Columbia Elementary
November 2021
Important Dates
- October 25th - November 7th - Virtual Scholastic Book Fair (click on the link below to shop)
- November 7th - Daylight Savings Time ends, set clocks back 1 hour
- November 10th - Progress reports sent home
- November 11th - 1st Grade Veteran's Day Concert - Beall, Belpedio, and Piper's classes (more details below)
- November 24th - 26th - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL and NO CHILDCARE
First Grade Veteran's Day Concert at the Fulton County Courthouse
Please plan to join the 1st grade classes of Mrs. Beall, Mrs. Belpedio, and Ms. Piper on Thursday, November 11, 2021 for their concert entitled, “Let’s Celebrate Veteran’s Day”, which will be presented at 6:00pm on the Fulton County Courthouse lawn.
Your child will be instructed on which door to enter to get ready, but that door will not be opened until 5:30pm. All students should plan to arrive at the courthouse between 5:30 and 5:45pm. I would like for the students to wear a plain white top and dark pants or skirt. I will have any other costumes pieces that they need. If needed for the weather, have them wear an extra layer underneath.
As part of our concert, we will be honoring our veterans and those currently serving in the armed forces. If your child is in the concert and has a parent, grandparent, and/or sibling who served or is currently serving, we would like a picture of them along with their name, rank, branch of service, maybe where they served, etc. We would also need to know their connection with the student.
Please invite any Veterans to our concert so that they can be honored that night. We look forward to seeing you and honoring our vets on Nov. 11th.
Jill Weaver
Columbia Music Teacher
Thursday, Nov 11, 2021, 06:00 PM
Fulton County Courthouse, Main Street, Rochester, IN, USA
Reminders
- First Grade will be starting spelling tests on November 1st.
- First Grade will be roller skating after Fall Break until Thanksgiving during their normal P.E. class, please be sure your student is wearing socks!
- After School Parents - please wait in the vestibule or right outside the door, DO NOT return to your vehicle while you are waiting for you student.
- During Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break we will NOT be offering childcare.
First Grade
Front row - Mrs. Beall, Miss Rock, Mrs. Weil, Miss Piper, Mrs. McKee
Not pictured - Mrs. Hayden
Columbia Cafeteria
Best Room
United Ministries Christmas Basket Applications
United Ministries is taking applications for Christmas Baskets for families in need on Saturday, November 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th from 9:00 am to noon at the Community Resource Center, 625 Pontiac St, Rochester.
Also, applications will be taken on Wednesday, November 10th, 17th, and 24th from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at Grace United Methodist Church, 201 W 7th St, Rochester.
Applicants must be Fulton County residents. Please bring a photo ID and proof of address (utility bill, etc.).
If you have any question please contact Joyce Sroufe, 574-223-3563.
A note from Nurse Butler
STAYING HEALTHY
The best way to keep students healthy during the school year is to make sure they wash their hands. That simple tip matches the advice from experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): "Keeping hands clean through improved hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others." Encourage your student to wash hands often and keep them away from their face, eyes, mouth, nose, and wherever germs can enter their body. Please teach them to cover their cough & sneezes using their elbows.
INFLUENZA
The “flu”, also called Influenza, is a very contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It starts around November and is usually seen up through March. It can be mild in nature or very severe, requiring hospitalization. It is different from a cold in that it usually comes on suddenly. Common symptoms of the flu are as follows: *Fever or feeling feverish with chills—not everyone will have a fever *Cough *Sore throat *Runny or stuffy nose *Muscle and body aches *Fatigue (tiredness) *Headache *Children may have vomiting or diarrhea, not common in adults.
Usually when a person gets the flu they can recover in a few days up until 2 weeks. However, pneumonia is a complication of the flu and can be life-threatening. Other complications from getting the flu are bronchitis, sinus infections, and ear infections. The flu can also make certain health conditions worse. For example, adults and children who have asthma will most likely have more asthma attacks because of having the flu. Please check with your healthcare provider or local pharmacies when they will be providing vaccines.
COLD WEATHER
Student’s clothing should be simple, comfortable, and clean. Clothing should be keeping with the weather conditions. As we move closer to winter, these items should include wearing a coat, boots for snow and rainy weather, and items such as hats & gloves for colder weather. All students will be expected to go outside for recess providing the temperature and wind chill is 25 degrees or warmer. So, please have your child wear the appropriate clothing that can be worn at recess.
Columbia PTO
We would like to thank the students and families that took part in our LaBraid Fundraiser.
Pickup will be November 15th, 4:00-6:00pm, at Columbia. We will be sending more details home with your student soon.
Michelle Jaeger
Columbia PTO President
Counselor Corner
We continued our Safer Smarter Kids lessons this month. I encourage you to speak with your student about these lessons to see what they are learning. Topics covered in each grade level are listed below:
Pre-K/Kindergarten- Our October lesson focused on identifying strangers, Grown-Up buddies and the Trusted Triangle.
1st Grade- We reviewed the Safety Stop Sign and practiced our I Mean Business voices.
In November PreK/Kindergarten and 1st grade will learn about the Guiding Voice (the voice inside of each of us that helps us decide whether something is safe or unsafe) as well as Think, Feel, Act- paying attention to our feelings in order to make decisions.
How to help kids learn to give
We are approaching the holiday season and the topic of giving comes up naturally. Giving does not specifically mean financial giving; it can also include giving of time, resources, etc. Research has shown giving can be good for both physical and mental health. It is natural to be excited when on the receiving end of gifts, but how do we teach children to also be excited to give? Below are a few tips:
- We need to model giving...and explain why we are giving.
- Teach empathy...help your child to understand the need.
- Help them to see the impact of their giving.
- Make it part of who they are
- Give choice- people have more positive feelings when they have had a say
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-giving-is-good-for-your-health/
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_help_kids_learn_to_love_giving