Shark Tales
Southbury Elementary
February 2020
Administration Letter
Hello Shark Families!
We hope everyone is staying warm in this frigid weather!
At Southbury, we have been continuing our year-long author study on Candace Fleming! Your child has read/been exposed to several books over the past few months. Be sure to ask your child(ren) all about the books they’ve read! We will continue to read new titles over the next few months as we learn more about this author.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Annual Little Caesars Pizza Sale! We have sold over $8,001--- WOOHOO!!! The proceeds that will come back directly to the school in order to help fund our One Author – One School Program will be over $2000! To celebrate the money raised, we had an assembly where staff will be getting pies in their faces and since we met our goal of $8,000, Mrs. Sinovich got a pie, too! (Check out the video on Facebook!) Each year, we need to raise around $10,000 in order to purchase a book for every child in the school and to bring the author in to meet us. Any support you gave for this Southbury fundraiser is GREATLY appreciated!!! We want to make sure we continue to foster this love and excitement in ALL our children through amazing programs such as this one. (NOTE: Some parents have asked if they can send in a donation any time throughout the year ---ABSOLUTELY!!!!! All you need to do is send in your check or cash in an envelope marked One Author – One School Program. All checks should be made out to Southbury Elementary School.)
Winter is here!!! We encourage sending your child to school with a coat, hat, gloves, boots, and a scarf. Students will participate in outdoor recess as long as the wind chill is above 10 degrees. A doctor’s note is needed to keep a child in during cold weather.
Here are some things that are happening in the month of March:
3/5-- Spring Picture Day
3/5– 5th Grade Musical @ 6:00pm
3/5 -- HSO Meeting 7-8pm
3/6 – SIP Day--12:30 Dismissal
3/11-3/13 – Spring Book Fair
3/12-- Culver’s Night
3/13 – Munchkins with Mom
3/17 – Teacher Institute Day (No student attendance-- Election Day)
3/18- 3/19 – Full Day of School; Parent Teacher Conferences (flex)
3/23-3/30 – Spring Break-- No School
3/31 – Students Return from Break
We hope everyone has a wonderful March!!! GO SHARKS!
Samantha Sinovich
Principal
Jack Olson
Assistant Principal
Letter from the Front Office
Hello Southbury Families!!
Kindergarten registration was completed in February. If you know of someone who may still need to register a 2020-21 kindergartener, please have them contact the District office to set up an appointment. (630-636-2404).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Kindergarten registration is at District Registration Office, 4175 Route 71, Door 2, Oswego, IL 60543.
Registration times:
Call for appointment
Children must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2020 in order to be eligible to attend Kindergarten. Please pass along this information to any neighbors or friends who do not already have an older sibling here. Registration forms are available on the district website (www.sd308.org), click on the “Family Information” tab, scroll down to Registration and click on it, scroll down to Kindergarten Forms and click on it, read the instructions on how to fill out the forms, complete the forms and print them out. The completed packet must be brought to your Registration appointment with the appropriate documents attached.
Documents to bring to Kindergarten registration are:
A Completed Registration Packet
A Legal, Certified Birth Certificate (issued from the County with raised seal)
Driver’s License or State ID
3 Proofs of Residency: acceptable forms of residency are: Closing papers – purchased home is less than 12 months; OR Mortgage Statement or Current Year Tax Bill; OR Current Apartment Lease;
AND
Two current utility bills (landline phone, electric, water, cable, gas – within 60 days of February 2020)
All kindergarten students MUST RECEIVE A NEW PHYSICAL, BE CURRENT WITH IMMUNIZATIONS AND RECEIVE A NEW DENTAL EXAM. This information must be completed and documentation be turned in to the school on or before August 2020 in order for your child to begin school in the
If your lease expired during the current school year, you will need to provide us with a copy of a current one. If you have moved and/or are no longer on a lease, you will need to contact the front office.
In a step towards keeping our building safe and secure, we are using the blue bin in the front corridor for forgotten items. This alleviates traffic in and out of the building. We will check the bin periodically throughout the day and place the items on the ledge leading out into the hallway. Please keep in mind that we WILL NOT interrupt the classroom to call students down for forgotten items. Nor can we guarantee they be delivered as we do not always have available staff to deliver items. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated.
Mrs. Hathaway and Mrs. Quick
Home and School Organization Happenings
Think Spring Sharks!!! It is coming especially if we are talking Munchkins with Mom and Daddy Daughter Dance!!!
Our annual Munchkins with Mom will be held on Friday, March 13th. Doors will open at 7:45am and you will need to stay with your student until the bell rings at 8:45am. Don’t forget to head to southburyparents.membershiptoolkit.com to sign up no later than March 7th. Volunteer opportunities for those Dads are still open as well!
