WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION?

During the month of September, all students at Jefferson Elementary have been learning routines, as well as basic movement skills and games. All students have an understanding on how to enter the gym, where their ‘sit spots’ are on the floor, and how to look prepared so that Mrs Lange can give directions. Games and activities that were introduced in September include tag games, spatial awareness games, and teamwork games, and we’ve also started throwing and catching skills. 

Kindergarten has been focused on the underhand throw, learning to repeat cue words such as “tick-tock goes the clock.” First and second grade students have had a choice of over or underhand throw, and have been focused on proper form as well as stepping with the opposite foot. Third through fifth grade students have been playing throwing and catching games that require accuracy to a target. 

WHAT’S NEXT IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION?

Throwing and catching will continue into October. The first week of October is also Take Your Family To P.E. Week and we are so excited to have families join us in the gym! Once we finish throwing and catching, kindergarten through third grade will focus on striking which can be done in various ways and with various implements. Some examples include kicking a soccer ball, hitting a ball with a bat, as well as using a lollipop and/or pickleball paddle to strike a smaller ball. Fourth and fifth grade students will begin a bowling unit! They will play games that involve bowling balls and pins, but will also learn the traditional game of bowling along with keeping score the ‘old fashioned’ way...on paper!

MASKS AND GYM SHOES

Thank you for making sure that your student(s) have the proper footwear at school for Physical Education Class. It keeps our gym floor clean and our toes safe! If you see a note home about gym shoes it is a reminder that your student needs new shoes or they need to bring their gym shoes back from home.

Masks are to be worn at all times in Physical Education UNLESS we go outside, and until we hear otherwise from our superintendent.  Students have been doing a wonderful job of this. The biggest challenge we are having is that some masks are too big for little faces and they fall down when we run. We have a solution to this problem (twist your ear loop), but please make sure that your student(s) masks fit properly so they do not have to continue to pull it back up over their nose every time they run. 

TIPS TO BE FIT AT HOME

While watching television, use the commercial breaks as your workout time! Have a family challenge to see who can do the most jumping jacks, push ups, or sit ups before the commercial is over. You can even use your furniture to add into the fun. Use a couch or a chair to create an incline/decline push up, or turn yourself around and use them for a tricep dip. The possibilities for fitness at home are endless!

September has been a crazy, busy month, but it is great to have everyone back in school for a new (hopefully more normal) year. Every grade has been playing fun games and learning new songs to get to know each other better and to get back into the routine of school.

Mark your calendar! We will have 2 concerts this year, one in the winter for grades K-2, and one in the spring for grades 3-5.

Thursday, December 2nd: Students in grades K, 1, and 2 will be performing.

Tuesday, March 1st: Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be performing.

Both concerts will start at 6pm, and they will both take place in the Alberta Kimball Auditorium inside Oshkosh West High School. I will be sending out more information as the concerts get closer. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email me at april.schneider@oshkosh.k12.wi.us 

October is Digital Citizenship & National Bullying Prevention Month

5 Safety Tips for Kids 

1. Don’t give out personal information 

2. Never send pictures to strangers 

3. Keep passwords private, except for parents 

4. Don’t download anything without your parents permission 

5. Tell an adult if you receive a mean or strange message - don't respond and save the evidence

As a parent or guardian, there are many things you can do to make sure that you’re supporting and growing your child’s literacy skills at home every day. Here are a few easy ideas:

Things You Can Do to Raise a Reader 

1. Read from day one. Start a reading routine in those very first days with a newborn.

2. Share books every day. Read with your child every day, even after he or she becomes an independent reader. 

3. Reread favorites. Most children love to hear their favorite stories over and over again. Rereading books provides an opportunity to hear or see something that may have been missed the last time and provides another chance to hear a favorite part. 

4. Visit the library early and often. Make visiting the library part of your family’s routine. 

5. Find reading and writing in everyday things. Take the time to show your child ways that adults use reading and writing every day.

6. Talk, talk, talk. A child’s vocabulary grows through rich conversations with others. No matter your child’s age, narrate what you’re doing, talk in full sentences, and add interesting words into your conversation.

Information from: "10 Things You Can Do to Raise a Reader." Reading Rockets, 2012. 

What’s new at the Oshkosh Public Library?

Every Friday at 4:30 p.m. on the Oshkosh Public Library’s Facebook page

Discover books, authors and genres that may inspire your 8 - 11 year-old to read something new! 

We’ll crack open a few of our favorites and read the first chapters aloud. 

 As teachers and families support students in becoming mathematical thinkers, we observe the Mathematical Practices that guide us in to learning more about how students are thinking.  See the eight mathematical practices below. 

To support building the habits of mind of a productive math thinker, the Mathematical Question Cards are a simple set of four two-sided cards based on the Math Practice Standards and designed for quick reference. The cards may be stored or posted near where the child works at home for easy access. Please see the cards on the next page.