I get such joy out of having the gift of being able to watch our students learn and grow each and every day. As most of you know or likely hear from your child, I am in the hallways and classrooms A LOT. It gives me great insight into all our of teachers' practices, but it also helps me to know what kind of learners your children are.
Children have various rates of learning for the many different content areas that make up an instructional day. Children also learn at different rates in social-emotional areas, as well. Sometimes when I see a student make a great choice, I try and acknowledge and celebrate that as much, if not more, than a perfect mark on an assessment. We have the very honorable yet difficult task in teaching your children how to read, write, spell, add, subtract, multiply, sing, paint, run, etc. Even more difficult yet just as worthwhile as that endeavor is teaching your children how to be safe, responsible, and respectful students and citizens. It is oftentimes an overlooked aspect of what educators do, but it is something we take very seriously. Our students' safety and well-being sets the tone of how available they are to learn.
The Terrace staff, as well as myself, work tirelessly to help our students and families feel safe, cared for, and welcome. There are countless acts of kindness from Terrace staff that go on behind the scenes for our students and families that would warm your hearts. There are too many to name, but I wanted to tell you how proud I am to be the leader of a school staff that cares as deeply as ours does about all of you and your children. I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to be here watching your children learn and grow and that I get to work with such a dedicated and caring staff.
I hope you take this time to rest and enjoy some time together with your loved ones. The holiday and new year is a time to reflect and remember all that we are thankful for. I am thankful that you share your children with us. Every single child at Terrace is special. You send us students who are smart, kind, funny, caring, empathetic, selfless, and giving, and I love that we as a staff get to help to nurture those characteristics into lifelong traits. Each student here is important to us, even when they don't make the best choices. However, our job is to help them learn from those choices so that they make different and better ones in the future. And when they do make different, more appropriate choices in the future, that is a cause for celebration!
I wish you all the very best holiday and new year!
Please read the following updates and information (and don't forget to read the new Dec. Terrace Times linked above):
Winter Concert: Thank you to those of you who attended our winter concert this week. Mrs. Prost worked so hard to ensure you had an enjoyable and festive experience. Thanks to her and all of our staff who made the concert a success for the students and for you, our families.
5Essentials Survey: This year, all 4th and 5th grade students will be completing a student survey. District 62 sent a communication this week regarding the student survey. When we get back from break, our 5th graders will take the survey on January 07, and our 4th graders will take it on January 09. Remember, each parent in a household can still take the survey. To begin, please click here: bit.ly/625EssentialsParent.
NAEP: (for fourth grade families only)...
- I have sent a letter home regarding the NAEP assessment. On January 30, all Terrace 4th grade students will take the NAEP. You can read more about it in the letter that was sent home. If you have any questions, please contact me when we return in January.
Be Prepared for Cold Weather:
Families, please take note of the changing weather. The temperature is now much colder, so please dress your children appropriately. Please make sure children have an extra pair of gym shoes to change into after they take their boots off. They cannot participate in PE class if they do not have gym shoes.
If your child does not have snow pants, a winter coat, or any other winter-wear that they need, please email me and/or our social worker, Mrs. Greenwood. Between the two of us, we will help try and secure what your child may need.
Please read the following reminders:
School Volunteer Info:
Attention Volunteers! Please fill out the online volunteer application if you do not currently have one on file. In order to volunteer at school during the day or at any school function (field trips, popcorn day, etc), you must have an application on file. If you are not sure if you have completed one, please email Mrs. Lopatka at [email protected], and she can check for you. You may also apply online at the following website by clicking here.
Arrival Parking Lot Safety: Families should drive through the front circle to drop off students. The parking lot IS NOT a place to drop off students. If you feel you need to park and walk your child to his or her line, please park on Westgate to do so. The safety and well-being of our students is our number one priority above all else.
Dismissal Parking Lot Safety: Please remember that the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our #1 priority. After school you are welcome park your car in a designated spot in our lot and walk to the front to pick up your child. Or, you may drive through the front circle and pick up your child in the pickup line. DO NOT double park your car in the lot and ask your child to run over to your car. I have personally seen students do this and nearly get hit by a car in the lot. Please listen to and work with our traffic supervisors. We need you working together with us to ensure students and staff are safe. Thank you so much.
WeatherBug:
Please download the WeatherBug app and set Terrace as your home page. Here are the directions to download:
- Open the app, and tap the WeatherBug icon in the upper left corner to expose the main app menu.
- Select “Sign in”
- At the bottom of the login screen, tap “Sign up” and either login using your Facebook account or by creating a WeatherBug account.
- Then go back into the main app menu and select “Communities”
- Tap “Terrace Elementary School” – the plus sign should turn into a check mark – hit “Close”
- You should see the Terrace Elementary School Community card.
Internet Safety:
Families, as your children are getting older and are having more exposure online, a host of questions can arise about Internet safety. If you would like to learn more about what your children may be doing or what you can do as a parent/caregiver to protect them, please click here to read more.
Additional Notes:
- If you are on Facebook and would like to see what is going on at Terrace, be sure to check out the Terrace Facebook page. Pictures are regularly posted to better give you an insight into all the great things that go on at school each and every day. Remember to click the "like" button so our updates appear regularly on your feed. Or, under the school address near the top left of this page, you can click Facebook, and it will direct you straight to the page.
- It is important for us to have a current email address and phone number for you at all times. If you want to ensure that you receive emails and notifications from Terrace and D62, please make sure our office has your most current email and phone numbers on file. If you send us your contact information, I ask that you please write very neatly so we can make sure we are entering the correct information in our student information system.
Have a great break!