John Muir Elementary School
December 2018
Don't Spread Germs
Winter Concert -December 14
Take the School Breakfast Quiz
A Note from Mrs. Garrigan
Welcome,
Happy December. As we complete our first quarter of school and move on to the second quarter, I want to say thank you for all the support you have shown in your children’s academic and mindful learning. Thank you for reading with your children, completing math homework, signing agendas, and following through with consistent routines and expectations at home. Your leadership in these areas creates independence and self-motivation for your children to be their best. They make me proud, and I just wanted you to know so you could be proud of them too. Great Parents, Great Kids!!
Parent Teacher Club The Parent Teacher Club is holding a Holiday Extravaganza the day of our Holiday Program, December 14th, at 1:30 p.m. The Gymnasium/Cafeteria doors will open at 1:00 p.m. for our Scholastic Book Fair and John Muir T-Shirt and Sweatshirt sales. After the holiday concert, the students will return to their rooms, and then you are able to shop at the delicious PTC Bake Sale in the Art Room. Thank you to everyone for helping with this event and bringing food for our PTC Bake Sale. We appreciate you.
Community Music Monday Every Monday morning from 7:30-8:00 a.m. we have performers welcoming our students and staff into a new school week. If you have a musical talent that you would like to share with us or you know someone who would be a wonderful addition, please let us know. You can send me an email, garriganj@portage.k12.wi.us,or call the school at 742-5531.
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 child(ren) 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).
Safety Drill Portage Community School District Before January 1, 2019, our school board must ensure that our school district has held its annual school violence drill, according to Wisconsin ACT 143. Between November 27 and December 7, 2018, each school in the district will be practicing their lockdown procedures. Administrators and staff will be letting students know this is a practice. We ask that you discuss the importance of this drill and all others we practice, i.e. fire drills and tornado drills, with your child(ren) ahead of time to help prepare them.
Have a wonderful December and take time to celebrate with your family.
A note from Mrs. Shaben
As we continue to emphasize the importance of being kind and building character at John Muir Elementary School, we ask you to consider completing some of these activities with your children during this holiday season.
Winter Concert
Don’t forget our Winter Concert is on December 14th at 1:30 in the John Muir Gym. Come rock and roll with Elfis and the Elves. Feel the rhythm of the ostinato as some of our third graders accompany the Kwanzaa song. Congratulations to Alex B., Isabella G., Rylend B., and Brody K., on this effort.
Bakers Wanted
The John Muir Parent Teacher Club needs your help! We are looking for donations of baked goods for our annual bake sale. Please send cookies, cakes, holiday treats, and other delicious items to school with your child by Friday, December 14. Please help by having your goods individually packed and ready for the sale. A flyer will be coming home with more information.
Scholastic Book Fair - Winter Extravaganza
Music Notes
Second grade is practicing concert etiquette and learning what to expect from a concert. They have also been learning about music notation using a variety of percussion instruments - the triangle, güiro, tambourine, and drum.
Third grade has been working with rhythm sticks and learning to play a new note - the dotted half note.
Fourth grade will be starting a percussion unit. Discuss the percussion instruments you have seen or heard (Ask them about the marimba that came to John Muir Music Monday.)
Fifth grade learned how to read note names on lines and spaces above and below the staff.
Take the One Question Breakfast Quiz
What is a Frudel?
_____ A. Whole grain-rich frozen strudel with rich, natural fruit flavor.
______ B. Favorite breakfast choice served at John Muir School.
______ C. Warm and yummy food that provides your grain equivalent.
______ D. All of the above.
If you answered “D”, you win! Reward yourself with a School Breakfast, and try out this delicious item and many more.
Library and Technology News
Our Battle of the Books has gotten off to a great start! We have lots of teams enrolled in all our elementary schools. I am planning BoBfest. It will be after school one night later this month. We will play Battle Jeopardy, Battle Pictionary, do puzzles based on the books, read the picture books to them, eat pizza, and talk strategy. This event is not mandatory for Battle participants, but we do have a lot of fun, and it is good practice for the teams. There will be more information coming your way when we have a date scheduled.
Fourth and fifth graders participated in a Breakout Box activity last month in their tech class. Breakout Boxes are educational versions of Escape Rooms. We have a box with several locks on it. Students have to solve puzzles to get the combinations of the locks. They have their 30 minute class to solve all the problems. These activities require a lot of communication, teamwork, and out of the box thinking. While not all the classes got into their boxes, they will have another opportunity later this year with different puzzles. We have 2 Breakout activities planned for third grade as well, and are working on some for the younger grades.
Nurse's Notes
When your child is ill
Students have attendance expectations, but if your child is ill, please keep him or her home to rest. The Student Health Guidelines are published in the Portage School District student handbook. Please review these expectations. The district medical advisor has participated in the development of the guidelines.
Students who present to the school office with symptoms during the school day will have these guidelines taken into consideration. For example, a student who comes to the office complaining of not feeling well will be asked to identify what is not feeling well. Is it a headache, stomachache, fever, cough? Temperature checks are made frequently. Sometimes a few minutes of rest and a drink of water is all that is needed. We will call you if action needs to be taken.
Handwashing
Germs are commonly spread through direct contact or by sprays from coughs or sneezes. Washing your hands at key times throughout the day is very important to stop the spread of germs. Please work with your child to practice good hand washing skills that includes the use of soap. Be sure you focus on both the fronts and backs of hands, between the fingers and fingertips. Keep nails trimmed and clean. Fingernails longer than ¼ inch are known to harbor more dirt and bacteria, so a nail brush may be needed.
Key times students are encouraged to wash hands at school include:
after using the restroom
before eating lunch or snack
when dirty, such as after recess or art
after coughing, sneezing, or blowing the nose
any time a child wants to
before preparing food
Handwashing helps to keep our fellow students healthy. Many students have chronic health concerns causing a lowered immune system. These students are no different than others, but are challenged with staying healthy on a daily basis. Let’s all step up the hand washing, for ourselves and others!
Here is a poster that sums up handwashing as a family activity. http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/hygiene/hwfamily.pdf
Winter Break - 20 Ways to Make it More Exciting!
This is a great time to go through your old toys and clothes. Chose what to donate, throw away, or keep.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt outside.
Make bird feeders for outside your home.
Go bowling with your family.
Have a book festival.
Go for a hike.
Pretend. Make a grocery store, workshop, or jungle in your play area.
Work off some energy in your own exercise boot camp.
Go for an alphabet run. Look for something that starts with each letter.
Play Hide and Seek.
Make a snowman OUTSIDE.
Make a snowman INSIDE.
Go for a photo safari and write a book about your adventure.
Get Messy.
Make a mural.
Make a volcano (without too much mess).
Do a food taste test (try ice cream, cereal, or even cheese).
Draw and design your own cards.
Measure with Legos.
Display your art. Make your own Gallery. Give someone a tour.