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How to Handle
Angry Feelings
In the next
month, all classes will have at least one
Life Skills Lesson about How To Handle Angry
Feelings.
All of us
experience a range of emotions all the time.
Mad, sad, happy, joy, excited, worried,
jealous, upset, scared and lonely are just a
few. Some emotions are comfortable and
easy to handle. Others are not so
easy. Anger is one of those
uncomfortable feelings that we all
experience. We need to learn
acceptable ways to handle anger so that we
don’t get in trouble, we don’t lose our
friends and we don’t make ourselves sick.
The important
concepts that will be taught to each class
will be:
1.
It’s okay to be
mad. Everyone gets mad.
2.
It’s not okay to
say or do something to hurt another person.
3.
There are many
things we can do to get “rid” of the angry
feelings that can help you feel better and
not hurt anyone.
We will talk
about many ways to get rid of angry
feelings. They will include:
1.
Take a slow,
deep breath.
2.
Count slowly to
10…(or more if you need to..)
3.
Walk away…until
you can deal with the anger in a cool, calm
way.
4.
Take a 30 second
vacation to your calm place.
5.
Punch a pillow.
6.
Run in place.
7.
Draw an angry
picture.
8.
Write in a
journal.
9.
Talk about it
with a friend or a safe adult.
10.
Scream
(outside..)
11.
Exercise
12.
Play your
favorite game.
13.
Take your dog
for a walk.
14.
Most students
have lots more ideas….
As adults we
have to remember that our kids are watching
how we handle our anger and remember they
learn from watching.
Together, we can
help our children be the best that they can
be,
Helping Hands Saturday
Making Good Choices
Students in grade 3 have learned a simple
method of decision making.
1.
Stop
2.
Think about the consequences.
3.
Make the best choice.
We learned that by thinking about what might happen, we make better
and safer choices.
NEW INTERN FOR SECOND SEMESTER!
Fairview Elementary would like to welcome Heather Lyftogt
from Vanderbilt University as our counseling
intern for the second semester. She
will be with us for 100 hours…mostly on
Wednesdays and Fridays. She will be
doing observations, participating in small
groups and possibly in some individual
counseling. Parents will be asked for
signed permission before she talks
individually or works unsupervised in any
small group.
Safe at Last
Grades K-4 are learning about personal
safety with the Safe at Last curriculum.
K and 1 learn about:
Safe people—adults
you can trust
Strangers—people
you don’t know
2-4 are completing workbooks with different
lessons about personal safety.
One important lesson is about
family code words:
secret words known only by your family and
certain safe people to be used in an
emergency.
A family code word can help your
children know that it is safe to go with
someone that you send.
This week let this be your
homework—get your family together and make
up a family code word.
New Groups are forming
For the first half of the
year, many family change groups met on a
regular basis. Those groups will now
meet less frequently…maybe monthly, so that
new groups can meet. Some new groups
that are forming now include anger
management..or How to Get Mad without
Getting into Trouble! and some
Friendship groups.
Sometimes students ask to join groups
because they have a friend in the group or
sometimes because they see an area where
they wish to improve.
In anger groups,
we sometimes invite some students who are
very calm and who handle their anger in a
slow and easy way so we can learn from each
other.
Most children love to
participate in groups and volunteer readily
to come to group when invited by a friend or
by me.
If you think your child
might benefit from being in a group for
anger management; a group to help improve
friendship skills; or a different group
entirely; let me know soon. We will be
starting these groups soon.
What Will You Be?
Grades 2 and 3 are
learning about different careers this week.
“What will you be when you grow up?” is a
question we often as children. As
parents and teachers we help our children
see that what they are learning in school
now can be very important to their career
later. As we are teaching our lessons
on careers, we talk about what the
people in different careers do and what they
need to do in order to do their jobs.
What your children are learning NOW is
important in how successful they will be in
their lives. Let’s encourage them to
do their best every day.
Mr. Coleman
Mr. Coleman’s has served
as a counselor intern here since September.
His internship will end this week. We
have all enjoyed his being here this
semester. We wish him well and will
miss him.
What is Your Reputation?
Life Skills lessons for many classes have
been focused on the topic of REPUTATON.
A reputation is “what people think about
you”. We discussed Mr. Peabody’s
reputation in the book Mr. Peabody’s
Apples as well as the reputation of the
WOLF in the stories of Little Red
Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs.
