Maine Messenger
February 3rd, 2023
Message from the principal...
Dear Maine Lion Families~
Brrr! I hope your families are staying warm! When the weather warms up a little we are excited to hold our FIRST Helping Hands Reward! Our students have reached over 500 Helping Hands tickets for doing helpful things for others! Part of the reward was a Hot Chocolate Day...which just happened to be on National Hot Chocolate Day! How cool! The second part of our reward will be to have the Leadership Buddy classrooms build snowmen together around the front of our school and playground! The kids are very excited...but we definitely need to wait for warmer temps and a fresh snowfall. Stay tune!
Our Student Success Conferences have been set for the spring. We are excited to go through your child's progress and achievement so far this year. Our students are working on personal goal setting and we will have those goals to share with you also! Conferences will occur on:
- Thursday, February 16th from 3:45-7:45pm
- Thursday, February 23rd from 3:45-7:45pm
Your child should have brought home a sheet with a PTCFast link that you can use to schedule a conference. Please note that Mrs. Bandura and Mrs. McCarthy will be scheduling through a paper note due to them combining their conferences. Thanks!
Your partner in education,
Ms. Simonson
February Leader in Me Focus - Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Seeking to understand takes courage. It is hard to admit when you have made a mistake. But when we listen to others and their ideas, we can learn a lot.
Habits at Home ~ Habit 5 ~ Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
- Get several pairs of eyeglasses—some prescription, some sunglasses. Let each child look at the same object through a different set of glasses. They might say it’s blurry, dark, blue-tinted, or clear, all depending on what glasses they are wearing. Explain that the differences in what they see represent the different ways people see things in life. Let them trade glasses to get an idea of seeing something the way someone else sees it.
- Prepare a “taste” platter with a number of different items of food on it. Let everyone taste each item. Compare responses, and talk about how some people may really love a particular food, such as sour pickles, that others find distasteful or bitter. Point out how this is symbolic of how differently people experience life and explain how important it is for all of us to really understand how other people may experience things differently than we do.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win Leadership Buddy Activity
On Tuesday, January 31st, students synergized with their Leadership Buddies to reflect on Habit 4, “Think Win-Win.” Our Maine Lion leaders learned that in order to think win-win, they must balance courage for getting what they want with consideration for what others want. They must make deposits in others’ Emotional Bank Accounts. And finally, when conflicts arise, they look for third alternatives.
During the leadership buddy activity, students listened to the read aloud Franklin is Bossy by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark, looking for clues of win-lose, lose-win, lose-lose, and win-win situations. Students showcased their learning by writing down a way they will show a win-win attitude this year.Helping Hands Reward - Hot Chocolate Day!
Leader in Me - Helping Hands Program at Maine!
Upcoming Dates to Mark on your Calendar:
February 1st-3rd - 5th Graders to the School Forest
February 16th - Student Success Conferences
February 17th - No School - Professional Development Day for Staff
February 23rd - Student Success Conferences
February 24th - School Dance - Luau Theme
Brrr...It's Getting Cold & Windy Out...
If you are in need of winter gear for your child(ren), please contact Miss Sears at 715-261-0254.