Our character focus for the month of December is KINDNESS. At Garden City, we use these words:

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1 December th Ave. No., Brooklyn Center, MN Phone: Fax: Dear Garden City Families, I am so thankful to be able to come to Garden City Elementary School each day! I have the privilege of working with children and adults who highly value education and who strive each day to do their best. All adults at Garden City (including parents) are teachers! As teachers (all of us!), we work to help children achieve their dreams, contribute to community, and engage in a lifetime of learning. On Friday, December 7 th, at 3:00 PM, we will celebrate the hard work of our students during the first trimester of this school year. We will have a special assembly in the gym where we recognize the academic achievements of our children and honor outstanding Students of Character for Trimester I. You are welcome to join us for this great event. In addition to the academic success of our students at Garden City, I am thankful for the commitment of the adults here to nurturing the hearts of our children. All of us want our children to be kind, caring individuals, compassionate toward others, respectful, honest, trustworthy, and happy. Parents and staff work diligently to model these attributes, and the children learn from our actions even more than from our words. We continually give students opportunities to show respect and kindness, and we acknowledge the positive actions we see whenever we see them. Our character focus for the month of December is KINDNESS. At Garden City, we use these words: KINDNESS is treating others the way you would want to be treated. Kindness is doing nice things without expect anything in return. This is the time of year between Thanksgiving and New Year when we take time to celebrate the successes of the past year, give thanks for the goodness in our lives, reflect on how we live our lives each day, and reach out to people around us. Children need to be able to experience these things, too. Now is the perfect time to remind ourselves and our children about the importance of kindness and compassion. Now is the perfect season to spend extra time with our children and celebrate the daily joys of life together. I am so thankful that we have been given time to do these things together! Thank you for helping to make Garden City the wonderful community it is. Picture Retake Day Wednesday, December 5 Best wishes, Todd T. Tischer Principal Independent School District 279 does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you need auxiliary aids or services in order to participate in or attend a District activity, please provide the school district with seventy-two (72) hours advanced notice. You can call 763/ or TDD763/ Examples of auxiliary aids or services may include: sign language, interpreter, assistive listening kit, accessible meeting location, etc.

2 Garden City Character Corner At Garden City, we recognize and celebrate the goodness we see in children each day! As part of our Character Education program at Garden City, we recognize students for being Students of Character. At school-wide character assemblies, we focus on positive character traits and behaviors that show RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, BELONGING, KINDNESS, WORK ETHIC, QUALITY, HONESTY, CONSISTENCY, EFFORT, and SELF-CONTROL. Each day, when staff members see students showing these positive behaviors, they give the students a purple Character Star slip as recognition. The students take these slips to a special jar in the office where they are collected for the week. At our character assemblies each week, two students slips are drawn from the jar. These students take the traveling Character Star trophies to their rooms for the week as special recognition. Their photos are taken and are mounted on the wall of Garden City Character Stars. The following students received the traveling Character Star trophies during November: Isabella Jonas (1-Heuer) Dylan Hang (4-Eernisse) Tina Xiong (2-Huggett) Julia Lloyd (2-Wieser) John Moua (5-Preiner) Lance Lor (1-Heuer) Keimarieya Garner (K-Williams) Jalen Buggs (4-Eernisse) Once the Character Star slips are punched with a star, the students bring them home to share with their families Garden City Students Show... Respect Belonging Work Ethic Honesty Effort Responsibility Kindness Quality Consistency Self-Control

3 A special thanks goes out to parents Thor Her, Vince Rehm, Gao Hang and Tonie Woods for organizing and running our Club s Choice pick-up on November 1 st. Their time and efforts are greatly appreciated. We also recently had a very successful Turkey Bingo due to the efforts of Vince Rehm, Phira Rehm, Thor Her, Elizabeth Rosario, Allishia Gray, Gao Hang, Carole Dossavi and Kari Tolifson. These parents contacted businesses for prize donations, bought and prepared food, and volunteered the night of the event. It was a fun night for Garden City families and would not have happened without the dedication of these parents. Garden City welcomes volunteers even if you only have one hour to give. We have a variety of areas needing help. If you are available during the school day and would like to come in, please call Julie Linder at or at linderj@district279.org News from the office If you are having someone else pick up your child from school during the day or at the end of the day, please send us a note. We will not release your child to anyone except you unless we have a note from you. Please do not be offended if we ask you for your identification. Your child s safety is our first concern. DECEMBER EVENTS 3 Tri II begins 5 Progress reports go home Picture retake day 4:30 & 7:30 PM 6th gr orch Pizza Rehearsal & concert at OJH 24-Jan 1 Winter break If you have moved, we need you to go to the enrollment center to fill out some paperwork, or if have a new work or cell number, please give us a call with the new information. In case of emergencies, we need to know how to contact you during the day. Progress reports go home, Wednesday December 5th

