As all of us know, everyday

of this school year is essential

to students meeting their aca-

demic goals. Our teachers will

provide a variety of learning

opportunities and lessons

throughout this month. We

hold our students to high ex-

pectations and have had in-

credible success with our class-

room data results as we ap-

proach mid-year and the end of

our first semester of this school

year.

We cannot afford to put

learning on hold as we ap-

proach the holiday season.

These next few weeks will be

filled with extra activities and

many social events. Parents we

ask you to work together with

us to provide your children

with an enjoyable holiday sea-

son. Help us maintain their

ability to attend to their learn-

ing at Ware Elementary. To

support the cause here are a

few suggestions:

Be Mindful of Attend-

ance and Tardies. Children

who miss school, arrive late, or

are taken out early are at a

disadvantage toward perform-

ing at their best.

Keep Bed Times Con-

sistent. Sleep is important for

being productive. Be consistent

with sleep routines.

Maintain a Healthy Diet.

Holidays bring extra treats,

find that balance as a healthy

diet is key for growing bodies.

Encourage Goal Setting,

Promote and Celebrate:

Have your child choose a spe-

cific goal over the next few

weeks of school. Examples

might be perfect attendance or

homework award. Work to-

gether and keep track of the

progress. Encourage and cele-

brate their successes.

As 2015 comes to a close,

the Ware staff would like to

wish you all a wonderful holi-

day season. Whether you are

traveling or staying near Fort

Riley, enjoy your break with

your friends and family mem-

bers.

Dana Williamson

Assistant Principal

LETTER FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

WARE ELEMENTARY

NEWSLETTER

Coins for Caring Nov. 30-

Dec. 11

Fifth Gr. Music Pro-

gram 6:00 pm

10

Students Last Day

Before Winter Break

17

NO School

Elementary Plan Day

18

WINTER BREAK! Dec. 21-

Jan. 1

NO School

Elem. Plan Day

Jan. 4

Dates to Remember

December 2015

Office Staff Principal

Dr. Deb Gustafson

Assistant Principals

Alicia Scofield

Dana Williamson

Secretaries

Olga Delgado

Chris Regan

Norma Cornejo

Stephanie Mathis

Student Support

Erica Flenoury

Scott Powers

Troy Geike

WARE BEAR NEWS Page 2

Geary County USD #475

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

Geary County USD #475 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and/or activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

For questions or complaints based on race, color, national origin, sex or age, please contact: Director of Human Resources at 123 N. Eisenhower, Junction City, KS 66441. Telephone 785-717-4000.

For questions or complaints based on disability, please contact: Director of the Exceptional Student Services Division at 123 N. Eisenhower, Junction City, KS 66441.

Telephone: 785 717-4000.

Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC)

http://www.kpirc.org

The Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC), federally funded, is the official Parent Information Technical Assistance Center for the state of Kansas. KPIRC promotes meaningful parent involvement at all levels of education and provides information and resources to help parents, schools, districts and other organizations pro-

mote the educational success of every Kansas child.

Parents Right-To-Know

Annual Notification to Parents of Children Attending Title I Schools

Parents may request information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including, at a minimum, whether the teacher has met State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the

teacher provides instruction; whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification or licensing

criteria have been waived; the baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the

field of discipline of the certification or degree; and whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Information regarding teacher qualifications can be obtained by contacting: Geary County USD 475 Human Resource Services

Mary E. Devin Center for Educational Support 123 N. Eisenhower

Junction City, KS 66441 (785) 717-4000

For information regarding Title I services, State & Ware Elementary Report Cards please contact: If you would like to view our USD 475 Geary County School Phyllis Boller, Coordinator of Title I District or Ware State Report Cards visit Geary County USD 475 http://www.usd475.org or ask in the office for a copy. 123 N. Eisenhower Direct link for USD 475 on the State website: Junction City, KS 66441 http://online.ksde.org/rcard/county.aspx?cnty_no=031 (785) 717-4000 Direct link for Ware on the State website: http://online.ksde.org/rcard/building.aspx?org_no=D0475&bldg_no=7630

It doesn’t seem possi-ble but we are almost half way through the school year! It has been great to see your child learn and grow in our classrooms! As winter is upon us, we want to take a few mo-ments and let you know about some changes that are happening in the class-room. Please make sure your child dresses appropriately for the weather. On most cold days we will wait in-side for arrival and dismis-sal however, we will con-duct school monthly drills throughout the winter sea-son. Also, please work with your child on zipping his/her own coat at home.

