Mrs. Manharth

Holiday Ho Hums!!

As the days get colder, and the holidays get closer, this is a great time to snuggle up with your child and read a book!!  The days are shorter, and children have less time to play outside when they get in from school.  Get your child hooked on a good book and it will have an impact on their educational success now and for years to come!

Many of our students participate in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl.  Following is a list of books for the 2011-2012 School Year.  These would be great gifts for the holidays and will help support our Reading Bowl success!!

 

Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Booklist 2011-2012

2011-2012 Georgia Book Nominees
(Books used for the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl)

1. Return To Sender by J. Alvarez
2. Anything But Typical by N. Baskin
3. Waiting For Normal by L. Connor
4. Out Of My Mind by S. Draper
5. Mockingbird by K. Erskine
6. Scat by C. Hiaasen
7. Swindleby G. Korman
8. Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by G. Lin
9. All Shook Upby S. Pearsall
10. Mostly True Adventures Of Homer P. Figg by W. Philbrick
11. After Ever After by J. Soonenblick
12. Countdown by D. Wiles
13. One Crazy Summer by R. Williams-Garcia
14. Strange Case Of Origami Yodaby T. Angleberger
15. Extra Credit  by A. Clements
16. Dying To Meet You by K. Klise
17. Fantastic Secret Of Owen Jester by B. O’Connor

A few of my favorite holiday books include:

• The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
• The Cajun Night Before Christmas by Trosclair and James Rice
• The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
  
• Merry Christmas, Strega Nona by Tomie de Paolo
• Teachers' Night Before Christmas by Steven Layne and James Rice
• Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle by Jason F. Wright

Don't forget to join Still Elementary at Barnes & Noble beginning on December 13th, to shop for your holidays books and gifts.  Tuesday, the 13th, will have lots of entertainment from our own Still students, stories read by teachers and administrators, special deals, and so much more!! 

 

 

 

 

October News

Wow!  It is hard to believe that it is already October!  Fall is upon us and the mornings are much cooler.  Still Elementary has a packed calendar this month, so mark your own calendar and join us for these upcoming events.  

 

The first and third graders are taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) this week.  Next week, our third and fifth graders will participate in the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS).  These are standardized tests that are given to all first, third, and fifth graders in Cobb County.  The results will help us make decisions regarding instruction and support for all of our students.  We use this as an indicator on how well our students will perform on the CRCT. 

Still will also be participating in the Hillgrove Homecoming parade this year!  Please join us in the Still parking lot on Friday, October 21st,  at 5:00 if you would like to walk in the parade and represent our school.  The Hillgrove Homecoming theme is "Flying into the Future".  The Still Eagles will represent with our "Birds of a Feather" rendition of the Eagles and the Hawks.   We are excited to be a part of this event and support our feeder schools!!

One more very important October event is Conference Week!!  Fall Conferences will be held the week of October 24th through October 28th.  You will be receiving a letter from your child's teacher next week with a date and time for your conference.  Begin thinking of any questions that you might want to discuss at the conference.  All students will be dismissed two hours earlier that week.  We will send an e-Blast and phone reminder about the earlier dismissal times.  Thanks for your support and reinforcing the importance of education by working with your child at home and partnering with the teachers!  You are your child's first, and most important, life-long teacher!!

 

Welcome Back!!!

Welcome to a Year of Bucket Filling!!

 

Welcome back to another fantastic year of learning and growing at Still Elementary!!  This year, we are expanding our theme that was started by our counselors of filling buckets.   The “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” program is based on Dr. Donald O. Clifton’s metaphor of the bucket and the dipper.  Several books have been written about bucket fillers.  Carol McCloud wrote a book for children called, “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?  (A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids)”.  The premise of the book is the idea that we all carry an invisible bucket that contains our feelings.  When our bucket is full, we feel great!!  When our bucket is empty, we feel sad.  A bucket filler is someone what says or does nice things for other people.  By doing this, they  are filling other people’s buckets and filling their own bucket at the same time.  On the other hand, a bucket dipper says or does things to cause other people to feel bad.  A bucket dipper empties their bucket when they say and do mean things. 

 

The counselors at Still introduced this concept to our students last year.  We are expanding this Bucket-Fill-osophy to our entire staff this year!  We will recognize students and staff who are caught being “bucket fillers” on the announcements with drops of appreciation.  The drops are already overflowing!  Each class is adopting their own “bucket fillers” theme to recognize good behavior, random acts of kindness, and anti-bullying behaviors.  The fill-osophy of bucket filling is a natural blend to our schoolwide behavior progam of Love & Logic and our Bully-B-Gone program. 

 

Research states that the establishment and maintenance of a safe, orderly school environment has been identified as the most fundamental element of effectiveness for schools.  “Academic achievement increases in schools where students feel physically and emotionally safe and where school cultures support reasonable rules that are carefully explained and fairly enforced.”  As educators, we know that a healthy learning community that is physically, emotionally and intellectually safe is the foundation for a comprehensive high-quality education.  

Please join us in our bucket filling journey!  You can easily adapt this program to behaviors at home.  If you would like to know more about bucket filling, or the book, please go to:  www.bucketfillers101.com. 

 

 

 

 

 

Summertime!

 
It's hard to believe, but Summer Break is here again!!  We have had a fabulous year of growing and learning at Still Elementary.  Our students exceeded our expectations on the Fifth Grade Georgia Writing Assessment!!   Still had 95% of our fifth graders Meeting and Exceeding Writing standards.  This was a 20% gain over the past year.  This surpassed the state average by 16% and the county average by 12%.  Way to go Still students!!

