DECEMBER 2012

VOLUME 4

Columbus News

COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 37 HICKS AVENUE, MEDFORD, MA 02155

WWW.MEDFORD.K12.MA.US

ised to show the new coordinator the ropes during our spring Book Fair. It is so hard to believe it is THANK YOU, Mrs. Dakermanji! December already. Time sure flies! Your children As we close have been learning so out 2012 I much in their classrooms would like to and during specials. Ask them about introduce you what they learn in school each day to to the winning engage in your childs daily lessons. logo for the Please be sure to accept your childs Columbus Eleteacher invitation to attend Parent/ mentary Teacher Conferences held this month. School. If there is a special teacher you would Teachers like to visit, please be sure to reach out chose several winners from student and request an appointment. All teach- submissions and then the Columbus ers can be reached via email by using School Council chose the finalist. the teachers first initial, last name Ryleigh Mulvihills creation will adorn @medford.k12.ma.us. You can prepare official Columbus documents into the for this important time by checking out new year. Congratulations to Ryleigh tips on the Principals Page on the Coand thanks to all our participants. lumbus website. I would also like to take this time to Thank you for your participation in our thank you for making my arrival at the fundraising efforts. Through your sup- Columbus Elementary School so welport of events such as the Meadowcoming. I enjoy getting to know you brook Farms catalogue and pies, Scrips and your children and hope you will Gift Cards, and the Scholastic Book Fair keep sharing yourselves with me as we we will be able to further enrich the continue into the new year. lives of our students. Funds will be used Wishing each Columbus family a to bring enrichment performances to joyous, healthy, & relaxing holthe Columbus, allow classes to take iday season. field trips, and offer new technology in the way of Mimios. A Mimio is an interactive system placed on a wall or dryerase board, attached using magnets. The system is then attached to a projector and computer. The user is then able to manipulate the contents displayed through the computer on the dry erase board. This new technology will ensure that our children are active and current in this new age of learning. Happy 2013! Special thanks to the PTO for organizing

Principals Corner

and managing all these events. Heart^t{xx ^t felt thanks is also sent to Mrs. Kathy kkay@medford.k12.ma.us Dakermanji for her tireless efforts in making the Scholastic Book Fair a success year after year. Unfortu* IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS nately for the Columbus, Mrs. * TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177 Dakermanji will move on to the middle school at the end of this * FAX : 781.393.2187 year. I would like to ask you to con* NURSE : 781.393.2175 sider taking over this event for the future. Mrs. Dakermanji has prom-

* ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.3503

December 1 December 5

PTO Winter Festival, 11:00am-3:00pm, Columbus Cafeteria Early Release Day, 1:30am Dismissal Evening, Parent/Teacher Conference Evening by appointment, 5:30pm-7:30pm

December 11 December 12 December 14 December 19 December 20 December 21

PTO Meeting, 6:30pm-7:30pm, Columbus Cafeteria Early Release Day, 1:30am Dismissal 5th Grade DARE Graduation. See distributed flyer for time

NO Early Release Day, Dismissal at 2:40pm

Festival, Winter Music Festival 10:15am-11:30am. ONLY TWO family members per family are invited to the performance due to Fire Code Columbus School Spirit Day, Pajama Day. Wear your PJs to school and Day bring a canned good for the Food Pantry. DISMISSAL at NOON!

24December 24-January 1 January 2

NO SCHOOL Holiday Break

School Resumes

Nurses Corner. Healthy Giving for Healthy Living

Holiday gifts have become extravagant and parties have become occasions for overindulgence. Physical activity levels decline thanks to shorter, colder days and our health is not what it should be. Gift giving to family members, teachers, friends, and co-workers - is a perfect opportunity to contribute to their good health. The toys and games that kids receive as gifts often encourage sedentary behavior, says Rob Bisceglie, Executive Director of Action for Healthy Kids. Adults can teach and model healthy habits by giving presents that encourage physical activity. Action for Healthy Kids suggests these easy ideas for giving the gift of health this holiday season: Fresh produce. Find bountiful baskets, send a bushel from an online citrus grower, or join an online Fruit of the Month club; Join a gymgive membership to an athletic club or YMCA; Find a fun fitness class-gift certificates are available for gymnastics, yoga, aerobics, rock climbing, tae kwon doe, dance lessons and dozens of other endeavors; Make a healthy tool box. Give toys that can be used in the basement or garage during inclement weather include balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, bubbles, and chalk for hopscotch; Embrace the cold. Snow toys, skis, sleds, and skates make cold weather fun; Plan a family adventure in lieu of wrapped presents, an active vacation will thrill the family! Try hiking, biking, whitewater rafting, or a walking trek; Make the most of screen time-kids of all ages love motion-controlled video games, music video dance games, and exercise DVDs; Dont forget the favorites. Bikes, tricycles, pogo sticks, roller or in-line skates, and scooters have always kept kids moving! A fresh, healthdriven perspective can make the holiday season an opportunity for children and adults alike to start practicing healthier habits, says Bisceglie. Why wait for the New Year? Be healthy now and have fun! ~ Adapted

