Cougar Chronicle
October 2017 Edition
Principal's Message
We had an amazing turnout for Curriculum Night last week! Thank you so much for your participation and positive feedback. Many of you took the time to recognize and appreciate the amazing teachers we have here at LCE. We also had an incredible turnout for our Parent Volunteer Meeting last Friday - WOW - it was a packed house!
We had our first district AVID checkup and we passed with flying colors! A HUGE thank you to all of our teachers and parents for your continued support. Please remember to sign the agendas every night and reinforce a growth mindset with your child. You’ve probably heard that our very own mascot, Coco the Cougar, has been making secret surprise classroom visits after hours to check for AVID evidence in the binders and in the classrooms. These classrooms are shown on our morning announcements featuring Coco so please make sure you are always AVID ready!
Choice Night - Calling all 5th grade parents! Our wonderful guidance counselor, Mrs. Aurand, will be hosting a Choice Night this Wednesday, October 11th from 6-7 pm in the cafeteria. She will review the middle school application process and give you important information on programs and middle school Open House dates.
Due to popular demand, we will host two costume dance parties. Grades 3-5 will be Friday, October 20th and grades K-2 will be Friday, October 27th from 6:30-8:30pm in the cafeteria. We do have a capacity limit so unfortunately we cannot accept everyone but don’t worry - there will be more school dances and PTO events coming soon!
Please read below about the Penny Wars going on this week. It is sure to create some pretty intense grade level competition. Remember, coins are a plus for your grade level and dollars are a negative for other grade levels. We are also celebrating Disability Awareness Month with a fun bracelet fundraiser this week. Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for information.
Yearbooks for Sale! The cost is $20 until March 16th and $25 after March 16th. We encourage you to pay online at Cashless Schools. If not, we will accept cash or checks made payable to LCE. All yearbooks funds must be submitted to Ms. Beth Reed in Room 3104. Please email any questions to beth.reed@palmbeachschools.org.
Hurricane Irma make up days are October 16th, November 3rd and January 8th
Fall photos on Friday, October 20th
SAC meeting on Wednesday, October 25th at 3:30 in the media center
Lanyard Day on Friday, October 27th (Western Wear - break out the boots and hat)
Storybook Character Day on Tuesday, October 31st
Counselor's Corner
October is a busy month at Limestone Creek with National Bullying Prevention and Drug Awareness Month! I have been working with students on respecting themselves and others and will continue this theme teaching grade-level appropriate lessons to talk about bullying and making good choices.
For our AVID focus, teachers have been working on setting the tone for a growth mindset in their classrooms. Teachers are using strategies such as Growth Mindset Badges, Class Dojo, or Brag Tags to reinforce having a growth mindset, working hard, and always trying their best in whatever they do!
Here are some tips for you to use at home to encourage a growth mindset in your children:
- Model a growth mindset in your own life;
- Encourage effort, practice, and perseverance over fixed traits such as intelligence or natural talent;
- Help your child actively solve problems themselves rather than you stepping in to “fix” things for them;
- Make praise specific and focused on their success, not your approval;
- Help your child develop short and long term goals; and
- View failures or mistakes as opportunities to grow, not a reason to quit.
A special note for our FIFTH GRADE FAMILIES:
While it may seem early to start thinking about middle school, it will be here before you know it! It’s important to know what options and programs are available to students in Palm Beach County, and the best way to learn about these options is by attending the “Showcase of Schools” at the Fairgrounds and the Open Houses at the local middle schools. For detailed information regarding the programs available at each school, please visit https://www.palmbeachschools.org/choiceprograms/.
Choice Programs Open House Schedule
- Showcase of Schools 10/17 4:00-8:00 @ Expo Center South Florida Fairgrounds
- Independence Middle 10/24 6:00 pm in the Cafeteria
- Duncan Middle 11/30 Time & Location (TBD)
- Jupiter Middle 11/7 6:00-7:00 pm in the Cafeteria
Jan Aurand, Counselor
Media Corner
Our 4th annual Dot Day Celebration has been a lot of fun, but most important was the story message. Peter H. Reynolds wrote an inspirational story about the creative spirit in all of us. Everyone of all ages needs to remember that it takes just one little dot to begin a journey of self-discovery and the ability to create. This story embodies and supports our AVID and STEM programs.
Summer Reading program was a great success! We had 256 Cougars celebrating their summer reading. It was great to see all of the hopping and bopping!
Book Fair is Coming! Book Fair is Coming! Mark your calendars! Book Fair is from Wednesday, October 11th through Wednesday, October 19th. We are open daily at 8:15 a.m. for browsing and shopping. Our favorite Family night is Friday, October 13th from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On Wednesday, October 18th, students will have the opportunity to shop for books with a Grand Person in their life from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. We are open from 8:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on October 11th, 12th, 16th and 17th. Book Fair is a wonderful opportunity to encourage the love of reading in your child. Students will attend the Book Fair during their scheduled Media class time. We hope to see you there! If you’re unable to visit our Book Fair with your child, we have online shopping from Wednesday, October 11th through Friday, October 19th. Please visit our online fair at www.scholastic.com/fair at your convenience.
Please check our edline page for exciting information on our reading programs. For Kindergarten through 2nd grade we have Cookie Books and for grades 3-5 we have our Battle of the Books Competition. Our 3rd-5th graders have already started making teams for the January Battle of the books competition. Let the reading begin!
Media Stem activities have been brain stretching in the month of September. We explored geometric shapes on geoboards. Geoboards are peg boards that utilize rubber bands to create shapes. Our final activity was creating art masterpieces using geometric shapes. We’ll be completing our STEM activity based on The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds in the beginning of October due to Hurricane Irma.
