NEWSLETTERDecember 2011

Lines from the Principal:

Grade Level News

SEWARD ELEMENTARY

Hello Everyone!! Well, here we are in the month of December! Not only is it a busy month because of the holiday season, but it is a busy time for school as well. The second through fourth grades are completing the second round of the NWEA testing. Along with that, we are nearing the end of the first semester of the 2011-2012 school year. There’s lots to get done! It is hard to believe that this school year will be half over!! I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It is such an important time to stop and think about all of the blessings in our life. Obviously, we think about health and family. But, I also think that it is important to remember the great country that we live in and all of the freedoms that we enjoy. We need to remember that there are many brave men and women working hard every day to make certain that our freedom stays intact. Sometimes, it is easy to forget about these men and women because they are so far away. They make many sacrifices for us! So, if you haven’t thought about them for awhile, please do. And remember to think about their families as they celebrate holidays without their loved ones’ presence.! My ‘time’ here will be short this month. But please take time to read the information that I have attached on a separate sheet. I just felt that it was time to address many ‘issues’ and timely topics. Thanks for doing that!! Thanks again for reading and ‘listening’ this month. I want to wish all of you a very happy holiday season! See you in 2012!

Mrs. Daws

Counselor’s Corner:REPORTING TO AN ADULT-That is our focus currently. We are in the middle of our bullying unit and will finish it before Christmas. One key piece is that no student is a bystander. It is EVERYONE’S job to report bullying to an adult, whether it is bullying against them or someone else. And whether they report to you as parents or to someone at school makes no difference, they just NEED TO REPORT it. Your child now knows what bullying is defined as so thanks for reinforcing this lesson at home!

KINDERGARTENMATH: Recognize numbers 1 - 15, write numbers 1 - 20, count to 50.LITERATURE: Explore different versions of The Gingerbread Man, learn about various holidays, and board The Polar Express!

We would like to welcome Nhu to Mrs. Piskorski’s class!

FIRST GRADENeed a gift idea for your first grader? Give them the gift of reading! Books make great gifts for new readers. Better yet, have family reading time where you take turns reading from a book and then have a lively family discussion!Welcome to first grade Samuel Saltzman!

SECOND GRADE-We will spend December learning about Mexico for our integrated unit.-In Math we will focus on Geometry, practice 2 and 3-digit addition and start 2-digit subtraction.-Our Grammar focus is adjectives and verbs.-Thanks for your continued support at home with Reading and Math skills.

THIRD GRADEWhat Third Grade Studied in November:* Weather and water units in Science* Subtracting to solve problems in

Math* Writing with six-traits and cursive

handwriting* Studying Native Americans & Pilgrims

FOURTH GRADERemember to continue practicing and reviewing multiplication facts!MAP testing from Nov. 27 - Dec. 9!Check your child’s backpack for details!Please, encourage and help your child read 20-30 minutes EVERY day! Research proves vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension scores significantly increase as a result!!

Calendar Dates: December 15 --- Grade 1 musical, ! ! ! 7 p.m. December 22 --- Early Dismissal, ! ! ! 1:15 p.m.December 23 - 31 --- Winter ! ! ! ! Vacation!

News from the....Music Room

Congratulations to the third grade on an excellent performance at their concert! The students showed some of the best singing I have heard at an elementary concert.! Third grade students are now beginning their study of recorder. Please remind students to put their recorder and book back in their book-bag every day after they practice at home. Music class is on a three-day rotation, and it is easier to bring recorders every day than to keep track of a three-day rotation in a five-day school week.! First Grade students are hard at work preparing for their Christmas Concert. The concert will be December 15th at 7:00 P.M. in the High School Auditorium. Students will be asked to arrive at 6:45 P.M. wearing their nicest dress clothes.

Library The holiday season is upon us! Just because students will be spending some extra time away from school, it does not mean they can’t keep practicing their skills. Math Facts in a Flash can be accessed from home for practice simply by going to https://hosted110.renlearn.com/204163/HomeConnect/Login.aspx on the Internet. You can also check on your students AR progress and sign up for email notices when your student passes an AR test of a Math Facts in a Flash level from this site. Don’t forget the books when you are Christmas shopping, they make great gifts and stocking stuffers! Or just make a fort in the living room, crawl in with your kids and spend some time reading!

