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Welcome Back Eastside Families,

Well after a long break we have managed to make it through a full week of school. It was exciting to see the kids and hear about their adventures from the holidays. I think everyone was ready to come back and they have demonstrated their ability to get right back to working hard and learning.

Our character trait this month is responsibility. We have been discussing what responsibility means and how it is demonstrated by your actions. A part of responsibility that we stress is to do your best and don't give up. Responsibility is not just doing what needs to be done.

The Parent Institute has this to say about responsibility.

Question: My fifth grader won't even put her dirty socks in the clothes hamper! How can I get her to be responsible at school when she's always so irresponsible at home?

Answer: There's your answer: at home. Your child needs to learn responsibility at home so she can apply it at school. It's not the other way around. This isn't to say that teaching responsibility is easy. It's a process that takes time. Here are some ways to get that process started:

A. Expect good things from her/him. Let your child know that you believe they are capable. Rather than swoop in and solve every problem for them, give them the opportunity to figure some things out for themselves. This goes for everything from math homework to jigsaw puzzles.

B. Give her/him chores.  Put your child in charge of certain tasks that are age-appropriate and insist that they complete them. Just make sure you're clear about what you expect. Rather than say, "Clean your room," be specific. "Put your books back on the shelf and hang up your jacket." Once your give her the instructions, leave the room. If your hover, it will seem like you don't think they can handle the job.

C. Let her/him experience consequences. So what if your child still won't put her dirty socks in the hamper? Don't wash them on laundry day. The same goes for her soccer jersey and her sweats. When she realizes her favorite outfits aren't ready and waiting, she may get the message about where dirty laundry is supposed to go (sometimes our pride and, wondering what others will think, rob us of perfect teaching opportunities).

The Parent Institute is talking about natural consequences which are consequences that occur naturally from an event or behavior. These consequences sometimes have a bigger impact than consequences given by the parent. Remember discipline is to teach not to punish and in the teaching there is generally a deficit. That is not to say that parents should never give consequences just think about which will get you the result you want.

Once again thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us, they are amazing!

Pati A. Cummins 

Hello Eastside Families,

Summer is fun but I think we are ready for fall weather!  The school year is zooming by and this is the month we have talked about trustworthiness. Your children should be able to tell you what this word means and how they can be trustworthy at school as well as at home. Our children do an excellent job exhibiting this trait. We are very proud of them and praise and encourage this behavior daily. If your child has done something they were not suppose to do and was honest about the situation please take the time to tell them how proud you are of his or her courage in admitting their mistake.

Last year we started the A-Z Learning Activities however we missed the last six activities so here goes:

Uncapped fun– Build spatial skills by removing the lids from 10 or more different-sized plastic containers. Set a timer, and challenge your child to put the lids on the correct containers before time runs out.

Vocabulary view — With your youngster, look out the window and choose a familiar object. Then, each of you writes down everything that makes up the object. For example, a list for "tree" could include branches, leaves, bark, and blossoms. The longest list wins.

What if?– Ask your child a silly question ("What if dogs could fly?"). See if she/he can come up with a silly answer ("Squirrels couldn't hide in trees."). Then have her ask you a silly question. Keep going until one of you ca't think of an answer– or can't stop laughing.

X-ray writing– Your youngster can make invisible messages by dipping a cotton swab in lemon juice and writing on plain paper. When the "ink" dries, the words will disappear. To read the messages, tell your child to hold the paper under a lamp The letters will magically reappear!

Yardstick racetrack– Instead of speed, use distance to find the winner of this race. Take turns rolling toy cars across the floor, and have your youngster measure how far they travel with a yardstick or measuring tape. The car that goes the farthest wins the race.

Zany wordplay–Can your child find the hidden meaning of "sock sock"(pair of socks), "cyclecyclecycle" (tricycle), or man (man overboard)? Using index cars, create a deck of word                                          board

mysteries for each other to solve. For extra fun, your youngster can illustrate each card.

