JOY is an ANGEL TREE

Dear JES family and friends,

Project : GRATITUDE was a great success! The Johnson School family gave our custodians and cafeteria staff gift baskets to show our appreciation for all they do for us! Thank you to everyone who contributed. We collected over $600. Our 4^th grade Ambassadors of Kindness delivered the baskets last week. They say a picture is worth a thousand words…so here you go!

                     

 JES ANGEL TREE

 

If you are looking for another opportunity for “giving back” , our annual Angel Tree is up in the front office here at Johnson. This Angel Tree gives us an opportunity to help families in our school who need a little help during this financially demanding time of the year. Thank you to all who give so generously of your time, talent and resources.

 

Joy is our character trait for December.  JOY is finding a way to be happy, even when things don’t go your way. Happiness is a feeling – we can all remember many times when we were happy. Joy goes a little deeper…it’s a heart issue. Joy requires us, when things are not going just the way we would like, to see the big picture.  What not-so-perfect situation in your life can you turn into an opportunity to have JOY?

 

The winter holiday can be stressful for children as well as their parents. Take time to care for your child’s needs for a healthy diet, rest, and exercise. And remember that your love, your time, and undivided attention are the greatest gifts that any child can receive. In the classroom, your children tell me that the best thing that we have to share is love? I am sure we all agree wholeheartedly!

Parent Toolkit
There is a wonderful resource that I would like to share with you. I hope you will take a minute to check out the activities at a website www.parenttoolkit.com. There are lessons for K-12 that reinforce what the children have learned at school. The math section for students has lots of math games. Check it out! 

I want to thank the many volunteers that helped with our Reach for the Stars display, the Angel Tree and Project : GRATITUDE. A BIG thanks to Courtney Harding and Kimberly Orosco who headed up those projects. Also, thank you to Za Flores and the PTO for their contribution toward the gift baskets with generous gift cards that the student ambassadors presented to the Cafeteria and Custodial staffs. 

As always, if I can assist you in any way, please email at Elizabeth.johnston@southlakecarroll.edu or call.
 

Kindest regards,

Ziba Johnston

Counselor

 

 

WISDOM=GRATITUDE

Dear JES family and friends,

Our Core Essential character value for November is WISDOM which is defined as finding out what you should do and doing it.  We will be talking about WISDOM on daily announcements and in the classrooms. WISDOM is an important character value that can easily be reinforce at home. When we work together our children make twice the progress.

We will be working on several projects throughout the year to give our students opportunities to “give back”. Research shows that when children (and adults) give they get positive feelings that lead to a greater sense of self-worth. Giving promotes cooperation, social connections and gratitude. And research has found that gratitude is integral to happiness and health. Watch for opportunities for our students to get involved in the experience of giving. It is wise to provide our children opportunities to give and show gratitude.

 All JES students are challenged to “earn” a dollar to donate to the Buckner Foundation which is being collected by the JES Choir. The money will be presented to the foundation during the winter holiday concert.

Traditional Angel Tree

 Our traditional angel tree will be decorated in the front office before we leave on Thanksgiving Break. Each year, we have our own Angel Tree to provide for children at Johnson.  If you are able to help, I hope you will choose an angel and make it a family project of showing gratitude and compassion for those families at Johnson who can use our help.

The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were completed for second and fourth grade students. Make ups are finished. The results should be back to us and will be sent home around mid-semester. Many thanks to everyone who helped with the testing - from the teachers, parents, and students to the other grades who weren’t taking the tests and to the hall monitors, we appreciate your co-operation.

 

Thank you Courtney Harding for helping with Red Ribbon Week! From decorating the school to lining up volunteers – you are appreciated!  Thank you also to Angela Kwentus  and the volunteers for your work in helping our students and faculty “Plant the Promise” . We can look forward to a bed of red tulips in April to remind us of our promise to make good decisions. A special shout out -  THANK YOU to the Boy Scouts for digging the flower bed!

 

As always, if I can assist you in any way, please call.
Kindest regards,

 Ziba Johnston - Mrs. J

Counselor
“Giving connects two people, the giver and the receiver, and this connection gives birth to a new sense of belonging.” Deepak Chopra