Eagle Sightings May
Holly Wehner, Principal
Dear FHES Families and Caregivers,
May and sunshine bring on a lot of excitement here at FHES! At recess, we see students more active than in the previous few months. There is so much energy and happiness everywhere you look! The field is alive with games of kickball, tag, soccer, and other creative games. As always we also see students playing four square, dodgeball, basketball, tetherball, and games on the big toy.
On Thursday, May 16 (5:30-7:30), we have Kindergarten Kick-Off happening at FHES. This is an exciting evening event for incoming Kindergarten families! Dinner will be served, information will be shared and connections will be made. Oh, and children have the opportunity to ride the school bus for the first time! If you have any family members or friends who will be 5 years old on or before August 31, please share the news that enrollment is open!
The end-of-the-year field trips (to various beaches and other fun island destinations) and the 5th-grade promotion are in the planning stages. Students and teachers are excited! Be sure you have filled out your background check if you are planning to attend a field trip. Please call Jeanna in the front office for more information (360) 378-5209. These only take a few minutes to complete.
This month our character trait is creativity. Creativity is… using your imagination to create something new or solve a problem. Our school is full of creative students who are excellent problem solvers. Ask your child/children about something they may have created, or ask about a problem they solved in a creative way. With all of the activities in the spring, we find more garbage and more damage to playground items. We can all work together to help kids remember to respect school property!
This is a picture of our Student Council president reading a book during a Creativity visit to a kindergarten class.
Thank you for your continued support.
With appreciation,
Holly Wehner
Growing Readers and Writers
Graphic Novels
Have you noticed that graphic novels are exploding both in availability and interest? These modern-day comic books are flying off library and bookstore shelves worldwide, even at FHES! According to our librarian, Ms. Charlene, graphic novels are the most requested and also the most checked out in our library. We currently have 304 graphic novels in our FHES library, with the most checked out being the Babysitters Club, Dog Man and I Survived series.
The term “graphic novel” was coined in the 1960s and despite debate about boundaries between comics and graphic novels, there is general consensus in the literary world that each have distinct traits. Graphic novels have a similar storytelling format to comic books, combining illustrations and bursts of text; however, the main characters are rarely superheroes and the books are true novels, telling a complete story with a clear beginning, middle and end.
Like all books our growing readers have access to, there are varying levels of quality among graphic novels. Although there may be less text in a graphic novel, they still provide engaging opportunities for our young readers to practice and apply various reading comprehension strategies. Students read using the illustrations across each panel along with text in the form of captions, speech/thought balloons, onomatopoeias (sound words like pow, haha, crash, burp, sizzle), and emanata (exaggerated, unrealistic lines or symbols emanating from a character that symbolize something about a character like a sweat drop or heat rays to show high temperatures or a question mark to show confusion). Between panels, readers must do some comprehension work to make sense of the gutter (the space that separates each panel) and determine how much time has passed. It could be a moment, a day, a year, etc. Needless to say, graphic novel readers are still decoding text along with activating prior knowledge, predicting, questioning, inferring, visualizing, building vocabulary, retelling and summarizing the text/illustrations.
If your child is curious about or already hooked on graphic novels, remind them to check out our graphic novel section in the FHES library. Our public library also has an extensive graphic novel collection and is hosting a FREE Comic Book Day this Saturday, May 4th. Here are some graphic novel recommendations for Kindergarten - 2nd grade and grades 3+. If you want to learn more about how graphic novels can benefit readers, see this brief Scholastic article. Additionally, here is a School Library Journal article exploring survey results about the popularity of graphic novels, manga, etc.
➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️Electronic Devices at School⬅️⬅️⬅️⬅️⬅️
Please remind your child/ren about the following school policies:
- Personal electronic devices are not to be used at school. If a CELL PHONE OR SMARTWATCH is brought to school for afterschool use it must remain in the student’s backpack until the end of the school day.
- No texting or calling during school hours from student devices.
- All communication to or from home must go through the school office.
Please remember that all visitors must check in with the office and wear a visitor badge while on school grounds during school hours.
Message from Ms. Terra
"Donut Stress about the Test!"
With testing happening in May, it is really common for students to feel some anxiety and worry. Conversations at home can be really helpful!
- Try asking your child to describe the physical sensations they have during tests (stomach ache, "butterflies", heart racing, etc.).
- Ask them how the thoughts that enter their minds before and during the tests affect them (helpful thoughts vs. unhelpful thoughts).
- Encourage your child to try not to focus on what they can't control like what is on the test, when it's scheduled, how fast their classmates are working, etc - which can cause our fears and worries to increase.
- Encourage them to focus on the things they can control (getting organized the night before, going to bed on time, eating a good breakfast, speaking positively to themselves) to help them feel more confident and prepared for the test!
- Your child is learning other important test-day skills: reading directions carefully, being mindful of remaining time, skipping difficult questions and coming back to them later, checking answers with remaining time, using positive self-talk, and only focusing on your own progress.
- Utilize strategies to calm their minds and bodies - naming their feelings, taking belly breaths, counting, and using positive self talk!
