PTA
Happy October from the PTA!
First of all we want to thank
everyone who signed up to
help with different events and
activities at Back to School
night! We so appreciate your
willingness to help! Don't worry, if you didn't get to sign up
on Back to School night, there
are still lots of things to help
with! And if any of you are interested, we are still looking to
fill the position of President
Elect on our board. We would
also like to invite all of our PTA
members to attend our meetings the first Friday of the
month at 9am.
We had a very successful Book
Fair! Thanks to all those who
showed up and supported it.
Did you know that out PTA
purchased books at the Book
Fair for EVERY student at JR
Smith? They get one for their
birthday and one for Christmas.
Pretty cool huh?
Halloween Carnival
Don't miss the Halloween Carnival at the Rec center. It's coming
up on October 29. And JR Smith
always has the best booth! So
come on out and enjoy with your
family. If you would like to help
with that please contact Jason and
Teresa Crumpton, they do an
amazing job!
October 2015
PATHFINDER PRESS
J. R. Smith Elementary
235 East 500 North
Heber City, UT 84032
(435) 654-2201
www.wasatch.edu/jrsmith
The Pensive Principal
J.R. Smith Elementary continues to be a high quality
school! Recently the SAGE data was released. Our students
continue to demonstrate high learning! Two examples: Our
fourth grade math showed 16% MORE students proficient in
math than the district and state average. Our science test data
showed 11% MORE students proficient in science than the
district and state average. HUZZAH! Our grade was a B. We
are the highest performing school in the district!
We are excited for all of our parent volunteers! However, we
still need some more. Specifically,
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Mr. Jason Crumpton needs volunteers
to help with the J.R. Smith Elementary
OCT. 1
booth at the county Halloween Party. If
3RD GRADE FIELD TRIP
you'd like to help him, please feel free to
OCT. 6
give him a call at: 435-503-0038.
FALL PICTURES
Another way our parents serve our
school is by being part of our
community council. The community
council is responsible to oversee the
expenditures of the trustlands money
our school receives. Our plan is
available on our website. As per state
statute, the parent side of the council is
currently in the process of selecting a
new parent for the parent side.
Thanks for all you do! It's outstanding
to be part of something so grand!
J.R. Smith is a Safe, Kind, Responsible place
for me to learn and grow . . . Wahoo!!!
OCT. 14
4TH GRADE FIIELD TRIP
OCT. 15-16
FALL BREAK
NO SCHOOL
OCT. 23
3RD GRADE
GRANDPARENT DAY
OCT. 29
4TH GRADE
PRIMITIVE SKILLS DAY
OCT 30
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY
NO SCHOOL
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October 2015
Pathfinder Press
From the Counselors Toolbag
The ABC’s of Crayons to College and Career Program is back again this year. We are so excited to help more students start saving for college.
There is new research that shows that children with college savings have greater college expectations. It also shows that children with college
savings do better academically. Even a small college savings account can have a big impact on college enrollment and graduation. In fact, children
with $500 or less saved for college were 3 times more likely to enroll and 4 times more likely to graduate than children with no savings at all.
Saving now for the future is so important.
As a result of this, the ABCs of Crayons to College and Career Program was created to help students start saving for college, while also learning
soft skills necessary for college and career readiness. Each week, Mr. Brown will announce an attribute or soft skill for that week and what it
means. Teachers will have posters in their classrooms as a reminder of what attribute we are focusing on. Students will be asked to practice
that specific skill during the week. Sometime during the week, each teacher will select a student who has demonstrated that skill well, and that
student will be given a ticket to be put in for a weekly drawing for a $10 college savings certificate. The winning student will be drawn the following Wednesday and will receive a prize, a $10 college savings certificate and parents will be notified. In addition to earning the $10 college
savings certificate and prize from the school, as of the date of this publication, Wells Fargo Bank, Utah Community Credit Union, Heber Valley
Bank, America First Credit Union, Mountain America Credit Union and Zions Bank have generously agreed to partner with the schools and
match the original $10. We are so grateful for the wonderful community partners we have that are so invested in helping our students succeed.
The weekly skills and attributes that were focused on in September included the following: Attitude, Behavior, College and Training, Communication & Determination.
The skills for October will include:
Effort: Give 100% in everything you do. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Don't worry about being THE best, just do YOUR best.
Make every day a gold-medal day.
Flexibility: Are you able to adapt or adjust readily to changing conditions? Things are constantly changing. Things don’t always work out as
planned, but no matter how well you plan, you will fair better if you expect the unexpected. Sometimes it is just better to go with the flow.
Friends and Family: Be friendly. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “The only way to have a friend, is to be one.” Friends and family can be a great
resource to help you. They will encourage and support you in good times and in bad, through success and failure. They are your safety net; let
them laugh with you and cry with you.
Goal Setting: Take on challenges. Set goals and see them through from start to finish with enthusiasm and drive. Write it down. Written
goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; cant's into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don't just think it - ink it! Feel
proud of your accomplishments.
Along with content knowledge, there is an increasing need for students to learn “soft skills.” Learning the ABC’s of Crayons to College and Career skills, practicing these skills at school and having them reinforced at home will help students master the skills needed to be college and career ready and ultimately be successful in the future.
THE LIBRARY SHELF
Your student can check a book out in the J.R. Smith library every week? Kindergarten and
1st grade students are able to get one book and 2nd through 4th grade students are able to
check out two books each week. However if they do not return a book they can’t check out
another until the previous one is returned.
DID YOU KNOW? WE HAVE A GREAT SELECTION OF SPANISH TITLES IN THE LIBRARY! **Dual
Immersion students in third grade have been asked by their teachers to check out one
Spanish and one English book.**
PLEASE REMIND YOUR STUDENT TO RETURN THEIR BOOKS TO THE LIBRARY
SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY A LATE FEE.
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October 2015
Pathfinder Press
Internet Safety
October is internet Safety Month at J.R. Smith Elementary
Internet Safety Questions for Parents
1. Passwords – Does your child know how to create a safe, secure password that is easy to
remember and does not reveal personal information?
2. Privacy – Does your child know how to keep their information private, including birth
day/age, email, address, and phone number? This information can be used for identification.
3. Photographs – Does your child know that photographs may reveal personal information
(such as a license plate or street sign), and to turn off geotagging features?
4. Protection – Does your child understand what malware, viruses, phishing, and identity
theft are and how to protect their devices?
5. Digital Footprint – Does your child understand that anything they put on-line leaves a
permanent impression? Do they know that they can never really delete something once it is
online? Have you talked with them about taking care of their digital footprint and online
reputation?
If you have any questions, please feel free to email our technology coach, Heidi Westrop [email protected]. Also, watch our Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/www.JRSmithElementary) for more tips about how to keep
your students safe.