Leonard Elementary School Jerry Cottone, Principal 248-823-3300 OFFICE

Nancy Haboush, Head Teacher 248-823-3301 ATTENDANCE

Tracey Fair, Secretary 248-823-3313 FAX

Renee Stein, Secretary leonard.troy.k12.mi.us WEB

A Blue Ribbon School

Accredited by the North Central Association

of Colleges and Schools

December 2014

Skyping with Taylor Swift Makes

Learning Extra Fun!

Leonard’s Fifth Graders hop on the

Literacy Fast Track and Learn From

A “Reading” Artist

No School - Winter Recess

All Troy Schools Will Be Closed

Wednesday, December 24, through Friday, January 2, 2015

For Winter Recess

Classes resume Monday, January 5, 2015

Page 2 Leonard Connection

EMERGENCY INFORMATION UPDATES

We need your correct address to assure that you will receive any communications

we may mail to you. If an emergency

situation occurs with your child, it is important that we have current phone numbers to locate you. Please

inform the office of changes in:

Address

Phone Numbers (home, work, cell)

Child’s Health

Medications dispensed in school

Thank you so much for your participation in our fall Parent/Teacher Conferences. We are fortunate to have

parents who take an active part in their child’s

education. We had 99% parent participation during conferences. Way to go parents!

LOST AND FOUND OVERFLOWING

Parents: Please make sure that you stop by our Lost and Found. We have numerous items that have been left. All items that have not been claimed will be donated to charity. Thank you

IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS

We encourage parent participation in your child’s education and always welcome volunteers to help with classroom projects. Please remember for the safety of our students, parents must check in at the office first. Please do not visit your child’s classroom unless previous arrangements have been made with your child’s teacher and you checked in with the office staff. This will ensure that classroom instruction will not be interrupted.

Reminder: Leonard’s Parking Lot is ONE WAY. Please remember that all the traffic flows North to South, one direction, always. Let’s keep our

Leonard Leopards safe! Thank you.

NOTE FROM THE OFFICE

Some concerns have been brought to the District’s attention regarding parents photographing children at

school events, and posting those photos, sometimes

with names, on the internet. Troy School District does not endorse posting the images of children other than

our own online and specifically recommends against identifying children by name. Parents are encouraged

to consider and respect others’ wishes for the privacy of

their children when using photos that you have taken. Please note that the Troy School District cannot monitor

use nor enforce requests for removal on any sites not owned and operated by the District.

Please contact your principal’s office if you have any

questions or concerns.

Flu Season

Please keep your child at home if he/she is ill. Now that the flu season has started, we all need to work together to

keep Leonard a healthy environment for all.

Students should remain at home until they have been fever free for 24 hours without fever

reducing medication.

Holiday Festivities

All Parties on December 18 ---

Grades 1—5 at 3 pm

Kindergarten at 1:45—2:45pm

DK at 11:00 am

Holiday Sing-Along on

December 19 at 2:15pm.

Page 3 Leonard Connection

The Reading Corner

Help your readers by

checking for comprehension.

Before Reading:

What do you think this book will be

about? What makes you say that?

Can you look at the pictures and tell

me what you think is happening?

What do you see, think, and

wonder?

During Reading:

Say that like the character would say it.

How is the character feeling?

What is surprising you so far? What

makes you say that?

What do you think will happen next?

What makes you say that?

After Reading:

Tell me what that book is about.

What was your favorite part? Why?

How did the character change?

What did you learn from this book?

(Main idea or theme)

Does this book remind you of anything

that happened to you?

Why do you think the author wrote this

book? What makes you say that?

What are you still wondering?

Mrs. Heidi Palaj

A Camping We Will Go... The fifth graders are so excited to head off to camp!

They will be leaving bright and early on December 1, 2014. They will be back around 2:30 on Wednesday,

December 3, 2014. Watch for “Camp Photos” from their trip in the January issue of the Leonard Connection.

Miss Socier

The staff at Leonard

wishes you and your

family a Safe and

Happy Holiday!

Congratulations to Mrs. Carruthers!

Last month at the Troy School Board

meeting, Mrs. Carruthers was recognized for

her work on Peer to Peer. This is a student

support network for children with special

needs. The work she has done over the past

year is now being spread into other grade

levels in our building and the plan is to take

her efforts district wide.

Way to go Mrs. Carruthers—we are so

proud of you!

Page 4 Leonard Connection

Oakland County Schools and the Oakland County Health Division have partnered together in an effort to provide

students and their families with valuable information on how to respond during a public health emergency.