It would be a huge help to us and would very much ease winter dismissals. As you may be able to see at home, your kinder-gartner is beginning to sound out words and read simple sentences, and LOVING every second of it! Throughout our next themes, our students will continue to be reading their Shared Stories. These are the simple read-ers that your child practic-es daily at school. These readers should continue to be used to complete the R&R. We will begin our new unit, Winter Weatherland, this month. Your child will be learning about the

winter season and different weather conditions. We will be doing some weath-er related experiments as well as exploring more thematic concepts through our learning labs. In math we will start quarterly test-ing as well as review con-cepts that we’ve previous-ly taught. Each class will be hav-ing their own holiday par-ties later in the month. You will get more infor-mation from your child’s teacher on a later date. We wish you a warm

and safe winter!

KINDERGARTEN

ments, comparing lengths with longer than and short-er than, the usefulness of measuring with similar units, and interpreting da-ta. Ask your child to com-pare the lengths of two or three items, for example: which is longer the pencil or the book? We will continue to practice composing and decomposing numbers up to 20. We will begin as-sessments the week of De-cember 7th and continue through the end of the week. Please send a note to your child’s teacher about any absences. Continue to read with your child at least 20 minutes each night, espe-

cially while on break. We are able to see an increase in students’ reading confi-dence and fluency as they read nightly and actively participate in reading class. This time of the year can be hectic for many so remember to check your child’s Ware Bear folders for important and up-to-date information through-out the month. Stay in-formed on inclement weather updates that may result in early dismissal or school closings.

We wish you and

your family a Safe

and Happy Holiday

Season!

FIRST GRADE As the holiday season is upon us, we find our-selves reflecting on the past year and on those who have helped to shape our lives in the most signifi-cant ways. We are truly thankful for all of the sup-port we have from you at home. It is very important that your child is attending the entire school day every day. When they are gone part of the day, they miss out on core instruction, learning interactions with classmates, and valuable time for testing. During the month of December the first graders will be expanding their knowledge to include di-rect and indirect measure-

Your First Grade

Team!

Ms. Schoen

Mrs. Blume

Mrs. Scott

Miss Francis

Mr. Woodard

Miss Dreher

ESSD Teacher

Mrs. William

KSU Intern

Dylan Hinrichs

Page 3

Kindergarten

Teachers

Mr. Scruggs

Mrs. Troxel

Mrs. Walker

Miss Bartlett

Miss Willems

Mrs. Huff

Mrs. Galloway

ESSD Teacher Mrs. Montgomery

KSU Interns

Amanda Morgan Jessica Steele

WARE BEAR NEWS

Ready or not, it’s De-cember! We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiv-ing break. Now it’s time to get back to work and make the most of our three short weeks before Christ-mas break. We’ll begin December by reviewing our second quarter math topics in preparation for our quar-terly formative. We’ll talk about the Earth’s systems in science and we’ll finish up our informational writ-ing pieces. It is ever so important that students are reading for 20 minutes

each night and completing their Read and Respond forms. We will be giving our quarterly formatives dur-ing December. It is very important that you let your child’s teacher know if they’ll be missing any days so we can ensure that all testing is completed. As the temperature continues to drop and we get closer to winter, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately. They will go outside for recess, so they need proper clothing.

enjoying their book. Ask your child how many “dot book” tests they have tak-en this month. They should be taking at least 2 dot book tests a month. Thank you again for all that you do to support your child’s education!

We hope you and

your family have a

very happy and safe

break and we will

see you in January!

We will send home more information about our December’s activities. Don’t forget that Winter Break is from December 18 to January 4. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 5.

We wish you and

your family a very

fun and relaxing

holiday break!

SECOND GRADE

In math, third graders have been diving deeper into multiplication and division. They now have a strong understanding of multiplication and division and they are now working on finding ways to recall the facts in a quicker and easier manner. The third graders are going to be learning about the different ecosystems there are around the world and in their own backyard. Reading is still a big prior-ity in the third grade. Please continue to have your child read for at least 20 minutes a night. Ask your child questions about their book after they read at night to ensure they are comprehending what they are reading and if they are

THIRD GRADE

Third Grade

Rules!

