We hope you have had a wonderful winter break!
We are looking forward to having an AMAZING second half of the school year.
January
- Monday, January 8th - School Resumes
- Thursday, January 11th - Five Schools, One Book Kick-Off Assembly
- Thursday, January 11th - KST PTN Meeting (6:00-7:30pm)
- Monday, January 15th - NO SCHOOL
- Thursday, January 18th - District Spelling Bee (6:00-7:00pm)
- Wednesday, January 24th - PTN Dine Out - Portillo's (Batavia)
- Monday - Wednesday, Jan. 29-31 - SIP Writing Post Assessment
Infinite Campus Tip - Requesting Absence
Do you sometimes forget to call your child into the office because your mornings are just so busy...well we can help you out! Here are a few steps to digitally mark your child's absence.
- Log into your family Infinite Campus Account
- Click on the 3 lines (top left)
- Click on "more"
- Click on Absence Requests
- Choose which student, Excuse, and Absence Type
Once you submit it, Jessica will be notified in the front office and will mark your child absent. If you still would like to call in you can, but as a parent, I have found this way to be very helpful!!
Mid-Year Expectation Walks
Each year we take time to review the school expectations when we return from break with all of your students as a friendly reminder.
Stations will include:
Bathroom
Exiting the Building
Hallway
Lunch/Recess
Writing Data Review - Perseverance & Expectations in Writing
These stations will be facilitated by 5th-grade students and staff members and will be held on Thursday, January 11th, and Friday, January 12th. Feel free to ask your child the expectations for each of these areas as another review opportunity.
From Our Behavior Facilitator
Tip #1: Lead by example
Want your child to begin readjusting to his or her school schedule before going back? Show them how by doing it yourself. It’s not just kids who alter their activity and sleeping habits during breaks. Parents often relax bedtimes and other structured parts of daily life.
Tip #2: Talk about going back to school
Kids can get as stressed as adults. And, just like grown-ups, kids learn to hide their anxiety or bury it. Going back to school can be very stressful for kids. Whether it’s feeling unprepared, nervous over encountering students they don’t get along with, or some other reason, kids may have feelings they are struggling with and not sharing.
As a parent, look for those signs of stress. Is your child moodier as school approaches? Do they lose their appetite? Are they withdrawn? Have you noticed a lack of energy in your child?
Tip #3: Prepare your student for class by picking up supplies and using calendars
Take a look at your child’s upcoming assignments and needed supplies. Ask your child if they have everything they need when school resumes. If not, go to the store with your student. Get them involved in the buying process. Encourage them to have a sense of ownership over what they need.
Tip #4: Get a good night’s sleep
Sleeping habits are often one of the first things altered during an extended break. Kids sleep in later in the morning. They stay up later at night. Getting back onto an appropriate sleep schedule is one of the biggest adjustments for going back to school.
Set a scheduled bedtime and stick to it several days before the holiday break ends. Your child will be in a much better position to readjust to daily school with a good night’s sleep.
Tip #5: Schedule reading times
A simple way to make going back to school easier for your child is implementing reading time. Schedule a minimum amount of reading time for your child each day. Reading is a foundational activity that keeps your brain limber and active.
You can take your child to your local library. Getting them out of the house (where all of the tempting time wasters are waiting) is an effective way to encourage more reading. The library offers endless opportunities for children to explore subjects.
Tip #6: Reduce screen time
This suggestion is hardly a surprise! Get them moving and doing other things. Brains need to be stimulated, and it’s too easy to slip into sluggish (from a mental standpoint) time-wasting with unlimited access to their tablets or cell phones.
Read the full article to learn more.
Five Schools, One Book
You and your family are officially invited to participate in our Five Schools One Book reading project which will launch on Thursday, January 11th. All Early Childhood, K-5, and MidValley learners will attend an assembly and THEN get to solve a mystery to find their books. Everyone will be sent home with their very own copy of the book where they can participate in the weekly activities to earn raffle prizes.
Our goal is to build a community of lifelong readers, and we know that you play an essential role in encouraging your children to jump on board! Encourage your children to participate and enjoy this experience by reading and discussing the book with them. Please set aside time every night and develop a special reading routine together; or you could encourage more independent readers to maintain a reading schedule and discuss the book together. You and your child(ren) can also access videos of the book being read on the school website.
We can’t wait until January 11th!
Upcoming Author Visit
The Extraordinary Imagination
of Jenny Figment
Author Visit Information
We are excited to welcome local author Jennifer Hayes to our schools for the release of her new book The Extraordinary Imagination of Jenny Figment!
February 27th
- KPASS 9:30-10:15
- 2nd 7 3rd Grade 10:30 - 11:15
This Is Us Bulletin Board
We would love to feature your family on our "This Is Us" bulletin board in the main hallway. To celebrate this theme with us, we would love to have our families join our whole school bulletin board. Please email a family photo to Jessica.Bottorff@kaneland.org so we can print it off and add it to our bulletin board in the main hallway. Thanks for participating!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080549abaa2ca5fe3-preschool#/
Or VISIT https://www.kaneland.org/departments/pre-k
