Lil Steamer Families –

I wanted to provide a quick update in regards to our Kindergarten expansion process.

In late October I had shared that we had made the decision to add an additional homeroom to our Kindergarten class to address our large class sizes. I am happy to share that we have completed our interview process and have selected a high quality teacher.

Ms. Tiffany Smith will be joining our school family and assuming the duties as our KD homeroom teacher. Ms. Smith is a Fulton High School graduate (class of 2021) and completed the education pathway during her high school tenure. She will graduate next week from Central College in Pella, IA and has numerous educational experiences to refer back on as she begins her teaching career.

Families of students who will be switching homerooms will be notified via email on Friday, December 6, 2024.

In addition, we will begin a transition period with Ms. Smith during the last week of school before winter break to help her begin building relationships with students, organize her classroom, and acclimate herself to the Greatest Little Elementary School in the Universe. Be sure to give her a warm welcome when you see her!

JAGH

Lil Steamer Families --

I have one request that will take less time than it does to read this full note. Could you provide us some feedback with how we are doing in regarding to our Capturing Kids Hearts initiative?

We have a very short 14-question survey that will take less than 1 minute to complete.

Here is the link: https://iheartckh.com/squrl/yrdtdm4u

Thanks for helping to make us better!

JAGH

FES is such a great place to be every day, I walk past many displays of the ways we are teaching our students with the Capturing Kids Hearts program. Here are some pictures of my favorite CKH things!

Finding time to take care of your own needs can be a challenge for busy parents and caregivers, especially around the holidays. Self-care is key for maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health. Here are a few simple activities to try if you have a few minutes:

1. Enjoy a moment of music. Put on your favorite song!

2. Hydrate to feel great. Take a break and have a glass of cold water. Getting enough water daily helps our brains and bodies stay healthy. It’ll help you feel energized and ready to take on whatever comes next.

3. Pause and praise yourself. Take a moment and think about something that went well recently. What was it? How did it make you feel? Noticing and celebrating small victories helps us to thrive.

4. Take a breath break. Pausing to stretch and breathe can clear your mind. Inhale a big breath and shrug your shoulders. Exhale and let your shoulders fall. Try again, this time reaching up with your arms as you inhale and letting them fall as you exhale. Try it a few more times.

5. Send a terrific text. Sending kind words or just sharing them with someone you care about is good for you, too! Giving compliments helps us to notice and appreciate the good things that are happening all around us.

Click the image below for the note that was sent home regarding dates, times, and all the info!

There is no cost to attend any of our Winter Concerts, but there will be a donation box available for Music Boosters. River Bend Music Boosters supports and helps with extra costs for all of our Music programs K-12. Please consider making a donation- and thank you!

*All of our concerts will also be LiveStreamed- thanks to the FHS Media Pub class!!

https://www.youtube.com/c/fhsmediapub

Students in KA had lots of fun at Reindeer Day! We played Reindeer games in the gym. Students playws Pin the Nose on Rudolph, a Reindeer Toss game, Pass the Reindeer, and Rudolph's Red Nose game. We even made Reindeer food for Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve! We made a very cute and special reindeer craft as well. After all the fun, KA students made a delicious reindeer snack with graham crackers and LOTS of chocolate frosting. Students had a photo op complete with red noses. We then made a reindeer bag for all our reindeer day goodies. Happy Reindeer Day from KA!

1C took their boarding passes, hopped a plane (pretend of course), and “traveled” over 3,000 miles to England. We learned about how Christmas is celebrated, made tiny Christmas cards, enjoyed a plum pudding coin, and even opened a traditional English Christmas cracker. Each cracker contained a paper crown, a trinket, and a joke. As they say in England, “Happy Christmas Everyone!” We are all excited for our next adventure!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

2A Stockings!

2B stockings!

2C Stockings!

4C's Student Teacher, Miss Church, will be wrapping up her time with us at FES. She will be graduating from Western Illinois University on Dec. 14th. We wish her success in her future educational career.

Apparel Store: Our apparel store is closing on November 17th! Don’t miss out on our new designs and color options. Check out the flyer for details on how to order and show your school spirit.

