Notes from Mrs. Swan

PRUNE HILL Penguin News

March 1, 2019

1601 NW Tidland St, Camas, WA 98607

360-833-5730 phone 360-833-5731 fax

Dear Prune Hill Families,

Each year, our school develops a plan using the inquiry cycle, to continue to learn and improve as a school system and

better serve our students. The last two years were focused on literacy and the social-emotional aspect of our learners.

Has your child come home talking about what ‘zone’ they are in? Using color terms, such as ‘you’re in the RED zone!’ or

‘I feel sad; I’m in the BLUE zone’ is a continued part of our school focus on the social-emotional aspect of children ages

five to eleven. The green zone is considered optimal and ‘ready to learn’; yellow is excited, frustrated, or silly. Red is

mad, extremely excited, or out of control; and blue is sad, sick or lacking energy. These conversations are one part of

classroom meetings. These meetings consist of a greeting, identifying what ‘zone’ we are in, and answering a question

of the day. They allow adults to quickly assess where our students are at emotionally, and where they may need

support. We know that academic success starts with feeling safe and having a sense of belonging in our classrooms.

We are looking at ways to measure the impact that holding regular classroom meetings has on student learning and

overall culture and climate of our students.

We also notice that we are teaching and parenting at a time where more information is coming faster at our children

(and us!), leaving us unsure how to sift through it and know how to handle it all. Social media, the internet, and

television are bombarding our brains with opinion, argument, and impacting our students as we listen to them try and

make sense of what they’re seeing and hearing. The rate of anxiety and worry in students has increased. I believe our

own anxiety and worry has increased, as well. Here are some tips to assist us in parenting through these uncertain

times:

1. Keep a family routine that includes a screen-free bedroom and a routine bedtime. 2. Use parental controls on devices, especially YouTube. You might be surprised by what kids have access to. 3. Use discretion when inviting the TV news into your family rooms. Children process differently (their brains are still

developing) and most news is inappropriate for elementary students’ ears and eyes. Fears often stem with what they see/hear on TV.

4. Play board games as a family, and encourage them to go outside and play without needing you there as a referee. 5. Ask your child what they think they might want to try when solving a problem. Let them wrestle through the

process of being uncomfortable, or even sad. The message you’ll send them is that he/she is capable of solving problems and thinking for themselves.

We are on this journey together. We are working through difficult issues, with each adult here at school taking very

seriously our role in protecting and educating our students in a positive and age-appropriate manner that preserves

their innocence and childhoods. We value the community of families that we serve, and we welcome any question or

concerns that you have in regards to your child’s education.

*Mark your calendars! Friday, March 15th 8:15-9:15 you’re invited to join me for Coffee with the Principal. This is a great

opportunity to hear what’s happening at school, ask questions, as well as connect with other families. PTA will provide

coffee & pastries!

Sincerely,

Julie Swan

MARCH 2019

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Yearbook order forms go home

