Sunset Lake Elementary Mission-
We are Lifelong Learners and Lifelong Leaders!

Email: amccaw@vicksburgschools.org
Website: Vicksburgcommunityschools.org
Location: 201 N Boulevard St, Vicksburg, MI, United States
Phone: (269)321-1500
Twitter: @TLIMPrincipal

Hello Sunset Lake Families,

We are happy to share our first marking period has been a great success on our two big Wildy Important Goals (WIGS).

Our first goal of reducing student discipline referrals by 10% at the end of the year is on track and we are working on ways to make sure we reach that goal. Our last day of the marking period all students who were referral free were able to attend a special assembly celebrating their accomplishment. Students who received a referral the first marking period met with me and completed a referral reflection sheet that helped them work out a plan for next marking period to be referral free.

Our second WIG, is increasing our building number of students reading at grade level proficiency. All students learn at a different pace and we work to differentiate our instruction to meet each child's needs. One of the most important part of improving a child's reading ability is to make sure they have time to read every day. We are starting a family reading calendar that helps encourage your child to read every day at home. Research shows student choice and enjoyment in reading is directly connected to improving a child's reading ability. Our reading calendar is to encourage the JOY of reading. We hope you enjoy the fun activities and send in pictures to the website of your family enjoying reading together! (If you have questions, please ask your child's teacher for clarification.)

Family conferences are scheduled for November 13th and 15th. Please be sure to confirm your time with your child's teacher. It is a good idea to have any questions prepared ahead of time since our time slots are very tight.

Our month of November, brings Habit #2 as our focus. Habit #2, Begin with the End in Mind, focuses on having a vision for your goals and creating action steps to reach your goal. For our students, we share Habit #2 Begin with the End in Mind means to have a plan. As a family, you can use Habit #2 to bring a focus to reaching simple goals, such as using our reading calendar each day, getting to school on time, or even finding ways to increase family dinners each week.

Yours in Learning,

Amie McCaw

Sunset Lake Elementary Principal

We recently sent out a link for all families to complete a Family Survey. This survey is a required part of our state school improvement work and helps our district review building needs. We hope you can take some time to complete our survey and help us identify our strengths and growth areas.

Here is the link to our survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScedQJ9geGivLhlY5geKIMvUl1LlySDPY8hYjKIwrxHYBNUcw/viewform

We thank you for your time!

In January, we will be sending a survey that is more aligned with getting feedback specifically to our Leader in Me progress.

Dear Families,

Below you will find a FUN and ENGAGING calendar full of ideas to complete to make reading a focus not only here at school, but

at home too!

We would LOVE to see you try out some of these ideas throughout the month and share them with our Sunset Lake family! Snap a picture of your family trying out an activity and email it to reading@vandermei.com.

We will be creating a board here at Sunset to display all the fun captured at home. Each month a new calendar will come home, so be ready to carry this focus on reading through the entire year!

Every month is reading month at Sunset Lake!

Happy November Reading!

https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/calendars/november-2018-k-5-activity-calendar

• November 2nd- No Students for Staff Records & Professional Development Day
• November 13th & 15th Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:30-7:00p.m.
• November 17th Project Graduation 23rd Annual Craft Show @ Sunset Lake Elementary from 9-3p.m.
  
• November 21st, 22nd & 23rd - Thanksgiving Break

Our Family Lighthouse Team has started off with a great goal of leading a Family Leader Night in March. We are excited about all of our ideas and would love to add more members to our team. Our Family Lighthouse Team is a great way for families to be involved with our school goals and share ideas from a family perspective. We want to partner with our families to be the best school we can be. Our meeting times are flexible and we work together to find the best time for our monthly meetings. If you are interested or would like more information, please submit your name to Amie McCaw. amccaw@vicksburgschools.org or 321-1560.

Our first school morning bell rings at 8:50 each day. Students are expected to be in their seats at 8:55a.m. Please be sure that your child arrives to school on time and ready to begin their day by 8:55 every morning.

Also, if you need to make a change to your child end of day dismissal. Please call the office before 3pm. That way we can make sure your child knows.

Thank you!

Principal McCaw

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Please take a moment to confirm that your current contact and emergency contact information in Skyward is correct. We are entering the winter season and having correct contact information in case of school closings and/or early dismissals is very important. If you have not accessed the Skyward Parent Portal before, please do so using the following instructions. Thank you!

First time using Skyward?

Follow these easy steps to register

1. Make sure your email is on file and up to date with your school. This should have been included with your enrollment information.
2. Navigate to www.vicksburgschools.org/skyward to access the log in screen.
3. Click on the “Forgot Password” link, which is just underneath the ‘Sign In’ button.
4. Enter the email you have on file with your school and click “submit”.
5. You will receive a link in your email inbox with a Login ID and instructions to reset your password.

Note: If you do not receive a password reset email within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder inside your email client. From time to time, spam filters trap Skyward emails. If the email is not in your spam folder, it is likely we don’t have your correct email address on file. Please click HERE to download our paper registration form. Once complete simply return this form to your schools office.

