High Five Fun



Students have been having a blast playing in the snow during recess and in the afterschool program! 

This winter, the weather was fantastic for climbing on mounds of snow, building forts, and creating snow people.  Please continue to send in the high five (coat; hats; mittens; boots; and snowpants) as long as it remains chilly with snow on the ground.  As you switch over to spring clothing, remember to write your child's name inside jackets and sweatshirt.  If things go missing, feel free to search lost & found in our cafeteria.  

Recess Safety & Lunchtime Manners

Sweetsir Playground

Students recently attended a school-wide assembly on 'Recess Safety & Lunchtime Manners'.  They were shown a slide show featuring students using polite behavior in the cafeteria and playing safely on the equipment.  Topics included: using two hands on the monkey bars; going one at a time and feet first down the slide; looking to be sure the coast is clear before descending the twisty bar; and putting toys away as soon as the bell rings.  Please ask your children to tell you about the assembly and remind them to follow the same safety rules while using the equipment outside of school hours.

Parents, since there are many cars traveling around the building during dismissal we ask that you not allow your children to play on the grounds at that time.   Your family is welcome to enjoy the playground after 3:20pm or any day school is not in session.   

High Five

Students were thrilled to see snow flakes at dismissal time today! We've had such a mild winter, it was a welcomed sight. Last year, the snowbanks behind the building were so big children could slide down them.  The view from the teacher's lunch room was priceless. It's a beautiful sight to see eighty children climbing on mounds of snow, making snowmen and building forts together.

The "high five recess rule" goes into effect when snow is on the ground.   Please make sure your child brings in the five requirements to play in the snow: 1- coat, 2- hat, 3- snow pants, 4- boots, and 5- mittens/gloves.

Signing, Singing and Dancing at Recess

We recently purchased new supplies to 

add pizazz to indoor recess!  

Although we try to go outside for recess whenever possible, there are days when rain or freezing temperatures force us indoors.  Along with playing board games and coloring, k-2 students will now have an opportunity to sing and dance along with music/movement Cd's and videos. 

Since our school library books about American Sign Language are very popular, we decided to order a set of 'Signing Times' videos.  These videos feature singer Rachel Coleman who created the series after her daughter, Leah, was born deaf and she had a desire to build a community of children who could communicate with her child.  Each video features Rachel giving explicit instruction for signing several common words and incorporates them into a song.  Clips of children using the signs gives viewers a chance to follow along and practice.  Research indicates sign language is beneficial for children with all types of disabilities, including language delays and autism.  Our hope is that students will enjoy learning sign language and develop a greater appreciation for people with diverse needs.    

      

More snippets of 'Signing Times' videos can be found on You Tube.                                       

Winter Swap and Take...For Thrifty Parents

It is so expensive to buy winter apparel for growing children each year!  I was fortunate my children were born after many cousins.  They have several aunts who passed along outgrown clothing and a grandmother whose favorite hobby is shopping.  She loved that things were passed along and used it as an excuse to shop at really nice stores so clothes would last through several grandchildren.  As a young mom, I always appreciated receiving costly winter coats, boots and snow pants.

Sweetsir students love to play in the snow at recess, but may only do so if they have all the winter gear listed in the "High Five Rule."  Therefore, for the first three weeks of November we will be having a special 'Swap and Take' table in the front lobby.  Everyone is welcome to participate!  If you like to save money and recycle, feel free to take something from the table.  If you have gently used winter coats, snow pants or boots to share, just leave them in the lobby.  Anything left over will be donated to a local charity over Thanksgiving Break.

High Five Rule:
Students may play in the snow at recess only if they have all of the following:
1) Winter Coat  2) Snow Pants  3) Boots  4)  Hat  5) Mittens or Gloves

Heating Units and Bucket Fillers

The Sweetsir School is a bucket filling school!  (For more information about where this saying comes from, follow the tab above for the page with more detail).  Not only do we fill buckets with kindness; we also filled them with rain drops today.

The rain has been a great way to test out our new roof.  A number of buckets adorned our hallways today.  Not to worry... if you look closely at the picture, you will notice in the spot directly above the bucket there is partial duct work.  The rain trickled in the holes made in preparation for where pipes will be installed to connect our heating system to units on the roof.  This was not surprising since we are in the midst of construction.  Otherwise, the new roof held up great! 

Construction Update:  Good news, I saw several very large heating units being placed on the roof today.  Based on the information I am receiving, the heating project appears to be nearing completion.  In the past, the heat was not distributed well and temperatures varied from room to room.  I anticipate things will be much better.  However, as a mom who has worked in several different school buildings, my advice is to always dress children in layers.  I have one child who prefers teeshirts and another who wraps herself in a blanket.  Everyone has their own comfort level, so layers help adjust to individual needs.  Removable sweatshirts and sweaters are great during the winter months.  Thicker layers are especially helpful after weekends and vacations when it can take awhile for large buildlings to heat up. 

High Five:  Next time you go shopping for winter clothes.... remember the high five rule.  Students in grades k-2 go outside all winter long for recess.  If children have the following five articles they can play in the snow:  1) winter coat 2) snowpants 3) hat 4) boots 5) gloves.  It is a blast watching a playground full of children slide down snowbanks during recess.  I look forward to snapping photos and blogging about it in the near future.