Words from Walsh September, 2019
Staying connected with Walsh School
Greetings from Principal Martin
I am excited to welcome everyone to Walsh School and anticipate a successful and fun-filled year for all our students. Our first days went well, and I can only assume that it was because of our energetic, supportive parents who worked with our staff to make each and every child feel safe and welcome.
We will again be using First Student bus service and their experienced leaders, dispatchers and drivers. Should you have any bus concerns, please contact Jen, the dispatcher, at 815-726-0033 or the office. For our early childhood students, transportation will be provided by Grand Prairie. The dispatcher, Connie, can be reached at 815-838-1012, or Elaine with Special Services at 815-836-7719, should you have concerns. I cannot express enough gratitude for everyone’s patience and understanding during our first few weeks, both with transportation and in our parking lots. Hopefully by now, all of the necessary bussing adjustments have been made, and we have settled into a regular routine.
For our car riders, I remind you to be alert when using our parking lot. Always use the circle drop off in the morning, and when picking up, remember that no child should cross the parking lot without an adult. There is, of course, absolutely no parking for pick-up or drop off in the front parking lot. Remember to only use the North Street parking lot. I thank you for your effort in helping to keep our children safe.
All transportation release forms should have been turned in by now. If the office has contacted you regarding these forms, please be prompt in turning those in. Most of our bussing calls are about busses running a little late - which we anticipated - but now you will begin to see a more regular drop off time. The other concerns were having a person at the stop that was not on the release form, causing a delay in the route, as paras on board were calling the office for permission to release students. Please make sure you adhere to your list when asking people to pick up your child on the corner or call the office to add new names.
All physicals, dental and eye exams are now due for our kindergarten students. Please turn them in as soon as possible, if you haven’t done so already. Please contact our school nurse with any medical needs or concerns for your child.
Our hot lunch program is in full swing and the students are enjoying the different selections that are offered. If your child prefers a sack lunch from home, please make sure you pack healthy choices for him/her to enjoy. The lunch menu can be found online at www.d92.org.
Next up! Spirit Sticks are back! This positive reinforcement program has once again started at Walsh School. Look for the letter that went home last week for more details.
As always, if you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me. ~ Mrs. Teresa Martin
Important Dates in September
Mark Your Calendars
2 – No School/Labor Day
3 - G.R.E.A.T. Program begins in 1st grade
3 – Bus Evacuation Drills
4 - Tornado Drills
5 - Lockdown Drills
11 – Patriot Day/Wear Red, White or Blue
13 – School Improvement - 11:55 Dismissal; No Early Childhood/Preschool
17 – Picture Day!
17 – Board of Education Meeting 7:00 pm
27 – Spirit Day/Crazy Sock Day!
Drop off times: no earlier than 8:40 a.m.
Please be prompt for pick-up at 3:30 p.m.
Remember to call the office by 9:00 a.m. if your child will be absent.
Office hours are 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. ~ 815-838-7858 www.d92.org
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS and PARTIES
District 92 has a “no food celebration” rule for birthdays and holiday parties. We have a list of many examples of other fun ways to celebrate your child’s special day available in the office. Our media center is also helping out by making a “birthday book” available to purchase and donate to the Walsh library. Your child's name will be put in the book and she/he will be thanked during the announcements. Please contact Amy Rusick, media specialist, with any questions. There is also our famous pencil and notebook machine. Some busy parents find it easy to send in one quarter for each student, and the class parades down to the lobby to purchase a treat themselves!
There are 2 class parties during the school year: Halloween in October and the Holiday Party in December. Teachers will assign 3 room parents to help organize and run the party. There will be a costume parade before the Halloween party, and all parents and friends can come watch the students parade through the gym. More information will come home through the backpacks as we get closer to these fun events.
PICTURE DAY - September 17th
Notes From Nurse Jeri
Also, physicals and eye exams must be in by October 15th per state law and regulations, or children will be excluded. Please get those forms in as soon as possible. Thank you!
P.E. News by Mr. Wallace
Kindergarten News
Welcome to our students and families! We are so glad that you are here! Kindergarten is off and running, and we are getting to know our teacher, our classroom, our school, our staff, and friends! Our focus has been to build a friendly classroom environment! The kindergartners are very busy learning the routines that will be in place all year long. The students are adapting to the longer school day, and building stamina to work independently.
We are excited to begin our Launch Unit of Reader's Workshop. We will work on developing good reading habits. Students will explore a variety of different books and texts. They will learn how to talk about books and share with their peers while exploring the different generes.
We are also very excited to begin our math series Bridges. We have started with learning about numbers one through five.
You can continue to support this smooth transition by providing a healthy snack, checking your child's folder nightly, and making sure he/she gets enough sleep at night. These three tips will help us sustain a successful year!
First Grade News
As we begin the new school year, there is a lot of excitement down the first-grade hallway! Students have had a chance to see old friends and make new friends, too. Students have also been busy learning important new routines, rules and procedures.