Look at previous entries for other A – Z learning activities. Look for a copy of the Home & School Connection this week in your child's backpack or homework folder. This issue has some info on expectations for your child, about after school chats, making friends,  and other info.

Just for fun-Q: What has no hands or feet but climbs high at night?  A: The moon.

Have a good week!

Pati A. Cummins

Hello Eastside Families,

Welcome back! I am sorry it has taken me a while to Blog (some unforeseeable events). It has been a pleasure seeing everyone again and meeting our new students. It is really exciting working at this school with all your wonderful children. Please feel free to contact me if there is anything I can do to help your child.

Changes are always hard to get use to but understanding them usually helps. As Ms. Maggard has explained the reason the doors have to be closed until 7:30 is because there is no one to monitor the children and we want to make sure they are safe. I would like to thank all the parents for not parking on the side of the grass in the morning. Mr. Dycus made that change last year after several close calls with accidents involving vehicles turning around. A parent signing in the office to ensure we know who is in the building was another measure taken due to events happening in school systems in the country. It is important to us all that your children are safe. Unfortunately we live in a world where we have to be cautious but "better safe than sorry" really is a good saying.

I know we are going to have a great year! Talk to you soon.

Ms. Pati Cummins 

Hello Eastside Families,

The month of April was child abuse prevention month. My classes have been focusing on "good touch/bad touch" and I am happy to say that all of our children here at Eastside seem to understand this concept. They are aware that their parents can discipline them and have an understanding of the difference between abuse and discipline. They all seem confident in having loving supportive people to turn to if someone is touching them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. In this day and time that is awesome.

I would like to express my concern for those families that have been effected by the flooding. We will do everything we can at Eastside to help the children deal with this crisis.

Our testing window has been changed and therefore we will not start testing this week. Our testing will start on May 10th.

Traits of successful test-takers are being confident, prepared, relaxed, and well rested. Here are a few things you can do to help your child.

BEFORE: Understand the purpose. Your child may wonder why he has to take standardized tests. Let him know that the tests measure how students in his school are doing compared with other schools and districts. The test also show areas he needs to work on and how his skills change over time. Plus, they help the teachers and administrators do their jobs better.

Support the teachers efforts. Chances are your child's teacher will give him many activities to prepare for the test. She may also share information about ways to practice at home. Remind your youngster that these exercises will help him do his best. Be on the lookout for testing schedules and other information from the school that you'll need to keep him on track.

Reassure your child. Standardized tests are very different from classroom tests. For example, about half of the questions are expected to be too difficult for the average student. The tests are also put together so that many test-takers won't finish within the time limit. Let your youngster know that even if he misses many question, he can still score well.

Use practice sheets. Most standardized test require separate answer sheets with small circles to be filled in with pencil. Filling in the circles quickly and efficiently is tough for many children. Your child should use firm, up-and-down pencil strokes. It's important for him to completely erase answers he changes and to avoid stray marks. You can make a homemade practice sheet with rows of small circles. Or the teacher might have samples to share.

Get in shape. Two essential ingredients for successful test taking are a good night's rest and a healthy breakfast. If your child is worried about the test, a warm bath and read-aloud time can help take his mind off it. A well-balanced breakfast will give him energy on test day. The menu might include cereal with milk, or eggs and toast, plus fruit or juice. Be careful not to offer more food than normal—being too full can make him sluggish.

Tune in Friday for the "During" help.

The most important thing is just to realize how important this is for your child because he or she wants to do their best and shine. Be supportive and encouraging so that they feel relaxed and confident.  Bye for now

Ms. Pati Cummins 

Hello Eastside Families, I hope everyone has a lovely spring break! (The weather seems to be cooperating for a change.) I hope everyone who is traveling will have a safe and fun trip. And for those staying home, relax and enjoy yourself. I would like to thank all our wonderful families for all the work they do at our school. See you back on the 12th. 

