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A few notes & reminders:• Dear Car Drivers,
Please remember that the morning traffic pattern should follow the same flow as the afternoons. The short loop in the morning causes too much congestion and those dropping off are usually in a time crunch. Please follow the large loop around the whole parking lot in the mornings to allow more vehicles to enter and a smoother flow for all vehicles. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Mr. Duffy
• Saturday, Dec 10 4:00pm - Cocoa & Carols Concert at Kennedy
• Tuesday, Dec 13 6:30pm - 4th/5th Grade Musical at Taft
• Wednesday, Dec 14 - Giving Tree Items due (see flyer or link below for details)https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNDzfvWUVxXUkQZ9TZJr0KPedK80U5TGLBCNcZ_Vr2VtsKyg/viewform
• Thursday, Dec 15 - Jackson’s Barnes & Noble Book FairGive Jackson Elementary a gift while you get your holiday shopping done at the Barnes & Noble in Cedar Rapids! All day December 15, mention Jackson Elementary at the register and a portion of your purchase price will fund new materials for our school - at no extra cost to you! Grab something to sip at the cafe and shop for books, movies, music, toys, and more. Cross off some more names on your list - purchases from both the store and cafe count toward our total - but only if you mention Jackson at the register!
Can't make it Thursday? Use the code 11869997 at BN.com December 15-20 and a portion of your online purchase will go to Jackson! Be sure to share the code with your friends and family - ANYONE can shop online and support our school.
Increase the support back to Jackson by purchasing a SCRIP Barnes & Noble card before you shop:- Buy a Barnes & Noble gift card out of the bag in the office to use while shopping, or use online
from Dec. 15th - 20th. - Place a SCRIP order by next Tuesday to make sure you get the cards you need. The cards will be
delivered that Thursday to go home with your child, or available in the office for pick up. - Available in denominations of $5, $10 & $25.
http://jackson.cr.k12.ia.us
• Wednesday, Dec 21 - Lost & Found Items will be donated - please check the overflowing tables on the lower level at bottom of stairs for any missing items.
• Dec 22 - Jan 2 - Winter Break
• Tuesday, Jan 3 - Classes resume
• The Spring Carnival event will begin planning this January and is still in need of 1 or 2 people to chair (lead) the event. This event is one of the largest events we have at Jackson and it has been a success because of VOLUNTEERS. We have a committee of 4 people willing to help delegate responsibilities with the chairperson(s). See flyer for further details and contact Kim Prevo [email protected] with interest or questions.
http://jackson.cr.k12.ia.us
Jackson’s Giving Tree Project for Staff
Skip the ugly socks! The link below is a list of teacher needs and wants for the holiday season. Parents, if you are looking for ideas for your teachers please consider a few items off their lists. And don't forget about the nurses station,
counselor & art room. Items can be given by the kids or donated anonymously. We ask all gift cards for classroom use stay under $15. I will send a confirmation email with the items you selected (or you can select to have one sent to you at the end of the survey). Please have all items in by WED. DEC 14th. Wrapped or unwrapped. You can send them with your child directly to the teacher or drop them in the PTA workroom with ITEMS LABELED. Teachers really look forward to this and appreciate the support!
Link to Giving Tree List https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNDzfvWUVxXUkQZ9TZJr0KPedK80U5TGLBCNcZ_Vr2VtsKy
g/viewform * Google drive links are sometimes blocked by certain institutional firewalls. If you are having issues try your personal device on data or email me at [email protected] and I can send you a list for your class.
WE NEED 1 or 2 people to CHAIR THIS
EVENT!
PTA is thinking SPRING CARINVAL.
This event is one of the largest events we
have at Jackson and it has been a success
because of VOLUNTEERS. We have a
committee of 4 people and we just need a
person or 2 people to CHAIR the committee.
The majority of work is planning before the
event and we have it all organized for YOU.
The group has experience and is looking for
someone who can delegate; organize and is a
planner. We always have a great turnout of
help on the day of, but we need a group to get
started in January with planning. If you
would like to be on this committee or CHAIR
the committee, please email Kim Prevo at
THINKING SPRING BRINGS
JACKSON’S PTA SOME BLING!
WE NEED YOU!
Contact Lori Weber at [email protected] or 551-5584 with any questions about SCRIP.
Coupon Books
Buy a Barnes & Noble gift card out of the bag at school to use while shopping that day, or use online from Dec. 15th - 20th.
You can also place an order in next Tuesday’s order to make sure you get the cards you need. The cards will be delivered that Thursday to go home
with your child, or available in the office for pick up.
