The Weekly Update #4

Dear Parents,

This month, our school is emphasizing the critical character trait of honesty through our SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Character Strong lessons. As your partner in education, we believe that cultivating honesty in our students is foundational to their growth and development, both academically and personally.

What Students Will Learn: Our Character Strong lessons are designed to help students understand the value of honesty in various aspects of their lives. They will learn:

• The Definition and Value of Honesty: Understanding what honesty means and why it's essential.
• Real Life Scenarios: Exploring situations where honesty is crucial and discussing the outcomes of being truthful versus dishonest.
• Communicating Honestly: Developing skills to express themselves truthfully yet respectfully.
• Building Trust: Recognizing honesty builds trust with peers, teachers, and family members.

How Honesty Relieves Stress: Being honest strengthens relationships and contributes significantly to a student's well-being. When students practice honesty, they:

• Reduce Anxiety: Deceit often leads to worry about being caught or the consequences of a lie. Honesty helps eliminate these stressors.
• Promote Authenticity: Encouraging students to be themselves and share their true feelings fosters a positive self-image and confidence.
• Foster Open Communication: Honest conversations lead to clearer understanding and stronger connections with others.

As we continue to instill these values in our students, we invite you to support and reinforce the importance of honesty at home. As your partner, we can help our children grow into trustworthy and responsible individuals.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to our school community.

Your partner in education,

Dr. Konowalow

From the desk of Pine Avenue’s K-5 Counselor:

Dear Parents and Caregivers of Pine Avenue Students,

We have experienced great sadness this week at Alma Public Schools with the loss of our beloved bus driver, Mr. David Covington. The love and care he gave to students through his dedicated work is immeasurable. I have been blessed to assist the staff who quickly organized supportive, caring responses to meet the needs of your children as they learned the sad news, and began their individual and collective grieving process. I am reminded that public school is not only a place for reading, writing and arithmetic, but also a rich environment supporting healthy growth, sometimes in the hardest moments. Through your children’s stories I learned that Mr. Dave was a champion for kids who felt bullied, marginalized, or unseen. He was also described as someone who celebrated their successes, outwardly for all to see, and modeled acceptance of losses with an attitude of perseverance, and message that tomorrow is a new day: restart, another game, a new page. Grief and loss are as natural as joy and birth, but much more difficult to navigate. Sometimes grief comes in waves, big ones that knock you off your feet, then more gradual, lighter, and again reappearing when we least expect it. There is no one right way to grieve, but collectively, compassionately, we may support one another. I hope you will reach out if you or your children need extra support during this, or any time of the year. Mr. Dave touched many lives with extraordinary kindness and your children have shared this openly and often this week. When I asked them what He would want them to remember about him, most said some version of, “He lived his best life.”

Anne M. Swan, LMSW

K-5 School Counselor/Social Worker

aswan@almaschools.net

1st Grade Honesty

2nd Grade Honesty

3rd Grade Honesty

4th Grade Honesty

5th Grade Honesty

On behalf of our entire school community, Hillcrest and Pine Avenue staff and students want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous gift of school supplies. Your support makes a significant difference in the lives of our students, providing them with the necessary tools to succeed and thrive in their educational journey.

Your kindness and dedication to our children's future are genuinely appreciated.

Thank you for your positive impact on our schools.

Student of the Week and Month:

Earning Student of the Week or Month honors as part of a PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) school acknowledgement program can be an exciting and motivating way for students to be recognized for positive behavior. Here are the ways in which students can earn Student of the Week or Month honors:

Late Start or Early Release

Alma Public Schools will implement Late Start or Early Release Days September through May. The dismissal time for Hillcrest is 11:38 and Pine Avenue’s early release is 11:43 am. The school day at Pine Avenue will begin at 11:43 on the late start days. Please note, Late Start days are on Wednesdays and our Early Release days will be on Fridays.

February 28-Friday-Early Release-End at HC-11:38; PA-11:43 am

March 12-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at HC-11:38; PA-11:43 am

April11-Friday-Early Release-End at HC-11:38; PA-11:43 am

May 14-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at HC-11:38; PA-11:43 am