from Master Teacher, Cut & Paste

DECEMBER Page 2

BOOK

REVIEWS

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner, Ages 4-8. A child wonders why a snowman looks droopy the morning after it was made and decides that snowmen must be nocturnal. The bouncy, rhyming text describes the imagined rumpus in which the snowmen have races, do tricks on skates, and bump into one another like clowns. "They gather up their snowballs, the pitcher takes his aim, and underneath the moonlit sky they play a baseball game. No one knows just how it started, but soon it's quite a sight-with snowmen throwing snowballs in the world's best snowball fight!" After a night of action, the tired snowmen return to their homes. The paintings capture the fun of the rollicking adventures and bring these round creations to life. The illustrations convincingly depict their solid bodies in action, and the moonlit snowy setting provides a sense of mystery. The imaginative description and lively art could provide an entertaining read-aloud for bedtime sharing or winter storytimes. ~ Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed, illustrated by McClintock Ages 6 and up. Barbara

This story is the perfect universal gift. Obeds memories of how the deepening Maine winter changed the quality of ice are cast as the vignettes of life lived on skates. The fragile First Ice turns into sturdier stuff Field Ice and Black Ice and so many moreuntil it can be cultivated as a skating rink for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. This slender little volume has an old-fashioned look, with cozy scenes captured in Barbara McClintocks evocative pen-and-ink drawings. ~Newsday Newspaper, Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Spirit of the Holidays, Oered Anonymously While shopping for holiday presents, one woman no ced a small girl with her father looking at dolls. Every me she saw a doll that she liked, she asked her father if she had enough money to buy it. Dad usually said, "Yes." Nearby, a mother and her young son were also looking at toys. But every me the boy no ced something he wanted to buy, his mother sadly told him he didn't have enough money. The boy looked longingly at a Pokemon toy, but ended up selec ng a book of s ckers. The girl, meanwhile, had nally se led on a Barbie doll, but when she saw the boy and his mother start toward the checkout, she put her doll down and snatched up the Pokemon toy. At the cash register, she quickly paid and then whispered something to the cashier, who smiled and placed the toy in a bag behind the counter. When the boy and mother were ready to pay for their purchases, the cashier produced the bag and told the boy that he was the store's 100th customer that day. When he looked in the bag and found the toy he'd wanted, the li le boy's face threatened to split with joy. Then the woman overheard the li le girl talking to her father. Dad asked why she'd bought the toy for the li le boy. The girl said, "Well, Grandma and Grandpa some mes buy me things to make me happy, don't they? I just wanted to do the same thing."
Page 3

Encouraging Creativity
All children are born with an innate creativity that helps them learn and grow. Creativity is more than just talent or artistic ability; it's a person's ability to express his or her own uniqueness. In order to allow children to continue to express their creativity we, too, have to be a little creative. At home: Limit the amount of time spent in front of the television or playing video games. It's great to relax and enjoy TV programs, but they provide very little creative inspiration. Video games may also be fun, but they are unlikely to inspire children to explore their own uniqueness. Encourage your children to read books geared to their age levels and limits. Librarians can suggest popular and fun books for your children. Let small children color on plain paper instead of using coloring books. This allows them the freedom to express themselves without having to worry about "getting it right" or staying inside the lines. Play different types of music at home. You may think they're not paying attention, but being exposed to varying stimuli, including music, can encourage creativity. Go outside to simply observe nature. It could just be a short walk to a nearby park or a longer day trip to a conservation area. Any place where children can see nature as a creative force will help them free their own creativity. Any time of year is a great time to get outside. Allow unstructured and unrestricted "free" time. Children's schedules can be incredibly busy as they balance their school and homework with sports, clubs, and home life. It's not only relaxing for them to take breaks, it allows them to explore new things they might not have been able to try before. Just make sure that they don't use up all Finally here's a few "don'ts" about encouraging children's creativity. Don't put children's creativity under a microscope; let them be creative with a minimum of supervision. Don't use creative activities as a competition. Don't judge their creations. Every drawing is perfect to a child. Don't apply any pressure; let them feel that whatever they do in this area is just fine with you, as long as they express their own identity. their free time in front of the television.

Teach Your Children Money Management

One of the reasons parents give children allowances is to help them learn how to manage money. But for the allowance to be a truly effective teaching tool, parents need to spell out what it will cover, how it can be spent, the consequences of overspending, and how much should be saved or given to charity. Here are some guidelines: Encourage planning. When deciding how much the allowance should be, consider giving enough to encourage saving or charitable giving. But be careful not to give too much. If kids can buy anything they want, the allowance fails to teach them how to prioritize and set goals. Set up a payday. Try choosing a day early in the week to encourage kids to plan ahead for weekend expenses. Set limitations and guidelines. If you don't want them to buy things you don't want them to have, require that they consult you before making purchases over a specific amount, like $15. Expect mistakes. Children will probably overspend at first. Don't get angry. Help the child correct his or her mistakes and learn from them. Don't link the allowance to chores. If the allowance is "payment" for chores, children can too easily decide to skip their chores and accept not getting any allowance, which defeats the purpose.