J-Hawk Journal Webster Elementary - December 2018

‘Tis the season… for cooler temperatures… disappearing daylight...and busy schedules. Please know that our Webster teaching staff will continue employing their seemingly unending energy and If school is delayed or canceled due to inclement dedication to keep our students engaged in creative and weather, the district's automated system will call powerful lessons. Our nutrition services staff will continue each home with notif ication. The following serving our students a hot, healthy lunch along with a warm television and radio stations will also announce greeting and smile. Our custodial staff will continue to keep school closings/delayed openings: our building as clean as possible (no easy feat!), and our KAZR 103.3 FM, KJJY FM 92.5, KGGO 94.5 FM, support staff will continue to provide assistance to assure KHKI THE HAWK 97.3 FM, KIOA FM 93.3, KISS our students have all they need to enrich their experience 107.5 FM, KLTI LITE FM 104.1, KMXD Radio Mix here at Webster. 100.3 FM, KRNT AM 1350, KSTZ STAR FM 102.5, KVJZ 106.3 FM, KYTK 940 AM, KWKY New Life December is a time to reflect on friends and family. 1150, WHONews 1040 AM, 98.3 the River sof t rock, Hopefully you can take some time during our upcoming KCCI Channel 8 TV, KDSM Channel 14 TV, WHO Winter break to connect or reconnect with people important Channel 13 TV, WOI Channel 5 TV. to you. We are all so busy just surviving, we often forget to Delays and closing information can also be found look around and see where we might be able to improve on the district's website: www.urbandaleschools.com someone else’s life, while enhancing our own. The holidays provide a great opportunity to teach our children the joy of Also, please note that students will go outside for giving to others. recess unless the temperature or wind chill dip below 10 degrees. If On the topic of giving to others, I’d like to take this there is snow on the ground, only opportunity to thank our teachers and staff for all they do on students wearing both snow pants a daily basis to make Webster wonderful. I’d also like to and snow boots will be allowed to thank our volunteers, who give so freely of their time and play in the efforts to encourage and support the students and teachers. snow. All other students must play Thank you to our PTO and all of their committees for their on the cleared hard surfaces of the hard work on the annual Race Around Webster fundraiser, playground. the family fun provided at Bingo for Books night, collecting and submitting BoxTops for education, providing staff appreciation throughout the year, and many other benefits they extend to Webster. And, many thanks to our students who give to all of us each day, because they are whom this is all about and they are the best! - Erin Shearer, Principal Illness/Absence Reporting If your child will be absent for any reason, the best means of communication is by emailing [email protected] and Webster Elementary copying your child’s teacher on the email as well. Alternatively, you may call the office at 331-8600 at School Night at Pieology! any time and leave a voice mail. If your child is absent and we have not heard why, it is very concerning to us. We want to make sure all children 20% of sales are safe and accounted for! will directly support Webster Elementary Hydration From on Winter is almost upon us! In the health office, that 4-9pm means a lot of nosebleeds, dry skin, and cracked lips! Hydration is a key part of the prevention of Tuesday Dec. 11th, 2018 these. Here are some tips to help us with the dry th winter months: 1255 NW 128 St, Clive • Hydrate yourselves and your children from the inside out! A couple of glasses of water before Tell friends and family! No flyer needed! going to work/school is a great hydrating start to the day! (Side note: another thing water intake helps with is constipation - another frequent ailment in the winter months.) • Please send Chapstick/Vaseline/Aquaphor tubes Stay Informed! with your children to keep in their desk/backpack. Remind them that these are personal items and are NOT to be shared. :o) There are many great ways to keep on top of • Using lotion after bathing helps prevent dry/ what’s going on at Webster! The Webster cracked skin. page of the district website: http:// • Check with your pharmacist about nasal gels or www.urbandaleschools.com/schools/webster- salines if someone in your family has frequent elementary/ is one source. There you will find bloody noses. announcements, newsletters, schedules and other important information. You can also Flu Vaccines follow us on Twitter @WebsterUCSD and also Flu season is upon us! Here are three things to find us on our Webster Elementary Facebook think about when considering getting yourself/your page! child vaccinated: Help us connect with you by making sure we • Children are more vulnerable to the flu that other have the most accurate and up to date phone populations. and email contacts for you. If you change • A flu shot reduces the risk of hospitalization among numbers or email addresses, please notify the children with diabetes and asthma. Webster office at 331-8600 or by emailing • With every flu shot, your community’s risk of flu Mrs. Briggs, [email protected] decreases. or Mrs. Gass, [email protected]. Please consider getting your family vaccinated Also, be sure to upload the Webster Parent today! Calendar in either Google or iCal format! - Sarah Bonnot, RN, BSN [email protected] Late Start Winter Break J-Hawk Assembly

