New Manchester Elementary School

The twinkling lights and the smell of winter air - it's official December and the winter months have arrived. It's hard to believe that December is here and that the end of 2025 is coming to a close. December lends itself to gift giving and sharing. What a great opportunity to instill in your child the gift of learning. Talk with your child about the importance of learning. Learn something new with your child over the holiday break. Let them see the enjoyment learning a new task brings to you. This will motivate them to enjoy learning as well. Be positive with your child about learning at school. Ask them about their progress and academic accomplishments in the classroom. Let them share with you their strengths and their concerns. Work together to strive for success and to find enjoyment in learning. What greater gift can we give our children but the "gift of learning"? I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season filled with laughter and love, creating special memoires that will last a lifetime!

12/1 Girls Who Code 3:15 - 4:15

12/3 Progress Reports

12/5 4th Grade Field Trip

12/8 Girls Who Code 3:15 - 4:15

12/8 - 12/12 Santa's Workshop

12/11 Make Up Pictures

12/15 Christmas Spirit Week - Merry Monday Morning - Wear your Christmas Pajamas

12/15 Girls Who Code 3:15 - 4:15

12/16 Christmas Spirit Week - Holiday Cheer from Head to Toe - Wear Christmas Socks and Headgear

12/17 Christmas Spirit Week - Grinch Day - Dress as a Whoville character or dress in GREEN

12/17 OGMS coming to visit NMES and completing Grinch Day crafts

12/17 "Rebuilding Whoville: A Grinchy Family Engagement"

12/18 Christmas Spirit Week - Have a Warm and Cozy Christmas - Wear a Christmas sweater, flannel, or fleece

12/18 Christmas PTA celebration

12/18 PTA Program with Pre-K and Kindergarten Christmas performance at 6:00 p.m.

12/19 Christmas Spirit Week - Break out all of your Christmas clothes and colors

12/19 No Pre-K only

12/19 2 Hour Early Dismissal for Students at 1:00 p.m. - Faculty Senate for staff at 1:15 p.m.

12/22 - 1/4 Christmas Break

1/5 School Resumes

Breakfast, Grab & Go and Lunch menus can also be found on the school website.

The Character Trait for our "Guidelines for Success" for December is LEADERSHIP. Student leadership in elementary schools involves the students taking on decision-making roles in the classroom and/or school. These roles could include classroom monitors, team leaders, student council members, etc. Developing student leadership in school provides several benefits such as social-emotional development, learning important interpersonal skills, and preparing students for future challenges. It instills collaboration, problem-solving, and communication as well as building confidence, self-worth, and responsibility.

At the elementary level, leadership is not about authority but about responsibility., communication, cooperation and initiative. It shows students that leadership involves service, empathy, and taking the lead towards a better tomorrow.

Key Leadership Qualities to Nurture in Elementary School students include:

• Empathy and Active Listening - recognizing that there are different viewpoints in the world and encouraging the value of listening and responding with respect
• Initiative and Problem Solving - being able to take the initiative instead of waiting for directions and being encouraged to think critically about solutions to problems
• Resilience and Growth Mindset - Leadership is about being able to try again, remaining positive, and learning from failure
• Honesty and Integriy - honest communication and acting with integrity -; the importance of truth and fairness
• Respect for Peers and Authority - demonstrating respect promotes an inclusive, kind, and cooperative culture
• Ability to Inspire and Motivate Others - A way to lead is to encourage and support others thus creating a positive environment that inspires and motivates everyone

Pre-K: Jefferey, Jacobe

Kindergarten: James, Marlena

1st Grade: Kade, Randy, Saylor

2nd Grade: Roman, Lincoln, Faith

3rd Grade: Blaise, McKenzie

4th Grade: Cooper, Elena, Jessa

One student per classroom will be chosen each month by the teacher to be recognized for our "Student Spotlight". The student will have their picture posted to our front lobby bulletin board, will be recognized in our monthly newsletter, and will receive a token of appreciation for their efforts at our PTA meetings

Criteria for selecting the Crew Chiefs will include (but is not limited to) the following

• Effort
• Character through compassion, honesty, trustworthiness, optimism, and responsibility
• Behavior and self-control
• Attitude toward others/learning
• Good citizenship
• Leadership and integrity
• Demonstrates responsibility.
• Respectful to peers and teachers
• Significant progress in the classroom and/or marked improvement in grades

Please join us on Wednesday, December 17th for a magical evening of literacy and STEM fun at NMES. There are many fun activities planned for you and your child to experience based on The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It is sure to be a fun night. We will have various interactive, engaging stations, a photo booth, free chances to win Grinch prizes, and a guest appearance by the Grinch himself. Please see the flyer below for more information.

We have an exciting opportunity for Family Engagement occurring every Friday with Mrs. Cole and Mrs. Gamble.

Our "Fluency Fridays" will be posted to Class Dojo the first and last Friday of each month to help you understand the importance

of the Science of Reading and Math fluency. These will be activities that you can do at home to increase fluency at home. The activities that will be explored have been recommended by Hancock County's Literacy and Numeracy Teams.

The first Friday of the month will be dedicated to Reading and the last Friday of the month will be dedicated to Math.
We are hoping for this to be an "interactive family engagement community" in which we can all benefit.
You will be able to receive feedback on any comments or questions you may have.

Look for Episode 1 coming October 3rd!

We understand that parenting is a challenging and oftentimes overwhelming experience. This program connects you with a free parenting coach and therapist-created content to help you navigate the ups and downs with confidence.

https://parentguidance.org/

Holiday Calm: Practical Advice for Parents of Elementary Students

Set realistic expectations

· Remember that “perfect” holidays are not required. Focus on meaningful moments rather than trying to recreate an ideal. Choosing two or three activities that matter to your family is more manageable than an overfilled schedule.

