March 2012.pub - Northfield Public Schools
Transcription
March 2012.pub - Northfield Public Schools
Dear Families, March 2012 Gazette David Craft, Principal 507.645.3500 Attendance Line 507.645.3506 Can you recall a time as a child when someone said something that affected how you view yourself today? For instance, it feels like yesterday when my sixth grade teacher told me that I could spell with the best of them. I still carry that as a badge of honor. On the other hand, consider this response from my first grade teacher. “If you are going to act like a baby I am going to treat you like a baby.” Words carry enormous weight. More than we sometimes think. Words often impact people for decades, providing the courage to press on or one more reason to give up.¹ Words matter especially to children with ADHD. Larry Silver, M.D. is the author of Dr. Larry Silver's Advice to Parents on AD/HD. In his book he suggests that about, “half of all individuals with ADHD also suffer from depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a learning disorder, or some other emotional or neurological problem.”² Much of the time, but not always, these issues result from coping with ADHD. In example, “years of disapproval and negative feedback from friends, family members, and teachers may cause a boy to become depressed.”³ Words often define children. More importantly, they can often define who they become. Todd Mulliken, owner of Mulliken Counseling Center in Edina, Minnesota, recently came to speak at Greenvale Park during one of our Parent Information evenings. He talked about a number of ways to bring out the best in our kids. One of the primary strategies that he shared was framing our oral language in a manner that is primarily positive and encouraging. One way to accomplish this for a child with ADHD is to deconstruct the “deficit” model of ADHD and “reconstruct” it as a “skill set.” Thom Hartmann’s Hunter vs. Farmer model is a good place to start. Last year, when I began writing about ADHD in the Gazette, I received a lot of positive feedback with respect to this model. It helped families understand the difference between the “disorder” view of ADHD and the “skills” of ADHD (see chart on next page). As you can imagine, employers everywhere seek this skill set. The entire model can be found on Thom Hartmann’s web page. Steve Jobs, Thomas Jefferson, Mother Theresa, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Spielberg, Ansel Adams, Ann Bancroft, Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie, John F. Kennedy. This is just a short list of notables with the skill set of a hunter. Make no mistake. Framing the verbal prompts that ADHD children receive (or any child for that matter) in a manner that has a higher rate of positivity can have a profound effect on the way a child thinks of himself/ herself. Treat children not the way they are. Treat them the way they will be--Todd Mulliken. _______________ ¹"How Our Words Impact Others." Michael Hyatt's Blog. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://michaelhyatt.com/howour-words-impact-others.html>. ²Dr. Larry Silver's Advice to Parents on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Silver, Larry B. New York : Times Books, c1999. xviii, 316 p. : 2nd ed. ³Ibid. "Thom Hartmann's Hunter and Farmer Approach to ADD/ADHD." Thom Hartmann. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.thomhartmann.com/articles/2007/11/thom-hartmanns-hunter-and-farmer-approachaddadhd>. Trait as it appears in the "Disorder" view: How it appears in the "Hunter" view: Attention spans short, but can become intensely focused for the long periods of time. Constantly monitoring their environment. Poor planner: disorganized and impulsive (makes snap decisions). Able to throw themselves into the chase on a moment's notice. Distorted sense of time: unaware of how long it will take to do something. Flexible; ready to change strategy quickly. Impatient. Tireless: capable of sustained drives, but only when "Hot on the trail" of some goal. Doesn't convert words into concepts adeptly, and vice versa. May or may not have a reading disability. Visual/Concrete thinker, clearly seeing a tangible goal even if there are no words for it. Has difficulty following directions. Independent. Daydreamer. Bored by mundane tasks; enjoy new ideas, excitement, "the hunt" being hot on the trial. Acts without considering consequences. Willing and able to take risk and face danger. Lacking in the social graces. "No time for niceties when there are decisions to be made!" Queridas familias: ¿Puede recordar alguna vez cuando alguien