Greetings Hereford Families,
This week we are celebrating Red Ribbon Week, promoting healthy choices and drug-free lifestyles for our scholars. Please see the flyer below for details on themed activities and ways to participate throughout the week.
We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who attended our Nacho Average Data Meeting last week. Your involvement and commitment to our scholars’ success make a big difference, and we truly appreciate your continued support.
Together, we are building a community where Learning is Our Passport to Success!
Kindly,
Principal Williams
Set Home Expectations
If your child is in a school that uses PBIS, the school will have a chart with desired behaviors, including a description of how those behaviors will look like in each setting. For example, your child’s school might ask students to “Be Respectful” (what’s expected) in the classroom (where it’s expected) by raising their hand before speaking (the desired behavior). Often these charts can be found on the school’s website homepage. At Sonnie Hereford Elementary we pride ourselves on R.O.A.R. Expectations.
R – Ready At All Times
O – Own My Choices
A – Always Follow Directions
R – Respect Everyone
Schools that actively use PBIS might have an orientation on what behaviors are expected and where and set a time in the beginning of the year to teach students and staff the specific behaviors. These can be adapted by families to fit the home setting. Examples of an expectations table for home and school are below.
Have a wonderful week!
AP Frye & AP Grant
Hello Hereford Families,
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. There are many misunderstandings about what dyslexia is, and many people might think it only has to do with letter reversals. However, the research is clear: Dyslexia is a neurological condition caused by a different wiring of the brain. Students with dyslexia have difficulty identifying individual speech sounds within a word, which makes reading and spelling words more challenging. There is no cure for dyslexia and individuals with this condition must learn coping strategies.
Research indicates that dyslexia has no relationship to intelligence. Individuals with dyslexia are neither more nor less intelligent than the general population. But some say the way individuals with dyslexia think can be an asset in achieving success. There are many famous successful people that have dyslexia: Thomas Edison (invented the lightbulb), Stephen Spielberg (movie director), Albert Einstein (physicist), Leonardo da Vinci (inventor), Danny Glover (actor), and Whoopi Goldberg (actress).
Although dyslexic tendencies can seem overwhelming, with explicit, systematic, and multisensory literacy instruction, students can overcome these reading challenges. If you would like to learn more about this condition, please visit
https://dyslexiaida.org/frequently-asked-questions-2/
Have a Great Week!
Rebecca Ramsey
Greetings Hereford Elementary School Families,
As teachers continue to make progress with students on mastering math standards, a few deficiencies have been revealed. Many of our students lack basic computation skills. Computational skills are defined as the ability to calculate basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems quickly and accurately using mental methods, paper-and-pencil, and other tools. Below are a few strategies, games, and activities that can be done at home with no materials or just a few household items.
- Each person rolls the dice and adds, subtracts, or multiplies the numbers
- Dice and Money. Each person rolls a die and gets the number of pennies as dots shown. When someone gets five pennies, they trade it in for a nickel, dime, and so forth, until they’re trading for a dollar
- For two people, give each person 13 cards from a deck of cards, have each person flip a card, then have your child decide whose card has the higher value to determine who wins the set of cards. In a tie, place three additional cards face-down, then turn the last card up; the higher card on that turn wins all the cards. Play until one person has all the cards in the deck
- Review math facts at home, in the car, waiting in line, or during other downtime
- Provide your child with verbal math problems. “Take the number five; add six; multiply by three; subtract three; divide by five. What’s your answer?” Speak slowly at first until your child gets better at solving these mental problem
- Whatever you do, make sure to have fun while doing it! Math doesn’t have to be boring or stressful. Until next week, remember, math is not a spectator sport. The only way to learn math is to do math!
Let's have a fun week!
April M. Draine
Hereford Families,
After seeing your child’s progress on 1st 9 weeks report cards, reach out to your child’s teacher for ideas on how to help their progress at home. Great questions to ask include:
1. Is my child meeting grade level benchmarks?
2. What are my child’s academic strengths?
3. How can I help my child grow academically?
One of my favorite ways to reinforce math concepts at home is playing math games as a family.
Math games are a simple and fun way to help kids learn how to solve math problems while they’re having fun. Games like Yahtzee, Baffle, and Dominoes all use the process of addition.
To make learning more accessible for your little one, you can teach them how to play a variety of math games at home with everyday items you have on hand.
Go Wildcats!
Rebecca Ramsey
Hereford Families,
October is World Book Month! What is World Book Month? It is a world-wide celebration that focuses on the importance of reading, writing, and literature.
There are many ways to celebrate and share a love of reading with others. Here's a few ideas to get the celebration started.
1. Visit your local library to check out books or attend a group story time.
2. Visit a free little library or start one in your neighborhood.
3. Read a book that is also a movie, then watch the movie afterwards.
4. Try writing a short story or book of your own.
5. Visit a local bookstore.
6. Make a habit of reading 15-20 minutes each day.
7. Get creative and try reading in different places around the house and around town.
Happy Reading!
Quirante Hereford
Why is parent involvement such a big deal?