2

3 4

5 Choir Rehearsal

2:30-3:30

6 5th Gd Water

Quality Monitoring 8:15-11:15

12:10 dismissal

Recorder Rehearsal 12:10-1:00

7 8 Birthday Table

9

CEF Auc-tion

10

Daylight Savings Begins

11

CSD Board

Meeting 5:30

12 Choir Rehearsal

2:30-3:30

13 5th Grade to PYP

8:00-11:30

12:10 dismissal

Recorder Rehearsal 12:10-1:00

14 15 SCHOOL IS IN

SESSION Inclement Weather Makeup

Day

Coffee with the Principal 8:15-9:15

16

17 18 Spirit Day/

Lucky Leprecaun Day

19 End of 2nd Trimester

Choir Rehearsal 2:30-3:30

20 12:10 dismissal

Recorder Rehearsal 12:10-1:00

21

22 Opera Quest

Assembly Gds 3-5 9:00-10:00

23

24 25

CSD Board

Meeting 5:30

26 Choir Rehearsal

2:30-3:30

27 12:10 dismissal

Recorder Rehearsal 12:10-1:00

5th Grade Science Fair 5:30-6:30

28 5th Grade Science

Fair 8:05-9:00

Report Cards go home

29

Box Tops Due

Yearbook Orders Due

30

APRIL 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

SPRING 3

4

BREAK

5

6

7 8

9 5th Grade

(Driver/Rush) to PUD 9:10-12:15

Choir Rehearsal 2:30-3:30

10 5th Grade Water

Quality Monitoring 8:15-12:15

12:10 Dismissal

Recorder Rehearsal 12:10-1:00

PTA Meeting 6:00-7:00 Library

11 5th Grade

(Holscher/King) to PUD 9:10-12:15

12

Taproot Anti-Bullying Assembly

8:30-9:15

Birthday Table

13

14 15

CSD Board

Meeting 5:30

16

Choir Rehearsal 2:30-3:30

17 Volunteer Assembly

9:30-10:00

12:10 Dismissal

Recorder Rehearsal 12:10-1:00

18 19

20

21 22

23

5th Grade Fine Dining Event 11:00-12:10

Choir Rehearsal 2:30-3:30 (Last One)

24

12:10 Dismissal

Recorder Rehearsal 12:10-1:00 (Last One)

25

Spring Choir Concert 6:00-7:00

26

Spirit Day Twin/Triplet Day

27

28 29

CSD Board

Meeting 5:30

30 4th Grade to

Fort Vancouver 9:05-1:25

PTA March News!

Box Tops Fundraiser

Box Tops Collection is March 29th!! Box Tops are collected 2 times per year and help support some of the services

provided by the PTA. Send in Box Tops to your child’s class. Classes with the most items will win the coveted Box

Tops Trophy! Please send in by Friday March 29th (Last day of school before Spring Break) and the class winner will

be announced after Spring Break!

For more information on Box Tops: http://btfe.com/products.

Yearbook Photos Needed

There is still time to get photos to us for the yearbook. Please send pictures of students at school or at school

events. We prefer pictures with multiple students in them so we can fit as many Penguins as possible on a page.

The photos can be sent to kathleencluen@icould.com and please include the grade of students. Thank you for your

help!

Teacher Appreciation Week

PHE's annual Staff Appreciation Week is coming up March 25-29th. This is a much anticipated event at Prune Hill. Opportunities to show your appreciation to staff for all they do will be coming soon to your email. Look for a signup to contribute to the festivities. Also look for a flyer coming home detailing what your student can do for staff to make this week extra special. Please help us show staff how much they mean to us!

THANK YOU to all the families that contributed to the Staff Luncheon on Feb 21st! It was greatly appreciated by all and we couldn't do it without YOU!

Save the Date for Spring Carnival – May 18th

The Spring Carnival will occur this year on Saturday, May 18th from 4pm-7pm. We are looking for support from our

families for auction donations! In previous years we’ve been able to acquire many great things for our auction – the

proceeds all of which go to help our students and our school. Auction donations can include products and services

from your local business, or items such as gift cards, sports tickets and memorabilia, lessons, art or other services.

The carnival is attended by around 1000 people and is great way to promote your local business.

For more information about making a donation to the auction, please text/call Kristen Kimmich at (510) 390-4151 or

email at k_e_kimmich@hotmail.com

Thanks for your help making the 2019 auction a success!

Volunteers Needed:

We are planning for the 2019-2020 school year (is it already that time?!). We are in need of volunteers for next year. We have openings for all time commitments. We are most in need of a Treasurer and Carnival leads. For smaller time commitments we need leaders for 5th grade fine dining, 5th grade celebration, and other various positions. Please contact Danna Liebhaber at prunehillpta2@gmail.com for more information.

UPCOMING DATES:

March 8tht: March Birthday Table March 25th-29th: Staff Appreciation Week

March 29th: Yearbook order forms due March 29th: Box Tops due

April 1st-5th: Spring Break April 10th: General Membership Meeting

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Website: www.PruneHillPTA.com ~ Friend us on Facebook: Prune Hill PTA ~

Email us at prunehillpta2@gmail.com

Sign up to join Prune Hill PTA online: https://www.pt-avenue.com/join/

2018-2019 Board of Directors

President Co-Vice Presidents Membership

Danna Liebhaber Carry Ross-Richardson & Kristen Kimmich Becky Wong

Co-Treasurers Co-Secretaries

Megan Ryan & Kerri Richardson Kelly Reiter & Mary Pat Porter

What’s New in the Prune Hill Library? • First, a big shout-out to all of the participants in Read to Feed this year. The final tally of

reading minutes for approximately 200 students was 5,800 hours of reading between

December 17, 2018-February 1, 2019.

