Maplewood Principal Notes April 7

TARDINESS HAS BECOME A PROBLEM – I am writing to ask for your help in keeping down our disruptions to the classes that seems to be happening a great deal this year. When students are not “Ready at 8”, then not only are they missing some valuable instructions for the day, but it is also a disruption to the other students (and to the staff who are working hard to make every minute of instruction count). Please help your child be Responsible and Organized (two Life skills we are teaching here to help them be successful) by having them to school in time to get themselves ready to learn when the bell rings at 8:00. Most of you are very prompt, which is highly appreciated.

APRIL 17 IS A SCHOOL DAY FOR MAPLEWOOD, but not for other cluster schools - This is one of the days this year when our Trimester Calendar means that we are in session, but the quarterly schools have a planning day.

MAPLEWOOD SPELLERS REPRESENTING US APRIL 26^TH - We are proud to announce that the following students will represent our 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders in a city-wide Spelldown. Our 3^rd graders are Zoe Crain and Zoe LaDu, 4^th graders are Keenan Murray and William Nourse, and 5^th graders are Vince Campbell and Joe Weissig. Congratulations and good luck to our representatives.

APRIL LIFESKILL - Remember the saying, “Patience is a virtue”? Patience is waiting calmly without complaint; steadfast; faithful; dependable – all excellent character traits in a family member, friend, and an employee. The next LIFESKILL topic for our school is:

PATIENCE

As family members, you understand how demanding one child or a few children can be. In the classroom, where we have many more students, the LIFESKILL of Patience is an extremely important skill for both the teacher and the students to use. Some of the ways we will develop a deeper understanding of the LIFESKILL of Patience include:

· Brainstorming constructive activities that can be done while waiting in a line

· Listing many situations in which we might need to be patient

· Role playing situations that show impatience and then patience

At home, you can further continue our study of patience by:

· Insisting that children take turns

· Reading chapter books – one chapter per night

· Encouraging your child to set some long-term goals, such as saving for a pair of roller blades, a bike, or a movie ticket

Family members are their children’s best role models. Help your child to become a better learner by modeling a sense of perseverance, patience, and inner strength.

April Character Education Program Update from Jenny Pitts,

Character Ed Specialist

Student Council: Now that Project Second Wind, the food drive, is complete – the Student Council is in the process of deciding on another project to start on or complete by the end of the year. Lots of great ideas have come from council members and their classmates. I’ll keep you posted on further developments!

Lifeskills: To date we have focused on seven Lifeskills: Friendship, Cooperation, Responsibility, Caring, Integrity, Effort, and Organization. This month we are talking about the Lifeskill PATIENCE.

Parent Resource Library: Thank you for all of your book suggestions! The books have arrived! The Parent Resource Library bookshelf is located against the wall by room 102. Some book suggestions came in after we placed the order. I have kept track of these and plan on including them the next time we order books for the library. Amanda Smith is still developing a checkout system, so stay tuned!

Second Step Workshop for Kindergarten Parents: I am in the process of planning an informational workshop about the Second Step program that Kindergarten students are receiving in their classroom. Second Step is a school-based program that teaches children to think of others’ feelings, solve problems cooperatively, and manage their anger in a positive way. This workshop will occur in May. When I know the exact date, I will send notes home and information about how parents can sign up.

Steps to Respect: This week, I started the Steps to Respect program in both 5^th grade classes. It is a bullying prevention program. The primary goal of this program is to help create a safe, caring, respectful learning environment. As part of Steps to Respect, 5^th grade students will learn new skills to help them build friendships and deal with bullying. They will learn to make friends, manage conflicts, and recognize, refuse, and report bullying – whether it happens to them or someone else. These are great skills to have, for our learning environment now, and in the future! If you have any questions, please contact me at (503) 916-6308.

PROJECT SECOND WIND: We reached our Project Second Wind goal…and then some! In one week we collected 520 pounds of food and $278.54 (which is enough to buy 1,671 pounds of food). This brings our total “pounds” collected to 2,196!!! Thank you to our Student Council for helping with the annual food drive, and a big thank you to our generous students, families, and staff. The food and money collected will go a long way in helping fight hunger in our state! Jenny Pitts, Character Education Specialist.

Upcoming Events:

Apr 13 - PTA Meeting 6:15 to 7:30

Apr 13 - End of Run for the Arts Pledge Period

Apr 14 - Robert Gray Middle School Visit at 9:45 a.m.

Apr. 17 - Yes, we do have school at Maplewood that day

Apr 18 - Run for the Arts

Apr 20 - Rockin’ Water Show for 4^th/5^th Grade at 10:30 am

Apr 25 - Run for the Arts Rain Date

Apr 28 - End of Run for the Arts Collection Period

Apr 28 - Bookbaggers!

May 1-5 - Teacher Appreciation Week!!