Three decades of research prove what parent group leaders instinctively know - family involvement positively affects student achievement as well as parents, teachers, and schools. Here's how:
When parents are involved in their children's education, those children are more likely to:
- Earn better grades
- Score higher on tests
- Attend school regularly
- Have better social skills
- Showed improved behavior
- Have a more positive attitude toward school
- Complete homework assignments
- Graduate and continue their education
Parents are more likely to:
- Be more confident at school
- Be more confident in themselves as parents and in their abilities to help their child learn
- Be held in higher esteem by teachers
- Continue their own education
Schools are more likely to have :
- Better morale among teachers
- Higher ratings of teachers by parents
- More support from families
- A better reputation in the community
Have an awesome week!
Ann Elkins
Dear Parents,
Your child is learning how to recognize emotions and use calming strategies when they have very strong emotions. These activities provide fun ways to practice these skills at home. The ideas below will reinforce what we are learning in school—there are activities to play, topics to discuss, and behaviors to support. These activities are all designed to fit into your daily routine and provide ways to further connect with your child.
● Talk with your child how they recognize and identify emotions in themselves, as well as in friends and family. Talk about the outward cues that help us identify emotions—anger, surprise, joy, fear, loneliness, calmness, and sadness, for example. You could make this into a game of Charades where you take turns acting out an emotion while the other person guesses what it is.
● Ask your child to explain self-talk to you. Help them practice helpful self-talk. Supporting your child’s use of positive self-talk can help them reach their goals and can lead to improved self-confidence and happiness. Encourage your child to engage in specific positive self-talk with the following sentence starters:
o I believe that I can…….
o I am kind to myself by…
o I am grateful for……
o I am proud that I can……
● Use role-play to help your child think back on and ahead to reactions when they experience very strong emotions. For example, say, “How would you react if someone splashed mud on you? How would you react if you opened the door, and there was a surprise birthday party for you? How would you react if your best friend moved away?” Take turns so that you can model that everyone may react differently to the same situation.
● Go over with your child the three steps in regulating very strong emotions. Ask them to explain why it is important not to skip any of the steps.
Stop: Notice—What is happening in my body? What are my emotions?
Think: Process—How strong is my emotional reaction?
Cool Off: Get calm—What strategy should I use to calm my reaction?
● When talking about events, stories, or watching videos with your child, discuss the emotions that different people/characters may be feeling, why they have those feelings, and what actions they take as a result. Talk about how their actions might be different if they had or hadn’t stopped, thought, and cooled off first.
● Help your child practice changing fixed mindset statements (“I can’t beat you in checkers”) to growth mindset statements or statements that reflect we can all grow and learn, it may just take effort and making mistakes along the way (“I can’t beat you in checkers, YET”).
● Look for opportunities to talk about whether people or characters are using growth or fixed mindsets.
● Use SEL vocabulary when speaking with your child. For example, emotion (a feeling such as calm, happy, or sad) and mindful (noticing what is happening inside of you or around you; paying close attention). It’s also helpful to increase their emotional vocabulary by often using words to label and describe the different emotions we all experience.
Have a wonderful week of family fun!
Ms. B
Behavior Specialist
Greetings Hereford Family,
Now in the second half of October, let’s keep up the intentionality of being in school every day. Did you know that missing 2 days of school a month can make it harder for kids to learn to read?
The incentive for the classes with the most days of perfect attendance this month is underway. Pumpkins are being passed out to classrooms. A class in each grade level can win a pizza party. But aside from the rewards, the habit of perfect attendance as much as possible becomes an important aspect of their character.
Where to start? Preparing for school the night before and following bedtime and morning routines makes a big difference. All the best to every class! Let’s ace attendance and ace life.
Mandisa Thornton
School Attendance Officer
Dear Parents & Guardians,
We are super excited at Sonnie Hereford as we prepare for our Annual Red Ribbon Spirit Week: Drug & Bully Prevention Week, October 21 – October 25.
Red Ribbon Week is an annual campaign held in the United States during the last week of October to promote drug prevention and encourage healthy lifestyles among youth. It was initiated in response to the tragic death of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985 and has since evolved into a nationwide event.
During Red Ribbon Week, schools, communities, and organizations engage in various activities such as educational programs, rallies, and themed dress-up days to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use and the importance of making positive choices. Participants often wear red ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to a drug-free life.
The week serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of drug abuse and the importance of community support in preventing substance use. It's also an opportunity to promote healthy alternatives and resilience among young people.
Bullying Awareness Week: Standing Together Against Bullying
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a time to reflect on the impact of bullying and to encourage kindness, empathy, and understanding among students. Bullying can take many forms—physical, verbal, social, and even online—and it affects countless children and teens each year.
Why Bullying Matters
Bullying can have serious consequences for both the victim and the bully. Victims may experience anxiety, depression, and a decline in academic performance, while bullies are at risk for future behavioral issues and social challenges. We must foster an environment where everyone feels safe and respected.
Bullying in school is a pervasive issue that can deeply affect students' mental health and academic performance. It often manifests through physical, verbal, or social intimidation, leaving victims feeling isolated and powerless. To stand up to bullies, fostering a culture of support and resilience among peers is essential. Students can help by speaking up when they witness bullying, supporting those targeted, and reporting incidents to trusted adults. Building strong friendships and encouraging open communication can create a safer environment where everyone feels empowered to stand against bullying. Remember, standing up for oneself and others is a powerful step toward creating a positive school atmosphere.
See the attached Spirit Week Events from Monday to Friday, October 21 – Oct 25.
Have a great week!
Ms. Thorne & Mr. Johnson
