The Gray Wolf Gazette
January 27th, 2023
Our Mission and Vision
Mission(Why we exist): Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary is a collaborative community committed to ensuring equity and high levels of learning for all.
Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary is a community of belonging that empowers all children to connect, discover, and thrive as leaders equipped to make a positive impact on our world.
Weekly Update
Hello Givens Families,
I hope you enjoyed some extra family time during our midweek snow day. Please take a minute to review the information below.
Upcoming Trimester 2 Day of Play and Parties(Kindness Week February 13th-16th)
We will be celebrating the end of trimester 2 with our Day of Play and Parties. Similar to our Trimester 1 celebrations, we will take the day to play, check in on our goals, celebrate our progress, and make new goals for the upcoming trimester.
We will also spend time celebrating our classroom community with a party from 1:30-2:30. All families are invited to celebrate with your child's classroom. If you are a room parent or would like to volunteer to help organize the party for your child's classroom, please check with the classroom teacher.
Around this time of the year, families ask if students are allowed to do Valentine's Cards. This is not a requirement, but if your family decides this is the act of kindness they would like to do, February 16th will be the day for this to happen.
Did you know that we use letter days at Givens(A- E )? We do this to make sure each classroom gets its curriculum time within our specials rotation. I will share the letter days in the Gazette each week. Some classroom teachers share their rotation days so you know when your students are going to Library(Book Return) and PE(Remember tennis shoes).
Monday -D
Tuesday- E
Wednesday-A
Thursday-B
Friday- C
Chess Club Coming To Givens
Upcoming Dates
January 30th: Pack Meeting
February 1st: 100th Day of School Celebration for KDG
February 4th: KDG Informational (10:00-10:30 am) & All Elem. School Open House 10:00-12:00
February 6th: Harambee & PTO Meeting
PTO Info:
All Givens parents/caregivers are invited to attend the next PTO meeting which is scheduled for Monday, February 6th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. The meeting will take place in the Givens library and will have a Zoom option as well. Zoom information below:
Zoom link: https://wgsdstl.zoom.us/j/91946363555...
Meeting ID: 919 4636 3555
Passcode: Givens
February 13: Late Start
February 16th: Trimester 2 Parties and Day of Play
February 13th-16th: Kindness Week(Flyer will be shared next week)
February 17th: No School /Records and PD Day for Staff
February 20th: No School/President's Day
February 28th & March 2nd: Spring Conferences
Counselor's Corner
Hello, Grey Wolf families! We’ve had our first snow day and enough cold nights to feel like it truly is winter! Our January/February counseling lessons kicked off with some great books and some interesting, thoughtful classroom conversations. Kindergarteners played with dominoes and did a read-aloud with Snail Started It by Katja Reider. It’s a great book that explores what happens when we’re feeling grumpy or judgmental and pass that negativity along to others.
What happens, is the kids discovered that if we pass along a put-down to someone else, it can cause a chain reaction of negative feelings that smash into others, just like a line of standing-up dominoes can all fall down with one little push to start it. Helping kids understand that their actions create reactions in others is a huge life lesson. Snail and her friends give us some good language to talk about passing on kindness instead of crabbiness.
Our second read-aloud book is called The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee. It was recommended by a Givens parent and I am so excited to have found it! I’ve been able to read it to several children and share it with even more parents. Next week, I’ll be sharing it with our first-grade classrooms as part of our discussions of naming feelings and recognizing them in ourselves and others.
The boy in our story gets overwhelmed sometimes and discovers that it’s OK to have big feelings because it’s one way we come to learn about our world. This is an awesome book not only for kids who experience anxiety or worry about things but also for those who get really excited and sometimes have a hard time calming down. This gentle book reminds us that we can sometimes feel like we’re the only ones who struggle but that actually lots of people get overwhelmed sometimes.
The message we as parents can take away is that our world is often a little crazy and can get to be too much for our kids, ourselves, and our families. The two best strategies we can use to help kids learn to handle what comes their way is (1) slow down (slow breathing, slow schedules, slow thoughts) and (2) give love (apologies, kind words, and cuddles). Don’t forget to slow yourself down first and then comfort and support your kids at the moment. Once everyone is back on track, we can talk about what happened and make a better plan for next time. But first….hugs. And that just so happens to be a great way to roll into February and Valentine’s Day!
