Cypress Happenings
December 14, 2015
This Week at Cypress
Thursday, December 17th
Polar Express Day at Cypress - Students may wear pajama's to school today!
Cypress Night at Bush's Chicken on 620
Friday, December 18th
Holiday Parties - Please RSVP at the following link prior to Thursday morning at 10:00 if you plan to attend. http://classroom.leanderisd.org/default.aspx?ErikaDohanich/HolidayPartyRSVP
- Kindergarten @ 9:00 - 10:00 A.M.
- 1st Grade @ 10:00 - 11:00 A.M.
- 2nd Grade @ 9:15 - 10:15 A.M.
- 3rd Grade @ 8:30 - 9:30 A.M.
- 4th Grade @ 11:30 - 12:30 P.M.
- 5th Grade @ 8:30 - 9:30 A.M.
Reading to your favorite pet!
Reading in a tree? Oh, my!
Reading by flashlight!
7 Habit Reading Goal for the Holiday Break
Your child will be coming home with a reading project to help celebrate the reading choices they have made over the two weeks. This celebration of reading project will include a cut out of a cup of hot cocoa that they will add paper marshmallows to for the different types of reading they did or participated in throughout the holiday weeks. For example, they might add a paper marshmallow for reading to a grandparent, special family member or favorite pet, for reading in a special outside location, for reading in some sort of moving vehicle (bus, train, plane, car), for reading in a different city or state, etc. The options are endless! I can't wait to see what our incredibly creative Cypress Cheetahs come up with. Your child should bring their completed project, back to school with them on Monday, January 4, 2016 to add to the school-wide display. We will be submitting a picture of our reading display to the district and hope to see it in a district Insider or on the district website. Let's see how much reading we can do over the holidays and in what creative ways we can read Cypress Cheetahs!!! **If at all possible, we would love to have a picture of your child participating to add to the the display. If you are able to take one, please send it to school with your child's completed project.
If for some reason, your child does not get home with their cup cutout, that is okay! I have attached an example that can be used as either a cutout or as a template for the student to create their own. There is no right/wrong way to do this and creativity is welcome! We just want to have it as one way to celebrate the reading our students are doing!
Do your children have jeans or pants that don't fit?
January Habit Focus is Putting First Things First
Putting First Things First means to decide what is most important and to take care of that first. Thinking about what needs to be done tomorrow or by the end of the week can be overwhelming, especially for children. Learning to think of which things are the most important and taking care of them first allows children (and adults) to be less stressed. If your child uses a planner at school, then he or she has a great organizational tool to Put First Things First in writing. By writing down his or her responsibilities and planning ahead, last-minute trips to the store, missed events, or missed homework are avoided. If your child does not use a planner, having a weekly log would also be helpful. This could simply be a piece of paper that is used each week. Modeling this behavior is one of the best ways to teach children.
Activities to Reinforce This Habit at Home
1. Create a list of things your child needs to accomplish throughout a week. With your child, rank the tasks in importance. Then rewrite the list in order of importance. Use a planner or calendar to schedule time so that the important things are done first.
2. Role-play with your child about the consequences of forgetting to study for a math test. How will your child feel? What are the consequences? Then role-play how it will feel to be well prepared and get a great match score!
3. Encourage your child to design or decorate his or her own planner or weekly activity log.
4. Read Chapter 3 of The 7 Habits of Happy Kids book with your child and then complete the Parent’s Corner.
5. Plan time as a family. This is especially important as your children get older and want to spend more and more time with friends. Set aside a couple of hours once a week as family time. Watch a movie, go out to eat, play games, cook dinner together—whatever fits your family. Protect this time and make it a tradition. Everyone in the family should block it out on their calendars.
6. Ask your child to make a list of what he or she thinks is his or her biggest time-waster and what to do about it.