Mrs. Pushee

Mr. Larson

Miss Thurman

Miss Keller

Miss Otte

ESSD Teacher

Mrs. Parker

It’s a wonderful time of the year! Thank you to everyone who stayed to help decorate our hallways for the upcoming holidays. The children love seeing all the wonderfully crea-tive displays in our school! This is a wonderful time of the school year when the children are settled into a routine and are showing such growth in all that they are learning. Thank you so much for your help and support. The third graders have been researching different topics and becoming “experts”. They are then going to create a presenta-tion format such as Power Point to show their class-mates and teachers all that they have learned.

Page 4 WARE BEAR NEWS

Your Second

Grade Team,

Mrs. Larson

Miss Stingo

Miss Buchanan

Miss Smith

Miss Leadbetter

Miss Kern

Miss Salsberry

ESSD Teacher

Mrs. Felton

It is hard to believe that December is already here. We are continuing to work hard, preparing for the state math and reading tests. Being here everyday at school and on time is crucial, as we are continu-ally covering new material every day. In math, our focus will continue to be on division. However, kids who still do not know their math facts should continue working on these at home. In social studies we continue study-ing the regions of the Unit-ed States. Be ready to learn those states and capi-

tals! Electricity will be the topic in science. T h r o u g h o u t t h e month, we will be doing various holiday crafts. A holiday celebration will be planned by each individual classroom. Notes about the specifics will be sent out at a later date. Our students will be creating ornaments that they will be taking home.

HOLIDAY GREETINGS

FROM THE FOURTH

GRADE TEAM

FOURTH GRADE

In Reading, we will continue to work on im-proving comprehension and fluency. Fifth graders are encouraged to contin-ue reading through Winter Break and possibly chal-lenge themselves by read-ing a variety of texts. Students will continue to apply their knowledge of informational writing to Social Studies this quarter as they study early world explorers. In Science, fifth graders will continue their study of ecosystems and food chains. This month, we look forward to some special events taking place. Stu-dents have been working very hard in order to pre-pare for the Fifth Grade

Music Program. They will perform the Nutcracker on Thursday, December 10th. Also, classes will be hold-ing their holiday parties on Thursday, December 17th. Please look for additional information about these activities to be sent home with your fifth grader.

The fifth grade team

wishes you and your

family a Safe and

Happy Holiday

Season!

FIFTH GRADE We hope that everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! The year is flying by and we will soon be finishing up another quarter of fifth grade! This month in Math, students will continue working with decimals and applying their knowledge to multi-digit division. Please encourage your fifth grader to lend a help-ing hand in the kitchen this holiday season in order to practice these skills in real-life situations. You can support their learning by allowing them to help you experiment with a new recipe or divide a meal equally amongst your fam-ily members.

Your Fifth

Grade Team,

Mrs. Deville

Miss Taylor

Miss Fairbank

Miss Klise

ESSD Teacher

Taylor Eads

Page 5 WARE BEAR NEWS

Your Fourth Grade Team,

Mrs. Akard

Mrs. Hilton

Miss Besler

Mrs. Temaat

ESSD Teacher

Taylor Eads

Ware Bears continue to impress with their self-motivation to read and take reading counts tests. Ware Bears have passed over 2,000 Reading Counts tests this school year. This is exciting! Please encourage your student(s) in grades 1-5 to read a “dot book” and take a Reading Counts test. A “dot book” illustrates the Lexile Level of the book. It also indicates that there is a Reading Counts test available for them to take on the computer at school. To learn more about reading counts, explore scholastic.com/

readingcounts. During Kindergarten block activity time in November, students explored a variety of educational games on abcya.com. According to their website, “ABCya is the leader in free educational computer games and mobile apps for kids. The innovation of a grade school teacher, ABCya is an award-winning destination for elemen-tary students that offers hundreds of fun, engaging learning activities.” Check it out! In December, Kinder students will discover the fabulous books by the award-winning author, Mo Willems. He is the author of en-gaging books such as, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus from the Pigeon book series, Are You Ready to Play Outside? and We Are in a Book! from the Piggy & Gerald book series. First Grade is continuing to integrate technology into their curriculum. During the month of December, they are creating Holiday cards using the green screen. Students have the opportunity to choose their own hol-iday-themed background. Then they insert a picture of themselves standing in front of a green screen. The students will discover how to remove the green background and place themselves into their holiday scene. Second grade has also been using the green screen technology we have available as well to create a fun scene with themselves interacting with an animal they researched during quarter two. Fourth grade students are learning about graphic novels and how to create their own comic. They are map-ping out their own graphic novels on paper then they will take their written draft and create their graphic novel on a website called Pixton. Fifth grade students have already had the opportunity to create an account and ex-plore this website. For more information, check out pixton.com. During December students will be participating in The Hour of Code at school. They will learn how to code on a website called code.org. Coding is basically the early stages of helping students learn about comput-er programming. This website instructs students on a very basic level then gradually progresses them through the stages as it becomes more difficult. Coding is used to make apps, websites, the possibilities are endless! Check out the free website code.org for additional information!

