Volume 1, Issue 3

SY 16-17

November 1, 2016

Principal’s Message

Dr. Deborah Williams

Assistant Principal

Diamond Elementary SchoolDiamond Elementary School

Dr. Laura LaChance

Principal

November 2016 Dates to Remember

02 Picture Make-up Day *will go in SY 16-17 Yearbook*

03 Coffee w/ the Principal - “Anti-bullying Plan” (PTO Room, 9:00a)

03 Popcorn Thursday

04 KG Fall Festival - (KG Playground, 12:30 - 2:30p)

06 Daylight Savings - Time to “Fall Back”!!!!

09 PK - No School

11 No School - Veterans Day

17 Popcorn Thursday

18 Star Student Assembly - 9:00a

21-25 Thanksgiving Break

Dear Diamond Parents,

November is one of those months that facilitates a time of reflection and gratitude in

all of us. For me, the reflection begins with the children we serve here at Diamond.

Our students are amazing, resilient and strong young people and I am so honored to

be with them each and every day. Thank you for sharing them with us.

The gratitude that I feel, and I speak for the entire Diamond staff, is for all of you. Each

year on November 11th, we celebrate, honor and thank those among us who choose to

put on the uniform and serve our nation. The dedication, commitment and long relent-

less hours that you all give each and every day is admirable and we are truly grateful

for you.

Veterans Day is that one day a year that is set aside to celebrate the bravery and com-

mitment of all of our service members. So I share the brief history of this day with you

so that you might share with your children so they understand the importance of your

job and how truly special you are, and how blessed we are.

To commemorate the ending of the "Great War" (World War I), an "unknown soldier"

was buried in the highest place of honor in both England and France (in England,

Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe). These ceremonies took place on

November 11th, celebrating the ending of World War I hostilities at 11 a.m., Novem-

ber 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). This day became known

internationally as "Armistice Day". In 1921, the United States of America followed

France and England by laying to rest the remains of a World War I American soldier --

his name "known but to God" -- on a Virginia hillside overlooking the city of Washing-

ton DC and the Potomac River. This site became known as the "Tomb of the Unknown

Soldier," and today is called the "Tomb of the Unknowns." Located in Arlington Na-

tional Cemetery, the tomb symbolizes dignity and reverence for the American veter-

an..In America, November 11th officially became known as Armistice Day through an

act of Congress in 1926. It wasn't until 12 years later through a similar act that Armi-

stice Day became a national holiday. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill pro-

claiming November 11 as Veterans Day and called upon Americans everywhere to

rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. (https://www.thebalance.com/veterans-

day-honoring-all-who-served)

Thank you for your service. We also thank your spouses and children for their service,

for we know that they face a commitment and challenge by being your family. From a

grateful staff—THANK YOU!!

Laura LaChance

AAH-CHOO!! FLU SEASON is quickly approaching! It’s time to think about protecting you and

your family against the flu. As you can see from the chart below, the sooner your student gets their

flu vaccine, the better. Here are some interesting flu facts:

Did you know that you cannot get the flu from the vaccine? The most common side effects from

a shot are a sore arm or possible achiness / mild increased temperature.

“Wait a minute! I got the flu vaccine once and got sick…” You may have been exposed before

you go the vaccine. It takes up to 2 weeks to become fully protected.

Even healthy people should be immunized for the flu. Kids and adults who are active and

healthy can still get the flu, and the symptoms are much more severe than a cold.

Antibiotics will not cure the flu. The flu is a virus, not bacteria, so antibiotics are not useful in

treating the symptoms.

Children with other health conditions, such as asthma, are more at risk of getting the flu.

Prevention is the key. This is accomplished through receiving the flu vaccine and also prevent-

ing the spread of germs with good handwashing.

Each year, between 3,000 and 50,000 people die from the flu or its complications, and over

200,000 are hospitalized.

The flu vaccine is required this year for ALL DoDEA students by December 1st. This year's

annual flu shot will offer protection against the H1N1 flu virus, in addition to two other influenza

viruses that are expected to be in circulation this flu season. Sources: www.flu.gov , www.cdc.gov, DoDEA immunization requirements SY2016/2017

Peak Month of Flu Activity

1982-1983 through 2015-2016

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Sherri Jones, BSN, RN DES School Nurse 912-369-1457

Source: www.CDC.gov/flu

The Gator Trait for November is “Trustworthiness.” Trustworthy means to be loyal,

honest , reliable, diligent, dependable, and show integrity!

Loyalty - Being true to someone or something.

Honesty - Being truthful and fair.

Reliability - Honor all of our commitments and promises.

Diligence - Work your hardest at all times.

Dependable - Doing what you were asked to do and doing what you said you would do.

Integrity - Being honest and trustworthy and always doing what is right.

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Nicole Haws

Guidance Counselor

Diamond Elementary

Ph 912-876-6094

David Dobson

Guidance Counselor

Diamond Elementary

Ph 912-876-6094

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FROM THE DESK OF

THE LIBRARIAN

~ Ms. Mercord ~

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Diamond Elementary Book Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest!!! We had an AWESOME turn out and a PHENOMENAL display of talented and very creative submissions! Everyone did a FANTASTIC job!! It was very difficult to judge; however, the following students won:

Pre-K/KG: 1st Place - Jayden James; 2nd Place - Claire Martinez; 3rd Place - Olivia Johnson 1st/2nd: 1st Place - Madison Diamond; 2nd Place - Averi Glenn; 3rd Place - Noah West 3rd/4th: 1st Place - Chase Diamond; 2nd Place - Gabriel Mathews; 3rd Place - Zephyn Moe 5th/6th: 1st Place - Landon Hallett; 2nd Place - Brianna LaMotte; 3rd Place - Kevin Parham Teacher/Staff: Ms. Legg and Ms. A. Johnson

A legion of THANKS to all the Diamond faculty, staff, and PTO volunteers who contributed to the success of the Fall Festival/Family Math Night. We also would like to thank our very “special” Gators and their family for taking time out to help us celebrate! From face painting to classroom math fun or from cake walking to the haunted room, everything was spectacular!