dijo algo que afectó cómo se ve a sí mismo hoy? Por ejemplo, me parece que fue ayer cuando mi profesor de sexto me dijo que mi capacidad para la ortografía estaba entre los mejores. Todavía lo llevo como una insignia de honor. Por otra parte, piense en la respuesta de mi profesor de primero. “Si vas a comportarte como un bebé te voy a tratar como a un bebé”. Las palabras tienen un peso enorme. Mucho más del que a veces creemos que tienen. En muchas ocasiones ciertas palabras afectan a la gente durante décadas, proporcionan la valentía para seguir adelante o una razón más para rendirse'. Las palabras son especialmente importantes para los niños con trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad, TDAH (ADHD, siglas en inglés para Attention Deficit and Hiperactivity Disorder). Larry Silver, M.D, es el autor del libro Dr. Larry Silver's Advice to Parents on AD/HD. En su libro sugiere que “la mitad de las personas con ADHD también padecen depresión, ansiedad, trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo (OCD en inglés), algún trastorno del aprendizaje u otro problema emocional o neurológico”². En muchas ocasiones, pero no todas las veces, estos problemas aparecen como resultado de lidiar con ADHD. Por ejemplo, “tras años de recibir la desaprobación y la reacción negativa de los amigos, miembros de la familia, y profesores puede hacer que un niño se deprima”³. Las palabras en muchas ocasiones definen cómo son los niños. Y lo que es más importante, pueden definir en quiénes se convierten. Todd Mulliken, dueño del Centro de Asesoría Mulliken (Counseling Center) en Edina, Minnesota, vino recientemente a dar una charla a Greenvale Park como parte de una de nuestras tardes de información para los padres. Platicó sobre diferentes maneras en las que podemos lograr obtener lo mejor de nuestros niños. Una de las estrategias principales que compartió fue la de prestar atención a nuestro lenguaje oral de forma que sea sobre todo positivo y que anime a los niños. Una forma de lograr hacerlo con niños con ADHD es descomponer el modelo del “trastorno” de ADHD y “rehacerlo” como una “serie de aptitudes, destrezas y capacidades”. (Mr. Craft’s letter continued on page 3) 2 (Mr. Craft’s letter continued from page 2) Todd Mulliken, dueño del Centro de Asesoría Mulliken (Counseling Center) en Edina, Minnesota, vino recientemente a dar una charla a Greenvale Park como parte de una de nuestras tardes de información para los padres. Platicó sobre diferentes maneras en las que podemos lograr obtener lo mejor de nuestros niños. Una de las estrategias principales que compartió fue la de prestar atención a nuestro lenguaje oral de forma que sea sobre todo positivo y que anime a los niños. Una forma de lograr hacerlo con niños con ADHD es descomponer el modelo del “trastorno” de ADHD y “rehacerlo” como una “serie de aptitudes, destrezas y capacidades”. El modelo de Thom Hartmann del Cazador versus el Granjero es un buen punto de partida. El año pasado cuando empecé a escribir sobre ADHD en mi boletín de noticias, recibí reacciones muy positivas en relación a este modelo. Sirvió para que las familias entendieran la diferencia entre ver ADHD apenas como un “trastorno” y verlo descrito por la primera vez (para muchos) como una serie de aptitudes y destrezas. Como puede ver más abajo incluyo una lista abreviada del trabajo de Hartmann. Su trabajo es muy apreciado y bienvenido también por los patrones y empleadores en muchos lugares de trabajo por todas partes. El modelo completo se puede encontrar en la página de internet de Thom Hartmann. Características que aparecen en la versión que lo entiende como un "Trastorno": Como aparece siguiendo la visión del modelo del “Cazador”: Intervalos de atención cortos pero que pueden convertirse en muy centrados y concentrados durante periodos de tiempo largos. Está constantemente observando su entorno. No se organiza bien: desorganizado e impulsivo (toma decisiones repentinas). Es capaz de iniciar una búsqueda de una forma muy rápida. Tiene un sentido distorsionado del tiempo: no tiene una noción exacta de cuánto se tarda en hacer algo. Flexible; preparado para realizar un cambio muy rápidamente. Impaciente. No se cansa: es capaz de concentrarse en una actividad durante mucho tiempo pero sólo si está muy centrado en una meta concreta. No pone palabras en conceptos con facilidad y viceversa. Puede que tenga o no un trastorno en la lectura. Es un pensador visual y concreto, claramente puede ver una meta tangible incluso si no hay palabras para ello. Tiene dificultad para seguir instrucciones. Independiente. Dado a la ensoñación, a soñar despierto. Le aburren las tareas rutinarias y triviales; le gustan las nuevas ideas, se entusiasma, le gusta estar “cazando”, persiguiendo algo. Actúa sin pensar en las consecuencias. Capaz de enfrentarse a riesgos y de enfrentarse al peligro. No tiene mucho tacto ni diplomacia en sociedad. "¡No hay tiempo para superficialidades si hay que tomar decisiones!" '"How Our Words Impact Others." Michael Hyatt's Blog. