Notes From Mrs. Bell---

This month has been a whirlwind of fun activities to get everyone excited about learning at Mid-Prairie East Elementary School!  Thank you for helping your child show their Mid-Prairie Pride this past week for MP Homecoming Week!  We had so much fun dressing up and showing our school spirit!  It was great to have Herschel the Golden Hawk greet us one morning, MP Superintendent read aloud to us, MP High School Cheerleader read aloud to us, MP Baseball Team greet us as we entered the school one more and so much more to remember we are proud Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks from young to old!

I hope you've been following along with us on our class Twitter account @mrsbell2nd!  It has been quite a bit of fun to see the smiles, giggles, and kind words that your children have shared as they are so eager to learn each and every day!  I truly am fortunate to be in the position I am as each day presents new opportunities and challenges, but together we grow and learn from each experience.  Thank you for helping prepare your children for school and their readiness to learn.  They come ready to work and we do work from the moment they arrive until the last bell rings for us to leave!  Often I've heard comments like, "It's lunchtime already?" or "You mean we have to go home now?" or "Wow, I didn't even realize how quickly the day went?" which means that what we are doing all throughout the school day is stimulating and engaging your child to grow and learn and be a better student with each new day!

Students are rewarded with PBIS tickets for being respectful, responsible and safe at any time throughout our building by any adult.  Each week we'll turn in to the PBIS "Hawks Our jar continues to fill up with LOTS of PBIS tickets each week!  Be sure to ask your child about their PBIS tickets received daily and if they remember how they earned them. 

As a reminder, please discuss with your child their before and after school procedures.   We must have a parent note, email or phone call if their is a change in your daily routine.  We cannot take the student's word that he or she is to do this or that.  I will send them on their procedure given to me at our Back-to-School Open House by each of you UNLESS you notify me by note, email or phone call.  My e-mail address is kbell@mphawks.org and Mid-Prairie East Secretary, Miss Jessica's e-mail is jtadlock@mphawks.org.  Thank you for your help! 

One of the best ways to help your child learn reading skills is to read aloud to him or her.  Reading aloud and talking about books helps your child understand stories and make sense of words.  As you read aloud, your child "makes pictures" in his or her head, imagining the story in action.  Your child's vocabulary will grow as he or she hears new exciting words and ideas.  Try reading aloud to your child - it's easy, fun and educational!  Students shared where they are keeping their September Reading Calendar posted at home.  These calendars went home on September 1st in their Homework Folders.  A few students had no idea of what we were talking about and no clue where their calendar is at home.  Please help direct your child where to place their calendar in a safe place that can be marked on daily with how much reading they are doing, hearing at home, etc.  If you misplaced it, just print one or create your own to keep track of this month's minutes.  We will be tracking minutes through April.

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.

Each Friday we celebrate our Mid-Prairie pride by wearing our Mid-Prairie and/or MP 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!  

Plan to come by our classroom before or after school one day this month to see what we are doing in September!