COUGAR NEWS
KINGSLEY ELEMENTARY
Website: http://kingsley.waterloo.iowapaages.org
M a y / J un e 2 0 0 8 V olume 1, Issue 9 E li za b et h Ki lga rd , P ri ncip a l
Principal’s Corner
End of Year Announcements
There are many year end events planned and a couple of dates and times have changed. The Kindergarten Music program will headline our Talent Show, a new event added this year. The date for these two events has been moved to May 23. The kindergarten music program and the grade 1-5 talent show will start at 1:30 PM. Both events are in the Kingsley gym.
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Event Calendar
MAY
5/6 4th Grade to Des Moines 5/8 Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast 5/9 Talent Show Rehearsal 5/13 Ice Cream Social 5/19 SET Tournament 5/20 5th Grade Orientation @ Hoover 5/22 5th Grade to Dubuque 5/23 Kindergarten Music Program/Talent Show 5/26 Memorial Day NO SCHOOL 5/29 5th Grade Graduation/Band Orchestra Concert 2:00
KINGSLEY ELEMENTARY School Times M-T and TH-F 8:50-3:35 W 8:50-2:15 Supervision Starts 8:30
Let’s Have a Picnic
Another addition is a Picnic on the Boulevard planned between our Field Day events on June 4th. Parents and other family members are invited to join their Kingsley children for lunch. If you want to bring a special lunch for your child feel free or your child can order a school lunch for that day. Lunch will run from 11:30-12:15. You’ll need to bring a blanket to set out for your picnic. If it rains the picnic will be held inside. Notes will be sent home for a reminder.
Lunch Served on Last Day June 5th Your child can order a sack lunch for the last day of school or they can bring their own lunch from home. Students will be dismissed at 12:15 PM, after lunch. Please mark the time of dismissal for this day on your calendar and let your child know in advance where they are to go after school or who will be picking them up.
Help Your Child Stay Safe
Just a reminder that at Kingsley it is not safe to wear flip flops or any shoe that does not have full foot support. Shoes with high heels on kids are also dangerous. Students going up and down stairs during the day, running on the playground or climbing on the playground equipment are easily injured by not wearing appropriate supportive shoes.
6/4 Field Day/Parent-Child Picnic, 5th Grade to Art Pavilion 6/5 Student Last Day 12:15 Dismissal
August Registration Dates
Dates have been set for registering your child for the 2008-09 school year. They are Tuesday, August 12 12:00-6:00 and Wednesday, August 13 8:00-3:00. All children, regardless if they attended Kingsley this year or will be new kindergarten students, must be registered on these dates. Theses dates and time are set for you to pay fees and make any necessary changes to your child’s information form. Students in grades 15 will also be able to find out their classroom assignment for the year.
Kingsley Family Activity Week
A week in April was designated as Family Activity Week. Many families reported on a variety of activities that all members of the family could participate in. Several families set aside Friday nights as family night where movies with popcorn were enjoyed. Many play a variety of games from cards to word games to hiding a bead under one of three cups to see who can guess where the bead is. Cooking was also popular as well as making cards, decorating rocks for the garden and planting flowers. Some families traveled, one moved into a new home where they had a “wallpaper stripping” night. They stated, “Everyone sprayed and had a ball creating a mess! It was fun, family oriented and rewarding for us all.” It’s great to read all the different ways families are making the time for each other.
No New Principal Yet
The most recent word from human resources is that if no current qualified certified employee is selected to take over the Kingsley principal position by May 15 th, a committee will be formed to help interview candidates from outside the district.
Welcome Reception for New Superintendent The Board of Education for the Waterloo Community School District will host a welcome reception for the new Superintendent, Dr. Gary Norris and his wife, Julie, Thursday, May 8, 2008, from 4:30—6:00 p.m. The event will be held in the board room at the Education Service Center, 1516 Washington Street. The public is invited to attend. Norris is currently Superintendent of the Sarasota, FL, County School district, a position he has held since 2004. Prior to that, he was the Superintendent in Salina, KS; Indian River County, Vero Beach, FL; Hibbing MN; and Satanta, KS. Prior to filling these district leadership roles, he served as a high school administrator and vocal music teacher in several Kansas districts. He holds a B.A. from Bethany College, Lindsborg, KA; and a M.S. and a Ph.D. from Kansas State University in Educational Leadership.
Kingsley Talent Show Friday, May 23rd. 1:30 PM Character Counts – What’s Next?
It is time to step our Character Counts program up a notch. Our behavior data indicates that of the six pillars two seem to be the most difficult for students to demonstrate, respect and responsibility. The staff at Kingsley will be looking at adding PBS, Positive Behavior Support. Positive Behavior Support is a process for understanding and resolving the problem behavior of children that is based on values and research. It offers an approach for developing an understanding of why the child engages in problem behavior and strategies for preventing the occurrence of problem behavior while teaching the child new skills. Positive behavior support offers a holistic approach that considers all factors that impact on a child and the child’s behavior. The six pillars offer students the opportunity to learn universal values but they are not a program that specifically offers methods of teaching students new and appropriate skills that can help them deal with their frustrations and anger. PBS also provides teachers and support personnel with methods of responding to inappropriate behaviors. There are many websites that will help you understand this system better. Do a search for Positive Behavior Support Disrespect is bully behavior and is defined here at Kingsley as any mean word, look, sign, or act that threatens or hurts a person’s body, feelings, or things. Teasing that is done to be mean is disrespectful. No one is entitled to be disrespectful. The two biggest issues with lack of responsibility are doing what one is suppose to do when they are suppose to do it and accepting consequences for behavior choices. Preparing for tests and completing homework on time are student chores. Parents can help teach responsibility by assigning chores to kids. All members of the family should have responsibilities to help the family out. A good website for chore ideas that are age appropriate and for making a printable chore checklists is: http://www.printablechecklists.com/checklist11.shtml Providing your child with a study area with the tools of the homework trade is also helpful. Owning bad choices and accepting consequences is difficult. Kids want to justify their bad choice. Our job is to teach them that everyone makes bad choices sometimes, but the honorable thing to do is to admit to them, make restitution in some way and move forward. With both parents and Kingsley staff working together, we can help our children become the people they want to be.
Saying Goodbye is Difficult
After thirty-eight years in education I have decided it’s time to retire and pursue some other adventures. My husband has been retired for a few years and both of my children are married. I have two little granddaughters to make memories with and I want to enjoy my hobbies of golf, scrapbooking, antiquing and gardening. I do plan to return to Kingsley to volunteer. Making this decision was difficult because I have enjoyed working with the students and families at Kingsley. The parent support and involvement in this building is phenomenal and it has been a tremendous help to make my life as the principal easier. Becoming an elementary principal was my final career goal and I want to express my appreciation and thanks to all who have enriched my experience. I was truly blessed with a great staff and wonderful families.
Children Love Dogs
Our Kingsley neighbors and families are welcome to walk their dogs on our property during the school day and after hours but we ask that you not walk them with your child to school or when you come to pick them up. A natural instinct of children is to gather around an animal. The number of students outside the building before and after school might excite the dog and cause the dog to jump on them or even nip them. For your safety and the safety of our students please honor this request. Thank You.