Circle Towanda Elementary

Parent Newsletter ~ December 2019

Mrs. Terri Turner, Principal ~ tturner@usd375.org

Towanda Primary ~ Early Childhood - 2nd grade

316-536-2728

Towanda Intermediate ~ 3rd - 6th grade

316-536-2281

Mrs. Turner's Tidbits

Is it really December!?! Holy Cow!!! How can that be? With our food drive, Just Dance Party, TGIF, Big Kids/Little Kids groups, Thanksgiving Break, the amazing Grandparents’ Day and working to keep the kids settled with Christmas right around the corner…Wow! It has been BUSY! Thanks to all of you who were able to attend the Grandparents’ Day Program. It was awesome!!!. I know the kids thoroughly enjoyed performing. We only hope their grandparents enjoyed it as well.

Just a quick FYI…our Christmas Program is on December 5th this year. Both Schools will be performing on that Thursday evening. Both programs will be at Circle High School in the auditorium beginning with the k-2 at 6:30, band beginning at 7:15pm, followed by the 3-6 Music Program. Please mark your calendars and let the grandparents know that we are at Circle High School! PLEASE BE AWARE THAT PARKING MAY BE AN ISSUE! With both schools performing on the same night it may be a bit chaotic in the parking lot and with drop-off of students. The doors will be unlocked early. I just ask that parents or grandparents supervise the students who arrive earlier than the teachers. Thanks so much! Please call the office if you have any questions. We would love to help out if possible.

Speaking of the upcoming holiday, I hope you are all finding the time to get all the last minute things done prior to Christmas. You can tell Christmas is near as the students really struggle during this time. I know the teachers are working hard to keep the students focused and working hard to do their best in the classrooms. It may feel like we are being picky with behavior. We are not. When you have around 20 children who are all the same age and are all excited, you must tighten the reins a bit more than usual. This keeps it from getting out of control. Please continue to remind your student that we are here to learn and to do their best to keep themselves in control.

Just a quick reminder…we dismiss at 1:00 on Dec. 19th. Please be sure to make arrangements for your child for that afternoon. The classroom parties will be held from 9:30-10:15 that morning. Please sign your child out at the office if you are attending the party to help and decide to take your child home after the party.

We only have a few more weeks before the end of the first semester. CRAZY!!! This year is flying by! Please help your child stay focused on their school work by checking their book bags nightly. I know they have MANY other thoughts—mainly what will be under the tree—that often takes their focus off their studies and homework. Thanks so much for you help with this! If you need to check on your student’s progress, 4th-6th grade parents can visit PowerSchool to stay informed. You can access this through our district website.

One last quick request…please be sure to mark your child’s name in their coats. If you have a missing coat, we probably have it in the office. Our lost and found pile often grows and pours out onto the office floors. Please feel free to stop by and look for any missing coats, hats, gloves, shoes and other items. Thanks so much!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

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UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

12/2 ~ PTO Mtg./Site Council @CTP 5:00pm

12/5 ~ Pre-K Christmas Program AM class @10:30am ~ PM class @2:30pm - CTP Gym

12/5 ~ CTE Music Program @CHS Auditorium - K-2 @6:30pm ~ 3-6 including band @7:15pm

12/9 ~ Board of Education Meeting - 6pm

12/13 ~ T.G.I.F.

12/18 ~ Last day of classes for EC & PreK classes

12/19 ~ End of 1st Semester/2nd 9 wks. ~ 9:30am Winter Class Parties, school dismisses at 1pm for K-6

12/20-1/3 No School/ Merry Christmas & have a Happy New Year!!!!

1/6/2020 ~ Classes resume for all students

COUNSELOR'S CORNER FROM MR. LAMUNYON

NOVEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Freya Morrison, Ryker Meisch, Corey Karst, Braxton Pyle, Alyssa Zorn, Cameron Faulkner, Jayce Allen, Charlee McAdoo, Aubrey Hornseth, Eli Dorey, Jensen Rose, Addison Sage, Dalilah Burrell, Gauge AraSmith, Duane Poole, Eric Davis, Emmy Schmitz, Lyla Richards, Kylie Ward, Rachael Christy, Elijah Carrell, Clay Couey, Willow Oliver, Wayne Hamme, Mathias Watkins, Ryleigh Cox, Leah Moore, Taylor Carroll, Easton Smith, Whitney Wilbur, Heath Masters

The holidays are fast approaching and we are very busy here at Circle Towanda Elementary preparing for this festive season. This time of year both offers challenge and an opportunity when it comes to teaching our children about giving. We have to try and instill in our children the ability and the want to think less about themselves and more about others. Unfortunately, this is a trait that has to be taught in a lot of cases. Our Towanda students and faculty participated in a Food Drive and the donations went to local families through Mom’s Pantry. During our T.G.I.F. time last week, students and staff got the opportunity to sort food in the gym and work together to help prepare the pantry for distribution day. I believe it is important for us to band together and encourage others to share with the less fortunate during this holiday season.

