Weimer Wildcat News
Volume 4 December 2021
Principal's Ponderings
The middle of the school year is a great time for families to check in with students on goals. Setting academic and personal goals helps motivate, energize, and focus students, and it is a valuable skill that
will benefi t learners throughout their lives. Parents can help students set and achieve these goals.
Goal-setting can be tedious, even intimidating, for some students. Parents can support students in this process by following these steps: pick it, map it, do it, own it, and celebrate it.
Pick it. Encourage your child to consider his or her dreams and passions and pick goals that are important and meaningful. Guide your child to think about, “What motivates me? What would inspire me to give my best eff ort? What would make me feel good while I’m doing it? What achievement would make me feel proud?”
Map it. After your child picks a goal, help map the path from where he or she is now to where the child wants to be. Off er the following analogy: If we want to drive across the country from New York to California, we don’t just get in our car and start driving—we get a map, pick a
route, and follow it until we get to California.
With your child, analyze diff erent approaches and defi ne clear steps to reach their goal. For instance, if the goal is to get a higher test grade in a tough subject, each quiz or project is a step on the path to the higher goal: earning an A.
Do it. Once you and your child have mapped a path to their goal, encourage him or her to take action, focus on the fi rst step and give it his or her best eff ort. Remind your child that no goal is ever reached without focused action.
Own it. As your child makes progress toward their goal, help him or her to take responsibility for making it happen. Teach the mantra, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me!” Refl ect with your child. Ask, “How are you doing? What’s working? What’s not working? What can you or your family change to get to this goal?” From there, analyze the map, and make changes to the plan if necessary.
Help your child keep a positive attitude and own mistakes as well as successes. Remind your child that if something comes along that holds him or her back temporarily, to look at the experience as feedback. Failures, or bumps in the road, can provide us with information we need to succeed. Reinforce the message that we can learn from our mistakes and move on with new, valuable knowledge.
Celebrate it. Acknowledgment and celebration are huge parts of achieving goals. Acknowledge every effort and celebrate your child’s mini-successes along the way to achieving a goal. This builds his or her confidence and motivation. Your child will feel good and understand that perseverance will result in another mini-success and fi nally goal achievement.
Try going through the goal-setting process as a family. Pick a family goal (perhaps a charitable activity) and work together to achieve it. After the family experience, have each family member pick a personal goal. Support and acknowledge one another as you move through the above steps.
Success is assured when students believe in themselves and in their ability to achieve. Parents are key to helping them believe and succeed.
This Report to Parents was written by Bobbi DePorter of Quantum Learning Network.
Report to Parents, written to serve elementary and middle-level principals, may be reproduced by National Association of Elementary School Principals members without
permission. It can be posted to school websites, blogs, or sent via email. Back issues are RP 37:1 available to members at naesp.org
News From Mrs. Parsons PreK
Learning is blossoming in preschool. Thank you to Ms. Lisa, the speech therapist, for working with the students to create their own garden and to teach them new vocabulary words and skills that correspond with gardening. The students had a blast and love to watch their plants grow.
Community Service Project
We want to thank everyone who donated items to our Saint Albans Food Pantry Food Drive. We were able to collect items to be sent to the food pantry. Special thanks to Donovan C. and Josiah H. from Mrs. Shultz class who helped to gather the items each day. The class that brought in the most cans and who received the pizza party was Ms.
Dolson's second grade class. Congratulations!
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”~ A.A. Milne
Kindergarten News
First Grade News Mrs. McGrath
McGrath's Math Masters
We have also been reading all about life cycles of plants and animals, as well as how animals grow and change. We have practiced declarative sentences and how to spell words with beginning and final consonant blends. Learning keeps us busy!
Second Grade News Ms. Dolson
Mrs. Craig Third Grade News
In Mrs. Craig’s 3rd grade we have begun learning about multiplication. We have been making arrays from classroom objects and building the corresponding multiplication and addition sentences. Since it’s the Holiday season, we have been looking for arrays among common Christmas decorations and treats. The students enjoyed working in small groups to build their own arrays and enjoy the treats.
