John Muir Elementary School
November 2018
Principal's Note
Welcome, November!
As October draws to an end, I would like to share with you how great your children are!! Everyday as I go into classrooms and walk around the building, I am so proud to see your children learning and being kind to one another. Together we are creating such a wonderful place to learn and grow. I am honored to be at John Muir Elementary School. I would also like to take the time to recognize and thank everyone for their commitment to our school. Below you will find these special thank yous.
Parent Teacher Club Thank you for a successful Color Run Fundraiser, our annual fall Sock Hop and for donating pumpkins and fall decorations for every student in our school!! We appreciate you.
Parent Teacher Conferences Thank you to our teachers for their extra time preparing for these conferences. Thank you to all of our parents who attended conferences. Thank you to Kwik Trip for donating bananas as a healthy snack at our conferences. Also, thank you to our wonderful administrative assistants, Mrs. Ryczek and Mrs. Kaluzny, for preparing and arranging meals for our teachers during our conference nights.
Homecoming Float Thank you to Mr. Peterson (Mrs. Peterson’s husband) for constructing such a safe wagon for our students to ride on for the Homecoming Parade and for driving our float in the parade. Also, thank you to Mrs. Shaben for designing and decorating our float. It looked awesome!!
Safety
At John Muir, we strive to make sure every student gets home safely. As parents, you can help us by keeping transportation changes to a minimum. Most students have a “usual" way of going home. If your child would need to deviate from that plan, please write a note in the agenda. While we realize that last minute changes occur, they do present challenges to your children and our staff. Please be mindful of this and limit last-minute telephone calls and changes.
As a reminder, your child is not allowed to ride a different bus without permission from Riteway (608-745-1501).
Community Music Mondays & Volunteers
If you, or anyone you know, would like to participate in our Community Music Mondays or would like to volunteer at John Muir Elementary please contact the school office.
Have a wonderful November and take time to celebrate with your family.
Mrs. Garrigan
Infinite Campus
It is important that you check/update your Infinite Campus Portal. If you are unable to log-in, contact our registrar for assistance. At school we use this information to contact you for various reasons. One example is when your child is sick or hurt at school.
* Is my address correct?
* Is my email correct?
* Are my telephone numbers correct?
* Are my emergency contacts correct?
Also please check your phone to make sure your voicemail box is set up, and the John Muir telephone number is not blacklisted. It is important that we have at least one number we can reach during the school day.
Dean of Students Note
*Please check our Lost and Found for your child’s missing coat or sweatshirt when you are in the building.
*If you would also consider labeling the inside of your child’s coat with his/her information, we can better help in the quest for those that end up in the “Universe and Beyond”!
*It makes us so happy to see all of the smiling faces in the morning as the children arrive for the day. Being on time and being at school every day is a goal that we would love to see our Muir students achieve on their way to being successful students.
Attendance Achievement
Give a CHEER and give a SHOUT! John Muir had over a 97% attendance rate for the month of September. Let’s keep up the good work. It is important for your student to be at school ON TIME everyday. While we realize that there are some times when this is impossible, we encourage everyone to try. Remember to contact the school at 608-742-5531 if your child will not be here.
Dress for the Weather
Students are required to go outside for recess unless they have a DOCTOR’S NOTE excusing them from this activity. Please be mindful of this and send the appropriate clothing for your student. Jackets, hats, mittens and boots will be needed as the temperature drops.
Battle of the Books
This month in the library, our fourth and fifth graders are forming teams and starting to read the books for this year’s Battle of the Books. The Battle of the Books is a fun, academic-based competition that encourages students to read. Students participating in the Battle of the Books agree to read a pre-selected list of 20 titles. There are a lot of excellent books on the list this year, and we are excited to get started! Ask your child what books on the list they are responsible for reading. Students need to know the authors of the books, as well as the titles, so they may be asking you for help in memorizing them. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at marshalle@portage.k12.wi.us.
School Lunch and Breakfast is Important!
Like your car, children need fuel to run efficiently. Eating school breakfast and lunch is one tool your student can use to help him/her succeed. Breakfast is available at school everyday from 7:40 until 7:55. There is a salad option for lunches. The lunch and breakfast menus are available online. The red link below will provide you with information.
Nurse's Note
Vision Screening
Students in kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades will participate in vision screening. Students will have a recheck screening completed prior to the school nurse sending a referral letter for an eye exam by an eye doctor.
Referrals are sent out to parents/guardians in writing so you may take the results to your eye doctor. If your insurance does not cover an eye doctor exam, or the insurance does not cover the cost of glasses, our school nurse can connect you to resources so your child will have what s/he needs. This also applies if you do not have insurance. Please contact the school nurse to discuss the referrals, or if you need assistance with obtaining services or glasses for your child.
Anyone may refer his son/daughter for a screening by the school nurse.
Remember, children learn so much through what they see. An eye exam is the only way to know for sure if your child needs glasses or not.
Mrs. Hon may be reached at 742-4867, extension 4131.
Lost or Missing Eye Glasses
If your child has lost his or her eye glasses, please have them go to the main office of the school and report this. Often lost glasses are found and turned in to the school office. The bus company is another place to consider checking if your child rides the bus.
Music Notes
Thanks to all the parents that showed up in the music room to talk with me during Parent Teacher conferences. It was great to see all of you.
I want to say congratulations to the cast of our mini-musical "Elfis and the Elves Get All Shook Up." They are Caleigh S. as Elfis, Riley F. as Santa, and his elves who will be played by Jacquelyn J., Natalee J., Hannah F., Lilly A., Trinity W., Sophia B., Ava H., Abby R., Alexis F., Steve B., Taylor H., Gracie T., Mercedez N., Myah H., Olivia G., Keira S. and Aidyn P.. They are working hard to prepare our mini-musical, which will be performed on Dec. 14 at 1:30 p.m. in our John Muir Gym.
Besides working on the musical, 5th graders are working on reviewing the lines and spaces of the treble staff in preparation for our piano keyboard unit, which we will be starting in January. If you are considering buying your child a keyboard, please make sure that it has full sized piano keys.
Fourth graders have explored the instruments of the string family. Thanks to the generosity of Ms. Kaluzny, they were even able to try playing a violin. Next Stop - the percussion family. Third graders are working on learning a rhythmic ostinato that will be used during one of our songs at the holiday program. They will also be learning the dotted half note. Second graders have been working hard to find their singing voices by doing vocal roller coasters and doing some solo singing. They will also be learning a new note - the half note.
Ms.Yerke