Reputations are built by our behaviors and
actions. They can be changed if we
change our behaviors and actions.
Each student made a “personal pan pizza”
with character words that they chose as
words they would like to describe
themselves. The words to choose from
included: honest, funny, helpful, kind,
athletic, caring, polite, cooperative,
dependable, responsible, smart, happy, and
generous.
The point of the lesson was this: We
choose how others view us. We choose
our own reputations by how we act and
behave. It was my goal that students
learn more about themselves as they continue
to grow and become the people we all want
them to be.
Thanksgiving Food Baskets
Several families received Thanksgiving Food
Baskets last week. If you would like
to send a Thank You Note for your basket,
please send that to me and I will see that
it gets to the appropriate person or group.
The baskets were beautiful!
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Life Skill Classes in grades 2,3 and 5 have
recently had lessons to address lessons
about worries and anxiety. It seems so
many of us and our students are worried and
“STRESSED OUT” about so many things.
The lessons focused on what worries us, how
and where we feel the stress in our bodies
and things we can do to help ourselves feel
better.
We talked about slow deep breathes, taking a
walk, going on a “Brain Break” to our
favorite place, laughing, talking to a
friend or a trusted adult about what worries
us, and several other things. Students
shared lots of things they did to help
themselves feel better. Then, we all
listened to the song that many had heard a
FISH sing.
J “Don’t Worry.. Be
Happy!”
Christmas Lists and Coats
The cutoff date for Christmas lists has
passed here. We have sent the forms to
the places that take those. I will
send a note to the people who sent in forms
telling you where your list was sent.
Please expect that note this week.
If your child received a new coat this week,
it was from the Westview United Methodist
Church. You can send your thank you
note to me and I will forward it to them.
More Coats and shoes will arrive soon from
Franklin Auxiliary.
CHRISTMAS
HELP
We have been contacted by some who would
like to help families who need help at
Christmas. I have sent out forms to
those who have contacted me. Please
return the forms BEFORE NOVEMBER 9th.
If you have not received a form and want
one, let me know as soon as possible.
I will send home an acknowledgement that I
have received your form.
SHOES
AND COATS
Many children were measured last week for
shoes. Some received new shoes because
the Franklin Auxiliary had several pairs of
new shoes with them. Others will
receive their new shoes after shopping is
done.
Coats will come from the Westview United
Methodist Church and the Franklin Auxiliary.
I am not sure when they will arrive.
SHOES AND COATS
We have some special people who have
volunteered to buy new shoes for students
who need them. If it’s a hard time for
you right now, and your children need new
shoes, let me know SOON! They may come
this week.
We also have some who will buy coats.
I need sizes and names AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
ANGEL
TREE DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 9
We are blessed to work with outside agencies
who help families at Christmas.
NOW IS THE TIME TO ASK FOR HELP! One
group has told us that NO LATE FORMS WILL BE
ACCEPTED AFTER NOVEMBER 9th due
to the expectation of high need this year.
If you want an application for Christmas
help, you may send a note, an email for call
me.
I will send home a form. You complete
it and return it as soon as possible.
I will send you a return letter that
your form was received. I will date
each completed form on the date I receive
it, so it may help you to return the forms
as soon as possible.
Report Cards
Our report cards have changed and may take a
while to understand this year, but a few
things remain the same.
1.
Look for the good things and let your child know you are proud
of his/her efforts. Our children
work hard every day to accomplish all the
things that are required of them.
Every grade has great challenges. Let
them know you are proud of the hard work
they put in. The subject with the
lowest grade may be the one your child has
to work the hardest to achieve.
2.
Help your child set goals
for improvement.
Look for areas that might be improved in the next grading period
and set realistic goals for improvement,
then break down the goals into how can your
child can improve. Make a plan
that might include a few minutes extra study
time each day, asking the teacher questions
when you don’t understand, joining the
tutoring group afterschool or just some
extra practice.
3.
Contact, but do not attack
the teacher.
I am sure most of you have recently talked
to your child’s teacher since Parent Teacher
conferences were just a few weeks ago, but
be sure to contact the teacher when you have
a concern. Be respectful and ask the
teacher what they think is happening.
Call the teacher first, before you call the
principal or any other school personnel.
Talking to the teacher, instead of about the
teacher can help solve problems and help our
children do their best in school.
Family Change Groups
We are still forming Family Change groups.
Please let me know if you want your child to
participate.
