Notes From Mrs. Bell---

Go Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks! They took on the Washington Demons in Wellman on Friday evening. It was fun to see so many current and former students and their families! I didn't see every minute of the game because no matter where I went during the game, students, former students and parents and friends stopped to chat with me.  It was a fun evening and a great Mid-Prairie victory too!

We have been creating rules for our classroom so that we will all feel welcome, comfortable and safe.  This would be a good opportunity for you to talk with your child about your rules at home.  How are the rules different from rules that you had growing up?  By discussing rules, you will encourage your children to stop and think about their behavior before they act.

Here are some ideas for further talk about rules: Play a "what if..."game. For example, how would you feel if:  no one ever brushed their teeth?, there were no rules about going to bed?, there were no rules about taking care of toys, clothing and other things that belong to you?, people weren't nice to each other?, and people yelled and called each other names?

Consider creating some new rules together about respecting and caring for others within the family and in the community.  If you and your child create some new family rules, write them down in your child's own words.  When ideas and words are their own, children are more likely to follow the rules. Revisit the rules from time-to-time, adding new ones if necessary.

It is important to help your child understand that there are consequences if rules are not followed.  Together, think of what some might be.  We have reviewed our PBIS expectations in the hallway, bathrooms, playground, lunchroom and in our classroom again last week. We have a class incentive chart to work towards a class behavior party.  In addition, students are rewarded with PBIS tickets for being respectful, responsible and safe at any time throughout our building.  Each week we'll turn in to the PBIS "Hawks Nest" for our bi-weekly Friday PBIS assemblies. Be sure to ask your child about their PBIS tickets received daily and if they remember how they earned them.

  

I am using ClassDojo to encourage important skills like working hard, being a kind kid, being on task and so much more. Used by teachers in one in every two schools, ClassDojo is the most popular classroom management app in the US!  ClassDojo is a simple, safe classroom management app that helps teachers encourage students in class and easily communicates with parents.  Below is an example of what is projected on our screen all throughout the school day.  I can access it via my laptop computer and/or my ipad at any time during our classes together.  Likewise, the students stay on top of what is going well and what may need improved with immediate feedback.

Each Friday we will print our individual ClassDojo pie charts and then students will individually evaluate their week by setting goals for the next week.  I trust you will take time to go through this with your child this holiday weekend. They will catch on to their self reflection sheets with each new week!  Way to go!  Keep up the POSITIVE behavior, 2B kids.

Don't forget we have a class Twitter account! We will tweet something we learned/accomplished each day.  This week we created our Follow Us On Twitter Pocket Chart where each week students will write a complete sentence of something they want to share with our Twitter followers! Check out their work on our Twitter account.  It is exciting to be on the cutting edge of the latest technology made available to us.  Our class Twitter account address is @mrsbell2nd

Each Friday we celebrate our Mid-Prairie pride by wearing our Mid-Prairie and/or Mid-Prairie East Elementary apparel! Show your school spirit and wear it proudly each Friday. Check out the Mid-Prairie School website for ongoing apparel sales throughout the school district all year long.  Furthermore, each Wednesday we'll continue our Workout Wednesdays to promote healthier living by working out while eating healthier!  

I trust this class will be another amazing class that I have had the privilege to teach in the past 23 years!  I had a very relaxing three day weekend with my family getting caught up on home, farm and school work and time with family and friends! I can't wait to hear about your child's holiday weekend tomorrow.