Explorer Newsletter Antelope Hills Elementary

Antelope Hills Elementary
Explorer Newsletter
Preston Fairchild, Principal
36105 Murrieta Oaks Avenue
Murrieta, CA 92562
Coming Events
December
3
Spelling Bee
9:00
14
Full-Day Monday
No Early Out
16 Kinder Holiday Show
1st Show— 4:00
2nd Show— 6:00
17 Winter Band Concert
7:00
18 Last Day Before Break
Early Release Day
School Office Hours
7:45-3:45
Report an Absence
Call (951) 445-4110
Press 1 or
Email Jennifer Lopez,
our attendance clerk
at
[email protected].
ca.us
Character Counts
Color For December
Yellow
Counselor’s Corner
Melinda Loera, Assistant Principal
(951) 445-4110
www.murrieta.k12.ca.us/antelope
December 2015
Character Counts Corner
Years ago, I was in Sun City, running some errands for my, at the time, 85 year old
father. As I was coming out of the post office, I noticed another old timer making
his way up to the door, pushing his rather cool-looking walker. He was still a ways
away, but I decided to wait the extra 30 seconds and make sure that he got in without a problem. He was dressed like all the old guys from his generation and on his
head was his World War II hat, labeled with his ship and crew that he had served
with. As he walked past me, he smiled, patted my arm and said, “Thanks for your
kindness young man.”
Several times, throughout the course of the day, we have opportunities to make
someone else’s day just a little bit brighter, and maybe easier. Unless we know first
hand what’s going on in a person’s life, we have no idea if that little bit of ease or
brightness will be appreciated. However, it sure makes us feel better and also is
very addictive. Before you know it, you’re going out of your way to help others.
Simple acts of kindness that cost us nothing may be the difference between someone
having a good day or not.
As we head into the giving season, I challenge all of us to expect less and give more.
While money can always help a situation, time and friendship can be just as valuable.
Let’s try to worry less about what we don’t have and focus more on what we do.
Reach out your hand and my guess is someone will take it.
May all of you have a happy, healthy and relaxing holiday season and remember….no
matter where or when…..Character Counts!
PTA News
Hi Explorer Families! Did you know that being a PTA member gives you a voice as to what programs
and events we have at the school? PTA members are welcome to any and all of our General Association Meetings, and are encouraged to take part in the decisions being made. Our General Association
Schedule is posted by the main entrance, and PTA membership envelopes are located in the front
office. I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone that came out for our Scholastic Book Fair!
We were able to provide both the teachers and library with new books thanks to your generosity. To
stay informed about what's happening with AHES PTA, please stop by our Facebook page; Antelope
Hills PTA. Have a wonderful winter break!
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Antelope Hills Elementary
Explorer Safety
Please make sure that safety is your top priority when crossing streets and dropping off and picking
up kids. Our own Murrieta Police traffic support, Officer Stickelman, has included the following:
If possible, adjust your morning routine to leave 5 minutes earlier to allow for traffic flow
(especially on rainy days)
Respect and follow the crossing guards instructions (they are out there to keep our kids safe)
Be patient and respectful with each other (remember, our kids are watching us and learning
from our examples)
Be an EXPLORER parent:
be safE
be an eXample
bePatient
Leave early
be pOlite
be Respectful
keep Eyes open for small children
Reduce speed
Strength doesn’t
come from what
you can do. It
comes from
overcoming the
things you
thought you
couldn’t do.
Grit or Insanity?
In the Mindset Works
newsletter Eduardo Briceno
discusses the differences
between insanity and grit.
“Insanity is doing the
same thing over and over
again and expecting a different result.” If a student has
tried to learn something,
didn’t succeed, tried the
same thing again and again,
and never felt progress, is
the student likely to think
that trying again will yield
different results? Is this motivating or demotivating for
the student?
George Washington had
a lot of grit. He led the
Continental Army for eight
years and eventually won
the war. But George Washington also sometimes quit.
He went into battles aiming
to win, but when things
weren’t working in his favor, he sometimes would
retreat. He’d go back, regroup, think about a different
strategy or tactic to try next,
set a new goal, and go for it.
If that didn’t work, he’d try
something else, always committed to the big goal. That is
grit. It’s the perseverance and
passion for long-term goals.
Attendance Matters
Did you know that early attendance gaps in kindergarten and first grade can lead to
wider achievement gaps by 3rd grade and may go on to create graduation gaps, due
to larger dropout rates?
Missing just two days a month in these two grades can lead to a less likely chance
that your 3rd grader will be reading at grade-level by the end of the year.
Students who are sick should stay at home, but all others should be at school on
time so that they have the greatest chance of academic success.
Counselor’s Corner
Watch DOGS
Watch D.O.G.S.
Watch DOGS are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other fatherfigures who volunteer for at least one day each year at our school.
Who are Watch DOGS? Fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, uncles,
and other father figures who volunteer to serve at least one day a
year in a variety of school activities as assigned by the school principal or other administrator.
Contact Mr. Fairchild or Mrs. Loera if you are interested.
Student and School Safety
Sprigeo is a new online bullying reporting system that allows students
to report bullying incidents and school safety threats. This gives students another medium for communicating with school administration
when bullying or school safety incidents occur. All information sent
through the Sprigeo system goes directly to school administrators
through a secure online connection. For more
information, please visit:
www.murrieta.k12.ca.us/antelope
Winter Break
We hope all of you have a very relaxing and wonderful
winter break
December 19th—January 11th
Students return Tuesday, January 12th
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Antelope Hills Elementary
Student Meals
Student Meal Prices:
Breakfast Full Pay….. $1.50
Lunch
Full Pay ..….$2.50
Milk or Juice - $.50
Reduced price…….$.30
Reduced price…….$.40
Bottled Water - $.75
Free and reduced lunch applications are to be completed online at:
www.fma.murrieta.k12.ca.us
Parents can make payments to lunch accounts at www.myschoolbucks.com
Easy Way to Donate to Our School
Every Friday
Afterschool!
2015-2016 Yearbooks
On Sale
Don’t miss out on this keepsake of your student’s
year at Antelope Hills Elementary
Yearbooks are $20
Your cash payments will be accepted
directly at the
AHES front office
Cash Only please
Counselor’s Corner
STRESS RELIEF IN CHILDREN
As your child continues to adjust to a new grade with higher expectations, you might
see changes in their attitude, behavior, and emotions. Here are a few tips for helping
your child manage their stress:


Recognize that a negative attitude or poor behavior choices can be a result of
stress. This doesn’t mean that your expectations for respectful behavior should
change.
Ms. Richardson
(Thur & Fri)
RAIN Counselor
951– 445-4110 Ext 3379
Acknowledge your child’s stress. Let them know you understand that change can
be hard.

Listen to your child. Let them tell you about their school day, the good parts and
the bad parts.

Help them identify their feelings. Are they frustrated, mad, sad, confused, overwhelmed? Finding the correct feeling word(s) can help reduce stress.

Validate their feelings. Never tell them they shouldn’t feel a certain way. Tell
your child about the importance of school and doing their best, even when it’s
hard or they don’t want to. Hold firm to your expectations.

Try not to take away their stress for them by letting them stay home from school
or doing their homework for them. This will not help them in the long run.

Talk about stresses they can control vs. stresses they can’t. Write them down and
‘get rid’ of the ones they can’t change (rip them up, throw them away, put them in
a box).

Help your child develop a growth mindset and positive self-talk habits. When
they’re stressed, they can begin to talk themselves through it – “I can do this,” “I
am good at this,” “I’ve gotten through this before,” or “I’ll try my best.”

Ask your child if they can come up with workable solutions to stressful situations,
such as doing homework earlier if doing it later doesn’t allow enough time. Your
child will feel empowered if they solve the problem. They will be able to draw on
that problem solving ability in future stressful situations.
SCHOOL COUNSELING IN THE CLASSROOM...
In November, we focused on the Boys Town Skill of Identifying Your
Emotions and Controlling Emotions in 3rd and 4th grade. Students
learned how to identify their strong feelings as well as what happens in
their bodies and brain when strong emotions take control. We have also
begun small groups to target social of learning skills that students may
need additional practice with.
December guidance lessons for 3rd and 4th grade include identifying the
feelings of others and how to calm down when we are angry.
Memo From Health Services
“Healthy Children Learn Better, School Nurses Make it Happen!”
Date: December 1, 2015
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian,
As we are approaching the end of the first semester, I would like to remind everyone of our procedures concerning administration of medication at school. If it is necessary for your student to receive medication at school, it is
important that we follow certain procedures to ensure the safety of all students at our school site. All medication
must be brought to the school by a parent or adult in the original, labeled container. Per California state law (E.C.
49423) any child who takes medication at school (even those allowed to self-administer), must have written authorization from both the parent and the physician on file in the Health Office. This authorization must be renewed annually and the forms can be obtained from the Health Office or our district website. Most medication
must be stored in the Health Office with the exception of a few emergency medications. It is important that we
follow these procedures so that your student will receive their medication exactly as your physician prescribed.
We thank you for your cooperation and if you have any questions or require clarification, please contact the
Health Office at (951) 445-4110 x3393.
Thank you,
Shalena Mitchell, RN, BSN
Credentialed School Nurse