Personal hygiene is still the best method to prevent illness. Please keep these tips in mind:

Wash your hands often with soap and water.

Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing. Try to use tissues.

Dispose of dirty tissues promptly and carefully.

Avoid sharing cups and glasses.

Stay home when sick to further prevent the spread of illness.

School Safety at Leonard

Parents, please help us maintain a safe and secure environment for our students. All exterior doors must remain locked during the instructional day. If you are waiting for your child at the end of the school day, you may wait outside

the south door near the LGI Room. It is not permissible to go to your child’s classroom and wait outside the class-

room in the hallways. If you are visiting or volunteering at the school, you must stop at the office to sign in and re-ceive a visitors sticker to wear.

CARE Company

Do you need childcare during the hours before and after school? The CARE Company is located in each Troy School District elementary building. Leonard’s CARE is open Monday-Friday from 7:00-9:05 am and from 4:01-6:00 pm. The

CARE Company provides a safe environment where children are offered a choice of activities including: arts and crafts,

outdoor play, gym time, group games, homework area, board games, and more. For information regarding availability, call 248-823-5100.

Family Circles

Students learned how to be their “higher self” during our November

Family Circles meeting. We had a great discussion about what it means to do the right thing in all situations. It was wonderful to see

our students coming up with fantastic ideas about how our “higher self” looks.

We’re so happy our students could make a connection with this at home too! Our

next Family Circles meeting will be Thursday, December 11th.

Page 5 Leonard Connection

Safety with Strangers

The items listed below are some suggested procedures to be used as guidelines for discussion with your children

regarding “Safety with Strangers.” Troy School District staff members in cooperation with the Troy Police Department

have prepared these guidelines.

1. Do not accept candy or gifts from strangers.

2. Do not accept rides with strangers or people you do not know very well.

3. Do not walk or play alone. Walk with a friend or in a group.

4. Go directly home after school.

5. Never go anywhere without telling your parents first.

6. Be cautious when approached by strangers. If a stranger stops to ask a question, you should WALK AWAY. NEVER go over to a stranger or their car, for ANY reason.

7. Tell your parents or teacher immediately about a suspicious person.

8. Seek assistance if a stranger forces attention upon you. If someone is following you, run to a house where you think someone is at home and pound on the door and yell. You can also run inside a building such as

a store, where there are people. Ask someone to call the police immediately. Do not run into the woods, a park or shrub area.

9. If possible, get the license number of any car that is following you and tell the police immediately. They

may be able to catch the car before it leaves the neighborhood. But never wait around to get the number or description of the car. RUN FIRST.

10. If you call the police , it would help them to know the following information:

A) The address where you are.

B) The license number and description of the car.

C) The description of the person.

Again, don’t wait around to get this information. Run first. When in Troy, you can reach help of any kind by calling 248-524-3477 or 911 if it is an emergency.

Parents are requested to follow the Call-In Procedure for student absences established in each school. We also urge

parents to have their children follow a designated route to and from school.

Troy School District

Troy Police Department

. Clinic Volunteers Needed

Our noon time clinic is in need of a few more volun-teers to help care for injured or ill students during the

lunch hour. No experience necessary, just the desire

to give a little TLC from 12:00 -1:30. You pick the day that will work for you. If you are interested,

please contact Katie Consiglio at 248-872-7142.

FOR YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY

If your child is late for school, please walk your child into the office and sign them in. Thank you.

FYI………….

During inclement weather, there will be no safeties on post.

Page 6 Leonard Connection

Get Ready…

We Are Having

The

Holiday Gift Shop!

Remember to bring your shopping list and money!

Free wrapping bags will be provided!

Holiday Gift Shop Schedule

Location: LGI Room

Dates: December 8-12, 2014

Times: See class schedule on next page

Holiday Gift Shop is an in-school holiday store for all students! They will be able to purchase gifts

for everyone on their list! All gifts will be moderately priced and of excellent quality!

They will have a GREAT TIME at the Holiday Gift Shop!

