December Newsletter

We have had a great 1st Semester of the year. We have many students participating in our middle and high school athletics and activities, we have had state qualifying individuals and teams, and we have had more assignments turned in on time, an increase in academic performance, and better attendance in all three buildings. We are excited to see how our winter teams and activities continue with outstanding performances. Thanks to everyone that is involved with our students and thanks for your continued support of our students and staff! Students and activities benefit when we have strong partnerships. We’d love to see you at a performance, concert, activity, or athletic competition.

Christmas Break Information

Our last day of school is on Thursday, December 21st and students return to school on Thursday, January 4th. December 21st is an early dismissal day with students being dismissed at the elementary at 1:05, middle school is dismissed at 1:20, and the high school at 1:35. We have our last athletic events prior to the break on Tuesday, Dec. 19th as well. The NSAA Moratorium runs from December 23rd – December 27th. On these dates, no activity group or athletic team should meet for any reason, either to practice, watch film, have planning sessions, etc. Watch for more information with regards to sports and activity practices over the break. This year’s Basketball Holiday tournament is at Shelby on Dec. 28th and 29th, and we are hosting a Varsity/JV Wrestling tournament on Friday, December 30th.

Faculty Gift Reminder

We always look forward to the holiday time with our friends and our family. We need to also keep in mind that the holidays can be a difficult and stressful time for some students and their families. Financial hardships can create an emotional difficulty in what should be a happy time for our students. We do request that parents/students not give gifts to our faculty and staff. Not all students can afford to do this, and this creates a difficult situation for us. We also have a Board Policy that discourages our staff from accepting any gifts. A donation to our hot lunch program to help pay negative balances of some of our students, our backpack program, to the local food bank, or to another charity in lieu of presenting a gift to a staff/faculty member would be encouraged and much appreciated.

If your child would like to give something to a faculty or staff member a written note would be a nice idea.

I hope that you and your family are able spend time together and really enjoy the upcoming Christmas Break!

• Wednesday, December 6th, 1:05pm Dismissal

• December 5th – 15th, Winter Benchmark Assessments in Reading and Math

• Monday, December 18th, K-6 Winter Program at FCHS

• Thursday, December 21st, Last Day of the 1st Semester Dismissal @ 1:05pm

• Friday, December 22nd through Wednesday, January 3rd, No School

• Thursday, January 4th, Classes Resume

WINTER PROGRAM

The K-6 winter program will be at the high school on December 18th at 7:00pm. The students will rehearse for the program during the school day on December 18th. Please plan to arrive no earlier than 6:30pm the night of the program. Students will stay with their class throughout the entire performance. Teachers will release students to families at the conclusion of the performance.

CROSSWALK SAFETY

Many elementary students walk or ride their bikes home from school year round. Drivers are expected to stop for anyone using the crosswalks. Your attentiveness and patience are appreciated as students learn to navigate safely within our community.

MEDICATION

Please do not send medications to school with your child. Medications must be delivered to the office by a parent/guardian. Thank you for your help to ensure our students’ safety.

COLD WEATHER

Please send appropriate seasonal clothing (hats, gloves, boots) so your child can fully participate in outdoor recess as the temperature drops this season. It is helpful to have items marked with your child’s name or initials so they can be returned if lost. If you need assistance acquiring seasonal clothing for your child, please contact the elementary office (302-759-3184).

RECESS IN THE SNOW

Students are allowed to play in the snow at recess if they have an extra set of shoes/boots at school designated specifically for playing ON the snow. Snow pants are needed if your child wants to play IN the snow so their clothes remain dry and comfortable back in the classroom. The blacktop and sidewalk areas are always cleaned off so students have a dry place to play if they don’t have an extra set of shoes.

UPDATED CONTACT INFORMATION

The elementary school may need to contact you for varying reasons (illness, emergencies, etc) and updated contact information is very important. Please update your information as soon as possible so communication between home and school is not interrupted.

3A enjoyed reading and listening to their Kindergarten Book Buddies.

As fast as children whiz from classroom to activity to home and back again, their brains are just as rapidly growing and changing. The foods they eat are important. "These years are critical for brain development, and what they eat affects focus and cognitive skills," says psychiatrist Drew Ramsey, MD.

These 7 foods can help kids stay sharp and affect how their brains develop well into the future.

1. Eggs-The protein and nutrients in eggs help kids concentrate, says Los Angeles-based chef Beth Saltz, RD.

2. Greek Yogurt-Fat is important to brain health, says Laura Lagano, RD. A full-fat Greek yogurt (which has more protein that other yogurts) can help keep brain cells in good form for sending and receiving information.

3. Greens-Full of vitamins, spinach and kale are linked to lower odds of getting dementia later in life. Kale is a superfood, packed with antioxidants and other things that help new brain cells grow.

4. Fish-Fish is a good source of vitamin D and omega-3s, which protect the brain from declining mental skills and memory loss. Salmon, tuna, and sardines are all rich in omega-3s.

5. Nuts and Seeds-Packed with protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, nuts and seeds may boost mood and keep your nervous system in check.

6. Oatmeal-Protein and fiber rich oatmeal helps keep heart and brain arteries clear. In one study, kids who ate sweetened oatmeal did better on memory-related school tasks than those who ate a sugary cereal.

7. Apples and Plums-Kids often crave sweets, especially when they're feeling sluggish. Apples and plums are lunchbox-friendly and contain antioxidants that may fight decline in mental skills.

Second grade wrapped up physical science by building bridges. They discussed properties of matter, how matter changes, and how engineers choose the best materials for a job. Each group was tasked with building a bridge between desks that were 2 feet apart and then testing how much weight each bridge could hold. They all had a loud and busy science time with awesome results!

What is Early Development Network Services Coordination?

