1st Grade Winter Concert 7:00 PM @ Oak Park

5

Kids Holiday Mart 13

No Pre-School 14

No Early Release Thursday Regular Dismissal

20

No Preschool Winter Parties Kdg-10:00-10:45 1st gr-11:00-11:45 Kdg & 1st grade Early Release 12:00 pm

21

Winter Break- Classes Resume Jan. 7

Dec 22- Jan 6

North Kansas City Schools

Gashland Elementary School

December 2018 Volume 10, Issue 4

Excellence in

Primary Education The Gashland Stars

December

Calendar of Events

“Tis the season to be jolly, Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la,”

or so the song goes. This is the time of year our hearts are full and everyone tries extra hard to be a little more giving, a little more patient, a little more understanding of others. We truly have much to be thankful for and helping our children experience the “joy of giving” helps them develop the capacity to fully understand “gratitude in receiving” as well. Because we care so much for our children, it is easy to overlook the importance of balancing giving ‘tokens of our love’ with what children really need and that is simply ‘our love.’ Remember, it doesn’t take money to have fun. Children enjoy playing a game together, baking cookies, or reading together, etc. Help your child experience the “joy of giving” by boxing up those baked goodies and sharing them with neighbors or residents of a nearby nursing home. Creating holiday memories with your children will pay off in bigger dividends later by helping your child develop into a whole, caring adult that has the capacity to experience joy. Remember that in the long run, it’s the gift of time and attention we give our children that will be far more memorable than the things we could ever give them. A fond memory my adult children remember doing when they were young was our tradition of watching the Muppets Christmas Carol during the holiday season. As you may recall from this old story, Ebenezer Scrooge falls asleep and is visited by three ghosts that help him see how his life needs to change. When Mr. Scrooge ‘wakes up’ he has a new attitude of giving and sharing with others. His final song is one of the Lakin Family’s favorites – “Thankful Heart.” If you haven’t seen it lately, enjoy the link below. Wishing you peace and joy as you celebrate the holiday season with your precious little ones. Happy holidays!

~ Mrs. Lakin “Thankful Heart” from Muppets Christmas Carol –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpb9EbmvM5M

2018

Happy Holidays Gashland Families

The mission of Gashland/Clardy Schools, two schools united as one in full commitment to excellence in elementary education, is to develop each student’s sense of agency as learner and citizen by providing: * Engaging, authentic experiences that nurture unique strengths; * Meaningful partnerships among students, faculty, parents, and the community.

Muffin Mix Drive Collection

Thanks to the generous donations of our Gashland families, our students donated 904 muffin mixes to the Northland Christmas Store. It truly is more blessed to give! Thank you!

Buzz….. Thanksgiving Readers

Over Thanksgiving break 160 of our Gashland students read 10 or more books. What an awesome job!

Gashland Clardy Booster Club Kids’ Holiday Shop

Gashland shopping date: December 13th Clardy shopping dates: December 13th & 14th

• Students will shop for family member’s gifts during the school day.

• All items are priced at $2.00.

• Students will wrap their gifts at school and bring home that day.

• Envelopes containing a shopping list will be sent home with students on Friday, December 7.

• Parents should help students fill out their shopping lists at home.

• Students need to bring their list and money back to school on their designated shopping day.

Gashland English Language Learners are truly shining stars! Kindergarten and first grade ELL students work hard every day to improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. In the ELL room, we use many different strategies to encourage targeted verbal interactions, practicing speaking in clear, complete sentences, using important vocabulary and proper grammar. Kindergarten and first grade students also have small group instruction with Mrs. Maddux every day, giving them even more opportunities to learn, grow, and interact with each other. Ask your kindergarten or first grade ELL student about our Conversation Circles that help us practice asking and answering questions while we learn more about each other. Kindergartners welcomed a new student to our daily group in November, bringing our kindergarten class size to seven students. It is fun to have a new friend! in November, we began learning about healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables. We will continue this work in December and add other healthy habits to our theme. Students will practice language skills while learning how to minimize the spread of germs and keep our bodies healthy. Please keep practicing letters, sounds, and sight words every night at home. First grade students completed the Cognitive Abilities test in November, and we began writing personal narratives about a time when we did something. We are working on using transition words (first, next, then, last, finally, etc.) to help our reader understand the order that things happened, introducing our stories with a good lead, and deciding what details are important to include in our story. As we write, we use our word wall to spell sight words correctly, and we also use word banks (lists of vocabulary words related to the topic) to help formulate our ideas. In December, along with our writing, we will practice listening, reading, and speaking tasks that will help us prepare for the ELL ACCESS test we will take in February. We are looking forward to a great December at school!

