Grafton Gazette
Sept/ Oct 2019
Grafton Village Elementary School
Email: _@staffordschools.net
Website: www.staffordschools.net/gves
Location: 501 Deacon Road, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Phone: 5403735454
Twitter: @GVESGrizzlies
A message from the Principal
Dear Families,
It is hard to believe that fall has arrived. During the past weeks, Mrs. Murray and I have visited each class numerous times and we are impressed with the hard work of our teachers and the effort of our students. The hallways are already filled with student work and we are eager to see the continued growth of each child.
In the coming weeks, we have several PTA events that you may wish to attend and/or volunteer to support. In October, the PTA is sponsoring a family movie night on the 4th at 6:00. They will be showing the Peanuts movie and the event is free. On October 19th, the PTA will hold our annual GrizzlyFest from 11:00 until 2:00 pm. This event includes games, activities, and food. We hope to see you at all of these fun events!
This time of year, dismissal is a popular discussion topic. Here are a few tips and reminders. If you will need to pick a child up prior to the end of the day, please contact the office with a note or phone call in the morning and let them know of the pick-up time. Written notes are preferred as they allow the teacher to also see the change prior to informing the office. If your child will need to be picked up at the end of the day and is not an everyday car rider, you will need to notify the office prior to 3:00. This allows the staff to complete a temporary car rider pass and the child can then be picked up at the car rider exit (again, be sure to have a photo identification) between 3:40 and 4:00 pm. Anyone who arrives after 3:00 without contacting the office and wishes to pick up their child will need to wait until 3:50 when students who are being picked up in the office are dismissed from their classrooms. These procedures have been put into place to allow our office staff time to correctly route students at dismissal and attend to end of the day tasks. We thank you in advance for your support as we work through these new procedures.
Now that the school year is underway, I want to encourage all families to consider making reading a nightly habit. Research shows that reading to or with your child each evening for as little as 20 minutes has a major impact on your child’s language and literacy development. In the primary grades, a parent reading aloud to their child each evening provides modeling of the appropriate rate, intonation, and fluency that we want all children to aspire to. As children get older, taking turns reading pages in a book is a great way to practice these skills. As children approach middle school, setting aside time where all family members take a break from their busy schedules to read their own selections independently helps solidify the value of reading in everyday life. The benefits of building reading routines at home will go far beyond the classroom and I encourage everyone to make time to read.
Calendar
9/3 Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
9/4 Girl Scouts 4:00- 5:00 pm
9/10 Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
9/11 Chorus Meeting 8:00- 9:00 am
Interims
Girl Scouts 4:00- 5:00 pm
9/17 Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
9/18 Early Release- All Grades
9/24 Breakfast Buddies 8:00- 8:45 am (A- I)
Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
Cafe Cub Scouts 7:00- 8:00 pm
9/25 Breakfast Buddies 8:00- 8:45 am (J-R)
Grizzly Clubs 3rd- 5th 4- 4:45 pm
9/26 Breakfast Buddies 8:00- 8:45 am (S-Z)
10/1 Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
10/2 Girl Scouts 4:00- 5:00
Grizzly Clubs 4:00- 4:45 pm
10/4 PTA Family Movie Night 6:00- 7:00 pm
10/8 Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
10/9 Chorus 8:00- 8:45 am
Girl Scouts 4:00- 5:00 pm
Grizzly Clubs 4:00- 4:45 pm
10/10 PTA General Meeting 6:00- 7:00 pm
10/11 Early Release 1:10 pm
10/14 Parent Teacher Conferences
Professional Day- No School
10/15 Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
10/16 Chorus 8:00- 8:45 am
Girl Scouts 4:00- 5:00 pm
Grizzly Clubs 4:00- 4:45 pm
10/17 Fall pictures
10/18 3rd- 5th Math Contest 9:10- 9:50 am
10/19 Grizzlyfest 11:00- 2:00 pm
10/22 1st and 2nd grade awards 9:10- 9:55 am
3rd grade awards 10:00- 11:00 am
Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
10/23 Unity Day- Wear orange
Chorus 8:00- 8:45 am
Grizzly Clubs 3rd- 5th 4:00- 4:45 pm
10/24 5th grade awards assembly 9:15- 10:00 am
4th grade awards 10:00- 11:00 am
10/29 Red Ribbon Week
Indianettes 4:00- 5:00 pm
10/30 Chorus 8:00- 8:45 am
Indianettes Dance 6:00- 7:00 pm
10/31 Early Release 1:10 pm
Halloween
Counselor's Corner
(Mrs. Spangler and Miss Santina)
Welcome back everyone – we can’t believe that school has already been in session for almost 2 months!! Miss Santina and I have really enjoyed going into the classrooms, meeting all of your kiddos, introducing ourselves and explaining our roles as school counselors. Please feel free to reach out to either one of us with questions or concerns; I am here full-time and Ms. Santina is here Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
During the month of October, we will be focusing on anti-bullying, specifically what to do if you are bullied, how to tell the difference between bullying and teasing, and what to do if you see someone else being bullied. Our PTA and SCA will be working with us to “unite against bullying”, offering a variety of programs and activities throughout the month, including a unity chain with positive messages that we will link throughout the school.