Services Coordination helps families of children with special needs below age three:

• Find services to meet developmental, educational, financial, health care, child care, respite care and other needs

• Work with multiple providers to make sure services are provided as needed

Why is Service Coordination Needed?

Nebraska families of children with special needs have found it difficult to locate needed services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and then to coordinate the services with the providers.

Who is Eligible for Services Coordination?

Eligible families are those with an infant or toddler below age 3 who has a disability or developmental delay and qualifies for special education through the public schools.

Year round services coordination is provided.

There is no cost to families.

How Can Families Apply?

To request Early Development services for your child or to refer a child, call the local number below. With prior parental permission, referrals may be made by anyone who suspects a developmental delay in an infant or toddler.

CONTACT: Beth Lightwine at ESU6-Geneva office (225 North 17th, Geneva, 402-759-3143).

Middle School students sending off the Football team as they traveled to Norfolk to play Norfolk Catholic.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Wednesday, December 6 – Early Dismissal
• Monday, December 11 – 7th-12th Grade Winter Concert
• Monday, December 18 – K-6th Grade Winter Concert:
• Thursday, December 21 – Early Dismissal at 1:20pm
• Friday, December 22 – Wednesday, January 3 – Winter Break

Early Dismissal –- December 6

There will be a 2-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, December 6, to enable our staff to engage in professional development. These early dismissals each month allow our teachers and staff to learn new strategies to help improve student performance.

Winter Concerts

Please join us for our Winter Music Concerts. The 7th-12 grade Winter Music Concert will be held on Monday, December 11 at 7:00pm. The K-6th grade Winter Music Concert will be held on Monday, December 18 at 7:00pm. The concerts will display the vocal and instrumental music talents of our middle school students.

End of the 1st Semester

The end of the first semester is quickly approaching. The middle school will dismiss at 1:20pm on the final day of the semester, December 21. Based on our Grading for Learning Policy, any assignments recorded as “Incomplete” will be converted to a “zero” in the gradebook on Monday, December 18th. Stressing the importance of meeting all deadlines, especially those at the end of a semester, as well as, helping your student develop a plan to complete “missing” assignments will support their success in the classroom.

Upcoming Winter Break

Fillmore Central Middle School students will be dismissed at 1:20 PM on Thursday, December 21, for Winter Break. School will resume with a full day of classes on Thursday, January 4, 2024. All Fillmore Central facilities will be closed from December 23 – December 27 due to the NSAA Moratorium.

Colder Weather

Students at FCMS have supervised recess during their lunch periods. We prefer to have them take recess outside as long as the weather allows it. I encourage you to help your student practice getting into the habit of knowing what clothing is appropriate for each school day based on the weather daily. Please make sure that your student has appropriate seasonal clothing options (i.e. sweatshirt, jacket, coat, hat) that will allow them to be comfortable while they are outside during the day. By dressing appropriately for each day’s weather, your student will be more comfortable before school, during recess, and after school. A student who is properly dressed is also significantly less likely to miss school due to illness.

ICU

Fillmore Central Middle School continues to use the Power of ICU program. As a reminder, this program is essentially a communication tool designed to help ALL students complete ALL assignments with quality, and in a timely manner. If your cell phone or email address has changed, please contact the front office with your updated information.

The girls basketball teams took on Sutton. Both A and B teams came home with the win!

Finals Schedule

Semester finals will take place on Dec. 19th and 20th. December 18th is a designated review day. December 21st will be a 1:35 p.m. dismissal with some end of semester activities planned by the NHS/StuCo. We have had a great first semester and I expect us to finish on a high note.

Striv

We will once again be doing our best to have all of our winter sporting events and concerts live streamed on our Striv page. We may not be able to provide audio/commentary for all games, but we will do our best to ensure that the video portion of these events are streamed. Please reach out to us if you have any concerns or trouble with Stiv, and we will do our best to help. As long as you have a good internet connection, everything should work well.

Band/Choir Winter Concert

The annual Winter Band and Choir Concert this year will be on Monday, December 11th with a 7:00 p.m. start. This concert will be for students in grades 7-12 and will be in the gymnasium. This is another new wrinkle as far as scheduling, but our music department feels this change will better serve the students, parents and the community.

Sportsmanship

As we are about to start the winter sports season, I would like to remind everyone how important it is to do our best to be good sports in the stands. I totally understand how easy it is to get upset and wound up, and have been there myself on occasion. I also understand how difficult it is to hire officials, especially at the JV and JH levels. So as we enter the winter season, let’s all do our best to let the coaches coach, the officials officiate and the athletes compete. Let’s all try to be as positive and carry ourselves with great sportsmanship.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

GO PANTHERS!!!

Mrs. Patterson's Personal Finance class went to Friesen Ford in Aurora. The class was given a tour of the entire dealership including, the service department, the Friesen performance department, the parts department, and storage.

Congratulations to Mr. Verhage's homeroom on winning the food drive contest for the third year in a row! Thank you to everyone that contributed!

December 6th

Early Dismissal

1:05/1:20/1:35p.m.

December 11th

School Board Meeting - 7:30p.m.

December 21st

Early Dismissal

1:05/1:20/1:35pm

December 22nd - January 3rd

No School

Last week FBLA had their annual Money Smart meeting where they heard from community members that have careers that did not require a four year degree. The focus of the Money Smart meeting this year was the importance of trade/non-four year degrees to our community. The speakers offered advantages & disadvantages, life tips, and general tips about joining their profession. The Speakers included: Karla Jacobson-Fortify Group, Terri Wusk- Healing Essentials, Shelbi Palensky- Studio 81, Stephanie Bolken & Tara Rutt- York Dental. Thank you to all of these speakers for taking time out of their night to offer up some useful information and tips.