Gerber Newsletter

The Mission of Gerber Elementary School is to team with families to create a college-oriented culture where students are safe, respected, and empowered to contribute in a global community.

Website: gerberschool.org
Location: 23014 Chard Avenue, Gerber, CA, USA
Phone: (530)385-1041

Trimester 2 is quickly coming to an end and spring is right around the corner. Report cards will be going home on March 13th. Please talk to your child about how they are doing in school and contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns at all.

As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, spring fever is bound to hit, which can often times warrant unwanted behaviors. Historically, our behavior referrals have increased in March by nearly double any other month of the year. We are taking a proactive approach this year to encourage positive behaviors and no referrals. Each class will be working hard to fill a mason jar with marbles. Classes can earn marbles for following expectations and making good choices. Each class that fills their marble jar by the end of the month will earn an outside lunch party with music and fun.

Please help encourage positive behaviors at home by reviewing schoolwide expectations regularly. Our school expectations are:

• Be Safe

• Be Responsible

• Be Respectful

• Be Kind

Enrollment: Approximately 380 students

Acknowledgments: Our February Employee of the Month is Mr. Higgins! This is Mr. Higgins first year at Gerber and he teaches our 4/5 combination class. Mr. Higgins builds great relationships with kids and has gone above and beyond to implement Restorative Practices on campus. Mr. Higgins is friendly, collaborative, and has been a wonderful addition to our team at Gerber. Thank you for all that you do, Mr. Higgins!! We appreciate you!

Interested in getting more involved? Gerber School has openings on our School Site Council (SSC) committee and we are looking for new parent members. SSC is a parent advisory committee that is comprised of parents, teachers, classified staff and administration. We meet once a month to review school goals and priorities and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees. Please contact Jenny Montoya at jmontoya@gerberschool.org or 385-1041 for more information.

Important Dates:

• March 5th- 7th- REACH Conference (6th-8th Club Live Students)

• March 6th: End of 2nd Trimester.

• March 12th: Skateboarding Assembly

• March 13th: 2nd Trimester Honor Roll Field Trip

• Report Cards sent home with students

• March 27th: Student of the Month Assembly

• March 31st: Kindergarten Registration 8:30-1:00

• Author’s Visit Field Trip (10:00-11:00 & 12:30-1:30)

• Stonewall Presentations 6th-8th grade classes

Childhood isn't all fun and games. Even young children can feel worried and stressed.

Stress can come from outside, such as family, friends, and school. It can also come from children themselves. Just like adults, children may expect too much of themselves and then feel stressed when they feel that they have failed.

How can you help your child with stress?

Adults can help children and teens with stress in many ways. Three important things you can do are to:

• Try to reduce the amount of stress in your lives.

• Help them build positive coping skills.

• Teach them to let stress out.

Reduce the amount of stress in your lives

• Acknowledge your child's feelings. When children seem sad or scared, for example, tell them you notice they are sad or scared. If appropriate, reassure them that you can understand why they would feel sad or scared.

• Develop trust, and let your child know that mistakes are learning experiences.

• Be supportive, and listen to your child's concerns. Allow your child to try to solve his or her own problems, if appropriate. But offer to help and be available to your child when he or she needs you.

• Show love, warmth, and care. Hug your child often.

• Have clear expectations without being too strict. Let your child know that cooperation is more important than competition.

• Don't over-schedule your child with too many activities.

• Be aware of what your child wants (not just what you want).

Build positive coping skills

It is important to help children learn positive coping skills. These skills are often carried into adult life.

• Provide a good example. Keep calm, and express your anger in appropriate ways. Think through plans to reduce stress, and share them with your family.

• Teach them about consequences. Children need to learn about the consequences—good and bad—of their actions. For example, if they do all of their chores on time, they will get their allowance. If they break another child's toy, they must find a way to replace it.

• Encourage rational thinking. Help your children understand what is fantasy and what is reality. For example, help them see that their behavior did not cause a divorce, or that they are not failures because they were not picked first for something.

• Provide them with some control. Allow your children to make choices within your family framework. For example, allow them to arrange their rooms, choose family activities, and help make family decisions.

• Encourage them to eat healthy foods, and emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Get the stress out

Finding ways to get stress out of their systems will help children feel better. The best ways to relieve stress are different for each person. Try some of these ideas to see which ones work for your child:

• Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. For children, this means activities like walking, bike-riding, outdoor play, and individual and group sports.

• Write or draw. Older children often find it helpful to write about the things that are bothering them. Younger children may be helped by drawing about those things.

• Let feelings out. Invite your child to talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when he or she needs to.

• Do something fun. A hobby can help your child relax. Volunteer work or work that helps others can be a great stress reliever for older children.

• Learn ways to relax. This can include breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, massage, aromatherapy, meditating, praying, yoga, or relaxing exercises like tai chi and qi gong.

• Laugh. Laughter really can be the best medicine. You can be a good role model in this area by looking for the humor in life. Your child can learn this valuable skill by watching you.

ELPAC: English Language Proficiency Assessments for California

Gerber is kicking off ELPAC testing this month. All students who have been identified as English Language Learners will be taking this test. The test is made up of four domains: speaking, listening, writing, and reading. This year the listening, writing, and reading domains will all be computer based. If your student is a part of this test make sure they are getting enough sleep and have a nutritious breakfast. If you would like further information please reach out to our ELD teacher Maria Tadeo at mtadeo@gerberschool.org or visit ELPAC.org.

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