Mrs. Thompson (ELL teacher) Mrs. Maddux (ELL paraprofessional)

ELL NEWS

Nurse’s News By: Theresa Keaveney, R.N.

Tis the Season…The Holiday Season gives us many opportunities to spend special time with our family and friends. Just remember don’t give the gift of a cold or the flu . Be a Grinch with your germs. Keep them to yourself. And avoid them like the Who’s in Whoville. This time of year increases the chance of passing colds and viruses. Washing our hands is the most effective way of preventing the spread of colds and flu viruses. Wash your hands frequently and encourage your children to wash their hands. Use a tissue or the inside of your elbow to cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing. Try to get plenty of sleep and exercise to help your body fight off any germs. Enjoy your holidays, free of colds and the flu!!!

Gym-NEWS-ium This December in PE students will continue learning how to

catch and how to use hands and eyes to catch an object. Students will also learn how to kick a stationary ball and demonstrate 2 out of 5 elements (cues) of a mature kicking pattern. In health, students will Identify physical activity as a component of good health. Please encourage and support safety in PE by wearing tennis shoes or sending tennis shoes in the backpack on PE days.

Coach Schottel

Art How fast this semester has gone! Time flies when you’re creating! Kindergarteners and first graders are beginning to explore how artists create artwork about themselves, their lives, and their interests. Kindergarteners have already created self-portraits and first graders are making their own unique choices for their works of art that express parts of their personalities. We hope you have a creative and safe winter break! .

Mrs. Harman

POP TAB UPDATE The November totals are in:

Agbaji – 1 gallon Settles – 4 gallons

Total thus far- 8 gallons This year’s goal- 100 gallons

Thank you families for helping support Ronald McDonald houses.

November

Milk Contest Kindergarten students won this month’s Milk Contest with the most milk consumed. They will each be receiving a star eraser. Congratulations Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Kids~ Our Gashland kindergartners are continuing to grow and learn amazingly quickly. They are progressing in their pre-reading/reading skills, as well as in applying what they know about letters and sounds in their writing. We have been working on words in the –at, an, and in families, as well as more high-frequency words (sight words). Students have also been working on digraphs sh, ch, wh, and th. Thanks for reading with them at home and giving them that one-on-one support. We've also been doing a lot of counting, writing numbers and measuring in math. In science we learned about force and motion. Students found out how things move through experiments. We collected muffin mix for the Northland Christmas Store for needy families. Classrooms counted the mixes brought in each day and made a graph to show the results. Thanks again for allowing your child to be a part of helping others. Children and teachers enjoyed a Thanksgiving break recently. We were thankful for some time with families, some relaxation and, for some, getting started on holiday shopping. We hope that all stayed safe and warm during our “extended” holiday break! Children seemed ready to be back to work following their break. December is here and our school days this month will go by quickly. We have lots of things to finish up and assess, as the second quarter ends December 21. Please review behavior expectations with your child, as this can be an exciting time of year which can lead to difficulties with focusing and following directions at school. Try to have your child continue to follow his/her normal routine as much as possible and to get plenty of sleep. Providing calm activities, including nightly reading, will help your child do his/her best at school this month. (Remember to record books read at home for our Buzz. . .Bee a Reader program!) We hope you will enjoy some great family time with your child(ren) this month. Children enjoy helping with holiday baking, shopping, wrapping, etc. and there's always plenty of learning involved. Have fun together! Mrs. Agbaji Mrs. Bryant Mrs. Kingery Mrs. Lansangan Mrs. Settles

First Grade News~ December will be a very busy month for our first graders! We will be working hard in communications arts. During Readers Workshop, students will be learning to interact with fiction stories in a variety of ways. Students will continue to ask questions, make connections between text to self, text to text, and text to world that were previously introduced. In December, we use these skills to make meaning of what we are reading.

In Writers Workshop, students will write narrative fictional picture books. Students will work on writing a story with the events placed in the correct order, use details to describe what happened in the story, and write an ending that provides a sense of closure. Within writing, we are also working on the conventions of writing. First graders should be able to capitalize the first word in the sentence, along with any proper names, leave spaces between words, use legible handwriting, and add an ending punctuation mark. You can see your child’s progress on our dictation sentences that go with our spelling tests.

In Math, students continue to work with numbers to 20 in both addition and subtraction. We also use these skills to continue practicing solving word problems. Students will begin to work with concepts of measurement. Students will learn to use non-standard units to measure various things. Students also work hard to compare different measurements in length. They will work to find combinations of 10 and will learn how to add 3 different numbers together. Finally, students will learn when given a two-digit number, they can mentally find 10 more or 10 less than the number, without having to count, and explain their reasoning used.

In Social Studies, we like to take this opportunity to discuss wants and needs during the holiday season. The students learn the difference between the two, and truly learn what is considered to be a “need” in their lives.