The cards come in denominations of $5, $10 & $25.
If you have Presto Pay you can buy e-cards right from your phone and show the code at the checkout.
Not only will Jackson benefit from sales at Barnes & Noble during the event, but also from the rebates we get back from scrip card sales.
Jackson Day at
All day on Thursday, Dec 15th
Only 6 left for this year! Get them before they’re gone!
We earn 90% of the profit from these 2016 coupon books. New books for the 2017 season will be coming soon.
Over $100 worth of savings inside for Only $10! Place an order for them on the scrip order form or stop in the office
to buy one out of the bag.
Need a gift card quickly. Stop in the office and ask Gale to look at our newly stocked SCRIP bag. We’ve added a lot of small denomination cards and vendors, such as
Barnes & Noble, Caseys, Subway, Starbucks, Target & Culvers.
Contact Lori Weber at [email protected] or 551-5584 with any questions about SCRIP
Limited-Time Promotion Our school will earn more money back with the purchase of the following gift
cards from these retailers.
Who doesn’t love picking out their own gifts? By giving a scrip gift card to someone this holiday season, they can do just that while you earn rebates for Jackson!
Of course, if you have the perfect gift in mind for someone, or you have a list of presents to check off for your kids, purchase those gifts with scrip.
Order forms coming home today! Only 2 more order day before Christmas!
Find the Perfect Gifts this
Year with Scrip!
2% Bonus Rebate Dec. 10 - Dec. 23
3% Bonus Rebate Dec. 3 - Dec. 16
1% Bonus Rebate Dec. 3 - Dec. 16
2% Bonus Rebate Dec. 3 - Dec. 16
2% Bonus Rebate Dec. 3 - Dec. 16
2% Bonus Rebate Nov.26 - Dec. 23
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [Jeanne Giles], [319-899-6222] [[email protected]]
COMMUNITY STUDENTS WIN MATHNASIUM OF Cedar Rapids’ 2016 TRIMATHLON MATH COMPETITION
Kids Raise $35,400 for Schools Nationwide and $730 for Local Schools
Cedar Rapids, November 2016 – Cedar Rapids students in grades 2 to 5 put their math skills on display earning money for local schools and winning prizes for themselves in the Mathnasium of Cedar Rapids 2016 TriMathlon math competition. By participating in the event, Mathnasium TriMathlon contestants nationwide raised over $35,000 to benefit schools across the country.
The top three Mathnasium of Cedar Rapids winners in each grade represented are listed below. • Grade 5: Adil Oryspayev, Fellows, Ames, 1st Place; Elena Schmit, St. Pius X, 2nd Place; Lucas
Rabe, Echo Hill, 3rd Place • Grade 4: Elliot Maire, Jackson/Homeschool, 1st Place; Sujan Shadrak, Echo Hill, 2nd Place;
Malick Sogur, Viola Gibson, 3rd Place • Grade 3: Erin Ambrosy, St. Pius X, 1st Place; Kathryn Delsing, Echo Hill, 2nd Place; Lincoln
McMahan, Jackson, 3rd Place • Grade 2: Pranav Sagiraju, Bowman Woods, 1st Place; Manasvi Reddy, Echo Hill, 2nd Place;
Abram Sennett, Westfield, 3rd Place
“This year’s TriMathlon competition was a big success, encouraging kids to showcase their mathematical abilities and demonstrating how much fun math can be! As enthusiastic supporters of schools and education initiatives at large, we’re especially excited that the kids were able to raise money for local schools just for participating, adding a level of community service to the contest. We had over 70 students earning over $700 for our local schools. We are so proud of all TriMathlon contestants for what they’ve accomplished for their schools, their community, and themselves,” said Jeanne Giles, owner and director of Mathnasium of Cedar Rapids.
45 students attained perfect scores in the challenging competition. These top TriMathlon scorers competed in the National Grand Prize TriMathlon the weekend of November 19 and 20. Grand Prize winners will be recognized with plaques commemorating their accomplishments along with Mathnasium scholarships.
For more information on Mathnasium of Cedar Rapids, please contact Jeanne Giles at 294-0200 or [email protected], or visit www.mathnasium.com/cedarrapids.
About Mathnasium Mathnasium, the nation’s leading math-only learning center franchise, specializes in teaching kids math in a way that makes sense to them. When math makes sense, kids excel—whether they’re far behind or eager to get ahead. The proprietary Mathnasium Method™ is the result of 40+ years of hands-on instruction and research. Franchising since 2003, Mathnasium has become one of the fastest-growing educational franchises, with two new centers opening each week. There are more than 700 Mathnasium franchises in the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit www.mathnasium.com.
