The Stinging News
March 4, 2022
Hornung Elementary
Email: yatesj@brightonk12.com
Website: https://mi02209968.schoolwires.net/Domain/179
Location: 4680 Bauer Road, Brighton, MI 48116
Phone: 810-299-4450
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/903286896458386/
*IMPORTANT* COVID-19 Self-Reporting
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9qA7CoCzzEmhhl8UL46kOMDC9k81dyZG0joeOit_z5QlTiw/viewform
Important Phone Numbers
Hornung Office - 810-299-4450
Hornung Attendance Line - 810-299-4454
Jack Yates, Principal Office 810-299-4451
Hornung Fax - 810-299-4460
Hornung Friendship Center – 810-299-4461
BAS Central Office - 810-299-4000
BAS Transportation – 810-299-3890
Principal's Message
Celebrate March Is Reading Month!
Each year at the beginning of March, school children kick off National Reading Month! Teachers will design contests, family literacy events, and even pajama & pillow days to provide cozy mornings of uninterrupted reading. With help from Read Across America, their goal is motivating kids to read every day of the year. Research findings outlined in a recent report of the National Early Literacy Panel highlight the fact that literacy skills begin to develop at birth. The panel identified a number of early skills that are related to—and may even help predict—a child’s later success with reading and writing.
Even non-readers can celebrate Reading Month. Here are 6 skills to prepare your young child for reading. These skills are closely related to later success with reading and writing:
Alphabet knowledge—the ability to name letters and the sounds they make
Phonological awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds of spoken language (such as hear the beginning sound of a word)
Rapid letter or number naming—the ability to quickly name letters or numbers
Rapid object or color naming—the ability to quickly name random series of colors or objects
Phonological memory—the ability to remember spoken information for a short period of time
Writing letters or one’s own name—the ability to write single letters in isolation, or write their own name
So, even young children who are not yet reading can join in the celebration of National Reading Month. While each child’s developmental journey has its own pace, the next section describes how you can help foster these important skills with activities that suit your child’s current abilities and interests. And chances are, you and your child already engage in some of these activities!
Activities to foster important early skills - Knowing letters and sounds
Sing the Alphabet Song. The number of versions on iTunes alone is testament to its enduring appeal. Have fun singing this familiar tune with different tempos or silly voices (monster voice, tiny mouse voice, robot voice).
Hunt for environmental print. Start a game of I-Spy and have your child search for letters prominently displayed on signs, posters, billboards, even cereal boxes.
Play with alphabet letters. Pull out the magnets, blocks, puzzles, whatever you have, and name the letters, eventually having your child identify the letter names on his own. It’s usually best to introduce letters in alphabetical order, or start with the letters in your child’s name. Upper case letters can be easier to tell apart, so they are often introduced first. At the same time, the lower case letters show up more in print, so there are good reasons to include both. Also, help your child match the letters with the sounds they make, along with a familiar word that contains the letter sound.
Explore the Starfall website. The ABCs section contains activities designed to help your child learn letter names and sounds.
Playing with the sounds of language
Introduce nursery rhymes and sing-along games. Recite nursery rhymes, play the name game (Mason, Mason, bo bason, bananfana…), check out children’s sing-along CDs at the local library, and spark your child’s delight in the sounds of language.
Enjoy rhyming books. Read aloud and pause at opportune spots, encouraging your child to join in on the rhyming portions of text.
Go on a treasure hunt. Help your child search for items in your home that rhyme, or start with the same sound.
Tune your child’s ears to the rhythm of music. Clap or dance to the beat, or tweak lyrics by substituting new rhyming words, even silly ones. Music provides plenty of natural opportunities for children to appreciate and manipulate the sounds of language.
Remembering what you hear
Read it again…and again. When your child asks for repeated readings of the same book, rejoice! While you may tire of the storyline, your child is gradually memorizing the text and enhancing her listening comprehension. Eventually, you can encourage your child to “read” the story to you, using what she’s memorized to retell the tale. You can also have your child retell the story using puppets, or by simply acting it out. Books with predictable, repetitive storylines are a good place to start.
Read and discuss. While younger children benefit from fewer interruptions during reading in order to maintain attention, occasionally ask your child questions about the story and illustrations. Sometimes, repeat your child’s response. Other times, expand on what he has said, or make your own responses. This provides your child with a model of how to talk about books and enhances his ability to remember what he’s heard.
Make up listening games. Implement a version of Simon Says, with one, then two, then three or more verbal instructions to follow (Simon Says, touch your nose; Simon says touch your nose, then jump. Simon Says touch your nose, then jump, then turn around).
Quickly naming letters, numbers, objects, and colors
Play beat-the-clock. Open a book or magazine and have your child point to, and name, as many letters, numbers, objects, or colors as she can in 30 seconds.
