Beartales

Nov. 7 District PD Day-No School

Nov. 9 Title Reading Parent Night 5:30

Nov. 22 Early Dismissal 1:30

Nov. 23 No School-Thanksgiving

Nov. 24 No School-Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 28 PTO Meeting 6:00

Dec. 8 Second Grade Field Trip to the Orpheum Theater for The Nutcracker

Dec. 21 Early Dismissal 1:30

Dec. 22-Jan. 2 No School

Jan. 3 School Resumes

Happy November Bears!

This month during our Character Strong time, grade levels are learning about Gratitude which is super fitting for this time of year. The various grade levels will be focusing on the following:

Kindergarten--identifying emotions across different situations, understanding what Gratitude means and practicing Gratitude, surprising someone in school by showing Gratitude, and showing their learning by creating a Gratitude wall.

1st grade--practice identifying and communicating how they would feel in different scenarios, identifying and sharing things they are Grateful for, making a plan for how to respond and act when feeling certain emotions, and reflecting on a time they felt Grateful and identify their emotions

2nd grade--practicing expressing Gratitude as a way to regulate their emotions, identifying different things they are Grateful for and proud of within themselves, express what they are Grateful for by making a Gratitude Collage, and understanding how feelings of Gratitude can help them balance out big emotions

3rd grade--identifying emotions and explaining why they are Grateful for their emotions, finding reasons for Gratitude in disappointing situations, understanding how they have control over big emotions and can advocate for themselves, creating a poster of Gratitude using I-statements to express what they are thankful for.

4th grade--using positive self-talk to put Gratitude into practice, expressing Gratitude to others and to themselves while creating tools for practicing positive self-talk, practicing reframing negative self-talk to positive self-talk, and sharing Gratitude and positive self-talk with others in the school community.

5th grade--evaluating stress management tools by creating a Gratitude recipe for coping with stress, practicing Gratitude as a way to manage stressful situations, identifying and showing Gratitude for a person who can help them manage their stress, and working together to create a Public Service Announcement to communicate ways to handle stress.

The end of our 1st Quarter was on October 26th and you should have received your student's report card on Thursday, November 2nd. We are still working to set up parent/teacher conferences for those that could not attend as it is important to us that we share your student's progress. If you have any questions about the conference or the report card you received, please do not hesitate to reach out. 2nd Quarter is in full swing and will take us through Jan. 11th which will also end the 1st Semester.

The end of the quarter is also a good time to reflect on your student's attendance so far this school year. Did you know that missing 9 days throughout the school year, put your student in the chronically absent designation by the State of Iowa? Missed days add up quickly and it doesn't take long for students to fall behind academically and socially. Attendance Matters and we will continue to have surprise Attendance Matters celebrations throughout the school year.

Our Title team has worked hard to design a Literacy Family night this Thursday at 5:30. RSVPs went out a few weeks ago and were due by Friday, Nov. 3rd. Please reach out as soon as possible if you are wanting to join us so that we can have accurate numbers. We hope to see all of you there!

Mrs. Girard and Ms. Dubois have been working very hard over the last year to get our PTO up and running again. While they have run into roadblock after roadblock they did not give up and we have our first meeting on November 28th, 6:00-7:00. If you have any questions, please reach out to the school and ask for one of them.

Thank you for partnering with us in your child's education. I am grateful for the students, staff, and families that we have at Bryant.

Dr. Holcomb

January 16

3rd Grade Music Program @ 5:30 p.m.

5th Grade Music Program and Band Concert @ 6:15 p.m.

February 15

1st Grade Music Program @ 5:30 p.m.

4th Grade Music Program @ 6:15 p.m.

April 11

Kindergarten Music Program @ 5:30 p.m.

2nd Music Program @ 6:15 p.m.

With the cooler temperatures upon us, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the colder winter. Even during the winter season, the District allows recess and outdoor activities to continue as usual, so it is important that students have the right winter weather clothing. When the temperature feels like 15 degrees or lower, students are kept inside for recess and activities. Students should be prepared for the cooler weather with a warm coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. If your student does not have access to cold weather apparel, please contact our school office.

The weather in Iowa can be unpredictable. If the weather requires us to delay the start of our school day, cancel school for the day, or dismiss school early, information will be sent to families through email, text, and voicemail. In addition, this information is posted to our social media sites and the District website.

Please remember that parents and guardians have the right to make the decision to keep their child home on any day they feel it is unsafe for their student to be in school because of weather conditions. If you believe the weather provides a sincere reason why you may have to keep your student at home, or

take your student home when classes are scheduled to continue, you as a parent or guardian will simply need to contact our school office to let us know.