As a reminder, we will have school December 18-21. Thursday is a regular day of school, and we will dismiss at 3:15 PM as usual.

Our mid-year, semester break will begin on Friday, December 22 and continue through January 2. School will resume at the regular time on January 3. There is also no school on Monday, January 15th (staff professional development day).

The traditional GBR holiday assembly is Thursday at 8:30 AM. This will feature performances from various grade levels. Do to the number of performances and limited space in the commons we are unable to accommodate visitors at the assembly. Thank you for understanding.

In December we have focused on rule four of The Energy Bus for Kids, Love Your Passengers. Here are some ways to continue practicing this rule over the break:

1. Acts of Kindness: Encourage the student to perform daily acts of kindness such as helping a classmate with their schoolwork, sharing their supplies, or sitting with someone who's alone during lunch or recess. Small gestures of kindness go a long way in making fellow students feel valued and supported.

2. Active Listening: Teach the student the importance of listening attentively to their classmates. When someone speaks, they can practice active listening by maintaining eye contact, nodding to show understanding, and responding empathetically. This demonstrates care and respect for their peers' thoughts and feelings.

3. Inclusion Initiatives: Encourage the student to actively include others in group activities or games. They can make an effort to invite different classmates to join in, ensuring that no one feels left out. Inclusivity promotes a sense of belonging and fosters positive relationships among students.

By engaging in these practices, elementary school students can effectively embrace and embody the "Love Your Passengers" principle, creating a more compassionate and supportive school community.

Long breaks from school can mean extended screen time, and a lot of laying around. Here are some ideas to keep your learners active over the break:

1. Winter Sports: Encourage participation in winter sports like ice skating, sledding, skiing, or snowboarding. These activities not only keep them active but also embrace the fun side of the winter season.

2. Winter Nature Walks: Take advantage of the winter scenery by organizing nature walks. Exploring the snowy outdoors, observing wildlife, and collecting winter-themed items like pinecones or interestingly shaped icicles can make for an engaging and active outing.

3. Indoor Exercise Challenges: Create indoor exercise challenges or obstacle courses that can be done in the classroom or gymnasium. Set up stations with activities like jumping jacks, skipping ropes, hula hoops, or yoga poses to keep kids moving even when it's cold outside. There are also multiple YouTube channels that require little to no work for adults!

4. Dance Parties: Organize indoor dance parties with lively music. Let the students move and groove to the beats, encouraging them to showcase their favorite dance moves while staying warm and active indoors.

5. Winter-themed Games: Invent games that are specific to winter, such as a snowball toss (with soft, indoor-friendly "snowballs"), a winter-themed scavenger hunt, or a relay race where they pretend to "build a snowman" by running back and forth to collect snowman parts (imaginary or represented by objects).