Kindergarten Registration and Orientation
Kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year begins Monday, January 23. Students must be five years old before Aug. 1, 2023, to enter kindergarten for the school year. Learn about the registration process here.
In addition, we will be hosting kindergarten orientation Saturday, February 4 at 10 a.m.
At Kindergarten Orientation, families will have the opportunity to meet staff, hear about our kindergarten program, and tour the school. PTO members will also be present to share how you can get involved! *Kindergarten Orientation replaces Kindergarten Information Night.
Would you like to help??
We will be offering an Open House Opportunity on Saturday, February 4th from 10:00-12:00. We will be welcoming new kindergarten families from 10-10:30, and the rest of the time will be a community open house. This will give prospective families the opportunity to learn more about the educational opportunities that are being offered to our students each day.
In order to truly showcase the best of our school, I am asking you to join us by signing up for an hour time slot on Saturday, February 4th. You would sign up to be present in the cafeteria to welcome new to Givens Families, and share some of your favorite experiences as a member of our school community. If you are interested in helping that morning, please sign up here
Yearbooks on Sale Now
2022-2023 Givens Elementary Yearbooks are now available for purchase online here: Yearbook Market
**PLEASE NOTE: The PTO will be purchasing yearbooks as a courtesy for all 5th graders, so 5th-grade families will not need to purchase one. The 5th-grade yearbooks will be distributed to all 5th-grade students at school when they arrive.
Girls on the Run @ Givens
Join the GOTR team at Givens! Our coaching team will inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running. Girls and coaches will run, walk, skip, dance or move forward at whatever pace they like to encourage girls to reach their goals as a team! The spring 2023 season starts the week of March 6th and culminates in a celebratory 5K at Forest Park on May 13th. Go to GOTR info and Registration 23.pdf to learn more today!
Please contact Jessica Johnson (GOTR Coach & Kindergarten teacher) (johnson.jessica@wgmail.org) for more information.
BRRR, it's cold outside...
As the weather gets cold, please take a look at how we make decisions on outdoor recess:
If the Wind Chill or Feel Like Temperature is
-32 degrees and above, recess will be held outside without time limit or restrictions
20 degrees and above, recess is held outside with a 20-minute time limit(this is our current recess time)
15- 20 degrees: limit our recess to 10 minutes outdoors. Recess will not be shortened, students will just spend half their time outside and half inside.
Under 15 degrees: recess will be held indoors.
Please make sure students are prepared for participation in recess if it will occur. If students don't have a coat to wear outside, they may be asked to stay in. If your family needs support in providing winter wear, please reach out to Ms. Showalter, our School Social Worker (showalter.melissa@wgmail.org). Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
All Givens parents/caregivers are invited to attend the next PTO meeting which is scheduled for Monday, February 6th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. The meeting will take place in the Givens library and will have a Zoom option as well. Zoom information below:
Zoom link: https://wgsdstl.zoom.us/j/91946363555...
Meeting ID: 919 4636 3555
Passcode: Givens
Mark your calendars for this year's Trivia Night & Silent Auction on Saturday, April 29th from 6-9! We are currently looking for event sponsors, round sponsors, and donations for the silent auction. If you are interested in donating, please contact Sarah Paradoski at sarahparadoski@gmail.com! You can also reach out to Sarah Paradoski if you are interested in helping contact local businesses and previous donors about fundraising opportunities. For either of these options, just be sure to let us know before soliciting to see if they are on our list or have been asked to donate already so we make sure we don't double ask - and if we have already sent them a request but you have a connection, we would love to have you follow up to let them know!
Please use the donation letter and return form provided below when soliciting donations. These forms can also be found in the front office upon request.
Donation Letter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pOf5R_FwfV9lIBRHY9lMgwl0fz6pOf0p/view?usp=sharing
Donation Return Form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1axRy61Ov7DqdjnQlQ8kBCarRpt61I5Ic/view?usp=sharing
FYI
2022-2023 Givens School Buzz Book
**All editing will be closed down at the end of March. At this time, we will download a PDF and share it electronically with all families. Until then, you will always be able to access this from our Gray Wolf Gazette.
News From Around the District
It's not too late to signup for free and reduced lunch. You can do so here and return it to
Webster Groves High School
100 Selma Avenue
Webster Groves, MO 63119
Attention: Food Service Office
Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary School
Email: beechamjudge.malissa@wgmail.org
Website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/domain/142
Location: 701 North Rock Hill Road, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314-963-6460
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GivensElem