For our “Take a Break Tuesday” activities, we looked for compound words in the classic poem, “The Night Before Christmas.” We learned many new vocabulary words from the poem and acted many of them out, while also listening for rhyming words and poetic rhythm. We made cute Christmas gnomes to decorate our classroom door. The students followed directions very well in making them and I think they turned out so well! Great job, 3rd graders!
Third Grade News Mr. Gilkey
Greetings 3rd grade families!!! December is going to be a busy month in Mr. Gilkey’s room.
In Math, we will be starting to explore division and then we move to relating multiplication and division. If at all possible, please work with your child for about 15 minute every evening with Additions, Subtraction and multiplication flash cards. This will help your child to understand their basic facts and is very crucial in many areas of Math.
In Reading, We will continue exploring how plants and animals interact in their habitats. We will also be doing some persuasive writing and learning about singular and plural possessive nouns. Please have your child read to you or with you every night for 15 minutes.
I would like to extend a thank you to everyone that has donated anything to the classroom, it is all much appreciated.
I hope that you all have a great month of December and a great holiday season!!!!
Fourth Grade News Ms. Jarrell
News—Fourth Grade
Reading
The fourth-grade students are currently wrapping up their second unit of study on Adaptations. For their unit project, all students will be working on the informative writing style as they craft a travel article about an animal of their choosing. Following the completion of unit 2, we will be exploring the topic of Diversity.
Mathematics
The students are quickly approaching their mid-year point in our mathematics curriculum. During the month of December, we will be continuing to study division concepts, while also working on both patterns and sequences amongst shape and numerical values. Hopefully, we will complete our data tracking for our upcoming Multiplication Ice Cream Party.
Social Studies
This month will lead to the conclusion of our unit on Civics. The students have been discussing the establishment of government, the components of government, and vital historical documents. We are moving toward the concept of “Rule of Law” and will also be examining patriotism.
Science
Science is commonly the highLIGHT of the week for the fourth-graders and that has remained true as we continue to learn more about light reflections and refractions. We will then transition to a closer observation on information processing amongst both plants and animals.
Fifth Grade News Mrs. Orozco
Mrs. Shultz News
Nurse's Notes: Mrs. VanMeter
Students 5 years of age and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines were tested in clinical trials and found safe and effective for those ages 5 and older. We have already had one successful vaccination clinic at school provided by Family Care, students who participated will be receiving their second dose on Dec 10. We are hoping to schedule another vaccination clinic before Christmas Break, information will be sent out via Schoology ASAP! You can also go to vaccinefinder.org and enter your zip code to find a vaccination site.
Please feel free to reach out to me anytime with any questions! Hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and Happy Holiday Season!
Nurse Eryn
Counselor's Corner Mrs. Hewett
P.E. News Mrs. Rice
Music Notes Mr. Parsons
Technology Tidbits Ms. Light
TOP TIPS
1. START EARLY AND KEEP TALKING
Many kids are given their first tablet or internet connected device before they can fully comprehend the power in their hands. Your parenting will need to change with the technology so research the latest trends and stay on top.
2. RESPECT AGE RATINGS
Don’t lie for your child when they want to join a social network, download an app, or purchase a game. These age ratings are in place to protect your child from inappropriate content.
3. SET RULES
Set up written rules for usage times and keep devices under your watchful eye as often as possible. Keep the family computer in the open (or screens facing common areas) and a central charging station for all portable devices to be parked at night.
4. USE CONTROLS
Many new devices, computers and WIFI routers come with parental controls already built-in that are easy to set-up but are often overlooked during the initial set-up. You can control access times and set website category blocking.
5. TEACH PASSWORDS AND PRIVACY
Help your children password protect all mobile devices and online accounts. Teach them why creating strong passwords is important, how to create them, and never to share them.
6. ENGAGE AND LEARN TOGETHER
Children are likely online more often than you. Use this to your advantage to engage with them and learn together. Password protect downloading privileges and communicate boundaries. Talk about reputation and risk.