Family Change Groups
We are working to form
Family Change Groups. Please let me or
your child’s teacher know if you want your
child to participate in one of these groups.
These groups will meet for 6-8 weeks to help
students learn skills and have an
opportunity to talk about feelings
associated with changes in families such as
divorce, remarriage, shared custody, step
parents, different rules at different houses
and other related topics.
Speak With Good Purpose
Last week as we talked about the No Bullying
rules and reasons, a student shared “We just
need to ‘Speak With Good Purpose.’”
This is one of our Keys of Excellence and
the student made such a good point. If
we use our words well and only speak kind
words or as our mamas used to say, “If it’s
not nice, don’t say it” we would avoid a lot
of problems, hurt feelings and bullying.
Name calling and disrespect wouldn’t happen.
Let’s do our best to teach our children and
to model for our children this Key of
Excellence.
SHOES AND BACKPACK FOODS AND THANKSGIVING BASKETS
Contact me soon if you want to be included in the shoes or backpack
foods. You should receive a form to
complete this week for the Thanksgiving
Baskets if you contacted me already.
Those need to be returned as soon as
possible
THANKSGIVING FOOD BASKETS
It is still September, but I have been
contacted by the United Way asking me to get
them information for families who might
benefit from a Thanksgiving basket.
These include food, a card for a turkey or
ham, and some other items. I don’t
know who needs a basket unless you
let me know. Please let me know if
your family could/would be helped by
receiving a Thanksgiving food basket this
year. The time is short to get the
paperwork completed and returned, so please
contact me as soon as possible.
What to do when…
Part of preparing our children for facing
problems or situations that may arise, is to
play a game…”What would you do when…”
Help your child problem solve situations
that MIGHT happen. You can help them
build confidence and help them stay safe/
“What would you do if…
No one was home when you got off the bus?” Give them steps to
take..Stop the driver… Go next door.
Call grandma.
A friend tried to get you to do something
against our family rules?
Tell them how you would handle this.. Give
them options.
There are so many “What ifs” you can
discuss. You are helping your child
build a TOOL CHEST of problem solving
techniques they can call on later when they
need them.
When my daughter was in high school, she got
home before I did each day. We had a
plan..a What if you go home and it looks
like someone has been there might still be
there…What do you do? My daughter knew
just what do that day and she was safe.
She left our house and went some place else
and called for help. It’s not too soon
to start AGE APPROPRIATE what ifs.
Let’s help our kids learn good problem
solving by not just telling them what to do,
but by talking things through. They
are worth the time.
How to do Your
Homework Without Throwing Up!
Life
Skills classes have focused on how to do our
best in school. Some classes
watched the Trevor Romain video, “How to do
Your Homework Without Throwing Up.”
Other classes have played games or
heard stories about how to do our best work
at school and on our homework.
We found that:
listening to the teacher; following
directions; trying your hardest; and always
doing your best work help each of us
do our best at school.
For homework we
need: a special place and time and our
supplies to be in one place. We need
to work away from a lot of noises and other
distractions. It’s also good to have a
parent check to be sure the work is done.
We found that having a snack or a break
before we began to work was a good idea.
Check your
child’s folder or homework assignment
booklet each day. Don’t forget to sign
it! When teachers and parents work
together, students benefit.
Introducing Chris Coleman
I have a counseling intern from MTSU for
the fall. His name is Chris Coleman. He will
be conducting some Life Skills classes,
working with some small groups and working
with some individual students. He will be
sending home letters asking permission for
some students to be in his groups. He will
be conducting groups for different purposes.
If you receive one of the letters, I would
feel comfortable in signing it and returning
it. If you have questions, you can talk to
me or Chris at 472-4386.
Backpack Foods
We will again be working with the Second
Harvest Food Bank and the First Baptist
Church of Fairview to provide Backpack Foods
for students at FES who would benefit from
this program. We just need to know who wants
to participate. You can call or send a note
letting us know that you want your children
to be involved. Most children love the
program. On Thursday or Friday afternoon a
bag of food is put into the students
backpack for the weekend. The program will
probably start after Labor Day. Please let
me know as soon as possible.
DOING YOUR BEST IN SCHOOL!
Everyone wants each year to be
the best yet! Here are some tips to help
this year be a great school year:
1. Set aside a special time and
place for homework each night.
2. Have school supplies all
together so time is not wasted looking for
needed supplies.
3. Work a while, take a short
break, and work some more.
