Lil Steamers --

First and foremost, please write your child's name on every clothing tag for hats, gloves, coats, sweatshirts, etc. on all items they bring to school! Our lost and found bins have been overflowing the first semester.

Lastly, Roese and I wish you a very happy holidays and wonderful new year!

JAGH

Below is a winter break bucket list from Simply Kinder. These activities would be great for students of all ages as well as families. Enjoy the break and see you in a few weeks, Lil Steamers! ⛄

Sending best wishes for a joyful holiday season. Merry Christmas to all families!

If your children get bored as they are away from school over the holidays, here are some ideas:

1. Prepare “Thank You” notes for gifts.

2. Write holiday stories or poems.

3. Have a Christmas movie marathon in their pajamas.

4. Make a blanket or box fort in the living room.

5. Read together.

6. Cook together.

7. Play board games.

Congratulations to the following FES students who went above and beyond demonstrating our monthly Capturing Kids Hearts character trait of RESPONSIBILITY!

KA Brystol S., KB Haddie H., KC Liam L.

1A Kynslee N., 1B Tahlia G., 1C Allison P.

2A Hadley H., 2B Kaylee Kostka, 2C Rabecca E.

3A Aurora L., 3B Rhett W., 3C Calista K., 3D Dawson H.

4A Gianna H., 4B Remy S., 4C Rylee H

5A Alyssa T., 5B Lexi P., 5C Emersyn A.

The 4th Grade classes collected donations of health, beauty and cleaning products. The families provided 2 large boxes of products to be shared with the needy at the Victory Center in Clinton. We thank all those that provided donations. What a great way to share your Christmas cheer and kindness!

Parents/Students,

There have been a number of students boarding buses with food and drink items. Specifically, breakfast items and large beverages. If food/drink items must be carried to or from school, (e.g. school lunch) they are to be in a sealed container and remain in that container for the duration of the bus ride.

As outlined in Article 4 of the Transportation Handbook Instructions to School Bus Riders / Parent and Guardians “Eating or drinking is not permitted on the bus”. This rule is intended to prevent choking hazards, protect students with food allergies as well as enhance the cleanliness of our vehicles. Restricting food and drink on our school bus routes allows the drivers to focus on student safety while driving.

Guidelines are different for Extra Curricular and Co-Curricular trips where eating and drinking rules are at the discretion of the person in charge: Bus Driver, Coach, Teacher etc. This is detailed in Article 3 of the Transportation Handbook.

If you have questions or concerns, please direct them to Taylor Whitney Transportation Director at 815-589-2902

Apparel Store: We’re thrilled to announce that apparel store items are anticipated to be ready within the next week! Once the orders are complete, we’ll send out information regarding pick-up times. Thank you for your patience—we can’t wait for you to see your new gear!

Teacher Requests: PTO has approved a request for classroom supplies for our new kindergarten teacher, Ms. Tiffany Smith. We’re so excited to welcome Ms. Smith to the FES family and extend our heartfelt congratulations on her graduation!

Polar Bear Patch Holiday Shop: The Polar Bear Patch will take place December 16–20. This special holiday shop allows students to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Keep an eye out for a flyer coming home with your student soon!

• Volunteer Opportunity: The flyer includes a section that can be cut off and returned to school for parents who wish to volunteer at the Polar Bear Patch.
• Budgeting Help: To make shopping easier, the flyer also includes a budgeting section where parents can help plan how much their student should spend on each loved one. This section can be sent to school with the student’s spending money to ensure a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience.

The PTO has been hard at work preparing for this event since the end of last year’s holiday shop. Every item was hand-picked by the board, and we’re so proud of this year’s offerings. We can’t wait for the kids to enjoy this magical shopping experience!

Next PTO Meeting: Mark your calendars! Our next PTO meeting will be on February 4th, 2025, at 7 PM.

As always, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook at Fulton PTO, by email at fultonelempto@gmail.com, or contact a board member:

• Lynne Coffey – President
• Abra Richards – Vice President & Media Manager
• Danielle Wilkins – Secretary
• Tarah Manon – Treasurer

Thank you for your continued support of FES and our PTO initiatives!

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.

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

Home of the Lil Steamers!

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