7. MONITOR AND COMMUNICATE
Communicate what is an acceptable, respectable (to themselves and others) online post and take a peek as often as possible. Social network posts and pictures will be available to future employers and colleges.
8. PROTECT THEIR IDENTITY AND LOCATION
Remind your child not to share any type of personal information online like age, school, address, phone number, last name, or anything personally identifiable. Disable photo geotagging and talk about strangers together.
9. EXPLAIN SEXTING
Especially once they reach teen years, ensure they know the legal implications and they understand that once a pictures has left their hands, it is out there forever, affecting their future, reputation, and relationships.
10. PROTECT, UPDATE, AND BACKUP
Your internet browser, operating system, anti-virus, and programs should be updated regularly. Use an external or cloud based backup system to save photos and documents in the event that anything happens to your device.
MULTIPLE LANGUAGES AVAILABLE!
GARFIELD'S CYBER SAFETY ADVENTURES
Title I Tips Mrs. Priddy
December Parent Tips for Teaching Math at Home
by Janis Priddy, Title 1 Math
“Finding the Fun with some Festive Math”
https://komodomath.com/us/blog/holiday_math_activites_us
Count lit trees
If you’re out and about summon up some festive cheer (and an introduction to math mastery) by counting lit trees in houses or shops as you pass them in the car. Depending on the length of your journey, numbers can get quite high and kids will enjoy looking for the shimmer of lights in the windows to add to their total.
This is a good reinforcement of number order for kids who are just becoming familiar with counting to hundred and beyond.
For older kids, you could try awarding three points for every tree spotted with colored lights, and taking away two points for every tree with plain lights - use whichever numbers you think will challenge them while still keeping it fun.
Turn kitchen time into a math adventure
This time of year, is often a busy one for cooking and baking. There’s a huge amount of math associated with baking, weighing, quantities etc., so get the kids involved and let them see how we use math in our day to day lives.
Seeing how their school work is applied and useful in real life is a really good way of motivating kids to learn.
The mathemagical wonder of snowflakes
If you've never looked closely at a snowflake, now is the perfect time of year to do it. Snowflakes are so much more than the little white dots we see in the midst of a snow flurry. Take some time and have a look at them up close - see if kids can spot lines of symmetry (or often 'not quite symmetry', as snowflakes can take quite a bashing as they fall). If there’s no snow where you live, or if it’s hard to find relatively undamaged flakes, you can find beautiful pictures online, or have a go at making your own.
Snowflakes by numbers
- True snowflakes have six points and are hexagonal
- Snowflakes fall at a rate of 3.1 miles per hour
- No two snowflakes are completely alike, but they all come in one of 35 different shapes
- The largest snowflake ever recorded fell in Montana, and was a whopping 15 inches wide!
Secretary's Sayings Mrs. Arbogast
Make sure if your student is going to be absent that you call and let the school know as well as send in a note. If your student has been ill and has been to the doctor, an excuse must be turned in to the office.
November and December Students of the Month
Addilyn Booher Mrs. Drake
Malia Ward Mrs. McGrath
Devin Castillo Miss Dolson
Kolten P.ettry Mr. Gilkey
Jonah Palmer Mrs. Craig
Dean Bentley Ms. Jarrell
Katie Mezzanotte Mrs. Orozco
December :
Cecilia Burdette Mrs. Drake
Mattyson Roush Mrs. McGrath
Karlee Westfall Ms. Dolson
London Law 3rd Mrs. Craig
Conner McKenzie Mr. Gilkey
Destinee Maynard Ms. Jarrell
Keeley Martinez 5th Mrs. Orozco
December Birthdays
Happy Birthday!!
Jacob Johnston, Raylyn Dillion
Jade McDuffie, Austyn Smarr, Bentley Wyatt, Destinee Maynard, Cheyenne Terry, Haylie Church, Anthony Simmons, Cecilia Burdette, Jaxton Lovejoy, Baeleigh Pence, Darris Kidd