The Spirit of Arcola. In The Spirit of Giving! Holiday Happiness! Let s go for a sleigh ride!

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1 December, 2016 Kathleen Perfect, Principal The Spirit of Arcola The Annual Holiday Lunch is right around the corner! On December 7, 2016, all students are asked to dress up in their best Holiday clothes and be ready to use your good manners for our special guests! Parents, we will have indoor recess on this day so your child s clothing will not be ruined outside on the playground. In The Spirit of Giving! The students have been busy showing the gift of gratitude during the month of November. The Student Leaders performed Spookley for the younger students, about a pumpkin who was different from the rest and teaches children its okay to be different. The Arcola choir led songs at our annual Veteran s day celebration and several fifth grade students read their essays about what Veteran s day means to them. Student Council held Jar Wars and Mrs. Archbold s class pulled off a come from behind win and will have breakfast served in their room! We raised $1,152.67! The dimes, $292.20, collected during jar wars were given to the Relay for Life fundraiser. The students wrote ways they could show kindness to others on World Kindness Day and placed them on a huge heart in the hallway. Let s go for a sleigh ride! Primary students celebrated Thanksgiving with a Feast in the gym. Mrs. Archbold s class did a skit about Bear Feels Sick to teach students about the lifeline of caring. Teachers and parents have given their time and talents to teach PACE classes and students are having a blast! Thanksgiving break has come and gone, and now that December is right around the corner, the whole school is in elf mode! The trees are going up, the band, choir and primary students are getting ready for the Winter Program on December 8th. Guests have been invited for our Manners luncheon which is always a big hit with both the guests and students! Thinking about all that went on during the past month and all that is to come during December, leads me to say, take time to slow down and spend time with your family...its the little things that make a BIG impression! Holiday Happiness! The Winter Book Fair will be going on from December 5th to December 13th. Mrs. Gray will also open the Book Fair the evening of the Winter program for shopping. The PTO will hold a Holiday Shoppe for students to buy gifts for family and friends in December. Make sure you look for information coming home about times for your child to shop and opportunities to volunteer as an elf! They will need lots of help! Don t forget about the Winter Program for grades K, 1, 2, band and choir students on December 8th at 6:30 p.m. in the schools gym. Wear your holiday outfits and look nice! The last day of school will be December 21 unless we have a closing before then. December 22 will be used as a make up day if needed.

2 Perfect s Page Dear Parents: With one semester nearly over, we look forward to so much yet in the second half of the year! Actually, when we look at the list it can get a bit overwhelming. Part of our focus of gratitude this year leads us to slow down and be in the moment. (For it is here that we find the blessings.) I sometimes hear people say If I can just get through today. If I can make it through next week. (Etc.) I am sometimes guilty of this as well. We are working to be in the moment and enjoy the days as they come. This is my hope for you and your families as we move into such a busy time of year. I hope that you can be in the moments of each day. I once heard a quote that was something along the lines of Your children want your presence more than your presents. It is heartwarming to hear my own children reminisce about their childhood; it is almost always about the time and experiences, not the things. Let s enjoy the upcoming events of December and come back to school in 2017 with so much to look forward to. Blessings, Kathleen Perfect p.s. I would like to congratulate our Lego League team on their participation at the Tournament at Science Central on November 20 th! The team did a great job working together not only during the season here at school, but at Science Central as well. Their work and diligence enabled them to bring back the 2016 Robot Performance trophy. Congratulations! Team: Addyson Carpenter, Zac Kissel, Sophie Lovell, Luke Price, Korey Andrews, Alayna Dennen, Nathan Dicke, Madison Harrell, Mason Hess, Luke Kemery, and Nick Silva. Thank you to our coaches for their time and dedication as well! Mrs. Lake, Mr. Elder, Mr. Kaduk, Mr. Schortgen, Mr. Kille and Mr. Braun

