Dragon News
Findley Elementary School
December 18, 2020
Message from the Principal
The 3 W’s for a Safe Holiday
WEAR your mask, WATCH your distance, WASH your hands
This year the Oregon Health Authority has encouraged everyone to participate in low-risk holiday activities to keep all Oregonians safe during the pandemic, because we know social gatherings have been the catalyst for a significant level of spread of the Coronavirus. If you are planning on gathering with family or friends this holiday season, it is important to remember the 3 W’s to keep you and your family safe - wear your mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands!
Low risk ideas for this holiday season:
● Make seasonal dishes with the people you live with
● Enjoy time outside and plan a family walk
● Meet virtually
● Shop locally or online
It is safest to stay home and celebrate. If you are planning on traveling or having someone who does not live with you attend your holiday activities, it is important to take precautions and celebrate safely.
Tips to help keep you and your family safe:
● Stay home and avoid others when you are sick or have been exposed to illness
● Get your flu vaccine
● Wear your face covering and only remove it to eat
● Wash your hands frequently
● Maintain 6 feet of distance
● Limit the gathering to 6 or less people
● Take your seasonal activities outdoors
● Prepare individual food plates to limit the sharing of utensils
● Drive instead of fly, if possible
● Get COVID-19 tested before going anywhere or reduce interaction with others outside of your home for 2 weeks before a social gathering
If you want more information, see additional CDC recommendations. Have a safe and joyous holiday season!
This month Beaverton Safe Routes to School invites your school community to go on a Snowflake Hunt! To participate make a snowflake and place it in a window facing the street and then go for a walk and count how many snowflakes you find. We hope this provides your family with a fun activity and a little encouragement to get outside for a walk or roll. Use the link below for a snowflake making tutorial and make sure your trip is counted in the following ways:
1. Respond to this message with the number of snowflakes you found.
2. Log your miles on your Marathon Kids account.
3. Post a photo to social media with the following
hashtags #BSDsaferoutes #BSDtogether #BSDmarathonkids
https://www.realsimple.com/.../how-to-make-paper-snowflakes
**Findley will have Snowflakes in the windows of the school. Come by and count!**
Cold Weather Doesn’t Mean You Need to Stay Inside!
With the change in weather it can be tempting to stay indoors. We know that our kids need to move every day and the extensive associated benefits of physical exercise. Here are some tips to help you build healthy (and fun!) habits into the remote school day:
- Start your day by taking a walk or a bike ride. Do you still travel to a different location for school? Then make that trip an active one! Too far to walk? Try parking halfway and walking the rest. Commit to walking or biking 2 days a week and start building those healthy habits.
- Take movement breaks in between classes or at lunch time. A brisk walk around the block will get your heart pumping and re-energize you for the rest of your day.
- Need to pick up your library holds or free lunch? Bike over to your pickup location and reap the benefits of an active trip while checking off your to-do list.
Reading & Writing Links
Here are links to some helpful Reading & Writing info pages.
Shannon Bauck she/her/hers
Intervention Teacher
Winter break tips for your electronic devices
Passwords for students:
Write down your student's password and store it somewhere safe over the break.
Make a photo copy of your student's Clever badge and store that somewhere safe too.
Student Devices:
Fully charge devices the night before returning from break.
After school breaks, 90 % of Student Help Desk calls are for forgotten passwords and device issues, dead batteries.
Fees / Fines
We desperately need to recover these items or the associated fines for the lost items. Only then can schools begin to replace books and devices for future use. How big is the problem? Take a look:
Library Book Fines.
18/19 School Year $36,176
19/20 School Year $129,129
Textbook & Device Fines
18/19 School Year - $236,572
19/20 School Year - $288,648
We need your help!
Please search for overdue and lost items: library books, textbooks from last school year and school-issued devices (iPads, Chromebooks) that your student isn’t currently using. Search your in-box, too, for any emails from noreply@intouchreceipting.com or do-not-reply@nwresd.k12.or.us, which will indicate that your student has a missing item.
Then return that item to any BSD school. You have several options: (Please arrive in a mask.)
- Return items to your school during regular school hours. Some schools also may offer evening drop-off hours. Check with your school’s newsletter for additional drop-off hours and directions.