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://michaelhyatt.com/how-our-words-impact-others.html>. ²Dr. Larry Silver's Advice to Parents on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Silver, Larry B. New York : Times Books, c1999. xviii, 316 p. : 2nd ed. ³Ibid. "Thom Hartmann's Hunter and Farmer Approach to ADD/ADHD." Thom Hartmann. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.thomhartmann.com/ articles/2007/11/thom-hartmanns-hunter-and-farmer-approach-addadhd>. 3 (Mr. Craft’s letter continued from page 3) Steve Jobs, Thomas Jefferson, Mother Theresa, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Spielberg, Ansel Adams, Ann Bancroft, Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie, John F. Kennedy. Esta es apenas una breve lista de personas célebres que poseen esa serie de capacidades del cazador. Se lo puedo asegurar, intentar que las palabras que reciben los niños con ADHD (o cualquier niño o niña) lleven un mensaje más positivo puede tener un efecto muy importante y profundo en el modo en que el niño/a piensa sobre sí mismo/a. Traten a los niños y niñas no según son. Traten a los niños y niñas según lo que van a ser --Todd Mulliken. Coffee with the Principal Something new at Greenvale Park Elementary is “Coffee with the Principal” held one morning during the last week of each month. This is for all Greenvale Park parents/families - please come join Greenvale Park’s Principal, Dave Craft, in the cafeteria from 9:45-10:30 on March 29th; and also on April 25th and May 30th. This is an idea/info sharing-getting to know other Greenvale Park parents- learning more about your student’s day informal meeting time each month. Mark these dates on your calendar and stop in for coffee/muffins/conversation. LOST & FOUND Greenvale Park’s “Lost and Found” will be leaving the building on Monday, March 12th when it will be picked up by the Epilepsy Foundation. If your student has lost an article of clothing, please stop by the lost and found, located in the hall between the double gray doors, when you come for conferences. If your child has lost something at school, please try to make it a point to stop by the “Lost and Found” at Greenvale Park at least every couple of weeks to search out any items that your student may be able to claim as their own. Tattling vs. Telling...Jamie Wiebe, Social Worker As parents and as educators, we are often called upon to moderate our children’s disputes. Sometimes justice in a given situation is evident; other times motives are murky. If you’ve ever wondered if your intervention in a conflict between children is really necessary or beneficial, I offer one of the best resources to come my way in a while. Julia Cook, educator, therapist, and author, demystifies the difference between tattling and merely telling in her book “A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue.” To summarize, Cook proposes four rules for children to consider before asking an adult for assistance: Rule #1 Be a Danger Ranger – If a person or animal is in danger, you must warn someone. Rule #2 Be a Problem Solver – If the problem involves you, take charge and try hard to solve it yourself first.* Rule #3 Now or Later? – Is the problem a ‘NOW’ problem or a ‘NOT NOW’ problem? Can your problem be solved at a later time? Rule #4 M.Y.O.B. (Mind Your Own Business) – If the problem is not dangerous and it does not involve you . . . DO NOT TATTLE. *Recall Talk, Walk, and Tell from last month’s Gazette. 4 Dear Parents and Families: Reading is the most important skill you can teach a child. Of all the skills children learn, it is the one you can influence the most. We invite you to visit our Scholastic Book Fair and experience a celebration of reading that provides families the opportunity to get involved in a universal mission: encouraging kids to read every day so they can lead better lives. Our Scholastic Book Fair theme – Book Fair Luau! It’s a Reading Celebration! – is part of an exciting reading event that brings to school a wonderful selection of fun, engaging, and affordable books kids want to read. Giving kids access to good books and the opportunity to choose their own books will