Dates to Remember
December
7
14
16
18
21-Jan. 4
January
5
PTC Meeting 4:30 Library
North Pole Store 9-11:30 Library
Parenting Class 5:30-7
Last Day of Second Quarter
Christmas Break
First day of Third Quarter
Dear Families,
I have been trying to find the perfect toy to give to my new 5 month old Grandson for Christmas
and so I have been looking at the ads, looking in different stores, and wracking my brain to find
what might be the best gift. I want something that is engaging, appropriate for his age, and totally
perfect. What shall it be?
There are so many special toys these days that light up, turn around,
talk, move, and dazzle you with color. Boy, some of them are expensive too. But wait… I remember
the perfect play toy my girls liked when they were little. It was a box. During summer and
Christmas break we would go to the furniture stores and get a big box or we would go to a shoe
store and get small boxes and then every day those simple items would become the best inventions.
Rocket ships, castles complete with draw bridges, cars, doll houses, restaurants, ships, train
depots, and time travel machines were all made out of these simple boxes. My girls are 20 and 25
now and they still mention the box creations that we made on those lovely days during school break.
Interestingly enough, they fondly mention those silly boxes more than any expensive gift I ever
labored over to purchase during those frantic days before Christmas. So, what is the lesson
learned? Maybe I should be looking for the perfect gift that challenges his creativity, stays
simple and inexpensive, encourages exploration and challenges his imagination. I think for this year
a teething ring or two, a rattle, and a couple of good books will be perfect. I hope your holiday is a
wonderful experience and remember; some of the most simple things can become the most special
for your family.
Have a very Merry Christmas and soak up all those things that make you a great family.
Vernann Raney
FYI
In March 2010, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and
Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions and then mail the
form back in the postage-paid envelope provided. Statistical information about population
affects the federal funding our school receives. The census is anonymous. We thank you,
in advance, for participating in the upcoming census.
MUSIC NEWS!
The all-school (k-5) holiday program will be on Tuesday, Dec. 10th at 7 PM at the AVALON
THEATER. Please have students there by 6:15 to find their class and put on their costumes.
Thanks to parents and students who participated in the music fundraiser at the Christmas tree
lighting the day after Thanksgiving. SPECIAL THANKS to our principal, Vernann Raney, Nola Daily,
Krissy DeWitt, Kaylene Smith, and Ruth and Katy Bond. The money will probably be used to replace
our temperamental CD player in the music room....and purchase new music, instruments, etc.
Musically Yours-Ruth Bond and Pam Opsal-Dos Rios Music Directors
Hoping music has touched your life in some way today, and that you have chosen to share it with
others.
Friday Fun Hat Day
By: Dionna Martinez & Alejandra Mendoza
Friday Fun Hat Day is a day to wear a hat indoors and outdoors at our school. To
participate in Friday Fun Hat Day, you must bring $1. Make sure that it’s appropriate for
learning. Friday Fun Hat Day will be this Friday. If it turns out well, we will have Friday
Fun Hat Day the first Friday of every month.
Everybody in the school, including teachers, can participate in Friday Fun Hat Day,
but you don’t have to participate. Friday Fun Hat Day is a fundraiser for the 5th Grade to
have eyeball dissection, and owl pellet dissection. Please help the 5th Grade team to be
able to do these fun learning activities.
Thanks for all your help!
Sincerely,
5th Grade
Nickels
As any parent with school age children my husband and I have tried to find ways to
keep control of the amount of time our boys spend in front of the screen. That includes
computer, T.V., video games and watching movies. So we decided to give our boys a small
allowance every week for doing their daily chores. Our boys know that they need to have
their chores done before school every morning. They don’t have anything to hard that
can’t be done in a short amount of time. Things like get dressed, make bed, pick up room,
brush teeth, comb hair, wash your face and hands, get breakfast, and most important hug
mom and dad. Nothing too complicated for a morning routine. Now their allowance is
$2.00 a week. When you have 3 kids like we do, we were concerned about the cost to our
budget as well when it comes to an allowance. So we thought the $2.00 a week is a good
start for their ages (7, 9, 11) and as they get older we may have to adjust it. Now here is
where the time management part begins because we give our boys their $2.00 allowance in
nickels. So each week they get a roll of nickels on Monday. Each nickel represents a half
an hour of “screen time” how ever they choose. We also went and got timers from
Wal-Mart that go up to an hour one for each child as well as a small jar for each child’s
nickels. The jars of nickels and timers stay on the refrigerator. When they choose to use
their nickels they get a nickel from their jar and put it in the nickel bucket then they set
their timer for the time they paid for. Now say they all want to watch a movie, then they
each pay for the amount of time it takes to watch the movie. If they choose not to finish
the movie then they can’t get nickels back for unused minutes. We also do not allow roll
over minutes so they loose the money if they choose to go do something else, they can’t
pause their time and come back to it. Now they can loose nickels for not doing their chores
or bad behavior, usually we make it a 4 nickel punishment for such instances. They can also
earn extra nickels for doing extra chores like empty and fill the dishwasher, sweeping and
mopping the kitchen, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms and so on. Each payment for those
chores varies depending on the level of difficulty and time it takes to do it. On Sunday
they get to keep whatever money is left from their jar. What we have found is that this
not only teaches them time management, but also budgeting as well because they want to
make sure and have nickels to use all week. For now this is working real well for us and our
children. Now as they get older we may have to adjust it or come up with something
different altogether, but the key is to be consistent! Oh and what we are choosing to do
with the nickels they spend is we have a big jar on the fridge that we are collecting them
in and once that jar is full we will spend it on some family fun.
Julie Berg
Dos Rios Parent