Bluff Monthly Update--February

It is hard to believe that we are already in February! This new year has gone by so quickly. The students are busy learning a lot about reading, with our new program, CKLA. Through reading, they are learning about science and social studies topics, along with a daily dose of math learning. Every day is SO IMPORTANT. When students miss school, they miss valuable lessons that are a struggle to make up because they are a lot of hands on activities. Please make EVERY DAY COUNT!! It truly matters and we want our students here learning academic expectations, but also learning socially and emotionally.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Cooley

Thursday, February 12-BINGO Night, 5:15-6:30

Tuesday, March 10 - Conferences, 1-7

Thursday, March 12 - Conferences, 1-6

Monday, March 16-Friday, March 20 - SPRING BREAK

**Every Friday is Early Out!

January proved to be a tough month with a lot of illnesses going around. We have added hand sanitizer stations around the school for students and staff in hopes that we can combat some of the illnesses. Hopefully students are getting rest and eating good so they can be healthy.

With a new semester, the days start over. Along with that come a phone call or email when your child has reached 5 absences, a letter when they reach 7, and with anywhere between 8 and 11 absences, we will set up a meeting with you to come to school and create an Attendance Prevention Plan. Our goal is to keep problem solving with you!

Since the retirement of Cheney, we have actively been seeking to get another Therapy Dog here at Bluff. I know the students and staff greatly miss her and need that companion each day at Bluff. We have submitted our application to CARES for a new Therapy Dog and are moving up on the wait list. We are optimistic that we will have a dog join us at Bluff before the beginning of next school year. That is SO exciting, but also means it is time to fundraise for our next dog.

Please watch for some small fundraisers we are going to do along the way in the next couple of months! We also have gotten some donations from businesses, which have been helpful. If you own a business, know a business owner, or personally want to donate to our next Therapy Dog, please reach out to me! I can provide our Tax ID number to any business who needs it. Thanks for your support! We want to be financially ready when the call comes that they have a dog for us!!

Message from Mr. Heiman, our PE teacher....

We have started a month long jump rope challenge that I will be running in my PE classes throughout February. Students will be tracking the number of successful jumps they perform during a five minute session at the beginning of their PE classes. Additionally, I am offering a fifteen minute time period on select mornings during the week that would be an opportunity for students to get extra work in. Morning sessions would take place from 7:25am - 7:40 am, in order to allow time for students to eat breakfast and make it to class in time. Please refer to the following schedule for the month of February:

7:25am - 7:40am

Tuesdays - K/1st

Wednesdays - 2nd/3rd

Thursdays - 4th/5th

Our food pantry is full and ready for you to visit! We thought that perhaps it would be easier if we had some night hours. I will send out details as we get plans in place! If you would like to come during the day or even afterschool, we can make arrangements! Just call the office and we will find a time that works for you! 563-242-1606

During our last Partnering with Parents, we talked about how to help your child academically! Of course the topic of reading with your child everyday came up. But I think my answer to parents was surprising. The way you can help your child academically??? Make sure they have a growth mindset and not a fixed mindset!

Kindergarteners inevitably come in excited to learn and grow! They are ready to take on most challenges with excitement. However, somewhere along the way, they lose that. What I find they lose is the will to try....the grit to persevere....and the belief that they can do hard things!! Teachers and parents need to work together to continue to grow our students. That starts with how we talk to our kids. When they say "Reading is too hard" please don't say "It's ok, I was bad at reading too." Instead say "I know it is hard now, but we will work on it together to help you improve! You can do it." I will be talking about this more in our next newsletter!

Bluff Elementary School

Email: kristine.cooley@csdkq.org

Location: 1421 S. Bluff Blvd
Phone: 563-242-1606
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BluffPTAClintonIA