motivate them to read more. And like most acquired skills, the more kids practice reading, the better they’ll get. Reading is vital to every child’s success, and raising kids as readers means getting involved while they’re young. Now is the time! Since there will never be a substitute for a parent’s direct involvement in his/her child’s education, please make plans to visit our Book Fair. Hope to see you there! Book Fair Dates: Shopping Hours: March 1 - March 8 During school days and conference nights in the Media Center Sincerely, Deanne Weber & Anne Berry Co-Chairs If you would like to volunteer to set up or tear down, or cashier at the fair, please call Deanne at 664-9275 or e-mail dlzweber@yahoo.com 5 Volunteer Opportunities Spring Photo Volunteers March 12 Three volunteers will be needed to help the photographers with the spring photo fundraiser. Each volunteer will receive a complimentary photo package. Shifts Available: 8:30-10:15am 10:15-12:00pm 1:00-3:00pm Evening of the Arts Volunteers Needed April 3rd from 6:00-7:30 Volunteers needed to prepare materials beforehand. Great way to volunteer at home on you own schedule. Lots of volunteers are needed to help set up artwork the day of the event or take down the artwork after the event. School Store Volunteers needed on Wednesdays from 11:45-12:45 Provide assistance and supervision as needed. Good opportunity to bring a younger sibling along. Morning Reading Monitors Starting in January we would like to begin offering our students the option of staying inside to read in the media center before school begins. We are also looking for a volunteer each day who can supervise the students and sign their reading logs. Time frame is 7:45-8:15am. Consider coming in once a week or even once a month. If you are able to help with either of these volunteer opportunities, please contact Laura Berdahl, Volunteer Coordinator/Parent Liaison or Merri Swanson, Parent Liaison/PTO President. Email them at Laura.Berdahl@nfld.k12.mn.us or Merri.Swanson@nfld.k12.mn.us Spring Photos—PTO Fundraiser On March 12, the GVP PTO is hosting a fundraiser with LifeTouch – Spring Photos. This is the second year that we will have partnered with LifeTouch for Spring Photos. LifeTouch will pay the PTO a set amount for each person photographed (regardless of whether a packet is purchased or not.). A couple of weeks after the photo session, LifeTouch will send each student a packet of pictures and at that time parents have the option of purchasing photos. There is no obligation on the part of parents to purchase any photos. All photographs will be taken during the school day between 8:30-3. We invite families to drop in between noon and 1pm on Monday, March 12 if you’d like to have any younger siblings photographed. Thank you for your continuing support of out PTO fundraising efforts. 6 YOU are invited to Greenvale Park’s Evening of the Arts Tuesday, April 3rd from 6:00 – 7:30pm at Greenvale Park School Come with your family and join in the fun! Visit the GVP art gallery, make cool art projects like soap bubble prints, watercolor butterflies and puzzle piece picture frames. New for this year will be computer lab art. Listen to our Musical Minstrels and performers at the Bistro Café. ____________ Les invitamos a Greenvale Park para pasar con nosotros La tarde de las Artes Martes 3 de abril de 6:00 a 7:30PM En la escuela de Greenvale Park ¡Vengan con la familia y únanse todos a la diversión! Visiten la galería de arte de GVP, hagan preciosos proyectos de arte como burbujas de jabón en papel, mariposas de acuarela y marcos para fotos hechos de piezas de rompecabezas. Este año tenemos algo nuevo, arte en el centro de las computadoras (computer lab). Vengan a escuchar a nuestros Musical Minstrels, nuestros músicos y artistas en el Bistro Café. Emergency Closing Procedures The following provides information that families need to be aware of regarding school closings. 1. In the event that school is closed for the day, or a two-hour late start is warranted, the following radio/television stations will broadcast this information: KYMN-1080 AM WCCO-830 AM KARE-TV 11 KDHL-Power 96 KMSP-TV 9 KSTP-TV 5 WCCO-TV 4 2. If a two-hour late start is implemented (school begins two hours later than usual), bus pick-up will be approximately two hours later than the normal time. 3. All elementary school activities will be postponed or cancelled if no school occurs or if school is dismissed early. 