Happy Holidays from Stonehedge

First Graders Travel Around the World
Our first grade students learned about holiday traditions as part of a unit that studied Holidays Around the World. As each group visited different classrooms, they were told about a different country's traditions. They even created passports to document their journey.

These first grade students learned about the tradition of spinning the dreidel in Israel. 

 

After learning about holidays in Germany, children sampled gingerbread men. 

Miss Elmer stamped passports as students left her classroom after learning about Mexican traditions and dancing to "Feliz Navidad".

Mrs. Cunningham, dressed as Sweden's Saint Lucia, taught the children about Swedish traditions.

Kindergarten Plays Their Reindeer Games

Classes took turns preparing magical 'reindeer food': some special oats and glitter. 

  

After making these fantastic reindeer hats, everyone listened to a reindeer story. 

These second graders were so excited to read their personalized letters from the elf!

A little party-time break and a different kind of holiday wrapping!

Welcome to First Grade, Mrs. Harris

Welcome to Mrs. Harris--first grade's newest addition. She will be filling in for Miss Munley until her return.  

Students Take Part in CODE Presentations 

Thank you to Officer Brand for talking with students yesterday as part of the Community Oriented Drug Education (CODE) program. Here she addresses second grade students about anti-bullying. Maureen Foran-Mocete from the McMahon /Ryan Child Advocacy Center also spoke with students. Topics were as follows:

Kindergarten - My Body Belongs to Me

Grade 1 – Building Self Esteem 

Grade 2 - Bullying Awareness.

 

Did you know that Stonehedge Blue is now on Twitter? Be sure to follow us @Stonehedgeblue to see snapshots of your children's days and other important information!




Please remember that school is closed beginning Monday, December 22 and reopens on Monday, January 5, 2015. 

Happy Holidays,
~Lori

Volunteers Needed for Winter Wonderland...Please Respond by Friday, December 19!

Dear Stonehedge Blue Families,

I know how busy you are and what a premium time is for everyone. Sometimes it seems that there is not enough time in a day for all that we have to do. With that being said, I am asking for volunteers for a very special upcoming event. A note detailing this information is going home today with students.

Our 2^nd AnnualWinter “Wonder”land project for grades K-2 will be beginning soon.  For those of you new to Stonehedge, this is a project based learning opportunity where students will be researching topics of interest and preparing a project to showcase and share what they have learned. 

Volunteers are needed to help children research and gather information and then to design and create their projects. This is done with small groups of students within the classroom. It all culminates with an evening event where families come to view the final projects. Last year, this proved to be a very exciting and motivating time for students as they explored and became experts about a variety of topics! 

The established schedule is as follows:

January 12-16, Topic Research, (Volunteers needed during the morning time frame ranging from 9:30-12:00)

January 20-23, Project Work, (Volunteers needed during the morning time frame ranging from 9:30-12:00)

January 26-29, Additional time if needed to complete projects (9:30-12:00)

February 5 Evening Presentation, (Need support to decorate and display projects after school 3:00 – 5:00)

If you are interested in helping out as a volunteer and are available during any of the above mentioned times, please complete the form included with the letter that went home today, or one is available online (by clicking here) and return to the main office by Friday, December 19^th.  If you have any questions, please contact the main office at 487-4633.  

I have scheduled a meeting for all individuals who wish to volunteer for Monday, January 12 at 9:30 in the Blue Cafeteria prior to the first day of the program. This will be a nice opportunity to meet you and share some of my requests for volunteering. Thank you in advance for considering volunteering. I look forward to hearing from those interested soon.

Sincerely,

Lori Keevil

Winter Warmth Not Hard to Find At Stonehedge

No Bullying Here!

Last week all first grade children spent the morning immersed in messages about friendship. The anti-bullying message can be a difficult concept for young children to understand and to deal with independently. This special day focused on defining bullying, identifying the many ways to be a kind and caring friend, and learning how to solve problems when faced with conflict here at school. Students did cool activities, sang songs, listened to stories and watched a video that coordinates with our school’s effort to be bucket fillers.  Different thoughts about friendship can be seen throughout the entire hallway. Thank you to the first grade team of teachers for coordinating this day!