4. If homework is taking up too
much time at night, talk to your child’s
teacher. A rule of thumb is 10 minutes per
grade level…. (for example…3 rd
grade---30 minutes).
5. Encourage! Encourage!
Encourage!
When you have question, contact
your child’s teacher. Working together, we
have help our students have the best year
yet!
WELCOME BACK!
It has been great seeing all the SMILING
FACES as the parents and the students return
to school from summer. While I heard a
few groans about getting out of bed too
early, almost everyone was happy to back to
school for friends, fun and learning!
As school and family work together, we can
make this our best year yet for our kids.
If you or your children have any problems
or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact
someone at school to help. If it
involves the teacher, start there. If
it is something that I can help with, please
contact me. And, our principals are
always open to help solve problems. We
want your child’s learning experience to be
the best it can be. Let us know how we
can help.
BACKPACKS,
SUPPLIES AND OTHER NEEDS
Our school has been given several backpacks
filled with supplies. If you child
needs one, please let me know. During
the year, we usually are contacted by some
groups who provide shoes, coats, backpack
foods and other necessary things for
children whose families are going through a
hard time. When these become available,
I will mention it in the NEWSLETTER that
goes out each Tuesday. Watch this
newsletter for information about these
things and CONTACT ME by phone, email or
note so I will know to include your
child/children in these programs.
I am starting a list for backpack foods and
shoes. Let me know if you want to be
on it.
SCHOOL
COUNSELOR
J
I
am the school counselor and am here to help
the students and parents with any concerns
that you have. We will be conducting
small groups for new students, students who
have anxiety issues, students who are
dealing with family changes and other groups
as the need arises.
We will be having a small group soon for
students who have lost someone they love to
death. Contact me if you want your
child included in this group.
I can talk to students individually for
short term problem solving or counseling
issues. I love being the School
Counselor at Fairview Elementary because the
students are great, the teachers are
wonderful and the parents are so supportive.
Please let me know if I can help you or your
child.
Making Good Choices
We make so many choices each day. Some are small and
don’t matter much (the color of your socks today.) Others are very
important and make the difference between being safe and not being safe.
In Life Skills classes we have learned one model of decision making that is easy
to remember, but can help kids to make good choices.
1.
Think about your choices.
2.
Think about what will happen.
3.
Make the best choice.
When you add the step that involves thinking through the
consequences of a decision, it usually helps us all make better decisions.
TCAPS ARE OVER
Congratulations and Thank You!
We had great attendance last week! Thank you all for
getting your students to school and for being on time! It really makes a
great start to the day when our students get here on time and ready to go for
the day. We had a few students who were sick and couldn’t come and we were
sorry they felt so bad, but most all of our students had a great week during the
TCAP WEEK!
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES!
Our students and teachers work so hard all year
long. Last week was a great chance for the to show off what they have
learned this year, but don’t forget to celebrate the “little victories”
along the way. When a K student learns to tie their shoes, that is a cause
for celebration! When a student learns the 3s in multiplication,
CELEBRATE! Sometimes those small battles are the hardest ones to win and
when we do, it deserves acknowledgement. Let’s make a habit of looking for
reasons to celebrate with our children over their success…not just the blue
ribbons and the 100s, but the everyday small success!
Graceworks Health Clinic
We
have been informed about the Graceworks Health Clinic Physicians Plaza, 100
Covey Drive, Suite 104-B, Franklin, TN 615.790.0146. This is a
United Way agency.
Graceworks Health Clinic provides Williamson
County’s working uninsured adults with affordable primary health care.
There is an on-site physician as well as access to medical specialists and
diagnostic services.
Patients are charged on a sliding scale depending on
household income and number of dependents.
To qualify you must:
1. Be gainfully employed but not have health insurance or;
2. Be in between jobs but drawing unemployment benefits or;
3. Be a full-time student without health insurance.
**An
appointment is required. 615-790-0146 or
www.graceworkshealthclinic.org
One of the lessons that we teach each year in Life Skills
class is about I-Messages. I messages communicate your feelings and
say what you want without name calling. It is contrasted with a YOU
MESSAGE. You can see from the example below that in friendship
as well as in parenting I MESSAGES make things go smoother. You
still get your message across, but it is in a kinder way. When we use I
messages we show our children great examples. It will help them get along
better with others.
