Look What Happens with a Little Snow!

Just last week kids were enjoying recess in sweatshirts--a few kids wearing hats.

                   

After our record breaking first snow of the season, our students have pulled out all their snow gear and are already building a village of snow people!

• I want to take this opportunity to remind families about our rules for recess in the winter season. Students should come to school wearing pants and snow gear so that at morning recess they are appropriately covered before they come into the building at 8:30 am. 
• Students must bring their snow gear to lunch in order to go outside for recess. 
• In order to play in the snow or on the playground, students must be wearing snow boots and snow pants. Students without them must stay on the blacktop during recess.
• Students may not throw snow on school grounds.
• As with all recess times, no horseplay.
• Students may not destroy the snow creations of other students.

Monday, November 23 was our first day of a snow covered recess! And it was, for the most part, a huge success. Students were reminded of the rules immediately before lunch and recess, and the students had quite a bit of fun. Don't forget that students should also have a pair of regular shoes here at school so they do not wear their snow boots all day. Their feet get very hot and sweaty, and they still need gym shoes for PE.

If you or someone you know is having a hard time providing your children with appropriate snow gear, please contact Dr. Belcastro or Miss Vent. We will assist you in getting what they need to enjoy the winter season and stay safe and warm. 815-385-3731. bbelcastro@johnsburg12.org or dvent@johnsburg12.org

We Need Milk Jugs!

Mrs. Mrazek, our 3-5 Music/Art Teacher, is collecting empty CLEAN milk jugs to create an igloo for our fifth grade concert coming up on December 9. We are hoping to have between 150-200 milk jugs brought in to the school by Wednesday, December 2. Please help us reach our goal so that we can have another great prop for the show.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Mrazek at 815-385-3731 or lmrazek@johnsburg12.org.

5th Grade Book Club

Two months ago, 5th grade teachers were asked to identify two strong readers who also demonstrate a love for reading to participate in a book club hosted by the Principal. For the past 5 weeks, the students have been reading on their own time and coming once a week during recess to discuss the book. The book chosen was Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. This book is a high level high interest text for adolescent readers and is the recipient of the Schneider Family Book Award.

The book is about an autistic young man, close to their age, who struggles to fit in to a neurotypical world. The main character finds peace in his writing, and through his writing, he learns to accept himself for who he is.

The students really enjoyed their experience which ended in a celebratory pizza party. Students signed one another's books at the end of the final meeting as a way to remember the group.

National Parks Free for 4th Graders!

The White House has an initiative called Every Kid in a Park. The purpose is to get all fourth graders and their families to experience the places that are home to our country's national treasures, rich history, and vibrant culture FREE OF CHARGE! The United States is home to millions of acres of national parks, historic structures, cultural artifacts, ancient forests, snow-capped mountains, and clear blue lakes. You can get your Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov. That is the official website where parents, educators, and kids can learn more.

To help engage and create our next generation of park visitor, supporters and advocates, the White House, in partnership with the Federal Land Management agencies, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative. The immediate goal is to provide an opportunity for each and every 4th grade student across the country to experience their federal public lands and waters in person throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

Beginning September 1st, all 4th grade students have access to their own pass which provides free access to national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and more! The pass is good through August 31, 2016.

In support of Every Kid in a Park, the National Park Foundation, the official charity of American's national parks, is raising funds to help connect fourth graders to America's public lands and waters through transportation grants. As part of the Foundation's Open OutDoors for Kids program, the Every Kid in a Park transportation grants seek to remove barriers to accessing our nation's public lands and waters.

We sincerely hope our 4th grade families look into this exciting opportunity. If you and your family are able to take advantage of this pass, please send some exciting photos and a small blurb telling us about your experience.

Giving Tree Needs Help!