Gator Family Spotlight

ART

~ Ms. Mock ~ Having already been introduced to the concept of “warm colors,” students are now at various stages of Au-

tumn-themed, creative experiences while exploring with different artistic mediums.

The highlight of November is Ms. Mock’s very own children’s book, “The Fire Tree” story. Various art pro-

jects will be based around the story, such as illustrations with connections to reading and fall leaves/tree draw-

ings with connections to biology.

Children who are slightly ahead of the rest of the school with their projects may be completing “Blue Crab”

wax-resist watercolor paintings. These paintings are turning out to be way more beautiful than I ever imag-

ined, and the majority of them are truly “picture frame worthy” (and I’m thinking holiday grandparent gift

worthy!) Please do not forget to see if your child has one in his/her book bag!

Finally, please continue to allow your children to be creative at home, as a

scientific research has proven that children who are allowed to be creative,

oftentimes perform way better, academically. I believe that Art has the edu-

cational role of helping children to become more like themselves instead of

more like everyone else. . . . and that is a really good thing! :)

Physical Education

~ Coach Marcus ~ Monthly Activities: Catching and Throwing; Fitness Gram

This month, we will be focusing on the fundamental skills of catching and throwing. Activities will include

developmentally-appropriate cues for rolling balls and throwing them underhand and overhand. By the stu-

dents receiving instruction and guided practice in these fundamentals, students learn the basics for many indi-

vidual and team sports.

Students in grades 3-6 will continue working at fitness centers and fitness

gram.

Please remember to have your child wear gym shoes on their gym day!

— Stay Fit!

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Fridays are Gator Spirit Days. . .Wear your Gator apparel to show your Gator pride!

Education Technology

~ Ms. Myers ~ In the month of November, students in grades 3-5 will be exploring computer-aided design

(CAD). We will be using Sketch-Up to investigate November’s theme: “Native American

meets the Explorers.” Students will be creating 3D housing structures, village replicas, and

the ships used to transport the explorers to the Americas. Parents are encouraged to get in

on the fun by downloading SketchUp for FREE on your home computers using the follow-

ing link: http://www.sketchup.com/download. Choose Educational Use, and complete the

brief survey to access SketchUp from home.

6th grade students will be given biography projects to complete. They will be expected to research a famous

person thoroughly enough to complete a 9-paragraph paper, along with placing their facts and citations into

graphic organizers. They will also use Google Apps for Education to collaborate and prepare for their presen-

tation about the chosen individual.

Gator Family Spotlight

FLES/ESL

~ Mr. Cruz ~ In November, we will be working with traditions

and celebrations around the Spanish-speaking

countries. The students will learn vocabulary re-

lated to people and professions. They will contin-

ue to review their colors, numbers, and seasons.

Fridays are Gator Spirit Days. . .Wear your Gator apparel to show your Gator pride!

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FLES

~ Ms. Stewart ~ During the month of November, we will be learn-

ing how to construct grammatically-correct sen-

tences in Spanish. We will focus on the articles,

verb, subject, and adjectives in singular and plural

sentences construction.

The Kinder classes will con-

tinue learning the colors, days

of the week, and months in

Spanish. We will also be cel-

ebrating the spirit of Thanks-

giving, if time permits.

Important Reminders for Parents and Students:

School starts at 8:20. Students are considered tardy at 8:21 and must receive a tardy slip from the front office.

It is a DoDEA requirement that we do a 100% ID check when coming into the school and check-ing out children.

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Parent Teacher Organization

Diamond Elementary’s PTO is looking for

volunteers! If you are interested, please

contact Theresa Reeves at (910)309-3173

or via email at desptopresident@gmail.com.

Picture retakes will occur at the school on Wednesday, 02-NOV, beginning at 9:00a. Only students

who were absent during first photo session, enrolled since 15-SEP, or those who bring in the proof/

package from the previous pictures will be photographed. Students who are retaking their pictures

MUST have their previous pictures from the fist picture day in order to take photos again. Order

forms will be at the front office for students/parents to pick up! They will not be sent home.

Questions can be directed to the PTO Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondElementaryPTO

Yearbook for the SY 16-17 are on sale NOW! Order forms were sent

home last week. The cost for each yearbook is $15 if ordered before

December 1st. The price will increase to $20 for all yearbooks ordered

after the December 1st deadline. Please complete the form in its entirety

and submit with payment to the PTO. Cash and checks (made out to DES

PTO) are acceptable forms of payment. Receipts will be issued within 48

hours of the PTO receiving payments. Questions can be directed to the

PTO Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondElementaryPTO

The new, maroon-colored, double-sided, multicol-

ored graphics “Can’t Hide Gator Pride” T-shirts are

on sale NOW!! Student shirts will be $10 (Adults -

$12). PRE-ORDERS ONLY! Deadline is No-

vember 30!!! Shirts will be delivered approximate-

ly 14 business days after sale ends. Please remit

cash/checks (made payable to DES PTO) in an en-

velope or Ziploc baggie. Questions can be directed

to the PTO Facebook page: www.facebook.com/

groups/DiamondElementaryPTO