On the Prowl
February
Smarter…Better…Edmunds Power!
/Important Dates
Author Reads to Edmunds Students
On Thursday, February 4th the 1st grade students at Edmunds were treated to a reading by a local author. Joyce Knock, a former DMPS teacher, shared her story andwriting experiences with our students. Her book, I Am NotDumb and I Am Not a Stinky Butt!was also donated to the classroom teachers and our library! We really enjoyed having her here and listening to her message!
DMPS Equity & Nondiscrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Des Moines Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you believe you have (or your child) has been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact the Equity Coordinator, Isaiah McGee at 2323 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312 or 515-242-7662 or .
2.9.2016
4th & 5th grade field trip: Iowa Energy Basketball
2.26.2016
3rd grade field trip: Iowa Opera House
2.26.2016
Popcorn Day Friday ($.50 limit 4)
3.9-10.2016
Parent Teacher Conferences
Wednesday 2-8, Thursday 12:30-8
3.11-18.2016
Spring Break - No School
4.20.2016
Kindergarten Sign Up 2:30 – 6:30 pm
Somali
Hadiiaad u baahantahaycaawinxagatafsiirkajoornaalka, fadlanwacIssaAbdinoor, telefoonnambarka 242-8406, asagaayaanakaacaawindoonatafsiirkajornaalkaama wax kasta oosuaal ah oo la xariirajornaalkabishataasookaaga timid fsalkaamadugsigaba. Waadkumahadsantahaycaawintaadajoogtada ah!
Kiswahili
Kama unahitaji msaadakatika kutafsirijarida, tafadhali piga simu IssaAbdinoor, 242-8406, na atawezakukusaidia natafsiriyoyote au maswaliyoyote kuhusumajaridaya kila mwezi kutokadarasa au ya shule. Asante kwamsaada wako wa kuendelea!
1st Grade students Attend Goodnight Moon and the Run Away Bunny
The entire Edmunds first grade went to see the play Goodnight Moon and the Run Away Bunny.The play was presented by the Des Moines Performing Arts at the Civic Center. The Edmunds students did a great job representing the school by being respectful and enthusiastic audience members.Many students were thrilled to meet characters from the performance after the show.
The performances were educational as well as entertaining.
EC3 Celebration
In January students having one or no office referrals, were able to celebrate positive behavior by earning a Hot Chocolate Party. Students enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate in their classroom, as they watched a video of their teachers choosing in their classroom. Students that did not earn the reward talked to their teacher about what they can do in the future to earn the reward. For the month of January there were 75 level 1 referrals and 37 level two referrals. In the month of February the EC3 celebration will be a paper airplane contest! Students will build and design their own paper airplane, their classroom teacher will take them out into the hallway to see how far they can go.
This month’s yoga to try with your child at home is Ocean Breath. The students can teach you how and when to use these breaths and poses; as they are getting really good at using yoga to help themselves self-regulate and show others respect. Begin in Standing or Sitting Mountain with your feet at least hip distance apart.
First take a deep breath in through your nose. Exhale and whisper out the sound “hhhh” through your mouth, as if you are fogging up a mirror. Inhale again through your nose. When you exhale this time, keep your mouth closed as you make the “hhhh” sound. Slowly breathe back in through your nose, keeping the back of your throat slightly constricted. Can you hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing in and flowing out? Continue with this breath for one minute or more
Sing Along with Ms. SkalbeckFebruary brings us all over the world in preparation for the Culture Fair in June. Students will have the opportunity to learn about countries all over the world and the music that they share. We will be diving into a plethora of countries including Liberia, Russia, Canada, France, Spain, Japan, Jamaica and many more. Students will explore with traditional songs, dances and musical instruments while focusing on expanding their knowledge of form, rhythm and melodies. I am excited to combine movement with song and expanding our talents to instrumentation. We will be highlighting an African drumming circle with the higher grade levels. Lower grades will be focusing on movement and barred instruments. I am excited to explore the world with your students.
In the World of Art with Mr. Borzo
February see the continuation and finishing up of several art projects. Some classes are still in the last stages of clay and Papier-mâché – 3rd through 5th grade classes – these projects take a long time. For clay it’s drying the clay pieces thoroughly, to firing it the first time, glazing them and it and again firing the final product. The students are finding out that some projects take a great deal of patience from beginning the completion!
February marks the Annual Des Moines Public School Art Exhibition, with students from all Elementary, Middle School and High Schools participating. We have several kids involved in this year’s show, and our only regret is that we can’t display more student work, but the space is too limited. We are proud that the following students will be displayed at the show, held at Capitol Square. The opening night reception for the exhibit is Thursday, Feb 18th, from 5:30 to 7:30. The students who are included this year are: Kindergarten: Renay Whitfield, 1st: Pum Dai, 3rd: Kadija Marah, 5thMarlayna Schmidt, Sobeth Koki, Savanah Vathananonh, and AshayMneur.Also it’s Black History Month, and all of the Edmunds entered into the Forest Avenue Library student art and writing contest is on display. The contest was held in honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We had several classes participate in this competition, and the art is on display at the Forest Avenue Library (1326 Forest Avenue) through the month of February.
Counselor Corner with Ms. Bryant
In February, students will continue the bullying awareness unit. Bullying is defined as when someone hurts another person on purpose over and over again and is one-sided, which means one person has more power. Last month, students learned how to recognize, respond to, and report bullying situations. This month, they will learn about how to be an upstander. An upstander is someone who stands up for others by taking positive actions to help someone in need. Some ways that a student can be an upstander are: be a good friend, interrupt when you see bullying, speak out, and tell an adult. With this unit, students will also learn about empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person's feelings. You can help your child develop empathy by making caring for others a priority. Throughout the year, I will be meeting with individual students and small groups. Examples of things I may talk with students about are friendship, conflict resolution, school success skills and attendance. If I meet with your student or include them in a small group, I will send a note home. If I need to talk to you further, I will call you. Thanks for taking the time to learn about what students are learning during counseling!
Let the Games Begin in P.E. with Mr. Heard
February is a busy month in Edmunds Physical Education! We being the month with bowling and cup stacking and finish with Jump Rope for Heart. We will begin by working on individual jump rope skills and progress towards group activities. Students will be bringing home folders to raise month for the American Heart Association. We will be kicking off the event during each class in 2nd-5th grade. They will be rewarded for their efforts, but are encouraged to only ask for donations from people they personally know. An important thing to remember is that students SHOULD NOT be asking local businesses for donations. Thank you for helping save lives from heart problems in our state!