Deerfield Elementary
December 2019
Greetings from the Office!
Wow November has flown right by and we are heading into what can seem the busiest time of the year-December! There are many special events and concerts occurring, but we will try to keep as normal of a daily schedule as possible. Children thrive on routines and we don't need to add to the holiday craziness. There are many opportunities for our DES community to give back, so keep an eye out for messages from your children's teachers. Thanks in advance for thinking of giving to others!
Please remember to send your child dressed appropriately for the ever changing weather. We try to get outside for recess as much as we can. If the temperature and/or wind chill is below zero we will stay inside. Our lost and found is already overflowing, so please mark your child's items so they can be returned to them.
Please don't hesitate to contact the office or myself with questions. We are here to help!
Thanks,
Melinda Kamrath
DES Principal
1st Grade Gives Back to a Local Non Profit Dog Rescue
This year in 1st grade, one of our primary focuses has been teaching kindness and empathy. This month we are looking into the future and onto the holiday season,1st graders are giving back. We will help a local dog rescue called, Brown Paws Rescue. This dog rescue is located in Cottage Grove (and Waunakee) and they rescue dogs from Texas and Oklahoma. We look forward to helping out others in need, and this year, it is for some very special animals. If any of you are wanting to help or interested in fostering or adopting, please contact any of the 1st grade teachers for more information. Below are their links:
3rd/4th Grade Gives Back
The third and fourth graders will be working together on a service project called Shoeboxes for Kids. This is a local project where we ask families to donate small gift items which are collected and put into shoeboxes. The shoeboxes are then wrapped and distributed to needy children in Madison. These gifts will be delivered to the River Food Pantry on the north side of Madison (http://www.riverfoodpantry.org/).They can bring donations to 3Matheson by Wednesday, December 11th.
Listed below are some items that can be donated:
*Personal hygiene items: shampoo, conditioner, body wash/soap, toothbrushes (individually packaged), toothpaste, lip balm, Band Aids, brushes, hair accessories
*Winter clothing: hats, mittens, gloves, socks
*Art/School supplies: coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, markers, gel pens, watercolor paints, scissors, stickers, craft beads, self-inking stamps, glue sticks, stationary, small notepads, journals, pencils, pencil sharpeners, etc.
*Small toys/gifts: cards, card games, Play Doh, silly putty, travel size games, Hot Wheels cars, mini Lego sets, stuffed animals, harmonica, paddle balls, bouncy balls, jump rope, unopened Happy Meal toys, etc.
*Ornaments
*Books
2nd/5th Grade Give to DCC food pantry
Macaroni and Cheese
Creamed Corn
Chunky Soups
Hamburger Helper
Baking Mixes
Scalloped Potatoes
Tortillas
Canned Chicken
Boxed Potatoes
Baking Ingredients
Stuffing
Gravy
Jello
Shampoo/Conditioner
Body Wash
Personal Hygiene Items
Razors
Kleenex (high need)
Toilet Paper (high need)
Kindergarten Gives to Ronald McDonald House
What's happening in December?
December 9-PTO meeting 6:30 pm
December 10-1st grade concert 6:30 pm
4th grade concert 7:30 pm
December 11-Early Release 12:15December 17-6th grade band/choir concert @MS/HS 7:00 pm
December 20-Play day and holiday parties
Early Releases-12:15
Wednesday, December 11
Wednesday, January 8
Wednesday, February 12
Wednesday, March 11
Wednesday, April 8
Wednesday, May 13
What's happening in 1st grade?
First Graders traveled to a local corn field to combine corn. This trip, sponsored by D & D Olson Farms, MidState Equipment, Landmark Co-Op and several others, gave students the opportunity to ride in a combine, talk with a farmer and learn a bit about combining. We are very lucky to have such generous people in our community that take time out of their busy schedules and spend it with us, teaching us. Each child also received a very special gift while on the trip - a John Deere combine of their own.
