February Newsletter

It is hard to believe that January flew by so fast! It was a busy month with getting back into the routine after a long holiday break and completing our district assessments. The students are back into the full swing of school and the first half of the school year is behind us. Our winter assessments are completed and report cards went home on Friday! The staff spent a great deal of time this past week looking at student data to determine next steps and instructional focus in the classrooms. We are looking forward to seeing the continued academic growth of our students.

As we move through the school year, families often ask how they can help support their child's learning at home. Here are some suggestions for academic supports at home to enhance your child's learning and development:

Create a Study Space: Designate a quiet, organized area for studying with all necessary supplies.

Establish a Routine: Set a consistent schedule for homework and study times to help your child develop good habits and time management.

Encourage Reading: Encourage regular reading habits. Discussing stories can enhance comprehension skills.

Be Involved in Homework: Offer assistance with homework but encourage independence. Help them understand concepts, rather than just provide answers.

Use Educational Resources: Utilize online resources, educational apps, and games that make learning fun and engaging.

Encourage Critical Thinking: Ask open ended questions that stimulate critical thinking and problem- solving.

Model Lifelong Learning: Demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning by modeling enthusiasm for knowledge.

We encourage you to ask our staff for support if you need resources to utilize at home for academics or social emotional learning.

February 3rd - Welcome February!

February 4th - District Spelling Bee @ MSHS (Little Theater) 5th grade @ 5:45 pm

February 3rd, 4th, and 5th - Vision and Hearing Screening

Vision: Grades JK, 1st, 3rd, and 5th

Hearing; Grades JK, K, 2nd, and 4th

February 11th - SKSA Meeting 6:30 pm (Library)

February 14th - EARLY RELEASE @ 12:00 pm (No lunch will be served)

MAPS Professional Development (Happy Valentine's Day!)

February 20th - Popcorn Day!

February 28th - Sandy Knoll Blizzard Ball @ Bothwell Middle School 6:00-8:00 pm

One of the areas that we focus on in our SEL program is student self-awareness. Focusing on self-awareness in elementary school is crucial for several reasons:

Foundational Skill: By helping young children understand their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, they can better navigate their social environments.

Emotional Regulation: When children recognize their emotions, they are more equipped to manage them effectively.

Empathy Development - Understanding oneself allows children to better empathize with others. This fosters compassion and kindness.

Improved Relationships - Self-aware children tend to build healthier relationships. They are better able to communicate needs and feelings.

Academic Success - Emotional awareness can positively impact academic performance.

Conflict Resolution - Self-awareness helps children recognize their role in conflicts, promoting accountability and encouraging them to seek solutions rather than to blame others.

Resilience Building - By understanding their strengths and weaknesses, children can develop resilience. They learn to cope with challenges and setbacks more effectively.

We are always working to help our students recognize and name their feelings. When they are able to talk about how they are feeling and why, we are better able to help them learn how to navigate coping skills and support them with anything they need. Please reach out to our staff if you need any resources for your child or family.

The students of Sandy Knoll are working to grow our Kindness Chain. The staff will recognize several students a week in each classroom that have engaged in acts of kindness, and those students will put their names and what they did on a colored paper link. The link will then be added to our Kindness Chain. Mr. Brazier worked with one of his 5th Grade SEL classes to make a Kindness Chain goal poster to mark how far the school is in reaching their length goals for the chain. The students of SK are a great group of children and we are excited to watch the chain grow!!