The Stadium Drive Star Where academics shine through the arts
December 2015
RECYCLING
HELP US MAKE ENERGY OUT OF MARKERS
ARTS INFUSION UPDATE
THE HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION STUDENT COUNCIL HELPS OTHERS
The Home-School Connection As a parent, you are the major provider of your child's education from birth through adolescence. You guide the development of her character and mental health and help form the foundation from which she'll develop lifelong attitudes and interests. And because your home is the primary environment in which your child's potential and personality will take shape, it's important to make sure that you create a positive, open atmosphere that will not only support what goes on in the classroom, but will also instill the desire to learn. It is through your love and encouragement that your kids will become motivated — first to please you, and then to please themselves. This leads to self-confidence, curiosity, the enjoyment of mastering new tasks, and other healthy attitudes, all of which contribute to successful learning. But unless you are home-schooling, you will not be the one teaching your child science or geography. And while it's true that all of the facts, skills, and concepts your children learn at school are influenced by what you do at home, your child's education is equally impacted by the relationships you form with her teachers. Building an effective relationship with the teacher is a critical task, and, like you, every teacher wants to achieve this goal. As with any relationship, mutual respect, the ability to listen, and lots of communication form the foundation. When parents and teachers work well together, everyone benefits. Parents and teachers can provide each other with unique insight and different perspectives about the same child, culminating in a more complete understanding of that child, her abilities, strengths, and challenges. The teacher will know much more about the curriculum and the school culture, while you know more about your child's personality, tendencies, and family life. A successful parentteacher partnership also shows a child that an entire team of adults is on her side. A positive relationship with your child is more important to her school career than your constant presence in the classroom. Because young children identify strongly with you, your attitudes, values, and innermost feelings are contagious. They become embedded in your child's mind at the deepest levels. If your own experience with school was miserable, you might feel anxious about your child's school experiences. Your child will sense this, and it could hamper her ability to throw herself wholeheartedly into learning. She may feel disloyal if she allows herself to like school and work hard, even if your words are telling her to do so. For your child's sake you'll need to put the past behind you and "start over," assuming that your child's teachers, school, and overall
experience will be good and happy. Even if you didn't like school, the best way to help your child is to endorse her experience: Get involved, be positive, and trust her teachers. She will get the message: "School is important; I want you to engage fully." It might sound obvious, but today, parents' schedules are full to overflowing. The good news is that there are easy ways to enjoy time with your child that also support learning. You can be available during play dates, snuggle on the sofa while watching a good video together, take a nature walk in the park, make appreciative comments from time to time as your child plays, cook something yummy together, or just hang out and chat. All these things support your child's deep belief that you know her, care about her, and would never expect her to do something that isn't possible — such as learn in school.
Arts Infusion Our October/November Arts Infusion bulletin board highlighted activities related to “patterns”, “sequence” and “order”. It featured connections that students have made between arts concepts and classroom activities. For example, students in second grade recognized that patterns occur in both dance and reading, a fourth grade 1|Page
project shows the sequence of the phases of the moon, third graders described the connection between sequencing as it occurs in both art and dance, students in various grades practiced sequencing and order on hundreds charts and in multiplication, and first graders identified high/low patterns in music. These connections are evidence of the types of deep-thinking we value at Stadium Drive Elementary of the Arts. Be sure to check out the December bulletin board starring the themes of “shape” and “form”. The board is located between the main office and room 109.
Cold Weather Gear Please be sure to stay current on the weather forecast during the week and send your child to school in warm clothes along with a hat, gloves, snow pants, and boots when necessary. Playing outside is a critical component of the school day. If a child is unable to go outside, it not only limits the opportunity to burn off energy, but also to learn valuable lessons that cannot be learned as easily in the classroom setting.
Open Swim Lake Orion High School's natatorium has updated its
open swim schedule for the remainder of the school year. Kids of all ages and their families are welcome to take advantage of this community resource. To access the schedule click here. Also, a Friday morning, 11-11:30 AM parent-tot swimming lesson class is being offered at the pool. To register, call the pool office at 248814-1715.
Turn Markers into Energy Dear Parents, We excited to tell you about a very special program we are coordinating at our school in conjunction with Crayola. It’s called Crayola ColorCycle – an amazing new program devised to turn used markers into energy! All around Stadium Drive Elementary students and teachers will be collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded. The collection will run from November 30 through January 8. The markers will be sent to a facility where they will be converted into clean fuel. This fuel can be used to power vehicles, heat homes, cook meals and more! Please help support our efforts by sending your kids in with any used markers you may have around the house – even non-Crayola brands. Drop-off boxes will be located around the school for your child to deposit the markers. Thank you in advance for participating! With the help of parents like you across the country, the Crayola ColorCycle program can keep tons of plastic out of landfills each year. Remember, don’t throw out that used marker—ColorCycle it! Sincerely, Stadium Drive Student Council
Dine to Donate Enjoy great food and support great kids! G’s Pizzeria will be hosting a dine to donate benefitting the fifth grade on Monday, December 14. The event lasts all day, so feel free to stop in for lunch, dinner, or both. Dine in or carryout. Please present the event flyer, which is attached, at the time of purchase. 2|Page
Student Council FISH Food Drive
Upcoming Events
The donations that we received for our annual event were astonishing! Some of our highest participation came from second grade (1,290 items), fifth grade (1,104 items) and third grade (938 items). As a building we had over 100 boxes of food to donate, and volunteers had to make two trips to transport it all. Click here to see our students loading cars.
12/3 – Student Banking, PTO Meeting 4:05 PM
SDE is so proud to have been able to help our neighbors have a plentiful Thanksgiving holiday, as well as, stock up the pantry at FISH for future needs. Thank you to our Stadium Drive families for your generosity! SDE Student Council’s motto, “we help where we can”, shines through another successful service project.
12/9 – Fifth Grade Production 2:00 PM
News from Your PTO
12/17 – Candy Cane Lane, Holiday Parties, Student Banking
Our Vendor Show/Mom’s Night Out held on November 19 was a great success. We had 25 vendors present and a great turnout for our first year! The PTO would like to thank everyone who came out and helped make this a fun evening. Special thanks to our parent volunteers!
12/8 – Greenery Sales Pick up – 4:10 PM
12/9 – Fifth Grade Production 7:00 PM
12/21 – 1/1 - Holiday Recess
Holiday themed Spirit Sticks will go on sale Monday. Details and order forms will be sent home this week.
1/7 – Student Banking, PTO Meeting 4:05 PM
Are you interested in having your child do some gift giving this holiday season? On December 17 the PTO will host the Candy Cane Lane Holiday Gift Shop at Stadium Drive. Students will have an opportunity to come and shop from a wide variety of items and have them packaged for gift giving. All items will be $2. Details will come home soon with your student. We will need many parent volunteers to make this event successful.
1/13 – School Store
The PTO would like to thank all of the parents that came out and helped during the Scholastic Book Fair. Also, a big “thank you” to all of the parents that helped provide meals for our staff during conferences. The PTO could not provide these services without your help. Please join us on December 3 at 4:05 PM in the media center for the next PTO meeting. Adult supervised child care will be provided.
1/18 – No School 1/21 – Student Banking 1/25 – End of the First Semester, No School 2/3 – Report Cards Come Home 2/4 - Student Banking, PTO Meeting 4:05 PM
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
2/9 – Second Grade Performance – 3:00 PM
The complete Home-School Connection article can be found here.
2/10 – Second Grade Performance – 6:30 PM 3|Page