As we close the door on 2022 and excitedly begin 2023, it is important to recognize the opportunities ahead of us, while acknowledging the great accomplishments behind us. As a school community, we have worked hard during the first half of the school year; focusing on our three PBIS goals to support our students in reaching their fullest academic and social-emotional potential.

• Be Responsible
• Be Respectful
• Be Ready to Learn

Evidence of our building goals were seen throughout our classrooms. This focus was also evident during conversations with staff working collaboratively to support our students academically and social-emotionally.

The first half of the school year established our solid foundation, preparing our students for the rigor, perseverance, and application necessary to push their academic and social-emotional learning to new heights. Similarly, our winter break provided time for reflection and rejuvenation, resulting in new strength and new thoughts to end our year strong. I look forward to watching student strengths and thoughts come alive in the classroom during the second half of the year. This looks different within each classroom and for individual learners, but can be observed in class discussions focused on students making connections to the instructional activities, posing high level questions, and exploring their thinking and the thinking of others. Let the 2023 learning adventure begin...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Take care,

Jodi Houck

1. Robocall for Attendance: In December, we started calling families of students who are absent each day. This will help to keep the lines of communication 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 - Our students are LOVING Spring Math and our teachers have done a fabulous job of implementing this program. We are confident that this program is going to give our students the foundation needed to be successful as they advance in math, but also to be confident in math as they continue to grow.

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.

Jan. 3: (Day 2)

• Welcome Back to School! Happy New Year!

Jan. 4: (Day 3)

• School Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm

Jan. 10: (Day 3)

• Rising Raiders Workshop - 5:00-6:30 pm

Jan.11: (Day 4)

• Two-Hour Delay
• PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Jan. 16: (MLK Day)

• No School

Jan. 17: (Day 3)

• Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm

Jan. 20: (Day 2)

• End of the 2nd Marking Period

Jan. 23: (Inservice Day)

• No School for Students

R.E.A.C.H. Lessons
December has been an exciting month! In Kindergarten, we met A Little Spot of Anger who showed us how to calm down when it gets too big! Remember: "Count your spots from one to four, then tap, tap, tap, and tap once more. Now fill your lungs with peaceful air and coat your spots wit love and care!"
In first and second grades, we focused on our character trait of Compassion. First graders used kind and unkind words and saw how it affected two apples. Ask your 1st graders what happens to a person (and our apple) when someone is mean to them! Second graders met A Little Spot of Kindness and did an experiement with milk to show how easily kindness can spread!

Small Groups
Small groups have been going great. We are finishing up some self-regulation groups. After break, I will have some new groups starting. These groups will be focusing on "stress-busters" and building self-esteem!

PBIS
So far this year, students have filled SO MANY Bee Cards! See our school year totals below:
Jackson: 1,762
Fort Zeller: 1,700
Keep up the great work students! I am so proud of you for being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn!

I hope everyone has a wonderful winter break and I can't wait to see you back in the New Year!

In Kindergarten we are working on a new note called the rest. It looks like a “Z.” We are using tubano drums to hear how rests make no sound.

In First Grade we are listening through the musical, Sound of Music, as we learn Solfege syllables (Do, Re, Mi). Students are also using note values to make musical sentences by incorporating simple math!

Second Grade students are learning their 5th chord (G major) on the ukulele! Students will now be able to play some of their favorite new pop song on ukulele.

During the month of December first graders have been working on the “h brother” digraphs, th, and ch. The students also explored different strategies to help solve subtraction problems to 20. We also began Spring Math this month, a daily math intervention. First graders also learned about holiday traditions in other countries around the world. Plus they were able to shop at the PTO’s Gingerbread Shop, Thank you PTO!

Reading to or with your child is such an essential and beneficial activity that ALL students should experience, regardless of their age. So many valuable literacy skills (vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension) can be developed when children read at home with an adult. The following comprehension activity, from Florida Center for Reading Research, can be used when you are reading a narrative (fiction) story to or with your child:

Retelling Ring:

1. Either during or after reading, ask your child one of the comprehension questions.
2. Helpful Tip #1: If they are unable to answer the question, ask them to go back in the text and find the answer.
3. Suggestion: Have your child answer the question in a complete thought. For example, if you asked your child where and when does the story take place, they should say, “The story takes place in winter and the setting is on a farm.” By having them respond in complete sentences, this will help them develop the ability to respond in complete sentences when writing.
4. Continue until all cards have been discussed.
5. Helpful tip #2: Sometimes, the author does not explicitly give certain information in the story. Your child may have to use the pictures, words, and what they know to help them answer the question. This reading skill is called inferencing.
6. Extension: Have your child write their answer.

Link to activity: https://fcrr.org/sites/g/files/upcbnu2836/files/media/PDFs/student_center_activities/23_narrative_text_structure/23_c008_retell_ring.pdf

If you would like a copy of cards, please email Mrs. Faust, sfaust@elcosd.org.

Happy reading and discussing!! 😀📚

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 Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at 6:30, our PTO will host its next meeting at Fort Zeller in the library. 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.