▪️May 2024 ▪️
Monday, May 6: Sealant Clinic at FHES
Tuesday, May 7: Sealant Clinic at FHES
Monday, May 13: PTO Meeting 5:30 pm FHES Library
Thursday, May 16: Kindergarten Kick Off! 5:30-7:30 pm
Friday,, May 17: 1st Grade Whale Museum
Tuesday, May 21: Kindergarten to San Juan Sea Salt Farm
Wednesday, May 22: 5th Grade Pacific Science Center
Thursday, May 23: 1st Grade Public Library
Thursday, May 23: Zoom Lunch with Mrs. Wehner 11:20-12:20
Friday, May 24: 11:10 am Early Dismissal-All Students and Staff
Monday, May 27: Memorial Day-No School
Friday, May 31: 3rd Grade UW Labs Diver for a day
Meet the Staff!
Kindergarten Kickoff
Kindergarten Kickoff will be May 16 from 5:30-7:30pm
Dinner will be served in the FHES cafeteria to incoming kindergarteners and their parents and/or their primary caregivers.
After dinner parents and kindergarteners will have the opportunity to meet with school staff and learn "everything they need to know" about this exciting first step in their child's educational adventure. The evening ends with a fun ride on the school bus for our future FHES students.
Kindergarten Registration
Do you have a child who will be five on or before August 31, 2024?
It's time to register for Kindergarten!
Please stop by Friday Harbor Elementary office to pick up an enrollment packet.
If you have any questions, please call 360-370-7301.
FHES Garden Update
The work in the garden has started!
To date, we have completed:
-mulched the paths with wood chips
-purchased soil from Julie's nursery (we still need another 7 bags)
-purchased seeds & starts from Julie's nursery- strawberries, carrots, radishes, beets, spinach, chard
-purchased new garden supplies including garden gloves, trowels, wheelbarrow, and various garden tools with funds from SJI school foundation
For this Spring we would love to:
-remove trash, weeds, and maintain our beds
-receive community donations of soil, seeds, and plant starts
-have students plant with their classrooms
-create garden plant tag labels (Mr. Lobue Art class and Kindergarten)
-organize a watering system for the summer
-organize our toolshed
For Summer/Fall 2024
-build a worm bin
-harvest veggies and flowers
-plant native species in the year-round garden
-compost pile update
Message from the School Nurse
School-Based Sealant Program (Opt-in only)
The Community Health Center of Snohomish County's dental team is coming back to our schools to offer hygiene services and provide sealants (a thin coating on the back molars that prevents 80% of cavities) for children wanting to be seen. Upcoming school dental clinic dates are:
San Juan Island – Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7
Please fill out the online form to have your child seen by the dental team at their school.
School Fees
Please log onto your SKYWARD account to make a payment for school supplies, lost library books, and food purchase balances.
5th Grade families please, make sure all remaining balances are paid before the end of the year.
No Dogs
Please remember No Dogs are allowed on school grounds. This includes the fields for games and practices.
Thank you for your support 🐾
Going Home Plans
We understand that going home plans may change during the day. When this happens we can write a note to be delivered to your child. Please be aware that notes are delivered at 2:15 pm, Wednesdays at 1:10 pm. Please let us know your plans before this time, thank you!
Thank you for setting your child up for success by ensuring they know their going-home plan before the start of the school day.
Playground Supervision
Please remember that there is no supervision at school until 8:00 am. We ask that your student does not arrive on campus prior to 8:00am for safety reasons. Supervision ends at 2:45 pm so please remind your student to go directly to their after school plans.
Zoom lunch with Mrs. Wehner
Join FHES principal over Zoom for a chat or a listen.
- Thursday, May 23, 11:20-12:20 pm
Meeting ID: 896 0703 4079 Passcode: 106501
Bring your questions, concerns, gratitude, and thoughts.
Is your family planning on a move? Please let us know.
Community Connections
Wondering about local groups and businesses that offer youth activities and/or support? San Juan Island School District has them posted on our Community Partners page.
Friday Harbor Elementary School
Email: roslynbutcher@sjisd.org
Website: sjisd.wednet.edu
Location: 95 Grover Street, Friday Harbor, WA, USA
Phone: 360.378.5209
San Juan Island School District Commitment to Non-discrimination
San Juan Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
The San Juan Island School District offers classes in many career and technical education program areas such as Culinary Arts, Career Prep, STEM, and Computer Science under its open admissions policy. For more information about CTE course offerings and admissions criteria, contact CTE Directors, Liz Varvaro, elizabethvarvaro@sjisd.org, PO Box 458, FH, WA, (360) 378-4133. Lack of English language proficiency will not be a barrier to admission and participation in career and technical education programs.
The following people have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:
Faith Knight, Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator, Title IX Officer
PO Box 458, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(360) 378-4133
Becky Bell, Special Services Director, 504 Officer, ADA Coordinator, Gender-Inclusive Schools Coordinator
PO Box 458, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(360) 378-4133
Fred Woods, Superintendent, Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) Coordinator
PO Box 458, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(360) 378-7905