- January 2nd - School Resumes
- January 8th - School Board Meeting 6-8 PM
- January 9th - PTA Meeting 3:30 PM
- January 15th - NO SCHOOL MLK Day
- January 24th - State of the Schools
CLOTHING IN THE OFFICE IS RUNNING LOW!
- The office works hard to keep spare clothes for students. If your student has received a change of clothes from the office or nurse please wash them and return them so we can continue having a bank of clothing available. We are currently low on boys' and girls' pants for ages 6/7/8 and are having to inconvenience you the parents when students require a change of clothes.
- If you are having a new year clear out and have pants ages 6/7/8 yrs please consider donating them to school.
Dear Crescent Harbor Family:
Welcome to 2024! I find January to be an interesting month. The letdown from all of the holiday activities is balanced by the relief of slowing down and returning to a routine. The days start getting longer, and the crisp clear weather that appears every once in a while is a welcome interruption to the dreary PNW winter.
January is also a time when we re-commit to some of those habits that we know are best for ourselves and our families. As you set resolutions for the coming year, let me suggest some things to consider that will support your student’s school success.
Develop a bedtime routine. Sticking to a consistent bedtime is an important part of the routine. Maybe a small snack (not sugary) or a story helps settle your student down.
Limit access to electronics. You can set up a “phone jail” for when you are together in a room so you can converse, and you can put phone chargers outside of the bedroom so children are not tempted to use their phone after bedtime.
Schedule a family activity each week that is fun and interactive. You might consider taking a walk at Windjammer Park or a hike on one of the many nearby trails, going bowling or swimming, playing a game, cooking together, or some other activity that you all enjoy together.
Encourage reading every day. It helps if parents participate also by turning off the TV, putting away electronic devices and all sitting down to read for 20 minutes. Someone can read out loud, or everyone can read on their own.
Whatever you decide for your family, start small with some manageable goals so you feel success. Deciding to make a complete change in your household routine all at once is a sure way to find yourself doing the same old thing in a month.
Finally, as we approach the middle of the school year, teachers will be collecting reading and math data to measure learning progress for students. This data helps the school figure out how to continue to provide needed instruction for every student. If you have questions about how your student is developing as a learner, reach out to their teacher or be sure to attend parent/teacher conferences on February 8-9. Your participation in your student's learning pays huge dividends in their success.
Thank you for your partnership,
Bill Weinsheimer
Principal
Encourage and enable regular hydration
Dehydration in children is relatively common. Drinking water isn’t the first thing on a busy child’s mind. If a drink isn’t in front of them, children may not notice how thirsty they are until they are nearly dehydrated. So keep water handy when you’re with your child and offer it periodically — every couple of hours, or more often when the air is especially dry in the winter.
Send your child to school with an easy-to-carry refillable water bottle. Research suggests that regular hydration improves children’s energy level, focus, and thinking.
Some creative ideas:
Make hydration fun for younger children by offering water in colorful cups or with silly, curly straws.
Make infused water to add flavor and variety. Fill a pitcher with water and a few slices of fruit — such as apple, melon, strawberry, or orange — and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. Experiment with different fruits, as well as vegetables and herbs. Cucumber-infused water has a refreshing taste, as does water infused with fresh mint. A cinnamon stick adds flavor to fruit infusions.
We also get water through some of the foods we eat, especially fruits and vegetables. Make sure hydrating foods like fruits and vegetables are a regular part of your child’s diet — for both nutrition and hydration.
How much hydration is enough?
To stay well hydrated, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers guidelines that children between ages 1 and 3 years drink 4 cups of beverages per day, including water and milk. Children 4 to 8 years old should aim for 5 cups per day, and older children 7 to 8 cups per day.
So how do you know when a child is dehydrated or when they’ve had enough fluids?
While there’s no single number of drinks that will meet every child’s needs, there is one very easy measure of healthy hydration: the color of their urine.
Urine that has only a slight hint of color indicates a healthy level of hydration.
Yellow urine is a sign that your child needs to drink more.
Dark yellow or brown urine is a sign of dehydration — a signal that your child needs to drink quite a lot, and soon, to restore the water balance in their body.
You can teach your child to look at the color of their urine when they pee, and adjust their water intake based on what they see.
Other signs of dehydration include headache, nausea, fatigue, and even dizziness. But you don’t want your child to wait for those signals to drink more. At that point, they’ll be teetering on the edge of a health emergency.
Pay attention to your health, too
As you work with your child to build healthy hydration habits, you’re likely to find yourself changing your own habits, too. That can be a great side benefit of paying attention to your child’s hydration.
Happy New Year from the PTA!
As we start off the new year, we’d love to take a moment to thank our amazing volunteer of 2023! We couldn’t do it without you!
Our first PTA meeting of the New Year is January 9th. Please join us as we will be voting in new board members as well as discussing events. Kids are welcome! 3:30 pm in the library
We have opted to cancel the January movie night. We plan to hold this event in the future.
A new year means the color run is on the horizon! We are looking for volunteers who love to hit the ground running with getting sponsors, making contacts, and helping us organize our 2nd color run! If this is you, please reach out to the PTA at:
As always, thank you for your support!
Mrs. Beukes Kindergarten Teacher
- I grew up in Sequim, Washington in Happy Valley.
- Classical music, candles, and yoga are calming to me.
- My favorite place to be is either at the beach or hiking in the mountains.
Mrs. O'Toole Second Grade Teacher
- I coached gymnastics for 5 years.
- I love to do puzzles. My New Years resolve to complete a 2k puzzle.
- I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd and have gone to the HP world.
Mrs. Albert Art Teacher
- I am K-12 certified and have taught every grade level from Pre-K to High School AP art.
- I love to travel and have been on several extended trips that have taken me all the way around the world twice.
- My birthday is on Christmas. I love it because everyone is already together and I'll always have the day off.