Veronica Wait Library Media Specialist Library Clerks, Mrs. Figini & Mrs. Oxendine

LIBRARY LINES

Page 6 WARE BEAR NEWS

All students are prepar-ing for our fourth annual Caroling Day which we will celebrate on Wednes-day, December 16, 2015. Students will go caroling on that day during their Music and P.E. time around the neighborhood and throughout the school. Second semester our kin-dergarten, first and second grade students will present their programs. More in-formation will be sent out later with students.

Have a safe and happy holiday season and as al-ways, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sugar plum fairies, Russian bakers, Chinese teacup dancers and more have invaded the music rooms at Ware as the fifth grade students prepare to present the 8th annual Nutcracker musical play. They will be singing and dancing their way through Tchaikovsky’s traditional Nutcracker Suite on Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. on the stage in the new Ware Au-ditorium. We welcome all Ware Bears and their fam-ilies to attend our perfor-mance.

Your Music

Teachers,

Mrs. Susan Gillespie SusanGillespie@usd475.org

Mr. Andrew Horton

AndrewHorton@usd475.org

Page 7 WARE BEAR NEWS

MUSIC NOTES

PE LINES

Your PE Teachers,

Mr. Derek Scott

derekscott@usd475.org

Miss. Aubrey Koeppe

aubreykoeppe@usd475.org

Twitter: Ware Physical

Education@buffbears

Hello from the gym! This month fitness assess-ments will be administered for all third, fourth, and fifth graders. These tests will assess each student in the health-related fitness components of upper body strength (Pushup Test), abdominal muscular strength and endurance (Curl-up Test), back strength and flexibility (Trunk Lift Test), ham-string flexibility (Back-Saver Sit and Reach Test), and cardio-respiratory en-durance (PACER Test). By assessing the health-related fitness components for each student, we can identify the overall fitness level of each student as well as the potential for

any health concerns. For example: A student with low ham-

string flexibility would be susceptible in the short-term or long-term to muscle strains in the legs and hips, and may cause lower back pain (LBP)

A student with low trunk extensor strength and flexibility would be prone to spinal injuries and LBP

A student with low upper body strength would be prone to shoulder inju-ries.

A student with low ab-dominal strength and endurance would be prone to chronic and acute back injuries

(gradual onset of pain and symptoms or rapid/immediate onset of pain and symptoms)

A student who scores low on cardio-respiratory endurance might be at a higher risk of develop-ing heart and lung-related conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure.

Students in grades 3-5 will receive an individual FitnessGram report with

fitness assessment data and other information. If you would like to learn more about the fitness assess-

ment process then we wel-come you to contact us by email, phone, or in person.

Happy Holidays!

WARE BEAR NEWS Page 8

Teaching and modeling gratitude throughout the year

Thanksgiving gives us the perfect opportunity to talk about and teach gratitude. After all – it’s in the name! Thanksgiving = giving thanks. Being able to recognize and appreciate the good things in life may lead to increased happiness and satisfaction. Learning to be thankful can help your child develop interpersonal skills, such as empathy. Helping children learn to be thankful for small things, for more than themselves, they learn they have the ability to positively impact another’s life. Gratitude is powerful!

Here are some ways to help instill thankfulness in your child throughout the year:

→When you ask your child how their day went, focus on the positives. What went right? What went well? Help them learn to appreciate the positives. →Thank your children often, even if they are completing a task that you had to ask them to do. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts. →Thank your spouse, your friends and your family in the presence of your child. →Encourage children to write or draw thank you notes or pictures to friends, family, teachers, etc. who may have helped your child or given them a gift.

Check out a few of these books about giving thanks! Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes; The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein; Gratitude Soup by Olivia Rosewood; and The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood.

For more information and ideas about teaching your child about gratitude, visit: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-and-gratitude/201305/4-ways-children-learn-gratitude

Heather Colp, School Counselor

Speech Room News

It’s that time again for colder weather and snow. There are many opportunities to work on language and speech sounds with your child.

