Principal’s Message
Dear Friends and Families of Los Ranchos,
Sixth graders had a blast at camp this week. The weather couldn’t have been better at Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria. Students explored tidepools, shaped landforms, interacted with the local wildlife, built new bonds between each other and much more. A special thanks to Mrs. Matteson and Mr. Kersten for all their hours of extra time and energy to create these experiences and memories.
We will be celebrating our Walk-a-thon successes at our next Roadrunner Assembly on Friday, December 15. The final earnings will be revealed and we will spotlight other successes and accomplishments of the day. The assembly starts at 8:45 a.m. We will begin with our monthly awards and then move into the Walk-a-thon celebration. I hope you can join us.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Marlie Schmidt
Upcoming Events
*Tuesday, December 5th - Greg Trine Author, Family Night.
Pizza at 5:30p.m., Family Night at 6:00 p.m.
*WInter Break - No School Starting Friday, December 22nd. Students return January 8th
FAMILY TIP SHEET
Los Ranchos ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Common Sense on Digital Life
What’s the Issue?
We may think of our kids’ online, mobile, and technological
activities as “digital life,” but to them it’s just life. In their world, being
able to connect and communicate 24/7 from just about any location is normal –
and expected! Between kindergarten and fifth grade, kids go through rapid
growth in learning. From playing games on their mom or dad’s cell phone, to
learning how to point and click a mouse, to navigating online by themselves,
kids this age are participating in a connected culture.
Why Does It Matter?
The stakes are high because our kids’ technological
abilities can be greater than their maturity and judgment. Having unrestricted
access to information and people can result in gaining a wealth of information
and experiences but also access to inappropriate content. Just as kids learn to
eat properly, swim safely, or drive a car carefully, they need to know how to
live in the digital world responsibly and respectfully. Their success depends
on their abilities to use digital media to create, collaborate, and communicate
well with others. Those who master these skills in using digital tools will
benefit from the digital world’s awesome power.
Common sense says
Use bookmarks and safe search. Teach
your child to bookmark his or her favorite sites. This way, your child is less likely to go somewhere online you
don’t want. Use safe search options on web browsers, such as Epic or
DuckDuckGo, to make sure your child can search safely.
Consider using filtering and blocking software. Some parents
find these tools to be useful to help protect younger children from accessing
inappropriate content.
Have older siblings help. Have your older children help teach
your younger children how to be responsible and safe online. Let the older ones
know that you want them to help you protect their little brothers or sisters
online.
Share wisdom. Kids
often don’t understand how their actions affect others. We do. We teach kids to
choose their words carefully, play nicely with others, and respect their
teachers. Now we have to extend those lessons to a vast, invisible world. As a parent, you can translate your values
into the digital world and help kids understand the implications of their
actions.
Seek balance. If our kids are going to
thrive with digital media, we must balance the negative with the positive,
privacy with protection. As our children grow, they need more independence and
privacy. But parents have to be sure their kids know how to be safe and
responsible before letting them loose.
Keep an open mind. We
don’t see the world the way our kids do. We don’t help our kids when we judge
their lives through the lens of a non-digital world. It’s important for us to
understand that our kids will spend much of their lives in a connected world,
where everyone creates and communicates. We need to help them to enjoy it and
learn from it.
Author Visit - December 5th - FAMILY NIGHT
Greg Trine
We will be having an author visit and family literacy night with author, speaker, and all-around funny guy, Greg Trine, on Tuesday, December 5th, sponsored by our PTA. He will present two assemblies during the day to all grades with plenty of visuals and audience participation. Greg will delve into the writing process and the fun of storytelling and writing humorous books for kids. Your students will come away with:
The importance of writing beyond the first draft
Where unique characters come from
Using personal experience as inspiration for writing their own stories
And much, much more
The evening family night will take place on Tuesday, December 5th at 6:00 p.m. PTA will be selling pizza starting at 5:30. Greg Trine’s books will be available for pre-order using this order form. Please print form and enclose a check for complete amount and drop it off in a sealed envelope in the drop box in the front office by Monday, December 4th. Books will be signed and delivered to classroom teachers. Books will also be available at family night, but pre-orders are encouraged to avoid long lines.
Greg Trine is the author of many books: Melvin Beederman Series, the Adventures of Jo Schmo Series, and Willy Maykit in Space. His books feature humorous superheroes which keep kids engaged in reading. We hope you can join us on Tuesday, December 5th.
