Rocket Fuel
December 2022
A Note from Mrs. McMinn
The holidays are a time of reminiscing and being full of gratitude for all that we have. Our school community of teachers, students, parents, and community members have worked so hard this year to bring our families together on campus for different events, to provide financial and emotional support for one another, and to focus on the strengths we each bring to our Polk Central family. The faculty, staff, and I are so grateful for such an amazing support network for our work and students. We are truly blessed! As we move into a new year, we hope to continue to build our Polk Central community and encourage you and your family to participate in our Spring events. Have a wonderful holiday break!
Title I: 10 Gifts that Encourage Reading!
A comfy chair for cozy reading!
A series of Beloved Books.
Bookmark marks make great stocking stuffers.
Snuggling up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate while reading.
Brighten your child's holiday with a new reading light!
A subscription to their favorite magazine will be a year-long gift that keeps giving.
Personalized Journals will promote writing.
For those down times during the holidays, purchase crossword puzzles, word finds, and MadLibs this will help improve spelling, vocabulary, and interest in exploring different books!
A cozy reading area that will entice reading.
Children’s cookbooks will help with reading skills and measurement. Plus, it will build memories for years to come!!!
Guidance Corner with Mrs. Bell
In November and December, our focus is on helping students learn about and practice Self Regulation. I teach Self Regulation as learning to appropriately control or manage your own body, actions, and feelings, a life skill they will need as they grow older. The lessons these months are discussions on what it looks like and stations with interactive coping skills tools that students get to try. We discuss appropriate tools and strategies for all students. I encourage you to continue the discussion of Self Regulation at home to help your child establish a toolbox of coping skills and strategies to help them through their everyday life. These could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, building something with their hands, using a fidget tool, or other kinesthetic activities. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. I am always here to support you and your student.
Why do bilingual students who also speak English with parents and siblings still need ELL services?
The answer to this question is in the difference between academic and social English. Social English is the English we use to communicate with family members and friends about home duties, feelings, daily routines, events, and hobbies. Let’s call it “everyday language”. It contains the vocabulary necessary to name objects, tell stories, and explain our thinking to navigate through the common events of life. However, academic English is the English we use to communicate about topics we learn in school. This type of vocabulary not only contains multisyllabic words like “atmosphere” or “photosynthesis” that you can find in your weekly spelling test. It also contains words for different types of language functions. These are the specific structures we use to summarize, argue, explain, and narrate stories, articles, and the information being presented about academic topics in all subjects.
So, to answer the big question. Students who are proficient in their social English may need more support in the structural areas of academic language.
Nurse Anna says, "Wash Your Hands!"
Washing hands prevents illnesses and the spread of infections to others.
Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea. More than 40 studies found that handwashing with soap can prevent approximately 4 of every 10 cases of diarrhea.
Reduces respiratory illnesses like colds in the general population. Handwashing reduces the rate of respiratory infections by removing respiratory pathogens from hands and preventing them from entering the body or passing on to other people. Evidence suggests that washing hands with soap after defecation and before eating can cut the respiratory infection rate by up to 25%.
Reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in school-age children.