Sunset Express
March 2019
Sunset Lake Elementary, PreK-5th Grade Building
Principal Amie McCaw
We are Lifelong Learners and Lifelong Leaders!
Email: amccaw@vicksburgschools.org
Website: Vicksburgcommunityschools.org
Location: 201 N Boulevard St, Vicksburg, MI, United States
Phone: (269)321-1500
Twitter: @TLIMPrincipal
Principal's Message
Happy March Sunset Lake Families!
The month of March is known as Reading Month across the country. We have a special evening planned to celebrate reading at home, we hope you can join us this Thursday (details and invitation below). Be sure to come celebrate reading at our Book Fair March 19th & 20th.
Thank you for a great turn out at our Student Led Conferences in early February. Our students were proud leaders of their own learning and were happy to share their academic and personal progress with their families.
February 28th was our Leader Day at Sunset Lake. We welcomed over thirty visitors to our school who wanted to learn more about Leader in Me. Our students were responsible for leading the whole morning session and they did an amazing job! Our students' confidence and leadership abilities continue to grow and we are so proud of their accomplishments.
Family Leadership Night: Please plan on attending our third Family Leadership Night on March 7th from 6:00-8: 00 pm. This year's format will be the first 45 minutes with a keynote speaker for our Sunset Lake adults and students will have fun with games. Then at 6:45-8:00 pm families will come together to Connect with our Community. We will have prizes and snacks and Clifford the Big Red Dog will be in attendance. Our theme will be focused on Literacy at Home, so we hope to see you there for this special celebration! *Please see the flyer below and be sure to RSVP to help us with planning.
March 28th-- No school for students to allow our teachers to have professional development and records day work.
March 29th -- No school for students and staff, conference comp day.
We hope your family enjoys our upcoming Spring Break week from April 1st through April 5th.
Yours in Learning,
Amie McCaw
Sunset Lake Elementary Principal
Kindergarten Enrollment for 2019-2020
Star Readers
Bulldog of the Month
Leader Day
IMPORTANT March DATES
- March 7th Family Leader Night
- March 19-21 - Book Fair
- March 28th & 29th- No School
- Spring Break April 1st thru the 5th
- School Resumes April 8th
Protect Young Eyes
On Monday, March 11 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Vicksburg Middle School is hosting Protect Young Eyes in the middle school gym to increase the digital IQ of our parents. Please know this presentation is geared toward parents. Protect Young Eyes gives it a rating of PG-14 as some of the shared content (porn statistics, sexual predators, cyberbullying, adolescent neurology) may be inappropriate for many students. Students attending should have parental consent.
Habit #5 by Victoria Hillard
Habit 5
By:Victoria Hillard
Teacher: Mrs.Walters
Seek first to understand then to be understood. This sentence is habit number 5. Do you know what seek first to understand, then to be understood means? Well it can mean many things, it all depends on how you look or use it. To me this habit means that you should listen to others first, then it could influence your thoughts or ideas to something that you didn’t think of. Also that you listen to the speaker so you can understand them and don’t be so selfish, where you only think about yourself and your thoughts.
Now that you know what habit 5 is to me, maybe your thoughts about it has changed. Habit 5 is a very strong statement because you never know what someone will say. You could agree or disagree with their thoughts or ideas but that doesn’t mean it is a bad idea. What does habit 5 mean to you?
March is Reading Month
Message from our Food Service
Good Morning
It’s time for…
BREAKFAST!
$1.25
If you are currently receiving free or reduced price lunches, you qualify for a free breakfast.
Breakfast is NOT offered on days where there is a delayed start to the school day!
Food Allergy
ALLERGY ALERT!
Free and Reduced
You can save up to
$445 per child a year
if you qualify for
free or reduced
priced meals (lunch).
All grade levels are
included.
Applications may be turned in
any time during the year and
are available from your child’s
school or from the Food
Service office.
Call Maureen Ouvry at 321-1031
with questions.
Youtube Concerns
As many other districts are doing this week, we wanted to inform you of videos that are gaining popularity on Youtube. CBS News wrote an article (LINK HERE) explaining that these videos include a character named "Momo" who "encourages a participant to complete various tasks if they want to avoid being "cursed." Some of the tasks include self-harm, which Momo asks the participant to provide photographic evidence in order to continue the game. Ultimately, the game ends with Momo telling the participant to take their own life and record it for social media."