3 THE SPIR IT O F AR C O L A Counselor s Corner Mrs. Saleh A lot of kids crave novelty like the newest video game or electronic. But at the holidays, they re transformed from thrill seekers to traditionalists. Think back to the traditions you remember from your childhood. In a world where nearly everything is disposable, traditions remind us that some things were meant to last. If you are shopping for the perfect gift, why not try a new tradition? Unlike most presents, they are inexpensive, need no wrapping and will last nearly forever. Also don t forget to sign and turn in the back cover of the LEARNMORE magazine that your student brought home last month! It is due by Friday, December 9 th! Happy Holidays! Healthy Tid Bits Cold and Flu Season Brenda Jones, R.N. The flu is often confused with the common cold, but flu symptoms tend to develop quickly (usually 1 to 4 days after a person is exposed to the flu virus) and are usually more severe than the typical sneezing and stuffiness of a cold. Symptoms of the Flu may include: Fever Chills Head ache Muscle aches Dizziness Tiredness Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea Cough Sore throat Runny nose Weakness Ways to prevent the Flu: Wash your hands keep fingers and hands away from nose and mouth. Never pick up used tissues Never share cups and eating utensils Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Stay home from work or school when you re sick with the flu Ways to help ease the Flu: Stay home from school Drink lots of fluids Get plenty of sleep Remember students need to stay home at least 24 hours after a fever has broken naturally, without fever reducing medication. Light on Literacy Mrs. Houser Word-Solving When your child is reading and a mistake is made, WAIT to give time to work independently. Your child may try another word and perhaps, correct their initial attempt. If you are certain that they are going to continue reading, ask Try that again? or What would make sense?

4 D ECEMB ER, 2016 Art Easel Mrs. Sirois We are winding down our first semester in art. Students will be taking artwork home before winter break Remember that you can find a lot of information about the art room and my procedures by checking out the school website. Click academics, and then click Sirois. Musical Notes Items needed: We are in need of plastic bags again. Art work will go home before winter break and we will need a lot of bags. A full list of items that we need/ want can be found on my school website. Thanks! Mrs. Leahy Art at Home: Children love modeling clay. It can keep them busy for quite a while and it s cheap too. You can pick up a pack at most dollar stores. For low mess fun, pick up a cookie baking sheet too. Have your child use their clay only on their cookie sheet. Modeling clay doesn t dry out like dough clays so it will last. Our school wide Veteran s Day program as a huge success. The choir did an awesome job and the students sang You re A Grand Old Flag with much pride. What a great way to celebrate those who have sacrificed to protect us! Our Arcola Winter Program will be here before we know it. Here are all the details: WHAT: ARCOLA WINTER PROGRAM WHEN: Thursday December 8 th At 6:30 pm WHERE: ARCOLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYMNASIUM WHO: All Students in Grades K, 1, 2 and Band and Choir Parents may start to arrive at 6:10 WHAT TO WEAR: All students should dress in their holiday best. Band and Choir students, please wear jeans, band/choir tee shirt and a Santa hat if you have one. OTHER INFO: Students are to be dropped off at the classroom and will come down to the gym as a class and will sit with their teachers during the program. Parents/Guardians are to pick students up after the program in their classroom. P.E. Central We had a busy November with Boot Camp and 4 Square. December we will be conquering Capture the Flag. This game involves a great amount of offensive and defensive strategies as teams try and capture the opponents 3 flags. This will be followed by the winter s favorite game with or without snow outside we will be hosting an indoor snowball fight. Teams with forts and snowballs and snow angels. I want to encourage you to find creative ways to keep moving while on winter break. One of the vacation rules I challenge the kids to follow is equal amounts of reading, playing outside and videos games. Exercising through commercials and trying healthy snacks. Enjoy the Holiday Season. Mrs. Eakright Mrs. Eakright

5 The PTO Eagle Flyer Angie Harrell, President This year s Holiday Shop is right around the corner! The shopping dates for this year are December 13 th and 14 th. The Holiday Shop provides children a safe and fun way to select, purchase, and wrap small gifts for their friends, family, and teachers. Detailed instruction and an envelope to send money in for shopping will be sent home on Friday, December 9 th. If you are interested in helping to volunteer with this year s Holiday Shop, text Jen at It might be a CORNY way of wishing the kids a Happy Holidays, but the PTO will be sponsoring a free Popcorn Friday in the month of December. On, Friday, December 9 th every child will get 1 bag of popcorn or pretzels free of charge as a gift from the PTO. A big thank you to everyone that purchased products through the Silver Graphics art fundraiser. Your products have been ordered and are expected to arrive in a couple of weeks. It is not time for March Madness just quite yet, but the deadline to register your child for EBA or Little Shots Basketball is quickly approaching. Spots fill up quick, so be sure to have your slip turned into the school by December 15. Wishing you all a safe and happy Holiday Season from the PTO Board! News From Carroll High School