4. All Community Services events, classes, and open gym activities are cancelled if no school occurs or if school is dismissed early. If school begins two hours late, all morning Community Education classes are cancelled. Note to parents: Web sites containing “up to the minute” emergency school closing information: WCCO.com, KARE11.com, WCCORadio.com. 7 KidVentures … Lacey Neuman Bissonnette KidVentures will be providing release day programming on March 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 for children in grades K-5. Release days for the month of March will be held at Greenvale Park Elementary in the cafeteria and the KidVentures classroom from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. The cost for the release day programs is $30 if received on or before February 27, 2012. After February 27, the Release days will be filled on a first come, first served basis at the rate of $35. A morning and afternoon snack and all day supervision is included each day. Lunch is provided all week! Release days are non-refundable. This week we have great activities planned including a mini drama camp built into each day. Megan Proft will be spending some time with the KidVentures group each day (approximately 12:30-2:00) teaching improvisation and fun theatre games. At the end of the week we will have a little production to show our friends and family! Megan has acted and choreographed in over 30 shows, and has done many theatre camps for children. She works and performs in Faribault, Owatonna, and Northfield community theatre groups. We are excited to have her be a part of our week! March 19: We will many different relay races in the gym incorporating fun props like eggs! We will have drama camp and lunch from Subway! March 20: We will take a walking trip to Northfield retirement center to play BINGO. After we come back we will have pasta and breadsticks from Pizza Hut and drama camp. March 21: Children will create their own puppet show! We will have lunch from the Quarterback Club and drama camp. March 22: Video Game Extravaganza! We will be playing fun, age-appropriate and interactive video games. Children can bring electronics from home (we are not responsible for lost or broken toys). We will also have tacos and drama camp. March 23: Fun with Photography! Today children will get the opportunity to take wacky pictures and see the results! We will also be having pizza from Dominos and our production! Production time is 5:30 to 6:00pm. We hope you can make it! Information about KidVentures is available by calling Mary Hansen at (507) 664-3750, Greenvale Park KidVentures at (507) 645-3532, or by asking your KidVentures Site Leaders. GVP Art News...Dawn O’Neill Grade K is working on color projects: cutting and printing, painting. Grade 1 is working on fish with shape and pattern in pastel and underwater "landscapes", just completed Mondrian inspired Primary color designs Grade 2 is completing much color theory work for color book and final paste paper collage inspired by Eric Carle Grade 3 is drawing rainforest animals on muslin cloth with much pattern and contrast- they are amazing! Grade 4 is completing layered collage in various painting techniques of Rousseau inspired bird images. Grade 5 just completed involved moccasins inspired by Sioux Indian (geometric) designs and design squares inspired by Objibwe (floral) patterns We are preparing for NAG all school art exhibit in April and Evening of the Arts.... so lots of creativity ahead! Look for wonderful art work in the spring. Thank you. 8 Orchestra News...Natalie Dimberg Our All-District Orchestra Concert is coming up fast on Thursday, March 29th. It will take place in the Northfield High School Gymnasium. This is an exciting concert; all orchestra students in grades 4-12 will be performing in their own ensembles as well as a piece all together. In order for this concert to be a success, there will be a rehearsal in the high school gymnasium prior to the concert. Students should plan to arrive 15 minutes before their rehearsal time in order to unpack their instruments in their homerooms and to tune. Following the rehearsal, students can participate in an optional pizza dinner. More information will be sent home with students at the beginning of March. Important times for the evening: 5:15--All 4th graders arrive and unpack/tune in Lower Cafeteria for 5:30 rehearsal in gym 5:25--All 5th graders arrive and unpack/tune in Lower Cafeteria for 5:40 rehearsal in gym 6:15--Pizza/bring your own dinner (for orchestra students only) 7:00--Concert starts! It is important for students to arrive on time so that we can have our rehearsals and start the concert on time. This really is a wonderful event, it is amazing to see and hear the progress