Daddy Daughter Dance is coming next month. We are so excited to saddle up and host a Southbury Shindig!! Dust off those cowboy boots and put on your country western gear!! It will be held on Friday, April 17th from 6:30-8:30pm. Again, please go to the store in Membership Toolkit to sign your family up.
If you or someone your family knows has a graduating senior from OHS this year, we have our annual Southbury scholarship application available. Please go to the Southbury Elementary website to find the link for the application. There will be two $500 scholarships awarded to some deserving seniors!
Finally, yearbook sales will be wrapping up shortly. If you have not ordered yours yet, do so TODAY! Please go to
https://www.shop.memorybook.com/school/208741southburyelementaryschool/
and register as a new user. Online orders will END on April 6, 2020.
As always, if you have any questions, you can reach us at sbhomenschool@gmail.com!
Sarah Brown and Kristy Stith
HSO Co-Presidents
Kindergarten
ELA and Writing: Students just finished a unit on asking and answering questions while reading. Students learned that readers ask questions to clarify and find out new information. When reading at home, have your child ask questions about the text he/she is reading. Ex: Why did the character react that way? Where does the story take place? You could even make question cards (what, where, why, when, how and who) and have your child randomly chose a question card and generate a question about the text he/she is reading.
Math: Our current unit focuses on 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes. The students have explored corners and sides on shapes. We looked around our classroom and school to find shapes. The kids loved 3 dimensional shapes. Who knew a kindergarten student can recognize a name cylinders, spheres, cubes, rectangular prisms and more?!
1st Grade
First graders have been working very hard as we head into the final trimester of school! Here is a look ahead at what we will be doing this upcoming month:
Reading:
Character, Setting, and Events of a Fiction Story
Learning about the moon
Asking and answering questions about the moon
Using words and illustrations to describe a text
Writing:
Narrative writing a story with make believe or realistic fiction
Math:
Adding and Subtracting with tens
Counting back 10’s
Social Studies:
Going to school Long Ago compared to Now
Transportation Long Ago and Now
Inventions
2nd Grade
It’s hard to believe that February is over! Where has the time gone? It seems like we were just wishing everyone a Happy New Year! ☺
The second grade teachers would like to thank you for those who came out and supported our Culver’s night in January. The money that was raised will be buying books and materials for our classrooms.
In ELA, we have concluded our Module on natural disasters and completed reading the book, Earth Dragon Awakes, written by Laurence Yep. All of the classes truly enjoyed this unit. They found natural disasters to be interesting as we researched them. The students also enjoyed the text. This text does an amazing job of showing how characters actions and how feelings change when faced with a challenging event in their life.
In Math, we finished Unit 3 focusing on Money. Please continue to practice skip counting by 5’s and 10’s; this will help with counting money. We also continued to review three digit addition and subtraction throughout the month. Our next unit is Data Analysis focusing on how to interpret information on various graphs.
In Social Studies, we concentrated on famous African Americans who have helped our society. We also learned about spending and saving money by discussing wants vs. needs.
In Science, we finished up our unit on Landforms. The students learned about landforms, geologists and erosion. Third trimester will focus on Properties and Materials.
Thank you all for your continued support!
Go SHARKS!!
3rd Grade
The 3rd grade classrooms have so many cool things that we are learning!
In ELA, we have been reading stories that have important central messages,
lessons, or morals. The students have been doing opinion writing to support a
point of view with reasons. Our next unit will have us reading informational texts
and using text features that will help their comprehension. The classes will be
completing a “one-pager” to show their understanding of the texts we will be
reading. One book is called Weather by Seymour Simon and the other is Living
Through a Natural Disaster.
We are deep into our fraction unit! The students have been learning about
fractions on number lines, equivalent fractions, and comparing fractions. We are
using lots of models and hands-on activities. Our next math unit is measurement.
Students will be learning about capacity, mass, and time intervals.
In science, we have been looking at data as we study in our “Weather and
Climate” unit. We are investigating which island would be best to establish an
orangutan reserve. This includes looking at weather patterns around the world.
As you can see, it’s a Fabulous February in 3rd grade!
4th Grade
Southbury’s fourth graders spent February adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions. Students also learned about converting fractions to decimals and solving story problems involving fractions. In addition, the children continued to focus on memorizing multiplication facts, which is essential to understanding fractions.
In science, the children concluded a unit on vision and light. While in social studies, they continued learning about European exploration of the world and the settlement of the Americas.
