Dolphin Dispatch

December 1 - January 31 - "Read Around the World" Reading Challenge

December 6 - Open Transfer and Choice School Lottery Application Period Opens

December 8 - Teachings of the First People Virtual Family Evening (see below for details)

December 9 - Math Challenge # 5 Responses Due

December 10 - Math Challenge # 6 Available

December 16-24 - Las Posadas

December 20-January 3 - Winter Break

December 21 - Winter Solstice

December 25 - Christmas

December 26 - January 1 - Kwanzaa

Check out our online calendar for more dates and details.

Roger Fernandes, a Native American storyteller and artist, will share stories and art from the Coast Salish tribes of this region. Through hearing and reflecting upon the stories, the students will learn how storytelling is teaching and about the beliefs and philosophies of the First People of this land. Students will have the chance to create tribal designs like the ones that make these stories so visual.

Are you ready to go on an unforgettable journey from the comfort of your favorite reading chair? Experience every continent and the vastly different landscapes and cultures that make up our amazing planet.

For each region, you are welcome to choose any reading that you’d like - Poems, picture books, chapter books, audio books, fiction, non-fiction...it all counts. You can read yourself or have someone else read the books to you. Books can be set in the region, about characters from the region or written/illustrated by people from the region.

Completed reading logs should be turned in to president@nhe-pta.org and any student who turns in at least one log will be entered into a drawing for a prize. (reading log does not need to be filled completely to qualify)

There will be two prizes given, one to the K-2 grade range and one to the 3-5 grade range.

Reading Log - List

Reading Log - Coloring

Congratulations and thank you for joining PTA! Please email president@nhe-pta.org to claim your prize.

Want a chance to with the next drawing for a grocery store gift card on January 31st? Join now to be included in the drawing. (All members at the time of the drawing are eligible: new and old)

Goal: Every NHE student is represented in PTA by at least

one important adult in their lives.

Status: Currently 32% of our students are represented. We are 1/4 of the way there!

Join Here

There is NO obligation or expectation to volunteer or attend meetings. (But we do LOVE to meet members and find fun opportunities for those that want to help!)

Membership assistance is available. We do not want funds to stand in the way of those that want to join. Please email president@nhe-pta.org to request a confidential scholarship.

Goal: $30,000 will fully fund our budget for the 2021-22 school year.

Status: We are 37% of the way to our goal.

Donate Here

And remember to ask your employers about their Corporate Match Plan. Many local employers will match the donation you make up to 100%!

Every dollar contributed to our Pass the Hat fundraiser goes directly to support the programs offered by the PTA. A donation of $100 covers our spending per student, but any amount is appreciated. Every dollar counts!

We are a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Our Tax ID number is 91-1208399.

Going into this holiday season will not be the same for every family. Different situations, feelings and experiences will determine a lot of what we expect or hope for our holiday season. Big emotions are common during this time of year.

It can be tempting as parents to shield our children from less positive emotions, but sometimes it can be more helpful in that moment to just validate your child’s feelings. It’s okay to say, “You’re right, this is a hard situation, and you have every reason to feel sad and disappointed.” Give them the space to just share their feelings.

Simply validating their emotions conveys that your child’s feelings are normal and okay – this is just as important and powerful as “finding the silver lining.”

If we focus only on positive emotions and positive aspects of life and ignore the difficult, this can lead to more stress on the body and increased difficulty in avoiding upsetting emotions. It can also lead to a sense of isolation for your child.

One of the tools we use to identify and express emotions with students at NHE is the Mood Meter. This is a great tool to also use at home because this will be familiar to most of our students and is a visual way to distinguish between a range of emotions.

From Caldecott honoree LeUyen Pham, a moving picture book celebrating essential workers and the community coming together to face the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

A street full of adults, children, dog walkers, and grandparents empties in the turn of a page: “Everybody who was outside...went inside.”

“So why did we all go inside?” Pham asks. “Mostly,” she explains, “because everyone knew it was the right thing to do.” The word virus is not mentioned: it’s not a story that presents the science behind the pandemic. Instead, the Caldecott Honoree offers a record of a period of difficulty, a testimony both to loss experienced and moments of unexpected good. A moving author’s note is included. Ages 3–6

This week, Pfizer’s COVID vaccine was authorized for children ages 5-11.

Here are two resources for the COVID pediatric vaccine:

https://bsd405.org/2021/11/covid-19-vaccine-clinic-bsd-students-november-2021/

https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/

From Nurse Cori: As always, PLEASE keep children who have symptoms home. This includes: Runny nose/congestion, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, headache, fatigue, sore throat, fever/chills, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, muscle/body aches, new loss of taste/smell, and cough.

COVID-19 screening and diagnostic testing will be happening soon at Newport Heights. More information can be found HERE on the BSD website.

Testing may only occur with parent consent. To participate you must opt-in for the COVID-19 testing by completing this COVID Testing Consent form.

Notes from the Backpack is a PTA podcast designed for parents, featuring real conversations with real parents, experts and educators who offer real-life advice, ideas and strategies parents can use to help their children succeed in and out of school.

Our Culture is More than a Holiday - A great discussion on the value of books with diverse characters living their regular life - not just wearing traditional dress and celebrating cultural holidays.

Listen Now

Newport Heights PTA is a volunteer-powered association of NHE families, staff, and community supporters, who act collectively on behalf of our children.

Our mission is to make every NHE student's potential a reality by promoting partnerships between home, school and community, engaging and empowering families and supporters to advocate for all children.

Email: communications@nhe-pta.org
Website: https://nhe-pta.org
Location: 5225 119th Avenue Southeast, Bellevue, WA, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewportHeightsPTA/