‌ December 2018
Important Dates
Monday, December 10
NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, December 11
PTG Meeting 5:30pm

Monday, December 17
Holiday Bruncheon 10:30-12pm

Monday, December 24-Friday, January 4th
NO SCHOOL

Monday, January 7
SCHOOL RESUMES

Tuesday, January 8
PTG Meeting 5:30pm

Parent Teacher Group (PTG)

Daily Schedule
School Start/End Times:
Mondays: 7:45 a.m. to 1:10pm
(No Early Childhood or 4K classes)

Tuesday-Friday: 7:45 am to 2:42 pm

**Please note that students should not arrive to school prior to 7:30am.
When entering the building... for any other purpose other than pick up or drop off, please report directly to the office. Everyone entering our building must sign in and wear a visitor badge. We need to work together for the safely our little ones.
Please leave toys at home. We are having a school wide issue with toys being brought from home. Please leave Pokeman cards, stuffies and any other toys at home. All classrooms have discussed how distracting toys are to our learning at school. We appreciate your help.
Wow!! December has arrived. I think we skipped past fall and right into winter. With the arrival of December comes cold and snowy weather and the holiday season. Holidays can mean many things to many people. For some, it means time with family, trips, as well as excitement and activity. For others, it mean anxiety and apprehension about the impending celebrations. Whatever feelings this time of year brings, please remember to take care of yourself and your family. Making sure your child or children get rest and enjoys some down time to relax and recharge is important. Staying on a schedule also helps students avoid feeling overwhelmed. Students at Lapham practice calming breathing exercises regularly. They can use these strategies at home as well. We will continue to be learning each day and will be trying to stay focused on this as we work towards winter break. Ask your child to show some of the breathing exercises they have learned.

I recently sent a school messenger regarding toys and the struggles we are facing with students bringing toys to school. We appreciate your support in checking in with your students regarding what they are bringing to school. We want to avoid having personal items being taken and missing. This distracts students from their learning and takes away learning time when staff must investigate and search for the missing items.

I want to wish all families a restful and relaxing break. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our Annual Holiday bruncheon. It is my first bruncheon and I am so excited to experience this great Lapham event!!


Your in education,

Cathy Prozanski
FROM THE HEALTH ROOM
 Prioritize sleeping and eating: 
There will be some deviation and relaxation from a normal schedule during the holidays, but parents should stick to their child's sleeping and eating patterns as much as possible. School age children typically need 9-12 hours per night. Eating on a regular schedule helps maintain energy levels.

Take part of home on the road:
A favorite stuffed animal, blanket or pillow can help a child acclimate to a different environment.

Set limits when it comes to diet:
The holidays offer easy access to unhealthy foods. When it comes to diet, moderation is key. One way to encourage moderation is to have the parents set limits on the quantity of certain types of food and then let the child decide what they eat. An example is allowing a set amount of sweets per week (i.e., one per day or only on a weekend) and leaving it up to the child to decide when they get to treat themselves.

Have a plan for screen time and activities:
There may be more access to television, computers and mobile devices at home while children are on holiday breaks from school.  Plan ahead for screen time, and alternatively, build in some physical activity into your child's day to burn off some of that energy.

Enjoy!
Most importantly, don't forget to slow down, be present and enjoy this time.
 
Laura Wade, RN and Nancie Cotter, NA
Lapham-Marquette Parent Teacher Group (PTG)
Thank you!
Thank you to all volunteers who helped bake, staff and support our election day bake sale! The bake sale was a big success and made over $1300!
 
Parent Volunteers Needed!!
 
As you know, the PTG supports our schools with funds for classroom grants; community gardens and outdoor classrooms; free, enriching afterschool clubs; staples and clothing for kids in need; and much more.
The auction, which typically takes place in April, is the PTG’s LARGEST ANNUAL FUNDRAISER and is critical to supporting the PTG programs.
A lead volunteer or a volunteer committee is needed to take on organizing the 2019 event. The volunteer/volunteer(s) will:
Solicit auction donations from area businesses and individuals (a long list of past donors and their contact information is available).
Secure an event venue, food, and entertainment.
Organize volunteers to help the night of the event.
 
There is a detailed template from past years’ events for the next volunteers to follow including timelines, donation forms, budget, and volunteer schedules.
If you or anyone you know is interested in helping, contact Elizabeth Tucker for more information via email or phone ( elizabethtucker@uwalumni.com , 608-215-4212).
 
REAP Fundraiser Pick Up
Thanks to all who ordered and participated in the REAP Fundraiser. The REAP Taste of WI Fundraiser pick up will be December 4 in the Lapham Auditorium from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm.

December PTG meeting:
Join us December 11th at 5:45 in the Lapham Auditorium for our next PTG meeting. We’ll hear from Capital High and have a chance to learn more about their program that is located on the 3rd floor of the Lapham Elementary building. Games and a potluck social will follow! Please join us to celebrate our community.

29th Annual Lapham Holiday Luncheon

This year's Holiday Bruncheon will be held on Monday, December 17th. Only a few families have turned in their lunch reservation form so if you have not, please turn it as soon as you can. HERE is a link to the invitation. In order to serve such a large number of people we have broken down the serving times by grade level. Below are the serving times.

10:30 - AM 4K, AM EC, and Kindergarten

11:00 - 1st grade

11:30 - PM 4K, PM EC, and 2nd grade
Greetings from the Art Room

Hi all! I am so glad to be teaching your wonderful children again this year! We have had a busy fall in the art room. In the month of November, our second grade friends completed their hot air balloon project after weeks and weeks of hard work. They designed and colored their balloons, wove their own baskets, and wrote their hopes and dreams on paper and tucked them into their baskets with their tiny passengers. These incredible balloons are now hanging in the art room, so please feel free to stop by and see them! Upon seeing them hanging, one kindergartner said, “Wow! They are so beautiful. I bet the second graders worked SO hard. I am SO proud of them.” I could not agree more. 
Here is a link to a time lapse video from the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta that we watched for inspiration for this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGAMTlI6XxY    

I was blown away by the skills of our second grade weavers, so it seemed only fitting that our kindergarten and first grade friends get a taste of weaving too. Our first graders learned how to weave on a circle loom to create rainbows, and our kindergarten friends wove colorful placemats for Thanksgiving. I was very impressed with the way these young learners attacked this challenging lesson with tenacity and enthusiasm! When a kindergartner was feeling frustrated, another reminded him of “the power of YET,” the idea that when you are struggling, you might not understand a new idea… yet, and you might not be good at it… yet.  Hearing that made my whole day!

Our kindergarten and first graders also painted leaves in gorgeous autumnal colors that are now covering a tree in the art room. This collaborative project really brightens up the art room. A week later, some furry creatures were climbing all over that tree- our squirrels! We read the book Earl the Squirrel before this lesson, and had a really fun time creating our furry friends. 

This upcoming month, all grades will be preparing for our Winter Fine Arts Night in January! Mark your calendars for January 17 th for a night of music and art!

If you have any questions or interest in volunteering in your child’s art class, please feel free to contact me at ctroszkowski@madison.k12.wi.us
Love, Ms. Claire






Lapham Elementary School | (608) 204-4140 | lapham.mmsd.org