Lee LaMunyon, CTE Counselor

llamunyon@usd375.org

Thanks and have a great holiday!

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WEATHER ALERT

When weather conditions threaten the safe operation of the schools and bus routes and there is a need to cancel the school day, Superintendent Don Potter will announce the decision by 6:00AM by a phone call thru School Messenger and on the following radio and television stations: TV Channels: KSN 3, KAKE 10, KWCH 12

Radio Stations: 95.1, B-98 FM, 107.3, KZSN, 101.3 KFDI, 107.3 ~ District Web Page: www.usd375.org ~ Twitter-@circleusd375

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MISSION STATEMENT

The Vision and Purpose of Circle USD 375, in partnership with our communities, is to educate each student to be an engaged, knowledgeable citizen and responsible, productive worker in the 21st Century.

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CHRISTMAS BREAK

Classes dismiss on December 19th at 1pm for break and will resume on January 6th, 2020

Last day of classes for EC & PreK classes is December 18th

LIBRARY NEWS

In the library, we’ve had two William Allen White luncheons this nine weeks and the turnout has been amazing. At the luncheons, which take place once a month, students who have read and tested 80% or above on a book from this year’s William Allen White Award list are invited to have lunch in the library during their regular lunchtime. We had 15 attendees at both the October and November luncheons!

We also had an amazing amount of support for the Discarded Book Sale held at both libraries near the end of November. It’s heartwarming to see all the student interest in owning books. By the way, books make a great Christmas gift for kids!

Overall, November was a busy month, for both libraries. Check out our snapshots to see just a few of the fun activities kids participated in. December will probably be even busier!

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First graders show off a puzzle put together during Makerspace time

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Kindergartners watch a retelling of The Teeny Tiny Woman

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Second graders display Inuit puppets made with their study of Canada

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Fifth graders build a marble run during Makerspace time

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Fourth graders track down call numbers to search for turkey feathers hidden in books

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Fourth graders track down call numbers to search for turkey feathers hidden in books

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MUSIC NEWS

REMINDER--our Christmas music programs are coming soon!!

Thursday December 5, 2019

CHS Auditorium

Kdg-2nd at 6:30pm, 3rd-6th (including Bands) at 7:15pm

Your child should arrive no more than 20 minutes before the program begins (unless they come to watch the 6:30 program) --students wait in the CHS music classrooms until show time

Please have your child wear nice dress clothes or school clothes (no hats or big hair bows, please)

Thanks for supporting your child in this special event!

Wendy Goldsmith, Music Director

wgoldsmith@usd375.org

316-536-2281 or 316-536-2728

HEALTH NOTICE FROM NURSE CHRISTAN

Handwashing: Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty

If you had a chance to read my previous article in the newsletter, you know this time of year, there are all sorts of illnesses going around. What you may not know is how much handwashing can prevent the spread of illness and infections.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), good hand-washing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea related illnesses. That’s a 33% reduction in the incidents of illness, just by washing your hands! The numbers aren’t quite as drastic for respiratory illnesses/infections, but are still pretty significant. One in 5 respiratory illnesses can be prevented by good handwashing.

There are some key times to wash your hands throughout the day. They are:

Before you eat
Before, during, and after you prepare food
Before and after cleaning wounds
When they are visibly dirty
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching garbage
After going to the bathroom
After touching animals

Not only is it important to wash your hands, it’s important HOW you wash your hands. Use soap if it is available and scrub your hands vigorously. If soap is not available, water will still help get rid of some of the germs. Again, just be sure you are scrubbing vigorously. If you don’t have soap OR water available, alcohol hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol is a good substitute. Here is a great video by Hamilton Health Sciences laboratory explaining the importance of handwashing as well as a demonstration of good technique. Keep your hands clean, and keep your body healthy! https://youtu.be/neUTmGOLJys