GRAND AVENUE NEWSLETTER
October 2024
Grand Avenue is full of amazing readers! In just the first six weeks of school, friends at Grand Avenue have checked out almost 3,000 books! Besides books, students always have access to e-books via Tumblebooks. Our school has a subscription to TumbleBookLibrary, and your family can access it from home! TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of e-books for children in grades K-6. They are a great way to encourage and foster a love of reading with your kids!
There are two ways you can enjoy Tumblebooks.
Visit the Elementary Library webpage, scroll down and click on the Tumblebook tile/link.
Simply download the Tumblebook app to your personal device and use the following login.
Username: sauk
Password: books
In September, all classrooms started their first few Guidance lessons. Each day, classrooms also view a recorded daily video announcement to instruct the Second Step (Social-Emotional Learning) curriculum. This allows each classroom the opportunity to participate in a 45 minute Guidance lesson weekly to practice those skills (empathy, emotion management, and problem solving), as well as other important skills for learning.
Third grade is focusing on specific skills for learning, such as focusing attention, listening, using self-talk, being assertive and following directions. We also add on the skills of being organized, trying hard, checking work to fix mistakes, using time wisely, following directions, and being prepared with materials. In October, we will discuss communication skills.
Fourth grade is reviewing empathy for themselves and others, which can be impacted by having a healthy mind. Our main focus so far has been understanding, managing and problem solving feelings that are uncomfortable, last a long time, or move us out of the Green Zone (just the right energy level for what we are trying to do). In October we will talk about how relationships with other can also impact our brain’s functioning.
Fifth grade has started a new curriculum called NeuroLogic, which is the study of the 4 main regions of the brain, and will be a large focus of our Guidance time this year. So far, we have learned the general functions that each of the regions control. The brainstem keeps us alive by maintaining consistent heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and body temperature. The midbrain helps keep us physically safe by allowing all of our senses and body systems to function properly together. The limbic system is in charge of our emotional regulation, relationships and short-term memory. The cortex is responsible for complex thinking, executive functions (planning ahead, being organized, etc), and long-term memory. Ask your student about the hand model of the brain’s regions!
Here is an article that focuses on another important skill that other adults (besides teachers) can help students practice that leads to success - self-reliance (independence). “What Have I Been Doing for My Students That They Could Do for Themselves?” by Katerina Watson in Edutopia, August 13, 2021
We appreciate everyone’s assistance in preparing our students for their future! Be on the lookout for conference sign-up information from your child’s teacher soon. If you’d like to discuss your child’s transition to a new school year emotionally or socially, please reach out to me directly via email at sadie.sutter@saukprairieschools.org or telephone at (608) 643-1969. It has been a GRAND beginning to the year!
Miss Sadie
School Counselor
From our Nurse- Laura Cody
According to Prevent Blindness of Wisconsin, October is World Sight Month and they are encouraging kids and adults alike to take a step back from screen use. In today’s digital age, screens are a large part of daily life for all of us, however, excessive screen time can have significant effects on our children's vision health. Prolonged exposure to screens can lead to the onset of myopia (nearsightedness), digital eye strain, and headaches.
Adults can be a great example to their children in finding alternative activities rather than sitting in front of a screen. Encourage outdoor activities. Not only is it great exercise, but natural light helps children's eyes develop and grow properly, reducing the risk of nearsightedness.
Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Encourage regular breaks from screens using the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This habit helps the eyes reset and allows our distance eye muscles to be used more regularly.
The nurses performed vision screenings at Grand Avenue Elementary on October 9th for our 3rd and 5th grade classes. If your child needed further vision care based on their results, you should receive a letter in their backpack.
We would like to extend a big thank you to the Sauk Prairie Lions Club for their continued mission of sight conservation within our community, as well as a generous donation of several pairs of eye screening glasses and eye charts to assist in our vision screening this school year. We are truly grateful for their generosity and support.
