Shawnee Heights Elementary Scoop
Weekly Update (October 7, 2022)
What's Coming at SHES!
Monday, October 10- Friday, October 14
- Fire Safety Week at SHES
Friday, October 14
- NO SCHOOL for students; Teacher Work Day
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Wednesday, October 19
- 1st Quarter Summary reports send electronically
Thursday, October 20
- 3rd grade Vocal Music Program 6:30 PM in district auditorium at SHHS
- 4th grade Vocal Music Program 7:30 PM in district auditorium at SHHS
Friday, October 21
- SHHS Homecoming! ***Due to this important district event, the SHES PTO Food Truck/Movie Night previously posted on our school calendar will be rescheduled.
Wedneday, October 26
- Outdoor Halloween Parade 9:30 a.m. followed by classroom parties
- Parent-Teacher conferences 5:00-8:00 PM (Sign-up link below!)
Thursday, October 27
- Parent-Teacher conferences 8:00 AM-8:00 PM (Sign-up link below!)
Friday, October 28
- NO SCHOOL for students and staff
Have your reserved your Parent-Teacher conference time?
Our Fall Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for:
Wednesday, October 26 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Thursday, October 27 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Please note that each teacher has their own tab on the sign up link. Please make sure to select the appropriate tab(s) to sign up for a conference for each of your student(s).
Our SHES sign-up can be found here: https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/63275dc0fa2cceac35-shesfall1
Halloween Festivities are coming soon!
We invite all parents to enjoy our outdoor parade (weather permitting) on Wednesday, October 26th at 9:30 a.m. Please bring your lawn chair or stand as we parade by classes down the North walkway, front sidewalk and blacktop playground areas! We ask that any parents coming refrain from wearing costumes with masks for the safety and security of all.
Classroom celebrations will follow the parade for students to enjoy snacks, games, crafts or other activities to celebrate and then transition into regularly scheduled activities and learning for the day at 10:30 a.m. Parents are welcome to attend the classroom parties.
Students are invited to wear their costumes to school in morning. Please remember no toy weapons or accessories that do not comply with our SHES Student Handbook. Students may change out of their costumes or stay in them for the remainder of the day.
A Note from our Principal; Mrs. Rebecca Hummer
As I shared in our previous newsletters, Students, Parents, Faculty/Staff and Administration all have responsibilites to help our students reach success. I hope you all had an opportunity to review the responsibilities from our Ci3T plan. Coming home in backpack mail on Monday (Oct.10) is a Ci3T informational letter and a family commitment form to sign and return. We look forward to our continued partnership in making this a positive school year!
My door is always open. I appreciate your feedback and love hearing positive impacts our staff are having on your student(s) as well as our community. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. I can be reached at 785-730-5345 or at hummerr@usd450.net.
Thank you for choosing SHES and trusting us with your student(s).
Sincerely,
Rebecca Hummer
Thunderbolts demonstrating 8 Keys of Excellence!
James
Ci3T ticket winners
Pierson
Our focus on the 8 Keys of Excellence
THIS IS IT! – Make the most of every moment
Focus your attention on the present moment. Keep a positive attitude.
This Is It! is about focusing on NOW instead of later, or next week, or next month, or next year, or yesterday, etc., and making the most of it. A positive This Is It! attitude can make everything we do and every day productive, fulfilling, and fun!
Life is full of distractions and opportunities to do something else, something other than what we’re doing now. Many of us spend a lot of time thinking about those other things. Instead of making what we’re doing now “it” our focus is often elsewhere—on things we wanted to do, could have done, should have done, or want to do “sometime.” Whenever our thoughts are occupied with something other than what we’re doing, we miss what’s going on around us in the moment … while we’re waiting for the next moment to arrive the present moment slips away.
When we live in the NOW we have power! With a This Is It! attitude we make the present “it” and find joyful moments that we might otherwise have missed!
A note from our Dean of Students; Mrs. Shawnie Hays
This month we will be focusing on our bus expectations. Below you will see how our 8 Keys connect to our bus expectations. Safety on the bus is our number one priority. Please take a moment to review the bus expectations with your student.
Several of our SHES bus riders have received a positive bus referral from their bus driver! Congratulations! Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Shawnie Hays
SHES Counselor's Corner; Ms. Sheri Fleming
During the month of October, Kindergarten through 5th grade classes will be learning more about how to Recognize, Report, and Refuse bullying during their counselor time each week. These are the core principles taught in the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit.
6th grade will meet with Mrs. Hays, Mrs. Hummer, and me to review SHES bullying policies, the bullying law that Kansas has in place, and ways to determine what is bullying and what is not.
Below is some helpful information for our SHES families about the most common unkind behaviors that often get miscategorized as bullying.
Is it Bullying or Something Else?
We already know that bullies are not kind to others. They push, shove and call people names. They also might engage in cyberbullying, relational aggression and countless other types of bullying. But what many people do not realize is that not every unkind thing kids do constitutes bullying. Kids, especially young kids, are still learning how to get along with others. They learn from parents, teachers and other adults when kindness, conflict resolution, inclusion, and responsibility is modeled for them.