4 If you haven t felt it by now- - IT S COLD OUTSIDE! This is just a reminder to all families that it is time to dress warmer! Some of the Garden City students are still coming to school without socks, hats, mittens, or even jackets! Please try and remind your children that they need to dress warm! A lot of students are doing a good job of bundling up with scarves and zipped jackets and snow pants so thank you for that! The children all have a half hour recess time, and that means they most likely will be outside for 30 minutes cold! And let s not forget about the walk to the bus or the walk to school. Also, it is the season where illnesses are on the rise. Students need to stay home if they have a fever of or higher AND until the fever is gone for 24 hours. Also, students need to stay home for vomiting, and DIARRHEA until this has been gone for 24 hours! Another reason to keep your children home for illness is if they are so sick they cannot participate in class. If you have a large family and one child is sick and staying home, I would suggest sending the other children to school, it cuts down their exposure and allows the ill child the quiet they may need to get rest and get better! If you have any questions, please give me a call! Nurse Helen The Dolphin Café would like to wish all the Garden City students and their families Happy Holiday. Any questions about accounts please call. Sandi, Nancy, Sue and Vanessa OASIS Osseo Area Source of Information and Support These programs are open to all parents, caregivers, and staff. Presentation from 6:30-8pm, stay until 8:30pm if you would like to continue the conversation, seek support, or to share resources. Child care will close promptly at 8:30pm. CHILDCARE: Contact Weaver Lake Elem prior to workshop Weaver Lake Elementary School Media Center Weaver Lake Rd. Maple Grove, Welcome to OASIS ! Please note that we will be meeting on Monday Nights due to scheduling conflicts 12/17/12 Grief and Loss Marc Markell, Professor St. Cloud State University Marc is a professor of special education at St. Cloud State University. He will be discussing how the grief is not only experienced after the death of a significant person, but also as a result of emotional, cognitive and behavioral challenges. This presentation will address grief reactions and grief myths. For full OASIS please see Certificates of Attendance available at all sessions

5 COLD WEATHER REMINDERS! During the winter months, we often receive requests to keep children in the classroom during noon recess. Students will have indoor recess when the wind chill is 5 degrees below zero or worse. On days when the temperature and wind chills are fluctuating, we continue to check the weather reports throughout the morning and during the lunch times to make sure we are following the guidelines. Students need to be dressed for the variable Minnesota climate. Please make sure your student has proper winter clothing because they will be expected to go outside for recess. Our students enjoy their recess more when they are equipped with boots and snow pants. School closing announcements will be broadcast on radio and TV. A district-wide school closure will be broadcast as Osseo District 279. During boot season, students tend to forget to pack their tennis shoes for Phy. Ed. class. Please help them to remember to bring the correct shoes for Phy. Ed. It is always a good idea to pack an extra pair of socks in case a pair of wet socks need to be replaced. SCHOOLVIEW Absence Line We encourage you to call Helen Frank, the School Nurse s direct line to report an absence. It is available any time, day or night. District 279 provides parent access to SchoolView as a means to further promote educational excellence and to enhance communications with parents. SchoolView allows parents to view their child s schedule, attendance and academic performance on the web. We now offer an easy and secure feature in the SchoolView parent portal which allows you to pay for student meals online with a credit card or electronic transfer from your checking or savings account. Osseo Area Schools is using the TIES online payment system. SchoolView is available to every parent or guardian of a student enrolled in selected District 279 schools. Please see Donna Peavey in the school office for instructions to access this program.