Each year at each Johnsburg School, a Giving Tree is placed in the commons area for families and staff to choose gift tags. Each gift tag represents a Johnsburg student whose family is in need of assistance to get through the winter holidays. The Giving Tree at JCB still has about 30 tags on it. If you would be interested in taking a tag, please stop by the school and choose a tag. If you can't make it in to the building but would still like to participate, please contact the office. We can select a tag and send it home in an envelope with your child. Purchase a new gift item and wrap the gift. Attach the tag from the tree to the gift. On the tag include all items in the gift. Return the wrapped gift to Miss Vent by 12/4/15.

We appreciate your help and your generosity at this time of year!

JCB Students at Work and Play!

Mrs. Arvanitis' class is hard at work and having a blast constructing a life size human body model for science. 

Here is a cute picture of Allena Noel from Mr. Smith's room enjoying a good book during reading group. 

What does room 13 do on a rainy recess day? Go Noodle's Indoor Recess (a fun combination of yoga, dance, and Zumba videos) and board games are some of our choices today!

  

3rd Grade Veteran's Day Concert a Success!

Thanks to Mrs. Mrazek for putting on a wonderful concert to honor our Veterans on this special day. The 3rd grade homeroom teachers were all very proud of their students as they sang their hearts out on Wednesday evening at Johnsburg High School. The students sang traditional songs honoring our country and military as well as a few contemporary pieces and performed short skits between the songs. It was an entertaining experience for everyone.

I'd also like to thank those on our Veteran's Day committee: Mrs. Nicole Mass, Miss Dawn Vent, Mrs. Mary Alice Stone, Mrs. Aschbacher, and Mrs. Allison Thompson for their invaluable assistance to the students and Mrs. Mrazek. We are also appreciative of the assistance from the JHS Theater Department as well as the custodial staff from both JHS and JCB. Finally, none of this can be pulled together without the help of Mrs. Crook and Mrs. Dudley in the JCB office. We are lucky to have such a supportive staff.

5th Grade Band Concert

Congratulations to our 5th Grade Band students as well as to Mrs. Beernink and Mr. Henning for putting on a wonderful concert this past Monday. Friends and family were treated to wonderful songs from the entire 5th grade band. Additionally, we were able to hear tunes that highlighted individual instruments and give us a real taste of those sounds. The concert ended with the song we all know and love "Go Team Go."

Mark your calendars to check out future music programs for JCB Students include the following:

11/11/15--3rd Grade Concert to celebrate Veteran's Day. 7 pm at JHS

12/9/15--5th Grade Concert. 7 pm at JHS

1/14/16--4th Grade Concert. 7 pm at JHS

2/24/16--5th Grade Band Concert. 7 pm at JJHS

Boxtop Winners for October

We had our first drawing of winner for Boxtops for Education. Congratulations to Stephen Desancic for winning the Scholastic Book Bundle; to Matthew Kurek for winning the $10 gift card to Five Below; and to Konrad Zapal for winning lunch with the principal and 5 friends with a dessert provided by Dr. Belcastro. Konrad chose chocolate cake with white frosting for his dessert. The kids loved chatting with me, and I had a great time with them. Lots of 3rd grade peers were very jealous.

We are already getting our raffle boxes filled with boxtops. If you want to participate, students need to put their first and last name on their boxtops and put them in the raffle boxes of their choice. The prizes are the same this month. Winners will be chosen the Monday after Thanksgiving Break.

The Boxtops for Education program helps to support our school and provide resources in our learning center, classrooms, assemblies, and incentives. We thank you for your continued support of our school and programs.

Certified Therapy Dog Visits Students at JCB

Today, a giant visited some classrooms at JCB. Okay, not really a giant--but close. Gator is an English Mastiff and is a certified therapy dog. Therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort and attention to people in all sorts of settings. They are often found in retirement homes, hospitals, schools, and disaster areas. In schools, students often read to the dogs. It provides the students with comfort as they practice and develop their reading skills. Reading out loud is sometimes stressful for students. The dogs give them comfort and confidence as they improve those skills.

