Fun in First Grade!

Riddle Reporter Riddle Elementary School October 2019

By Mrs. Weaver

Wow! This year is flying by. Here in 1st grade world

we have been working hard on mastering our short

vowel sounds, geometry, and becoming better writ-

ers. I have been blown away at the progress our little

learners have made this year already in these areas.

In addition to curriculum based learning, we have

also been working hard on teamwork and communi-

cation skills within the classroom. A fun way to do

this is by creating pairs to learn a new skill. We de-

cided to start with learning the game Connect 4. To

work out our brain muscles, students had to learn

about strategies. It was so cute to see students

teaching other students the ropes of this game. Stu-

dents started to get better at this as they went, mak-

ing the matches more challenging. The students ex-

hibited great com-

munication skills

in this activity and

showed how to be

a great friend.

Their take always

from this activity

was that some-

times even when

we don’t under-

stand something at

first, if we keep

trying and practic-

ing we will get

better.

Watch D.O.G.S. Family Night Riddle Elementary held its first Dads and Kids Pizza Night on September 26

th from 6 pm to 7 pm.

Nearly 500 student and father figures had the opportunity to enjoy pizza and drinks while engaging in table activities and discussion items. Students were able to then join their friends for some of their fa-vorite outdoor activities while fathers and father-figures heard from Mr. Bill Duey, Fit-2-Serve Director and Mr. Arnold, Principal about a new program at Riddle Elementary called Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students). Studies by the U.S. Department of Education have demonstrated that a positive adult male role model will have a uniquely positive impact on the development and educational success of a child. Watch D.O.G.S. began in 1998 in a school in Arkansas. It has since grown into a program that has brought hundreds of thousands of fathers and father-figures into classrooms and hallways across the country, creating millions of hour of “in school” volunteer time an having a tremendously positive impact on the educational process. So who are Watch D.O.G.S.? They are fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other father figures who volunteer for at least one-day each year at our school. During the day they may read or work on light skills with students, play at re-cess, eat lunch with students, watch the school entrance and hallways, assist with traffic flow, or other activities where they don’t only interact with their child buy other children as well. On the day of partic-ipation, they are given a brief description of their involvement for the day and a dog tag identifying them as a Watch DOG for the day. They then partner with staff and teacher to hit the halls. The process of volunteering is simple… 1 Stop by the school office to fill out an application or reach out to our interim Top Dog, Mr. Coleman

at colemanj@mattoon.k12.il.us to express interest. 2 Mr. Coleman will respond with potential dates available for fathers and father figures to work in the

school and help you select one (or more) that fits your schedule. 3 Those volunteering will need to visit our district Human Resources office at 1701 Charleston Ave.

between 7:30 am and 4:30 pm to complete the background check process and be Board approved as a volunteer within one month prior to their scheduled visit.

4 A reminder will be sent with more information and once the day arrives you just show up and we set you up with your day.

We look forward to seeing the many benefits Watch D.O.G.S. has to offer for our students and school.

Habit 1—Be Proactive From The Leader in Me

Be Proactive means to take responsibility for your choices and behaviors. Habit 1

is the key to all of the other habits; that’s why it comes first. Be Proactive says, “I

am in charge of my own life. I am responsible for whether I am happy or sad. I can

choose how I react to other people or situations. I am in the driver’s seat.” Young

children can easily learn to understand that different choices yield different

results. The goal is to teach them to think about those results before they decide

what to do. Discussions can focus on taking care of themselves, taking care of

their things, reacting or not reacting to others’ behavior, planning ahead, and

thinking about what the right thing to do is. With your child, think of ways to Be

Proactive at home.

More Family Night Pictures

Learning Fun in Kindergarten!

By Mrs. Ghere

In kindergarten, we have been practicing writing our

names, identifying the colors, learning shapes and how

to play together. We have used markers, pens, crayons,

pencils and highlighters to make it fun to practice writ-

ing our names. We also had a color of the day for the

past two weeks to help us learn the colors of the rain-

bow. In math, we have been learning about shapes. They

have learned some fun shape songs. Learning to play

together is coming along. We have a Second Step pro-

gram which is skills for social and academic success.

Just ask your kindergartner about “Puppy”. My students

have also learned how to

maneuver around during

our reading and math cen-

ters. It is amazing to watch

these little people learn

and grow. I also am very

lucky to have an EIU stu-

dent teacher with me for 8

weeks, her name is Grace

Hartman.

Generation-2-Generation with 3rd Grade

By Mr. Wheeler

One of the great things our third graders get to do is participate in the Genera-tion-2-Generation (G-2-G) program facilitated by Fit-2-Serve. Third graders at Rid-dle partner with Kindergarten classes to visit senior citizens in area nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Our third graders have been great buddies to some awesome kindergarten stu-dents, sitting together on the bus and modeling great behavior for the younger stu-dents. Once we arrive at our destination, all the students interact with residents through crafts and a story. The residents and students work with one another and discuss all kinds of topics. I overheard a student telling a very interested resident about every detail of a video game. The resident looked at me and exclaimed “He’s so cute! How does he know so much about that?” Another stu-dent told a resident about his baseball team. He said, “Yes, I love playing baseball.” She replied, “I used to play softball.” “Oh, really? Well, I play real baseball.” She smiled at him and said emphatically, “Well. I played real softball. And I was good!” They both had a good laugh about it. Another student extended her hand to a resident for a hand-shake. Many students made pictures for their new friends. One of the exciting aspects of this partnership is watching students display leadership in a different environment. Once outside of the classroom, each student is seen in a new light, with a new opportuni-ty to shine!

Upcoming Events

October 8 6:00 PTA Meeting

October 11 12:40 Dismissal

October 14 Columbus Day—No School

October 24 Half Day -P/T Conferences

October 25 No School - P/T Conferences

Message From PTA

The Fannie May Fundraiser will be

available for pickup on Thursday,

October 17th in the Riddle Elementary

Cafeteria from 3:00-5:30 pm. Thank

you for your support. The Elevate trip

is scheduled for Tuesday, November

26th. Thanks for supporting Riddle

School.

Author Lynn Darimont Visits Riddle!

By Mrs. Stuart

Have you ever been in a pickle? Lynn Darimont, former Mattoon High

School English teacher, wrote the book, Grandma Lost Her Teeth. She

visited Riddle Elementary School and shared a presentation with the

students. Her story was based on her Grandma Ski that found herself in

a pickle when she lost her teeth. Grandma learned that she needed to

ask for help in order to solve her problem. Her grandson, Mikey helped

save the day. Being an author was always a dream for Mrs. Darimont.

She challenged the fifth grade

students to think about what was

their passion, their talent, or their

dream and then think about what

they can

do to

reach

that

goal!