Butlerville Bulletin
January 2020
PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
This is such an exciting time of year for first and second graders! Our students are making wonderful strides with their learning. They are working hard and a positive partnership between school and home also contributes to their growth.
One way you can help at home is by reading with your child each night. By taking the time to read together, not only are you getting to spend quality time with one another, but you are modeling the value and importance of reading. You can model how to read fluently with expression, you can show your child how to use strategies when he/she come to unknown words, and you can ask him/her questions to help improve comprehension.
As a parent of a child that struggles with reading, I am always looking for ways to improve my son's confidence and help him fall in love with reading. Some strategies to try that have worked for us include:
- Purchasing a magazine subscription (or checking one out at the library) on a high interest subject.
- Encouraging your child to read to a sibling, pet, or stuffed animal.
- Downloading audio books through the library.
I'm looking forward to seeing our students continue to make strides as we finish out the second half of the year!
Jamie Miles, Principal
Reading at Home
By Ann Marie Klein, Literacy Coach
As stated in the December article, when playing word games, children have opportunities to practice and reinforce spelling rules they’ve learned in class. They are also exposed to new patterns and words through the interactions of other players.
Another skill that benefits early readers is the ability to manipulate sounds, without any print in view. These are great ways to pass the time while waiting in line somewhere or while driving to or from someplace.
Here are three to try:
Sound Deletion: Say the word ‘clip’. Now say the word without the /c/. (The symbol /c/ means, sound of ‘c’ and is read by making the sound, not saying the letter). Here are a few more to get you started:
Pan minus /p/
Sand minus /s/
Hump minus /p/
Word Chains: One person says a word, the next person says a word that starts with the ending sound of the word the first person said. Example: Person one says, “Ball”. Person 2 could say, “lake”. This could continue on and on. (Ball, lake, kite, top, paper, road, dog, grass, sad, dad, dig….)
Word Ladders for Spelling: The leader dictates a word and the player spells it orally. Leader then says a word that changes in spelling by just one sound. This continues until you run out of possibilities. Example: snap, snack, smack, shack, pack, pick, chick, chin, thin, than, plan….
Have fun playing with sounds and words!
Specials' Spot: PE
We have been having so much fun in gym these last two quarters! I love your children and they work very hard. I love being able to show them how exercising and moving can be fun and be part of their lifestyle. At their age, they need to be moving around 60 minutes a day.
In the 1st quarter, we worked on locomotor skills and throwing and catching. This quarter, we were working on jump roping and we just finished up our bowling unit!
We are always emphasizing good sportsmanship and different ways we can show it during and after we play a game. December's character trait was JOY and goes right along with gym class because it means finding joy even when things don’t go your way. That is a huge part of sportsmanship because we are going to win some and lose some.
Please continue to send your students in gym shoes on gym day. I always remind the students gym class is the day after music class.
-Amber Faucett
Notes from the Nurse
Fantastic Fiber
I’ve “bean” getting lots of questions about how to add or HIDE fiber to meals. Here are some tips to help with bowel movements and promote a healthy stomach. When using this information, be mindful of food allergies/sensitivities and personal medical conditions and consult a medical provider with questions.
Avoid processed food, such as fast food and junk food. Use 100% whole grains for bread, rice and pasta, oats, wraps/tortillas, muffins, cereals, and waffles/pancakes.
High fiber veggies and fruits include carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, green peas, apples, bananas, oranges, raisins and pears. Leaving the skin on helps to increase fiber. Aim for 2-3 servings of fruits and 2-3 servings of veggies a day. This is ½ cup chopped fruit or a small piece of fruit. For veggies ½ cup of cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw is a serving.
Higher fiber protein choices are beans, lentils and nuts. Meats and fish are very low in fiber but fiber can be added to increase overall fiber content. Easy foods to hide fiber in are soups, casseroles, chilies, burgers patties, lasagna, mac & cheese, meat loaf, and meatballs.
Search for recipes that have extra fiber hidden in them. Foods like cookies, muffins, breads and smoothies can be packed with extra fiber. Some food are “fortified” (added) with extra fiber. The food would be labeled as such. Common fortified with fiber foods are soy milk, yogurt, orange juice, cereals and bars. Adding flax or chia seeds is also an option to add fiber into foods. Search out recipes with the seeds in them.