Jill Sherpitis
Media Specialist
Jill.sherpitis@palmbeachschools.org
Reading can take you anywhere….where have you been lately?
PE News
PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES
Filled WATER BOTTLES are greatly encouraged on PE class days! This will ensure that your child is hydrated instead of a short drink they may possibly take at the water fountain. Please make sure the child’s name is on the bottle, as many come with the same style and at times they get mixed up!
SNEAKERS should be worn on PE days to avoid twisting ankles and slipping. NO BOOTS!
Nurse News
Happy first week of fall! Even though it is officially fall, we all know that it’s still as hot as it was on the last day of summer. It is very important to encourage your child to stay hydrated, even while in school. Many classes have their recess and fine arts back to back, and they are feeling the heat! Our PE teachers have done an amazing job educating the students on staying hydrated, and we can use your help by sending your student in with a refillable water bottle. PTO has installed amazing water fountains that have bottle filling stations, so your child is able to refill with fresh water as needed.
Afterschool News
We have been forming "Student Buddies" that work on emotional and social well-being of all involved. Each week students are recognized and rewarded with a prize as all students and staff share in the excitement by cheering each other on.
In the upcoming months, we will begin to focus on doing what is right as opposed to doing what others might think is "cool" (standing up to peer pressure), believing in our achieving, being thankful, as well as some community service projects. It has been so exciting seeing everyone’s positive characters being built!
As always, we invite you to stop by for a visit. It is always a pleasure to serve our amazing school!
Penny Wars
PENNY WARS IS COMING THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 9-13!
How it works:
- Bins marked with each grade level will be placed outside the Cafeteria by the Bulletin Board
- ADD points to your grade by adding coins into your bin
- Penny = 1 point, Nickel = 5 points, Dime = 10 points and Quarter = 25 points
- SUBTRACT points from other competing grades by adding in dollar bills to their bin
- 1 dollar = negative 100 points, 5 dollars = negative 500 points, 10 dollars = negative 1,000 points, etc.
Start saving your change and for Grade-level battles to see which grade will bring in the MOST POINTS and WIN a dress up day of their choice!
PTO News
MOVIE NIGHT: We will be hosting a family fun outdoor movie night featuring Despicable Me 3 on a Friday night during the month of October. Pizza, Popcorn, Drinks and Candy will be available for purchase. Please keep an eye out on our website and Facebook page for the date and ticket/food pre-order information!
SAVE AROUND COUPON BOOKS: The cost is $25 with hundreds of dollars in savings at local Grocery stores, Restaurants, and more! Help support the PTO with this easy fundraiser, last year we sold out of books and raised $6,000! Selling period will go until the end of October, so purchase yours today at www.limestonecreekpto.com
POPCORN FRIDAYS have started on Friday, September 22! We would like to thank Mrs. Jackie Gaines with Brush Strokes and More LLC for sponsoring FREE popcorn to all LCE students! We have continued with our regular schedule of paid popcorn for students every Friday. A make-up day for the paid week that we missed due to Hurricane Irma will be added - date TBA. You can still pre-pay for the year at www.limestonecreekpto.com OR send in $1 for any given Friday.
COUGAR SHOP: Due to Hurricane Irma, we’ll be extending the deadline for our second order for Uniform T-shirts! ALL ORDERS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6th, to guarantee delivery in OCTOBER. Remember, you can easily place orders for everything in the Cougar Shop - Cougar Paws, Coupon Books, Lanyards, T-shirts, Popcorn and Car Magnets online at www.limestonecreekpto.com. Paper Cougar Shop order forms came home with your child at the start of school. Additional order forms available in the front office.
COUGAR PAWS: Thank you to Kara Cobey and her team of helpers for painting our student paws around campus! We apologize for the delay due to the Hurricane days off. You can still purchase a paw at any time via our website Cougar Shop for $10.
REMAINING LANYARD DAYS (Themed dress up OR no uniform days):
• Friday, October 29 - Western
• Friday, November 17 - Camouflage
• Thursday, December 21 – Pajama
• Friday, January 19 - Mismatch
• Thursday, February 15 - Red/White/Blue
• Friday, March 16 - Crazy Socks
• Friday, April 13 - Tie Dye
• Friday, May 18 - Aloha
BOX TOPS: CONGRATULATIONS to the winner of the Summer Box Top Contest: Kamran Kanani!! You will receive a $15 gift certificate to Toys R Us. Thank you to all who participated! New Box Top Sheets will be sent home next week.
STAY IN THE LOOP/HOW TO CONTACT US
website: www.limestonecreekpto.com
email: limestonepto@yahoo.com
phone: 741-9232
LIKE, and follow us on Facebook: Limestone Creek PTO
(Prizes given out for milestone LIKES!)
Lost and Found
Healthy School Information
FLU Shots
At the beginning of the school year information was sent home for you to complete and return regarding your child's participation. Should you not completed the form sent home and are interested, the forms are available on the Healthy School LLC website at www.healthyschoolsllc.com.
On November 1 if you have signed up for your child to receive the vaccination, a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices along with a post vaccination letter will be given to your child(ren) for your records.
If you have any questions, contact Healthy Schools LLC at 1-800-566-0596 or email at info@healthschoolsllc.com.
Exceptional Student Education News
The month of October is disability awareness month. The ESE department is having a fundraiser to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. Students can buy a bracelet to support this cause starting October 7th. The bracelets will be sold before school by the bus loop or students can purchase them from their homeroom teacher. Thank you for your support!