ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016

Arbury Hills School

19651 Beechnut Drive

Mokena, IL 60448

(708) 479-2106

www.summithill.org

ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016

Morning Arrival Supervision Please note the following morning activity times as supervision is limited:

Tutoring begins at 7:50 A.M. (*Some Math Tutoring Days Begin at 8:15)

Clubs begin at 8:10 A.M.

Supervision for all other students begins at 8:50 A.M. when the front doors open.

UPCOMING DATES

1/1- Winter Break Continues

1/4- School Resumes

1/4- PBIS Assembly – Bubble Wonders

1/4- Jump Rope for Heart Assembly

1/6- 2nd Grade Guest Speaker

1/8- STARS Treat Day

1/8- Box Top Baggies Due for Contest

1/11- SHEF Meeting

1/11- SHEF Grant Applications Begin

1/13- Board of Education Meeting

1/13- Fire Prevention – 1st-3rd

1/14- STARS Hot Lunch

1/14- Chuck E. Cheese Fundraiser 4pm-9pm at Restaurant for STARS

1/15- 12:10 Early Dismissal for Teacher In-Service

1/15- Dental Talks (1st-2nd)

1/15- Erin’s Law Presentations

1/15- End of Quarter

1/18- No School – MLK, Jr. Day

1/19- STARS Meeting at 3:30 P.M.

1/21- SHEF Pizza Fundraiser

1/27- 4th Grade Field Trip-Lyric Opera

1/27- PBIS Cart

1/27- Board of Education Meeting

1/29- Reports Cards & STAR Reports Issued

District 161 Online Calendar

Letter from the Principal

Dear Arbury Hills School Family:

Happy New Year and welcome to 2016! I hope your

family had a fun and relaxing holiday break. We are

very excited for school to resume!

As our first semester concludes this month, I reflect on

how quickly time has passed. So far, this year has been

filled with many positive learning experiences for our

students – both academically and socially. I am

extremely proud of all that we have been able to

accomplish in the first semester and look forward to an

even more successful second semester. Thank you for

your continued support at home and at school. Arbury

Hills is fortunate to have a strong volunteer base and a

very supportive community! The staff members at

Arbury Hills are dedicated to the success of all students

and focus on the education of the whole child.

Let’s make it a GREAT, New Year!

Sincerely,

Mr. Snipes

ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016

Back in Action

We have a fun and engaging first day planned as students return on Monday, January 4:

PBIS Assembly – Bubble Wonders

Jump Rope for Heart – Kick-Off Assembly

Jump Rope For Heart is coming soon! Parents, we are excited to kick-off Jump Rope For Heart! Your student is becoming a Heart Hero by taking care of his or her own heart, spreading the message of the American Heart Association, and raising funds for lifesaving research. Have your student jump online at heart.org/jump to send emails and ask for donations. ANY STUDENT WHO GOES ONLINE AND GETS A DONATION WILL BE RECOGNIZED AND RECEIVE THE SUPER PUP AND NINJA STAR PUPPIES.

Thank you for supporting the American Heart Association!

Emergency School Closings

http://www.emergencyclosingcenter.com

Outdoor Recess

Cold wintery weather is upon us... Don’t forget to send your child to school with a winter coat,

hat, and gloves. We will continue to have outdoor recess and it is important that students be

dressed for the outdoors. On snowy days, recess will still be held. Boots and snow pants are

required for students to play in the snow. Students that do not have boots and snow pants will

play on the blacktop. We will go outside every day the “feels like” temperature is at or above

20 degrees.

ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016

New Club Update

Two out of three newly proposed clubs will begin this month at Arbury Hills! Beginning the

week of January 25, the Basketball Club (3rd-4th Graders) and Art Club (3rd-4th Graders) will begin.

Unfortunately, there were not enough students enrolled to hold the Whale Club (2nd-4th

Graders). Due to Mrs. Olszta’s traveling schedule, Art Club will meet every other week.

Students attend two sessions in one day (lunchtime and after school) to receive the equivalent

number of sessions. Club sponsors will be sending welcome letters home in early January to

those students who signed up in December. All current clubs will also continue, unchanged.