Click HERE to view a video entitled, "How Full Is Your Bucket?"

Students buddied up and wrote out descriptions of why they are thankful for their friends.

Character Education: Developing Caring and Compassion

Compassion for others is a character trait that young children need to develop and adults need to foster. When children feel compassion and express it through acts of kindness, they make themselves better people and the world is a better place. Miss Finger and Mrs. Schweitzer’s classes were proud to lead this month’s character education assemble.  Children watched a video called Boomerang, (Click here to view.)  which demonstrated the power of Random Acts of Kindness.  They witnessed how individuals put others’ needs and feelings before their own needs and most importantly, expected nothing in return. This is a good time of the year for students to extend a helping hand and foster compassion and empathy for others.

Students were sent home with a list of ways they could perform random acts of kindness. They are encouraged to pick one and write what they did to be helpful on the paper hand that also came home. The hope is that the walls of the school will be lined with green helping hands!

During the assembly, second graders showed how quickly acts of kindness can spread by starting several lines of handshaking to spread compassion.

Many families have done exactly this by sending in donations for our very own Stonehedge PTA Giving Tree. If you intend on making a donation, please remember that the deadline (December 12)  is quickly approaching. Thank you in advance for the outpouring of support for our Stonehedge families and the Samaritan Center. 

 First Grade HEDGE Award Winners

Jackson Austin, Lainah Baker, Jayden Carlisle, Brayden Carvel, Crystal Clark, Addison Connelly, Evan Dufford, Sarah Domin, Harper Flynn, Ashley Foss, Elizabeth Friers, Evan Grebenevich, Ethan Harvey, Dhiraj Jampana, Payton Jeffery, Mason McAloon, Katie McDonough, Stella Mikhailova, Alice Pratt, Ayesha Rehman, Daniel Schiffer, Logan Scott, Clayton Watkins, Daniel Yatsula, Za'nigh Yost, Landyn Young

Second Grade HEDGE Award Winners

Angelina Allen, Justyna Apps, Keira Braun, Gianna Caraccio, Alex Cardone, Audrey  Diddle, Makayla Dunham, Mark Gabello, Tommy Gozzi, Gabriella Hinman, Thomas Levison, Yuliana Melnik, Ryan O'Connor, George Ponto, Peyton Rosenthal, Jonathan Shoults, Ava Spraker, Jayden Torrance, Paul Toumbacaris, Kyra Vargas, Angelo Vrabel, Ariana Welsh, Hannah Wood

Performers Delight at Winter Concert

Yesterday students throughout the school enjoyed a winter assembly with delightful, seasonal music performed by the fourth and fifth grade chorus as well as the fifth grade orchestra.

Please remember: If you have a change of plans for your child's dismissal, you must send in a note ahead of time. Forms were sent home earlier this year and more are available through the office. 

Also: When winter weather is predicted, stay tuned to Dr. Brown's twitter feed, the website, district facebook page, the West Genesee app, and the local radio and television stations for information on delays and cancellations.

Let's Get Together at Stonehedge

On November 25th, students of all ages came together for a Meet and Greet Buddy Day. The day was an opportunity for students to meet new friends in a different grade level.  Throughout the structured activity, older students interviewed younger students to learn more about them. In turn, the younger students drew a picture of their new friend. Older students then read a book to their new friend and together they discussed the story elements as well as their favorite part of the story.

This Meet and Greet was organized through the Shared Decision Making (SDM) committee. This year members of SDM created a goal to create structured activities to bring together older and younger students.

Stay tuned for what’s in store for these newly formed friendships! 

See more pictures from the Meet and Greet at the end of the blog.

