November 5, 2018 Newsletter

Thanks to our anonymous matching-funds donor and those who met their challenge, we have met and exceeded our Walk-a-Thon goal with $12,321 in donations! THANK YOU!

BASKETBALL - RESPONSE NEEDED BY TOMORROW

5th - 8th grade parents - Basketball is just around the corner! We need to get a headcount by tomorrow, 11/6, for both boys and girls! In order to have a girls' basketball team, there needs to be enough interest. Please email or call Mindy at [email protected] or 360-794-8200 by tomorrow if interested.

SCHOOL PICTURES ARE HERE!

If you opted to have your photos sent to the school, they will be sent home with your child today. If you chose to have them shipped to you, watch your mailbox.

Thank you, Kayla J Photography, for once again providing wonderful school photos!

MCS HOLIDAY BAZAAR

TAPP MEETING

The next TAPP meeting will take place tomorrow, 11/6, at 7 pm in the MCS library.

POPCORN DAY

This Wednesday, November 7th, is Popcorn Day.

The cost is $0.50 for popcorn or $1.00 for popcorn and a Capri Sun. Please bring in-full payments to the office. Individual payments will go directly to the teacher. Thank you.

THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone for making this year's "Under the Sea" Potluck and Scholastic Book Fair a success! Thank you staff for helping set up for the potluck and book fair. Thank you to Missy Hughes for handling the cash register for the book fair. Thank you to all of the parents who shared in the classrooms during the potluck. Thank you for the amazing spread of food; it was delicious! Because of your generosity, there were $2,200 in sales at the book fair enabling us to provide students with $400 in books for their classrooms and school library!

STUDENT THANKSGIVING FEAST

In keeping with our school's tradition, the students will be enjoying a Thanksgiving Feast together on Tues., November 20th. Sara Peterson and crew will again plan and prepare a wonderful traditional meal. We ask that parents send $3.50 for each student, Kindergarten through 8th grade, to cover the cost. Please send the money to the office (no checks under $5.00 please) between now and feast time. Our thanks to Sultan Red Apple for supporting this great event.

THANK YOU SOCCER COACHES!

A Huge Thank You to Coach Stima and Coach Soren! Your efforts, expertise, and guidance are sincerely appreciated! Coach Stima retired from MCS soccer coaching at the end of this season. As a school community, we are grateful for your 5 seasons of coaching.

Congratulations to the team. They participated in the league soccer tournament. Our record board will need updating: Evan Davis - 12 assists for the season, Ethan Stima - most goals in a game (6), and Ethan Stima - most goals for a season (32).

Coach Stima:

Thank you for helping us improve our soccer skills. - Lizzy

Coach, thank you for your time and for hanging out with us. - Ethan H.

You are always enthusiastic. Thanks for coaching the last 5 years. - Ethan S.

You handled us very well, even when we didn't listen. - Lili

You are funny. - AJ

Thanks for putting me in a lot. I liked stealing the ball from the other team. - Emily

You always believed in me. You were always cheering us on, even if we lost. You always said we did a good job. You are a very good coach! - Madison

We had a good season. Thanks for putting me in. - Micah

You are very complimentary to me and to the team. - Connor

You are very helpful with teaching soccer and you clarify strategies and where we are supposed to be. I liked that you had the three E's help us. - Samantha

Assistant Coach Soren:

Thank you for volunteering. - Ethan H.

Thank you for encouraging us. - Ethan S.

Even when some team members were in DC you still coached the 5th and 6th graders. Thank you! - Samantha

Thanks for being proud of me. - Lili

You taught me how to chip and steal the ball. You reminded me that I can do it and the other team or older students are not faster or better than me. - Emily

You taught me soccer skills that I never thought I could do. - Madison

You did a great job. Even on the days you had to coach by yourself. - Micah

You are really nice. - Connor

You always wanted us to have fun and you included the 5th graders. - AJ

Coaches:

Coach Stima and Assistant Coach Hughes were always caring. They helped us improve our skills. - Alex

They helped me be a better defender. - Sadie

The coaches were encouraging and helped me be a better soccer player. - Evan

They helped me improve skills, like defending. It made me more confident. - Esther

I learned how to have more stamina and how to not fear the ball. It was a fun season. - Jessica

The coaches took time to get me warmed up in the goal (as goalie). - DJ

Thank you Coaches, players, and parents!

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

MCS's Christmas Program is coming soon! Please save the date of Thursday, December 6th at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at the Wagner Performing Arts Center on Main Street.

Kindergarten through 8th grade will be presenting Christmas traditions from around the world.

Please have your child wear all black (short-sleeved t-shirts to avoid overheating on stage); each class has special accessories to symbolize the country they are representing. Thank you - we look forward to seeing you all there!

Helpers wanted: Risers (pick up, set up, and take down); paint the backdrop; decorate the stage; classroom outfit helpers (possibly able to sew); set up and take down crews

THANK YOU TAPP!

Thank you to TAPP for purchasing a new white board for Mrs. Brown's room and novels for Mrs. Rodriguez. We so appreciate having these needs met for our teachers!

LOVE AND LOGIC TIP

Quit or Keep Going?

Have you ever seen a kid just crumble at the first hint of difficulty? More teachers are noticing this and are pointing out the tremendous need for their students to develop resiliency and determination.

I recently watched a mom at a park, hovering near her toddler who was attempting to climb a short flight of steps to a slide. As soon as the little guy paused and struggled to get his foot up to the bottom step (which was designed for toddlers), Mom swooped over and lifted him to the top of the steps. Then she waited at the bottom, reassuring him all the while. Fortunately, Mom was soon distracted by one of her other kids "needing help" and before she realized it, the boy was ascending the steps and sliding down like a pro. Good news for that little boy's resilience development.

We know kids are going to go through some struggle in life and that is a good thing. We also know there won't always be someone there to solve all their problems or verbally coddle them.

The abilities to 1) manage unfavorable events and to 2) continue with challenging tasks are top predictors of success in many areas (including academics and relationships). We must not rob kids of the gift of struggle - a crucial ingredient in the resiliency formula.

One of the easiest ways to begin developing resiliency with children is simply asking them how they are going to handle problems. Resisting our urge to quickly solve the problem for them or tell them what to do, we can make a soft, empathetic sound and ask, "Hmm, what do you think you're going to do?"

Just the act of thinking about solutions begins the powerful process of owning and solving problems. We want kids to believe solutions don't have to come from an outside source but can come from inside. Whether they come up with great solutions or not, just the act of wrestling with the problem will begin to strengthen their "resiliency muscles."

We encourage you to run this simple experiment any time you see your child encounter a minor problem or struggle. See if you notice a difference in their willingness to solve problems and attack challenges.

Jedd Hafer

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