Hello Eastside Families,

I would like to congratulate our Eastside Academic Team for their hard work and outstanding performance throughout this season. We were District Champions at the local and governors cup level and we came in fourth place overall at the regional level. Yeah Eastside! While winning is very exciting for me the exciting part is meeting and working with students who are excited about learning and willing to put in the extra effort to expand their knowledge base. Of course as parents we have the opportunity to do this on a daily basis. Talking with your children and sharing your knowledge is a valuable part of their education. It doesn't matter if the subject is academic, social, moral, ethical, environmental, etc. it is invaluable to your child. In our hectic world today communication is sometimes harder to achieve please remember to make the time to talk with the important people in your life.

Throughout the year our teachers promote tolerance and diversity in the classroom. I encourage you to examine your own views and feelings on the subject and think about what message you send to your child. Tolerance is the capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting  the beliefs or practices of others. At Eastside we promote "treating other people the way you would like to be treated." We encourage children to understand that you can treat someone with respect even if you do not like them and that is the type of behavior we expect. This is a skill that will help your child throughout their life. In promoting this you are also encouraging them to problem-solve. Children have to deal with situations with their peers and if they are held to a standard of behavior they must negotiate these instances through peaceful, socially acceptable means. If they fail to do this it is a prime time for a teaching moment to show them how it can be accomplished. The most important responsibility in the world is the influence we have on a child.

Look for your copy of Home & School Connection this week. The question and answer section deals with tolerance. There are also some good test taking tips and some discipline solutions! Now some more from the A-Z learning activities:

Picture writing: At the library, find a book about Egyptian hieroglyphs. Then, ask your youngster to invent a picture language of his own and use it to write you a note. Try to figure out what each symbol means– and ask him if you're right.

Questions, questions: Think of a storybook character your child knows (Wilbur  the pig in Charlotte's Web). Have her ask questions about the story to guess who it is. For example, if she asks, "What is the character's problem?" you might say, "He's afraid the farmer will eat him." Limit older children to yes or no questions (Is the character human?"). When your youngster figures it out, it's her turn to pick a character.

Rap rhythms: Play with poetry by having your child write rap lyrics to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Be sure he keeps the same rhythm. Example: "Someday we will travel far" works for the first line; "Some children run from dogs" does not. Show him how to count syllables to get the rhythm right. Then, have him chant his new poem like a rap star.

Save 12: Deal three cards to each player. Take turns drawing from the deck and discarding a card from your hand until someone can make a number sentence totaling 12 (5 x 4 – 8 = 12; 4 t 9 – 1 = 12). That player scores a point. Play to 10 points. Note Aces = 1, and face cards = 10.

Thief! : How observant are your kids? This game will help you find out. While others close their eyes one person (the "thief") secretly removes something from the room. When everyone opens their eyes, they try to find what's missing. The first one to guess correctly becomes  the next thief.

Have a great week!

Ms. Pati Cummins

Hello Eastside Families, welcome back, maybe we will get in a full week!  Everyone is back and getting down to business, what business, the business of learning. Did you know that on a general knowledge test children are expected to recognize and understand  idioms (an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or can not be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, as in keep tabs on or getting down to business) and proverbs (a short pithy saying that expresses a basic truth or practical precept, as in don't put the cart before the horse or a stitch in time saves nine).

It's time for February's Home and School Connection, so be looking in your child's backpack or folder for your copy.

Now some more A-Z learning activities:

Knock five: with a permanent marker, write the numbers 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 on five paper cups. Stand the cups on the ground 10 feet away. Take turns rolling a small ball toward them, and score the total on the cups you topple. Then reset for the next roll.

Letter lookout: Have your youngster list seven random letters on a piece of paper. While in the car, ask him to search for places that start with each letter. Example: For "O," your child might write "office supply store" or "Opal Street."  Variation: Play this at home with a map or road atlas.

Magnetic pull: Experiment with different-sized magnets. Let your youngster guess how many small objects (paper clips, pins, mails) each magnet can pick up at once. Have her test each guess. Does the size of the magnet make a difference?

Name game: While waiting in line, challenge your child to make as many sentences as possible. The catch? Each word of the sentence must start with a different letter of his name.  Example: Eric=Elephants ran into church.