This communication technique helps parents correct their children
without calling them names. For example, instead of saying, "You are so lazy!" a
parent can say, "When you don't do your homework, I feel disappointed and
disrespected." The child gets very specific information on what behavior is
wrong instead of general criticism of his character. Let’s give this a
try.
KEEPING KIDS SAFE
First and Second Grade Classes
are learning about our bodies and ways to keep ourselves healthy and safe.
We are learning about our heart, stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys and our
BRAIN: THE BOSS OF OUR BODY.
We learn ways to keep our body
healthy and safe is exercise and eating healthy foods and staying away from
cigarettes and drugs.
Another way to keep our brain
safe is to WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT and your HELMET when you ride your bike,
skateboard or any motorized vehicle. Besides just keeping your brain safe,
IT’S THE LAW.
Let’s work together to keep our
kids safe and help take care of their brains by always being sure the seat belt
is on and the helmet is on.
Remember: the safest seat
is in the back.
GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS
One of the most important things children can learn is how
to get along with others. Sharing, taking turns and being kind are things
we as parents try teach our children from the time they are very small.
Interestingly enough, we as teachers still work on the same things.
Being kind to others sounds so simple, but is such an
important concept.
Treat others the way you want to be treated is a
definition of respect that we have all heard before. We often call
it the “golden rule.” It is in fact a rule from many different cultures and
religions. It is so important in human relationships. When we
remember to use good manners, let others have a turn, share friends and think
about the feelings of others, we usually have don’t have trouble getting along
with others. Those are the people who have a lot of friends and are the
people we want to be around.
How to be Successful in School
We want all of our students to do their best and be
successful in their learning.
Here are some tips for every day—not just testing time.
1.
Have a regular bedtime. Kids who
are tired just can’t do their best in school.
2.
Get to school on time. Arriving late
can sometimes affect the entire day.
3.
Be sure students get some breakfast.
They can eat at home or at school, but the body needs fuel to do it’s best work.
4.
Be positive about school and school work.
If you have a problem with the teacher, talk to the teacher, but try not to say
negative things about school or the teacher in front of your child.
5.
If your child is not being successful or is
struggling in something, let the school know. Talk with the teacher
and ask her to set up a meeting with other staff so we can come up with a plan
to help your child be more successful.
We are “all in this together.” As parents and
teachers, we want the same thing. We want our students to do their best
and learn all they can. Let’s work together as team to help our kids be
the best that they can be.
FEBRUARY 2-6 is National School Counselors Week
The School Counselor wears many hats and does
many jobs at the school.
At Fairview Elementary, I see each class every other
week for Life Skills classes. I think that is a great name for what
we talk about. The skills we learn are things that will help our students
get along and make better choices in life.
We cover many topics from personal safety, from how to
make good choices and decisions, to how to handle emotions especially anger
without getting into trouble, how to do your best in school and testing
situations, to the difference between tattling and reporting, and learning
about good health choices such as tobacco and alcohol and drug use just to name
a few. Our goal is students who do their best in school and in life. We
want our students to be safe and make safe choices and to support our teachers
and parents in what they are trying to accomplish.
Secondly, many students are a part of a small group
to work on specific issues. Currently new groups are forming to address
anger issues, anxiety and other needed concerns. Family change groups
which met before Christmas will meet less often so the other groups can have
time to meet now. If you have a child who could benefit from this, let me
know.
Thirdly, some individual counseling is done. Because of
time constraints, this cant happen a lot, but it can be used as a band aid
during a hard time to help children through a hard time.
There are lots of other tasks that the counselor is
assigned to here. You may get a letter from me inviting you to a GEIT
meeting. Thats another one of my HATS.
Just thought Id give you an idea of what the school
counselor does since it is MY WEEK! J
ASSERTIVE OR AGGRESSIVE
HIT HIM BACK OR WHAT?
So many times we hear parents concerned
about the age old question of what to do if someone hits your first.
Look at these options.
PASSIVE:
Not standing up for yourself
ASSERTIVE:
Standing up for yourself without hurting others
AGGRESSIVE:
Standing up for yourself by hurting others
We want to teach our children to be
assertive.
1. Stand tall.
2. Look the person in the eye.
3. Say NO in a firm voice.
4. Tell and adult if you need help.
Teaching our children to be assertive can help them in
dealing with everyday problems with other children as well as helping them to
build positive self esteem.
TCAP Writing Assessment/Williamson County Writing
Assessment
On February 3rd,
Fairview Elementary students will take a writing assessment. Fifth grade
will take the TCAP writing assessment and all other grades will take the
Williamson County writing assessment.
