December 2022

 

12/1-12/7 Food Drive continues! 
Thursday, 12/8 Grades 3-5 Winter Holiday Concert 6:00 PM
Friday, 12/9 NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
12/23-1/2

NO SCHOOL - WINTER BREAK

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT'S TIME FOR WINTER GEAR HERE AT JEFFERSON! 

Please make sure you are sending your child to school with boots, snowpants, gloves and hat each day! We simply do not have enough extra each day to loan out. If you are having troubles aquirring these items for you child, please let your child's teacher or the office know. We will do our best to help! 

 

 

 

 

 

HEALTH OFFICE NEWS - CLICK ON ARROWS FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

 

 

Please CLICK HERE for more details and information on Oshkosh Area Community happenings! 

 

This past month: in KG and 1st grade we did a lesson on growth mindset, we learned that hard work makes our brain stronger and smarter, we also learned that it is okay to make mistakes when we are doing hard work because mistakes help us learn.  

In 2nd grade we learned the word dysregulated, and that is when we are too upset so our thinking brain cannot do its best job. When we are too upset we make unhelpful choices that can make our problems worse. Thus we learned and practiced coping skills to help our bodies be calm, alert and ready to learn. Some of the skills we practiced are Chair or Carpet push-ups (seat on your chair or carpet, hands to your side, push-up with your arms, count 1, 2, 3, down), Bird Breathing (Hands to your side, raise them up and breath-in, bring them down and breath-out), Finger breaths or Rollercoaster (we use both hands, with our pointer finger in our right hand, we trace our left hand, breath-in as your pointer finger goes up, breath-out as it goes down), Hug yourself and use positive self-talk  (wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a tight squeeze, as you hug yourself use positive self talk. You can say something like "I got this", "I can handle this", "I am kind"), Using our five senses (notice one thing you can see, notice one thing you can hear, notice one thing you can smell, notice one thing you can feel, notice one thing you can hear). As we practiced these strategies kids were asked to notice what was most helpful and relaxing to them and rate each skill 0 not helpful/relaxing, 1 somewhat helpful/relaxing, 2 very helpful/relaxing. 

In 3rd and 4th grade we learned about different parts of our brain and how they are connected with our feelings/emotions. Downstairs brain (survival state), the limbic system Its main function is to help us survive. It keeps us safe in dangerous situations. This part of the brain helps us react without thinking (fight, flight, freeze). The midbrain, (emotional state) the hippocampus. It helps us store memories, it is also our emotional brain. The Upstairs Brain (executive state) prefrontal lobes. It helps us think, make decisions, be calm and learn. We learned about ‘flipping our lid’ when we allow our emotions to take control and send us down to our downstairs brain. We learned and practiced healthy coping skills. Coping skills are the things we can do to help us calm, alert, and ready to learn. Coping skills help us move from our downstairs or midbrain brain to our upstairs brain. Coping skills help us manage our emotions so that: we can learn, make helpful choices instead of hurtful ones, get along well with others, so that we can be the best that we can be. Coping skills we discussed/praciced are: Breathe (Finger breath), get water or a healthy snack, go to a quiet place and/or think of something that makes you happy, count 10 in your head (sometimes we may need to count to 10 twice), Use positive self-talk (examples: I got this!, I can do hard things!, I am safe! I can handle this), stretch or exercise (play outside, go for a walk), use a sensory tool or twiddle your thumbs. Talk to someone or use an “I-statement” (talk to a trusted adult), Name your feeling (name it to tame it), listen to happy or relaxing music. 

In 5th grade we learned about gossip and how gossip can be messy and it is hard to clean up. We learned that staying gossip free will help us have better relationships with family, friends, and peers. We learned about using our social filter, T.H.I.N.K. Before you Speak! T.H.I.N.K.is an acronym that stands for T. Is it true? H. Is it helpful? I. is it inspiring? N. is it necessary? K. is it KIND? When we answer NO to any of these questions it is best not to say what we are going to say, keep it in our thinking bubble. 

I encourage you to connect with your students and ask them about one thing they learned during our time together this last month. What is one thing that has been helpful to them?

The end of the year holidays can be a busy season. The holiday season can also bring lots of feelings, comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. Please make a conscious effort to take time to breathe, and slow down a little to appreciate small moments and make connections with your students (read a book together, drink some hot cocoa, play outside, cuddle, etc).

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is something I can support you or your child with. You can reach me by calling our school office or emailing me directly at: jacqueline.brown@oshkosh.k12.wi.us.

Wishing you and your loved ones well!

 

Questions, Concerns, Suggestions...

At Jefferson Elementary, we are dedicated to providing the best educational program possible for our children. Should something occur that you have a question about or are unhappy with, please give your child's teacher a call first and then your child's principal so that they can work together with you to address your needs. Amanda Patza can be reached at 424-0165.  If you have a concern that you have been unable to resolve with a staff member or the principal, you may call the district office at 424-0395 and they will help you address your concern and/or connect you with others who can help.

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIALIST CORNER! Click on the arrows to see what's happening in specials!

 

 

 

Please click on the links below to view this month's menus:

December Breakfast Menu

December Lunch Menu

 

 This month during our PBIS assembly and PBIS Mash-Up and as part of teaching our students the Conscious Discipline structures in our classroom we will be learning about The Safe Place. The Safe Place is a space in our classrooms that is utilized as a self-regulation learning center. The Safe Place in our classrooms may look slightly different. However they are all equipped with tools for calming and self-regulation. The Safe Place provides students with a space to remove themselves from a situation that may be triggering them so that they are able to become calm and maintain control when they are angry, frustrated, sad, or scared.  The Safe Place is NOT time out. We will learn together the 5 Steps to Self-Regulation: 

I am

I calm

I feel

I choose

I Solve

Conscious Discipline offers resources on their website for families. If you would like to learn more about creating a safe place at your home for your kids or check-out other resources or ideas of strategies you could use at home, feel free to visit their website and explore. Here is link: https://consciousdiscipline.com/free-resources/