we begin to experience strong feelings and need to utilize the steps.
Our next unit is Empathy and Kindness. Students will be learning about what empathy is–feeling or understanding how someone else is feeling, as well as how showing kindness can increase the happiness in ourselves and others.
~Mrs. Covert
Parkside Counselor
Extra Clothes in Backpack
Parents/ Guardians:
Please put an extra set of clothes in your child's backpack in case of accidents or spills. The nurse's office only has extra underwear, if needed.
~Mrs. Wilson
Parkside Nurse
Buddy Classrooms Scavenger Hunt
The week of December 18th, Buddy Classrooms met with a school-wide winter themed scavenger hunt!
Math
In elementary mathematics, there's a shift towards focusing on conceptual learning and number sense in math. This approach encourages students to understand the fundamental principles behind mathematical concepts, moving beyond rote algorithms and exploring the "why" behind each operation. Ultimately, this prioritization of understanding over memorization aims to shape a generation of young minds.
Here are different types of questions you can ask to support the development of number sense:
1. **Counting Questions:**
- "Can you count the number of chairs in the room?"
- "How many fingers do you have?"
- "Count by twos up to 10."
2. **Comparing Questions:**
- "Which is more, the number of apples or the number of bananas?"
- "Is 15 greater or less than 20?"
- "Compare the number of red and blue blocks. Are there more red or blue?"
3. **Ordering and Sequencing Questions:**
- "Arrange these numbers from smallest to largest: 6, 9, 4, 7."
- "What number comes after 25 in the counting sequence?"
- "If we count backward from 10, what numbers do we say?"
4. **Place Value Questions:**
- "What is the value of the digit 7 in the number 78?"
- "Can you show me the number 432 using base-10 blocks?"
- "Write the number 63 in expanded form."
5. **Addition and Subtraction Questions:**
- "If you have 5 toys and I give you 3 more, how many toys do you have now?"
- "What is the difference between 12 and 8?"
- "If you have 4 apples and eat 2, how many apples do you have left?"
6. **Estimation Questions:**
- "About how many jellybeans are in the jar?"
- "Estimate the sum of 28 and 14."
- "If we're counting by tens, what might be a good estimate for the number of fingers in the class?"
7. **Pattern Recognition Questions:**
- "What comes next in the pattern: 2, 4, 6, __?"
- "Can you find a pattern in the numbers on the clock as the hours pass?"
- "If we're counting by 3s (3, 6, 9, ...), what is the next number?"
8. **Fraction Questions:**
- "If you have a pizza and you eat half of it, how much is left?"
- "Can you show me one-fourth of the candies?"
- "Compare the sizes of these two pieces of paper. Which one is divided into more parts?"
9. **Real-World Application Questions:**
- "If you have $10 and you buy something for $4, how much money do you have left?"
- "How many legs do five cats have?"
- "If we have 3 boxes, and each box contains 8 pencils, how many pencils do we have in total?"
These questions encourage your child to engage with numbers in various contexts, fostering a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and building a strong foundation in number sense.
Taurie Meier
Math Teacher
PTO Book Swap
Thank you for all the wonderful book donations and volunteers that made our book swap a success!
PBIS Celebration- Pajamas, Popcorn & Movie Day!
Students earned a total of 4,000 Rocket Fuels! On December 22, students enjoyed a day in their pajamas with a special popcorn treat and a movie!
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
Parkside Music Concert Dates
Monday, March 4 - Parkside Kindergarten & 1st Grade 6:30pm @ MHS PAC
Thursday, March 21 - 5th Grade Combined Elementary Chorus Concert 7pm @ MHS PAC
Monday, May 20 - Parkside 4th & 5th Grade 7pm @ MHS PAC
Sick Day Guidelines
2023-2024 District Academic Calendar
Calendar of Upcoming Events
*all events are subject to change at any time
January 3: PTO Meeting 6-7pm Parkside LMC
January 5: 5th Grade Safety Patrol Field Trip
January 8: 4K Registration Opens
January 10: 3rd Grade field trip & District Spelling Bee
January 12: End of Semester 1
January 15: No School
January 19: School Store (during school)
February 1: Semester 1 Report Cards go home, K-Kids Meet 3:15-3:45
February 7: PTO Meeting 6-7pm Parkside LMC
February 9: 4th & 5th Health Talks
February 15: K-5 Field Trip for MAC show AM
February 16: School Store (during school)
February 21-26: Monroe Papa Murphy's PTO Fundraiser
February 22: PTO family movie night 6:00pm
February 23: No School
March 4: Parkside Kindergarten/ 1st Grade Concert @ MHS PAC 6:30
March 6: PTO Meeting 6-7pm Parkside LMC
March 14: Spring Conferences (by invite only)
March 15: School Store (during school) & 4K Registration Closes
March 21: Combined Elementary Chorus Concert 5th Grade @ MHS PAC 7pm
March 25-29: Spring Break No School
April 3: PTO Meeting 6-7pm Parkside LMC
April 8-12: PTO spring book fair Parkside LMC (times TBD)
April 11: Parkside Open House 4:30-6:30
April 19: Last School Store (during school)
April 25: 1st Grade Field Trip
May 1: PTO Meeting 6-7pm Parkside LMC
May 14: 3rd Grade Field Trip
May 17: No school current Kindergarteners (incoming K Round up day)
May 20: Parkside 4th/5th Grade Concert @ MHS PAC 7pm
May 22: Kindergarten Field Trip
May 22-26: Monroe Papa Murphy's PTO Fundraiser
May 23: PTO Family Fun Night 4:30-6:30
May 27: No School
May 29: 5th Grade Field Trip
May 31: Last Day of School (half day, no lunch) & 5th Grade Safety Patrol Field Trip