We will have two Late Start There will be no school Our next J-Hawk 7 Habits days this month. On beginning Monday, Assembly will be on Wednesday, December 5th, December 24th, through Wednesday, December 5th, and Wednesday, December Friday, January 4th. Please at 2:30 pm in the Webster 19th, classes will begin at enjoy this time with your Gym. As always, parents are 10:00 am. Students may family and friends. welcome to attend. begin arriving at 9:45 am. Classes resume January 7th.

Webster’s Reuse-A-Shoe drive was a huge success!

425 pair of tennis shoes given to Nike, will send to Tennessee plant to be ground up for recycling! 62 pair given to Goodwill, will also be recycled into purses, change bags, and cell phone bags! 26 pair donated to the Urbandale Clothing Closet 9 pair donated to Dress For Success (Women’s facility) 8 pair donated to Men on the Move (Men’s facility) 5 pair of soccer shoes given to Play It Again Sports 0 shoes to landfills !!! (Yay!!)

535 total donated pair of shoes! Thank you, Webster!

We have a few field trips scheduled for the month of December. On Tuesday, December 4th, fifth graders will be going to the Drake We’re Knapp Center for “Pack the Knapp!”, an event aimed at helping students learn about health and character along with watching Drake Bulldogs basketball. Going On Fourth graders will be touring the Des Moines Art Center on Wednesday, December 12th, along with art teacher, Gina James- a Pritchard. Then, on Friday, December 14th, fifth graders will go bowling as part of their P.E. curriculum. Field Trip! Please look for more information to come from your student’s teacher regarding these field trips. Shop N Share Calendar of Events Weekend Saturday, December 1st - PTO Holiday Vendor Fair - 9:00 am to 2:00 pm This month’s Hy-Vee Shop N Share weekend Wednesday, December 5th - Late Start will be December 15th and 16th! Please click Wednesday, December 5th - J-Hawk 7 here for a printable form to take with you Habits Assembly @ 2:30 pm when you do your shopping that weekend at Thursday, December 6th - Drama Club Performance Night @ 5:30 pm the Urbandale Hy-Vee (86th & Douglas). Give the bottom portion to your cashier as you Wednesday, December 19th - Late Start check out and Hy-Vee will generously Friday, December 21st - Winter Classroom Parties @ 2:45 pm donate 5% of your purchase to Webster Friday, December 21st - Webster Pride & Elementary! Spirit Night at UHS Basketball Games

Thanks for helping Hy-Vee help our kids! Monday, December 24th through Friday, Follow Hy-Vee on Twitter at January 4th - Winter Recess/No School “UrbandaleHyVee” for notices on special Monday, January 7th - Classes Resume deals and offers! Please feel free to share Tuesday, January 8th - PTO Mtg @ 6:30 pm these forms with friends, neighbors, co- Click here for full District Letter Day workers and relatives! Calendar Got Pics? P.E. Reminder The Yearbook Committee is looking for any pictures you may have taken at Webster during any of the events we’ve had It’s that time of the year when students start this year. Cell phone pictures forwarded in wearing winter boots to school on occasion to a compressed format are rarely usable, so keep their feet warm and dry. Please remember please send your pictures in the highest to send gym shoes for P.E. classes on those resolution possible. They also prefer to days as boots are not allowed during P.E. due to only use group shots so that as many safety concerns. (Some students keep a spare Webster students as possible can find themselves in the yearbook. pair of tennis shoes in their lockers year round Please send your photos to so they are always available.) [email protected]. Thank you! Thanks for helping make our yearbook the best yet!

Please be sure to have your student check the lost and found bin by the library for any items they may have misplaced so far this year. We have many items that remained unclaimed after displaying them Winter during Parent/Teacher conferences. Those items that remain in the lost and found at the time of winter break will be bagged up and donated Classroom to the Urbandale Clothing Closet at the high school.