One, two three: Take turns counting to 30 by one, two, or three numbers at a time. The object of the game is to keep from being the person who has to say "30."  Example: The first player says " 1, 2."  The second player can say " 3, 4, 5."  Keep going until someone is forced to say "30."

Mealtime Magic: Mealtime is a great time for your family to talk and enjoy each others company (if you don't believe in the magic of this time just ask anyone who was raised in a family that sat down together for supper and see what they say). Get the most out of mealtime with this M-E-A-L approach:

Make the atmosphere pleasant. Focus on the positive–try not to bring up criticisms or complaints.

Entertain each other. Examples:  Tell jokes. Make up a story and ask each person to add a line.

Always give everyone a turn to talk. Try asking a different question each week. Examples: "What's your all-time favorite book?"  "What's  the funniest thing that happened today?"

Loosen up. Think of ways to make mealtime an adventure.  Examples: Spread a blanket on the floor and have an indoor picnic. Have a backward dinner– start with dessert.

The main thing to remember is to communicate with your children! Life goes by so fast so take time to smell the roses (enjoy their youth it goes so quickly).

Have a good week.

Ms. Pati Cummins

Hello Eastside Families,

Well we made it through a whole week of school–barely! This month we will be discussing the character trait: caring. What is caring? Caring is being kind, compassionate, loving, and considerate. A caring person shows concern for the feelings of others, and is helpful and generous. A caring person does good deeds without thought of reward. These are the concepts we are discussing with the students. I would like to thank you for helping your children appreciate the value of caring by participating in our two school wide projects. Helping the people of Haiti by sending in the peanut butter and dried beans and helping the environment by recycling (2nd grades bottle animal) is two ways of helping your children understand that they need to be involved in taking care of their world.  The best way to promote acts of kindness and develop a caring attitude is by the examples and experiences to which your children are exposed. Praising caring deeds and actions will promote continued behavior.  Charles Dickens said, "No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of others."

January's Home and School Connection went home last week. It had a piece about teaching responsibility in it and I am including it for those of you who for whatever reason may not have gotten the newsletter.

How can you raise a responsible child? Teachers work hard to encourage this important character trait in school. Here are some techniques you can try at home.

CREATE STRUCTURE: At school, your younsger knows where to put morning work and how to line up when it's time to go to the cafeteria or library. That's because her teacher has a system in place for each responsibility. At home, designate a basket where your child can place forms for you to sign and a spot where she can keep school supplies and gym shoes. Have a set time for doing homework. Knowing what to do will help her be responsible. (if your children are older just come up with organizational ideas and routines that fit your needs)

RAISE THE BAR: As students show they are dependable, teachers give them more responsibility. For instance, younger students might deliver messages to the office, and older ones may serve as hall patrols. At home, comment on your child's responsible behavior, and add tasks as she is ready. "I'm proud of you for putting out your clothes and getting dressed all by yourself. I think you're ready to start making your bed, too." She'll feel good that you've noticed her successa nd consider her more "grown up."

Bye for now, hope we don't get snowed in this weekend. Have a great weekend. 

Ms. Pati Cummins                

Hello Eastside Families,

Welcome back! Well it was a slow start with all the snow but we are buzzing right along. This month the character trait we are focusing on is Fairness. One of the ways we have been talking about how to decide if something is fair or not is to think about what is unfair.  We discuss that being fair does not always mean that everyone gets the same thing. It is important for children to understand that some children need more help than others. And the extra help is not to give them an advantage but to give them the same opportunity as everyone else. There are numerous books that deal with this subject and here are a few title's you might want to use at home.