We will begin
at 9:00 am and have QUIET TIME in our school for one hour. The test wont
take that long, but fifth grade will need time to distribute the test and to
complete a writing survey that the state sends along with the writing test. Our
county has asked that we all take the writing assessment at the same time so we
can be supportive and in a good testing mode for all our students.
Be sure to be
here on time. Remember to get a good nights sleep and have a good
breakfast. Those rules apply for every day, but especially on testing
days! Thanks for your support for all our students and staff.
Safe at Last
Safe
at Last lessons help our students learn ways to keep themselves safe
in many situations. We learn about strangers (people we dont
know), safe people (adults you can trust), and boundaries (rules
that keep us safe.)
A family code word is a word or phrase known only by
the family members to be used in case of an emergency to let your
child know you sent someone for them. For example, you are
delayed in picking up your child from a sport or other activity and
ask someone else to do it for you. You give this person the
family code word to let your child know that you sent them.
Its just another way to keep your children safe.
SEAT BELTS, BOOSTER SEATS, and HELMETS
Dont forget seat belts and booster seats. These
are not only ways to keep kids safe, they are also the law.
The safest seat in the car is the back seat. Most front seats
have air bags now. Unless your car has an automatic sensor or
a way to turn off the air bag if a child is sitting there, be very
careful about letting children sit in the front seat.
Air bags can seriously hurt children if they deploy when a child is
sitting in the front seat.
And, dont forget the helmets with all those new Christmas
bikes, scooters and other riding toys. Our kids have wonderful
brains and we want to take care of them.
Lets work together to keep all of our students SAFE AT LAST!
Hot Tips for Cool Kids!
Internet
Safety is part of the I-Safe Curriculum covered in Life Skills
class. Third, fourth and fifth grade students will be
watching and discussing a video called Internet Safety The Safe
Side.
HOT TIPS from this lesson include:
Never go into chat rooms without asking your Safe Side Adult first.
Dont open E-mails, downloads or pop-ups without asking your Safe
Side Adult.
Never respond to E-mails or anything that makes you feel weird or
uncomfortable, and always tell your Safe Side Adult.
Do not post personal information about yourself online, and never
meet someone in person you have met online.
For more information you can check out
www.thesafeside.com .
We Teach by Our Words and Our Actions
The week before Thanksgiving, our students and staff gathered
enough food and gift cards to make over 10 food baskets to be given
to good homes. Teachers shared with me the joy that children
expressed as they brought items from home to help their class make
these food boxes possible. Younger students brought big loads of
food to my room with big smiles. The girls scouts who
helped assemble the boxes had fun sorting the food and wrapping the
boxes. And there was joy in giving the boxes away.
Sometimes we talk about the joy of giving to
others, but this was an opportunity for our students to participate
in the giving and to experience that joy for themselves.
As we know, our kids dont miss a thing we do or
say. Isnt it great when they can learn such a wonderful
kindness. Thanks to all who participated in the food
drive in any way. It really made a difference. It makes
me very proud to be associated with such a giving group of people.
NO BULLYING!
Fairview Elementary is a NO BULLYING
school. This doesnt mean that no one ever tries to bully
around here. What it means is it is not accepted here.
When bullying occurs, we teach the students to:
1.
Tell the bully
to STOP.
2.
Tell an adult.
While the students can come home and tell their
parents about the bullying and you can call us, it is better if the
student reports the bullying as soon as it happens. We can
handle the bullying situation more effectively if we know about it
as soon as it happens. Our teachers are united in the believe
that bullying is not acceptable here, but teachers cant see or hear
everything that happens during the day. Please encourage your
children to report bullying when and if it occurs. Help us to
make and keep Fairview Elementary a great place to be.
**If your child received a new coat
this week, it was from the Westview United Methodist Church.
Send your thank you notes to me and I will pass them along.
More new coats are expected from the Franklin Auxiliary. They
just havent arrived yet.
Attention Fifth
Grade Parents:
Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You: Puberty Education Classes
for Fifth Grade!
More information
will come to you soon! Boys and girls will be taught
separately. Watch this space for more information!
Upcoming
Events!:
Kids on the
Blocks will visit Fairview Elementary on November 10th!
3rd Grade: Child Abuse Prevention Awareness 9:10
5th Grade: Prejudice Prevention
10:00
4th Grade: Bullying
10:50
2nd Grade: Disability Awareness
1:10
Parents are invited to attend.