Parties! A HUGE Thank You to Friday, Nora Stelter! Webster parent, Nora Stelter, has graciously December 21st donated her time, efforts and materials to decorate the planters leading into Webster. The planters look gorgeous and make for a 2:45 p.m. welcoming entrance to the building. Thank you, Nora, for helping make Webster look amazing!! PTO Meeting - November 6, 2018

PTO board members: Steph McCraney (President), Trisha Buhrow (Treasurer), Bethany Evitts (Treasurer), Amanda Brockman (Co-VP of Fundraising), Jeanette Legler (Co- VP of Fundraising), Laurie Hughell (VP of Volunteering), Danielle Ibrahim (Co Secretary), Marcy Brightwell (Co Secretary) Webster staff: Erin Shearer (Principal), Kristine Black, Melanie Fausch (1st grade), Kayla Sandman (2nd grade), Ashley Muilenberg (Kindergarten)

Webster Updates, Erin Shearer • Bingo for Books o A HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers who helped Bingo for books such a success! The leftover books were donated to a Des Moines Elementary School. It was so fun to see families enjoying this free event. • Veterans Day Assembly o Opportunity for everyone to honor our veterans with a breakfast and program following after. The staff and students of Webster extend a deep message of gratitude to all troops past and present

Raw Wrap Up - Stephanie McCraney • We had a beautiful day for Race around Webster and want to thank all of our volunteers and sponsors. We met our financial goal of $25,000 this year. The students will receive a glow stick party in the gym. We are planning to “Get Down” in the gym on November 19th to celebrate our great achievement

Vendor Fair – Misty McNabb • Vendor Fair – Dec 1st – 9:00 am -2 pm. We have had a decrease in vendors this year, however 21 vendors will be there and accepting more! One of our very own Webster teachers, Mr. Olson will be there representing Nutsacks. Other vendors include: Jewelry by M.Y., Jilly 38 Designs, Fusion Boutique, Zaffre Boutique, DoTerra Oils, Perfectly Posh, Matilda Jane, Tupperware, 3 sisters jewelry, Creative Café, Young Living Oils, Beautycounter, Mary and Martha,, Chalk Couture, The Powers 2 create, Zaffre Boutique

Urbandale Education Foundation Grants – Mrs. Muilenburg • School Gardens o There are currently 10 grants in which we were awarded with $1000 to get us started to build vegetable beds around Webster o Eagle Scout, Ryan Muetzel has been working towards building seven raised garden beds around Webster that our students will then be able to use as a school garden. A big Thanks to all of the volunteers who helped put this project together. It looks great! o It will bring students and families together

Dining Night • Zmariks – Was a success, Profit was $550 (50% of sales) • Pielogy - Tuesday- December 11 - Just show up from 4-9. You can call/take out, but no online orders o Webster will get 20% of the entire night sales Budget • Box Tops - We are not engaging in a competition between classes this year, but instead we are combining all classes to reach a goal of $10,000 box tops. Once that goal is obtained, a pajama day party will be awarded to students • Playground finished - With the playground being finished, our goal for RAW was lowered this year since we do not need as much money to accomplish our goals for this year. o Current Goals ♣ Connecting families ( BBQ, Bingo for Books, Spring Event) ♣ Classroom parties, Grade level enrichment, field trips ♣ Furniture/equipment ♣ Webster Clubs ( Drama, WAG, gardening) ♣ Staffroom and Classroom Appreciation ♣ Maintenance for playground

Important Dates • No School – Nov 21 – Recess day • No School- Nov 22&23 – Thanksgiving Holiday • No School -Dec 24-31 – Winter Recess • No School - Jan 1-4 – Winter Recess • Late Starts (Wednesday) Dec 5 and Dec 19 A warm Webster “Thank You” goes out to those businesses who helped us celebrate our Veteran’s at Webster’s Veteran’s Day Celebration!

Casey’s

Fareway

HyVee

Loffredo

Machine Shed

Another warm Webster “Thank You” to our students, families, and staff who donated $400.00 in loose change to American Legion Post #663! Finish Your Shopping at t he We b s t e r E l e me n t a r y Vendor Fai r ! !

Saturday, December 1 9am – 2pm

Webster Elementary School, 12955 Aurora Ave, Urbandale

Featuring Local Vendors & Crafters

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