Nurse

Gym We have just finished up our football unit here in the gym. Now we are moving on to our jump rope unit. Here we will practice our single and double bounce jumps with the individual jump ropes. We will also practice jumping forwards and backwards.

In addition we will work with the long jump ropes and learn how to twirl and jump while others twirl the rope. We also will have some free choice time in the gym to round out classes before Thanksgiving.

I wanted to also announce that due to a very gracious Seward Optimist Club our school is now a 1st Tee school and we are only one of 3 school districts in Nebraska that will be using this program to teach golf. The Seward Optimist Club generously donated the money for our school to purchase the equipment. We will plan on starting golf after the break. Thank You Seward Optimist Club.

December Elementary MenuFruit, Vegetable & Milk Served Daily

December Elementary MenuFruit, Vegetable & Milk Served Daily

December Elementary MenuFruit, Vegetable & Milk Served Daily

December Elementary MenuFruit, Vegetable & Milk Served Daily

December Elementary MenuFruit, Vegetable & Milk Served Daily

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday1Breakfast Breakfast PizzaLunch Chicken Noodle Soup, Tri Tators, Peaches, Cinnamon Roll

2Breakfast Donut and FruitLunch Mozzarella Sticks, Mixed Veggies, Mandarin Oranges, Pudding

5Breakfast Cereal and FruitLunch Beef Sticks, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Pineapple and Roll

6Breakfast French Toast Sticks and SausageLunch Chicken Patty on a Bun, Oven Fries, Applesauce, Granola Bar

7Breakfast Scrambled Eggs and ToastLunch Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Tossed Salad, Peaches, Breadstick

8Breakfast Peanut Butter Sandwich and YogurtLunch Little Smokies, Green Beans, Pears, Cherry Crisp

9Breakfast Morning Mix-Ups and FruitLunch Fish Sticks, Mac & Cheese, Corn, Mandarin Oranges

12Breakfast Biscuits and GravyLunch Macho Nachos, Green Beans, Mixed Fruit, Cinnamon Twist

13Breakfast Breakfast Burrito Lunch Husker Dog, Oven Fries, Peaches, Apple Delight

14Breakfast Pancakes and SausageLunch Turkey Tidbit, Gravy over Mashed Potatoes, Pears, Roll, Pumpkin Pie

15Breakfast Cheese Omelets and ToastLunch Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwich, Baked Beans, Pineapple, Cookie

16Breakfast Cereal and Fruit Lunch Chili Cheese Burrito, Corn, Mandarin Oranges, Blueberry Coffee Cake

19Breakfast Waffles and FruitLunch Pepperoni Pizza, Tossed Salad, Pears, Rice Krispie Bar

20Breakfast Donut and FruitLunch Chicken Nuggets, Nachos, Green Beans, Peaches, Roll

21Breakfast Scrambled Eggs and ToastLunch Hamburger on a Bun, Oven Fries, Pineapple, Cheese Sticks

22Breakfast Peanut Butter Sandwich and YogurtLunch Mini Corn Dogs, Corn, Applesauce, Holiday Cookie

23 NO SCHOOL

26NO SCHOOL

27NO SCHOOL

28NO SCHOOL

29NO SCHOOL

30 NO SCHOOL

NurseDo all cuts really need to be treated?

Yes. You should use an antimicrobial any time you have a wound. An open wound, even a small one, provides an entry to a variety of harmful germs. Treating all wounds will better help protect you against infections. CLEAN: Proper cleansing helps prevent infection and promotes the best possible healing. TREAT: Antibiotic ointments can help prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. Follow your physician's instructions and the directions on packaging when applying any antibiotic ointment. PROTECT: Cover the injured area completely with a gauze pad or non-stick pad. Use first aid tape to firmly secure the pad on all four sides and to help seal out dirt and germs. Keep the wound covered and change bandages as directed by your doctor.