In English Language Arts, the children read and wrote about natural disasters including earthquakes and volcanoes. After reading and analyzing both informational texts (nonfiction) and literature about these events, the students then wrote opinion pieces about the effectiveness of each genre at explaining events to readers. Also in reading and writing activities, the students continued to identify main ideas and supporting details, character traits, and making inferences while reading.
The students have begun preparing for the state standardized test called the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) by exploring computer-based practice tests and learning how to use the computer tools. Finally, Southbury finished the second trimester on February 14 and celebrated with Valentine’s Day parties, and a week later the children celebrated their good behavior with a Sharkfest!
5th Grade
The fifth graders were super excited as they researched colleges and universities of their choosing for the college/university fair in March! Students worked hard to complete their visual aid to inform students, Southbury Staff, and family members all about their college or university. They can’t wait to share what they have learned! In reading we read one of our favorite novels George’s Secret Key to the Universe written by Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking. Students learned about space and the newest science behind black holes! In math we continued to work on fractions, one of our biggest units for math. Students learned the relationship between fractions and division and of course how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions. In Science we culminated our unit on water shortage by observing chemical reactions and learned how to turn waste-water into fresh water. Finally in Social Studies we learned about the different inventions that improved our way of life in the late 1800’s, how thousands of immigrants came to the U.S. searching for a better life, and the creation of the big city. This is an exciting time of year filled with lots of learning! Go Sharks!
Stars
STARS students had an exciting February! Students enjoyed a Valentine’s party with their Gen
Ed peers and 2 assemblies. The first assembly related to the Little Caesar’s fundraiser. One of
our STARS 5 th grader was one of the top sellers and was able to throw a pie in a staff members
face! The second assembly was about character counts and a Ned Show. Everyone enjoyed
the show.
Please continue to send winter gear for outdoor recess each day!
ESL
ACCESS testing is complete and all ESL Resource students have resumed their normal services. Now that services have resumed, please continue to empty and sign your child’s blue ESL folder. Thank you!
During ESL Resource we will continue to help your child build their English language skills in the four domains of language: listening, speaking, reading & writing. We work on these skills using the reading curriculum, ReadyGen, and through additional supplemental materials.
Mrs. Serio
630-551-9858
Alyssa Ahlstrom
630-551- 9885
Gifted Education
Math is SOCIAL
Do it together
Although we often think of math as something you do alone, doing math together is a great
way for kids to practice math skills, discover new concepts, and develop positive attitudes
about math and learning.
Talk About Math
Shapes and numbers are everywhere around us- point them out to your child and talk about them: “Look at how each window pane is a rectangle! There are four rectangles in that window.”
You can also share ideas about math, such as talking about you and your child’s favorite shapes or numbers: “I love triangles because they always have exactly three sides, but can be different shapes and sizes.”
Make Math Fun
Kids like to think about numbers, shapes, and patterns, and they also like to help figure out problems.
You can support this by pointing out the math in activities they already love:
“I wonder if your wooden blocks or your Legos weigh more - how could we figure that out?
“Look at this pattern in the flowers you drew - blue, red, blue, red!”
Encourage Kids to Play an Active Role
If your child asks for your help with a math problem or asks you a question about math, instead of giving them the answer, help them figure it out themselves:
“What do you think?”
“How could we figure that out together?”
Piggyback Math Onto Other Activities
Parents and families are busy, but you can do math during other activities or parts of your daily routine, like walking home from school or getting ready for bed.
Source: https://becomingamathfamily.uchicago.edu/math_is/social
Speech and Language
What Are Basic Concepts?
Basic concepts are the foundation of a child’s education. They are words that a child needs to understand in order to perform everyday tasks like following directions, participating in classroom routines, and engaging in conversation. A child needs to know basic concepts in order to be successful in reading, writing, and math. In fact, knowledge of basic concepts directly relates to a child’s performance in school.
What Kinds of Words are Basic Concepts?
• Basic colors - red, blue, green…
• Directions - through, around… • Quantities - few, many…
• Sequences - first, next…
• Shapes - round, square…
• Size - big, little…
• Social/Emotional States - happy, sad…
• Characteristics - old, new…
• Textures - rough, smooth…
• Time - late, early…
• Spatial Relationships and Positions - front, behind, top, bottom...
How Frequent are Basic Concepts Used at School?
Think of a first grade classroom and a typical daily morning routine a child follows: The bell rings and the children file into the classroom as the teacher announces, “First, put your lunch money in the red bowl on the small table next to my desk. If you brought your lunch, put it into the bin by the door. Next, hang your coat on the lower hook and your backpack on the top hook. Then, have a seat at your desk, get out your writing folder, and wait quietly for me to come around and check it.” A child in this classroom needs to understand at least 17 early basic concepts to successfully participate in the first 5 minutes of this day. Even in a preschool or kindergarten classroom, teachers expect a child to be able to “sit in a circle” or “pick one crayon” or “wash [his/her] hands before [he/she] sits at the big table in the front of the room for a snack.”