Shoes
and Coats:
Lots of children received new shoes last week from the Franklin
Auxiliary. Thank you to the people who sent in thank you
notes. If you have not yet sent in your thank you note, you
still have time. Please send it to me and I will pass it
along.
Upcoming Events
Kids
on the Block
The Kids on the Block puppet
troupe will be at Fairview Elementary on November 10th.
They will present four shows on that day.
At 9:10 3rd
grade will see Child Abuse Prevention Awareness.
At 10:00 5th grade
will see Prejudice Prevention.
At 10:50 4th grade
will see a bullying show and
At 1:10 2nd grade
will see the disability awareness presentation.
Parents are invited to attend the performances but
it might not be best for younger children to attend.
Shoes and Coats
Franklin Auxiliary measured many children from new
shoes and coats last week. They plan to deliver these this
week. They will make sure everything fits. If it doesnt
they will return the shoes/coats that do not fit and exchange them
for the right size. If your child receives new shoes and/or a
coat from the Franklin Auxiliary or the United Methodist Church, you
may send the thank you note to me and I will see it gets to the
right place.
IS
IT TATTLING OR REPORTING?
What is the difference between tattling and reporting?
Tattletales tell to get someone in trouble or to get attention for
themselves. Reporters tell when someone could get hurt or when
they need adult help. We teach our children to be problem
solvers. We use the DeBug method of problem solving.
It consists of five steps:
1.
Ignore what you can.
2.
Walk away.
3.
Say in a friendly voice, Please Stop.
4.
Say in a firm voice, Stop it.
5.
Get adult help.
If someone hasnt stopped bugging you after you have DeBugged them,
then you need adult help. This is not tattling, this is
reporting. Other times to report is when someone is hurt; when
bullying is happening; when property is being damaged; or when
someone is being threatened.
We want our students to learn ways to solve their own problems.
DeBug can help. But, there are times when we all need help.
DeBug helps the student to know the difference between tattling and
reporting and when its time to ask for adult help.
Fuzzy's Listening Tips
First grade students are learning about Fuzzy the
caterpillar who almost didn't turn into a butterfly. He was
too busy playing and looking around instead of listening to his
moms instructions on how to build a cocoon!
Thankfully, Fuzzy had some good friends who taught
him some important tools on how to learn!
Fuzzy learned to:
Pay Attention: Look at the person talking to you and be still
while you are listening.
Listen and understand: You cant talk and
listen at the same time! Also, Can you repeat the Big
Idea?
Ask A Question if you don't understand
Don't Give Up! Some things are hard, but
keep trying until you get it!
We can learn a lot from a caterpillar!
Backpack Foods
The backpack foods program
is scheduled to start THIS WEEK if everything works as planned.
I have received several calls and notes from parents. Your
child should receive the extra things in their backpack on Friday.
If you would like to be included in this program, just let me know.
DONT BE HOT
AND BLOW UP
DONT BE COLD AND GIVE UP
BE COOL AND IN CONTROL!
This is the message from
Chester the Cat as he teaches us how to deal with teasing, anger,
criticism and bullying. Chester is a COOL CAT who encourages
us to THINK COOL, ACT COOL and BE COOL!
These are some of the lessons we will be teaching in Life Skills
classes. Don't be surprised to see our Fairview Elementary
students being EXTRA COOL after spending time with Chester!
Debug
What do you do when someone is bugging you? We use the
debug plan. This plan is easy to remember and helps us stay
out of trouble. Here are the steps.
1.
Ignore what you can.
2.
Walk Away.
3.
Ask the person to STOP.
4.
Say in a firm voice (not yelling) STOP.
5.
Get adult help.
If the person has not responded to these five steps, you need adult
help in getting them to stop. AND, you are not tattling.
Tattletales tell to get someone in trouble or to get some attention
for themselves. People using the Debug plan are problem
solvers. Interestingly enough, the debug plan
works at home.
The adult can ask the children to talk the problem out and can make
sure the child being bugged is not being bullied. Bullying most
always needs adult intervention and can not be allowed to continue.
Next week, we will talk about our NO BULLYING policy at Fairview
Elementary.
BACKPACK FOODS
Backpack foods are scheduled to start this Friday. I need to
hear from you if you are interested in receiving the foods for your
family. These foods are delivered in your child's backpack on
Friday afternoon. There are several food items to eat over the
weekend. Let me know if you are interested in receiving them.