We also look forward to seeing you at our First Grade Musical program on December 5th at 7:00 in the Oak Park Auditorium (students need to arrive by 6:45).

As always the First Grade Team would like to thank our parents for all of the help given at home. Every book you read, every conversation you have, helps one of "our" children do just a little more!

Ms. Boyer Mrs. Kimball Mrs. Minter Mrs. Robke Ms. Vaughn

Literacy Launch By: Megan Markovich, Reading Teacher

Keep Skills Sharp During Winter Break Winter break means a well-deserved reprieve from homework and daily obligations. But before you know it, the holidays will be over and it will be back to the bus stop. To prepare for a smooth re-entry and a successful second half of the school year, don't let school skills like reading and writing slide completely during winter vacation. Try these family-friendly activities to keep skills sharp: Read for pleasure. Whether your child is in the mood for holiday stories like The Night Before Christmas or the newest installment from his favorite series, winter break provides the perfect opportunity to stash schoolbooks and read for fun. Encourage relatives to give books as holiday gifts or gather in front of the fire (big kids too!) to take turns reading from classic tales. Cook up an easy lesson. Invite your child into the kitchen to help you whip up a special dish — from Christmas cookies to potato pancakes. All of those half-tablespoon and quarter-cup measurements are great practice with fractions. Write thank-you notes. Penning notes of appreciation to gift-givers teaches gratitude and helps polish writing and spelling skills. One final tip: a mug of hot cocoa can make this task feel more festive! Make the most of car rides. Turn the drive to or from a holiday get-together into an opportunity to practice letters and numbers. You can look for license plates from different states, try to find the alphabet on the license plates, or count the number of red (or white or green) cars you see. Maintain reasonable bedtimes. With no school to get up for in the morning, it can be tempting to let kids become night owls. A few days before school starts up again, ease back into the regular bedtime schedule so your child can start the year bright-eyed. Have a family game night. Chances are many of your family's favorite board and card games reinforce skills such as counting, reading, and drawing. Gather the group to play games you usually don't have time for on school nights. REMEMBER TO READ! Most importantly, remember to read to your child and have them read to you over the winter break. Your teacher will send home extra books for these few weeks off. If you want even more extra books to read, ask your teacher to send some home the last day before break.

Preschool News

We have continued learning and growing in preschool! We finished up our Fall, Trees, and Leaves Unit of Study and are just beginning our Traditions and Winter Unit of Study. November brought a lot of fun with exploring with leaves, creating a class Leaf Man, tasting apples, and even a couple of snowy experiences that sparked conversations about snow in the fall and wondering how much it will snow this winter! We have practiced using 10 frames to explore numbers and are working hard at identifying and counting numbers 0-10. In small groups, we are focusing on building our names and identifying the letters in our names. I am proud of all the skills the preschoolers are developing that will help them be successful next year in kindergarten! We read Turkey Trouble to practice retelling a story in order as a fun activity before Thanksgiving break, and we are looking forward to some December fun!

Mrs. Tapp, Preschool Teacher Mrs. Hensley, Preschool IA

. Student Attendance

Thank you parents for reinforcing with your child the importance of school attendance. It really makes a

difference! Please remember our overall goal is for every child to be at school more than 90%.

Overall school attendance as of November 93.3%.

Library News Our visit from Author Alexandra Penfold and Illustrator Suzanne Kaufman was a success! Be sure to ask your child about the visit. Please take time over Thanksgiving break to look for any lost library books. Most importantly, please be sure to enjoy some quality time with your family, read with your child, and eat some yummy food!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Haywood, Librarian Mrs. Svoboda, Library Para

Music

Hello Gashland families! Our First Grade students have been singing away as they prepare for their upcoming music concert which takes place on December 5 at 7 PM at Oak Park High School. Please have your student wear black and/or white clothing or their nicest outfit for this performance. The theme of our concert is All Are Welcome which is based on the book written by Alexandra Penfold and illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman. Our Kindergarten students have been continuing to practice using their singing voice and singing seasonal songs. We are exploring steady beat and movement with a fun activity called the Spy Game! Students have also been enjoying the song Who’s That Tapping at the Window. Check with your student to see if they can sing this song!

Keep Singing! Mrs. Lovenduski

December’s topic for counseling lessons in K/1st classrooms is personal & social skills. As we celebrate various holidays and experience snow-days, self-care remains important, especially for parents of young children! Some friendly reminders of ways to care for yourself & cope with stress: *Exercise *Listen to uplifting/positive music & messages. *Read humorous material & skip the negative vibes on social media. *Stick to a family-friendly schedule, as much as possible. *Eat healthy foods & stay hydrated. *Take a break with a bath, a good book, or meditation. *Set healthy boundaries & say ‘no’ when necessary. *Reach out to friends, family, or health professionals for support. As always, if we can help with anything relating to your child at Gashland, please feel free to contact me: Nancy.Muller@nkcschools.org -or- 816.321.5782.

