Shawnee Heights Elementary Scoop
Weekly Update (September 23, 2022)
What's Coming at SHES!
Monday, September 26
- NO SCHOOL students; Professional Development day for certified staff
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Monday, October 3
- USD 450 Board of Education meeting 7:00 p.m. in district PD room (SHHS) & via Youtube
Tuesday, October 4
- SHES PTO meeting 6:30 p.m. in library
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Monday, October 10- Friday, October 14
- Fire Prevention Week "Fire Won't Wait. Plan your Escape"
Thursday, October 13
- End of First Quarter
Friday, October 14
- NO SCHOOL for student; Teacher Work day
Our Fall Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for:
Wednesday, October 26 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Thursday, October 27 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Please note that each teacher has their own tab on the sign up link. Please make sure to select the appropriate tab(s) to sign up for a conference for each of your student(s).
Our SHES sign-up can be found here: https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/63275dc0fa2cceac35-shesfall1
SHES Counselor's Corner; Ms. Sheri Fleming
During the month of October, Kindergarten through 5th grade classes will be learning more about how to Recognize, Report, and Refuse bullying during their counselor time each week. These are the core principles taught in the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit.
6th grade will meet with Mrs. Hays, Mrs. Hummer, and me to review SHES bullying policies, the bullying law that Kansas has in place, and ways to determine what is bullying and what is not.
Below is some helpful information for our SHES families about the most common unkind behaviors that often get miscategorized as bullying.
Is it Bullying or Something Else?
We already know that bullies are not kind to others. They push, shove and call people names. They also might engage in cyberbullying, relational aggression and countless other types of bullying. But what many people do not realize is that not every unkind thing kids do constitutes bullying. Kids, especially young kids, are still learning how to get along with others. They learn from parents, teachers and other adults when kindness, conflict resolution, inclusion, and responsibility is modeled for them.
Kids will occasionally do or say something that is hurtful. And while it is important to address the behavior, it is inappropriate to automatically label it bullying. Instead, try to distinguish between hurtful or unkind behavior and bullying behavior.
For something to constitute bullying, it must contain three elements: an imbalance of power, a repetition of hurtful behaviors, and an intention to inflict harm. In other words, kids who bully usually are bigger, older or have more social power than their targets. They also do or say more than one mean thing to the target. An example might include mocking, name calling and insulting the target repetitively. And finally, the goal of the bully is to harm the other person in some way so that they have even more control and power over the target.
When you hear that someone has been unkind to your child, it is easy to automatically assume that the behavior is bullying. However, that is often not the case. Here are some of the most common unkind behaviors that get labeled as bullying when they shouldn't.
Expressing Negative Thoughts and Feelings
Children are often open and honest with thoughts and feelings. Young children, especially, will speak the truth without thinking about the consequences. For example, a child might ask: "Why is your dad in a wheelchair?", not realizing that it might be a topic another child could be sensitive about. These types of remarks are not bullying. They usually come from a place of innocence, so an adult should give them ideas on how to ask questions or say things in a way that isn't offensive or sensitive.
It’s also important that children on the receiving end of unkind remarks learn how to communicate their feelings with the offending child. For instance, it is healthy to say, “I felt hurt when you laughed at my new braces,” or “I don’t like it when you call my mom names.” Giving kids tools to express their hurt empowers them to not only take ownership of their feelings but to learn how to be assertive when someone is unkind.
Being Left Out
It is natural for kids to have a select group of close friends. Although children should be friendly and kind toward everyone, it’s unrealistic to expect them to be close friends with every child they know. It’s also normal that your child will not get an invitation to every function or event. There will be times when they are left off the guest list for birthday parties, outings, and playdates. This is not the same thing as ostracizing behavior, which is bullying. When your children feel left out, remind them that sometimes they too have to choose not to include everyone.
Being excluded is very different from being left out. When kids, particularly mean girls, exclude others, they are doing it with the intention of causing harm. They also may post photos of the event and talk about how much fun they had in front of your child. When this happens, this is exclusion, which is bullying.
Experiencing Conflict
Kids bicker and fight, and learning to deal with conflict is a normal part of growing up. The key is for children to learn how to solve their problems peacefully and respectfully. A fight or a disagreement with a close friend does not represent bullying—even when kids make unkind remarks. Likewise, a spat or disagreement with a classmate here and there is not bullying.
Teasing
Most kids get teased by friends and siblings in a playful, friendly or mutual way. They both laugh and no one’s feelings get hurt. Teasing is not bullying as long as both kids find it funny.
Unkind teasing that is not bullying can happen too, and classmates sometimes engage in this. If it happens once or infrequently, it often does not fit the criteria for bullying. But when this teasing becomes cruel and repetitive, it crosses the line into bullying.
