Happy Friday, Lil Steamer Families!

December 13, 2024

From the Desk of: Principal Hoese

Lil Steamer Families --

One of my core memories of elementary school was Santa's Workshop. I vividly recall purchasing two items: soap on a rope for Uncle Larry (no idea why I thought that was such a great gift at the time) and metal balancing toys for Aunt B.

It was wonderful to be able to get gifts for others as a kid and then watch their excitement as they opened the gift. I think it took me to adulthood to realize their excitement was just an act, haha!

Fast forward 30 some years when Aunt B passed away. As we helped declutter her home, I noticed something familiar. Sitting on a shelf next to her expensive Lladro porcelain figurines and Waterford crystal glimmered something shiny.

As I realized what it was, my heart skipped a beat. The inexpensive metal balancing toys that I gifted her as a kid sat right along her expensive home decor.

I asked myself, "Why would she keep these, let alone display them amongst her beautiful figurines and crystal?" It took me awhile, but I finally came to the conclusion that the gift itself was not why. It was WHO the gift was from and what it represented.

Next week, our wonderful PTO is hosting our version of Santa's Workshop known as the PTO Polar Bear Patch. I look forward to our Lil Steamers getting excited at seeing all of the items, finding the perfect gifts for their family and friends, and eventually getting to see the looks on the recipient's face and their reaction to receiving the most perfect gift ever.

I also know there will be some amazing actors and actresses putting on the performance of a lifetime for their families... just like Aunt B did for me. It's amazing how full circle some moments in our lives can be.

If your family is experiencing financial challenges at this time, we have a Polar Bear Support Club to assist. Simply send me an email with your child's name and who they would be purchasing gifts for. I will collaborate with the PTO for our Support Club to be able to purchase gifts.

If you would like to make a donation to the Polar Bear Support Club, checks may be made payable to the FES PTO. Any donation amount is welcomed; thank you for considering.

Have a wonderful weekend,

JAGH

From the Desk of: Principal Hoese (BONUS NOTE!)

Lil Steamer Families --

I have one request that will take less time than it does to read this full note. Could you provide us some feedback with how we are doing in regarding to our Capturing Kids Hearts initiative?

We have a very short 14-question survey that will take less than 1 minute to complete.

Here is the link: https://iheartckh.com/squrl/yrdtdm4u

Thanks for helping to make us better!

JAGH

From the Desk of: AP Parsons

Parents and caregivers,

Please, please, PLEASE send your student with appropriate weather gear. We are experiencing winter weather nearly every morning and afternoon now. If your littles wear mittens, please be sure they fit, some are really big and slip off, others are too small to help them put on. If you are in need of a winter coat, hat, gloves, or boots and cannot afford to purchase them, please send me an email and I will reach out to the nursing staff to see what we can find in the Caring Closet.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

From the Desk of: Counselor Meumann

Children enjoy spreading holiday cheer. Here are some random acts of kindness your children could do as the holidays approach:

Pick up litter.
Donate clothes you no longer need.
Put money in the Salvation Army bucket.
Make get well cards for someone who needs them.
Make a holiday card for someone you love.
Make holiday decorations for others.
Make ornaments for your neighbor.
Donate new toys to Toys for Tots.
Feed the birds.

FES Receives $2,000 Donation

A huge shoutout goes to Brad Stuart of WPF Wealth Management for his generous donation to the Greatest Little Elementary School in the Universe. A donation of $2,000 was made to support student activities at FES.

“It’s an honor to continue to support the students and teachers in our community. As a parent with kids in the River Bend school district I see the positive impact on a daily basis. Thank you to all the teachers and staff on making a difference for the kids in our community.”

Photo: Principal Jeffrey Hoese receives the check donation from Brad Stuart of WPF Wealth Management on December 6, 2024.

Fulton Blended Preschool Family Fun Night

Fulton Blended Preschool held a family fun night where the kiddos and their families enjoyed making ornaments and enjoying cookies and cocoa! We want to send a HUGE shoutout to Adim and Sanela Dzeladini and The Brunch House/Eagle Brew for the generous donation of hot chocolate for our kids and families to enjoy! It was the BEST hot chocolate we have had!!🥰 The students also enjoyed decorating wooden ornaments and making a time capsule ornament! Thanks to all who attended and made this a wonderful memory for your child!

Merry Grinchmas from KA

Kindergarten and First Grade had a great Grinch Day. Fun centers and Grinch snacks were served. We even had a specail visitor from the Grinch!

Happy Grinch Day from KC!

4th Grade Christmas Countdown

4th Graders have been counting down the days til Christmas break. Each day is a new theme. The students get to unwrap a present to reveal the day. So far they have celebrated: Candy Cane Day, Christmas Tree Day, Kindness Day, Elf Day, and Snow Day. I wonder what next week will bring!

FES PTO Corner

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!

Dec. 16-20 Dress Up Days!

Guidelines for Keeping Home a Sick Child

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.

Wrestling Sign-ups

Starts Jan 3rd

Runs Monday and Friday 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Wrestler Registration Form for all boys and girls in grades K-5

Beginners Cost ($45 total)

Singlet Deposit-Separate Check ($60) **will be returned when singlet is turned in**

Checks made payable to RBWC

*Sign-ups will close Dec 20*

Click here to sign-up!

Position Available

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.

CKH Monthly Newsletter for December!

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!