Moreau Heights Principal Newsletter
October 2019
Contact Information
Email: suzanna.haugen@jcschools.us
Website: www.jcschools.us
Location: 1410 Hough Park Road, Jefferson City, MO, United States
Phone: (573)659-3180
Twitter: @JCMH_tweets
Message from the Principal
Charger Families,
We are over a month into school and it is REAL! The focus in on learning and helping our students gain the skills (academic and social/behavioral) they need for a successful year. Classes and individuals have done goal setting for reading and math growth. This is a powerful process to empower students to make own their learning and make gains!
Thank you for your involvement in your child's learning. Together we can work to see your child reach incredible goals this year!
Sue Haugen, Principal
Follow us on Twitter at @JCMH_tweets
Follow us on Facebook at Moreau Heights Elementary
Follow us on Instagram at moreauheights
Calendar of Events
Tuesday, Oct. 15
*Flu shot clinic for students 1:00-2:30
Wednesday, Oct. 16
*Early Dismissal, students will be dismissed at 12:45
Friday, Oct. 18
*PTO Pizza fundraiser orders due
*JCPS Foundation fundraiser with Major Saver cards begins
*Charger Cart will visit each classroom to purchase with Charger Cash
Monday, Oct. 21
*Vision Screening
Tuesday, Oct. 22
*Vision Screening
Friday, Oct. 25
*End of 1st quarter
*PBS Assemblies
- grades 3-5 8:15
- grades k-2 9:30
*Fall festival classroom celebrations (contact PTO if interested in volunteering)
Monday, Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 - Red Ribbon Week (Drug-free lifestyles)
Want to Volunteer with Fall Festival Celebrations?
Important Daily Arrival Reminder
Morning Meeting is immediately following breakfast, at 7:45.
It is essential that our students arrive BEFORE 7:45 so they can eat and participate in Morning Meeting, so they can connect with their class for a successful day.
Thank you for making sure your child arrives to school ON TIME so they are READY FOR SUCCESS!
PTO News
Shakespeare's Pizza Sales
This is our BIG fundraiser for the year. All funds raised go directly for use with materials to support instruction with YOUR students! What a great way to support Moreau Heights AND to see that the efforts go to support your child!
Pizza orders are due October 18th.
Pizzas will be picked up on November 13th.
Attendance Matters!
Attendance is incredibly important. We want to make sure students are at school and on time so they are learning. We are working hard this year to focus on attendance and have some different incentives going on for classrooms. Each month we will have one classroom that is the winner of our attendance bracket. This class will receive a treat from us!
We appreciate you letting us know when your child is going to be out. Mrs. Kaylie and Ms. Jamie, in the office, will take your call and record this information. If your child is absent and we haven't heard from you, Ms. Jamie will be giving you a call to check in.
You may also receive a call from Dr. Day, our assistant principal, at some point to touch base with you on your child's attendance.
Thank you for helping your child learn by being at school and on time!
CONGRATULATIONS to Ms. Williams class for winning our first attendance bracket AND earning Donuts with Dr. Day!
The challenge is on for next month! Will your class take the trophy?
Musically Musselman
Hello, Charger family!
The month of October is always an exciting and spooky one! There are a variety of pumpkin/halloween themed activities that make their way into music class towards the end of the month. These focus on a range of things including steady beat to dynamics and articulations (BOO!).
In the musical literacy realm, kindergarten and first grade will continue to focus on steady beat, quarter notes and quarter rests, and will start to get familiar with two solfege pitches (so and mi). Second and third grade will add half notes and paired eighth notes for rhythm and get a refresher course on the pentatonic scale (do, re, mi, so, la).
Fourth and fifth grade will head into performance mode. They will put on two Veteran’s Day performances on Veteran’s Day (November 11). One performance will be during the school day and one in the evening. Specific times will be sent home in the next week or so.
If you would like to see Mr. Musselman in action, check out the Symphony Spooktacular on October 27th at 4:00 p.m. or October 29th at 6:30 p.m. For more information see https://jcsymphony.org/.
Make everyday Boo-tiful!
Matt Musselman
Sports with Snow
For grade 3-5 we are finishing up fitness testing with flex arm hang. Once that is complete we will be moving into our Throwing and Catching part of PE.
Please remember to send your student in the appropriate attire for PE days. Tennis shoes please!
Art News from Mrs. Boyd
We have begun our Fall Curriculum:
4th and 5th grades have been painting Georgia O’Keefe Fall landscapes. Most students have been very enthusiastic and I am so pleased with their hard work and concentration on the project. 4th will draw sunflowers next. 5th grade students would like to begin Kachinas. In order to begin Kachinas, I need donations of lightweight cardboard, as in cereal boxes or other boxes of the same thickness.
