Gashland News
November 2019
Happy Fall
Schools aren’t just about teaching kids to read and write and be problem solvers; they are also about supporting parents in building the “whole person” in every student. Our mission statement emphasizes the development of “meaningful partnerships … with the community” and we believe community service is one avenue in which to make this occur. This also happens to be a part of our guidance curriculum. We believe our children, even as young as they are, understand the concept of giving to help others.
Our first community service project is one we do all year long – collecting pop tabs to give to the Tons of Tabs program that supports the Ronald McDonald House Charities organization in Kansas City. Our goal is to collect 100 pounds of tabs. Please help us meet this goal by collecting tabs in your homes and at organizations you’re involved with or where you work. If everyone brings one baggy full, we’ll easily meet our goal.
Our second community service project begins this month on Monday, November 5 – our Muffin Mix Drive. Students are encouraged to bring in any kind of muffin/cake mixes they wish. Their class will graph the results of their collection (tying this experience to our math curriculum). At the end of 2 weeks, the mixes will be boxed and donated to the Northland Christmas Store. While this is a great way to reinforce math skills, we are also teaching children that they can give something, even a box of muffin mix, to help others who may be in need during the holiday season.
Our third community service project was just completed the end of October – our United Way Drive. Our entire school district collects donations each year to give to United Way. Our building gave over $1,440 last year, which was amazing for a building of only 268 students! This year we hope to do the same. Will share out our final results once all funds are tallied.
We hope you will join in and support all of our community service projects by sending in any kind of muffin mixes during the collection weeks of November 5-16 AND pop tabs you’ve collected thus far this year. Together we can help teach our young learners what it means when we say, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Wishing you and your family a blessed and happy Thanksgiving ~ Mrs. Lakin
Cognitive Abilities Testing
A gentle reminder to all 1st grade families that we will be testing all first graders November 4-7th. The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is an assessment of achievement that measures what has been learned and potential learning. The test is administered in a group. There are three test sessions for each battery which take approximately 45- 60 minutes to complete. We will only complete ONE SESSION each day so to not overwhelm our young learners. The results from the assessment will be shared with parents as soon as they are received. If you have any questions about this, please contact the office.
Thank you!
Attendance Policy
Why is school so important?
When your child is absent or late to school it will impact their success
- They get a late start on their school day
- They get behind on classroom work
- They miss important leaning opportunities, such as targeted academic interventions
- They miss the opportunity to ask their teacher questions and receive valuable teacher directed instruction
- Absences can affect their ability to develop strong peer relationships and important social skills.
School Board Policy
Once enrolled, the North Kansas City School Board of Education expects:
- Students to attend school regularly
- Parents/Guardians or other adults having charge, control or custody of the student to communicate regularly and honestly with the district regarding the student's absences.
- Every student to have 95% attendance or better
- State law requires district staff to report all instances of educational neglect to Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect hotline.
- If a student falls below the district expectation of attendance, reported reasons and received documentation are taken into consideration in the non-attendance process.
Kindergarten News
October is fire safety month and we discussed fire safety in the classroom The students’ “homework” after discussing fire safety was to talk with his or her family about their safe place to meet outside if a fire were to occur. We have also now had three fire drills at school practicing how to safely exit the building.
Of course, there's always plenty to do in the classroom, too. We have begun second quarter. Besides learning letters and sounds, we have begun to learn high- frequency words, or sight words. These are words that we need to know because we see them very often in books. As you are reading with your child, ask him/her to point out these words when possible. You could challenge your student to write sentences with these words, too. Pictures can be used for words other than the high-frequency words or your child can try to say the word very slowly and write the letters he/she hears.
Remember to work on any areas that your child needs extra practice in that you discussed with your child's teacher at parent-teacher conferences. You are so important to your child's success in school. You know your child better than anyone else and can work with him/her one-on-one. If you need further suggestions in working with your child, please contact your child's teacher.
Remember to read with your child daily. In modeling reading, you are helping your child become a reader, as well as imparting motivation that encourages your child to want to read. Also remember to write down the titles of books read for your child to bring to school. For every 10 books read your child receives a prize and, when he/she reaches 100, he/she receives a medal and is in the 100 Book Club!
-Mrs. Agbaji, Mrs. Bryant, Mrs. Kingery, Mrs. Lansangan and Mrs. Settles
First Grade News
Thanks for taking time to meet with your child’s teacher at the beginning of October. We very much enjoy sitting down with families to share the growth we see in our learners!
Please continue reading with your child each night from their Book Bag. This is such a powerful and critical habit to begin with your little student. It builds both fluency and the love reading. The time and effort that you as families will give in the evenings to help make your child a better reader, is the critical piece to making our “Bee A Reader” program such a huge success! Please know that all you do at home is much appreciated by your child’s teacher, and more importantly, by the most important person, your child.
What Will We Learn?
Readers Workshop: Children will spend time each day selecting and reading from their “just right books”. Children will make meaning when reading books that tell stories and books that give information. We will discuss ways these two types of books are different and important strategies to read both of these styles of writing. Students will learn to ask and answer questions while listening to reading and reading independently. We will also continue to work hard on our decoding strategies and sight words.
