HaPpY Holidays to one and all!!!

This is the time of year when lots of things are going on. Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are looking forward to all the December holidays and the New Year. Just a few things…..

As the weather gets colder the drop off line gets longer. Please take this into consideration and plan on leaving your house a few minutes earlier. Students still need to be at school by 7:35am and in their classrooms ready to learn at 7:45am. Reducing morning tardies is part of our Campus Improvement Plan and supports maximizing academic time in the classroom. Thank you in advance for your help with this.

The holiday time is very busy for your family and filled with lots of activities both on the weekends and on school nights. Please help your students by making sure they get a good night’s sleep and breakfast before coming to school. This will help them focus in school and keep the holiday excitement at bay.

A friendly reminder about prearranged absences and signing your student out before the end of the day. - The district allows up to 5 school days to be excused and I will not approve more than 5 days at any time. If you choose to take more than 5 days, the balance of the time your children are gone will be unexcused. What that means is that they can’t receive a grade for any work, quizzes, or tests on those unexcused days. This definitely affects their overall grade. Also, please understand that even the excused days are part of the 90% state rule for attendance. Tardies: The State considers a tardy to be any part of the day that a child is not at school. Therefore, when you take your child out before the end of the day, this is considered a tardy. Most of this time students are taken out early for a doctor’s appointment. The office staff makes it a point to ask you to bring a note from the doctor so the “tardy” can be excused and any work missed including tests and quizzes can be made up. If you choose to take your child out early for any other reason (ex: Adventure Guides Campout, going out of town, etc..) please fill out a prearranged absence form so that your child’s tardy can be excused. Please contact Norma Umanzor or myself if you have any questions.

The Watch DOGS program is now in its 5th year here at Castle Hills. With any program, it is important to reevaluate it is working and ways to improve the program. With this in mind, a mid-year orientation has been scheduled on Tuesday, January 16th at 7:00. If you are interested in being a Watch DOG or are already a Watch DOG you must attend this meeting. During this meeting we will share improvements to the program and how you can sign up to participate. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Johnson. We appreciate the support our male role models give to our school and want to continue this program in a way that assists our students and teachers while supporting Great Expectations.

This is a joyous time of the year and is absolutely contagious. It is also the time of year when we tend to be reflective and count our blessings. As I reflect and count my blessings, I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of and serve such a fantastic community. You and your children are one of my many blessings. The support you provide to the staff, faculty, and me is phenomenal. It also makes Castle Hills Elementary more than just a school where students learn. Castle Hills Elementary is a family where we guide, teach, and provide for the well-being of the whole child.

I wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy Holiday and New Year. See you in 2018.

Mrs. Donna J. Taylor, M.Ed

Dear Parents,

It is so amazing to me that Winter Break is soon upon us. I hope your family time is the best ever.

In January, I wanted to let you know of a few dates that are important so you can put them on your calendar:

January 12 from 1-3:00, I will hold an open house in my room or a conference room for Parents to view the new curriculum that is required by the district. The foundation kindly purchased this so our school would have its own copy. The two parts are on Bullying K-5, and Child Protection Unit K-5. If you would like to review the content, please come. Just check in at the office and they will direct you.

January 19 - 10-11, Coffee with the Counselor for fifth grade parents. We will start the process of getting ready for middle school. Hope to see you there.

Carol Rains, M.S.
Counselor

FIGHTING THE FLU

I can’t say enough about drinking water. I use to think of it as a nuisance. To be perfectly honest I would drink most anything before I would drink water. It amazed me how easily some people in a restaurant setting could drink more than one glass of water. Then I made an effort to push the water. And I discovered something wonderful. I felt better and had more energy as I felt my body regulating itself.

How much water should we drink? Some say 6-8 glasses a day. Others say 3-4 bottles every day. Another guide for adults is 2.2 liters for women and 3 liters for men. A simple way to adjust for varying weights and body types is a simple mathematical equation. Divide your weight by two. Your answer is the number of ounces of water that should be consumed in a twenty-four hour period. In other words, a 100 pound person needs to drink 50 ounces of water. Whichever method you choose to use or follow water is important.

Do we really need that much water? Yes.

Without enough water we become dehydrated. Think a little dehydration doesn’t matter? Think again. It starts with our mouths becoming pasty and affecting the digestive process. Then the nutritional food we do eat can’t get where it needs to go, which can then lead to headaches, dizziness and cluttered thinking. Then there’s the lymph system that fights off the flu, stomach bugs and infections that cross our path in any given day.

What about exercising? The lungs need a certain amount of water to be able to expand to the fullest functioning level. Want to avoid muscle cramps, drink water. Then there’s a matter of the heart and brain needing water to direct the body during exercise. And as we hit the peak of exercising, sweat is needed to keep the body cool so we don’t overheat and pass out. When we can’t sweat we strain the heart which leads to other problems.

I want the best for our parents and students. I want you to be healthy and fight off the big and little bugs that threaten to mess with our schedules and plans. Consider adding water into your regimen.

-- Nurse Kohler