How Can I Help Children Learn Basic Concepts?
Help your child learn basic concepts by modeling descriptive words. Talk to your child about everything you see and hear in your environment. Bring your child’s attention to textures (e.g., the way things feel—smooth, bumpy, soft). Expand the words you use when you describe things. For example, instead of using the word “big” just because you know your child understands it, use the word “huge” to expose your child to new words. When talking about spatial relationships and positions (where things are), try not to show the child by pointing or gesturing. Use more descriptive words such as “below,” “behind,” “on top of,” “in front of,” and “above.” Use and encourage “Wh” questions and answers. “Wh” questions often encourage the use of basic concepts in response. For example, “where” encourages a response that uses spatial relationships and positions (behind, under) and directions (across, through). “When” encourages a response that uses time concepts (before, later). Basic concepts are the building blocks a child needs to have success in school and in everyday life. They are common, but very important, words that you can teach your child through conversation, reading, and singing. Use these words often and every day.
Mrs. Debbie Convey
630-551-9851
Mrs. Kelly Okel
630-551-9872
Mrs. Stephanie Tarmann
630-551-9891
LMC
Check it out!
Greetings from the Southbury Library!
With temperatures dropping and outdoor activities lessening, why not get lost in a great book? Reading each day builds great habits.
Guess what is happening next month? The spring book fair is coming March 11th- 13th. More information will be coming home soon!
During the month of February many of our classes have been digging deep into research. A great resource that our district subscribes to is Encyclopedia Britannica. This amazing resource makes researching fun and safe. To access this resource from home go to:
school.eb.com
Username and Password: oswego308
Happy reading/researching!
~Mrs. Witcpalek and Mrs. Dietz
From the Reading Department
Art
5th Grade is finishing up their plate-loom yarn weaving. This project was a challenge in the beginning but was really fun once we got the hang of it. I’m so proud of my 5th graders!
Baby Ayoung Chee 3 is due March 20th! I am so excited for her arrival.
After spring break, Southbury will happily welcome Mrs. R as our art teacher for the remainder of the year. Mrs. R is currently teaching as an internal substitute at Wolf’s Crossing. She has a passion for creativity and once had her own art school! Please join me in welcoming her to Southbury!
I will miss all my students’ end of year creativity but look forward to seeing everyone when I return back in August.
Mrs. Ayoung Chee
Music
In the Month of February we finished our unit on musical expression. We learned about music vocabulary such as tempo (fast and slow) and dynamics (loud and soft). As we worked on learning about these expressions, we started by listening to different pieces of music for identification. After winter break, we started creating our own expressions through playing instruments! We played Orff instruments: xylophones, glockenspiels, and the metallophone. Ask your students about these instruments at home!
Looking forward to the month of March, we will begin music composition. Students will work with the music staff to identify individual notes, as well as create their own written music. There will be plays of playing, singing, and creating! Additionally, 4th grade will begin their recorder unit until the end of the year!
The 5th grade class will perform their musical, “Pirates!” on March 5th at 6pm. Please come and support our Southbury musicians!
If you ever have any questions, please email me at mmcwethy@sd308.org.
If you ever have any questions, please email me at mmcwethy@sd308.org.
Physical Education
It has been an exciting time in the gym here at Southbury Elementary School!!! We rolled into February with our always exciting bowling unit where students learned how to properly hold the bowling ball, perform a three step approach, and follow through with their palm to the ceiling in order to maximize their potential to knock down as many pins as possible! After the excitement of bowling wore off, we cartwheeled into our tumbling unit. Our students learned how to perform exciting acrobatics like the forward roll, the cartwheel, the log roll, the egg roll, the cinnamon roll, and the always exciting crescent roll! We are now looking forward to “skipping” into the fun of our Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser where we are looking for a “five peat” as the district’s highest fundraising school!!!
News from Nurse Sara
Happy February! I have a handful of announcements to share for the month.
Health files- Kindergartners and 2nd graders have dental examination requirements per the State of Illinois. Deadline for dental examinations is May 15, 2020. The dental exam can be dated as far back as November 15, 2018. If your child has already had their dental exam completed, the form can be faxed to (630) 551-9897 or turned in to the health office.
**If your family moved from out of state, the health office will need an Illinois physical, proof of vaccinations, as well as a dental and vision examination all of which must be completed in Illinois.