PTA Giving Tree Drive Under Way Now
Each year as the holidays get underway, the Stonehedge community turns its heart and thoughts toward others. The PTA's Annual Giving Tree drive will be collecting holiday gifts for families in need at Stonehedge. In an effort to meet the specific needs of these children, we are asking that families of students in kindergarten, first, and second grade please consider donating cash or Target gift cards. Please use the special collection envelope that came home with your child to return your donation to your child's teacher. Even a small donation can make a big difference to a child. The Giving Tree runs now through December 12. 

Baking the Basics
When Miss Winters' class read the classic fairy tale, The Little Hen, they learned that everyone needs to help out on a task in order to enjoy the rewards. They did just that when baking bread in her classroom. Students used math and reading skills as they took turns measuring ingredients and writing the bread recipe.

Miss Winters helps a student measure flour for their bread dough.

Everyone's hard work paid off the next day when they dined on home-baked bread, butter, and applesauce during their Thanksgiving Feast.

 

First grade students created a turkey whose feathers represented for what each student was thankful.   

More Meet and Greet Buddy Day Pictures

Making the Most of Parent Teacher Conferences

November 24 and 25 are our scheduled Parent Teacher Conferences. For many, it will be the first opportunity for you as parents to discuss your child’s academic and social development. We look at parent conferences not only as an opportunity to discuss your child, but also as an opportunity to nurture a positive partnership between home and school. 

Here are some tips provided by the National PTA that I thought might prove helpful in ensuring a successful conference:

Establish rapport—As an icebreaker, take time to share something that reflects well upon the teacher. For example, thank the teacher for having made thoughtful notes on your child's homework or for the special attention in helping your child learn to multiply.

Ask questions—Questions you ask during the conference can help you express your hopes for the student's success in class and for the teacher. It's a good idea to ask the important questions first, in case time runs out. The teacher's answers should help you both work together to help your child.

Make a list—Before you go to the meeting, make a list of topics to discuss with the teacher. Along with questions about academics and behavior, you may want to talk to the teacher about the child's home life, personality, concerns, habits and hobbies, and other topics that may help the teacher in working with the child.

Addressing problems—Parent-teacher conferences are a good time to discuss any difficulties (either academic or behavioral) a child might be having at school.

Develop an action plan—If the student needs help with a behavioral or an academic issue, you and the teacher should agree on a specific plan—that you both will work on—to help your child do better. Be sure you understand what the teacher suggests. If it's not clear, ask him or her to explain. Set up a way to check on your child's progress. You and the teacher can decide how best to stay in touch, such as through phone calls, notes, or additional meetings.

Ending the conference—End the conference by reviewing what you discussed and restating your action plan. This is also a good time to set up your next meeting if needed.

If you have further questions after your conference, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be happy to sit with you to ensure everything is in place to make certain your child has a successful school year.

Using Technology in the Classrooms

Mrs. Gauzza's kindergarten classroom center time looks a little different on Tuesday mornings. 

During center time, the students still work with Mrs. Taylor, their Early Literacy teaching assistant, to master letters and sounds. They develop their fine motor skills during an independent work center, and read and write with Mrs. Gauzza. However, the students also rotate through a center with Instructional Technology Support Assistant Mrs. Gartner-Baca. 

"Mrs. G", as the kids call her, helps the students as they explore different educational apps on the iPads, especially one called Reading Eggs. Working in small groups with the children allows her to guide them through the lessons and activities as well as troubleshoot any issues as they come up. She has worked in each of the kindergarten classrooms this year and visits some routinely. Later in the school year, she will bring laptops into the rooms to introduce computers to the students. They will become familiar with using a mouse or a touchpad on a laptop, develop early typing skills, and basic webpage navigation. 

Later in the year, Mrs. G will visit classrooms in the first and second grades to help them use different technologies to research during the Winter Wonderland projects. In addition, she plans to go into second grade classrooms to give tips and tricks to students for using Microsoft Word.

Winter Weather is Here!

Though it is not yet Thanksgiving, as the storm that slammed the Buffalo area recently proved: winter weather is here. Please make sure that your child has appropriate clothing. Students not only walk to and from the bus, but also play outside for recess. We want to make sure they stay warm!

