October

❤️ Why We Celebrate Red Ribbon Week

Each year, we celebrate Red Ribbon Week to encourage students to make healthy, safe, and positive choices. At the elementary level, our focus is on helping children understand the importance of taking care of their bodies, making good decisions, handling peer pressure, and choosing behaviors that help them grow and succeed. Red Ribbon Week gives us a fun, age-appropriate way to remind students that their choices matter and they have the power to choose a healthy future!

🏠 How Families Can Support Red Ribbon Week at Home

• Talk about healthy choices: Discuss simple ways your child can take care of their body and brain, such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, staying active, and avoiding things that could hurt them.
• Practice saying “No”: Role-play situations where your child might feel pressured to do something they know is unsafe or wrong. Practice confidently saying “No,” walking away, and telling a trusted adult.
• Celebrate good choices: Notice when your child makes a safe, responsible, or healthy choice and praise the decision: “I’m proud of you for making a good choice!”

Each month, our campus is focusing on specific character trait(s) within the E.A.G.L.E. framework. When teachers, staff, and other adults on campus see a child exhibiting the characteristics, they can nominate them for an Eagle Leader award. Eagle Leaders get recognized on the morning announcements, receive a certificate and prize, get their picture taken for the Eagle Leader bulletin board, and are recognized at the 9-weeks awards assembly. Check out this month's focus!

We want to help reinforce our campus character trait(s) each month, not only at school, but at home as well. All teacher's will be sending these home , so be on the lookout!

We want to encourage you to complete this with your child. If they bring it back, completed and signed at the end of the month, they will receive a prize.

PreK through 1st Grades will be reading, What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick. In this book, children learn that our choices matter.

We are using the story to practice being responsible, taking care of ourselves and others, and remembering that when we make a mistake, we can learn from it and try again!

🏠 Try It at Home

• Ask, “What if everybody did that?” When your child makes a choice—good or not-so-good—talk about what would happen if everyone made that same choice. Then ask, “What could you do instead?”
• Give a “My Responsibility” Job: Let your child choose one simple daily job, such as putting away toys, feeding a pet, or placing dirty clothes in the hamper. Celebrate their effort and independence.
• Practice “Try Again!” When something is hard or a mistake happens, encourage your child to say, “I can try again!” Remind them that taking a break, asking for help, and trying again are all ways we take care of ourselves and grow.

Our message: 🌱 I can make good choices, take care of myself and others, and try again when I make a mistake!

2nd and 3rd grade students will be reading the book, In The Good Egg by Jory John. Students meet an egg who works very hard to be “good” and worries about everyone else making good choices too. He eventually learns that being responsible doesn’t mean being perfect.

We are using this story to help students understand that they can take responsibility for their own choices, learn and grow from mistakes, and take care of themselves when they feel stressed or overwhelmed.

🏠 Try It at Home

• Own It & Grow: When a mistake happens, ask, “What happened? What can you learn from it? What could you do differently next time?” Praise your child for taking responsibility rather than expecting perfection.
• Create a Self-Care List: Together, make a short list of healthy things your child can do when they feel worried, frustrated, or overwhelmed—take deep breaths, go outside, draw, read, rest, or talk to someone they trust.
• Notice Your Growth: At the end of the week, have everyone share something that was difficult at first but became easier with practice. Remind your child: “We get better every day!”

Our message: 🌱 I don’t have to be perfect. I can own my choices, take care of myself, and keep growing!

4th and 5th Grade students will be reading Accountable Ninja by Mary Nhin. Students will learn what it means to take responsibility for their choices and actions. The story encourages students to stop making excuses, recognize what they can control, and make positive changes.

We are using the book to reinforce that being responsible means owning our choices, learning from mistakes, asking for help when needed, and continuing to grow.

🏠 Try It at Home

• Own It, Fix It, Grow: When a mistake happens, ask your child: “What part can you take responsibility for? How can you fix it? What will you do differently next time?”
• Take Charge of a Responsibility: Let your child choose one responsibility they can manage independently for the week—packing their backpack, completing a household chore, or preparing what they need for the next day.
• Check In & Recharge: Help your child recognize when they need a self-care break. Talk about healthy ways to recharge, such as going outside, exercising, reading, resting, taking deep breaths, or talking with someone they trust.

Our message: 🌱 Own it. Learn from it. Grow from it.

Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Anna Dewdney teaches children the importance of kindness, respect, and being a good friend. Through Llama Llama's experience, students learn how to respond when someone is unkind, stand up for themselves, and ask a trusted adult for help.

How Parents Can Reinforce These Lessons at Home:

1. Practice Kind Words: Role-play situations where someone is being unkind. Help your child practice saying, “Stop, please!” and asking an adult for help.

2. Encourage Friendship: Talk about ways to be a good friend, such as sharing, including others, using kind words, and helping someone who feels left out.

The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy teaches children the importance of kindness, fairness, respect, and standing up for others. Through the story, students learn that bullying is not okay and that working together, including others, and speaking up when someone is treated unfairly can make our school a kinder, safer place.

How Parents Can Reinforce These Lessons at Home:

1. Talk About Kindness: Encourage your child to include others, use kind words, and treat everyone with respect.

2. Practice Standing Up for Others: Role-play what your child can say or do when someone is being unkind, including getting help from a trusted adult.

3. Celebrate Positive Choices: Recognize your child when they show kindness, fairness, or courage, and remind them that even small actions can make a big difference!

E-Excellence

A-Accountability

G-Growth Mindset

L-Listening and Leadership

E-Empathy

August: Good Citizenship, School Pride, and Respect (EXCELLENCE)

September: Self-Management and Integrity (ACCOUNTABILITY)

October: Responsibility and Self-Care (GROWTH MINDSET)

November: Fairness and Trustworthiness (LISTENING and LEADERSHIP)

December: Gratitude and Caring (EMPATHY)

January: Goal-Setting (EXCELLENCE)

February: Caring, Respect, and Kindness (ACCOUNTABILITY)

March: Courage (GROWTH MINDSET)

April: Integrity and Responsibility (Listen and Leadership)

May: Self Care and Self-Management (EMPATHY)

Feeding Wise Kids provides our campus with weekly snack packs for those who are in serious need of food. The program works by putting food in the student’s backpack for him or her to take home on the weekend. The food is child-friendly, nonperishable and easily consumed. If you have any questions or are interested in signing your children up for this program, please contact Mrs. Henderson. lauri.henderson@decaturisd.us