across the district as the students perform in their grade level ensembles. Pollinator Habitat...Arlene Kjar, President, Northfield Prairie Partners Chapter of Wild Ones The Greenvale Lone Oak Nature Area (GLONA) is a good example of a pollinator habitat. Butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, beetles and other insects are numerous in the nature area. Some birds, like hummingbirds, are also pollinators. Pollinators such as moths are active during the night so we usually don’t notice those pollinating plants. During a sunny day you will see many bees, butterflies, and wasps going from flower to flower. Each plant may have a special way of having its pollen moved. Bees will collect pollen on their hairy legs as they fly from flower to flower. Butterflies will move pollen in their process of collecting nectar from the plants. Hummingbirds with their long narrow beaks will go deep into flowers with long tubes to collect nectar and move the pollen in the process. This spring, take a walk in the nature area or your backyard, and see how many pollinators you can find and notice how they are moving the pollen. We often think of forbs and grasses as the chief pollinating plants, but trees also have pollen that need to be moved from flower to flower. One of the best to have in your garden or at GLONA is the native Serviceberry Tree, Amelanchier arborea. It is covered with small white blossoms in May. It provides a source of pollen for insects and hummingbirds that arrive early in the spring. In June, it has a purple berry that Cedar Waxwing, Wood Thrush, Purple Finch, Catbird, Veery, Tufted Titmice, and Cardinals and other birds will consider a favorite food. Caterpillars will feed on the leaves in the summer. Pollinators have many enemies. Birds, dragonflies, wasps, toads, are predators that will seek out butterflies, moths, and their caterpillars. We also put chemicals on our fields, lawns, and gardens that will destroy many pollinators. Without pollinators we will not have apples, pumpkins, tomatoes, and many other food crops, as well as birds will not have insects to eat. We all need to take care of and create good pollinating habitats. The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards is a good book to read about pollinators. It can be found in your school and public libraries. Northfield Prairie Partners Chapter of Wild Ones will be hosting Danielle Waldschmidt that will present a PowerPoint program called “Creating Pollinator Habitats,” at the Northfield Public Library Meeting Room on March 8th at 6:30 p.m. It is free and the public is invited. Danielle will focus on how we can create a pollinator garden. For more information, contact Arlene Kjar at 507-645-8903. 9 February is dental health month...Julie Ochs, Nurse Here are some tips to help your child brush properly and when to start flossing. Routine dental checkups help to keep your child's teeth healthy. There are resources available Oral Health for Children How Do I Help My Children Care for Their Teeth and Prevent Cavities? Teaching your child proper oral care at a young age is an investment in his or her health that will pay lifelong dividends. You can start by setting an example; taking good care of your own teeth sends a message that oral health is something to be valued. And anything that makes taking care of teeth fun, like brushing along with your child or letting them choose their own toothbrush, encourages proper oral care. To help your children protect their teeth and gums and greatly reduce their risk of getting cavities, teach them to follow these simple steps: Brush twice a day with an ADA — accepted fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque-the sticky film on teeth that's the main cause of tooth decay. Floss daily to remove plaque from between your teeth and under the gumline, before it can harden into tartar. Once tartar has formed, it can only be removed by a professional cleaning. Eat a well-balanced diet that limits starchy or sugary foods, which produce plaque acids that cause tooth decay. When you do eat these foods, try to eat them with your meal instead of as a snack-the extra saliva produced during a meal helps rinse food from the mouth. Use dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste. Make sure that your children's drinking water is fluoridated. If your water supply; municipal, well or bottled does not contain fluoride, your dentist or pediatrician may prescribe daily fluoride supplements. Take your child to the dentist for regular checkups. What Brushing Techniques Can I Show My Child? You may want to supervise your children until they get the hang of these simple steps: Use a pea-sized dab of an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Take care that your child does not swallow the toothpaste. Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush the inside surface of each tooth first, where plaque may accumulate most. Brush gently back and forth. Clean the outer surfaces of each tooth. Angle the brush along the outer gumline. Gently brush back and forth. Brush the chewing surface of each tooth. Gently brush back and forth. Use the tip of the brush to clean behind each front tooth, both top and bottom. It's always fun to brush the tongue! When Should My Child Begin Flossing? Because flossing removes food particles and plaque between teeth that brushing misses, you should floss for your children beginning at age 4. By the time they reach age 8, most kids can begin flossing for themselves. What are Dental Sealants and How Do I Know if My Child Needs Them? A dental sealant creates a highly-effective barrier against decay. Sealants are thin plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of a child's permanent back teeth, where most cavities form. Applying a sealant is not painful and can be performed in one dental visit. Your dentist can tell you whether your child might benefit from a dental sealant. This is from Colgate Oral and Dental Health Resource Center 10 Youth Recreation & Enrichment... from Community Services Community Services has many fabulous programs in March and early April for elementary school kids. Call 507.664.3649 or visit www.nfld.k12.mn.us (Community Services link) to register or for more information. Scholarships are available. Lightsaber Dueling Episode II (ages 8 & older) 6:30-8 p.m. F, March 2 in Longfellow Gym Freestyle/Greco-Roman Wrestling (ages 5-18) 6-7:30 p.m. T & Th, March 27-May 10 in High School Wrestling Room Family Science - Chemistry Crazy (grades 2-5 with adult) 10-11:30 a.m. Sa, March 31 in Middle School Room 221 Watch Me Draw (grades K-5) 3:20-4:20 p.m. M, April 2-May 7 in Greenvale Park Art Room Chess Club (grades 1-5) 3:20-4:20 p.m. T, April 3-May 15 in Greenvale Park Media Center Youth Floor Hockey (grades K-4) Mornings (times vary by grade) Sa, April 7-28 in Middle School Gym NO SCHOOL—Monday, March 19th-Friday, March 23rd School will resume again on Monday, March 26th Upcoming Events March 5 March 6 March 6 March 8 March 8 March 9 March 12-16 March 12 March 12 March 16 March 16 March 19-23 March 26 March 29 March 29 March 30 April 3 April 3 April 6 April 12 April 17 April 17 6pm Kindergarten Information Night for 2012-2013 Kindergarten parents in GVP Cafeteria 4-8pm Parent/Teacher Conferences; FREE child care available 3:45-8pm in Gym & Cafeteria No PLUS program after school 4-8pm Parent/Teacher Conferences; FREE child care available 3:45-8pm in Gym & Cafeteria No PLUS program after school 8:30am-3pm 5th Grade Fieldtrip to the MN Zoo Greenvale Park Spirit Week, sponsored by the Student Council: Monday, Hat Day; Tuesday, Mismatch Day; Wednesday, Crazy Hair Day; Thursday, Color Day by grade level; Friday, Beach Day 8:30am-3pm Spring Photo PTO Fundraiser w/Lifetouch 7pm School Board meeting in HS Media Center End of 3rd Quarter 9:45-10:45am Kindergarten Beach Day Spring Break—NO SCHOOL 7pm School Board meeting in HS Media Center 9:45-10:30am Coffee with the Principal in the Greenvale Park Cafeteria—all welcome! 7-9pm All District Orchestra Concert—High School Gym 9:25-10:15am Greenvale Park Building Wide Meeting in the Gym 6-7:30pm GVP Evening of the Arts No PLUS program after school 7:50-8:15am GVP Student Council meeting in Media Center Middle School Counselor visit 5th Grade Students 6pm Middle School Parent meeting (incoming 6th Graders) - Middle School Auditorium 6:30pm GVP PTO Parent Night in the Media Center 11 LIBRARY BEACH PARTY Sunday, Mar. 18th 1-4 pm Mini-golf, cake walk, wii games & more! $3 TAB fun-raiser! “Supported in part by the Northfield Healthy Community Iniave, with funding from the Northfield Area United Way, and SAMHSA (grant number SP012242-10).” k a e r B g ! n y i r r a r Sp b i l e h t t a n fu Magician Tim Freeland! Tues. March 20 at 1 pm AND Thurs. March 22 at 1 pm YES! Appearing exclusively at the Public Library for 2 days ONLY! Due to popular demand and limited space, please come to only one show! KNIT 1, PURL 2! Come learn the basics or share what you know. Wed. March 21 from 11-2 Open knitting/crocheting time for all ages! We will have some instructors, supplies and yarn. Bring what you have! NO charge! Northfield Public Library 210 Washington St. 645-6606