- Return items to any Library Book Bus stop. See schedule and map for days and times.
Pay lost fine through the district’s Online Payment System.
If you’ve already returned materials or items were left in classrooms last spring, please contact your school library staff via email to let them know. Library materials are quarantined for up to one week before being checked in, so it will take time for fines to be resolved in InTouch accounts.
Thank you for helping us get resources back to our schools so that they can be re-distributed to those students who need them.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
congratulations VARUN
Varun won first place in the Yuletide chess tournament K-3 Division that took place on Dec 12th (virtual). We are very thankful and grateful for all the support that Varun gets from Findley.
Grades K-3
1st place: Varun I (Findley Elementary)
2nd place: Jackson (Hope Chinese Charter School)
3rd place: Annika (Access Academy)
4th place: Prithiv (Elmonica Elementary)
5th place: Leo (Charlemagne French Immersion Elementary School)
Eat, Sleep, Move!
Community Resources
Findley PTO
Findley PTO: Supporting our students by connecting parents, staff, and the community!
Visit our website at www.findleypto.com or email president@findleypto.com.
Notes from the PTO Board:
On behalf of the PTO Board, THANK YOU so much for all of the donations!!! During our food/socks/underwear drive, we collected:
Over 170 pairs of underwear
Over 270 pairs of socks
Over 350 canned/boxed goods
$65 cash (donated to Oregon Food Bank)
Amazing work Findley Dragons! The Beaverton Clothes Closet and the local food pantries thank you for all of your generosity.
In other news, your PTO Board has still been hard at work despite the pandemic. We’ve been holding virtual meetings and communicating via email. Here are some of the things we’ve funded due to our recent successful fundraising: work at home equipment to help support our teachers, a refreshed teachers’ lounge, Scholastic subscriptions for lower grades, and a curbside teacher’s appreciation lunch. Additionally, we are hoping to get water fill stations, playground and field improvements in 2021.
Thank you again for being part of this wonderful Findley community. We hope you are staying safe and healthy during these challenging times. Happy Holidays to everyone!
December Art Literacy Lesson
Check out the NEW December Findley Art Literacy project on our website -- "Overlapping Hands." https://sites.google.com/site/artlitfindley/new-cdl-art/december
Exhibit your work in our virtual gallery by emailing a photo of your artwork to artlitfindley@gmail.com -- instructions are all on our site -- https://sites.google.com/site/artlitfindley/home
Thank you for participating!
Findley Art Lit Team
YearBook News!
We need your help!
Submit your photos to the Yearbook!
Submit your best photos to the yearbook. This upcoming week we are requesting candids for Pajama Day on December 18th! Take photos of your kids wearing their PJ's and upload to the Spirit Days folder - see directions below.
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In a Google Chrome browser, go to: https://commpe.pictavo.com/PictavoSchool/FindSchool
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Search for Findley Elementary or use the code: 94012
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Click ‘Create an Account’
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Use your email address to make your account
(You only need to do this once!)
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Click on the blue ‘Upload Images’ bar
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Select the image(s) to upload
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Choose which album to upload the image to
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Don’t forget to “Tag” the people in the photo
Congratulations! You’ve completed the upload and supported the yearbook! There is no limit to how many photos you can upload, so keep them coming!
Up Coming Events
LIBRARY BOOK PICKUP DAYS AND TIME
Mondays 11am - 12 noon & 2pm - 4pm
Fridays 10:30am - 12:30pm
Bus Stop Wednesdays.
1:32 - 2:02 Bannister & Hamel Dr.
2:07 - 2:37 Skycrest between Spuceridge & Eagleridge
2:42 - 3:13 - Blackcomb & Whistler
3:16 - 3:46 - Tunstin Ranch Dr. North of Yvonne Ln.
December
12/21-1/1 - Winter Break NO SCHOOL
January
4th - Return to CDL School
18th No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
20th - Synchronous Learning Day
22nd - Virtual Assembly - Hat Day
February
5th - Grading Day No Students
8th - Semester 2 starts
12th - Spirit Day - wear as many colors as possible or one for the whole class
15th - Presidents Day No School
17th - CLD - Synchronous Learning Day