January 2016
Maple Lane Gazette
UPCOMING EVENTS
 1/21 - Firefighter Visit
 2/8 - Hall of Fame
Assembly & Lunch
 Friday, 2/12 and
Monday 2/15
No School
Mid-Winter Break
From Dodd’s Desk...
Dear Parents:
I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our Maple Lane families a happy and healthy New
Year! I hope your holiday was relaxing and filled with memories to cherish with family and
friends. As our students transition back to their academic routines, I want to remind you that
the end of the second card marking is quickly approaching: January 22nd. As always, be sure to
contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
You may have noticed that the MSTEP/MI-Access results have been mailed to your home.
These state assessments were taken last spring using the computer. Our teachers have been
working on analyzing the data we gleaned from this information in order to promote student
achievement. Students will take these tests again this year in the spring. If you have any questions about the data or the printout you’ve received, please do not hesitate to call us.
This month, we will be continuing to focus on following our RACE rules in various areas across
Maple Lane. Students will be rewarded with praise and motor money for displaying positive behaviors. We also have opportunities to practice the skills they learn within the community at
Bonanza Lanes and other offsite locations such as the Warren City Pool.
Mark your calendar, because Family Fun Night is coming back! We have scheduled this annual
event for Thursday, February 25 from 5:45-7:30. There will be a raffle as well as fun activities for the whole family. We hope you’ll join us for a night of games, fun and family!
Thank you for providing support for your child’s education. We enjoy working with you as a team
and look forward to a successful 2016 at Maple Lane!
Sincerely,
Jack Dodd
Principal
1
Our class worked on a unit about the solar system
and planets. They learned about the hottest and coldest
planets. The two hottest planets are Mercury and Venus.
The eighth planet, Neptune, is the coldest planet in our
solar system. If Pluto was still a planet it would be the
coldest. As a follow-up activity, the children created a
replica of the solar system using Foamies and a visual on
the Mimio!
The class also learned about the three branches of the
United States government and the history of how our
Constitution was written.
Merry Christmas from all of us in Room 3!
Well, December was a very busy month for our classroom! I think
that we worked as hard as Santa Claus himself.... just like his elves do!
The staff and students of room 3 dedicated the month of December
to "giving back" and "doing for others". We talked a lot about the
importance of giving back to others, instead of always "getting". We
have seen by example how WONDERFUL it makes us feel to give to
others. We made cards and gifts for our families, we baked all kinds
of goodies to share and we made cute snowmen on sleds out of candy
canes and marshmallows! We even gave a snowman to Mr. Dodd. We
are sure he ate the whole thing!
The best part of December was definitely the presentation of our
Christmas play - "5 Gifts For Santa". Many of the students in room 3
were part of the choir. They worked very, very hard to learn their
songs and dance steps. Without the choir, the play would not have
been nearly as special!!! It was so nice to see so many families at the
program and we all hope that everyone had as much fun as we did
doing it !
*** A Special Note from Miss Linda ***
I want to thank ALL of the students who participated in the play- both the actors and the singers. You all worked very hard to make it the special play that
it became. You made "5 Gifts for Santa" come to life! I loved getting to know
you all better, and watching you become wonderful singers, dancers, and actors!
See you next year!! Miss L.
2
R4 all enjoyed their holiday break. We returned to school refreshed
and ready to work on our academics! We have been working on our
writing and reading skills. We are also working with Dr. Kress on our
Zone Regulations in Social Skills. We did, however, find time to take a
break from our studies to enjoy a fresh snowfall on the playground!!
Welcome back to the New Year 2016! The students seemed excited
to be back. Each shared what they did over break. We hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. Now that the holiday
festivities are over, we are back to our regular schedule and routine.
We continue to work on the Zones of Regulation, to monitor what
zone we are in. This helps students and adults to bring themselves back to the green zone (which is optimal for learning).
Knowing the zones helps oneself regulate our emotions. There are
4 zones: BLUE - slow, tired sluggish, sick, YELLOW - frustrated,
anxious, nervous, GREEN - happy, focused, calm and RED - mad,
upset, over-excited. A great movie to watch with your child is
Inside Out.
Aiden and Macayla were in the play.
-Macayla
We had fun decorating Christmas cookies.
–Alivia
We did holiday arts and crafts, it was fun.
-Andrew
Miss Lori made chocolate chip pancakes for us.
–Jamal
Ms. Talos came back at the end of December.
–Jamal
Aiden and Michael are now integrated.
-Aiden
3
Room 7 wrote a “Pass back” story (every student writes one sentence
and then folds the paper so they do not know what was written).
The topic was “It was cold and snowy outside…”
Snowing outside makes me feel good.
I went outside to have fun.
I’ll stay inside, I don’t like the cold.
Then my cat got stuck.
There was no snow on Christmas Eve.
It was cold and cloudy outside.
Snowflakes are coming from the sky.
I like cupcakes and a big piece of cake.
The end.
This month the students in R10 helped make nutritious lunches for
area homeless shelters. They got ideas from their school breakfast
and lunches along with making homemade peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches.
We all enjoyed watching the Maple Lane Christmas play and Nick
even had a part in the play!
Dan and Justin have begun helping Mr. Jeff with recycling and other
custodial duties. We are very proud of them!