Here are other benefits of using a therapy dog in the school. Interaction with the dogs provides tactile stimulation and assists with pain management. A visit with the dog provides a positive mutual topic for discussion, promotes self-esteem and well-being. Companionship with a dog stimulates memory, problem solving, and game playing. Therapy dogs improve acceptance from others and lifts mood.

Check out some pictures from our first visit today.

Giving Tree

Last week during parent teacher conferences, JCB put up our Giving Tree. The tags on the tree represent students whose families need help with gifts at the holiday season. Most of the requests are for very practical items. Thank you to the MANY people who have already taken tags.

If you want to participate, please stop by the school before Thanksgiving Break and select a tag. Purchase a new gift item and wrap the gift. Attach the tag from the tree to the gift. On the tag include all items in the gift. Return the wrapped gift to Miss Vent by 12/4/15.

Thank you so much for your generosity!

Students Get New Library Cards

During Parent Teacher Conferences this week, representatives from the Johnsburg Public Library were here to offer families to sign up for library cards. In two days the library signed up fourteen families for new cards. Additionally, the staff made available information regarding upcoming programs and events to be held at the library. They said it was nice to see so many families who already had library cards and that she recognized them as regular visitors to the library. We are very lucky to have such a great resource in our town and so close to our school. We appreciate our partnership with the public library a great deal.

The Book Fair is a Grand Success!

Thanks to Mrs. Thompson and Mr. HarriSon for all their hard work with the book fair this year. The book fair opened on Monday, November 2. For three days during their library class time, students were invited to shop the book fair and make wish lists to give to their parents. Some students knew what they wanted and were able to buy right away. We were also lucky to have a great turn out of Grand People at the book fair. Students were allowed to invite grandparents or anyone who is Grand in their lives to shop the book fair with them during their scheduled library time. Grand People and the students were also treated to some cookies.

If you haven't had a chance to shop yet, the book fair is still open during conferences. All parents who attend conferences and make a purchase at the book fair will have a raffle ticket to enter into a drawing for a free book for their student. One student per grade level will win a free book. They will be able to pick out their book first thing in the morning on Monday before they pack up the book fair for good.

This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for our Learning Center. And it has been quite a success. Mrs. Thompson and Mr. HarriSon are very excited to decide what to do with the profits from the book fair. But students should definitely see lots of new books in the coming months.

 

McHenry County Wildlife District Visits 4th Grade Classes

This week the 4th grade team had the McHenry County Conservation District  presented a program called Amazing Animal Adaptations. The students learned about the adaptations of many of the animals in our area. To further enhance the lesson, students were able to feel a Red Tail Hawk's wing, a beaver skull and pelt, along with the pelts of a raccoon, rabbit, fox, skunk, and coyote. Thanks to Miss Mary from the Wildlife District for her excellent presentation. She did a great job instructing our students this week.

Happy Halloween!

Students at JCB had a wonderful Halloween celebration last week Friday. Students brought costumes to school and dressed after lunch and recess for our annual parade. It took us longer to get dressed this year since we added an entire grade level and don't have many places to change. But everyone got in the spirit and helped each other out. Homeroom classes filled the gym and the cafeteria and applauded everyone as each homeroom passed by dancing to fun Halloween songs. Thanks to Mr. Sommerfield who was the guest emcee for the event.

While the students and staff enjoyed the parade, our faithful parents were in the classrooms getting set up for some wonderful parties. They had planned games and fun activities and lots of food--some of it was even healthy! As I walked the building checking in on each classroom party, I was entertained with mummy making relays, Halloween Bingo, and even a Family Feud style game. Thanks so much to our generous parents for their hard work in making the parties fun for the kids.

We Mustache You to Make Good Choices

Students at JCB had a great time throughout Red Ribbon Week dressing up for the different themes we had to remind students to be drug free and to make good choices. The focus was really on the good choices concept all week long. Several students were selected to attend a McHenry County Red Ribbon Week forum and came back as ambassadors for our school. Those students were chosen based on their participation in a poster contest the week before. Check out some pictures from our Mustache Day.