We have started our reading curriculum, Schoolwide. During the Schoolwide launching unit, students will be learning about text and genre features, choosing a "just right" book, making connections, discovering new vocabulary and writing an opinion piece.
Our math series is called Bridges. In this program, students focus intensively on the four critical areas specified by the common core state standards for mathematics in grade one: *Addition and subtraction within 20; *Whole number relationships and place value; *Linear measurement in non-standard units; and *Reasoning with shapes and their attributes.
In addition, students participate in math practice, math workplaces, and math sprints.
September is also a very important time at home. It is a time to establish homework routines, which will carry throughout the school year. Parents should allow time for reading and practicing math facts each night.
We are off to a great start and we look forward to a successful school year!
Early Childhood News
Our early childhood program has the most enthusiastic and engaging students, parents, staff, and teachers! Both classes have adjusted nicely to the school schedule and enjoy our specials, including physical education, art, music, and the media center. Our curriculums incorporated into the preschool programs include Second Step, Bridges Math, and Fundations, which are all in preparation for the kindergarten program. Our goal is to have each student reach the highest potential possible in every area, and most importantly, to instill a love of school and a positive self-image. Thanks to everyone for supporting us this school year!!
The Reading Corner by Mrs. Senders, First Grade Reading Specialist
Motivating Kids to Read -- Studies show that the more children read, the better readers and writer they become. But what can you do to motivate your children to read more regularly? As a parent, you know that reading is important, and you probably feel frustrated if your child does not like to read. Many forces in children’s lives pull them away from reading – television, video games and after-school activities – but finding a way to incorporate reading and writing activities into your child’s daily routine may not be as difficult as it seems. Try the following: Learn more about your child’s interest and suggest books, magazines, and articles that relate to those topics. Sometimes good movies are a starting point for pleasure reading – after seeing a movie based on a book, children will be motivated to read the book. Sometimes travel sparks reading, and finding books that relate to a place you visit on a family vacation can get a child hooked. Keep books and other reading materials in your home. Read books with your children! Children of any age can appreciate being read to. Be a good role model – let your children see you reading.
Music Notes by Mrs. Joanne Moan, Music Teacher
Welcome to the Walsh Music Room!
Thank you to all the students and staff members that have made me feel so welcome here at Walsh!
I can’t wait to teach our children the joys of music. Music takes us to new places!
Early Childhood: The preschool students will be practicing steady beats using classroom instruments like rhythm sticks, eggs, and drums. We are moving our feet to different styles and speeds of music, with some dancing, too! We love songs about animals.
Kindergarten: The Kindergarten students are reviewing music skills like steady beat, pitch matching and high/low. We will be “Goin’ to the Farm”, and meeting all kinds of farm animals. We will meet ducks, chickens, and cows this month. The students will also be dancing, playing instruments and games.
1st Grade: The first graders are excited about singing! The students will start with some musical opposites review, like high/low, fast/slow and quiet/loud. Throughout the month, the students will be learning about mallet technique and playing our barred instruments. We are also learning some simple folk dances and sign language.
Mark your calendars for our special Walsh Music Performances this year!
1st Grade: Wednesday, November 20 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
(Your child will be featured in one of the concerts)
Kindergarten: Friday, April 24 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
(Your child will be featured in one of the concerts)
News from the Media Center
Classes have begun working with iPads to locate apps and log into several apps they will be using throughout the school year.
We are learning to close out applications and how to search for apps if we cannot locate them. The students will also be learning how use two of our digital reading resources; Tumblebooks and Bookflix.
Stay tuned for more news...we are just getting started and this little tech train moves fast!
Art News by Mrs. Deckinga
Welcome back! I look forward to seeing everyone and meeting my new kindergarten and EC friends. All the classes will begin the year with seasonal projects. The 1st-grade students will be experimenting with a simple printmaking technique to make autumn refection landscapes. The kindergarten students will be learning how to draw and paint a tree with colorful stippled leaves. My EC friends will be making apple prints, leaf rubbings, and much more!
Making Math Count by Mrs. Romeo
Welcome back! We are very excited to begin our new year. With routines down, we are ready to begin academics. I have found this wonderful new app I would like to share.
Parents know to read to their kids at night, but what about math? Our mission is simple: to make math a fun part of kids' everyday lives, as beloved as the bedtime story. Choose the Math Problem of the Day, or explore over 1600 additional math problems with various zany topics, ranging from electric eels and chocolate chips to roller coasters and flamingos. Each has three levels of challenge ("Wee Ones," "Little Kids," and "Big Kids"), and many also have harder questions ("The Sky's the Limit") for really big kids, grown-ups, and anyone who's feeling brave!
Bedtime Math and Mini Math get kids jazzed about numbers. It's nothing like school. Make it a part of your family's routine today! It is free and fun. I have provided the links below.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.BedtimeMath.Minimath
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.twofours.bedtimemath