SHEF – Save the Date

Please save the date for the SHEF Battle Balls Game scheduled for Sunday, March 20, 2016 at

LWN. You will NOT want to miss it!

Additional Ideas for School Success

Please remember to view the Firm, Fair, & Consistent Newsletter, Helping Children Learn, and

Daily Learning Planner on the Arbury Hills Newsletter webpage. You will find valuable tips to

help your child do well in school.

Arbury Hills School is a Bully Free Zone

We EXPECT RESPECT in all areas of the school at Arbury Hills. We work hard to ensure a safe,

nurturing, and positive climate for all students and staff. It is imperative that you help us

maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and free from bullying behaviors.

See below for tips to help your child in bullying-type situations:

ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016 What to Do If Your Child Bullies Others

If your child bullies other children at school, it will need to be stopped. Here are some things you can do

at home to address the issue with your child:

Make it clear to your child that you take bullying seriously and that it is not okay.

Make rules within your family for your child’s behavior. Praise your child for following the rules and use

nonphysical and logical consequences when rules are broken. A logical consequence for bullying could be losing

rights to use the phone to call friends, using email to talk with friends, or other activities your child enjoys.

Spend lots of time with your child and keep close track of his or her activities. Find out who your child’s friends

are and how and where they spend their free time.

Build on your child’s talents by encouraging him or her to get involved in positive activities (such as clubs, music

lessons, or nonviolent sports).

Share your concerns with your child’s teacher, counselor, and/or principal. Work together to send a clear

message to your child that his or her bullying must stop.

If you and your child need more help, talk with a school counselor and/or mental health professional.

What to Do If Your Child Is Being Bullied

If your child is being bullied at school, this can be a very painful experience for your child and your

family. Here are some things you can do to support your child if he or she is being bullied:

Never tell your child to ignore the bullying.

Don’t blame your child for the bullying. Don’t assume your child did something to provoke the bullying.

Allow your child to talk about his or her bullying experiences. Write down what is shared.

Empathize with your child. Tell him or her that bullying is wrong, that it is not his or her fault, and that you are

glad he or she had the courage to tell you about it.

If you disagree with how your child handled the bullying situation, don’t criticize him or her.

It is often very difficult for children to know how best to respond.

Do not encourage physical retaliation.

Check your emotions. A parent’s protective instincts stir strong emotions. Although it is difficult, step back and

consider the next steps carefully.

Contact a teacher, school counselor, or principal at your school immediately and share your concerns about the

bullying that your child has experienced.

Work closely with school personnel to help solve the problem.

Encourage your child to develop interests and hobbies that will help build resiliency in difficult situations like

bullying.

Encourage your child to make contact with friendly students in his or her class, or help your child meet new

friends outside of school.

Teach your child safety strategies, such as how to seek help from an adult.

Make sure your child has a safe and loving home environment.

If you or your child need additional help, seek help from a school counselor and/or mental health professional.

hazelden.org/olweus

ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016

Tech Bytes with Mrs. Hudziak

This month blew right by!

All students completed the winter benchmark STAR test for Reading and Math.

Our first grade students were introduced to Microsoft Word this month. The students learned

about text font and size. They changed each before beginning to type the alphabet and locate

letters on the keyboard. They even used the shift key to make uppercase letters while typing!

During the week of December 7th, all students participated in the Hour of Code. They learned

that computer science is fun, easy, and accessible at all ages. Students began using a simple

block style method for video game coding. Some students assembled code directions to direct

the Angry Bird to the Evil Pig (Elementary courses – Course 1 and Course 2). While other

students chose to assemble code directions for Flappy Bird, Frozen, Minecraft, and Star Wars.

Feel free to check out the website http://code.org for the FREE courses available for all ages.

The students loved being engaged in the computer science problem solving activities!

ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016

STARS Update – Important News from our STARS SCO

Contest #2 - Box Top Baggies:

Please return your Box Top Baggies by Friday, January 8, 2016.

Thank you to all of our families and staff members for making our STARS

Winter Fest: After School Bash a success! Our students had a great time…

ARBURY HILLS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: January 2016

Shopping cart filled with pies to

donate to the Frankfort Food

Pantry after our Coin War!