SMOKETREE ELEMENTARY

On Wednesday, December 3rd from 5:00pm- 6:30pm the PTSO will be hosting a CANDYLAND CRAFT NIGHT in the gym. Detailed information to come. Hope to see you all there.

STAR CINEMAS will be hosting a Family Free Movie night for all Smoketree families on Dec. 9th at 5:30pm. They will be showing " Arthur's Christmas " at 5:30pm. Plan to join the fun!

Wednesday, December 17th will be the 2nd Quarter awards ceremonies. 2nd and 3rd grades will be at 8:10am with 4th- 6th grades at 9:10am. Your student's teacher will send home an invitation if your student is receiving an award.

Smoketree will be hosting a Spelling Bee for 4th - 6th grade student at 1:00pm on Wednesday, December 17th at 1:00pm. More information will be coming through Class DOJO.

Another busy and fun month here in Cougar Country .

The CANDYLAND CRAFT NIGHT with entertainment from our Elite baton twirlers and Ukulele clubs. On Wednesday 12-3-25 from 5:00pm- 6:30pm . This is a fun night for everyone where you can buy and make crafts and enjoy yummy treats. Hope to see everyone there!

We will also be having our HOLIDAY STORE open again the week of December 8th- 12th in the library. We are looking for volunteers for these events. Please reach out to Mrs. Kortan or Mrs. Shelly for information. Flyers will be coming home soon. Students are able to shop for their families.

Happy Holidays!

This month our Student Council members will be selling Candy Cane Grams! The grams will be sold for $0.50 cents each. The week of December 1st-5th, before school from 7:30am-7:50am in front of the school. Students may buy candy cane grams for friends, classmates, or staff members. During school hours the candy cane grams will be available for purchase in the front office. See Mrs. Shelly or Mrs. Jenn . All candy cane grams will be delivered on Thursday, December 18th.

1. Did you know that you can put your student's name up on the marquee for their birthday? For just $5.00 dollars the message will be put on the marquee the Friday before the birthday week. Flyers are in the information rack in the office.

2. Yearbooks are on sale until March 31st , 2026 for $20.00 See Mrs. Shelly in the office to purchase. Cash or card is accepted.

3. The Lost and Found cart is located by the main office and is placed in front of the school each Friday. Plan to stop by and look for your students items. Please know that all items will be donated to charity at the end of each quarter. Items that have student's names on them are sent home with the students.

Join us on December 16th for our school's Winter Concert featuring performances from all grade levels and our Ukulele Club. K-3rd grades performances begin at 8:10am and 4th-6th grades at 9:10am. Students are encouraged to wear red, green or holiday attire while observing the school dress code. We welcome families and community members to attend and support our student's musical development.

We hope you all enjoy

Mr. Karbowski

Music Teacher

Leader in Me- What are the students learning?

This month let's talk about Habit #4: THINK WIN-WIN- "The standards for our students are being able to describe how to Think Win-Win to resolve a conflict and treat everyone with respect.

Key principles are: Relationship Building

The book Anxious Generation by Johnathan Haidt emphasizes " play-based childhood" as opposed to "phone (or device)based childhood" (Chapter 2pg. 53). Play-based childhood allows kids to work out their differences while being present to read body cues, facial expressions, tone of voice and other nuisances that help them see what someone else is conveying. Phone-based childhood inhibits kids from taking in all the subtle cues on how someone might be feeling. If certain cues are missed, misunderstandings happen. It is much easier to be mean with our words when we are hiding behind a keyboard. This stunts children's social growth and has a negative impact on their relationships.

All students must meet the Arizona State immunization requirements to attend school. If your child will soon be turning 11 or is 11 years old, they are required to receive (1) Tdap booster, and (1) MCV4. Please make sure the Health Office has an updated copy of all immunizations. Contact Nurse Paula if you have any questions, or special circumstances.

I would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a wonderful winter break. I hope you take advantage of the season and curl up with some hot chocolate and a few good books.

Mrs. Thomas

Smoketree Librarian

Title 1 reading program fun facts on letters and sounds

Letter and sound knowledge is essential for both phonetic decoding and sight-word learning. For example, fluently understanding alphabet letters , names and sounds. Also, automatic reading of tricky words

P.E.- Get those Dancing Shoes On!

December is a time to celebrate! In PE, we will have learning how to move and follow along to a beat. Students will learn classic dances such as the Bunny Hop, Macarena, Thriller, and more!