3rd Grade has created vibrant Warm and Cool Color Contrast on a leaf drawing. They have the option to paint over them with watercolor to create an oil resist. We will continue our study of color theory after these are finished by drawing and painting color wheels.
2nd Grade drew fall trees and are printing them with texture for leaves. These have turned out beautiful.
Kindergarten and 1st Grades are still studying line. We have finished line sculptures and will finish our Dots and Not-a-dots next. Then, they will move on to fall pictures of their own.
Artsonia
All Fall art projects will be on Artsonia soon as they are finished. I sent home information about Artsonia in September and will again later this fall. I display artwork on Artsonia in our school art gallery. Upon signing up, you will have access to all of your child’s Artwork in digital format. It is free to participate and is a fantastic program, which celebrates the visual arts in a positive way.
5th grade Outdoor Education Day
I had a blast with 5th graders at Outdoor Ed Day. All students tie-dyed a shirt, and I sent those home with the child. I had one student who’s red and yellow dye washed out. If that happened to you, please contact me. I will dye any shirts again if the dye washed out.
Art Club
News of a 4th and 5th Grade art club will come out this month. Students must create an art project, at home on their own time, for submission to attend art club. This can include any media of choice. I select students for art club on both a first-come, first-serve basis, time spent on art submission, and a review of their art classroom and school-wide behavior. Art club members must be respectful, responsible, and safe in school, in addition to be keeping up with their other schoolwork from other subjects.Focus on Parenting - Homework, Grades, Sports, Chores, and Parent-Child Relationships
Does almost every day feel like a blur? Do you often find yourself wishing you had five or six more hands so you could juggle everything that comes your way? Conscientious parents in today’s world face a dizzying array of competing demands upon their time and energy. When everything heading our way feels like an ultimate essential, it can be tough to determine where to place our priorities.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would we at Love and Logic rank the importance of homework, grades, sports, chores, and parent-child relationships? As you read, keep in mind that these rankings are based on empirical research as well as decades of experience with thousands of parents, educators, and other professionals… and of course my own subconscious biases. Ultimately, all of us have to decide what’s best for our unique children, families, and schools.
Homework
1------2------{3}------4------5------6------7------8------9------10
Homework is important, but nearly 100 years of research has failed to give it a stellar grade. Much of the debate reflects researchers’ difficulty determining how much homework is done by kids… and how much is primarily done by their parents.
Provide a time and place for your children to complete their homework. Help them as long as it is fun for both of you… and as long as they are doing most of the work. Because homework only receives a three on the scale, let them be responsible for either getting it done or explaining to their teacher why they haven’t. Never fight with your kids over homework.
See: Trautwein, U., & Koller, O. (2003). The relationship between homework and achievement—still much of a mystery. Educational Psychology Review, 15, 115-145.
Grades
1------2------3------4------{5}------6------7------8------9------10
Grades are important but not as important as developing character and a passion for learning. Besides, too many kids begin to gravitate toward easier subjects and classes because they are more concerned with GPA rather than true intellectual growth.
Sports (and other healthy extracurricular activities)
1------2------3------4------5------6------7------{8}------9------10
Kids who participate in sports, music lessons, and other healthy extracurricular activities are far less likely to become involved in drugs, sex, and other damaging behaviors. They also tend to do better in school!
See: Stephens, L. J., & Schaben, L. A. (2002, March). The effect of interscholastic sports participation on academic achievement of middle level school activities. National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 86, 34-42.
Chores
1------2------3------4------5------6------7------8------9------{10}
Yes! Chores are more important than homework, grades, and extracurricular activities. Chores… completed without chronic reminders and without pay… help our kids feel more tightly connected to the family team. Chores also help them to develop perseverance, combat entitlement, and build healthy self-esteem. In a Love and Logic home, kids get to do their homework and participate in extracurricular activities after they have finished contributing to the family.
Parent-Child Relationships
1------2------3------4------5------6------7------8------9------{10}
Love and Logic is all about developing healthy relationships… relationships that last a lifetime. Why? Because there’s nothing more important to life-long success than our children viewing us as being simultaneously loving and strong. Too frequently this relationship is sacrificed in an attempt to nag, threaten, or punish kids into doing their homework and getting good grades.
Conclusion
There are many paths to success. Some kids go the traditional route, finding relatively easy success in learning and in school. Others struggle with school yet develop valuable skills through other avenues. When all is said and done, the priorities should always be placed on improving relationships, building good character, and helping kids learn to focus on their strengths.