SCA News
Our SCA is up and running!! The officers and representatives have been chosen and they will begin their official duties this month with our big Unity/Anti-bullying campaign. Congratulations to those students and we look forward to working with them throughout the school year!
Dates to Remember
10/23 - National Unity Day – please wear something orange
10/23 – 10/31 – Red Ribbon Week - please wear something red on 10/29
10/31 - Fall Fun Day – please wear a fun school appropriate costume (no masks, weapons, scary or gory costumes, etc.)
The Clinic Chronicle by Amy Pisciotta, RN
Despite all of the fall decor and pumpkin spice goodies, summer seems to be hanging on here in Fredericksburg. Generally once the weather is colder and we are forced to spend more times indoors, the number of sick children seems to increase and I continue to see allergy symptoms as well. Since the beginning of the school year I have had 491 clinic visits and have given 186 medications. In the last couple of weeks I have seen an increase of headaches, sore throats, coughs, and bloody noses.
This time of the year moisture leaves the air and dries out the membranes of the nose and just slightly hitting the nose can cause it to bleed. If you find your child having many bloody noses, you may want to try a humidifier, saline nasal spray, or a small amount of Vaseline just inside the nostril. If your child’s nose bleeds, have him/her pinch it just above the opening. Do not let your child tilt his/her head back as this may cause blood to drain down the back of the throat and cause a gag reflex and vomiting may follow.
When should you be concerned about your child not feeling well? As always, a child must stay home if their temperature is above 100.4 and they have to be fever free for 24 hours without medication. Vomiting is another reason to keep your child home. I know that not all vomiting is created equal and may not be a result of a virus (gagging, coughing hard, too full, being grossed out), but if there is any questions, please leave your child at home.
This time of year I hear a lot of talk about having the flu. I strongly encourage everyone, young and old to get the flu shot or the flu-mist nasal vaccination. The CDC has come out recommending that everyone get it. The flu shot is a combination of 3 or 4 of the most serious influenzas but not all the influenza that may be out there. The shot is a dead virus and you cannot get the flu from it. If for some reason you get the flu (the flu is a respiratory illness with coughing, fever, extreme fatigue. It isn’t vomiting or diarrhea that is from a stomach virus or gastroenteritis.), you had been exposed sometime prior to the shot. The flu-mist is a live virus and is not able to be given to everyone. Just remember the old childhood jump rope saying that came out during one of the deadliest flu epidemics in the early 1900s.
I had a little bird whose name is Enza
I opened a window and in-flu-enza.
Please remember to cough into your sleeves, wash your hands, exercise, and eat healthy!
I have recently seen an increase in “accidents”. If your child is in kindergarten or 1st grade, please put a change of clothes in their backpack if possible. I don’t always have clothes available in all sizes. The children do prefer their own clothes. If I loan out clothes to your child, if you could please wash them and return them to me so I have them available to the next student that is in need.
Remember to update your phone numbers. This is the time of year I need to reach parents and I feel bad when a number has been changed and I cannot reach you. Just send a note in with your child if anything has changed.
Library News Mrs. Emmy Lieser, Librarian (lieserea@staffordschools.net)
● 2,424 books were checked out during the first month of school
The Classrooms with the Highest Checkouts
1. Emerson
2. Washington
3. Staples
4. Schultz
5. Van Dyk
Library learning
All students have been busy learning about the importance of reading and finding a just right book! We have reviewed how to care for our library books and to keep them safe in a backpack when not reading them.
Students have been practicing strategies for how to find books in the library. Kindergartners learn to use library signs, book covers, and illustrations to determine if a book looks interesting. Older students are learning how the library is organized and how to use the online catalog Destiny to help them find a good fit book. Students are having fun using the new library signs to help them locate books independently!
What we're reading
Top 5 Books in the Library
1. The Adventures of Henry Whiskers
2. Pablo & Birdy
3. Lemons
4. Shadows at Jamestown
5. The Loser’s Club
Top 5 Destiny Searches
1. Dog Man
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
3. Minecraft
4. I Survived
5. Amulet
Reminders
● Remember to place a hold on your next VRC book!
● The library is open every morning for students to get a new book.
● Students are welcome to renew books if they are not finished reading them.
