Happy Friday, Lil Steamer Families!

October 11, 2024

From the Desk of: Principal Hoese

Lil Steamer Families --

Did you hear that PTO is hosting a Trunk or Treat event for Lil Steamers during the community wide Trick or Treat night in Fulton?

That's right! From 5-7 PM on Thursday, October 31 the FES parking lot will be converted into a "must stop" location for your trick or treating planning.

RUMOR HAS IT THERE WILL BE A HALLOWEEN DJ PLAYING MUSIC AND A HAUNTED SCHOOL BUS!!!

If you would like to join in the activities to give out candy, please sign up on the form next to the flyer for the event further in the newsletter.

Have a great three day weekend!

JAGH

P.S. No school on Monday, Oct. 14 in recognition of Columbus Day & Indigenous Peoples' Day.

From the Desk of: AP Parsons

From our friends at ROE 47:

Cracking the Code: Understanding Your Child's Behavior

Date & Time: November 19, 2024, 7:00-8:30 PM

Description: Join us for this informative workshop and learn effective strategies to understand your child's unique personality and needs, identify the root causes of behavioral challenges, build positive connections, and develop effective communication and discipline techniques.

Parents and caregivers can register at https://forms.fillout.com/t/5sMCD8nDv9us

These events offer valuable insights and support for parents and caregivers.

From the Desk of: Counselor Meumann

Self-talk is something that I encourage our students to do. We practice self-talk and hope that students will use it more each day rather than putting themselves down.

When thinking of examples of positive self-talk, it can help to start by turning negative thoughts into positive ones. Here is a list of common negative statements and how to turn them into more positive ones:

Negative: I’ve never done this new thing before, I’m sure I’ll be bad at it.

Positive: This is a great opportunity to learn how to do something new; maybe I’ll even be good at it!

Negative: There’s no way I will do well on this test.

Positive: There’s a chance that I will do well on this test; I will try my best!

Negative: I’ve failed, and now I’m not good at anything and have embarrassed myself.

Positive: I tried, and while I might not have succeeded, my actions were brave.

Negative: Nobody likes me on the playground.

Positive: My classmates want to play in different ways, and I’m sure I can join in.

BlockFest success at the Preschool!!!

Fourth Graders learned about a supply chain and created a flow chart.

Reading groups are so much fun in 2nd Grade!!

3rd grade had a great time learning about fire safety this week!

Elementary Music Festival (4th, 5th, and 6th graders)

Every fall, the Illinois Music Educators' Association hosts a Music Festival for 4th-6th graders throughout Northwest Illinois. Students have the opportunity to choose a group that they would like to participate in for this one-day festival. Click the button below for more information and how to sign up! Permission slips AND money are due this Thursday, October 17!

EGM Festival Info

NEW! FES PTO Corner

What a fantastic start to the year for our PTO and school community!

House Lanyards: Just before Sorting Day, each of the four houses received brand new lanyards provided by the PTO! Both the students and teachers loved them, and you can catch a glimpse of everyone proudly wearing them in our previous newsletter. These lanyards will be used for years to come!

Coffee and Donut Fundraiser Success: Thanks to your support, our Coffee and Donut fundraiser raised over $4,800, making it our most successful fundraiser in the past three years! A huge thank you to everyone who participated! Special shout-out to 5C, the winning class, who earned a fun Popcorn Glow Party!

National Custodians Appreciation Day: On National Custodians Appreciation Day, our PTO proudly provided gifts for each of our hardworking custodians. We wanted to show our gratitude for all they do to keep our school running smoothly, so we gifted them some sweet treats and a gift card to Steam Anchor. Thank you to our custodial staff for all your dedication and care!

Upcoming Events:

Trunk or Treat: Set to take place in our new and improved FES parking lot, we’re looking forward to seeing everyone there! However, we currently have low participation and would hate to cancel, so please, sign up today!
Teacher Treats During Conferences: Eagle Brew has generously agreed to donate once again, and many parents have volunteered to drop off baked goods. We hope our teachers enjoy these treats as much as they did last year!

Polar Bear Patch Holiday Shop: Our PTO board is hard at work preparing for the beloved Polar Bear Patch! After great feedback from last year’s holiday shop, we have decided to personally shop for the items this year instead of using an outside company to provide the inventory. The kids loved shopping, and we’re aiming to provide an even better experience this year!

Coming Soon: Donuts with Grown-Ups is coming back this spring, a much-anticipated event loved by our community. Additionally, we're working on a few fundraisers that will make for great holiday gifts—stay tuned for more details!

Recent PTO Approvals: We’ve been busy approving requests that will benefit our students and teachers, including:

Art supplies for Mystery Baskets in Mrs. Long’s Art classes.
Speech supplies for Ms. Bri's current and future students.
Play therapy figures and blocks for Counselor Mrs. Meumann’s students.
Special Education supplies and games for Mrs. Whitney’s classroom.
1,056 bookmarks for all students visiting the library, requested by Mrs. Pannell.
A reading program and supplies for Ms. Maloney’s classes.
Pumpkins and apple juice for kindergarteners at the FES Annual Pumpkin Patch.
A picture book series about making friends for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, requested by LeAnn Smith. This request approval is especially meaningful to our PTO members, many of whom have loved ones on the spectrum and understand the importance of friendship skills.

Next PTO Meeting: Our next meeting will be on November 12th at 7 PM (rescheduled due to Election Day). We hope to see you there!

Thank you for your continued support in making this a great year for our school community!

If you need to contact us, please reach out via Facebook at Fulton PTO, by email at fultonelempto@gmail.com, or connect with one of our board members:

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

Click This Button to Sign Up for an FES PTO Trunk or Treat Spot!

CKH Monthly Newsletter for October!

Be sure to read through the conversation starters at the bottom of the newsletter for great ways to discuss how to be a self-directed student. Self-direct is our October monthly character trait!

Open Meeting Regarding Disctrict Strategic Plan on October 15!

Fulton Fun Crew Trunk or Treat Event on October 19!

No Flu Clinic This Year 😔

Just an FYI that Clinton VNA is NOT doing the annual flu clinic at FES. This is due to lower numbers since COVID and the availability of other places to receive this. This program is not doing it at any schools, not just ours.