Logged in - Now What?

Now that you are logged in you should be able to see your student(s) information. Please take a moment to navigate around the site and double check the information we have on file. Below are instructions on how to complete a few common changes.

To make changes to Emergency Contact Information:

1. Choose Student
2. Click STUDENT INFO (left hand side tabs)
3. Click REQUEST CHANGES FOR (STUDENT NAME)
4. Click EMERGENCY CONTACTS to edit existing Emergency Contacts
5. Click ADD EMERGENCY CONTACT and add non-household contact information - grandparent, neighbor, etc. (Add Emergency Contacts for each child)

To make changes to Address:

1. Choose Student
2. Click STUDENT INFO (left hand side tabs)
3. Click REQUEST CHANGES FOR (STUDENT NAME)
4. Click Family Address

To make changes to Family Information, Emergency or Health Information

1. Choose Student
2. Click STUDENT INFO (left hand side tabs)
3. Click REQUEST CHANGES FOR (STUDENT NAME)
4. Choose Selection to make changes

Important Note:

The contact information you add to your Skyward account is used by our alert system to notify you about school closings, transportation notices and potential emergency notifications. You may select multiple ways in which you would like receive these messages (phone, email, text).

Have you ever wondered about books, movies, video games, any media for your children? This is a great resource. Here is an example of a review of Five Nights at Freddy's.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/five-nights-at-freddys-4

Please be sure to check out our Sunset Lake Elementary PTSO Facebook Page. This is a great place for updates and the most recent news that affect our school.

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!

As we count the many things that we are thankful for in our lives, we count being your PTSO board one of them. Thank you for your trust, continued support, and volunteerism!

November 13th: Picture Retake Day

November 21st-23rd: Thanksgiving Break!

Always Thankful,

Shannon, Ashley, Denise, and Krystle

http://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/RtP_Activities_0.pdf

Message from Mrs. Chang.....

Hi!

U of M invited me and my family to a basketball game on Dec. 15, where they have an annual tradition of recognizing the MI Teacher of the Year. This is a special Education Day event. U of M is playing WMU that day, so my U of M contact shared this link with me, to share out with our families in case they want to see a game at a discounted price.

https://www.fevo.com/edp/Mens-Basketball-Education-Day-vs-Western-Michigan-6XAcyMW?referrer_hash=Ze8a1q0x

Please enjoy the video some of our students created from the Look for the Good Project.

https://typito.com/share/aWq6GmGp?fbclid=IwAR3SxGO7ygipFw8oPE9psTiYcV5tnEE6pfRHDxoeVPo2ci9PzKa9nWwwKpI

Healthy Sleep Schedules

Healthy sleep habits are important for everyone - especially growing children. On average, younger children require between 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night, and teens require 8 to 10 hours each night. With the busy world that we live in, it can be hard to make sure we’re all getting enough sleep. So what can you do to help your kids?

There are many things that can affect whether or not your child gets a good night’s rest. One of the most important ways to ensure a good night’s sleep is to keep a consistent sleep schedule. However, with holiday breaks, summer vacation, weekends and after school activities, this isn’t always easy.

“Setting a schedule with your child is the first step. Especially with any extended time off from school, start getting back into a routine as early as possible. This will help make it easier when school starts back up,” says Dr. Mark Goetting, who specializes in sleep medicine and pediatrics at Bronson Sleep Health. “By following the same schedule every night, the body’s internal clock will get used to that schedule. This means an easier time falling asleep and waking up in the morning, as well as more restful sleep overall.”

Tips to help your child get a good night’s rest

• Get physical activity during the day. This will help burn off extra energy.

• Avoid evening activities. With sports, music and friends, it is hard to not pack our evenings with lots of activities. By leaving some downtime, your child will be able to adequately wind down and stick with their routine.

• Sleep – everyone needs it! Make it a priority for everyone in the family. Set an example for your child by getting in your own routine, going to bed at a decent hour, and sticking to it.

• Stay away from electronics in the evening. TV’s, laptops, cell phones are often a part of our evening routine. Although it may feel calming, it has the opposite effect on our brains. The color of the screens mimics daylight, tricking our brains into thinking we need to stay awake. Turn off all electronics at least one hour before bed.

Is your child tired all day?
Most people are sleepy just as they’re waking up. But, what if your child experiences sleeplessness all day? Especially during the school year when there are more activities and sleep schedules are more likely to be interfered with, teachers are a good resource for understanding your child’s energy levels. If they aren’t getting enough sleep, their ability to focus in school could be impacted.

If you have concerns about your child’s sleeping patterns, talk to his or her pediatrician.

This article is brought to you by Bronson Children’s Hospital, southwest Michigan’s only children’s hospital. For more information about children’s health, visit bronsonhealth.com/services/children.

1Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need? https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sleep/Pages/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-How-Many-Hours-Does-Your-Child-Need.aspx