Please consider offering your talents to chair one of these programs or events offered at Jackson. Volunteers help make these fun activities possible!
PROGRAMS CHAIR NAME(S) CONTACT/COMMENTS Birthday Books Shawna Carolan & Melissa White [email protected] [email protected]
Box Tops Shawna Carolan & Melissa White [email protected] [email protected]
Hy-Vee Receipts Shawna Carolan & Christi Winders [email protected] Christi Winders (will help)
Learning Garden Emmaly Renshaw & Julie McMahan [email protected] & [email protected]
School Supplies Amy Blomquist [email protected]
SCRIP Lori Weber [email protected]
Spirit Wear Kerry Talyat and Liz Deutsch [email protected] [email protected]
Square 1 Art Carrie Bryner & Kerry Talyat [email protected] & [email protected]
Walking School Bus Julie McMahan [email protected]
Running Club Amy & Ara Ispentchian [email protected]
Green Team Candi
Maker Space
READ Shirts Amy Blomquist [email protected]
Wishing/Giving Tree Emmaly Renshaw [email protected]
Enrichment Emmaly Renshaw [email protected]
Laminating April Doggett EVENTS
Non Fundraiser Event Kim Prevo [email protected]
Supply Drop Off Open House Julie McMahan
Fall Service Project Kim Prevo; Emmaly Renshaw; Lisa Langerman April Doggett
[email protected]; [email protected] [email protected]’; [email protected]
September Outdoor Movie Night Becky and Darci
October Halloween Event Lori Weber and Amy Blomquist [email protected]
Fall Staff Conference Meals Regina Graham and Stacy Crist
January Ice Skating Night Brandon Blankenship
March Super Skate Night Julie McMahan
Spring Staff Conference Meals Julie McMahan and Amy Blomquist
Enrichment/Breakfast (Spring) Emmaly Renshaw
May Staff Appreciation Lisa Langerman [email protected]
Spring Carnival [email protected]; Darci; Becky; Amy Blomquist
May Kernels Night Kim Prevo
2016/17 Jackson PTA Program & Event Committee Chairs Questions to [email protected]
Counselor’s Thoughts…..I found this article and thought it was a great read for a lot of our generation of kiddos! We all do this for instant gratification to appease the “here and now”, but are we doing more damage than good with this?
Why are our children so bored at school, cannot wait, get easily frustrated and have no real friends?
I am an occupational therapist with 10 years of experience working with children, parents, and teachers. I completely agree with this teacher’s message that our children are getting worse and worse in many aspects. I hear the same consistent message from every teacher I meet. Clearly, throughout my ten years as an Occupational Therapist, I have seen and continue to see a decline in kids’ social, emotional, and academic functioning, as well as a sharp increase in learning disabilities and other diagnoses.
Today’s children come to school emotionally unavailable for learning, and there are many factors in our modern lifestyle that contribute to this. As we know, the brain is malleable. Through environment, we can make the brain “stronger” or make it “weaker”. I truly believe that, despite all our greatest intentions, we unfortunately remold our children’s brains in the wrong direction. Here is why:
1. Technology
Using technology as a “Free babysitting service” is, in fact, not free at all. The payment is waiting for you just around the corner. We pay with our kids’ nervous systems, with their attention, and with their ability for delayed gratification. Compared to virtual reality, everyday life is boring. When kids come to the classroom, they are exposed to human voices and adequate visual stimulation as opposed to being bombarded with the graphic explosions and special effects that they are used to seeing on the screens. After hours of virtual reality, processing information in a classroom becomes increasingly challenging for our kids because their brains are getting used to the high levels of stimulation that video games provide. The inability to process lower levels of stimulation leaves kids vulnerable to academic challenges. Technology also disconnects us emotionally from our children and our families. Parental emotional availability is the main nutrient for child’s brain. Unfortunately, we are gradually depriving our children of that nutrient.
2. Kids get everything they want the moment they want
“I am Hungry!!” “In a sec I will stop at the drive thru” “I am Thirsty!” “Here is a vending machine.” “I am bored!” “Use my phone!” The ability to delay gratification is one of the key factors for future success. We have the best intentions -- to make our children happy -- but unfortunately, we make them happy at the moment but miserable in the long term. To be able to delay gratification means to be able to function under stress. Our children are gradually becoming less equipped to deal with even minor stressors, which eventually become huge obstacles to their success in life.