Happy New Year!
Last month we had several students working hard for the school play
performance. James and Mark were in the choir. Carlos was an elf.
Our very own Stella, from R13, was Mrs. Claus. They all did a great job!
This month we started a new science unit on energy and we began
learning about early English settlements in social studies. Additionally,
students are looking forward to the several field trips we have planned
in January.
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R14 IS SOARING INTO THE NEW YEAR
2016 is here and we have been thinking about ways to be better
students and individuals. Students began the New Year writing their
New Year’s Resolutions. All of the kids had great ideas on ways to
improve themselves in the coming year.
Terrell D. as Santa
in the school play!
In addition to making their resolutions, the students have been learning about the American Revolution and the freedoms that people have
fought for. We have been learning about timelines and have created
one on the revolution and one on the life of Martin Luther King.
Another person who has fought for the freedoms we appreciate
today.
Not only have we been working hard and learning new things, R14 was
lucky enough to have bowling two weeks in a row. Last week we went
to Bonanza Lanes and this week we got to experience cosmic bowling,
which was put together by our gym teacher, Ms. Kelly. Though the
kids loved both, they especially loved the cosmic bowling. The lights
were awesome and the kids were thrilled by the experience! All in all,
we are off to a GREAT start this year!
Movie Showings for Guests & Families Living with Autism
or Other Special Needs
AMC is proud to partner with the Autism Society to bring you unique movie showings
where you can feel free to be you! We turn the lights up and turn the sound down so you
can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing!
We are now expanding our Sensory Friendly Film program to four showings per month.
 The second and fourth Tuesday and Saturday.
 Family-friendly movies will continue to show Saturdays, starting at 10am local time
We've added Tuesday showings at 7pm local time that may appeal to others on the
autism spectrum.
www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films
5
The Psychologist Is In
Dr. Elaine E. Kress
LET’S TALK ABOUT THOSE ZONES!
Many parents have been hearing about “The Zones” from their youngsters. Last year the
Maple Lane Social Skills Team piloted the social skill program known as: Zones of Regulation by
L.M. Kuypers. This year all students are participating in the curriculum.
The lessons and activities are designed to help our students gain skills in the area of selfregulation. Self-regulation can go by many names: self-control, self-management, impulse control. We are teaching students to be in control of their body and emotions.
The lessons and learning activities are designed to help students recognize when they are in
different Zones as well as the creation of a “toolbox of strategies” that can help the student
change their emotional Zone. It is our goal that students will gain an increased vocabulary of
emotional terms, skills in reading people’s facial expressions and body language, and gaining
perspective about how others see and react to their behaviors.
We are hoping our Maple Lane youngsters will gain insight into events that trigger their
behavior, develop both calming and alerting strategies, and the necessary problem solving
skills that will help them navigate both the school and community at large.
You will hear some “Zones Language” at home, and we encourage you to engage in conversations about the Zones with your children. This will help your youngster learn skills quickly and
apply them in many situations. It is natural for everyone to experience all of the Zones at one
time or another.
The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness, such as feeling sad,
tired, sick or bored. This is when one’s body and brain are working slowly and sluggishly.
The Green Zone is used to describe a regulated state of alertness. You are described as calm, happy, focused, or content. Here at Maple Lane we call this “The Learning Zone”.
The Yellow Zone is used to describe a heightened state of alertness, however you
still have some control over your body and mind. A person may be experiencing stress,
frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, nervousness, or confusion. In the Yellow
Zone we are often squirmy, wiggly, or sensory seeking, we are starting to lose control.
The Red Zone is used to describe an extremely heightened state of alertness or
very intense feelings. A person may be experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior,
panic, terror, or elation. Being in the Red Zone can best be explained by not being in
control of one’s body.
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Use the Language and talk about the concepts of The Zones at home.
Help your child gain awareness of his or her Zone or feelings by pointing out what you
observe.
Talk about what Zone is “expected” in a situation or how a Zone may be “unexpected”.
Share with your child how their Zone feeling/behaviors are effecting the Zone you are in
and how you feel.
Show interest in learning about your child’s triggers and their Zones Toolbox
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New Year’s
Resolutions!
R6
Start going to the gym more - Michael
To be good and stay on drive B - Jamal
I want to be on YouTube like Stampy - Alivia
I want to be an inventor and an actor - Malachi
To help my mom win the lottery - Andrew
R7
Dyson - I want to be a better reader and writer
D’Kin - I want to be better at math
Brody - I want to be a happier person
Keandre - I want to be a better football player
Joshua - I want to help my parents clean the house
Lestat - I want to be better at math
Cameron - I want to be a better pet owner to my cats
Reno - I want to be a better soccer player
R14
Darrius says he wants to study harder this year
Patrick wants to share his cars more
My’Kell wants to share his personality more with the
people around him.
7
WINTER JOKES & RIDDLES!!
Q. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?
A. Frostbite.
I can swim or walk for miles.
I’m big with thick, white hair.
I live up in the Arctic.
I am a ________
I’m big and white and made of snow,
So I’ll never have a tan.
When the sun comes out, I melt away.
Each year, I’m a new ______
(SNOWMAN)
(POLAR BEAR)
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