Tiger Cub News Delano Elementary Family Newsletter December 2017-January 2018
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Tiger Cub News Delano Elementary Family Newsletter December 2017-January 2018 Find us on At a glance Page 2 K-3 redesign Nurse’s notes Page 3 Beyond academics The tie turkey Page 4 Apex Fun Run Page 5 New playground Page 6 Clothing drive Flag ceremony Page 7 Conference tips December menu After the Apex Fun Run, select students were rewarded for strong fundraising with Dates to the chance to hit Apex team member ‘Squishy’ in the face with a pie. remember December Unprecedented support 6.....................DQ night, 5-8 p.m. (Stern, Emmerich) By Paul Downer Communications Coord. 7.......Grade 4 concert, 6:30 p.m. (Griep, Hiltner, Sass, Stern) Delano Elementary School 7.......Grade 4 concert, 7:30 p.m. (Berggren, Brown, Hall, Schleper) conducted one of its most suc- cessful fundraisers ever during 20...................DQ night, 5-8 p.m. (Huikko, Knisley) the second half of November. While the final total had 25-31.....Winter break, no school January not yet been tallied at the start of December, preliminary 1............Winter break, no school indications were that the Apex 2.........................School resumes Fun Run and Apex UNIT- 9.............ES PIE meeting, 7 p.m. ED program had netted over 10...................DQ night, 5-8 p.m. (Williams, Swan) $37,000 for the DES Partners In Education group. 15........Workshop day, no school There was a good chance 15................ES conferences and Kindergarten students start the fun run on Nov. 29. book fair, 12-8 p.m. that total would increase, but even if it didn’t the number we’ve ever done,” said Principal two-week program culminates 18................ES conferences and in a fun run that was held in book fair, 4-8 p.m. would still represent 115 per- Darren Schuler. cent of the school’s fundraising The Apex Fun Run is a na- the Tiger Activity Center on 24...................DQ night, 5-8 p.m. (Jensen, Hiltner) goal. tionwide program that focuses “That is probably the best on character and fitness. The See Apex 26..Grade 3 Science Museum trip Page 4 1 Nurse’s notes By Crista Wadholm DES Nurse As we head into winter, I wanted to take a moment to revisit the guidelines that we fol- low regarding illness and school attendance. Winter marks the height of cold and flu season, and it’s important for the health of our students that children who are ill be kept home from school. My hope is that these guidelines will help you to decide when your child should stay home from school. • If a child has a fever of 100 degrees or more, that child should stay home for 24 hours after their temperature returns Construction crews prepared the main entrance of Delano Intermediate School for to normal without the use of concrete and installed windows in mid-November. When the new school opens next fever reducing medication. spring it will create an opportunity to reimagine how space is used in the elementary • If a child has vomited or has school to maximize learning for K-3 students. had diarrhea, that child should stay home from school until 24 hours after the last episode. • If a child has an unex- Opportunity ahead plained rash that could be dis- ease-related, that child should be kept home from school until Departure of fourth grade opens cleared by a physician to return to school. • If a child is started on door to redesigning the elementary antibiotics for ANY reason, that child should be kept home for By Darren Schuler of this school year: Principal • Redesign and changes to 24 hours. space in current building It is certainly challenging for These are very exciting • Review of schedule to working parents to juggle the times for Delano Public better meet student and staff demands of work and family, Schools! With multiple on- learning needs so we ask that a back-up plan going building projects over • Revise our homework be put into place with a trusted the past year, we are seeing procedures to meet the needs friend or relative in the event unprecedented changes to our of K-3 grade learners. that your child becomes ill un- schools and campus. In January and February we expectedly and you are unable These changes will directly are planning listening sessions to take time off from work. impact Delano Elementary with our elementary school Also, please make sure that soon, with fourth grade mov- parent community to gather your child is properly dressed ing to the new intermediate feedback on the proposed for the weather each and every building starting in September changes. Please look for infor- day. Once there is snow on the 2018. mation and dates in the near ground that includes coat, hat, mittens, snow pants and boots. This past October, our Darren Schuler future. Delano Elementary Site Base As always, feel free to Our students go outside Committee began the process moving out of the elementary contact me at darren.schuler@ for recess every day unless it of planning for the new rede- building, it creates a unique delanoschools.org if you have is raining or a combination of sign of the elementary school opportunity to redesign our questions. air temperature and wind chill building to meet the needs of learning spaces. Our commit- Have a wonderful holiday keeps our students inside. our K-3 students and staff. tee will be focusing on three season. Have a wonderful, safe and With an entire grade level specific areas over the course healthy winter! 2 Learning extends beyond academics By Greg Hinker has been set as a focus of learn- Empathy Assistant Principal ing. Kindness was the focus of In December students will October. Students engaged in be learning about empathy. Social and emotional learn- lessons, watched educational Teachers will model, discuss, ing is an important initiative videos, and participated in the role play, journal and use in many schools around the Unity Day and Kindness in picture books to help students United States. Chalk events. better understand and share The Collaboration for In November students have the feelings of others. Academic and Social and been learning about gratitude. Picture books with charac- Emotional Learning (www. Students have participated in ters and conflicts will expose casel.org, 2017) describes classroom activities, read books children to a range of social social and emotional learning and completed projects about situations that children may as the process through which gratitude. Bulletin boards were not have experienced them- children acquire and effectively created in the main hallways selves. These activities will give apply knowledge, attitudes and where messages of gratitude space for students to engage in skills to understand and man- from students were posted. opportunities to be empathetic. age emotions, set and achieve Greg Hinker During the morning an- I encourage parents to positive goals, feel and show nouncements, students have support and extend this social empathy for others, establish bring social and emotional been given tips and have been learning to our children. and emotional learning by positive relationships, and challenged to show gratitude asking your child about these make responsible decisions. and appreciation to different activities and having conversa- Delano Elementary School Kindness, gratitude people and in different ways. Each month a theme word tions about being aware of the staff have been working to thoughts and feelings of others. Turkey of ties helps express gratitude Unique display boosts creativity Gratitude was a theme for students through the month of November, and fourth-graders in Cay Griep’s class contin- ued a tradition of expressing their grat- itude in a unique style with their turkey project made entirely from business ties. “I have been doing this since my days in Cokato, about 18 years ago, when I was needing to create a November bulletin board,” said Griep, who said the idea came from a magazine. “I do it every year, focusing on why we are thankful for the wonderful things we have in our lives. I read a Native Amer- ican book about thanking the earth for the things we have, and then discuss how it pertains to our lives now. The students really do put a lot of thought into (their projects) and I have seen some pretty awe- some thankful writings.” Griep started out small, borrowing ties for the turkey from her husband, father and brother. When she came to Delano, Students show off this year’s tie turkey, which inspired them to focus on she added a few more from students in her things they are thankful for in a unique way. class, Principal Darren Schuler and at least has had a number of parent volunteers fall of 2018, but Griep said she is already one other unwitting participant in Director who have gone all out to create a memo- thinking ahead when it comes to the tur- of Teaching and Learning Joe Vieau. rable turkey that inspires her students to key tie project. “I’m not sure his wife ever told him she write with even more creativity. “I hope I can find a spot in the new donated his ties,” Griep said. Fourth-graders will not move to the 4-6 building to put it up,” she said. “Some Over the past few years Griep said she new Delano Intermediate School until the traditions are hard to let go of.” 3 Apex from Page 1 Wednesday, Nov. 29. Before then, students raised money by obtaining pledges for the laps they would run. On race day students ran laps 1/16th of a mile in length while parent volunteers re- corded their progress.