NOVEMBER 2012

VOLUME 3

partment will visit from time to time to ensure that safety is maintained and we October was a very busy appreciate your help in keeping all of the month. We collectively children at the Columbus safe. During walked to school, helped to dismissal, if you arrive later than 2:55ish, break a reading record, held know that your child will be in the front our first PTO and School office awaiting your arrival. Also, after Council Meetings, (which by the way, the 3:00pm we ask that you not ring the bell Columbus School Council includes Lori to enter the building for use of the bathSchwartz. I forgot to add her name to our room or water. Families are very welcome team last month), conducted a Logo Art to remain on the playground, with adult Contest, practiced our Lock Down Drill, supervision of course, however, entrance began the PTO After School Clubs, smiled into the building should be for emergenfor school photos, beautified the school cies only. I thank you for following these garden, held a Principals Coffee on the every important practices as these help to topic of MCAS, and enjoyed the Scholastic ensure the safety of your child and we Book Fair. Thank you to the many parstrongly encourage your support with ents who helped make these events poseach one. sible and for your support in each of these efforts. Be sure to check out this Please remember and help to reinforce months events by keeping the calendar the three main components of the rules at on the next page readily available. the Columbus Elementary School: be The PTO and I thank you for your support safe, be responsible and be respectin the two fall fund raisers. The monies ful. We believe strongly in formal and raised go directly to the students in the active participation of families as equal way of field trips, classroom and playpartners to enforce our expectations for ground items, Cultural Events during the all things social, emotional, and academic. school day and fun events that bring the community together in the evenings. There are MANY items in our Lost & Found. Please be aware that items Please remember that not collected from the Lost & Found students are permitted will be donated to good will prior to into the building at the Thanksgiving holiday. Therefore, 8:25am each morning. please send your child to check out the This ensures that your boxes or stop by to see if any of your child will grab their breakfast and get to childs items were lost and are now found. class on time. After 8:40am, you must park your car and walk your child into the I wish you all a relaxing Thanksgivfront office to sign him/her in and receive ing Holiday with family and friends a tardy pass. For reasons of safety, and send sincere thanks for making PLEASE do NOT simply drop your child off me feel so welcome at the Columbus! and allow him/her to enter the building on their own. We also thank you for having your child ready to unload before reaching the adults on duty in the car loop. Please do not get out of your car to unload your child and try to have them seatkkay@milfordma.com ed on the side adjacent to the school. Remember that cars may not pass in the car loop, park along the curb by the school, or park in handicapped spots IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS without a permit. Parents SHOULD * TELEPHONE : 781.393.2177 NOT be on cell phones when dropping off and picking up children. If at * FAX : 781.393.2187 any time of day you enter the loop early, you must turn your car off and * NURSE : 781.393.2175 not sit with the engine idling. Please be aware that the Medford Police De- * ABSENCE LINE: 781.393.3503

Principals Corner

Columbus News

COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 37 HICKS AVENUE, MEDFORD, MA 02155

WWW.MEDFORD.K12.MA.US

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November 1 & 2 November 4

Book Fair - Students attend with class

room teacher.

Daylight Saving Time Ends - Set

clocks back one hour. Its also a good time to change fire alarm & carbon monoxide alarm batteries.

November 6 November 7
November 12

Election Day - NO SCHOOL. Be sure to exercise your right to vote. Early Release Day, 1:30am Dismissal NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day PTO Meeting - 6:30 PM,
Columbus Cafeteria.

November 13 November 14

Voices of History/Handel &Haydn Performance - Grades 3-5 Early Release Day, 1:30am Dismissal Meeting, School Council Meeting Conference Room, 6:30pm.

November 15 November 21

Great American Smoke Out School Spirit Day - Top Hat & Tiara Day. Dress your best when you
come to school on this day. Bring a canned good for the Food Pantry to offer support outside the Columbus Community.

Early Release Day, 12:00pm Dismissal 22November 22-23 November 28 NO SCHOOL - Happy Thanksgiving! Early Release Day, 1:30am Dismissal

Artistically Speaking
To view the art work of our students, Mrs. Nobrega has created an Art Blog. The site address is www.medfordyoungatart.com or you can go to the Medford Public Schools website at www.medford.k12.ma.us. Click on Fine Arts under the Departments tab, click on Art Program, then "Check out our K-8 Art Blog", finally click Mrs. Nobrega Columbus School. We are pleased to announce that the following children submitted entries for the Columbus Logo contest: Rodin Baptiste, Nicole Barreto, Zachary Bell, Isabel Colina, Abby Czwakiel, Joey DiSessa, Ali Finnegan, Connor Finnegan, Emily Finnegan, Rebecca Graves, Mikayla Hallahan, Maisey Maguire, Deja Marraero, Jessica Minotti, Ryleigh Mulvihill, Bobby Norton, Logan Park, L indsey Quinn, Zander Ramon, Odalys Ramos-Pires, Prabidhi Rana, Rose Ridge, Rebekah Rinchere, Elizabeth Sawyer, Lola SendaoHernendez, Michael St. Jules, Maria Tsknis, Nicholas Yurasko, and Bianca Zani. Mulvihill, Ryleigh Mulvihill from Mrs. Mustones first grade class, submitted the wining entry. Please look for her art work on all Columbus documents to come home in the future. Congratulations to Ryleigh and all our participants. Thank you Mrs. Nobrega for helping to make this contest possible.
NOVEMBER Page 2