Important Dates to Remember

Monday, Nov. 24, Early Dismissal, 11:30 a.m. Parent Teacher Conferences (Elementary only)

Tuesday, Nov. 25, Early Dismissal, 11:30 a.m. Parent Teacher Conferences (Elementary only)

Wednesday, Nov.26 - Friday,  Nov. 28, No School Thanksgiving Recess

Thanks,

Lori

November Brings a Cool Blast of Excitement

It’s hard to believe how quickly the time is going by, you blink and it’s November! So far this month, children have participated in the Turkey Trot, tried their luck at Family Game Night, been recognized with HEDGE Awards, participated in an assembly depicting what it means to be thankful, and taken time to learn about and recognize our Veterans near and far!

They work diligently with their teachers each day to grow both academically and socially. It has been a wonderful first semester.  Thank you to all staff, PTA, and the countless volunteers it takes to support these experiences for our students. 

Give me a T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L-N-E-S-S

This month’s character trait is THANKFULNESS.  Mrs. Prosser, Mrs. Jackson, and Mrs. Lizzi’s second grade classes led the assembly with a cheer about thankfulness. Individual students shared what they are thankful for. Some student responses included, “family, nature, snakes, Nickelodeon, food and a favorite of the crowd, snow days!” (Are you listening Dr. Brown!)

All kidding aside, November is one of my favorite months as I am not heavily into the sometimes stressful holiday season, yet I seem to be surrounded by family and friends. To be thankful, you must be reflective.  It’s easy to get caught up in what’s not perfect in our life. It’s easy to forget about all those things we wanted so badly, like the spouse of our dreams or children to complete our family or that perfect job launching a meaningful career. All of which on any given day may be labeled as less than perfect!  It takes effort to stop and think about what is pretty close to perfect. I hope you find some time this month to smile about the imperfections in your life that make it so rich!

"Give me a U!" 

During the Character Education assembly, students cheered as they spelled out the word thankfulness and listed all they were thankful for. 

First Grade HEDGE Award Winners

Alanna Bowman, Ryan Boyer, Sarai Card, Isaiah Coleman, Jakob  DiMauro, Jack Dotzler, Lila Hennessy, Giorgia Hess, Annalin Hyatt, Liliana Ippoliti, Allison Ivery , Lena Kent, Addison Maddery, Jocelyn Moses, Hayden Muller, Emily Neves, Michelle Nuzzo, Nash Oudemool, Jack Panek, Evan Pompo, Devin Reed, Rei Riggall, Jacob Skardinski, Gloria Valenzuela, Alex Vincentini

Second Grade HEDGE Award Winners

Gracie Burns, Norah Emery, Sofia  Barba, Lianna Basilia, Tucker Bealer, Johanna Bechtel, Noah Bell, Samantha Bullock, Ty Buza, Rileigh Cook, Gwenyth  DeMass, Rachel Hann, Carly Mathewson, Kylie Murphy, Grace  Napierski, Jack Neves, Connor Parker, Diana Petrovets, Rowan Prior, Greta Propper, Christopher Ramones, Krishna  Sharma, Zakaria Zagha

Veterans Honored At Stonehedge

Stonehedge students paid tribute to our local veterans and active duty service men and women with a special ceremony that featured the fifth grade choir singing a selection of patriotic songs.  Students in the primary grades worked together to write letters and poster-sized letters to the veterans. The posters were hung throughout the library. Each veteran is related to a student in our school community and some are members of the Honor Guard.

Game Night a Big Success

We had a great turnout at our first PTA game night of the year. Nearly 200 people enjoyed playing games together and all the students left with a book. The event was for the families of our kindergarten and first grade students. 

  

 
Special thank you to all the teachers and staff who volunteered at the kindergarten and first grade game night. 

  

Important Dates to Remember

November 14, Report Cards Go Home 

November 19, 6 p.m., PTA meeting

November 24 and 25, Early Dismissal, 11:30 a.m.

November 26-28, Thanksgiving Recess, No School

~Yours, 

Lori