The Village Voice
December 2021
Principal Perspectives
By Bobbi Hoffner, Principal
As the end of the year approaches I would like to thank you for all your support throughout this very busy season; as always, it is greatly appreciated. It has been amazing to see the outpouring of donations to come in for our food drive and supply drive. Our JELV family is the very best.
It is hard to believe 2021 is coming to a close! Our students and staff have been working incredibly hard and the last few weeks have been so much fun. Growth is happening in the classroom each and every day. I would like to wish you all a very happy family time over the winter break and look forward to the students returning in January 2022.
Upcoming Dates
December 17: End of 2nd 9 Weeks
December 18-January 2: Winter Break
January 17: NO SCHOOL
ATTENDANCE
Please remember to send in a parent or doctor's note to your child's teacher when your child is absent from school. You have five days from the return date to turn in a note. If sending a note with a student, it is often helpful to send a Remind text to the teacher to let them know to look for the note. Beginning in January, a Remind Message will also be going home at the end of the day notifying you of a tardy or absence, and as a reminder to send it your notes (doctor’s or parent).
A student may miss up to six (6) days without a doctor or legal note. This includes parent notes and unexcused absences. Once the six (6) day limit has been reached, all future absences without a doctor or legal note will remain unexcused. Please know that excessive unexcused tardies can lead to truancy as well. If you have any questions about your child's attendance, please call the school office. We are always happy to help.
Family Resource Center News
Helping Hands Food Drive
The Village Helping Hands Food Drive was a HUGE success. 5,984 food items were collected making it the biggest food drive at the Village EVER. Way to go families.
The FRC Advisory Council meets several times during the school year and is open to the public. Please give us a call if you have any questions or want the link to a meeting. The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 13th.
Link to FRC Google Site
https://sites.google.com/jessamine.kyschools.us/jelv-frc/home
Debbie Cumbie and Misty Jordan
FRC Team
859-887-0567
SNOW DAY/NTI INFORMATION
As we head into the winter season, snow days will be a possibility! When school is cancelled due to unsafe weather conditions, your child will have activities to complete at home. Completion of these activities will count for your child's attendance on that day. Your child should have received information regarding our non traditional instruction days. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher for clarification. On NTI days our staff will be available to parents via email.
NTI work has been sent home and can be found on our school website if needed.
Counselor's Corner
by Heather Kidd, Kayla Raney and Stephanie Taylor, JELV Guidance Counselors
As Christmas and the holidays are quickly approaching, it is a great time to start thinking about how you can teach your child about compassion and caring for others. Students have been learning in their classes about their own feelings, but have also learned about other people’s feelings. Below are some things students have learned through our Second Step curriculum in their classrooms:
• Compassion means caring about how someone else feels
• Empathy is thinking about how someone else feels and compassion is a good way to show empathy
• You can show you care by saying or doing something kind
• Being able to show compassion helps children get along with others
What Can You Do At Home?
• Ask your child, when is a time you can show compassion for someone else?
• Ask, how do you feel when someone says something kind or helps you out?
• Help your child notice when someone he or she knows could use some help or a kind word. For example, I see that your sister can’t find her toy. What could you do to help?
Caring and Helping Ideas for the Holidays
Below are just a few ideas of things you can do with your child to teach them about caring and helping in the community and at home.
• Make cookies and deliver them to a neighbor • Donate clothes or toys to charity
• Sponsor a child for Christmas and have your child pick out gifts
• Draw or write a thank you card for someone special • Take supplies to the animal shelter
• Bring your teacher some coffee
• Complete a chore for someone else
Happy Holidays!
As always, our goal at the Village is to make our school a safe and respectful place where everyone can learn . If you ever have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us by phone or email. You can also submit a referral on the link below.
Speech Tip of the Month
A great way to increase your child’s fluency and comprehension of language is to slow down your rate of speech. Children learn language from our models and just by slowing down our rate of speech we can help support their language development. Another important thing to remember is to give our children time to process what we have said when we ask a question or give them a direction. We call this “pause time.” Next time you ask your child a question, count to 5 seconds in your mind before saying anything else. This will allow them a chance to process what is being said and time to formulate their response.
Thank you,
Stacy Greene, Kelly Christopher, Zoe Hackney, Beth Carrier, and Sue Burris.
OT Tip of the Month
Julie Wells, MS, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
Holiday Helpers
Does your child become overexcited and out of control during the holidays? Plan to make your holidays less stressful and more enjoy able for you and your family! Be sure to balance consistency with flexibility. Here are some ideas to help with holiday preparations:
1) Invite your child to help with holiday preparations. For example have your child:
~Help knead and roll cookie dough
~Help with chores (sweeping, washing windows)
~Help carry heavy packages when shopping
2) Prepare your child for special events.
~Keep to your regular schedule and routine whenever possible (too many changes can be stressful).
~Let child know the schedule ahead of time
~Prepare the child by explaining the rules, times and what to expect
3) During an event:
~If a holiday event becomes too over-stimulating, the child may become overwhelmed and unable to cope. Consider limiting the amount of time at the party.
~Find a quiet place for the child to go and regroup, during a loud or highly stimulating party
~Give child time to prepare to leave a fun place
Contact JELV
(859)887-5358