Writers Workshop: Children will write All About books on topics of their choice. We will examine ways authors give information and try it out in our own writing. They will use words, illustrations and details. Students will learn to plan their writing and ways to stretch their story across the pages. Students will also focus on the mechanics and conventions of writing by using an uppercase letter at the beginning of a sentence and closing with a punctuation mark.
Math Workshop: Students are becoming familiar with numbers and operations in our base ten system (aka: place value). Students are learning many important strategies for adding numbers: counting on, using landmark numbers, making tens, numbers lines and doubles are some of our favorites. Between our Everyday Math activities and games and our Number Talks, students will become very comfortable adding numbers to 20.
Social Studies: The children have learned what it means to be a responsible citizen, the necessity for rules at school and at home, and the need for peaceful solutions of disputes in a school setting.
Science: Students will be planning and investigating sound waves. We will discover sound can make matter vibrate and vibrating matter can make sound.
-Mrs. Kimball, Mrs. Minter, Mrs. Robke, Ms. Roddy & Ms. Vaughn
Pre-K News
It has been a busy month in preschool! We have welcomed new students in both our AM and PM classes, and we are happy to report we are full in our AM class with 20 students and our PM class is up to 19 students. Our preschoolers continue to grow and learn every day! We finished up our Homes unit and have been diving into our Fall, Trees, and Leaves Unit of Study. We have been learning about the changes we see around us in the fall, using our senses to observe leaves, pumpkins, and apples, and will end our unit in November by learning about where some of our food comes from. We have some fun activities planned with The Little Red Hen as we continue our unit in November. We are continuing to practice writing our names and working on learning concepts of print as we read nursery rhymes during our word work time. The students have gotten so attentive to the types of books we are reading and know that informational texts will teach us new information while fiction books are make-believe and are read for enjoyment. We ended the month with a fun fall party. We are excited to keep learning and growing in November!
-Mrs. Tapp & Mrs. Hensley
Nurse's News
As we enter into flu season, I would like to review the symptoms of flu that include:
- Fever
- Body Aches
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Sore Throat
- Headache
- Stuffy or runny nose
The policy of the North Kansas City School District is that any child with a temperature of 100.4 or above needs to remain home until they are fever free for a full 24 hours without the help of medication. So if you suspect your child has the flu, please keep them home and let them rest and make sure they get adequate fluids.
In effort to avoid the flu, remember these important steps to keep ourselves as healthy as possible. Please encourage your children to always wash their hands and cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing, using their elbows (not hands). Remember to get adequate rest, drink lots of fluids, and try to eat a healthy, balanced diet. These steps will help keep their immune systems running strong. Many of your children have gotten flu vaccinations and that is terrific! If you haven’t, please consider getting this vaccination. Stay healthy!
Just a friendly reminder, if your student borrowed clothes from the nurse, please wash and return the clothes as soon as possible. We have a limited supply of pants for both boys and girls. Also please consider packing extra clothes in your student’s backpack for potential lunchroom spills and playground or bathroom accidents.
Wishing all of you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving!!
Nurse Theresa
Thanks,
Theresa Keaveney, RN
Counselor's Corner
Recently, our weekly counseling lessons at Gashland have included safe touch lessons, as well as instruction on playground rules, guidelines, and safe ways to play games, choose teams, and who goes first. Sometimes we utilize student IPads for counseling lessons---in which case, you will see their completed project on your SeeSaw account. It’s always helpful if you ask your student for their feedback on their counselor lesson and what they learned. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or anything with which I can help.
Nancy Muller-School Counselor
T/W/Fri-Gashland Elementary
816.321.5782
Library
Dear Gashland Families,
Have you ever wondered what books are available at our Gashland library? Would you like to see what books your child has checked out? If you follow these directions, you will be able to search our complete library catalog from home! To access our electronic catalog and research databases follow these instructions:
Go to the NKC Schools website www.nkcschools.org
Click on the Green Box that says For Students
On the left of the screen choose STUDENT LINKS
Click on DESTINY > then choose Gashland Elementary School
In order to access your child’s account, you will need to log in – upper righthand side of the screen
Username: (The username is your child’s lunch number)
Password: (The password is your child’s 8-digit birthday)
If you stay on the “Home” tab your child may use some of our library resources like Pebble Go, Flipster Digital Magazines and Ebsco. If you would like to search our catalog, click the Catalog Tab. If you would like to see what books your child has checked out – choose My Info.
If you would like to use the Mid-Continent Public Library Research Databases, there is a link on the Destiny home page. Your child has access to a digital card from Mid-Continent. The card number is your child’s lunch number with an nkc in front of it.
(example: nkc555555)
I recommend using Tumble Books, Book Flix, and World Book Kids.
Please let me know if you need any help using these resources!
