I hope you have all enjoyed some time with your students over the long weekend. We had a very productive day at school today, but we are ready to have the children back tomorrow!
Our teachers worked hard today on a number of initiatives. Much of our time was spent preparing interventions and enrichment activities that will allow us to challenge all students at their own level. The Prairieland staff is such a dedicated group, and they are always looking out for each and every student in the building!
Next week our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will begin taking the ISATs. We do not want the children to be nervous or anxious about the tests. We have tried to keep it low key and let them know that their best is all that we can expect and that they are well-prepared and ready to go. Please help your child do his/her best by encouraging plenty of rest and good healthy eating.
Thank you for all that you do! It is a GREAT day to be a Cougar!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, January 28
We managed to get the kids outside this week! We have noticed that the kids are starting to have a tougher time with inside recess. When we have so many days in a row of inside recess, the kids get tired of their options and they get very antsy! The teachers also notice a difference in student focus and attention in the afternoon if they do not get to move around and get fresh air during recess. On Thursday, it was still a little cold, so we just took the kids on a lap around the building to get fresh air in their lungs and to get their bodies moving. I am hopeful that we will be outside today!
We have seen an increase in student illness, which is not uncommon at this time of the year. When we are all enclosed in a building all day, every day, it creates a breeding ground for germs. We have asked our custodians to spend more time on table and desk surfaces, and we have increased the number of times we clean the water fountains. Please encourage your child to wash his/her hands regularly, and be sure to keep your child home if he/she has a fever or has vomitted. Let's hope that the Groundhog tells us that spring is just around the corner!
I look forward to seeing everyone at the concert on Thursday. I have heard the students practicing their songs and can tell you that you are in for a great night! I will be sending an e-mail with tips and reminders for the concert.
Have a wonderful weekend!
We have seen an increase in student illness, which is not uncommon at this time of the year. When we are all enclosed in a building all day, every day, it creates a breeding ground for germs. We have asked our custodians to spend more time on table and desk surfaces, and we have increased the number of times we clean the water fountains. Please encourage your child to wash his/her hands regularly, and be sure to keep your child home if he/she has a fever or has vomitted. Let's hope that the Groundhog tells us that spring is just around the corner!
I look forward to seeing everyone at the concert on Thursday. I have heard the students practicing their songs and can tell you that you are in for a great night! I will be sending an e-mail with tips and reminders for the concert.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Back to Blogging!
I have not been good about keeping up with my blogs! I would, however, like for this to be an active and effective source of communication. Therefore my New Year's resolution is to make every effort to blog once a week. If I do not have new and important news to share, I will just share some funny, sweet, exciting, or encouraging sights that I observe throughout the week at Prairieland.
For now, I would like to make sure that everyone is aware of our phone number changes. For most of this year, our old numbers still worked, but soon only our new numbers will work. Here are the new numbers:
Office- 557-4424
Attendance- 557-4473
Have a wonderful weekend!
For now, I would like to make sure that everyone is aware of our phone number changes. For most of this year, our old numbers still worked, but soon only our new numbers will work. Here are the new numbers:
Office- 557-4424
Attendance- 557-4473
Have a wonderful weekend!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Parent Conferences/Halloween Parties
I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful fall!! This is such a great time of year!
Parent/Teacher Conferences
We have one of our most important school events coming up on Friday - Parent/Teacher Conferences. In order for our students to be as successful as possible, all of us need to work together as a team. Parent/Teacher conferences provide a very important opportunity for teachers to meet with every family about their students' needs and successes. This communication is extremely important because you can provide information about your child that we may not know or understand.
Please keep in mind that, while Parent/Teacher Conferences are only held once a year, we hope to keep the lines of communication open during the entire school year. If you have questions or concerns at any time, it is important to communicate with your child's teacher immediately before a small concern becomes much bigger.
Halloween Party/Parade
Our Halloween Parade/Parties will be held on Friday, October 29 at 2:00 pm. The Parade will start at 2:00 in the bus lane, with parties to follow. Parents are, of course, welcome to attend! A map will be available on the website that shows the parade route and good places for parent viewing. Please note that we will not have any parking in the bus lane or on the East and North sides of the building so that our route is clear. We also ask that the front entrance of the building and the bus lane remain clear so that we can get the students out of the building and ready for the parade.
Break the Rules Week and Cougar Pride Night Pictures
A big Cougar thank you goes out to everyone who participated in the Break the Rules Week and Cougar Pride Night pictures. We were able to raise a lot of money to help our Prarieland families, which further demonstrates the extremely caring nature of the Prairieland community!
As always, please contact me with any questions, concerns, or celebrations! It's a GREAT day to be a Cougar!