Keep routines simple and consistent

· Maintain familiar routines for sleep, meals, and quiet time as much as possible. Small consistencies help children feel secure and reduce meltdowns. If plans change, give clear, calm advance notice.

Prioritize connection over activities

· Short, focused time with your child (reading a book, a 10‑minute walk, a quick craft) often matters more than elaborate events. Ask your child what they enjoy most and lean into those preferences.

Plan ahead and simplify logistics

· Make a one‑page plan for outings, travel, or visits: time, location, who’s coming, and any needed items (snacks, extra clothes). Pack essentials the night before to avoid morning scramble.

Set boundaries around screen time and sugar

· Clear, gentle rules about devices and treats help prevent overstimulation. Offer fun alternatives (puzzles, board games, drawing) and set predictable times for screens.

Use calm communication and brief transitions

· Give children simple, positive warnings before transitions (e.g., “Five more minutes of play, then tidy up for dinner”). Use short, specific instructions and praise cooperation.

Share responsibilities and ask for help

· Delegate tasks to partners, older children, or trusted relatives. If relatives or friends want to help, accept. Shared responsibility reduces parental stress and models teamwork.

Build in quiet, restorative time for you

· Schedule short breaks to recharge: a cup of tea, a 15‑minute walk, or a mindful breathing practice. Children cope better when caregivers are calm.

Prepare for emotional ups and downs

· Holidays can bring excitement and disappointment. Validate feelings (“I see you’re disappointed we can’t go today”) and offer coping tools like taking deep breaths, drawing feelings, or a quiet corner.

Limit gift‑related pressure

· Focus on a few meaningful gifts or experiences rather than many items. Consider giving one “want,” one “need,” and one “together” gift to keep expectations reasonable and meaningful.

Model flexibility and problem solving

· When plans change, narrate adaptive coping (“We can’t go now, so let’s do X instead”). Children learn resilience by watching caregivers adjust calmly.

Emergency calm tools

· Keep a small kit: a familiar toy, a favorite snack, a simple breathing script (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4), and a short calming playlist. Use these when stress spikes.

Final reminders

· Lowering your own pressure helps the whole family. Aim for connection, routine, and realistic plans. If stress becomes overwhelming, contact your healthcare provider or an employee assistance program for additional support.

December 1st through the 7th is National Handwashing Week! Studies have shown that handwashing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections. Germs can get into the body through our eyes, nose, and mouth and make us sick. Handwashing removes germs from hands and helps prevent sickness.

What is the right way to wash hands?

• Wet your hands with clean running water.
• Apply soap and lather for 20 seconds outside of the running water.
• Make sure to scrub all surfaces of your hands including palms, backs, fingers, in between fingers, and under the nails. Don’t forget your thumbs!
• Rinse your hands clean.
• Dry your hands then turn off the sink without touching the knobs (because you turned the sink on with dirty hands).

When should you wash your hands?

• Before, during, and after preparing food.
• Before eating food.
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick.
• Before and after treating a cut or wound.
• After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom.
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• After touching an animal, animal food or treats, animal cages, or animal feces.
• After touching garbage.
• If your hands are visibly dirty.

Using soap and water is the best way to clean your hands, especially if they are visibly dirty! If using hand sanitizer, make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol and rub it in completely until your hands are dry!

“Researchers estimate that if everyone routinely washed their hands, 1 million deaths a year could be prevented.” Let’s all wash our hands more and make our community a healthier place!

Although we have stated the importance of regular school attendance, it is not to be interpreted as to send a child to school when they are ill. Here are some guidelines to follow if your child is not feeling well.

If a child has a fever or has been vomiting, the child should stay home for 24 hours after she/he has recovered.

Consider keeping your child at home if he/she:
Has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
Has been vomiting
Has symptoms that prevent him/her from participating in school such as:

• Excessive tiredness or lack of appetite
• Productive coughing, sneezing
• Headache, body aches, earache
• Sore throat

Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and expose others unnecessarily to illness.

Here is some basic information to help everyone stay healthy throughout Flu season.

The single best way to reduce the risk of seasonal flu and its potentially serious complications is to get vaccinated every year, but good health habits will also reduce the risk of seasonal flu. Some other ways to prevent getting the flu include:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
• Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from works, school and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu viruses spread mainly from droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.
• Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Common Flu Signs & Symptoms

• Fever/feeling feverish or chills
• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults

Please contact Mrs. Rhodes, the School Nurse, if you have any questions.

Add some math skills to a Gingerbread House Decorating Night. Have your child measure the graham crackers that they use to build the foundation of the house. For older students, discuss fractions and how to use 1/2 of a graham cracker or 1/3 of a cracker. Count the gumdrops that you use. Make addition and subtraction sentences for students to solve. Complete patterns with your candy that you use to decorate the house. There are so many ways to incorporate math skills into this fun activity!

• December contains the shortest days of the year making it the darkest month on the calendar
• December is the last month of the year
• Lights are very symbolic to the month of December - millions of people decorate their houses with twinkling lights at Christmas while others light candles and place them on their windowsills
• Every December some of the biggest movies are released to a limited audience in order to qualify for the Academy Awards the following year - some such movies include Titanic, Avatar, and Lord of the Rings
• The constellation Orion dominates the sky in December - just look southeast to find three stars lined up in a row to make Orion's belt
• According to folklore, the unluckiest day of the year is December 28

"It Takes a Team to Educate a Child"

Email: cyeater@k12.wv.us
Website: https://newmanchester.hancock.k12.wv.us/
Location: 128 Frankfort Road, New Cumberland, WV, USA
Phone: 304-564-3242
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Elementary-School/New-Manchester-Elementary-School