For example, take a winter walk with your child and talk about how things are different during the winter season compared to summer. What animals do you see? What does the temperature feel like? What types of clothing are different? To work on speech sound production, go on a sound hunt and find 10 things that has your child’s speech sound in it and practice saying those words. As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact us. Shauni Hoekman, K – 2nd

laurathompson@usd475.org Laura Thompson, 3rd – 5th shaunihoekman@usd475.org

As the Holiday Season approaches, families with a deployed soldier, please keep these tips in mind

Find Support, whether it is family or friends. Keep to a schedule. Keep your family's holiday traditions. Keep your spouse as involved as possible, by sending them gifts and including them in what is happening at home through Facetime and Skype Keep talking. Discuss what's going on; good, bad, happy or sad.

Did you know all children with a deployed parent are eli-gible to receive CYSS AFC Discounts (Deployment Or-ders Required)? There are free and discounts including respite and $100 free in sports registration and $300 in free instructional (SKIES) classes. To register, please call CYSS at 785-239-9885 or visit them at 6620 Normandy Drive.

Kelli Hegarty , Military Life Counselor Ware Elementary 785-285-2250

MFLC NEWS Supporting Service Members and Their Families!

WARE BEAR NEWS Page 9

Math Resources: (http://greatminds.net/support/parents) This link is located on Ware’s website under “Parent Information”

Happy Holidays! I love this time of year and know your children are eagerly anticipating all the secret joys it will bring! We have been very busy this first few months of school completing vision and height and weight screenings. If you received a notice requesting further vision evaluation by an Eye Doctor, please have this done as soon as possible. Good eyesight is essential for learning. I have also sent notices to those of you who have students who are missing physicals and/or immuniza-tions. If you received one of these notices, please make it a priority to get these done and turned into the Health Office. Thank you very much to all of you who have al-ready taken the time to get this done and for helping keep our Ware Bears healthy and safe. Have a Happy and Safe Holiday, as I have said before, I am here for you as well as your student.

Karen Roles, RN

School Nurse

785-717-4630 Karenroles@usd475.org

When Should Students Stay Home From School !

If your child has a constant, heavy cough or if nasal

Drainage is thick and colorful. You should speak to

a Doctor before sending him/her to school.

If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or greater,

please keep them home until they are fever free for

24hrs. They will need plenty of rest, plenty of wa-

ter, and possible medical evaluation.

If your child is vomiting or has uncontrolled diar-

rhea keep him/her out of school. They may return

to school when they have NOT vomited/or had

diarrhea for 24hrs.

If your child has a fever with a rash, speak to your

Doctor before allowing child to come to school.

If your child has strep throat, pink eye, or a bacteri-

al infection, KEEP them out of school for 24hrs

after he/she started taking medication.

Suspected Communicable diseases like Chicken

pox

If you suspect your child has ring worm please treat

and cover affected area.

NURSE NOTES

WARE BEAR NEWS Page 10

For PTO to fund all of the special activities for students, we have to raise funds. We try to do this in ways that bene-fit your family and are not intrusive. We know there are lots of groups that are in need of funding so pick and choose what works for you and your family. Hopefully one of PTO’s organized fundraisers, such as Box Tops or a Papa John’s Night, will fit into your family’s budget and schedule.

Box Tops for Education

You wouldn’t throw away a dime would you? So, don’t toss out those Box Tops! Send them to school on Collection Sheets or in baggies.

Make sure your student’s name and their teacher’s name is on the sheet or baggie.

The more money PTO can raise through Box Tops the less dependent PTO is on outside fundraisers and donations.

Coins for Caring: November 30 to December 11

Student Council needs your help! We are collecting money to buy Christmas presents for families from our school. We will be holding our annual Coins for Caring fundraiser from Monday, November 30 through Friday, December 11th. Our goal this year is to raise at least $600. Your donations will be greatly appreciated! Bring your extra change or bills and make your donations into the cup in your class-room.

Store: Ware Mart will be open on Fridays before school. Student Council sells school supplies with prices ranging from $0.25 to $5.00. All profits will be used for school projects and community ser-vice by the Student Council. All Ware Bears may shop, but must eat breakfast first.

Coins For

Caring

Spirit Day: Our next Spirit Day will be on December 17 and it will be

WARE BEAR NEWS Page 11

An equal opportunity employer

WARE BEAR NEWS Page 12

CHOICE OF MILK SERVED WITH EACH MEAL

DECEMBER 2015 Menu