Vision exams are required by the state for all kindergarten students. The vision screenings at school do not meet the requirement set by the state. Please send those in to ensure your student’s health file is up to date.
5th grade parents, you will be receiving a permission slip for your student(s) next month. Every year staff and Robert Crown provide a 2 day presentation regarding puberty and human reproduction that will take place April 16-17 at our school. You can visit www.robertcrown.org if you’d like to learn more about the movie students will be viewing, called Life Begins.
Hearing and Vision- I’m still in need of some completed vision and hearing referrals. If you received a vision and/or hearing referral letter, and have had the referral completed, please send this form with your child so the health file is up to date.
If at any time you have questions feel free to reach out to me.
Nurse Sara
(630) 551-9802
Social Work
Middle Childhood (6-8 years of age)
Developmental Milestones
Middle childhood brings many changes in a child’s life. By this time, children can dress themselves, catch a ball more easily using only their hands, and tie their shoes. Having independence from family becomes more important now. Events such as starting school bring children this age into regular contact with the larger world. Friendships become more and more important. Physical, social, and mental skills develop quickly at this time. This is a critical time for children to develop confidence in all areas of life, such as through friends, schoolwork, and sports. Here is some information on how children develop during middle childhood:
Emotional/Social Changes
Children in this age group might:
• Show more independence from parents and family.
• Start to think about the future.
• Understand more about his or her place in the world.
• Pay more attention to friendships and teamwork.
• Want to be liked and accepted by friends.
Thinking and Learning
Children in this age group might:
• Show rapid development of mental skills.
• Learn better ways to describe experiences and talk about thoughts and feelings.
• Have less focus on one’s self and more concern for others.
Positive Parenting Tips
Following are some things you, as a parent, can do to help your child during this time:
• Show affection for your child. Recognize her accomplishments.
• Help your child develop a sense of responsibility—ask him to help with household tasks, such as setting the table.
• Talk with your child about school, friends, and things she looks forward to in the future.
• Talk with your child about respecting others. Encourage him to help people in need.
• Help your child set her own achievable goals—she’ll learn to take pride in herself and rely less on approval or reward from others.
• Help your child learn patience by letting others go first or by finishing a task before going out to play. Encourage him to think about possible consequences before acting.
• Make clear rules and stick to them, such as how long your child can watch TV or when she has to go to bed. Be clear about what behavior is okay and what is not okay.
• Do fun things together as a family, such as playing games, reading, and going to events in your community.
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Division of Human Development and Disability
• Get involved with your child’s school. Meet the teachers and staff and get to understand their learning goals and how you and the school can work together to help your child do well.
• Continue reading to your child. As your child learns to read, take turns reading to each other.
• Use discipline to guide and protect your child, rather than punishment to make him feel bad about himself. Follow up any discussion about what not to do with a discussion of what to do instead.
• Praise your child for good behavior. It’s best to focus praise more on what your child does ("you worked hard to figure this out") than on traits she can’t change ("you are smart").
• Support your child in taking on new challenges. Encourage her to solve problems, such as a disagreement with another child, on her own.
• Encourage your child to join school and community groups, such as a team sports, or to take advantage of volunteer opportunities.
Child Safety First
More physical ability and more independence can put children at risk for injuries from falls and other accidents. Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of death from unintentional injury among children this age.
• Protect your child properly in the car. For detailed information, see the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families.
• Teach your child to watch out for traffic and how to be safe when walking to school, riding a bike, and playing outside.
• Make sure your child understands water safety, and always supervise her when she’s swimming or playing near water.
• Supervise your child when he’s engaged in risky activities, such as climbing.
• Talk with your child about how to ask for help when she needs it.
• Keep potentially harmful household products, tools, equipment, and firearms out of your child’s reach.
Healthy Bodies
• Parents can help make schools healthier. Work with your child’s school to limit access to foods and drinks with added sugar, solid fat, and salt that can be purchased outside the school lunch program.
• Make sure your child has 1 hour or more of physical activity each day.
• Limit screen time for your child to no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of quality programming, at home, school, or afterschool care.
• Practice healthy eating habits and physical activity early. Encourage active play, and be a role model by eating healthy at family mealtimes and having an active lifestyle.
A pdf of this document for reprinting is available free of charge from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle.html
Additional Information: http://www.cdc.gov/childdevelopment 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) http://www.cdc.gov/info
Contact Information:
Tanya Gryniak, MSW
630-557-9850
Kristin Epstein, LCSW
630-551-9805
We’re looking forward to a GREAT year!
Tanya & Kristin
Southbury Elementary School
Website: https://www.sd308.org/southbury
Location: 820 Preston Lane, Oswego, IL, USA
Phone: (630) 551-9800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southbury308