Eagle Sightings May
Holly Wehner, Principal
Dear Eagle Families and Caregivers,
May and sunshine bring on a lot of excitement here at FHES! At recess, we see students more active than in the previous few months. There is so much energy and happiness everywhere you look! The field is alive with games of kickball, tag, soccer, and other creative games. We see students playing four square, basketball, tetherball, and games on the big toy. Also, thanks to funds from the Student Council, and the hard work of Robbie Roe and Mr. Greg, students are playing State Tag on a newly painted United States map on the blacktop area.
Next Wednesday (5:30-7:30), we have Kindergarten Kick Off, which is an exciting evening event for incoming Kindergarten families. If you have any family members or friends who will be 5 on or before August 31, please share the news that enrollment is open! If children and families of possible 2023-2024 kindergarteners would like to come check out Kick Off, there will be enrollment packets available at this event.
The end-of-the-year field trips (to various beaches and other fun island destinations) and the 5th-grade promotion are in the planning stages. Students and teachers are excited! Be sure you have filled out your background check if you are planning to attend a field trip. Please call Jeanna in the front office for more information (360) 378-5209. These only take a few minutes to complete.
This month our character trait is creativity. Creativity is… using your imagination to create something new or solve a problem. Our school is full of creative students who are excellent problem solvers. Ask your child/children what they may have created or a problem they solved in a creative way. Recently Scout Troop 4090 helped solve a problem at our school by working as a group to pick up trash on the weekend. Their hard work is a good reminder of how we can all work a little harder to keep our school clean during school hours and after. With all of the activities in the spring, we find more garbage and more damage to playground items. We can all work together to help kids remember to respect school property!
Thank you for your continued support regarding safety. We are really reinforcing to students that they need to wait in front of the building if they arrive before 8:00 am. We have adults supervising the playground starting at 8:00. Please help your child stay safe by reminding them to wait by the front doors if arriving early.
With appreciation,
Holly Wehner
Growing Readers and Writers
High-frequency words are words that appear most often in printed text. FHES teachers refer to these words as: “snap words” (we want to know them in a snap), “trick words” (they can be tricky, often don’t follow rules that can be sounded out), “sight words” (we want to know them by sight), “word wall words”, etc. Readers work hard to recognize these words with automaticity, not needing to “sound them out”. Reading research tells us that when these words are instantly recognized, the short term memory is not overloaded and is freed to focus on comprehension of what is going on in the story. There are varying lists for these high-frequency words, attached are a few common ones. The Dolch list includes words for pre-Kindergarten to 3rd grade. The Fry List has 1,000 words in ten sets of 100.
Since over 50 percent of all text is composed of these types of words, books are a great opportunity for readers to learn them in context! Repeated practice is important for students to learn to read high-frequency words quickly and fluently. Help those readers remember to read each day at home!
▪️May 2023 ▪️
Monday, May 8: PTO Meeting 5:30 pm FHES Library
Wednesday, May 10: Kindergarten Kick Off! 5:30-7:30 pm
Thursday, May 11: 1st Grade Field Trip to the Whale Museum
Friday, May 12: Kindergarten Snuggle up and Read
Friday, May 12: Spirit Day! Dress Like Your Teacher
Thursday, May 18: 3rd Grade Field Trip to Jackson Beach Lagoon
Thursday, May 18: Zoom Lunch with Mrs. Wehner 11:20-12:20
Monday, May 22: Kindergarten field trip to Griffin Bay Bookstore
Friday, May 26: 11:10 am Early Dismissal-All Students and Staff
Monday, May 29: Memorial Day-No School
Message from Ms. Terra
New peer mediators start this week to finish off the year! 4th and 5th graders are trained to help younger students at lunch recess. They help with problem solving, mediation using Kelso's Choices, including others, and helping children learn to play recess games! Congratulations to the new group, and a big THANK YOU to the outgoing peer mediators.
"Donut Stress about the Test!"
With testing happening in May, it is really common for students to feel some anxiety and worry. Conversations at home can be really helpful!
- Try asking your child to describe the physical sensations they have during tests (stomach ache, "butterflies", heart racing, etc.).
- Ask them how the thoughts that enter their minds before and during the tests affect them (helpful thoughts vs. unhelpful thoughts).
- Encourage your child to try not to focus on what they can't control like what is on the test, when it's scheduled, how fast their classmates are working, etc - which can cause our fears and worries to increase.
- Encourage them to focus on the things they can control (getting organized the night before, going to bed on time, eating a good breakfast, speaking positively to themselves) to help them feel more confident and prepared for the test!
- Your child is learning other important test-day skills: reading directions carefully, being mindful of remaining time, skipping difficult questions and coming back to them later, checking answers with remaining time, using positive self-talk, and only focusing on your own progress.
- Utilize strategies to calm their minds and bodies - naming their feelings, taking belly breaths, counting, and using positive self talk!
Kindergarten Kickoff
Kindergarten Kickoff will be May 10 from 5:30-7:30pm
Dinner will be served in the FHES cafeteria to incoming kindergarteners and their parents and/or their primary caregivers.
After dinner parents and kindergarteners will have the opportunity to meet with school staff and learn "everything they need to know" about this exciting first step in their child's educational adventure. The evening ends with a fun ride on the school bus for our future FHES students.
Kindergarten Registration
Do you have a child who will be five on or before August 31, 2023?
It's time to register for Kindergarten!
Please stop by Friday Harbor Elementary office to pick up an enrollment packet.
If you have any questions; assistance will be available. Or Call 360-370-7301.
No Dogs
Please remember No Dogs are allowed on school grounds. This includes the fields for games and practices.
Thank you for your support 🐾
Going Home Plans
We understand that going home plans may change during the day. When this happens we can write a note to be delivered to your child. Please be aware that notes are delivered at 2:20 pm, Wednesdays at 1:10 pm. Please let us know your plans before this time, thank you!
Thank you for setting your child up for success by ensuring they know their going-home plan before the start of the school day.
Playground Supervision
Please remember that there is no supervision at school until 8:00 am. We ask that your student does not arrive on campus prior to 8:00am for safety reasons. Supervision ends at 2:45 pm so please remind your student to go directly to their after school plans.
Zoom lunch with Mrs. Wehner
Join FHES principal over Zoom for a chat or a listen.
- Thursday, May 18, 11:20-12:20 pm
Meeting ID: 896 0703 4079 Passcode: 106501
Bring your questions, concerns, gratitude, and thoughts.
Is your family planning on a move? Please let us know.
Community Connections
Wondering about local groups and businesses that offer youth activities and/or support? San Juan Island School District has them posted on our Community Partners page.
Friday Harbor Elementary School
Email: roslynmagnuson@sjisd.org
Website: sjisd.wednet.edu
Location: 95 Grover Street, Friday Harbor, WA, USA
Phone: 360.378.5209