Parent/Teacher Conferences
We have one of our most important school events coming up on Friday - Parent/Teacher Conferences. In order for our students to be as successful as possible, all of us need to work together as a team. Parent/Teacher conferences provide a very important opportunity for teachers to meet with every family about their students' needs and successes. This communication is extremely important because you can provide information about your child that we may not know or understand.
Please keep in mind that, while Parent/Teacher Conferences are only held once a year, we hope to keep the lines of communication open during the entire school year. If you have questions or concerns at any time, it is important to communicate with your child's teacher immediately before a small concern becomes much bigger.
Halloween Party/Parade
Our Halloween Parade/Parties will be held on Friday, October 29 at 2:00 pm. The Parade will start at 2:00 in the bus lane, with parties to follow. Parents are, of course, welcome to attend! A map will be available on the website that shows the parade route and good places for parent viewing. Please note that we will not have any parking in the bus lane or on the East and North sides of the building so that our route is clear. We also ask that the front entrance of the building and the bus lane remain clear so that we can get the students out of the building and ready for the parade.
Break the Rules Week and Cougar Pride Night Pictures
A big Cougar thank you goes out to everyone who participated in the Break the Rules Week and Cougar Pride Night pictures. We were able to raise a lot of money to help our Prarieland families, which further demonstrates the extremely caring nature of the Prairieland community!
As always, please contact me with any questions, concerns, or celebrations! It's a GREAT day to be a Cougar!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mass e-mail
Yesterday in an attempt to send an e-mail to our Prairieland families to remind everyone about the Rusty May Bullying presentation on September 29 and the early out for Homecoming on Friday at 1:45, I inadvertently sent e-mails to every student in Unit 5. We now have the problem fixed for any future mass e-mails, but it did create a lot of confusion yesterday and I apologize for that.
Just to reiterate the message:
Just to reiterate the message:
- The RSVPs for the Rusty May Bullying dinner/presentation were due today, but we will still accept them tomorrow.
- We will dismiss at 1:45 on Friday for the Normal Community West Homecoming parade. It should also be noted that this year we will also dismiss for the Normal Community Homecoming parade on October 15- also at 1:45.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
PIECE
We had our first PIECE meeting of the year on September 14. We were very excited to have a number of new families in attendance! We have several announcements to share from the meeting:
• We will be having an additional meeting to discuss the budget and elect a secretary on Monday, October 4 at 6:30 in room 29 in the 4th/5th grade commons.
• We have an opening for a new secretary for this school year. At this time we have several members who are interested in filling the opening, and we will be presenting the candidates and conducting an election at the October 4 meeting. If you have not yet expressed an interest in the position and would like to, please e-mail Board President Lisa Albaugh (lmalbau@ilstu.edu) by September 20.
• Please note also that we will not be combining a meeting with Cougar Pride Night on October 5. We will have a meeting on October 12 with Dr. Niehaus as our guest speaker. We will alternate business meetings with guest speakers each month.
Thank you for your strong support of our school!
• We will be having an additional meeting to discuss the budget and elect a secretary on Monday, October 4 at 6:30 in room 29 in the 4th/5th grade commons.
• We have an opening for a new secretary for this school year. At this time we have several members who are interested in filling the opening, and we will be presenting the candidates and conducting an election at the October 4 meeting. If you have not yet expressed an interest in the position and would like to, please e-mail Board President Lisa Albaugh (lmalbau@ilstu.edu) by September 20.
• Please note also that we will not be combining a meeting with Cougar Pride Night on October 5. We will have a meeting on October 12 with Dr. Niehaus as our guest speaker. We will alternate business meetings with guest speakers each month.
Thank you for your strong support of our school!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Curriculum night and updates
It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night! I hope you learned lots of things about your child's classroom and that you now have a good picture of what the year holds for our Prairieland Cougars. I have especially enjoyed meeting all of our Prairieland families. Please be sure to stop and introduce yourself any time you see me around or when you are in the office.
I have a couple of announcements about changes/additions to our calendar in the next month or so that I would like to share:
I have a couple of announcements about changes/additions to our calendar in the next month or so that I would like to share:
- September 14- We will have a very informal Club Night before the PIECE meeting. The Club Night will be in the Multi-Purpose room from 5:30 pm-6:30 pm and will include the following: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Craft Club (K and 1st only), Chess Club, Gardening Club and Cooking Club. The PIECE meeting will begin at 6:30 pm.
- October 5- On our original calendar, this was listed as Open House/PIECE meeting w/ a visit from Dr. Niehaus. The PIECE meeting/visit from Dr. Niehaus will be moved to October 12 at 6:30 pm.
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