These foods are provided by the Second Harvest Food Bank and are
delivered to us through the First Baptist Church of Fairview.
Please call or send a note if you are interested.
Small Groups are Forming
This week I plan to meet with new students to our school to welcome
them and to see how they are adjusting to our school.
Soon we will begin to meet with family change groups, friendship
groups, anger management, and other groups as needed. Let me
know if your child would benefit from one of these groups.
Most meet during lunch time.
Backpack Foods
Plans are for the Second Harvest Food Bank Backpack Food program to
begin again the first week of September. That is next week.
This program, along with the Food for Families program sponsored by
the Fairview Church of Christ, provides extra food for students for
the weekend. These foods are distributed in the backpack on
Fridays.
We will have plenty of supplies for all of the students who want to
participate. We just need to know who want to participate in
these programs. They were both very successful last year.
We found that our students looked forward to the distribution dates.
Please send a note or phone call letting me know that you want to be
included in one of these program. They go on all year long.
Times are tough right now and sometimes a little bit extra can go a
long way in helping our families provide for all that they need.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Inis McFarlin,
School Counselor, Fairview Elementary 472-4386
inism@wcs.edu
RETURN TO MRS. MCFARLIN
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____ I would like my child to participate in one of the food
programs.
Please include my child in this group: _____
family changes ____ friendship ____
anger management
This would be a good group for my child:
__________________________________________.
Parents signature _____________________________
Childs name __________________________ Grade _______
Welcome Back!
It was great to see all of our
students come back to school after the break with smiling faces and
great attitudes about getting back to learning! I have been so
impressed with how quickly the students have adjusted to their new
classrooms and teachers and have gotten down to the joy and work of
learning new things. You are all to be commended for helping
our students get started with such a positive attitude. We
work on that here, but we cant do it without the help and support
of home. When the school and the home work together, our kids come
out ahead.
School Supplies
I still have a large supply of backpacks and
supplies. If you need these, let me know. Most likely, I
will have a supply throughout the year, so if you need a new
backpack as time goes by or if supplies need replenished, let me
know.
BACKPACK FOODS AND SHOES
I dont know when the food programs will start
yet. I should find that information out soon. It will be
listed in the Newsletter, so be sure to check it each week.
Also watch for the shoe program information and other such things.
CAR RIDER INFORMATION!!!
One of the most important things we do each day is
get the students back home safety to you. We take this task
very seriously. Around 85-100 cars come through the car rider
line each afternoon. Some pick up more than one student.
We have many staff members involved in helping get the students to
the cars in the safest and quickest method we can. But, your
childs safety is our top priority.
There are some things that can make
the car rider line run smoother and quicker.
1.
Use a card with
your students name and grade level in the window. When your
student is in the car, take the card out. This will help us
know who is loaded and who isnt.
2.
Either stay in
your car or stand beside your car. We are helping the students
learn to watch for the cars as they come around the corner. We
want them to find you where your car is.
3.
If any of the
staff can help you, just ask. We are there to assist.
Each school year brings excitement, high hopes, and new
challenges for the students, parents, and teachers. When
parents, students and school staff work together, much can be
accomplished. I am pleased to continue as the school counselor
at Fairview Elementary School for this year.
There are many times when the school counselor can be of assistance
to students and parents. All of us go through many changes and
difficult times in our lives. Unfortunately, many of these
times happen to our children. Family changes, moving, sickness
or death of a loved one, feelings that no one likes me or no one
cares for me are common events in children's lives. If you
child seems to be having a sad time, very angry times, or problems
with friendships, decision-making, or school work, a counselor might
be able to help. Please contact me if you think I might be
able to help.
Stop the Choking Game!
Many of you may have seen on the news recently about
a fifth grade student who died playing the choking
game. I have found a website that might be helpful
to you as parents in knowing what to look for and
knowing how to best talk to your children about
this. Many children are aware of this game. You
might ask them to tell you about it. It involves
cutting off the oxygen flow to the brain in order to
obtain a brief high or euphoric state. Many
children die from this each year. Many are
elementary aged children.
The website is:
www.stop-the-choking-game.com There are lots of
other websites with information on this too. If you
dont have access to the internet and want this
information, let me know and Ill send it to you.
Thank you for sending in clothes and coats for our
clothing room. It really makes a difference when
someone is here and needs a change, and those
clothes are available.
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