In general, we want to remind families that while our internet at school, and the devices themselves, filter the content that the users search, adult supervision is always the safest form of content filter available.
Some of our elementary students were aware of these videos and asked their teachers about them today. As a school, we are notifying all families of these "Momo videos" and encouraging supervised screen time at home as we will do the same here at school.
How to Soothe your Sick Child
How to Soothe Your Sick Child
Cold and flu season is upon us. Sniffles and runny noses everywhere. Coughing all night. Illness spreading like wildfire through families. Most of these respiratory infections are viruses and antibiotics don’t help. What can be done? Here are some tips to support the immune system, lessen symptoms and speed recovery.
REST! Please keep your child home from daycare or school if they have a fever, vomiting or diarrhea. Powering through illness can slow recovery and possibly increase the chances of a secondary bacterial infection. Sleep is the best medicine there is for viral infections.
Push fluids: Lots of clear liquids. Water, Jell-O, popsicles, weak tea with raw honey (if child has no bee allergies and is over the age of 2 years). Raw honey is a natural cough suppressant and has immune boosting properties. Fluids thin mucus and make it easier to get out.
Salt water gargles: 3-5 times daily. Use 1 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. This can break up post nasal drip and ease sore throats.
Make chicken bone broth for the whole family: Bone broth is full of collagen protein and electrolytes. The immune system uses the collagen to repair cellular damage from the infection. Collagen also feeds the gut bacteria which can improve antibody production which can help with recovery and prevention. The electrolytes help with weakness and dizziness associated with illness. Here’s an easy recipe:
Take the bones from a rotisserie chicken and place them in a large pot on the stovetop with enough water to cover them. A cube of bouillon may be added if desired. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 1-4 hours. Strain, add 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
Vick’s Chest Rub: For kids 2 and older, this can be soothing and can help with nighttime cough. It may also help open stuffy noses.
Flonase or Nasocort nasal spray: This can be helpful for some kids. Kids over the age of 4 can use over the counter steroid nasal sprays if they are not prone to nosebleeds. One spray in each nostril once daily for one to two weeks.
Humidifier in the bedrooms: Furnaces and fireplaces dry out the air in our homes causing people to wake up with sore throats and nosebleeds. Humidifiers hydrate the air and can help relieve symptoms.
Tylenol/Ibuprofen as directed, as needed for pain/fever
Cough/sneeze into elbow/handkerchief
Frequent handwashing/hand sanitizer
Authors: Dr. Gregory Tiongson, medical director, Bronson Children’s Hospital
Jennifer Updycke, physician assistant, Bronson FastCare ®
This article is brought to you by Bronson Children’s Hospital, southwest Michigan’s only children’s hospital. For more information about children’s health, visit bronsonhealth.com/children.
Sunset PTSO
Hang on! Spring is right around the corner. Or that corner. Or maybe the next?
Soon, I’m sure. Very soon.
Two great events are most definitely right around the corner though! Sons of Sunset and the
2019 Walk-a-Thon!
Sons of Sunset: Sunday, March 10 th We look forward to an amazing bowling event for our Sons
of Sunset
PTSO Meeting: Wednesday, March 13 th Come join us in the school library from 6pm-7pm
Upcoming!!!!
Walk-a-Thon 2019: Friday, May 3 rd
It’s almost that time for Sunset’s one and only fundraiser for our school! A sheet has already
been sent home with this years give-a-ways with more information to follow. So keep a look
out in the kiddos folders!
Music Notes from Mrs. Heintzelman....
Below are some notes from Mrs. Heintzelman the music room!
Families can order DVD’s from all of our music programs. Please send $20 to the school and label it for Music DVD. We can fill out the order form at school. Checks are to be made out to Steve Chang. Please send in all orders by Friday, March 22.
Don’t miss the VCS performance of the Wizard of Oz! Click here to purchase tickets online.
The Kalamazoo Civic has a great spring break day camp planned for K-5 students. You can sign up and participate in the musical Schoolhouse Rock Kids or Schoolhouse Rock jr. Click here for more information.
Go see Madagascar Jr. at the Kalamazoo Civic, March 8-15!
Mark your calendars! The Vicksburg Celebration of the Arts is April 18 at
Vicksburg High School.
♪ 5:30-6:30 K-12 Art Show - High School Lower Level
♪ 7 pm Concert Grades 3-12 - HS Gym