Coupeville Elementary School Mission Statement
The mission of Coupeville Elementary School is to educate all students to high levels of academic performance, while fostering positive growth in social/emotional behaviors and attitudes. The entire staff pledges itself to these student outcomes.
A Newsletter for Parents and Students of Coupeville Elementary School
A publication of Coupeville Elementary School...... Dave Ebersole, Principal
March/April 2014
Due to a snow day on December 20th school is in session on March 21st.
It is an early release day. School will be dismissed at 12:00.
Kindergarten Group ‘B’ Attends
Fight Flu and Germs
You’ve probably already heard it: the telltale sniffles of flu season, which peaks in January and February. Navigate flu and germ season with these tactics for prevention and care.
About the Vaccine
Though it’s best to get vaccinated in the fall, it’s not too late to get a flu shot at the start of winter. Everyone age six months and older can receive the vaccine, which is available as a shot or nasal spray. Children are at a higher risk for the flu, since their immune systems are developing. It’s especially important to vaccinate children younger than 5 and those with chronic health conditions. Don’t forget to get vaccinated yourself!
If you’re not sure where to get a flu
shot, ask your school nurse for information on clinics or community agencies that may be providing flu shots.
If Your Child Is Sick
Children who can’t keep their eyes open,
even after having a normal night’s sleep,
may be coming down with something. Add
an “achy” feeling and loss of appetite,
and it’s likely that the flu is on the way. If, before school, you think your child may be starting to get sick, alert the teacher and make sure an adult is available for pick-up in
case your child needs to come home.
Children who are feverish, nauseated, or bone-tired can’t learn well, and can spread their illness to others. So, keep them home. Before returning to school, your child needs to have gone without a fever or vomiting for at least 24 hours. Talk to your child’s teacher to find out the best way to make up missed work. Often, a child not quite well enough to return to class can complete assignments at home, making the workload easier to manage once he or she is back in school. Have your child make up the work as soon as possible.
Preventing the Spread of Germs
Keep your family healthy all winter long by practicing everyday disease prevention tactics.
Stress the importance of hand washing. Because germs are invisible, it’s difficult for children to understand how dangerous a cough or sneeze can be. Be sure to stress the importance of washing hands, using lots of soap and water, and scrubbing until there are bubbles—before meals and snacks, and after coughing, sneezing, or using a tissue.
Many brands of liquid hand soap come in fun designs, scents, or colors, and letting children pick their own can be a fun way to encourage hand washing.
Use the “birthday song” method. Teach
your child to wash his or her hands for as
long as it takes to sing the entire “Happy
Birthday” song.
Cough like Dracula. Children need to learn to always cover their mouths when they cough. Have your child cough into his or her sleeves, not hands, to prevent the spread of germs.
Keep hands away from eyes, nose,
and mouth. Children sometimes
absentmindedly put fingers in their
mouth or nose, or rub their eyes. Help
your child keep his or her hands away from “germy” areas—eyes, nose, and mouth.
Trash the tissues. Used tissues are full of germs. Teach your child to immediately put used tissues in the trash, and then
wash his or her hands. Set a healthy example. Model all these healthy behaviors—
sneezing into your elbow, washing your hands frequently—and your child will follow suit.
Web Resources
Visit Flu.gov for the latest updates on this flu season. For a round up of germ prevention techniques, visit this Centers for Disease Control page.
www.cdc.gov/fl u/protect/stopgerms.htm
This “Too Sick for School?” quiz from Parents magazine will help you decide whether your child should stay home.
www.parents.com/kids/too-sick-for-school/
Wolf Pup News is published
every other month during the school year by:
Coupeville Elementary School
Dave Ebersole, Principal
Coupeville School District 204
6 South Main Street Coupeville, WA 98239
(360) 678-2470
2014 Volume 101, No. 3
All district staff are accessible by e-mail, using the first initial of the first name, followed by the full last name, followed by: @coupeville.k12.wa.us
For example, Dave Ebersole can be reached using the address:
Administration of Medication
at School
The school must have prior authorization to administer any kind of medication to your child at school. You can pick up the authorization to administer medication at school for your child and have it signed by your doctor and yourself. School staff cannot administer any type of over the counter medication without a signed form. If your child requires medication at school and we don't have a copy of his authorization form, you are welcome to come and give your child the medication.
Words To Live By
March
~~~Responsibility~~~
Putting your best effort into what you do by
taking initiative and being dependable, thorough and accountable.
April
~~~Perseverance~~~
Working hard even when you feel like giving up.
Eating Together
You may have heard that it’s important for families to eat dinner together. But other meals count too. If you work in the evenings, maybe you could make time for a family breakfast. On a weekend try a picnic lunch. Research shows that children who regularly eat meals with their families tend to do better in school and avoid risky behavior.
