The holidays have a way of bringing us together, and the School City of Hobart is no exception! From holiday concerts to dress-up days to winter sporting events, our Brickies are coming together to make this a December to remember! Check out this week's edition of Focus on Education to see what we've been up to and what we have coming up on the exciting final days leading up to Winter Break!

Joan Martin Elementary 5th graders sure know the value of a dollar!

Beginning in August, fifth grade students at Joan Martin began earning classroom money for making strong choices at school. They learned that they could also be “fined” for making weak choices. Throughout the school year, they are able to purchase classroom rewards, such as desk pets, pop passes, homework passes, and fun chairs.

On the very first day of school, students were told that they would be partaking in a Market Day celebration in December during which they would be opening their own businesses with their peers, using the class money they earned. They were asked to save $300 to help fund their businesses. They signed a contract stating that they would save their $300 and also have 0 missing assignments. Students wrote up a business plan and learned how to budget their money for this project. Once their business plan was approved, they then had to complete a Seller’s Permit Application in order to be able to sell goods and services at school.

On December 14, Joan Martin’s 5th grade students were open for business, proudly displaying their hard-earned Seller’s Permits. Students opened a variety of shops, selling hot dogs, cotton candy, cookies, and chips. There were many stores offering homemade items such as slime, sewn crafts, and holiday gnomes. Some students even offered services like nail painting and hair braiding.

Overall, students learned a lot about economic concepts and the cash flow within their grade level’s economy. Joan Martin’s 5th graders plan to open for business again in the spring. Stay tuned for more great ideas from these young entrepreneurs!

The Brickie Parent Café is a collection of podcasts for Brickie parents on a wide variety of subjects. Check out this week's featured cast from our Hobart Middle School Dean of Students, Mr. Josh Reno, where he dives into Social-Emotional Learning and how parents can connect with their children.

Click here to read about HU's Early College Endorsement!

View the HHS Career Pathway and Course Description Guide by clicking here!

Click here to learn more about the new HU Writing Center!

Here at the School City of Hobart, we take pride in making sure all of our students have the means to succeed. Sometimes this requires extra study time outside of the classroom. Click the button below for a list of some great websites for assistance and tutoring info!

The School City of Hobart has taken a dive into exploring Dr. Daniel Willingham's revolutionary, comprehensive, and accessible guide on how the brain learns. Through both staff and student Professional Development, we are learning real-world practices and the latest research on how to train our brains for better learning. Click the links below to learn more!

Check out these amazing Outsmart Your Brain Podcast episodes from some of our awesome Brickie educators and student leaders, inspired by the book by Dr. Willingham! Click the links below to listen to the episode!

Podcast Introduction: Listen Here!

1. How to Understand a Lecture ー Miss Alexander

2. How to Take Lecture Notes ー Mrs. Franco

3. How to Learn from Labs, Activities, & Demonstrations ーMrs. Parrish

4. How to Reorganize your Notes ーMrs. Torres

5. How to Read Difficult Books ー Miss Bartsch

6. How to Study for Exams ーBrett Herrin, HHS Senior

7. How to Judge When You’re Ready for an Exam ーBrett Herrin, HHS Senior

8. How to Take Tests ーDominique Zepeda, HHS Senior

9. How to Learn from Past Exams ーDominique Zepeda, HHS Senior

10. How to Plan your Work ーMackenzie Eberle, HHS Senior

11. How to Defeat Procrastination ーConner Niemann, HHS Senior

12. How to Stay Focused ーAngelina Zepeda, HHS Senior

13. How to Gain Self-Confidence as a Learner ーMadelyn Burton, HHS Senior

14. How to Cope with Anxiety ーElla Freimuth, HHS Senior

Check out the SEL page for great tips and advice for Social Emotional Learning for students, parents, and families! Lots of great information with what we do in school with students and what you can do at home.

Writing our drawing our thoughts helps us to address challenging feelings. Check out this video from Sanford Health on how you can use this technique to "Toss That Thought!"

Click here for printable Christmas This-or-That, jokes, scavenger hunts, and more!

Check out this month's Safety Beat from Officer Damian Serrano, The Early Learning Center's SRO, where he shares tips on how to be safe this holiday season!

It’s no wonder a person becomes addicted to vaping so quickly with the amount of nicotine being ingested!

Indiana has several FREE resources for adults and students.

Additional information and resources:

*Contact the SRO officer at each school

*Vape Free Indiana
in.gov/vapefreeindiana

*Indiana High School Athletic Association and Indiana Department of Health partnership

https://dontpuffthisstuff.com/

Check out this month's Nurse's Corner to learn about the immunizations, sports physicals, and what to do when your student is sick.

If your child isn't feeling well, please keep him or her at home. You must report the absence to the school before 10:00 AM. Click the link below to learn how to report an absence.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UVUSq5USyAh-AwDoDXVhZl-nP83REUqB/view

The School City of Hobart Building Brickies' goal is to strengthen families by empowering parents as their child’s first and best teachers. Every day, we advocate for families so every child-in every neighborhood-can thrive.

Click here to check out the HHS Alumni Association website!

We aim for a great partnership with our parents! That is why we utilize CANVAS and SKYWARD! Learn how to access them both at www.hobart.k12.in.us/partnership

Click here to hear the definition of a Brickie!