Check out this recipe for Toddler Muffins. This easy muffin recipe is a hit with both kids and adults. It’s packed with fiber and tastes yummy. The muffin recipe has options for blueberry, apple cinnamon, carrot raisin and chocolate chip. If don’t want mini muffins triple the recipe and use a standard muffin tin. You may want to double the batch-they go quickly and can be frozen.
Talk to your medical provider about fiber amounts. In general, 1st and 2nd graders should work up to 25 grams of fiber a day. Increase fiber in the meals slowly. Adding too quickly can cause bloating, discomfort and gas. Encourage kids to drink adequate amounts of water each day to be hydrated and help the fiber work.
Wishing everyone the best health!
Wendy Gordon, Harlan-Butlerville School Nurse.
Counselor's Corner
School Counselor's Corner:
My classroom counseling lessons this month have focused on our core value of knowledge. We have been talking about growth mindset and the importance of not giving up. A growth mindset means that we can learn from our mistakes and we keep trying. Our brain is a muscle and when we try hard things, we help our brain become stronger. The book we read this month was "The Most Magnificent Thing" by Ashley Spires which is about a girl who realizes the importance of not giving up and what happens when she continues to try.
Core Essentials Program:
Our core value this month is Knowledge. Knowledge means learning something new so you can be better at whatever you do. Please check out the newsletter on our Schoology page for more information about Knowledge.
Upcoming Events from the School Counseling Department:
- Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 16-23. Our students will receive extra focus and attention on kindness this week
- We are once again having the Junior Achievement program with our students. Junior Achievement is a program that teaches our children about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship through community volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering for this opportunity please complete the yellow sign up form, contact your child's teacher or contact your school counselor.
Connect with the School Counselor:
If you have any questions or concerns, or need to connect with me, please reach out to me by phone or email. I would love to work with you!
Brittany Stultz, School Counselor
513-899-5200 ext. 45427
Speech and Language Tips
Hello from your Speech-Language Pathologist, Kara Detty! With the Winter months upon us, here are some tips to practice communicating with your child at home.
- Articulation: Your family decided to go to the aquarium on your day off. While in the car, you can easily practice your child’s speech sounds by asking them to come up words that start with their speech sound. Make a game of it! The first one in your family to name ten (correctly!) wins! It will help pass the time and practice speech sounds.
- Language: It’s snowing outside! Talk with your child about the snow. Describe the snow, the trees, the frozen lake/stream by your house. Describe each thing with at least three words! Here are a few to start: frigid, frozen, cold, white, soft, melting.
- Social Language: You decide as a family to try a new restaurant down the street that just opened. Talk to your child about the “social rules” of going to a restaurant. Do you order your food at the counter or do you order with a waiter? How do you appropriately order (What do you say?) What happens if you get the wrong food? Model the appropriate behavior and give your child a chance to practice (even if it is with you!)
Fine Motor Skill Practice
Winter Themed Fine Motor and Sensory Activities
Now that we have wound down from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and have moved into the chilly winter days. It’s a good time to do some fun winter themed activities with your child. Here are a few fine motor winter activities that can help them strengthen their fine motor skills on cozy days inside:
https://earlylearningideas.com/winter-fine-motor-activities/
https://thelettersofliteracy.com/20-wonderful-winter-fine-motor-activities/
https://www.theottoolbox.com/tag/winter/
Looking for some fun winter themed activities your child can do outside? Here are 30 fun winter themed outdoor activities to help your child improve their gross motor, fine motor, and sensory development:
https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/winter-activities-kids-2/
Mrs. Houchins and Mrs. Ellis from Occupational Therapy
Upcoming Dates
January 27: Delayed Start
January 28: Board of Education Meeting (7:00pm)
February 13: PTO Meeting (4:45pm)
February 14: Valentine's Day Parties
February 17: No School (Presidents' Day)
February 24: Delayed Start
February 27: Conferences (4:15pm-7:45pm)
February 27-March 6: Book Fair
March 5: Conferences (4:15pm-7:45pm)
March 6: End of 3rd Quarter
March 12: PTO Meeting (4:45pm)
March 13: Report cards go home
March 17: No School (Teacher Inservice)
March 19: Spring Picture Day
March 30-April 3: Right to Read Week
Contact Us
Email: jmiles@lmsdoh.org
Website: www.littlemiamischools.com
Location: 8276 State Route 132, Blanchester, OH, USA
Phone: 5138995200
Twitter: @LM_MrsMiles