Kahley's Chronicles at Kutz
Kutz School~Where kids care to learn and kids learn to care!
December ~ January Newsletter from Kutz Elementary School
The Reason for the Season
Our Faculty and Staff at Kutz are so generous! This month, they have done several Pay It Forward - Jeans Days. One was for a family in need. Another was for a Gaga Pit to complete our Kutz Playground. Kindergarten collected clothes and gifts for needy children. Another Pay It Forward was for Children and Youth - the Faculty and Staff provided wrapped presents for children.
Did you know Bucks County Children and Youth provides help with presents for Foster Parents, for children in transition and for families in need during the Holiday Season? I did! I benefitted from this wonderful outpouring 10 years ago.
Some of you know, that I adopted my son, Devon, through Children and Youth. He came to me as a Foster Child at age 18 months. He was supposed to stay with me for two weeks. Long story short - his stay became quite a bit longer..............like 10 years longer!
Devon came to me as a Foster Care child, in the summer of 2004. By the time school rolled around, I knew I was in trouble. I could barely manage my job along with the demands of an active two year old, all at the same time, as a single parent. I was so unprepared.
Again, who knew kids got so sick at Child Care and there was this 24 hour no fever/ no vomit rule (who made that one up?) Who knew kids investigated every drawer, electrical socket, make-up table, waste basket, and what- have- you with no boundaries or concern for returning your things? Who knew kids like to eat dinner EVERY single night? And.......breakfast every morning? Who knew I could get a whole school of 600 children quiet in 4 seconds and I couldn't get this one child to stay down for a nap?
December rolled around and I was so behind on Holiday Shopping, Christmas Cards and presents for my little one in wait of Santa Claus. The people from Children and Youth called and said they helped with this as part of their giving program and would be delivering presents to my door for Devon. They promised to place them in an area he would not see. I came home from Child Care Pick-Up and lo and behold - there were a dozen presents on my back deck. I cried............really, I cried! For me, it truly was the miracle of Christmas. Now I have the chance to return the favor with my wonderful colleagues at Kutz!
Just know that Bucks County Children and Youth do so many good things along with trying to keep kids safe and in good homes. They are always looking for donations of this kind. They are overjoyed for people who volunteer to open their homes for Foster Care and you can say yes, to fostering, for a little bit of time or a lot of time. Of course, your visitor may end up staying like mine did, but it is always your choice!
At this special time of the year, may you have all the happiness of the season and many reasons to be surrounded by the love and warmth of others. May some holiday miracles come true for you, too!
Happy Holidays to all!
Dr. Kahley
Love and Logic
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! With Christmas just a few weeks away, you may be having conversations like this with your kids:
“What do you guys want for Christmas this year?” Twelve-year-old Josh was quick to answer with a long list of the latest video games and electronic gadgets. Fourteen-year-old Jennifer answered. “Oh, I’m not as greedy as he is. I’m only asking for one thing this year.”
Astonished, their parents looked at each other, each thinking how much their daughter had matured this year. “What is that, sweetie?”
“A credit card. All my friends have them now.”
Ouch! Is a child this age ready for that responsibility? The answer is that nobody is ready for a credit card until they have practiced, and mastered, the use of many financial tools including:
- experience with managing an allowance
- many experiences paying back small loans to their parents
- experience with late payments and the consequences
- experience with repossessions by the Bank of Mom and Dad
- a solid understanding of interest rates
- practice with a prepaid credit card
- an understanding that it takes over 35 years to pay off a $4,000.00 credit card bill if only minimum payments are made each month
Handing a credit card to a young person without this training is like giving somebody a car without driving lessons.
Jim Fay
More Love and Logic
How do wise parents and educators respond when their kids try to argue and manipulate? The most effective repeat an empathetic one-liner, such as “I love you too much to argue” or “I know” or “What did I say?” They also resist the urge to think too deeply about what the child is saying.
Do we do this when kids are hurting? Do we employ this strategy when they’re respectfully expressing their opinions? No! We listen.
When I ask people to describe the parents and teachers they respected the most as kids, they almost always mention something like, “They were always there to listen.”
Listening means love. It means that we sincerely care
about another’s opinions and emotions.
Here’s the problem: Many of us have a hard time listening when someone around us is emotional or is disagreeing with us. That’s why it’s helpful to have a few little sincere statements or questions in our back pockets:
- Tell me more.
- Help me understand.
- What would you like to see here?
- How long have you felt this way?
The next time one of your kids expresses their opinion…or their hurt…be sure to lend a sincere and empathetic ear, showing loving interest by using the points above. Remember: The more you listen to them, the more likely they’ll listen to you. If the tone turns disrespectful or manipulative, you can always switch gears and repeat, “I love you too much to argue” or “I’ll listen when your voice sounds calm like mine.”
Dr. Charles Fay
2nd Graders
6th Graders
6th Graders
Brought in food, made crafts, wrote holiday cards, and assembled breakfast bags to make the holidays bright for the Bucks County Area Agency for the Aging.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE! PSSA INFO
Please refrain from taking your children out of school during these times.
Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6 English Language Arts April 13 - 17, 2015
Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6 Mathematics April 20 - 24, 2015
Grade 4 Science April 27 - May 1, 2015
For more Information go to CBSD.org - Curriculum - Assessment
Mark Your Calendars for Kutz Jumping Beans Up Coming Performances...
CB East- Friday, January 16 @ 7:00 p.m.
Del Val College- Saturday, January 17, time TBD
CB West- Friday, January 30 @ 7:00 p.m.
St. Joe’s University- Saturday, February 7 @ 4:00 p.m.
A LOOK AHEAD
DECEMBER
12/24 - 1/4 WINTER RECESS
JANUARY
5 School Resumes
9 Flyers Day!
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, SCHOOL HOLIDAY
23 Kutz Spirit Day - Blue/White or Kutz Gear
27 Early Dismissal 12:10 PM, NO PM-K, End of 2nd MP
27 Blood Drive, 2:00PM - 7:00PM (Cafeteria)
28 Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser, 4:00PM - 8:00PM
Upcoming Events are always scrolling on the Kutz Website
Paul W. Kutz Elementary School
Website: www.cbsd.org/Domain/17
Location: 1950 Turk Road, Doylestown, PA, United States
Phone: 267-893-3900