Leonard Connection Page 7

Holiday Gift Shop Schedule

December 8-12, 2014

Monday, Dec. 8th Teacher

9:30 -10:35 Gadlage

10:40 – 11:10 Hogan

12:40 – 1:45 Marinkovski

1:50 – 2:20 Connell

Tuesday, Dec. 9th Teacher

10:10 – 11:15 Mockeridge

11:20 – 11:50 De Ward

12:40 – 1:10 Detmer

1:15 – 1:45 Maldonado

1:50 – 2:20 Wallace

2:25 – 2:55 Moore

Wednesday, Dec. 10th

Teacher

9:30 – 10:35 Brown

10:40 – 11:10 Haboush

12:40 – 1:10 Moffett

1:15 – 1:45 5th grade

1:50 – 2:20 5th grade

2:25 – 2:55 5th grade

Thursday, Dec. 11th

Teacher

10:30 – 11:00 Russo

11:00 – 11:30 Carruthers

11:35 – 12:05

Friday, Dec. 12th

All Teachers

9:30 – 10:30 Make-Ups

Leonard Connection Page 8

December Leaper Holiday Gift Shop is right around the corner. Thank you to Christine Austin and MaryBeth Segerlind for their hard work! All hands on deck for this event. Consider volunteering for a time other than your child’s class. Keep the surprise for you and help our Leopards pick the best gifts for their loved ones! Please click the link to sign up. http://vols.pt/Hzd8Jo Clean out your closet and help Leonard at the same time. The PTO is attempting to raise funds for a new sign in front of the school. With your help we can do it! Donate gently used toys and clothing for a mega mom-2-mom sale at Leonard in March. This is a great way to get involved without opening your wallet. Items can be dropped off at Leonard or feel free to contact me for night/weekend drop off. It was great seeing you on Saturday night at Potbelly with LIVE entertainment for restaurant night on November 22 from 5:00-8:00 PM ! Thanks for participating! Coming soon: Little Caesar’s Pizza Kit Sales and Skate World!

Enjoy the winter vacation, Katie Consiglio PTO President (248) 872-7142 yourpalkatie@hotmail.com

Leonard Connection Page 9

KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT

The Troy School District is beginning to identify kindergarten students for the 2015-2016 school year. If you have a child who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2015* please call our school office 248-823-3300 to place your child on our 2015-2016 kindergarten list.

After December 1, 2014 we invite you to go to our website: http://www.troy.k12.mi.us/pages/Troy_School_District

and click the Online Enrollment link. Here you will be able to complete a portion of the kindergarten enrollment process.

Additional enrollment information and procedures will be mailed to your home in January.

is hosting

We will meet with all incoming kindergarten parents to enroll their students at:

Troy School District Services Building

4420 Livernois Troy, MI 48098

Look for a schedule to be posted soon on our website!

*Per the State of Michigan, children turning 5 years old between September 2, 2015

and December 1, 2015, are also eligible to attend Kindergarten with a waiver completed by parents.

Leonard Connection Page 10

Words of Thanks & Teacher Tidbits

December

Thank you for the new supply of wipes, Kleenex, and more, as well as bus

transportation to fall field trips, assemblies, and week of Red Ribbon cele-

bration.

Students are enjoying Family Circle meetings, Student Council events, and

community related events as well as sharing our every day celebrations

with visitors from around the county and beyond! They are also looking for-

ward to the Holiday Gift Shop, too!

We wish the fifth graders a fun and safe camping experience!

Teachers are thrilled to have such great attendance at fall conferences and

continue their professional growth through additional Cultures of Thinking

training.

Wishing every Leonard family well wishes for the holiday season!

The Media Center Needs You

I want to start out by saying thank you to those of you that have already taken time out of your day to help in our media center. Parents are an essential part of helping us keep the media center running smoothly. I am attaching our new media center vol-unteer sign up link for the months of December, January and February. Just click on the link below to see the available dates and times needed over the upcoming months.

If you have never volunteered in the media center before we would love to have you! If it is your first time volunteering in the media center please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled shift so that you can attend a brief training session.

If you are unable to commit to a full volunteer session please email me directly at jnmorrison@troy.k12.mi.us rather than filling an entire time slot on the list.

Click on this link to go directly to the sign-up website http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d4fafa72aa5fd0-december

Jaclyn Morrison, Media Specialist

Morse & Leonard Elementary

Leonard Connection Page 11

Helping Your Anxious Child – A Step by Step

Guide for Parents – by Rapee, Wignall, Spence,

Cobham & Lyneham (2008 - New Harbinger Publications)

A bimonthly book review by Elizabeth A. Cummings, MA, LLP School Psychologist

Anxiety is a normal emotion that helps us perform to the best of our abilities and protects us in dan-gerous situations. Understanding that feelings of anxiety (fear) are common to all at one time or an-other can be helpful to us in our willingness to acknowledge and take action on behalf of our chil-dren. One in ten children experience more severe anxiety. We feel anxious when we are unsure that we have the tools to cope with what we are experiencing. We can manage our feelings by learning new ways of thinking and behaving.

