Cougar
Chat - December 2008/January 2009
Letter from Ms. Duran
Dear Parents & Guardians,
Wow! Can you believe how fast this year has
gone? Here it is the holiday season and
the New Year will be here before we know it!
I remember when my own children
were small how they looked forward to the many gifts I worked so hard to
provide for them. It was so much fun to
watch them open their gifts with so much excitement. There were also many times when the gifts
were not so plentiful and I felt bad because I couldn’t give them all the
things I thought they deserved. Many
times I have wished I could go back and do things over. I wish I would have understood that it
wasn’t the gifts that were important.
What I always tried to give them was a lot of love and plenty of
time. That should have been good enough
for me and for them!
While it is so much fun to give
and receive material gifts, the gift of love and time together is truly the
most precious! I was struck by the
following quote I found while I was searching for a message:
“Children
will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling
that you cherished them.” -
Richard L. Evans
Enjoy your children and your
family this wonderful holiday season!
I wish you and yours the best of
holidays!
Ms. Duran
December 2008 Calendar
4th - Music
Concert - 3rd & 4th Grades @ 7:00 pm
5th - 3rd Grade Field Trip - Hard Rock Lanes
10th - Kindergarten Field Trip - First National Bank
11th - PTO/Site Council Meeting @ 6pm
16th - Humdinger’s Band @ 2:30pm
18th - Early Childhood Polar Express Day
22nd-2nd - Christmas
Vacation - No School
January 2009 Calendar
22nd-2nd - Christmas Vacation - No School
5th - Teacher
Workday - No School
6th - School Resumes
8th - PTO/Site Council Meeting @ 6pm
23rd - 4th Grade Field Trip - Finney Co. Fair Grounds
26th - Early Childhood
Field Trip - GC Regional Airport
26th-30th Health
Week
28th JW Spelling Bee @
2:30
30th 3rd Grade Field Trip -
Zoo
New School Phone Number
Over the summer the school
district upgraded our phone systems and all the phone numbers throughout the
district have changed. Jennie
Wilson's new phone number is 805-7750.
Please make note of this change for further reference. The old number will continue to work in the
short term, but will eventually be switched off.
Jennie Wilson Website
Check out the Jennie Wilson website at: http://www.gckschools.com/schools/jw for up-to-date
information about what our Cougars are doing at school.
New links are being added for each of the teachers giving information about
things going on in their class and educational games to use at home.
BoxTops for
Education
Please continue to collect Box Tops and send them
to school with your child, as the classes have a monthly contest to see who has
collected the most. The winning
classroom will receive the honor of keeping the traveling trophy in their room
for a month!
Christmas
Music Program
Our Christmas/Winter Music
program will be held on Thursday, December 4th at 7:00pm. Students need to report to their classroom,
appropriately dressed, by 6:40pm.
The PTO will be serving cookies
and punch after the program. We look
forward to seeing everyone there!
The Literacy Corner
A Parent’s Guide to Reading Aloud with
Children
With the holidays quickly approaching, there will
be more opportunities to spend some extra time reading with children.
1. Jazz
it up! Use funny voices for different
characters. Add an accent, if that is
appropriate. Don’t forget the
sound effects - ka-BOOM! Kids love to hear excitement in reading. It makes it so much more interesting.
2. Mix
it up!
Vary the types of books that you read and share. Mix old classics such as Harold and the
Purple Crayon with newer books like Sumo Mouse. Mix picture books with chapter books, poetry,
fantasy, and non-fiction. Add a pop-up
book every now and then. If you are
reading a serious chapter book, follow up with several shorter just-for-fun
books.
3. Make it a game! Read several books dealing with the same
subject. Let the kids figure out the
theme. Share the reading time - you read
some, your child reads some, and read some together. You provide the reading model for your child.
The most important thing is to
have run reading with children. This
shared reading time helps younger children develop key language skills. Even older children enjoy shared reading long
after they have mastered basic reading skills.
It’s time that they get to share with parents or other family members
all by themselves. So have fun,
and share lots of books with the special children in your life this holiday
season.
Based
on an article “A How-To on Reading Aloud to Your Kids” by Craig
Pittman. www.tampabay.com
Jump-Start Students of the Week
Week 10 (Oct. 20-24):
Brandon Urquijo - 3rd Grade
Act with Courage: For showing the courage to do brave things,
despite what others may say, do, or think about them.
Week 11 (Oct. 27-31):
Jorge Rodriguez - 4th Grade
Show Compassion: For showing the courage and compassion to let
others know that they are not alone and that someone cares about them.
Week 12 (Nov. 3-7):
Bernhard Loewen - 2nd Grade
Be a Leader: For showing the courage to follow his own
conscience and ideas rather than going along with others.
Week 13 (Nov. 10-14):
Being Aware: For showing the courage and compassion to
focus on things other than himself/herself.
December
Parent Tips on Bullying
Discovery: Discuss with your child how each person is unique,
has something to offer and has the opportunity to learn.
Bullying: Keep track of dates and incidences your child
tells you about being bullied, teased or tells you about another child who is
bullied.
Word of the Month for December: Diversity
Jump-Start Themes for December &
January
Week 16 (Dec. 1 - 5): “Do the Right Thing”
Week 17 (Dec. 8 -
12): “Be a Friend to
Everyone”
Week 18 (Dec. 15 - 19):
“Be Responsible”
Week 19 (Jan. 5 -
9): “Seize the Day”
Week 20 (Jan. 12 -
16): “Listen To Others”
Week 21 (Jan. 19 -
23): “Have a Dream”
Week 22 (Jan. 26 -
30): “Be Honest”
Office Reminders
For security reasons, the office
does not keep change on hand. If you are needing to send money for your child for pictures, lunch
fees, or enrollment fees, please send exact change. Thanks!
We also could use some extra
clothing, especially pants and underwear - for both boys & girls. If you have any clothing you wish to donate,
we would really appreciate it!
Please also remember to send your
child to school with a jacket/coat since the weather is becoming so
unpredictable. We don’t have
enough jackets in the lost & found for all the kids to use for recess time.
We would like to remind you that it is very important we have the latest
information for you child so we can contact you in case of emergency. Please contact the office at 805-7750 if any
of your information changes (home phone, cell phone, emergency contacts,
address, etc).
Thank you!
PE Days
Students will have PE on the
following days:
Mon., Dec. 1 Wed., Dec. 17 Mon., Jan. 19
Wed., Dec. 3 Fri., Dec. 19 Wed., Jan. 21
Fri., Dec. 5 Wed. Jan. 7 Fri., Jan. 23
Tues., Dec. 9 Fri., Jan. 9 Tues., Jan. 27
Thurs., Dec. 11 Tues., Jan. 13 Thurs., Jan. 29
Mon., Dec. 15 Thurs., Jan. 15
Early Childhood News
The Early Childhood class will be having a Polar Express day on December
18th so please send your child in their pajamas!
Also our class will be taking a field trip on January 26th to the Garden
City Regional Airport.
January Parent Tips on Bullying
Discovery: Discuss personal safety and respect for people and
things in the neighborhood, on the bus, in the classroom or on the playground.
Bullying: Involve your child in family activities to do
at home or in the community that will support your child’s emotional,
behavioral and academic development.
Word of the Month
for January: Respect
Health Week
Health Week will be
January 26-30, 2009. More information
will be sent home in January explaining all of the week’s activities and
the kick-off of our Cougar Walking Program.
Word of the Month: Polite
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