The Au Gres-Sims School District

Valentine's Day (which is also Count Day!) is just around the corner. This is a great day for letting friends and family know just how much you love them. Here are some fun activities for celebrating Valentine’s Day at home. In addition to some fun Valentine’s Day activities, here are some additional healthy ideas from Josh Miller and Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds. Are you wanting to send a treat to school with your student, but you're hoping to keep it healthy? Join the club! The Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds team believes in giving children choices when it comes to celebrations. Kids like to eat and we've found that if healthy options are present during holiday parties, children will choose healthy foods alongside the sweet treats.

Here are some ideas you might want to try this year:

• "Red Fruit Salad" (choose your child's favorite red fruits and berries and get creative!)

• Heart Healthy Veggie Platter (help your child cut their favorite veggies into heart shapes with a small cookie cutter and pair it with a low fat ranch dip)

• Beet Hummus with veggies for dipping. (perfectly pink for Valentine's Day!)

Did you know that strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, they can be grown in every state in the USA, and National Strawberry Day is February 27? If your student is in K-2, and they are receiving HBHM this year, they will receive a lesson that focuses on the parts of the plant...specifically the Strawberry Plant! They learn that a strawberry plant starts its life as a seed, then turns to a sprout, a full grown plant, and finally an edible berry! If your student is in grades 3-5, they learned about what part of the plant vegetables come from; roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds. Ask your older student if they can tell you a vegetable that comes from each part of the plant (Hint: Artichokes are a flower! So are broccoli and cauliflower). While we don't get to eat any strawberries this year in the HBHM program, the students are able to try pears, apples, blueberries, grapes, and mixed fruit cocktail. Fruit is part of a healthy diet and is represented on the MyPlate. Ask your student what other fruits they can name.

If you're struggling with feeding your family this season, here is a list of food banks and giveaways by county. Follow this link to find food giveaways in your county: https://www.fbem.org/find-food/

Right now, our students are digging into the materials and strategies that help us to identify and close gaps in their learning after taking their Winter benchmark test with NWEA. We utilize educational platforms with data-driven insights to identify individual learning gaps and deliver targeted practice, ensuring students receive the specific support they need. By adapting to each student's strengths and weaknesses, these tools help build confidence, reinforce key concepts, and improve overall performance on assessments. Additionally, interactive features and real-time feedback enhance engagement, making test preparation more effective and tailored to each learner’s needs. Using these platforms also allow for our teachers to work in small groups with students which maximizes our efforts to ensure our students are hitting their educational goals. We hope to see individual growth in our fall to spring NWEA scores as well as on our state testing data for our grade level cohorts. We utilize every available tool that we have to ensure your students are getting the absolute best learning environment each day they are with us.

**We just wanted to share a reminder that our students in grades six through twelve have access to online tutoring after school hours through our partnership with the company Paper. Attached here is a document explaining how students can access this service at home.

Chronic Absenteeism

Taking vacations before spring break can significantly impact a student who already misses a lot of school. Extended absences disrupt learning routines, making it harder to keep up with coursework, especially in subjects that build on prior knowledge, like math and science. Missing valuable classroom discussions, hands-on activities, and teacher-led instruction can create learning gaps that are difficult to close. Additionally, frequent absences can lead to increased stress as students struggle to catch up on assignments and prepare for upcoming assessments. While family vacations provide meaningful experiences, it’s important to consider the academic consequences and explore ways to minimize disruptions, such as coordinating with teachers for assignments in advance or utilizing online learning resources.

If you are taking your student out of school for a vacation, please be sure you are in contact with the main office about their attendance, their teacher to collect their work prior to leaving and then after to ensure that it has been turned in.

What to do once you have decided where you want to go to college:

If you've been accepted to a college and want to officially accept their offer, follow these steps:

1. Review Your Acceptance Letter & Offer

• Check for deadlines and any required steps for confirming your enrollment.

• Look for information on deposits, orientation, and housing.

2. Submit Your Enrollment Deposit

• Most colleges require a deposit to secure your spot.

• The deadline is often May 1 (National College Decision Day) but can vary.

3. Accept the Offer Online or by Mail

• Many schools have an online portal where you can accept admission.

• If required, send a formal acceptance letter or email.

4. Complete Necessary Paperwork

• Fill out housing applications, financial aid forms (if applicable), and any other requested documents.

5. Notify Other Colleges (if applicable)

• If you’ve been accepted elsewhere but won’t attend, inform them as a courtesy.

6. Plan for Orientation & Next Steps

• Look out for orientation dates, class registration details, and any placement exams.

Read Aloud with Expression

Reading aloud with enthusiasm and expression makes stories come alive! Using different voices, changing your tone, and emphasizing emotions helps capture your child’s attention and makes reading more engaging. It also improves their listening skills, comprehension, and enjoyment of books.

How to Practice:

• Change your voice for different characters.

• Use facial expressions and hand gestures to match the story.

• Adjust your speed—slow down for suspense and speed up for excitement.

• Pause at key moments to build anticipation and ask, "What do you think will happen next?"

Making reading fun and animated helps children develop a love for storytelling and strengthens their understanding of emotions in books. Try it this week and see how your child reacts to a lively, expressive story time! 📚✨