Quote of the Month:

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” -Aesop

CALENDAR April 12………………………………Student Council Meeting 3:10 - 4:10 PM

April 13………………………………PTC Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 PM

April 28……………………………….3rd Grade to the Museum of Mountain West

April 28……………………………….2nd Grade to Black Canyon

April 29……………………………….NO SCHOOL (Vacation Day)

May 2………………………………...NO SCHOOL (Vacation Day)

May 6……………………………5th Grade Track Meet-MHS 9:00am-2:30pm

May 10………………………………...4th Grade Natural Resources Festival

For a full listing of our calendar events, please click here

THUNDER NEWS

April 2016

CONTENTS

CALENDAR…………………………………………………………………….……....1

SCHOOL WIDE NEWS………………………………………………………..………2

SUPPORT TEACHERS……………………………………………………….……….3

GIRLS ON THE RUN………………………………………………….……………….4

P.E. NEWS…………………………………………………… ………….…………….5

LIBRARY NEWS…………………………………………………………………….…6

MUSIC NEWS………………………………………………………………………..…6

COUNSELOR’S CORNER.....……………………………………………….………..7

HEALTH NEWS…….……………..…………………………………………………...8

HEALTH NEWS CONTINUED…………………………………………………….….9

School Hours: Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri 7:55am-3:05pm Office Hours: 7:25am - 3:45pm

Wednesday Only 7:55am-2:05pm

Let’s Get eReading! We are happy to announce a new fun and exciting way to have access to thousands of books for your child[ren] for free. You can now download the Open eBooks app on your phone or tablet. Each student has their own code and password. With this app,

you and your child can access a library of thousands of popular and award winning eBooks for free! We hope the Open eBooks

app helps you to further support and engage in your child’s learn-ing and foster his/her love of reading beyond the classroom. If you have not received a letter that includes your child’s code

number, please contact your child’s teacher.

April Testing:

Please be sure to schedule any appoint-

ments for your students outside the fol-

lowing Testing dates. Thank you for

your cooperation.

4th Grade CMAS: Social Studies, April

18-April 22 12:15-2:00

5th Grade CMAS: Science, April 18-

April22 9:00-11:00

1st-5th Grades: iReady-Reading/Math,

April 12-April 22 throughout the day.

Meet two of our Support Teachers!

Jeannie Clark, MS, BCSE

Level 1 Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Clark began teaching special education 17 years ago in Southern California. In California she taught both elementary and middle school special day class. Mrs. Clark began teaching Level 1 Resource at Johnson Elementary two years ago. She sup-ports 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students in the areas of Language Arts and Math. Mrs. Clark is a member of the Johnson MTSS (Multi Tiered System of Support) and Reading Committee. She enjoys cooking and reading.

Michele Bralich,

Reading Interventionist

Mrs. Bralich is the Reading Interventionist at Johnson and has been a part of our Johnson staff for 13 years. She helps students in many different ways. First, she supports K-5 students in reading by meeting with them for WIN (What I Need) time. At other times, she meets with students for specific skill work. No matter what group she is working with, Mrs. Bralich always enjoys her work because she loves to teach children how to become better readers! During Kindergarten writing time, she also team teaches with Mrs. Westphal, which she finds exciting and fun. In addition

to working with students, Mrs. Bralich works with many of her colleagues on various commit-tees, including the NET (Leadership) Team, MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) Team, Weekly Planning Team, and Johnson Reading Committee. When Mrs. Bralich is not at school, she loves reading, drawing and painting, yoga, cooking, and spending time with her family, which includes her husband Terry and two furry friends---her cat named Ace and dog named Cayna.

On February 23, Johnson Elementary girls and staff success-fully kicked off another season of Girls on the Run (GOTR).

GOTR is an after school program that uses the power of run-ning to prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. Through interactive activities, such as running, playing games, and discussing important issues, GOTR participants learn how to celebrate the power of being a girl. The program focuses on build-ing self-esteem and improving emotional and physical health. During the 10-week program, girls are empowered with a greater self-awareness, a sense of achievement, and a foundation in team building to help them become strong, contented, and self-confident young women.

Each session is led by trained, volunteer female coaches who guide and mentor girls through a fun and uplifting curriculum. Coaches teach specific life lessons such as dealing with body im-age and the media, resisting peer pressure, making healthy deci-sions, and contributing to the community. The program culminates with a 5K (3.2 mile) event at the end of April in Montrose with girls from all the area’s elementary schools.

In the end, the girls leave with a stronger sense of identity, a greater acceptance of themselves, a healthier body image, and an understanding of what it means to be a part of a team and a com-munity. Most importantly, Girls on the Run is FUN!

JES PE NEWS Hello Parents and Children,

We are excited to be back outside and into the swing of things as we are enjoying the warmer weather.

Kindergarten through fourth grade is working on improving hand-eye coordination using a variety of manipulat-ive and implements, e.g. scoops and Lacrosse sticks.

Fifth grade is focusing on preparing for the annual track and field meet that will be held on May 6, 2016 from 9:00 to 2:30 at the Montrose High School Track.