Polar Bear Patch Holiday Shop: PTO is busy finalizing the details for this year’s Polar Bear Patch! We’ve been shopping and organizing inventory to create a magical holiday shopping experience for the kids in December. We are in need of new and unused grocery bags for students to bring home their shopped gifts. If you can donate or know a business willing to contribute, please email us at fultonelempto@gmail.com or contact a board member. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Donuts with Grown-Ups: Mark your calendars! Donuts with Grown-Ups is scheduled for March 18th–21st. More details will be shared closer to the event!

Conference Treats: Thank you to our amazing parent volunteers who contributed delicious treats and to Eagle Brew for donating coffee and their GIANT cinnamon rolls. Our teachers and staff were so grateful for this sweet gesture!

December Meeting: Please note that our December PTO meeting has been moved to December 2nd at 7 PM. Childcare will be provided to make it easier for parents to attend.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip: PTO proudly funded transportation for all 2nd graders to visit a pumpkin patch, and it was an incredible experience for the students. Thank you for supporting our efforts to create memorable opportunities like this!

As always, feel free to reach out via Facebook at Fulton PTO, email us at fultonelempto@gmail.com, or contact one of our board members:
- Lynne Coffey – President
- Abra Richards – Vice President & Media Manager
- Danielle Wilkins – Secretary
- Tarah Manon – Treasurer

Thank you for your continued support!

1. A child should be fever-free without the assistance of medication for 24 hours before returning to school. A child's temperature is lowest in the morning, so a low temperature on awakening is not a true indicator. If you have given your child Tylenol or Motrin at night, the medication could still be affecting your child's temperature.

2. A child should be free of vomiting/diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school. A child who has been ill during the night may feel slightly better in the morning and even ask to go to school. however, the child will likely experience symptoms of illness later and will be contagious to the other children and staff.

3. A child with a thick or constant colored nasal discharge should remain home. Very few younger children can effectively blow their noses and wash their hands afterwards.

4. A child diagnosed with strep throat/scarlet fever should remain home for the first 24 hours of antibiotic treatment. A child remains contagious until they has been antibiotics for 24 hours.

5. A child diagnosed with conjunctivitis may attend school after 24 hours of antibiotic treatment. There should also not be any drainage from the eyes.

6. If you child has a persistent cough.

7. If your child sustains an injury either in or out of school, please notify the school nurse's office and send a doctor's note if your child is unable to participate in physical education or recess.

The 24-Hour Rule:

A child should stay home for at least 24 hours to rest if the following symptoms are present the morning of school or the previous night:

• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Fever above 100 degrees
• Itchy or reddened eyes with drainage
• An unusual rash, respecially if accompanied by drainage
• A poor night's sleep due to illness, cough, etc.

Starts Jan 3rd

Runs Monday and Friday 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Wrestler Registration Form for all boys and girls in grades K-5

Beginners Cost ($45 total)

Singlet Deposit-Separate Check ($60) **will be returned when singlet is turned in**

Checks made payable to RBWC

*Sign-ups will close Dec 20*

Click here to sign-up!

Starting pay is $18/hour. AM/PM Route. Up to 4 hours per day.

Paid holidays, sick, personal and bereavement time, and insurance available as well as participation in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.

Come join River Bend's excellent team of transportation professionals! All of our vehicles are well maintained, newer models and are all parked indoors.

No CDL? No problem! Paid training is provided (terms apply.)

Email Transportation Director Taylor Whitney at twhitney@riverbendschools.net to apply.

Be sure to read through the conversation starters at the bottom of the newsletter for great ways to discuss how to be a responsible student. Responsibility is our December monthly character trait!

Art - Mrs. Long

Counselor - Mrs. Meumann

Speech - Ms. Bri

Intervention - Mrs. Fish

PK - Mrs. Kurtz

PK Resource - Mrs. Marten

KB - Mrs. VanZuiden

KC - Mrs. Gardner

K/1 Resource - Mrs. Whitney

1A - Mrs. Robertson

1C - Mrs. Schipper

2A - Ms. Maloney

2B - Mrs. Roos

2C - Mrs. Stern

2/3 Resource - Mr. Hartman

3A - Ms. Guerrero

3B - Ms. Norman

3D - Mrs. Kuehl

4A - Mrs. Alexander

4B - Mrs. Iben

4C - Mrs. Miner

5A - Mrs. Snyder

Email: jhoese@riverbendschools.net
Website: riverbendschools.org/fes
Location: 1301 7th Avenue, Fulton, IL, USA
Phone: (815)589-2911
Twitter: @FultonSteamers