Dear Families,
Safety Week was a great success with a daily hyper focus on safety topics. Highlights included presentations from the Madison Police Department and Madison Fire Department. We reviewed a multitude of topics including wearing seatbelts and helmets, knowing your address and important phone numbers, pedestrian safety, fire safety, Halloween safety, and Internet safety. As a culminating activity, every student wrote a safety pledge on a paper chain link. The school safety chain will be displayed in the front hallway.
Please make sure that your child is reading at least 30 minutes every day!
Have a fantastic fall weekend!
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathy Koop
Important Dates
October 31, 2024 - KRS Halloween Parade 1:10 PM
November 1, 2024 - Diwali - Early Dismissal 12:45 PM
November 4-6, 2024 - Parent/Teacher Conferences K-8 Only 12:45 PM Dismissal for Elementary Students
November 7 & 8, 2024 - NJEA Convention - Schools Closed
November 27, 2024 - Thanksgiving Recess - Early 12:45 PM Dismissal
November 28 & 29, 2024 - Thanksgiving Recess - Schools Closed
KRS Pumpkins and Poems
Please see the following links for Pumpkins and Poems information:
Tips for the KRS Halloween Parade - October 31, 2024 1:10 PM
Please see below for reminders and tips:
If you have any questions while waiting for the parade, Mr. A. will be outside to help you. Spectators should wait on the sidewalk, parking lot entrance, or grass areas near the parking lot for the parade.
The Madison High School Band will lead the KRS Halloween parade.
We will march around twice and then convene on the upper black-top.
After the parade, please join us on the black-top behind the school, to take class pictures.
There are usually many spectators, so make sure to arrive early so that you secure a good viewing spot.
Class parties are for the students only and will occur immediately after the parade. If you are a room parent helping with a party, please enter the building through the front door only and check-in at the office.
Children may bring their costumes or wear their costumes to school. Please label all costume items with your child’s name. (Any items brought to school should be in a labeled bag.) We do not want any lost Halloween costumes!
No costume weapons are permitted of any kind.
Adults are encouraged to dress-up, but please refrain from masks and scary costumes that may upset young children.
Halloween at KRS 2024
The KRS Halloween parade is scheduled for Thursday, October 31, 2024 at 1:10 PM.
Below are very important guidelines for our school celebrations.
Students will be able to wear their costumes to school or change at school on Thursday, October 31, 2024. Costumes should follow our past guidelines:
● Students may wear a costume of their choosing for the class party.
● Toy weapons of any kind are not allowed.
● Avoid excessively scary costumes as they might frighten our younger students.
● Please check your child’s costume for safety. Make sure it is not too long and does not create a tripping hazard.
● Finally, we would also prefer that children not wear costume masks that block vision.
We will be having class parties. Our goal is for the class parties to be inclusive of all students. Class parents will be coordinating with classroom teachers on an appropriate craft for their grade level of students.
As Halloween approaches, it is necessary to remind parents of the potentially life threatening danger of food allergies to certain students in our school.
The issue of food allergies can be incredibly serious for many students. Peanut and tree nut products are particularly problematic, but other foods such as dairy, eggs and wheat can also cause students health problems. The extreme end of the spectrum in terms of a health risk is
anaphylaxis, when the bodily systems experience a shut down due to exposure to the substance in question.
This danger is particularly acute during holiday celebrations, when consuming goodies is the order of the day. If you are a child whose safety depends upon never consuming the wrong food, a party is a true obstacle course. With certain children, even bodily contact with the wrong substance can be disastrous.
As we approach Halloween and the holiday parties, please keep the following in mind:
● Please refer to the elementary food allergy guidelines for additional information. ● Nut products are forbidden in “nut-free classrooms”. Please carefully adhere to classroom guidelines.
● Students must consume all goodies within the class during the party. Goody bags and other treats designed to leave the class with the students are forbidden.
● Crafts and activities involving nut products are forbidden.
● All products should be packaged with ingredients listed.
*If you have any questions pertaining to holiday celebrations, please consult your child’s teacher or the school nurse.*
By working together, we can try to ensure the safety of all our children during this exciting time. Thank you!
KRS Parent Book Club
Join us for engaging conversation about the book The Anxious Generation by, Jonathan Haidt. The KRS Parent Book Club will meet 3 times throughout the school year to provide book club participants with opportunities to share thoughts and ideas about the book. To participate, all you need to do is complete this form no later than November 1, 2024 and obtain a copy of the book. If you need any assistance acquiring the book, please contact Dr. Koop. Any participants, will receive additional information during the week of November 4, 2024.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences are on November 4, 5, and 6. The most productive conferences are when both the teacher and parent(s) focus their conversations about the child's academic, social, and emotional growth and ways that they may support your child's achievement together. Over the years as a principal, teacher, and parent the following tips are what I learned are important for a successful parent/teacher conference.
- Prepare questions in advance.
- Ask about how you may support and extend your child's learning at home. (homework, activities, reading, math practice, writing)
- Discuss your child's strengths and challenges.
- Share information about your child. (interests, concerns, life events)
- Review your child's work.
- Review your child's assessment data.
- Talk about your child's emotional and social needs.
The articles below are informative and contain common themes for successful parent/teacher conferences.
https://www.care.com/c/20-questions-to-ask-during-a-parent-teacher-c/
https://ptaourchildren.org/five-ways-to-prepare-for-parent-teacher-conferences/
Math Facts Knowledge
At the elementary level, we utilize the Math in Focus program for mathematics instruction. Information about the Math in Focus program can be found on the Madison Public Schools website at this link. The math curriculum as well as other elementary curricula can be accessed within individual grade level documents at this link.
Math fluency (math facts knowledge) is a critical piece of mathematics instruction for student learning. Within the Math and Focus information on the Madison website, are resources to assist your children with math fluency. Improving math fluency at school and at home, will provide your child with a strong fluency baseline to build upon as their math learning becomes more complex throughout the years.
Madison Reads!
Please make sure that your child is reading or is exposed to reading every day! Children reading and being read to are critical pieces in the development of lifelong readers. While a bit dated, this article How to Raise a Reader! is an excellent article that was featured in the New York Times. Please contact your child's teacher if you need assistance in selecting appropriate books for your child.