BOOK

REVIEWS

Thanks for Thanksgiving, by Julie Markes, Illustrated by Doris Barrette. Ages 4-8. Everyone knows that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, the question is, Where to begin? From the turkey on the table to warm, cozy cuddles by the fire, life is full of small things and bigger pleasures. But what is most important is being able to share them with family! Julie Markes reminds kids and adults alike about the little details that make each day enjoyable, while Doris Barrette's beautiful and striking illustrations bring her thoughtful words to life. Julie Markes lives with her husband, Eric Schine, and their two sons, Charlie and Nicholas, in Brooklyn, New York. Her books include Thanks For Thanksgiving; I Can't Talk Yet, But When I Do ...; Good Thing You're Not An Octopus!; Sidewalk 123; and Sidewalk. ~ Amazon Book Review

The Giver, by Lois Lowry. Ages 9 & up. In this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. ~ Amazon Book Review

Overcome Negative Thinking "Positive thinking" isn't always easy. Negative thoughts can creep into our mind--and jump out of our mouths--when we least expect them. The trick isn't to fight negative thoughts, but to manage them so they don't paralyze you. Identify the triggers. When you have a negative thought ("This will never work . . . I'm a total failure") stop and ask yourself what's bringing it on. You may be tired or stressed out, or you may be affected by someone else's perspective. If you can locate the cause, the thought itself won't have as much power over you. Focus on the now. You don't have to be a Zen philosopher to realize that worrying about the past or the future isn't very productive. When you start chastising yourself for past mistakes, or seeing disaster around every corner, stop and take a breath and ask yourself what you can do right now to succeed. Giving yourself something to do will distract you from destructive thoughts. Replace the negative. If you find yourself plagued by a recurrent worry, train yourself to think of something else. Memorize a short poem, phrase, or meditation, and when you catch yourself in a negative thought, say it or think it to yourself. Your conscious mind can concentrate on only one thought at a time, and driving the negativity away will free you up to move forward again.
Page 3

News from the Nurse

It is me for screenings again in the health oce. All students will be screened for both hearing and vision. Addi onally, the rst and fourth graders will be screened for BMI (body mass index). The h graders will have postural screening performed; however, this will not be un l the spring. Please refer to the Medford Public School website: Department and Programs; under Health where you will nd more informa on on screenings. It is very important that your child does not miss a beat in his/her learning because he/she can not hear or see properly. If you receive a referral form from my oce, please call your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Not being able to see or hear, even slightly, can aect your childs learning. Elementary school is the foundaon for all learning to come. Furthermore, please do not rely on your childs self-assessment to determine whether he/she can see properly in the classroom. If a child does not want to wear glasses he/she might tell you that they can see just ne. For those students who already have a prescrip on for glasses, please make sure they take their glasses to school each day and encourage them to wear them. November 15th is the Great American Smoke Out. In the next couple of weeks, I will encourage all students to par cipate in sponsoring a smoker to quit the habit. Hopefully, we dont have too many family members who do smoke. However, if you are a smoker please let your child sponsor you. Stop for one hour, one day, one week and you will see the benets to your health, your familys health, and on your wallet. The following website has many helpful links to help you stop smoking. h p:// www.cancer.org/healthy/ stayawayfromtobacco/ greatamericansmokeout/index Although, it can be extremely dicult to quit, you are worth more than a cigare e. Just remember the tobacco tycoons do not smoke, but are enjoying your money. Please refer to the Columbus School website under the school nurse sec on, for informa on on second and third hand smoke and how sponsoring a smoker is valuable for your child. If you are smoking, so is your family. Lets stop smoking together. Remember that young children are only as strong and healthy as their parents/ guardians.

Teach Your Children Money Management

One of the reasons parents give children allowances is to help them learn how to manage money. But for the allowance to be a truly eec ve teaching tool, parents need to spell out what it will cover, how it can be spent, the consequences of overspending, and how much should be saved or given to charity. Here are some guidelines: 1. Encourage planning. When deciding how much the allowance should be, consider giving enough to encourage saving or charitable giving. But be careful not to give too much. If kids can buy anything they want, the allowance fails to teach them how to priori ze and set goals. 2. Set up a payday. Try choosing a day early in the week to encourage kids to plan ahead for weekend expenses. 3. Set limita ons and guidelines. If you don't want them to buy things you don't want them to have, require that they consult you before making purchases over a specic amount, like $15. 4. Expect mistakes. Children will probably overspend at rst. Don't get angry. Help the child correct his or her mistakes and learn from them.

5. Don't link the allowance to chores. If the allowance is "payment" for chores, children can too easily decide to skip their chores and accept not ge ng any allowance, which defeats the purpose.