The inability to delay gratification is often seen in classrooms, malls, restaurants, and toy stores the moment the child hears “No” because parents have taught their child’s brain to get what it wants right away.
3. Kids rule the world
“My son doesn’t like vegetables.” “She doesn’t like going to bed early.” “He doesn’t like to eat breakfast.” “She doesn’t like toys, but she is very good at her iPad” “He doesn’t want to get dressed on his own.” “She is too lazy to eat on her own.” This is what I hear from parents all the time. Since when do children dictate to us how to parent them? If we leave it all up to them, all they are going to do is eat macaroni and cheese and bagels with cream cheese, watch TV, play on their tablets, and never go to bed. What good are we doing them by giving them what they WANT when we know that it is not GOOD for them? Without proper nutrition and a good night’s sleep, our kids come to school irritable, anxious, and inattentive. In addition, we send them the wrong message. They learn they can do what they want and not do what they don’t want. The concept of “need to do” is absent. Unfortunately, in order to achieve our goals in our lives, we have to do what’s necessary, which may not always be what we want to do. For example, if a child wants to be an A student, he needs to study hard. If he wants to be a successful soccer player, he needs to practice every day. Our children know very well what they want, but have a very hard time doing what is necessary to achieve that goal. This results in unattainable goals and leaves the kids disappointed.
4. Endless Fun
We have created an artificial fun world for our children. There are no dull moments. The moment it becomes quiet, we run to entertain them again, because otherwise, we feel that we are not doing our parenting duty. We live in two separate worlds. They have their “fun“ world, and we have our “work” world. Why aren’t children helping us in the kitchen or with laundry? Why don’t they tidy up their toys? This is basic monotonous work that trains the brain to be workable and function under “boredom,” which is the same “muscle” that is required to be eventually teachable at school. When they come to school and it is time for handwriting their answer is “I can’t. It is too hard. Too boring.” Why? Because the workable “muscle” is not getting trained through endless fun. It gets trained through work.
5. Limited social interaction
We are all busy, so we give our kids digital gadgets and make them “busy” too. Kids used to play outside, where, in unstructured natural environments, they learned and practiced their social skills. Unfortunately, technology replaced the outdoor time. Also, technology made the parents less available to socially interact with their kids. Obviously, our kids fall behind… the babysitting gadget is not equipped to help kids develop social skills. Most successful people have great social skills. This is the priority!
The brain is just like a muscle that is trainable and re-trainable. If you want your child to be able to bike, you teach him biking skills. If you want your child to be able to wait, you need to teach him patience. If you want your child to be able to socialize, you need to teach him social skills. The same applies to all the other skills. There is no difference!
You can make a difference in your child’s life by training your child’s brain so that your child will successfully function on social, emotional, and academic levels. Here is how:
1. Limit technology, and re-connect with your kids emotionally
• Surprise them with flowers, share a smile, tickle them, put a love note in their backpack or under their pillow, surprise them by taking them out for lunch on a school day, dance together, crawl together, have pillow fights
• Have family dinners, board game nights (see the list of my favorite board games in my previous blog post), go biking, go to outdoor walks with a flashlight in the evening
2. Train delayed gratification
• Make them wait!!! It is ok to have “I am bored“ time – this is the first step to creativity
• Gradually increase the waiting time between “I want” and “I get”
• Avoid technology use in cars and restaurants, and instead teach them waiting while talking and playing games
• Limit constant snacking
3. Don’t be afraid to set the limits. Kids need limits to grow happy and healthy!!
• Make a schedule for meal times, sleep times, technology time
• Think of what is GOOD for them- not what they WANT/DON’T WANT. They are going to thank you for that later on in life. Parenting is a hard job. You need to be creative to make them do what is good for them because, most of the time, that is the exact opposite of what they want.
• Kids need breakfast and nutritious food. They need to spend time outdoor and go to bed at a consistent time in order to come to school available for learning the next day!
• Convert things that they don’t like doing/trying into fun, emotionally stimulating games
4. Teach your child to do monotonous work from early years as it is the foundation for future “workability”
• Folding laundry, tidying up toys, hanging clothes, unpacking groceries, setting the table, making lunch, unpacking their lunch box, making their bed
• Be creative. Initially make it stimulating and fun so that their brain associates it with something positive.
5. Teach social skills
• Teach them turn taking, sharing, losing/winning, compromising, complimenting others, using “please and thank you”
From my experience as an occupational therapist, children change the moment parents change their perspective on parenting. Help your kids succeed in life by training and strengthening their brain sooner rather than later!