Dates to Remember
March
4 Fire Drill 2:00
5 PTA Mtg 6:00
7 2nd Term Ends
9 Daylight Saving Time Begins
10 School Board Mtg 6:30
14 Early Release Noon Dismissal
Kindergarten Group “B” Attends
20 Report Cards Home
21 School in Session-Weather Make-Up Day
Early Release - Noon Dismissal
Kindergarten Group “B” Attends
24 School Board Mtg 6:30
26 Portfolio Night 6:00-8:00
27/28 School Conferences
No School
31-Apr 4 Spring Break
April
9 PTA Mtg 6:00
7-11 Lice Check
14 School Board Mtg 6:00
16 Earthquake Drill 10:45
Evacuate Building
21 Preregistration for 2014-2015 Begins
25 Early Release Noon Dismissal
Kindergarten Group “B” Attends
26 Memorial Day
No School
It Was So Cold That……………..
From Mrs. Nichol’s Class
It was so cold that the penguins go in their homes. The polar bears can’t eat. Snow leopards go where it’s warm. All animals go to their homes.
By Dominic Coffman
It was so cold that a flock of birds flew south for the winter. A snow dog slipped on the ice slope. A penguin will go to Texas and eat ice cream.
By Bethany Crowl
It was so cold that there was a blizzard. The lake was frozen. The penguins couldn’t swim in the lake. They could slide on the frozen lake.
By Jack Neitzel
It was so cold that it snowed. It was so cold that it froze the water. It was so cold that birds can’t get in the water. It was so cold that if you try to drink water when its ice you get stuck. If you try to ice skate on thin ice you will fall in the water and ice.
By Sam Blundell
Garden Club
Garden Club will begin Tuesday, March 25th, from 3:30 – 4:45 PM, and run through June 10th (will not meet during spring break). The celebration is June 3rd.
Garden Club is open to students in 2nd and 3rd grades who appreciate time outdoors and working in dirt! Students have hands-on experience with planting seeds, caring for plants and harvesting.
Three Steps to Homework Success
You’ve probably noticed that your child has a little more homework each year. Help him/her get a handle on this year’s workload with a daily plan.
1. Discuss. Begin each afternoon or evening by asking what homework she has. You can set a positive tone with comments like “I loved writing in my journal when I was your age” or “It’s exciting that you’re old enough for long division.”
2. Plan. Ask your child what order she will do the work in. You might suggest that she finish her hardest subject or longest assignment as soon as she gets home and save easier ones for after dinner. Or perhaps she prefers to get simpler assignments out of the way so she’ll have fewer tasks ahead of her. She could try each way to see which works best for her.
3. Review. Look over her finished work together. You might compliment your child on something she did particularly well. Then, if you see careless mistakes, have her double-check her work but avoid telling her any answers. Her teacher needs to know what she’s able to do all by herself.
Box Tops For Education
Each classroom at CES has been competing to see who can collect the most Box Tops for Education from General Mills Products. Ty Duddridge, a student in Wendy Davis’ 3rd grade classroom, and his grandfather turned in over $500.00 worth of box tops in February. Ty reports that he and his grandfather will continue collecting as many box tops as they can, even after the classroom contest is over. General Mills will give schools up to $20,000 for Box Tops collected, so save those little squares on General Mills Products throughout the year!
Scholastic Book Fair!
Located in the
Coupeville Elementary School
Music Room
March 26, 27 & 28, 2014
The Scholastic Book Fair will
be held during portfolio conferences in March. Come and select from hundreds of titles! Enter for a chance to win
a poster or a free book!
Wednesday March 26 from 6:00-8:00
Thursday March 27 from 8:00-6:00
Friday March 28 from 8:00-12:00
School Counselor News
Various small groups are meeting and have been all year. The groups address such issues as friendship skills, family changes, deployed parents, and bullying. Groups involve 4 – 8 students, are grade level specific and meet once a week.
Ms. Stone continues doing 2nd Step (Social Skills Curriculum) in first, second, third and fourth grades. These are 30-minute lessons once a week on identifying feelings, calming down and solving conflicts. Students often get the chance to role play various scenarios to practice these skills. Be sure to ask your child what his/her class talks about during 2nd Step.
Communication between parents, teachers and other school staff is very important. If your child begins taking a medication or there is a medication change, please let your teacher know. This can be very helpful information if our staff is seeing a change in behavior, eating habits or emotional status in your child. Be sure to ask the teacher from time to time how your child is doing.
We still need spare clothing for our nurse’s office. We really need long pants for boys, in any sizes 6 – 16. And, we need larger shirts and pants for girls, sizes 0 - 10 and up. Elastic waist sweat pants are especially useful. Please keep this in mind as you clean out your child’s outgrown clothing.