Teammates by peter Goenbock (about Jackie Robinson the first African American to play Major League baseball). 2-5

Spotty by Margaret Rey (about a bunny who is different from all the other bunnies in his family). K-3 

The Value of Fairness: The Story of Nellie Bly (about a women who was told a woman could not travel alone). 2-5

Playing Fair by Shelly Nielsen (rhymes that deal with issues of fairness among friends, on tests, in games, and with groups). K-5

I Am Rosa Parks by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins (about civil rights). 2-5

Katie Did It by Becky Bring McDaniel (about the youngest sibling getting blamed for everything). 3-5

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins (humourous look about children sharing cookies). K-3

The Blackmail Machine by Jelice Holman (about children getting adults to listen to them). 4-5

My Name Is San Ho by Jayne Pettit (about a child fitting into a new culture). 4-5 

The New One by Jacqueline Turner Banks (about prejudicial behavior). 4-5

Now some more A-Z learning activities from the Home and School Connection:

F-irsts and lasts: Name an animal (alligator). Ask your youngster to name another animal that starts with the last letter of the first animal (rabbit). Continue (tiger, rattlesnake) until one of you is stumped. Then, choose a new topic (movie titles, foods), and play again.

G-rowing science: Cut a half inch off the tops of two carrots. Put the carrot tops in separate saucers of water. Keep one in a sunny spot and the other in a dark place. Have your youngster check them daily and add water as needed. Which one grows faster?

H-and signals: Use sign language in a home spelling bee. Pick words from your child's spelling list or a favorite book, and have her sign the letters instead of saying them aloud. Tip: Borrow Sign Language for Kids by Lora Heller from the library to learn the sign language alphabet.

I-nside, outside: Teach your youngster classification skills. Secretly think of a category (school supplies), and have him figure out what it is by guessing various objects. If his guess belongs in your category (pencils), say "Inside". If it doesn't (tomatoes), say, "Outside". When your child names the category, he gets to start a new round.

J-umbled numbers: Work on place value and addition with this three-dice game. With your child, take turns rolling the dice and making the largest three-digit number possible. Write down your numbers on a piece of paper as you go. Example: If your youngster rolls 2,5, and 1 on her first turn, she would write 521. At the end of five rounds, add up your numbers. Whoever has the largest total wins.

Another link for help with homework is: B.J. Pinchbeck's Homework Helper www.bjpinchbeck.com This site contains dozens of links to resources ranging from All Living Things to Webster's Dictionary. Or your younster can click on a school subject, like social studies or art and find information from the U.S. Census Bureau Map Finder or the Artcyclopedia art gallery.

Worth Quoting: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." William Butler Yeats

Have a good week. See ya Soon. Once again thanks for allowing us to work with your children they are Awesome!

Ms. Pati Cummins

Hello Eastside Families,

I would like to wish everyone a very very very Merry Christmas!!! I hope that everyone is able to relax and enjoy the holidays. My wish for everyone is that they can see the people they love and get to enjoy some quality time with them (and a little snow would be nice).

Our December Home & School Connection will go home tomorrow with the children.  Here is a little excerpt from the Home & Connection A-Z Learning Activities. Looking for an answer to the complaint, "there's nothing to do" ? Use these ideas to help beat the boredom blues– and build the skills your child needs to succeed in school.

A-ction Math: Have your youngster turn math word problems into mini-skits to act out. For "Annie had five apples; gave three to Dan; how many does she have left?" she could gather five apples, use dolls to represent Annie and Dan, and create silly dialogue.

B-lock out: Use graph paper to boost spelling and vocabulary skills. Draw a 15 x15 box on tghe paper, and take turns writing words crossword-style until no more workds will fit. Score one point for every letter you fill in. High score wins.

C-oin counter: Practice money skills when dining out. Example: How many quarters does the chicken dinner cost? Your youngster can use paper and pencil or a calculator to find the answer. (If the dinner costs $5.75, he would divide 5.75 by .25 for an answer of 23 quarters.)

D-escribe this: Choose an object, set a timer for one minute, and have everyone list words that describe it. For a rock, your child might write, "gray, hard, round, rough." When time's up, players compare lists and cross off duplicates. Whoever has the most words left is the winner.

E-avesdropper: Try this game to practice listening skills with a radio or an audiobook. Pick a fairly common word (please, music, table). The first person to hear the word raises her hand and gets to pick the next word to listen for.

More activities to come………

Bye for now

Ms. Pati A. Cummins