Pawsome News
Mill Creek Elementary School-February 2022
Kindness
"Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give." Unknown
Vision Statement for Mill Creek Elementary School
Our students at Mill Creek will acquire literacies in multiple areas including English Language Arts, math, science, and digital media. They will become creators, problem solvers, and critical consumers of information. They will develop confidence, resilience, persistence, empathy, and compassion. Students will develop a love of learning through fun, challenging, and relevant learning activities. Their academic, physical, and social emotional growth will enable them to lead happy, productive, meaningful lives as contributing members of our democratic society.
Message from the Principal
Children have 4 core needs to help them succeed: physical, social and emotional well-being and health as well as academic development. Nurturing those areas will help your child come to school each day ready to learn. We are working to nurture these needs as well through our academic, physical education and social emotional learning programs.
You can help your child's academic achievement by engaging in simple activities around the house. When you talk with your child about their school day, ask questions that require more than a "yes" or "no answer. "What did you learn today in math?" is a better question than "Did you have a good day?" Also, make sure that literacy is a priority in your home. Sustained reading is a different skill than reading posts on social media! The public library is such a valuable resource in our community. Also, do math games with your kids when you are cooking, traveling, or taking a walk. Have students identify shapes they see or identify measurements when cooking. Look for math opportunities!
Second, regular communication with your child's teacher is important. If you have not already done so, please notify the teacher how to best reach you. It is also good for you to know how to best reach the teacher. Please be patient after you contact the teacher. Remember that they also have families and busy lives after school.
Establishing a school routine is very important for your child's academic success as well as social/emotional and physical well-being. Getting enough sleep is essential for health, happiness, and learning. Establish a reasonable bedtime for kids so they are well-rested and ready to learn. Please make sure that electronic devices are not available for children when they are supposed to be sleeping.
Please set up a quiet area for your child to study, do homework and read. In addition, checking your child's backpack after school and the next morning can help ensure that your child has homework ready to be turned in and has all the necessary materials she/he may need for school.
Finally, our teachers are encouraging more critical thinking during lessons. Your support at home will help your child develop this skill which is increasingly important in our global economy. When your child asks a question, do your best to provide accurate information. When you don't know an answer just admit that and research the answer with your child.
Working together, we can help your child grow and learn so that they have the essential skills they will need to succeed in and beyond school.
Dr. Vitella
youyourchild'sfirstteacher.com, "Boost Student Achievement Through These 5 Parental Involvement Tips"
News From the Office
February 21-Presidents' Day-Schools closed
News from the Nurse
News from Grade 4
Counselors' Corner-Ms. Kradoska
Hello Mill Creek community! During the month of February, we will be celebrating the theme of KINDNESS. Phrases like “random acts of kindness” and “pay it forward” have become very popular, which can perhaps be best explained by those who have identified a deficiency in their lives that can only be fulfilled by altruism. It seems there are good reasons why we can’t get enough of those addictive, feel-good emotions, as scientific studies prove there are many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits associated with kindness. As minds and bodies grow, it’s abundantly clear that children require a healthy dose of the warm-and-fuzzies to thrive as healthy, happy, well-rounded individuals.
Patty O'Grady, an expert in neuroscience, emotional learning, and positive psychology, specializes in education. She reports that “kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it.”
A great number of benefits have been reported to support teaching kindness in schools, such as:
-happy, caring children
-greater sense of belonging
-improved self-esteem
-increased peer acceptance
-improved health and less stress
-increased feelings of gratitude
-better concentration
-reduced depression
-less bullying
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
~The Lion and the Mouse, Aesop’s Fables
SWPBIS News
Welcome to February! The SWPBIS team would like to take this month to highlight our Fun Days. Fun Days are different dress up/spirit days where students are asked to join in the fun of dressing up in a different color or theme. These days are for fun and come at no cost. Students who participate do have the option of entering one PAWS ticket into the school raffle for a chance to win a prize. Our first two Fun Days of the year have been successful, and we cannot wait to see what the rest of these days bring! Come have fun and be festive with us this year! Please see below for the schedule.