DRAGON TALES
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
A LETTER FROM OUR LEADER
Happy Fall Y’all!
Welcome October! The learning and leading are well into swing for the 16-17 school year!! September brought us applesauce and apple learning fun in first grade!! The hands on learning and explorations abound in 4th grade! Technology integration is in full swing with our 1-1 iPad learning in 5th grade. Kindergartens have taken the plunge into school and are diving deep into building a strong “Fundations” for all their studies! 2nd grade learned the ins and outs of a wrinkled heart, while 3rd grade is digging deep into the main idea! What does October hold?
More learning, more leading, check out a sneak peek of some of our events:
Join us for McTeacher Night October 4th! Your Derby Dragon Teachers will be at the Smiley and Rangeline McDonalds Tuesday, October 4th from 4-8 p.m. for an evening of McFun for the Family! Help Support your Derby Ridge Family School Partnership (FSP) and come out for a spectacular night of laughter! See you there!
Dragon Leaders are celebrating safety with Fire Prevention Week activities learning and leading with our Columbia Fire Department partners! Skits on October 4th and Fire Prevention Week is October 10th-14th.
October 20th 6:00 p.m.—join us! Our students have been busy developing their Dream Playgrounds! And we need your voice as we craft the future! Join us for DINNER and hear our Dragon plans as we look to how we can improve our playground! Be there to see these amazing student presentations!
What better way to celebrate fall than with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch!? Because of the incredible generosity of our amazing DRE FSP we are traveling to the Pumpkin Patch October 20th and 21st!
Our Dragon Leaders are busy planning a week of learning and leading as we Celebrate National Red Ribbon Week October 24th-28th. The finale of this week will be our annual Halloween Parade! Join us for a “Spooktacular” time as our Dragon friends strut their stuff, Friday, October 28th—more details to come!
Parent/Teacher Conferences Ahead! Watch your classroom newsletters for info surrounding our November Parent/Teacher Conferences! Make those appointments early! We look forward to welcoming each of you to all our October events! Thank you for partnering with us as we are living our vision to guiding our students to their full potential!
Always a Learner, Always a Leader, Always a Dragon!
Mrs. Kristi Shinn
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR NEW ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Hello Derby Family,
My name is Allen Miles, and I am the Assistant Principal for the 2016-2017 school year. I am very pleased to be working with your children this year, and I feel like we are already off to a great start. I currently live in Fulton with my wife and our 4 children. I was an art teacher for the Fulton school district for 17 years before coming to work for Columbia Public Schools. We have a lot of great things in store for this year, and I will plan on sharing them out in future newsletters!
The first topic that I want to address is how important school attendance is for your child. When your child does not attend school, they are missing out on lessons that the teachers are required to teach to prepare the students for future lessons and are missing out on acquiring social skills through their peer interactions.
We need your help in creating a consistent routine where your child arrives to school on time and has regular attendance. This will establish a healthy work habit that will follow them throughout their lives.
According to the Department of Education, here are some tips on how to support school attendance:
· Talk positively about attending school and learning
· Help your child get into a routine for getting ready to go to school stress-free
· Help your child to get ready for school in the morning
· Talk about the positive social aspects of the school environment:
- Friends
- Favorite classes
- Favorite teachers
R. Allen Miles
Assistant Principal
Derby Ridge Elementary
(573) 214-3270
FSP Newsletter
digital citizenship in media
In media class, first through fifth grade have been learning how to be good digital citizens and how to be safe on the internet. Kindergarten continues to work on logging into their computers and mouse skills, and they have now started using ST Math on the computers during media class as well, so that they are practicing math as well as using the mouse. In the coming weeks grades three through five will be using Google Slides to make a presentation about themselves.
FITNESS TESTING IN PE
We have had a great start to the year so far in PE! October marks the start of fitness testing.
Fitness testing is a time for us to learn about and practice the 5 components of fitness. Components tested are: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility. During fitness testing, please make sure your child wears appropriate clothing to ensure their success in the test. Thank you for your support in all we do!!
MUSIC IS THE SOUND OF LIFE
The music room has been full of activity and musical sounds! Our fifth and fourth grade musicians have been working on reviewing and learning new rhythm notes with instruments, games, and songs. The third grade students have made great progress with performing melodic and rhythmic rounds, which can be a challenging skill to master. Second grade learners have just discovered a brand new rhythm note, and are doing a wonderful job reading, singing, playing, and listening for it in songs. Our first grade and kindergarten musicians have been learning how to play, hold, identify, and safely care for many different rhythm instruments, as well as sing many different songs together. I have been very impressed with the wonderful singing voices I have already heard this year, and can’t wait to hear more as all of our Dragons continue to grow musically!
DRAGON ARTISTS
Students are excited about our upcoming projects and building our artist family and community. This month we are building positive artist character and learning how to show respect for our own artwork as well as others. In addition to positive conversations about our work, we are learning that great artists have determination and do not give up even when things get tough. Talk with your Dragon Artists about how they show determination and respect in the Dragon Studio. Our Dragon Artists have been working hard to help each other be the best they can be while creating amazing works of art. Our artists are finishing up our first projects, and they are ready to be displayed. Check out our halls as they transform with beautiful colors from our Dragon Artists! Finally, Art Club permission slips have been sent out. Art Club members will be receiving an Art Club calendar soon, so please keep a look out. Mark your calendars: the first Art Club meeting will be October 18. Your child must have turned in a permission slip to attend. Happy Creating!
COUNSELOR CLASSES CALENDAR
Importatnt Dates for October
October 4th Fire Prevention Week Skits 8:30 a.m.
October 4th McTEACHER NIGHT!
October 7th Fitness Friday!
October 7th Derby Spirit Gear goes on sale
October 7th K-2 Distinguished Dragon Assembly
October 9-15 Fire Prevention Week
October 10th Flu Clinic on the Stage from 8:45-10:45 a.m.
October 13th Picture Day for Pre-school
October 13th Picture Re-take Day for K-5
October 14th Fitness Friday!
October 14th 3-5 Distinguished Dragon Assembly
October 19th Early Release Day! 12:50 p.m.
October 19th CPS World Cafe 6:00 p.m. at Holiday Inn Executive Center
October 20th FSP meeting 6:00 p.m
October 21st Fitness Friday!
October 24-28 Red Ribbon Week
October 26th October Principals' Birthday lunches
October 27th FSP Fundraiser Pick up! 3:00-6:00 p.m.
October 28th Halloween Parade and Trunk or Treat Extravaganza!
October 31st NO School Parent/Teacher Conference Work Day!
Derby Ridge Elementary School
Website: http://www.cpsk12.org
Location: 4000 Derby Ridge Drive, Columbia, MO, United States
Phone: 573-214-3270
Twitter: @DerbyDragons