This book is designed to guide parents through a structured course of reading and activities that help you teach your child to manage his or her anxiety. It will help you learn new ways of respond-ing to anxious behavior. It can help your child become actively involved in taking control of their anxiety and practicing skills that empower them in everyday life.

Helping Your Anxious Child…begins with providing the reader with a clearer understanding of anxi-ety, the forms it takes, and helps distinguish what is normal from what is more severe and interfer-ing. All fears are “normal.” There is no such thing as an “abnormal fear.” Some are more intense than others are, and create more intrusions in the daily living of individuals. Anxiety is experienced in the thinking and the physical experience (feeling) of children and is expressed in behavior (doing). It affects children socially, academically and physically. Helping Your Anxious Child…also explores causal factors, both what is inherited (nature) and what is learned (nurture). Based upon the reader developing a better understanding of what is driving their child’s anxiety, they explore specific coping strategies to help their child manage their anxiousness.

The remainder of the book focuses on: teaching children to become self-reflective and empowered

to face their feelings and resolve them, and parents to support their new way of living. Helping Your

Anxious Child…does not provide an instantaneous cure-all, rather training in a set of usable skills

that will empower children to solve life’s problems more effectively. The reader may notice the re-

peated use of the word “empower” in this review. Children who experience intrusive anxiety feel

“powerless” to change or overcome. Mere words of encouragement have proven insufficient. Help-

ing Your Anxious Child… provides practical and usable tools to help you nurture confidence and

motivation for success in your children. Some children may require more support however. Should

you need assistance in locating a professional with whom you can work, do not hesitate to contact

your building’s school social worker or school psychologist.

Leonard Connection Page 12

Labels for Education

Please help Leonard earn FREE school supplies by cutting out and turning in the UPC symbols from participating Campbell’s products. Did you know that the individual snack size goldfish packages and Pop Secret pop-corn boxes have Campbell’s UPC codes?

Please visit www.labelsforeducation.com for a complete listing of Campbell’s brands and participating products. The UPC code is required for Leonard to receive credit to-

ward free merchandise. Good luck in your collection efforts.

Leonard Connection Page 13

Leonard Teachers are excited to be piloting Storia

online book streaming by Scholastic this school year.

Thanks to this pilot your child has free access to a large

library of e-books at home and at school this year that

would normally cost $2,500 a year. Many students have

been enjoying their Storia books at school since Octo-

ber. If you have not received your at-home log in infor-

mation yet from your child’s teacher, please contact

them right away so your child can start reading at

home! Storia is a streaming service which means books

can be read on any computer or device that has inter-

net access. If you have any questions, please contact

your child’s teacher.

Ages 18 months-36 months First Friends is a playgroup for families with children 18 months to 3 years old. Families (one adult/one child) will meet with the teacher once per week in a playgroup setting. First Friends is a welcoming first step to preschool.

Children and adults will enjoy:

Story-time Finger-plays

Sensory Experiences Crafts

Social Interactions Songs

Small and large muscle development Parent resources and support

Optional monthly field trips are available for an additional fee. More information about the trips will be available during class.

More infor

Session 2-Winter Session 3-Spring Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

1/6/15 1/13/15 1/20/15 1/27/15 2/3/15 2/10/15 2/17 (no class) 2/24/15 3/3/15 3/10/15

1/7/15 1/14/15 1/21/15 1/28/15 2/4/15 2/11/15 2/18/15 2/25/15 3/4/15

1/8/15 1/15/15 1/22/15 1/29/15 2/5/15 2/12/15 2/19/15 2/26/15 3/5/15

3/17/15 3/24/15 3/31/15 4/7 no class 4/14/15 4/21/15 4/28/15 5/5/15 5/12/15 5/19/15

3/11/15 3/18/15 3/25/15 4/1/15 (no class)

4/8/15 (no class)

4/15/15 4/22/15 4/29/15 5/6/15 5/13/15 5/20/15

3/12/15 3/19/15 3/26/15 4/2/15 (no class) 4/9/15 (no class) 4/16/15 4/23/15 4/30/15 5/7/15 5/14/15 5/21/15

Minimum enrollments must be achieved to run the class. Registry early to avoid disappointment.

Don’t delay your registration, as this class will fill quickly!

Join us for First Friends

Classes meet:

Each Session will meet for 9 weeks. Hill Elementary, 4600 Forsyth Dr.

10:00 am-11:30 am Select Tue/Wed/Thu classes

Tuition: $99.00/session Register online www.troyceonline.com

No refunds will be given 2 weeks prior to the start of each session

For more information about the class call (248) 823-5152. For registration information call (248) 823-5159.