6 Classroom Lesson Update: Counselor s Corner Kathryn Gerdts, Licensed School Counselor December 2012 Kindergarten: Kindergarten students have been practicing Skills for Learning. These skills include listening rules (eyes watching, ears listening, voice off, body still), focusing attention, following directions, and using self-talk. Ask your kindergartener to show you the actions that go along with these skills! First Grade: First Graders are learning about feelings. We created a Feeling Words list and have discussed the feelings of HAPPY, SAD, and MAD. The students have also been introduced to the listening rules (eyes watching, ears listening, voice off, body still). Ask your first grader to show you what happy, sad, and mad look like, sound like and feel like. Third Grade: Third graders have been practicing Skills for Learning. These skills include listening, focusing attention, using self-talk, and being assertive. Ask your third grader to describe what assertive behavior looks like, sounds like, and feels like. Third graders recently began learning about EMPATHY and are practicing how to identify how someone else is feeling. They are also learning that two children may feel differently about the same situation. Sixth Grade: Sixth graders have begun using the Get Ready: Financing Your Future program. This program teaches students how to manage money and how to make decisions based on future plans. Students are currently learning how to make decisions, how to differentiate between needs/wants, and will soon begin learning about budgeting and managing money. Small Groups As students begin settling into the routines of the school year, I will begin offering small group opportunities. The purpose of small groups is to enhance the learning children achieve in the classroom by helping them improve attitudes, behaviors, and how they relate to one another. A group provides a safe setting that allows opportunities for children to increase self-awareness, cooperation, and social skills. Groups are a productive way for kids in the same grade to make new friends and practice their social skills in a safe, small group setting. Children are invited to participate in groups for a variety of reasons. Some children may need help initiating new friendships. Others may be shy and need a confidence-booster. There are also kids that want or need a place to practice new ways of interacting with others. Ultimately, the goals of group are to interact positively with peers and to teach new skills in order to facilitate healthy social relationships. If you feel your child would benefit from a small group, or have questions regarding groups, please contact me via phone or . Kathryn Gerdts, Licensed School Counselor gerdtsk@district279.org Your child might qualify as homeless even if they have a place to sleep at night. There are many ways that the law defines homelessness. Many of us think of homeless people as those who live in a car, park, public space, or similar setting. People living in those situations are certainly homeless. You might not realize, though, that it also includes children who: -are sharing someone else s residence due to loss of housing for certain reasons; -are living in a public or private place not normally used for sleeping; or -are migrants and living in conditions similar to those described above. Homeless children have important rights related to their education Under federal law, children in homeless situations have the right to: -Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there -Attend either the local school or their school of origin -Receive transportation to and from the school of origin -Enroll in school right away, even if some records are missing or incomplete -Participate in all school activities while records are being transferred between schools -Have access to the same programs and services available to other students -Attend school with children not experiencing homelessness Call the Osseo Area Schools Enrollment Center: (Interpreter help available in spoken Spanish, Hmong, Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai and Liberian English). Community Resources: Community Emergency Assistance Program Inc First Call for Help: /or 211 Metro Shelter Hotline:

7 Music Notes from Mrs. Sagmoe December Elementary Orchestra News D - rums, xylophones, jingle bells and more, E - xciting instruments are added to songs and folklore. C - reating new verses to old holiday songs, E - veryone will gather for our all-school sing-along. M - any winter celebrations to learn about each day B - rings us together as we read, sing and play. E - njoy family traditions, and make some that are new. R - est and relaxation, peace and goodwill to you! P.E. NEWS Students will be finishing up their tumbling and rope climbing unit and begin a rhythms unit. 1 st grade will learn culture dances, 2 nd grade will learn folk dances, 3 rd grade learns line dances, 4 th grade masters square dance, and 5 th and 6 th learn line and partner dances. Please remember your tennis shoes so you can safely and fully participate in PE. The 5 th grade students have been getting skilled at using the bow!! If you are watching your child practice at home, please watch to make sure the bow is being pulled straight across the string and not at an angle. We are busy preparing for our concert on January 30th. I am anticipating a great concert from the 6 th graders on Dec. 5. The students have been sounding wonderful. In the weeks following the concert, we will be learning some new skills for our Spring Concert. As the holiday season is upon us, many of us parents are looking for good gift ideas for our children. First of all you may consider an adjustable shoulder pad. Three name brands are Kun, Everest, and Viva. These are durable and adjust to each individual instrument and player. The benefit of the adjustable shoulder pad is it encourages better posture. You may also consider a tuner/ metronome which could substantially help your child s practicing. Another item to consider would be a holiday song book. One we have had good luck with is Christmas Kaleidoscope. It has familiar tunes in parts so students can play with other family members and friends. Ms. Gagnon Mailbox gagnonm@district279.org

8 December 2012 GC Gifted Education News E. Lohn & L. Thompson & Needs Based Classes (NBC) Information NBC #2 for Grades 3-6: Grade 3 Non-Verbal K nex Bridges Grade 4 & 5 Quantitative Algebraic Process for Problem Solving Grade 6 Non-Verbal Lego Robotics Acronyms and abbreviations: GE = Gifted Education NBC = Needs Based Classes CBS = Cluster Based Service *This NBC will conclude right before winter break. Collaboration in the Classroom (CBS) Information December 1-21 Ongoing GE collaboration with classroom teachers During collaborative sessions, the GE teacher will continue to work with classroom teachers in planning for differentiated instruction. Grades KDG, 1 and 2: Collaborative Enrichment During these sessions, the GE teacher goes in to each classroom to teach an enrichment lesson. The focus in KDG is on thinking skills and in grade 1 the focus is on word use. The focus in grade 2 is on word usage and real world math problems. Information for second grade parents All second graders will be participating in thinking-skills testing in January. Data gathered from this process and the upcoming NWEA assessments, will be used for decisions about GE services for Watch the Wednesday envelope for additional information. Information for third through fifth graders January and early February is the time when testing for Gifted Education pull-out service takes place. Teachers in grades three through five will soon begin the data-collection process in preparation for identifying those students with the greatest need for pull-out enrichment in the school year. Teachers and parents may nominate students for this testing; students may self-nominate. Students may re-test for areas in which they do not currently qualify for GE service. Contact your GE teacher for additional information. Information for sixth graders All sixth graders will soon be receiving information about English, science, social studies, and math classes in junior high school for the school year. Sixth graders will begin by completing an interest survey in January. Additional information about rigorous classes (Standards PLUS English, Standards PLUS Science, Standards PLUS Social Studies and High Performance Math 7) will be sent home in a Wednesday envelope in January. Here are some helpful websites for families of students in the Gifted Ed program:

9 For more information about GE Services, please access our web site: Young Scientist Roundtable : An enrichment opportunity for ALL families Your FREE participation in each month s Young Scientist Roundtable is funded by Gifted Education 279. Future dates are listed below. Monday, December 17, 2012 Dr. Jane H Davidson Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering Director of the Solar Energy Laboratory University of Minnesota Topic: Making Fuels with Sunlight Dr. Jane Davidson is the Ronald L. and Janet A. Christenson Chair in Renewable Energy in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. She is also the Director of the university s Solar Energy Laboratory. Her research is focused on developing solar applications, capturing and utilizing the energy of the sun, to solve in new ways problems like heating water, cooling buildings and more. She writes on her faculty page, We are creating clean alternative fuels using concentrated sunshine, waste water and carbon dioxide or biomass. Join Dr. Davidson for a discussion about innovations in fueling the future. And don t forget - Teen Roundtable 8:10-8:40 pm Students in grades 6-12 are invited to meet with the speaker after the presentation to discuss the topic in more depth. Watch the YSR website for updates! Media Center News Reading is Fundamental! Garden City is fortunate to have funding for two Reading is Fundamental (RIF) book distributions this year. The first distribution will be in December. Volunteers will visit each classroom with a selection of books. Every Garden City student will choose one book to put his/her name in and bring home. (Students get to keep the books--they do not have to return them to the school.) We, along with the RIF program, encourage you to read with your child every day. Families play an essential role in teaching children to read and to enjoy reading! If you are interested in learning more about the RIF program and how to help your children become good readers, you can visit their website: The website contains resources for parents and kids. It also includes resources in Spanish (Recursos en Español).

10 Grade Level News Subject Area Language Arts Math Social Studies Science/ Health Art Kindergarten First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Blending sounds Sight words ON and TO Making an ap at words Addition/subtraction Number partners Teen numbers Patterning and sorting Holidays around the world Color and line Decodable books R-controlled vowel sounds: or, ore Digraph sounds: sh, th ch, tch Nouns: people, places, animals or things Special names, places and titles for people Groupings of tens Represent 2 digit numbers Add a 2 digit and a 1 digit number Add tens and ones Solve story problems Holiday celebrations around the world; Where we live/community How to stay healthy and be safe during the winter months 7 kinds of lines Gingerbread stories and art projects Using new and old reading strategies to be better readers. Addition to 200 Ways of Living Science- Air & weather Health- Substance use & abuse and disease prevention Mexican Folk Art Continuing comprehension and decoding strategies Beginning writing opinion pieces Learning steps to research Beginning unit 3- a unit all about various types of story problems, and strategies for solving them Time for Kids and National Geographic History of Native American tribes Continuing science unit on Physics of Sound Seasonal art Tints and shades Computer Literacy Keyboarding skills Logging on and off of the computer Keyboarding and graphic organizers Type to Learn Word processing skills

11 Grade Level News Subject Area Fourth Grade Fifth Grade Sixth Grade Language Arts Fourth grade reading strategies will be applied to identify main ideas with details. Opinion paragraphs will be the focus of writing in December. Students will begin to work on identifying key words and main idea of text. Greek & Latin Roots Prefixes & Suffixes Citing Textual Evidence in Fiction and Non-Fiction Persuasive Essays Reading 30 minutes per night Math Multi-digit multiplication, two dimensional shapes, and angles the math units for December. Circle Graphs and Fractions Adding, Subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals and fractions Social Studies Minnesota will be studied in depth during the month of December. Students may continue to learn about Native Americans and Colonization Civil War and Slavery Science/ Health Rock and minerals will be analyzed during Science time. Environments Nutrition Art Lines will be discussed and used to create emphasis in art. 1 point perspective Computer Literacy Word processing skills and shared documents will be explored in the computer lab. Students will word process their writing products. Word Processing Narrative Writing