Kids will occasionally do or say something that is hurtful. And while it is important to address the behavior, it is inappropriate to automatically label it bullying. Instead, try to distinguish between hurtful or unkind behavior and bullying behavior.
For something to constitute bullying, it must contain three elements: an imbalance of power, a repetition of hurtful behaviors, and an intention to inflict harm. In other words, kids who bully usually are bigger, older or have more social power than their targets. They also do or say more than one mean thing to the target. An example might include mocking, name calling and insulting the target repetitively. And finally, the goal of the bully is to harm the other person in some way so that they have even more control and power over the target.
When you hear that someone has been unkind to your child, it is easy to automatically assume that the behavior is bullying. However, that is often not the case. Here are some of the most common unkind behaviors that get labeled as bullying when they shouldn't.
Expressing Negative Thoughts and Feelings
Children are often open and honest with thoughts and feelings. Young children, especially, will speak the truth without thinking about the consequences. For example, a child might ask: "Why is your dad in a wheelchair?", not realizing that it might be a topic another child could be sensitive about. These types of remarks are not bullying. They usually come from a place of innocence, so an adult should give them ideas on how to ask questions or say things in a way that isn't offensive or sensitive.
It’s also important that children on the receiving end of unkind remarks learn how to communicate their feelings with the offending child. For instance, it is healthy to say, “I felt hurt when you laughed at my new braces,” or “I don’t like it when you call my mom names.” Giving kids tools to express their hurt empowers them to not only take ownership of their feelings but to learn how to be assertive when someone is unkind.
Being Left Out
It is natural for kids to have a select group of close friends. Although children should be friendly and kind toward everyone, it’s unrealistic to expect them to be close friends with every child they know. It’s also normal that your child will not get an invitation to every function or event. There will be times when they are left off the guest list for birthday parties, outings, and playdates. This is not the same thing as ostracizing behavior, which is bullying. When your children feel left out, remind them that sometimes they too have to choose not to include everyone.
Being excluded is very different from being left out. When kids, particularly mean girls, exclude others, they are doing it with the intention of causing harm. They also may post photos of the event and talk about how much fun they had in front of your child. When this happens, this is exclusion, which is bullying.
Experiencing Conflict
Kids bicker and fight, and learning to deal with conflict is a normal part of growing up. The key is for children to learn how to solve their problems peacefully and respectfully. A fight or a disagreement with a close friend does not represent bullying—even when kids make unkind remarks. Likewise, a spat or disagreement with a classmate here and there is not bullying.
Teasing
Most kids get teased by friends and siblings in a playful, friendly or mutual way. They both laugh and no one’s feelings get hurt. Teasing is not bullying as long as both kids find it funny.
Unkind teasing that is not bullying can happen too, and classmates sometimes engage in this. If it happens once or infrequently, it often does not fit the criteria for bullying. But when this teasing becomes cruel and repetitive, it crosses the line into bullying.
Joking and teasing become bullying when there is a repeated, conscious decision to hurt another person. Teasing becomes bullying when kids continuously:
- Make demeaning comments
- Engage in name calling
- Spread rumors
- Make threats
Not Playing Fair
Wanting games to be played a certain way is not bullying. This desire typically comes from being assertive, a natural-born leader or may even be selfishness. But when a child begins to consistently threaten other kids or physically hurt them when things don’t go their way, then not playing fair transforms into bullying. Now, it is no longer about being selfish; it is about having the power and control in the relationship.
If your child has bossy friends, teach them how to respond to bossy behavior. For example, your child could say: “Let’s play your way the first time. Then, let’s try my way.” Also, be sure you teach your kids how to develop healthy friendships. Talk to them about the dangers of fake friends. If a playmate never wants to do things any way but their own, this could be a sign of a controlling friend.
When hearing about the unkind behaviors your child experiences, be sure you label them correctly. Doing so will help you keep things in perspective, not only for you but for your child as well. What's more, it will help you know how to handle the situation appropriately so that your child can learn and grow from it. When your child does experience bullying, take the necessary steps to ensure that it gets stopped. This might be talking with the offending child’s parents, or bringing up your concern to your child’s teacher, counselor and principal.
Meet our SHES staff
Paras (4-6)
(left to right)
Mrs. LundyMrs. Harrington
Mrs. Gross
Paras (Functional)
(left to right)
Mrs. PileMrs. Hill
Mrs. Brewer
Mrs. Hogan
Mrs. Prockish
Literacy Tutors
(left to right)
Mrs. LawrenzMrs. Richter
Mr. Lawson
Speech
(left to right)
Mrs. StreeterMrs. Garrett
Mrs. Morgan
Paras (Functional)
Mrs. Johnson
Mrs. Langr-Fredrickson
Mr. Lind
Mrs. Handshumaker