As a gentle reminder please make sure your child is coming to class prepared to perform at their best with proper p.e. shoes and a light jacket as the weather can fluctuate this time of year.

All students will be receiving a Fitness Gram report at the end of the school year. Kindergarten through second grade, student reports will only show height and weight.

Third through fifth grade reports will show the results of test scores taken from the Fall and Spring semesters for the five components of Health related fitness components, which are the following: Muscular Strength, Muscu-lar Endurance, Cardiovascular Endurance, Flexibility and Body Composition.

Here are the suggested guidelines from the Home of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health. Your son

or daughter should be trying to do the following both now and as the summer months come upon us:

Key Guidelines for Children and Adolescents

Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily.

Aerobic: Most of the 60 or more minutes a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physi-

cal activity, and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week.

Muscle-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents

should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.

Bone-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents

should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.

It is important to encourage young people to participate in physical activities that are appropriate for their age,

are enjoyable, and offer variety.

Thank you to all of you who attended Parent/Teacher Conferences and stopped

by the music room to check out our new instruments in the Instrument Petting

Zoo! The students are so excited about all our new rhythm instruments. This

quarter, we are learning about pitch. Kindergartners are learning to hear the dif-

ference between high and low sounds. If you want your child to have extra

practice hearing high and low, check out a game on this website: http://www.alex-gelinas.com/

Hi_Lo_1001/hi_lo.html . First graders are learning solfedge notes (mi, so, and la) and Second graders are

learning solfedge notes (do, re, mi, so, and la) on the music staff. This is a great introduction to reading

notes before they begin third grade music reading absolute pitch names. In Third and Fourth grade, we

are learning absolute pitch names to help us read notes in the treble clef staff. Reading notes in the treble

clef will help students play the right hand on the piano, play a recorder, or play a band instrument in mid-

dle school like a flute, clarinet, saxophone, or trumpet. In Fifth grade, we are continuing to learn about

absolute pitch names but we are learning how to read in the bass clef. This

will help students read the left hand of the piano and play band instruments

like the trombone, baritone, or tuba. Here are some apps on iTunes to help

learn the absolute pitch names in both the treble and bass clef staff: Note

Squish and Staff Wars. These games are 99 cents each and they are an excel-

lent way to help secure the learning process in a fun and creative way.

Tracy L. Reinhard, Music Specialist

Johnson Elementary School

Check It Out!

What’s New in the Library

April 2016

BOOK FAIR FINALE – Well, Johnson families, you’ve done it again! Our spring fair broke the record for the most sales EVER! Once more, you have shown your dedication to reading and to building your home libraries. Thanks to you, I have been able to order over $3,000 dollars worth of new books for our library! Thank you so much!

Character Trait for April – is Relationships. We will be talking about how relationships are BUILT – they require time, kindness and honesty!

“Well-Loved” Book Sale – Get ready—once May is upon us, I will have my Used Book Sale all month long! Come in ANY TIME during the month of May, and shop for a great deal! ALL Hardcover books will be 2 for $1.oo, and ALL Paperback books will be 3 for $1.00! You can’t beat a deal like that! It’s a great way to find new homes for books that I don’t need in the library any more, and fund the purchase of yet more books and supplies for the next school year!

“Reading never wears me out.” – Olivia by Ian Falconer

Happy Reading!

--Mrs. Mahan

Tips to Help Get Your Kids Moving in the Morning

The first day of school is usually an exciting time. The children can’t wait to meet their new teacher, see their old friends and use their new backpack. After a few days, however, it does-n’t seem quite as exciting to get up early in the morning and out the door! Using the follow-ing ideas can help your mornings run more smoothly and help everyone get on their way with smiles.

Have a bedtime routine that allows for your children to get enough sleep. Kids who are tired will definitely not want to get up in the morning!

Be consistent with your expectations. Make sure your child knows what you expect. If the morning routine means waking up, getting dressed, making the bed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, packing lunch & backpack, then make sure your child completes all those duties before letting them play or watch television. Work together by telling them if they can get ready quickly enough, there will be time to read a book together.

Make breakfast tasty. It’s the most important meal of the day! Have healthy options in a place where children can get to them. Cereal, instant oatmeal, bagels or toast are all items that most children can prepare themselves.

Prepare the night before. Have clothing picked out, take baths or showers, make sure all items needed are in the backpack ready to go! Have the kids put their backpacks near the door.

Let your child learn the consequences of dilly-dallying in the morning. If the bus has ar-rived and she still hasn’t brushed her hair, send her to school with messy hair. Ignore your embarrassment and let her learn. The next morning she’ll probably get ready a little quicker!

If your child starts complaining that they don’t want to come to school, sit down and have a talk about reasons someone should stay home from school (or work if they’re an adult). Fe-ver, vomiting, contagious illnesses, accidents, family emergencies or a death in the family are all legitimate reasons not to be in school. There are other times when we might not feel up to 100% normal, but we can still make it through the day. By following these guidelines, chil-dren are learning how to be punctual, dependable and responsible.