From the Counselor’s Office By Nancy Muller

PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) Soon we will be resending an email/opportunity to sign-up for 2nd semester Starbucks Store volunteering. We appreciate your time and work in helping our students shop on Fridays! In addition to providing positive support to students, adults at GAES provide positive support to one another, as well. Our staff is very good at remaining solution-focused and positive in our approach to the challenges that sometimes surround us in education. A positive attitude and focus on solutions helps us avoid complaining and feeling ‘stuck.’ We know the answers lie within us—we have a wide array of ‘experts’ in our very own halls at Gashland, and we can resolve many issues, with time, patience, and heartfelt collaboration. Thank you for your continued positive support from home!

PBIS WINTER WINNERS

As you are well aware, our school teaches and reinforces appropriate school behavior with our students. This is done through the Positive Behavior Intervention Support system (PBIS). Our ‘reinforcements’ include high-fives, smiles, thumbs up, and encouraging words as well as Starbucks for Friday shopping and Classroom Super Stars for the class to enjoy special activities as they are earned. December can be an incredibly difficult month for our young learners to manage overwhelming feelings. To help keep them focused on school and showing what it looks like to be a respectful, responsible and safe Gashland Star student, we are putting an additional incentive in place – just for December. Each day your child is at school and he/she demonstrates appropriate Gashland Star behavior, he/she will receive a ‘star’ on his/her circle hanging on the classroom tree. If your child receives the grade-level designated number of stars by our last full day of school before winter break, he/she will be invited to the Winter Winners Celebration (Thursday, December 20). So please encourage your child to keep working hard at school every day in December so he/she can participate as a ‘winner’ in our Winter Winners Celebration.

November Perfect Attendance

First Grade Kindergarten

Ronan Arnold Israel Baker Grayson Behrendt Harrison Bishop Mason Chwojko Jaylee Coleman Kyda Cottonham Colton Curtis Austin Eckles Nicholas Furrow Greyson Green Tali Habila Landon Harris Gabriel Juarez Abbygail Loman Jacob Long Kathryn Long Aden Matson

Alpha Bah Phillip Barrolle Sophia Blakey Brooks Brantley Kylee Cambern Mona Costa Kenya Cramer Andrew Dreckman Mason Elston Autumn Enfield-Brown Alayna Fenter Hayden Floyd Elizabeth Garrett Sadie Gosney Sofia Grover Pablo Guerrero Vera Jionni Hanebuth Ryleigh Harper Liam Hobbie Lily Jinks Ariyana Jones

Congratulations

Isla Kirkpatrick Shananei Kosmes Mila Lopez Skyler Martin Sophia McLauchlen Rhyan McMiller Laura Melson Khaalid Mohamed Brandt Neitzel Landon Nichols Abbigail Noble Kyran O’Connor Jaden Pulliam Brendan Rhodes Edniel Rivera Riley Scheib Warren Scholtes Brinley Secrist Braylon Sullivan Ramire Thompson Brecken Vaughn Brynn Vega Connor Weicken Olivia Zavala

Michah McKinnis Hayden McSparin Chloe Montoya Layla Myers Olivia Ning Austin Peters Hannah Phommachanh Chloe Secrist Harper Sickel Maxwell Sickel Zoey Sticken Dietrich Sublett Arian Tate Mason Visek-Spain Greyson Wagoner Vincent Waite Phoebe Wilder Kelsey Wingert

Preschool

Abigail Bonini Trenton Crafton Nyla Davis Giavonna Dunker Caydence Graber Tucker Lange Jensen Mallinger Kiley Platz

2-HOUR DELAYED START OPTION

NKC Schools has a safe option for inclement weather days that could reduce the need for makeup days. Essentially, the school day will be two hours shorter. On a two-hour delayed start day, all buses will pick up students two hours later than the regular pickup times, but the drop-off times will NOT change. All schools will end their day at the regular end time including, Thursdays. If the District activates the two-hour delayed start, the early release would be canceled. Alternate stops for buses (aka Snow Routes) will be in effect on two-hour delayed start days. Transportation Services communicates directly with all families affected by alternate stops. NKC Schools will use a full complement of communication channels to announce two-hour delayed start days just as they do for school closings. Those include: School Messenger phone, email and text alerts; www.nkcschools.org website; Twitter; local radio and TV. See the district website for additional information @ www.nkcschools.org.

Mauricio Rojas Jamar Simmons Colt Tennison Skye Tong Caden Kiem Tran Fenix Wood