Put a new twist on Slap Jack. As with the original version of the game, a deck of cards is divided equally between two players, with the stacks face down. One at a time, each player places the top card of her pile face up in the center of the table, but in this version of the game, the first player to name the number on the top card wins the pile and adds these cards to his own pile. If both players name the number at the same time, neither player gets the pile, and the game continues. Play continues until a player has won all of the cards. Other versions can be played with cards from games such as Memory or Old Maid.
Writing letters, writing your name
Paint with water. Grab a bowl of water and a couple of paint brushes or sponges and “paint” letters on the sidewalk or on a wooden fence.
Scribble in the sand. Use fingers or small sticks to draw letters in the sand.
With the assurance that even the youngest children are on the road to reading, here’s to embracing March as National Get-Ready-to-Read Month and building on these important foundational skills well beyond March 31st.
Sincerely, Jack Yates
Hornung Elementary Principal
8102994451 yatesj@brightonk12.com
PTO Buzz
Hornung’s LOST & FOUND is overflowing!!! Please come into the school and claim your child’s forgotten hats, gloves, coats, etc. These are being DONATED on Tuesday next week.
As you may know, Brighton has a wonderful program with its support dogs. We have two fundraisers to help with their care:
First, a cookie decoration option https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc12BPACSIe11ExsuzqRWgHH3A1yb2skElAXENxE56uf0Tezg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0htNjMGmYALIQEHZSYhYpkgnzNukZOtmqNvWTFgJ_gpUIxmyAh4FqjZlw
Second, a fundraiser at AIRBORNE on our day-off of March 7th, from 12pm-6pm:
On March 7th from 4pm-8pm, PANERA will also donate a portion of sales back to the PTO. Please see the attached flier. Ordering online using PRFUND and doing a pickup (perhaps after jumping at AIRBORNE for the dogs) makes for an easy day-off from school and cooking.
Your PTO,
President: Deanne Ferrell
Vice President: Jami Kilduff
Treasurer: Karen Nicholson
Secretary: Bill Rockwell
Support BAS Pack of Dogs
March 7th is a NO SCHOOL DAY for all BAS students . We are super excited to be invited to Airborne Adventure Park to support our BAS Pack of Dogs Program.
The fundraiser runs from 12-6pm you must buy your tickets online and we will receive $5 for each ticket purchased online.
We will have dogs there every hour and some special puppies too!
Also prizes and stickers too.
We hope you will join us ! Don’t forget to to buy your tickets online !
See you March 7th:)
Counselor Corner
Here we are in March, ready for some sunshine and warmer weather! This month, we will be visiting classrooms for some Read Alouds and social-emotional stories for Reading Month. We are doing our best to meet the needs of students and classrooms by providing additional support with student groups and individual concerns. During this time of the year, needs are high and many students are requiring additional connections. Our goal for this month is to more directly meet the needs of our students during this stretch of the year when we all need a little more TLC. Lets Connect: If you are noticing some behaviors that are interfering with your child’s success in the classroom, please feel free to complete my parent referral form and we can work together to determine if supports are needed here at school. More Resources: We also have our BAS Elementary Counseling website for ideas and resources to be used at home! 35 Children's Books That Teach Empathy & Kindness Mrs. McKiddy Spencer/Hornung https://sites.google.com/brightonk12.com/bas-elementary-counseling/home Parent Referral Form: bit.ly/McKiddyParentReferral Student Check-in Form: bit.ly/CounselorStudentCheckIn
Just as a reminder.....
Please do not send your child to school if your child is experiencing any illness symptoms such as,
Fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
Cough
Shortness of breath
Difficulty breathing
Other symptoms, including chills, body aches, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, and nausea/vomiting.
Thank you!
Note from the Attendance Secretary
Please pack a change of clothes
Lunch Schedule
JK and K Lunch 11:45-12:10 Recess 12:10-12:30
2nd Lunch 12:15-12:40 Recess 12:40-1:00
1st Lunch 12:45-1:10 Recess 1:10-1:30
3rd Lunch 1:10-1:35 Recess 1:35-1:55
4th Lunch 1:40-2:05 Recess 2:05-2:25
Important Information from BAS Student Nutrition Department
The McKinney Vento Act
The Brighton Area Schools is part of a consortium to serve students in temporary living situations that provides financial support for educational needs, referral for housing, clothing and other needs, general support and technical assistance. To ensure compliance with federal law, all school staff must help identify student living in the following situations: emergency shelters/transitional housing, motels/hotels, car, parks or public spaces, shared housing due to a loss of housing or economic hardship, or living temporarily with non-parent or guardian.
The district’s homeless liaison is Starr Acromite and each building has trained staff members to assist in the endeavor. Our consortium contact at the Livingston Educational Service Agency is Candice Uyttendaele.
Please contact your building principal or Starr Acromite at 810-299-4040 for information/assistance.