● Kindergartners checkout 1 book at a time
● Grades 1-5 may checkout 2 books at a time
Bright Ideas by Susan Kesler
Sourcer: Parenting for High Potential
Joshua Marin once said, “Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.“ How can we encourage children to embrace challenges and become more motivated to learn? Research shows that students’ beliefs about their intelligence play an important role in their school achievement and that parents can influence the development of these beliefs. Children who believe their intelligence is simply a fixed trait don’t do as well, especially as school becomes more challenging, than children who believe their intellectual abilities can grow. When students are taught the growth-oriented view, they show a rapid increase in their enjoyment of learning and in their grades. Children wih fixed mindsets believe things, such as intelligence, character and creative ability, are unchangeable. In other words, no matter how much they study or how much effort they exert, they have to live with the cards they've been dealt. These children believe their potential is capped and avoid challenges that test their abilities. On the other hand, kids with a growth mindset believe the brain is a muscle that can grow, and abilities are assets to be nurtured through hard work. Children with growth mindsets believe that what they are born with are raw materials - a launching point. As a result, they thrive on challenges. Effecive use of praise is one way that we can help children increase their desire to take on challenges, persevere, and succeed academically.
ü Praise the process, not the person. Instead of “person praise” (e.g. You are creative” or “You are smart”), give “process praise”: praise the strategy (You found a really good way to do it.”); praise with specificity (e.g. You seem to really understand fractions.”); and praise effort (“I can tell you’ve been practicing.”)
ü Keep it real: Don’t say, good job!” when it’s not. Be sincere. Offer authentic praise for real achievements.
ü Stop praising altogether. Kids develop immunity to praise; they require higher and higher dosed of it to be satisfied. As soon as the dangling carrot is removed, children can lose interest in their activity. Instead of praising, try to observe and comment. For example, make a simple, evaluation-free statement such as “You put your shoes on by yourself!” or simply, “You did it!” These comments acknowledge effort and encourage children to take pride in their accomplishments.
For more information, check out the Top Ten Growth Mindset Resources for Parents. https://biglifejournal.com/pages/growth-mindset Believing in brains or talent as something that can change and grow via effort helps us ensure long-term success in school, careers, and life in general. This year, let’s all grow some intelligence!
Mrs. Feeney's Art Message
Mrs. Feeney’s Art Message Welcome back to all of our creative Grafton art students. All of the students have painted their own “Dot” painting based on the book “The Dot” by Peter Reynolds. Some of the paintings are displayed in the frames around the school.
Art Projects All grades will be creating an artwork for Original Works, which is an Art/PTA fundraiser. Order forms will be coming home in soon.
Kindergarten: The students will be creating a fall tree collage.
1st Grade: The students will be creating feathers to wear for their upcoming music performance.
2nd Grade: The students will create a sunflower painting based on the book “Sunflower House” that will be read to them in Library class.
3rd Grade: The students will create a sunflower painting based on the book “Sunflower House” that will be read to them in Library class.
4th Grade: The students will be creating an oil pastel pumpkin drawing showing highlights and shadows.
5th Grade: The students will be designing the cover of the yearbook using computers.
Wish list for art class - Wrapping paper roll tubes -Black sharpies
Music "Notes" from Mrs. Greven
Welcome back! All of the classes have been working very hard learning about and reviewing our procedures and expectations for music class. We expect all of our Grafton Grizzlies to be GREAT musicians. See below to find out how your student can be a GREAT musician!
Grafton Grizzlies are
Good behavior
Ready to participate
Ears open, mouths closed
Attitude
Try your best
Musicians!
All 1st grade students will be participating in a grade level music program in conjunction with our Social Studies Curriculum night on Thursday, November 14th at 6:30 p.m. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details!
Attention 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students: We will be using recorders again this year. Stay tuned for Recorder Order forms to be sent home soon! This is your chance to purchase a recorder through the school.
PE News
Great things are happening in PE at Grafton Village! The weather has cooled off, and we are able to get outside for running. Here are some of the upcoming activities that we will be addressing:
We are currently involved in our throwing and catching unit. We are developing our underhand toss and working on overhand throws. Our older students are really enjoying the unfortunately titled “All Sports Ball” and working together as a team.
Mr. Hampton will bring his Karate program from Hampton’s Karate in October. The dates will be October 21, 23, 28, and 30th. It is an after school introduction to Karate. Parents will have to pick their students up, if they are interested. Paperwork will come home at the beginning of October.
Morning Running Club will also begin in October. Running club runs on Tuesday mornings before school starts from 8:00-8:25. Students will be dropped off in the car rider line. Students may want to bring dry shoes or socks to change into in their classroom after running club because of the dew on the grass in the morning. More information will be coming in October.