Moreau Heights Principal Newsletter
September 2019
Contact Information
Email: suzanna.haugen@jcschools.us
Website: www.jcschools.us
Location: 1410 Hough Park Road, Jefferson City, MO, United States
Phone: (573)659-3180
Twitter: @JCMH_tweets
Message from the Principal
Charger Families,
What an incredible start to the school year! We have focused heavily on helping all our students learn what it looks/sounds like to be a Charger. SOO many positive choices by our students in the first weeks to set the foundation for a great year ahead.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our school! We hope you will choose to get involved by volunteering in your child's classroom, as part of our Watch DOGS or MOMs programs, or for special events. Our students LOVE to have their parents involved and connected to the school.
In an effort to inspire our young readers, we are sharing a read aloud on our Facebook Page every Sunday evening. It has been a great way to offer a story to our families AND an excellent way to connect with our kids the following week through discussion of the story.
Sue Haugen, Principal
Follow us on Twitter at @JCMH_tweets
Follow us on Facebook at Moreau Heights Elementary
Follow us on Instagram at moreauheights
Calendar of Events
Tuesday, Sept. 10
*Back to School Night for grades 3-5 6-7:30
Thursday, Sept. 12
*Back to School Night for grades k-2 6-7:30
Wednesday, Sept. 18
*Early Dismissal, students released at 12:45
Friday, Sept. 27
*PBS Assembly 8:15 (grades 3-5)
*PBS Assembly 9:30 (grades k-2)
*PTO Pumpkin and Mum Sale
Saturday, Sept. 28
*PTO Pumpkin and Mum Sale
Tuesday, Oct. 1
*5th grade Outdoor Education Day
Friday, October 4
*PTO Moreau Heights Block Party 4:30-6:30 on the MH playground
Back to School Nights
- Grades 3-5 - Sept 10 6:00-7:30
- Grades k-2 - Sept. 12 6:00-7:30
Childcare will be provided both evenings.
Join us for coming BACK TO SCHOOL on Tuesday and/or Thursday evening!
Important Daily Arrival Reminder
Morning Meeting is immediately following breakfast, at 7:45.
It is essential that our students arrive BEFORE 7:45 so they can eat and participate in Morning Meeting, so they can connect with their class for a successful day.
Thank you for making sure your child arrives to school ON TIME so they are READY FOR SUCCESS!
PTO News
Looking to get your hands on some AWESOME Charger Wear? Order items online using the link below. Our online store is open until September 15th.
http://theshirtsmith.net/mhchargers
Mark your calendar for our Annual Pumpkin and Mum Sale Sept. 27 and 28.
Attendance Matters!
Attendance is incredibly important. We want to make sure students are at school and on time so they are learning. We are working hard this year to focus on attendance and have some different incentives going on for classrooms. Each month we will have one classroom that is the winner of our attendance bracket. This class will receive a treat from us!
We appreciate you letting us know when your child is going to be out. Mrs. Kaylie and Ms. Jamie, in the office, will take your call and record this information. If your child is absent and we haven't heard from you, Ms. Jamie will be giving you a call to check in.
You may also receive a call from Dr. Day, our assistant principal, at some point to touch base with you on your child's attendance.
Thank you for helping your child learn by being at school and on time!
Musically Musselman
Welcome to music class, Charger families! I’m so excited each day to teach people through music. At the beginning of the school year, my goal is to introduce myself and work to get everyone feeling comfortable in music class. After this I get a baseline of student knowledge so I can build a foundation for the year ahead.
In August/September kindergarten and first grade focus on steady beat, use of singing voice, and musical opposites (loud/soft, high/low, fast/slow, etc.). Second grade focuses on the staff and rhythm reading. Third grade has a large rhythm unit that will be the primary focus until late November. Fourth and fifth grade focus on music reading (including solfege) and more complicated rhythm reading.
I consider it a great responsibility to be an influence in the life of each student both socially and musically. I’ll leave you with a quote from Zoltan Kodaly, a Hungarian fellow who has a music instruction style named after him. “It is far more important who the elementary music teacher is in a small town than who the director of an opera house is because if the opera house director is not good, he will be dismissed in a year, but a poor music teacher in a small town can kill off the love of music for thirty years from thirty classes of children.”
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at matthew.musselman@jcschools.us.
With love,
Matt Musselman
Music
Art News from Mrs. Boyd
Please look for my full September Art Newsletter on my page of our school website. We have been off to a fantastic start in art class this year. I am so glad to be back in the classroom with my students.
Each of the students have been working on Pre-assessment drawings. I use these drawings to learn students drawing abilities so that I can meet them where they are at and challenge them to grow and learn. I compile these drawings from one year to another and return them to 5th graders put together into a book. It is so exciting for them to see their growth over the years.
We are beginning our Fall Curriculum soon with a variety of Fall themed projects. Look for your child’s artwork to appear on Artsonia as they finish their first fall pieces.
Artsonia
If you have not yet signed up for Artsonia, I will be sending home information on this website soon. I display artwork on Artsonia in our school art gallery. Upon signing up, you will have access to all of their Artwork in digital format. It is free to participate and is a fantastic program, which celebrates the visual arts in a positive way.
5th grade Outdoor Education Day
5th graders will be tie-dying t-shirts at Outdoor Ed Day. Please make sure you turn in t-shirt orders this week so I can include a shirt for your child in my shirt order. The shirts will have the Moreau Heights Logo on the front and students names listed on the back. Please contact me if you need financial assistance to cover the cost of the shirt.
Art Club
News of a 4th and 5th Grade art club will come out soon. Students must create an art project, at home on their own time, for submission to attend art club. This can include any media of choice. I select students for art club on both a first-come, first-serve basis and a review of their art classroom and school-wide behavior. Art club members must be respectful, responsible, and safe in school, in addition to be keeping up with their other schoolwork from other subjects.
Focus on Parenting - Chores and School Success
What can we as parents do right now to help our kids enjoy the best academic success? The answer may surprise some of you: Ensure that our kids are contributing to the family by consistently helping with housework, yard work, and other duties.
Kids in the habit of successfully completing chores are far more likely to develop a habit of successfully completing academic assignments.
In one of my books, From Bad Grades to a Great Life, I describe why chores meet an essential human emotional need: The need to feel needed. When we treat our kids like guests in a five-star, all-inclusive resort, their true self-esteem plummets and they develop attitudes of entitlement.
To prevent this from happening… or to begin the process of healing… follow Love and Logic’s ABCs for training kids to do chores:
A - Assign every member of your family some meaningful contributions.
Ask yourself, “What am I doing that my kids could do on a regular basis?” Many parents find it helpful to post this list on the refrigerator complete with names next to each contribution.
Caution - Don’t say, “Do it now.” This just creates power struggles. Instead, allow them to have a deadline for each contribution.
B - Be quiet.
Avoid reminding or nagging.
Remember - Kids who have to be nagged into doing their chores are kids who need to be nagged into doing their schoolwork and homework.
C - Consequences preceded by sincere empathy will do the teaching.
When their children refuse to do their chores, forget, or do them haphazardly, many parents find it helpful to complete the chore for their child… and expect their child to repay the time and energy expended to accomplish those contributions.
Sometimes this means doing extra chores for the parent. Sometimes this means staying home or doing without some privilege so that the parent has time to rest and relax. Other times this means paying the parent or a professional to do the job. A memorable example involved a teen who had to pay a maid service to complete her housework contributions.
Remember - Anger and frustration create resentment, while sincere empathy creates responsibility.The key to success hinges on sincere empathy!
*Excerpt taken from Love and Logic Newsletter