Our preliminary results are in on the CRCT, but we have not received our building averages.  Overall, our students did exceptionally well!!  We had many more students Exceeding standards in the area of Math.  Our hard work and diligence is paying off!!  Many, many Kudos to our wonderful parents who work with your children at home and help to reinforce the valuable skills they are learning in class each day.  

Now is the time of year to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy our families and friends.  We all hope that you enjoy this summer with your Still students, and join us for another learning adventure in the Fall!!  Be sure to check our web site for any upcoming dates or events.  We will see you soon!!!

At Still, We Keep PUSHing!!

We have completed the first month of school and things are rolling right along!!  We had a great turn out for both Open Houses- primary and intermediate.  Parental support is crucial to our students' success, so we appreciate all of our PTA members, volunteers, and active parents.  If you attended the Open House, you probably remember our video, "Even Eagles Need a PUSH".  This is our Still theme for the year!!  We have celebrated great academic success in the past, and will continue to PUSH our students to reach higher, and farther, than they think they can.  You can view the video at the following web address:  http://www.eaglesneedapush.com/

Our staff continues to PUSH (Perform Up to Still's High standards) every day!!  Our wish is for all of our Still Eagles to soar and reach their highest potential!  We will continue this year to work on academic goals in the area of Math and we are adding an academic goal in the area of Writing.  You may view our Strategic Plan and Assessment Plan on our Still web page.  Parents, we appreciate your support with homework, as well as attending our academic nights and PTA functions throughout the year.  Together, we can make this the best year ever for our students!!

Still Update

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone is having a relaxing summer vacation!  I miss all the happy student faces around Still.  I’m looking forward to a wonderful new school year!

We certainly have reason to celebrate!  Our Still students are making tremendous academic gains.  Our CRCT scores are in and available for public viewing on the Georgia Department of Education web site.  Still students increased in the number of students meeting or exceeding standards in Math by .85%, with 90.85% of all students meeting or exceeding Math standards.  The students with disabilities subgroup increased by 13.31%!  Wow!!  In Reading, 95.83% of all students met or exceeded standards.  That was a 2.83% increase from the year before.  Our school made annual yearly progress as measured by the State Department of Education.  Way to go Still students and staff!!

We look forward to seeing all of our Still families on Meet & Greet before school begins on August 5^th.   Please note the dates and times for your child’s Meet & Greet:

August 3^rd:  Last names beginning with A-H- 12:00-1:00

   Last names beginning with I-P- 1:15-2:15

   Last names beginning with Q-Z- 2:30-3:30

PTSA will be available for memberships and donations.  You may also purchase your child’s Agenda for $5.00 at Meet & Greet.  We can’t wait to see you there!

Enjoy what’s left of summer!!  We will see you back at Still very soon!!

Sincerely,

Grace Manharth

Principal

Still Elementary

Planning for Next Year

Dear Parents,

The Still Elementary staff will soon begin planning for the 2010-2011 school year.  As we begin our student placement process, the staff devotes a great deal of time and effort into organizing classes, giving careful attention to balancing a heterogeneous blend of boys and girls, learning styles, academic performance/needs, work study habits, and the teachers’ knowledge of students.  After all classes are completed, they will be further examined to ensure that the needs of all students will be met in that academic setting. 

Although we welcome parent input and read every letter submitted, we are not able to honor requests for specific teachers or classroom models.  If you name a specific teacher in your letter, it will be returned in order for you to prepare a letter that addresses your child’s individual needs without naming a specific placement.  Due to the number of students that need to be placed, we ask that you have your letters submitted by May 3, 2010.  We will place your child based on the needs delineated in your placement request letter and other factors that may impact learning.  The placement process is extremely tedious and requires extensive time and effort.  Tor this reason, it is vital that you adhere to our May 3^rd deadline. 

As always, your child’s academic, social, and emotional success is our goal.  Therefore, careful consideration is taken when students are placed in classrooms.

Thank you for your continued support.

Dealing with Tragedy

Dear Still Parents,

I know we have all been affected by the recent tragedy of flooding in Georgia.  The weather on Monday was unusual and quite scary.  We all are tremendously concerned about our friends at Clarkdale who lost their school.  As you talk to your children about the recent events, these are a few tips from Dr. Robert Evans,EdD, that you may find helpful:

1.  Children react differently to tragedy depending on their age and level of understanding.  Try not to over-assume what a tragic event may mean to a child.

2.  Children are remarkable resilient.  Given an opportunity to express their feelings, they usually bounce back quite quickly.

3.  When children ask difficult questions, try to understand and listen before answering.   Questioning them further may explain what motivated their question.

4.  There may be questions that we cannot answer.  An honest answer, such as "I don't know", is better for children than false assurances.

5.  Staying in a common routine, at home and school, will help students feel secure following a crisis. 

The staff and community of Still will be gathering donations for the Clarkdale staff and students.  If you have any school supplies or office supplies to donate, there will be a collection box located in our front lobby.  Thanks for all you do to support our students and the children of Cobb County!! 

 

Parent Involvement

 

Welcome back!  Summer flew by!  We are getting back into the swing of things at Still.  We would love to invite all of our parents to visit us during Open House.  The schedule is as follows:

*August 18 @ 6:30- Kindergarten, First Grade, & Second Grade

*August 20 @6:30- Third Grade, Fourth Grade, & Fifth Grade

We encourage all of our parents to become actively involved in your child's education.  There are multiple opportunities and avenues for your participation at Still.  Talk to your child's teacher about activities you can do at home or ways you can volunteer to help your child's class and school.  We love our parent volunteers and welcome your helping hands.  We look forward to seeing you at Open House!