Music News
1st/4th Grade Concert - 12/10/19
Monday, December 9th
4th Grade Dress Rehearsal - 8:15-9:00 AM
1st Grade Dress Rehearsal - 1:15 PM-2:00 PM
Tuesday, December 10th
Afternoon Performance (all school) 1:30-2:30 PM
(1st grade performs first, immediately followed by 4th grade)
Evening Performance:
1st Grade - 6:30-7:00 PM
4th Grade - 7:30-8:00 PM
2nd/3rd Grade Concert - 3/12/20
Wednesday, March 11th
2nd Grade Dress Rehearsal - 9:00-9:45 AM
3rd Grade Dress Rehearsal - 10:00-10:45 AM
Thursday, March 12th
Afternoon Performance (all school) 1:30-2:30 PM
(2nd grade performs first, immediately followed by 3rd grade)
Evening Performance:
2nd Grade - 6:30-7:00 PM
3rd Grade - 7:30-8:00 PM
Kindergarten/5th Grade Band/Choir Concert - 5/14/20
Dress Rehearsals TBD - either Tuesday, May 12th or Wednesday, May 13th
Thursday, May 14
Afternoon Performance (all school) 1:30-2:30 PM
(Kindergarten performs first, immediately followed by 5th grade band and choir)
Evening Performance:
Kindergarten - 6:30-7:00 PM
5th Grade - 7:30-8:00 PM
Bridges News
December ER Field Trip
Students in grades K-6 may join us for our Bridges December Early Release Field Trip. We are going skating at Skate Express. Due date for permission slips is December 4. Please see our website for more details.
Homework Club
Don't forget, homework club runs every Tuesday & Thursday in the DES Computer Lab from 3p-4p. This is a great resource for students who need some extra help or are falling behind in their work. No sign up is necessary.
Holiday Craft Classes
Holiday Craft Classes are back. Students may sign up for a craft and then bring it home to give as a gift for the holidays. Classes are during the first two weeks of December. Please make sure you check the dates as a couple classes have two dates. Please see our website for details.
Ski Trip
The Ski Trip is back. Bridges to the Community is getting discounted rates at Cascade Mountain for use on January 17. The tickets will be good all day. You will need to sign up on the Google Form below and turn in the necessary waivers and payment to either school office no later than January 6. I will pick up the tickets from Cascade and distribute them the week of January 13-16.
There will be no bus transportation or chaperones. All families are responsible for getting to and from the mountain on their own and enjoying the slopes on their own. Please see the website for more information.
DCC Cookie Drive
Students Grades 4-8 can sign up for the DCC Cookie Drive. We package cookies for DCC Christmas Baskets. The class is December 17. Sign up is here.
"Art is Out of This World!" Deerfield Elementary School Art Room Theme 2019-20
Elementary Student/Parent Handbook 2019-20
2019-20 PTO NEWS
November was such a busy month for the PTO! First up was our craft fair. A huge thank you to all of our volunteers and everyone who came to shop! We had a record number of attendance with over 2,000 shoppers! The vendors were extremely happy with their sales and can't wait for next year. We will be voting on where use the funds raised at the December meeting, please consider joining us and casting your vote. We also had a Culvers scoopie night and raised about $500. Funds from this event will be used towards the purchase of new sun shades for the playground. We also did the conference pizza sales and the Demons clothing fundraiser which just finished up. We'll be discussing how they went at the meeting as well.
The PTO also recently sponsored an assembly put on by the Be the Impact Foundation about being the best you. Students enjoyed this program and look forward to the other enrichments PTO will be sponsoring this year.
Our next meeting will be held on Monday, December 9. Babysitting will be available! We will be discussing where to put funds towards as well as the upcoming family dance in January. We hope to see you there!
President-Sarah Hart
Treasurer-Rebecca Schultz
Secretary-Kimberly McAloon
The 2019-2020 meeting dates are as follows:
· Monday December 9
· Thursday January 9
· Wednesday February 12
· Monday March 9
· Tuesday April 7
· Monday May 11
Our goal is to have at least 2 parents for every grade level attend each meeting so we have a good representation across the school. Please consider joining us! We need parent participation to make this program successful. The agendas and meeting minutes are always posted on the elementary school home page for reference as well as the PTO Facebook page. We will also post periodic updates of PTO happenings and each grade level also has their own Facebook page for grade-specific discussions.