Joking and teasing become bullying when there is a repeated, conscious decision to hurt another person. Teasing becomes bullying when kids continuously:
- Make demeaning comments
- Engage in name calling
- Spread rumors
- Make threats
Not Playing Fair
Wanting games to be played a certain way is not bullying. This desire typically comes from being assertive, a natural-born leader or may even be selfishness. But when a child begins to consistently threaten other kids or physically hurt them when things don’t go their way, then not playing fair transforms into bullying. Now, it is no longer about being selfish; it is about having the power and control in the relationship.
If your child has bossy friends, teach them how to respond to bossy behavior. For example, your child could say: “Let’s play your way the first time. Then, let’s try my way.” Also, be sure you teach your kids how to develop healthy friendships. Talk to them about the dangers of fake friends. If a playmate never wants to do things any way but their own, this could be a sign of a controlling friend.
When hearing about the unkind behaviors your child experiences, be sure you label them correctly. Doing so will help you keep things in perspective, not only for you but for your child as well. What's more, it will help you know how to handle the situation appropriately so that your child can learn and grow from it. When your child does experience bullying, take the necessary steps to ensure that it gets stopped. This might be talking with the offending child’s parents, or bringing up your concern to your child’s teacher, counselor and principal.
Thunderbolts demonstrating 8 Keys of Excellence!
Cole
Ci3T ticket winners
Reese
A Note from our Principal; Mrs. Rebecca Hummer
As I shared in our previous newsletters, Students, Parents, Faculty/Staff and Administration all have responsibilites to help our students reach success. I hope you all had an opportunity to review the responsibilities from our Ci3T plan. Remember, a parent letter will be sent home via backpack mail soon with more information and a family commitment letter to sign and return. We look forward to working together and making this an amazing school year!
The mission of Shawnee Heights USD 450 is to provide quality education that ensures academic achievement for all students and develops caring, productive and responsible citizens. This will be achieved through:
Diverse academic opportunities
Staff committed to continuous improvement
Students, family, and community involvement
Safe schools
Below are our SHES building goals which support our district goals and mission. These targeted, relevent areas of reading and social emotional learning are attainable and linked to specific strategies and actions. We will monitor and measure by specific data points as we serve our students and families each day.
My door is always open. I appreciate your feedback and love hearing positive impacts our staff are having on your student(s) as well as our community. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. I can be reached at 785-730-5345 or at hummerr@usd450.net.
Thank you for choosing SHES and trusting us with your student(s).
Sincerely,
Rebecca Hummer
Our focus on the 8 Keys of Excellence
SPEAK WITH GOOD PURPOSE – Speak honestly and kindly
Think before you speak. Make sure your intention is positive and your words are sincere.
Words are powerful! They have the power to uplift and enlighten or put down and depress. A few cutting words spoken in a moment of anger can affect us for a long time, perhaps even a lifetime. On the other hand, a few kind words can make a very positive difference in how we feel about ourselves … sometimes for a lifetime.
What we say to others—and to ourselves—can have a huge impact. Speaking with good purpose is about always considering the intention of our words. It’s about communicating directly, clearly, honestly, and with a positive purpose. The first step is awareness. If we always think before we speak instead of just blurting out whatever comes to mind, we can learn to consider the reason for our words and make sure we are speaking with good purpose … will our words build someone up or put them down? We all sometimes have negative thoughts, but we don’t have to say everything we think.
There will be times when we need to share critical thoughts. At these times, if our purpose and how we phrase our words is considered first, sharing honest and direct feedback can be very positive and powerful, and build trust.
Speaking with good purpose is the cornerstone of healthy relationships. This Key fosters a positive emotional environment where people are happier, more productive, and more likely to succeed.
A note from our Dean of Students; Mrs. Shawnie Hays
This month we will be focusing on our bus expectations. Below you will see how our 8 Keys connect to our bus expectations. Safety on the bus is our number one priority. Please take a moment to review the bus expectations with your student.
Several of our SHES bus riders have received a positive bus referral from their bus driver! Congratulations! Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Shawnie Hays
Meet our SHES staff
Custodians
(left to right)
Mr. FreemanMr. Whedon
Mr. Newman
Support Staff (Aides)
(left to right)
Mrs. Rolfe, Teacher AideMs. Hubbard, Library Aide
Early Childhood Paras
(left to right)
Mrs. RakeMrs. Fitzpatrick
Pre-K Teacher Aides
(left to right)
Mrs. CaldinoMrs. Claspill
Paras (K-3)
Mrs. Neill
Mrs. Tomlin
Mrs. Rathbun