Aviator Air News
Maple Dale Family Newsletter
December 15, 2023
A Note from Mrs. Zellner and Mr. West
Dear Maple Dale families,
We are looking forward to a great week of learning before our Winter Break. Please be sure to communicate any attendance or transportation changes with the front office.
Warm wishes for a wonderful and safe holiday season with your family.
Fondly,
Mindy and Keena
Mark Your Calendar!
Monday, December 18th: A Day
Tuesday, December 19th: B Day
Wednesday, December 20th: C Day
Thursday, December 21st: D Day
Friday, December 22nd: E Day
Monday, December 11th- Friday, December 22:
- Maple Dale's 10 Days of Holiday Cheer *see more details below
Monday-Friday, December 25th- January 5th:
- No School-Winter Break
Thursday, January 11th:
- PTO Meeting
Friday, January 12th:
- No school- Teachers Records Day
Monday, January 15th:
- No school- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- PTO skating event * see newsletter below for more information
Thursday, January 18th - Friday, January 19th
- Lion King Program starring Maple Dale Students * show times to be communicated soon
Volunteer Opportunities
Interested in Volunteering? Below are links to volunteer at Maple Dale
- Lunchroom Volunteer
- Milers- Fall 2023
- Workroom (Copy room) Assistant * Description in Sign Up
- Media Center Volunteer
Coffee with the Superintendent
Please join the PTO 1/11 @ 9:30am as we host Superintendent Chad Lewis to answer our submitted questions. Please submit questions below. We hope to see you there!
MD PTO Newsletter
Click here to be updated on PTO news and events
Maple Dale’s Ten Days of Holiday Cheer!
Let's have some fun! Students are invited to join the MDE staff celebrate the countdown to Winter Break. See the guidelines below
Monday, December 18: Something polka dots (they look like snowflakes!) with jeans
Tuesday, December 19: Comfy plaid or flannel with jeans
Wednesday, December 20: Favorite holiday shirt with jeans
Thursday, December 21: Favorite school/teacher shirt with jeans
Friday, December 22: Ugly Holiday Sweater Day with jeans
Lost and Found
Click here to view items in the Lost and Found
Social And Emotional Connections
Let Kids Struggle
This weekend, at my son’s basketball game, I was rooting for those layups to look better because he wants to improve and has been working on them... a little. When he got his chance, his form was better, but he missed, and I instantly felt some disappointment for him. But as I thought about it, the truth is, I don’t want him to think skill comes easy. I don’t want him to think a few hours of half-hearted work on lay-ups in the driveway equates to bucket after bucket made. I want him to connect trial, failure, and endurance to improvement. I want him to understand what struggle feels like now so that he is less likely to give up when he meets obstacles in the future.
No big deal, right? Add that significant life lesson to the list of never-ending parenting demands! But how do we approach this? I think there are three ways in day-to-day life:
If we know the answer or can make the feat (from Lego to layups) instantly do-able for our children.... we shouldn’t! Instead, we should stay involved and supportive by simply observing. For example, if our 2nd grader is building from a set of Lego directions and skipped a step, we don’t have to point it out right away. Instead, we can say something like, “You’re noticing something is not quite right, so you’re going back to figure out what happened.” Or we observe, “It isn’t turning out like the picture, and you noticed. You’re being so observant as you build.” This way, we’re naming their skills and strengths, reminding them they have the tools they need... we’re building their frustration tolerance through struggle.
We should constantly seek out opportunities to try new things. When kids have the chance to see that they are not going to be perfect at every new thing they try, they get practice at being... bad. They have the chance to learn, “I wasn’t great at first, but I kept trying and I got better.” If we walk away from an experience thinking, “Whew, we are not doing that ever again!” We should rethink it. Could it actually be an opportunity to struggle, then succeed? Could it be an opportunity to build frustration tolerance?
Step back and let them fail. Don’t take away those hard moments. If we think about the most important lessons we have learned in our own lives or when we truly gained resilience—it was after a hard moment. As parents, we want to rescue our kids from hard moments because we love them! But that rescue also robs them of opportunities to grow. If that 2nd grader doesn’t figure out what Lego step they skipped and they keep going only to find out later it isn’t right at all... that is okay! Do absolutely be there after that hard moment to remind them of their strengths, to help them plan for next time, and to point out that it was hard, but they are also okay.
-Renee Bernecker, LISW, CTP
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, School-Based Therapist
686-1720, Ext 1302
Resources:
The Power of Letting Kids Struggle (youtube.com) (Please check out all of Dr. Becky’s podcasts!)
7 Reasons Why Struggle is Important for Kids | Big Life Journal
2023-2024 YEARBOOK
🍁Sycamore Community News🍁
District Events and Activities
About us
Email: zellnerm@sycamoreschools.org
Website: http://www.sycamoreschools.org/Domain/12
Location: 6100 Hagewa Drive, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: (513)686-1720
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mapledaleaviators/
Twitter: @MapleDaleElem