February 2021

As Artists, we are making all kinds of art in the classroom! We are working with clay, paint, glaze, oil pastels and more! Kindergarteners have made trinkets to bring home, and are gearing up for March, in like a Lion, out like a Lamb! First graders are chugging along and making circus train cars for their animals and then moving onto flowers. Second graders are making warm and cool colored jellyfish while being prepared to make more 3D projects! Third graders have brought home their clay lanterns and will soon be making flower arrangements also. Fourth grade is diving deep into the meaning of Starry Night by VanGogh and coiling bowls. Fifth grade has just finished glazing their Frank Llyod Wright houses and will be doing a fun activity to celebrate. 

February has a lot in store for Miss Stumpf’s  Art Classroom, and practicing patience, social distancing, and classroom procedures is key! 

REMINDERS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Winter is here and students are wearing boots to school. Please remember that boots are not appropriate shoes to wear in the gym and all students need to have a SEPARATE pair of gym shoes to wear for Physical Education class. If this is an issue, please contact me so that we can work something out. Also, please ask your student(s) if their shoes still fit! Elementary students grow quickly and their gym shoes may not fit them the entire year. You may see reminder notes coming home with students that pertain to these items.

 

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION?

It has been a whirlwind to be back in the gym for PhyEd but we are making the best of it! Since we have been back in person, Kindergarten and first grade students have mastered their locomotor skills and have received their locomotor license. The license says that they have shown that they can walk, run, skip, gallop, slide, leap, jump, and hop. Ask your student(s) to show you the new skills they have learned! In second and third grade, students have been working on their hand and foot dribbling skills, along with long jump rope skills in third grade. The upper grades of fourth and fifth have worked on striking skills and volleying. So much fun and learning has been had since we have been back.

 

WHAT’S NEXT IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION?

February is a FUN month for the Jefferson Patriots! It is Kids Heart Challenge month. The kickoff for the Kids Heart Challenge is February 15th! The first parent letter and donation envelope will be sent home the week before. Did you know that students can get a wristband just for signing up ONLINE? And they can earn the second wristband by taking on Finn’s mission on the website! They don’t even have to raise any money! 

 

KIDS HEART CHALLENGE

Kick off is February 15th and the event runs through March 15th.  If you want to get signed up early to receive a wristband, go to http://www2.heart.org/goto/jeffersonoshkoshwi and put in your information!

 

SPORTSMANSHIP

As we come back to 100% in person school, it is vital that we focus on sportsmanship not just in the gym, but throughout the entire building and at recess as well. Students at Jefferson work on being safe, helpful and kind and in turn, become good sports. We have a sportsmanship board in the gym and if any student is caught being a good sport they get their name on the board along with what they did! 

 

TIPS TO BE FIT AT HOME

The snow is here but that shouldn’t stop you from getting exercise! Here are a few tips for indoor and outdoor fun!

Shovel instead of using the snowblower (but be careful not to hurt yourself).

Build a snowman! Rolling that giant snowball through the yard is hard work!

Go for a run/walk. Sometimes the crunch of the snow beneath your feet after a fresh snowfall is the best sound. Enjoy it while getting some exercise.

Make fitness fun by making it a competition! Challenge your family members to see who can do the most jumping jacks before time runs out, or before the commercial during your favorite show is over. 

It’s resolution season! Did you make a fitness resolution? If you did, keep going with it! It takes 21 days to make a habit so don’t stop now! But if not, remember there is no time like today to get started. Think of it as Feb-YOU-ary and take some time for YOU!

 

It has been great to see everyone back in school again! In the month of January we did a lot of reviewing to make sure that everyone was caught up. We also have been playing different instruments in each grade, such as xylophones, boomwhackers, drums, and other percussion instruments. In February we will be learning some new songs and games at all grade levels. We will also be playing more instruments, as well as using technology to create music.

 

 

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP TOPIC: PRIVACY & SECURITY

 

When kids start to go online, whether they're playing multiplayer games, using educational apps, or just following their curiosity on Google, it's important that they understand the basics of online privacy and safety. With some general guidelines around what information is and isn't OK to share, and some help from parents when they're unsure, kids can have fun and learn a lot in the digital world. Click here for 5 tips! 

Digital Citizenship is teaching students how to be respectful, responsible, safe, and trustworthy when using technology.

 

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!

Don’t forget all of the ways we can get books into your kiddos hands right now.  Here are the usernames andpasswords that you may need to use to get to our school’s databases while at home.  If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Kese angie.kese@oshkosh.k12.wi.us