Tamarack Elementary
News from the Lodge December 2023
Welcome to December!
Greetings,
Thank you to everyone who attended conferences, it is nice to finally have enough time together to get some feedback. We had a great turn out! Also many thanks to the families who brought in treats and dinner along with our Tamarack Family Group who provided a Chipotle lunch, much appreciation!
A couple of quick notes as we head into the cold, wet days of winter:
- umbrellas are great for walking home but we don't allow them out at recess, students may get a little wet in the back of forth of getting in and outside but we stay under cover (basketball hoop area) on rainy days, so hooded jackets are typically enough
- we have many items still in the lost and found, if your child is missing their jacket/coat, please have them check; we will try to remind them as well; please write your child's name on the inside of their jacket, super helpful for cleaning up lost and found
- any medication you have, example cough drops, need to be checked into the main office
- Family pick up at the end of day can get even wackier when it is raining hard...please stay in your car with the engine running if you plan on driving up, it may take a little longer but the more we pull forward the more room there is on the sidewalk to get your child to your car
- if it snows/freezes and there is an impact to the school day, you will receive a message via remind as well as an autodialer call from the district describing the adjustment, it will also be placed on our district and school websites
If you have any questions let us know!
If you were not able to fill out our family survey at conferences, here is a link to share any thoughts or ideas you have-we might not get to all the things this school year but it provides great information for events in the next:
Thank you for a wonderful start of the school year! The next newsletter, will read 2024, time is flying and we are glad to spend with you!
Easy acitivites to support literacy and learning over the break
Here are a few easy ways to embed learning and fun while on break:
Draw a picture of a winter landscape; label the drawing; could be map of the neighborhood or the journey to a favorite place
Library Adventure: Make a list of five of your student’s favorite things (trucks, bears, pizza…) help them locate a book on one or two.
Select and read a poem about winter; write your own.
Library Adventure: Research what sorts of winter activities other cultures engage in; share each night at the dinner table
Write thank you letters with your child showing gratitude to neighbors, friends; local community center and/or family
Vocabulary: Think of all the words that mean ‘eat’…’fun’…etc…list them with your child.
Play a board game (Scrabble, Scrabble Junior and Cadoo are favorites!)
Write three New Year’s Resolutions, explain why you chose them.
Dictionary game: Quiz one another on the meanings of various words…make up your own word list and create definitions!
Compare and Contrast: make a list of the things that certain animals can and cannot do…research if necessary
Finish the sentence: “The mosquitoes were so big…..” or “I was so hungry I…” Come up with your own starters and pass them around the dinner table...
Newspaper Sleuth: Find a good buy on dog food, radios, etc…compare and contrast advertisements
What would happen if a snowman came to life? What would he do? What would he say?
Make a map: how do you get to school? To the library? To a friend’s house? Label signs!
Listen to the radio, tap out the rhythm to songs…write your song!
Meal Planning: Consult parent and create the dinner menu-what are the ingredients, how will it be cooked? Or make up your own!
Root Words: Copy words from books, catalogs and newspapers that have root words, prefixes, suffixes-circle them!
dictate your grocery list, have your student draw or write the list; then they help you hunt at the store
Listen to a TV commercial-what are the facts? What are the opinions?
READ! To and with a friend, parent, sibling or other family member.
Champions Winter Program
Champions will host a Winter Break Camp here at Tamarack!
Register online at: www.discoverchampions.com
call 971-626-9134 or email: Ch002775@discoverchampions.com with any questions you may have.