• JWR/Treasure House Donation – 1562 cans/items

Reading incentive programs are only one way to promote reading and build reading skills. This program specifically builds fluency skills, as readers are incentivized to read more often and for longer periods of time. Students can count times when parents or older siblings read to them as well, because being read to builds reading skills, too! Upcoming events: voting on the Children’s Choice Awards (K-2nd) at the end of March and the Sasquatch Reading Party (3rd-5th grades) at the end of May. Here are some pics from the Read to Feed Assembly. I apologize for not having more photos to share. If you have some, please send them to me and Mrs. Nelson can put them on the lobby monitor.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Father/Daughter Dance

Saturday, March 2nd

At JWR Center (across from Doc Harris Stadium)

6:00pm – 8:00pm, check-in 5:30pm

Tickets available at the door

$20 for father/daughter entry and memento photo

Fundraiser for Camas Schools Interact Club

Pizza, snow cones and cotton candy available for purchase

Raffle items, too!

Any questions, please call (360) 903-4904 or (360) 772-4561

Flu Season

With the flu season upon us, it is important that we work together to keep

our children healthy. Since the flu can be very contagious and is a

potentially serious illness, here are some recommendations to help prevent

the spread of the flu:

Keep sick children home, especially if they have a fever above 100.4o F, diarrhea, vomiting, or a severe cough.

FLU vs. COMMON COLD

FLU COMMON COLD

How it begins Sudden Gradual

Cough Severe Mild to moderate

Muscles Achy None to mild aches

Stuffy, runny nose Sometimes Common

Tiredness Severe Mild

Fever None to high grade None to low grade

Complications Bronchitis/Pneumonia Earache/Sinus infection

Your student may return to school when they have been without a fever for at least 24 hours

without taking anti-fever medications.

Remind your student to cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow to avoid

spreading the flu germs. If you cough or sneeze into your hands, you risk spreading disease

when you touch surfaces that others come in contact with.

Encourage your student to wash their hands frequently during the day, especially after using

the bathroom, before eating and after accidentally coughing or sneezing into their hands.

Washing with soap and warm, running water for 20 to 30 seconds is one of the best ways of

avoiding respiratory illnesses. If soap and water are not available, your student should use

alcohol based hand sanitizer.

Make sure vaccinations are up to date. Annual flu vaccinations are the best way to protect you

and your family from the flu. Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and

older. More information about the flu and flu vaccination is available on the following websites:

o CCPH Flu page: https://www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/flu

o CDC Flu page: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

If you have any questions or need to call Prune Hill attendance please call: (360) 833-5730.

Camas School District

Kindergarten Registration Events

It is time for Kindergarten registration for the 2019-2020 school year! Listed below are the dates for

registration and orientation events for each school. The purpose of orientation is to meet teachers

and staff, learn about the kindergarten curriculum, and take a ride on a real school bus! If you are

not sure which school your child will attend, or would like to make a registration appointment, please

call 360-833-5410 to speak with Maria Spencer, Becky Stauffer, and Shanna Michelle, district registrars.

They will also be onsite at the orientations for your convenience. You may access registration

paperwork online at http://www.camas.wednet.edu/schools-resources/resources/new-student-registration/

Please note that in addition to the registration forms you will need to submit the following paperwork:

State-issued birth certificate

Immunization information. Students must be fully immunized including “kindergarten shots” or

an exemption needs to be on file in order for your child to be registered.

Proof of residency (2 items), i.e., utility bill, payroll check, signed lease agreement, etc.

Please let us know if you plan to attend the Kindergarten Orientation. In addition, if you know of any

future Camas kindergarten students in your neighborhood, preschool, etc., please share this

information with them.

Helen Baller Elementary

1954 NE Garfield Street

(360) 833-5720

Date: May 22

Time: 1:00-2:30

Grass Valley Elementary

3000 NW Grass Valley Drive

(360) 833-5710

Date: May 22

Time: 8:15-9:45

Prune Hill Elementary

1601 NW Tidland Street

(360) 833-5730

Date: May 15

Time: 1:00-2:30

Dorothy Fox Elementary

2623 NW Sierra Street

(360) 833-5700

Date: May 15

Time: 4:00-5:50

Woodburn Elementary

2400 NE Woodburn Drive

(360) 833-5860

Date: May 22

Time: 4:00-5:30

Lacamas Lake Elementary

4825 North Shore Blvd

(360) 833-5740

Date: May 15

Time: 5:00-6:30