What a great time of the year! It is exciting to see the joy in the faces of our students during the holiday season. Due to the busy nature of the season, sometimes schedules and added responsibilities can cause stress. Concerts, parties, family visits and so many other events seem to be packed into a limited amount of time. Scheduling becomes an issue and we always seem to be looking for ways to complete our to-do list.

As the holiday season approaches, please give your child the gift of extra time. Put an I.O.U. for a special event or activity in his/her stocking. When students are asked to write about a memorable event in their lives, it isn't a special gift they usually choose to write about, but a particular experience they have had with someone special.

During this season of the year we would like to say thanks to:

• Parents and guardians who spend quality time with their child.
• All the volunteers who give countless hours to Fort Zeller Elementary for students and staff.
• Community members and parents who organize fund raisers, make phone calls, and bring food to classes and the staff lounge on special days.
• All the people in our district who are committed to giving their best to your children every day. For example: custodians, food service staff, bus drivers, school nurses, paraprofessionals, secretaries, teachers, and members of the school board.
• All of you who are doing your very best to send your child ready to learn every day. I am proud of how much our community gives during this time of the year. We have many programs that reflect the caring community culture that is growing through our population.

We always welcome and appreciate your support in all the endeavors we take on. On behalf of the staff of Fort Zeller Elementary, have a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

Take care,

Jodi Houck

1. Robocall for Attendance: Starting in the next few days, we will be calling families of students who are absent each day. This will help to keep the communication line open between home and school, which will benefit our students' learning and assure their safety.

2. Drop Off - With the weather getting cooler and for student safety, please remember that parents SHOULD NOT drop students off prior to 8:30 unless you see a staff member outside greeting students and the doors are opened. Students dropped off prior to staff being available are out in cold weather and unsupervised which is not safe.

3. Spring Math - The ELCO elementary schools will be starting a new math program called Spring Math in December. Please see below for more details.

4. Power School Forms - We are still looking for a number of families to complete the required forms on Power School. These forms provide us with up-to-date important information. Please see below for more information. If you need help, please make sure to contact our office.

5. Break - We will not have school for students from December 23-January 2. We hope everyone has a wonderful break and a Happy Holiday!

6. ELCO's Annual Holiday Program - ELCO's annual holiday program to support our families is back! Please see below for more information.

Dec. 1: (Day 3)

• Gingerbread Shop

Dec. 2: (Day 4)

• Gingerbread Shop

Dec. 5: (Day 1)

• Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm

Dec. 7: (Day 3)

• PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm at the Franklin House (please RSVP to fortzellerpto@gmail.com if you are planning on attending)

Dec. 23-Jan.2: (Winter Break)

• No School for Students

Jan. 3: (Day 3)

• Back to School

R.E.A.C.H. Lessons

In November, Kindergarteners and First grade students learned all about relaxing! In Kindergarten, we learned more about Peaceful Spot, how to feel calm and focused when BIG EMOTIONS show up, and students drew pictures of something that makes them feel peaceful!

In First grade, students were introduced to Calm Spot. We discussed how calm is a feeling that comes from the Peaceful emotion. Students shared things, places, and people that make them feel calm. Then, we practiced our slow, quiet breathing while we did some yoga poses to calm our minds and bodies!

Our second graders focused on our PBIS Character Trait of the month: Citizenship. We talked about what citizenship means, things good citizens do, and what would happen if we didn’t have any rules! We read the story What If Everybody Did That by Ellen Javernick. In the story, a little boy makes choices that don’t seem like a big deal…until everybody does it! Second grade students each made their own “What If Everybody Did That…” page that I’m going to put together into a big book to share with everyone!

Next month, we will be focusing on Compassion and meeting more little spots!

Small Groups

I currently have a few small groups running and they all focus on self-regulation. When we return from winter break in January, more groups focusing on other topics, will be starting!

PBIS

Student continue to do a great job filling their Bee Cards! We love that our students are always so Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a relaxing long break!

Kindergarten students are finding the heartbeat of music through songs like Johnny Works With One Hammer and Alligator Pie. Students are writing quarter notes and eighth notes. (Ta’s and Ti-ti’s)

First grade students are learning note names and values. They are practicing to draw the quarter, half and whole notes.They also started their first musical listening story!

Second grade students are working on the three new chords, F, A, and G. They are learning proper holding techniques and posture.

November: During the month of November, first grade students focused on finishing up short vowel sound reviews. Plus listened for the “ck” and double final consonants at the end of words and the “R”, “L” and “S” blends at the beginning of words. In math, the students explored the use of different strategies to help solve addition problems to 20. Several different thankful activities and projects were also completed. First graders also enjoyed a visit from Author Lisa Papp.

ELCO School District is growing our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. Click on the icons and follow along!

Facebook - @ELCOSD

Twitter - @elcosd

Instagram - @elcosd

Why:

1. Celebrate our students.

2. Keep parents, students, alumni, and the community in the loop of what is happening in our district.

3. Promote the great things happening such as athletics, activities, and other events.

4. Build an ongoing conversation about the positive impact our district is making in the lives of our students!

What do I need to do?

• If you are on these social media channels – follow us!

• Help promote these accounts to your family and friends.

• If you aren’t on these platforms – that’s OK. The district will continue to provide communication through traditional channels.

1. On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at 6:30, our PTO will host its next meeting at the Franklin House in Schaeffertown. Please RSVP to fortzellerpto@gmail.com if you are planning on attending. Most meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of every month. We hope that you will consider joining our meetings and provide your valuable input to support our students and staff at Fort Zeller.

2. Volunteering: If you have an interest in being a volunteer in your child's classroom or in our school, please use this link, https://www.elcosd.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=918, to complete the necessary paperwork on clearances. Don't hesitate to call our office at (610) 589-2575 if you need additional assistance.