Contact Information:
Gashland Library Circulation Desk – 321-5106
Or call Mrs. Bradfield directly at 321-4212
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Bradfield, School Librarian
Encore
PE:
Hello all!
In PE we are beginning Unit 3: Manipulative Skills! Some objectives students will be learning are: I can underhand throw a ball how using opposition and I can kick a stationary ball forward using at least 2 elements (cues) of a mature pattern. We are going to learn some awesome throwing and catching games and practice some soccer skills as well!
In Health we have begun Unit 2: Physical Wellness! We will talk about nutrition and the importance of staying active! Some objectives we will be learning are: I can tell what it means to be healthy, I can tell ways to be active every day and I can explain why I should try new foods!
Super fun stuff coming! If you have any questions please feel to email me at justice.lozano@nkcschools.org
Also feel free to follow our PE/Health twitter page @CoachLozanoNKC!
Art
First graders have been super busy learning about painting, layering and adding details to their work. We used birds as the inspiration for our learning. I hope you were able to see them during conferences. We have been cutting and gluing and creating….oh my… with pumpkins and leaves and trees! We have been exploring with found materials to really stretch our creativity this month. Next month, our birds will travel to central office to show off our talented artists at Gashland!!!!
Kindergarteners experienced balloon painting when creating pumpkins this month. Look for those to come home, if they haven’t already!!! Fall trees, leaves, tissue paper painting, and hand tracing have kept our little minds busy in the art room.
Happy Fall,
Ms. Peacher
Music
Our Gashland Stars have been learning lots in music this month!
First Grade: We are practicing our songs for our upcoming music concert on December 11th at 7:00 PM at Oak Park High School. Our theme will be All Are Welcome! We look forward to sharing our music with you!!!
Kindergarten: We have learned about all of our grade level instruments! Can your student identify these instruments? Cowbell, Hand Drum, Jingle Bells, Piano, Sandblocks, Triangle, Xylophone, Woodblock.
Thank You!
A huge shout out to all Gashland families and students who attended our Camp-In Literacy Night early in October. We had a great time with over 200 people enjoying smores, going on a bear hunt, playing Camp Bingo and listening to camp stories outside. A big thank you to Megan Markovich, who organized the event, and all staff and Gashland Presbyterian volunteers who helped facilitate the activities. We loved sharing the evening with our Gashland families!
Literacy Launch
MAKE READING FUN!
November Turkey Reading Contest!
It’s so easy, just follow the steps below
· Go to your local or school library and check out ANY fiction or non-fiction book about Turkeys (see photo for ideas).
· Read 6 of these books and have an adult write down the titles
· Send that paper to school and give it to your teacher who will give it to Mrs. Markovich
· GET A COUPON FOR A FREE SMALL 1-TOPPING PIZZA FROM PAPA JOHNS!!!
**Save the Date for our 'All Are Welcome Night' November 21st, 7:00-8:30pm**
Mark your calendars for Gashland’s first ever All Are Welcome Night—a family celebration and cultural fair! Please see the attachment for more information and volunteer opportunities.
Family Culture Project of the Month
This month your family is invited to create a pennant for our Gashland Family Banner! Soon you will receive a template and letter about this fun family project. The banner will be on display during our All Are Welcome Night on November 21. It is exciting to keep learning about our Gashland Stars families!
World Culture Corner
World Culture Corner
This year we will feature a different country each month, highlighting home countries of some of our Gashland families. If you would like to share information about your family’s home country, please email Elizabeth Thompson--- elizabeth.thompson@nkcschools.org
Let’s get to know each other better!
Sudan (Official name: Republic of Sudan)
Location: Northeastern Africa
Size: 718,723 square miles (15th largest country by land mass)—the size of Florida and Alaska combined
Climate: Variety of land structures and conditions
hot or warm temperatures year-round
dry, hot deserts in the north, with extreme sandstorms
rain forests and swamps in the south
rainy seasons last three to six months, depending on region
Language: Arabic and English are official languages. There are many dialects of Arabic spoken throughout Sudan, as well as several dozen local languages
Population: 43,120,843 (33rd largest country by population)
Currency: Sudanese Pound
Fun Facts:
Sudan borders seven countries, giving it the nickname “Heart of Africa”
Lunch is the main meal of the day, and is usually beef or chicken soup, rice, cooked vegetables, and bread.
The beaches of the Nile River are popular destinations for many families, especially during holiday celebrations of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Sudan (2019). CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest. Retrieved from http://online.culturegrams.com.mcpl.idm.oclc.org/world/world_country.php?cid=152&cn=Sudan
Next month’s country: Vietnam
About Us
Fax: 816-321-5101
Attendance: 816-321-5102
Nurse: 816-321-5103
Cafe: 816-321-5104
Email: cindy.lakin@nkcschools.org
Website: www.nkcschools.org/gaes
Location: 500 Northeast 83rd Street, Kansas City, MO, 64118
Phone: 816-321-5100
Twitter: @gashlandstars
Gashland Clardy Booster Club
Email: gashlandclardybooster@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/gashlandclardybooster
Twitter: @GaClBooster