This week's news 2-23-17

Next Week's Bible Verse:
I Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.

*Be sure to mark March 7th on your calendar as the 2nd graders will lead during chapel.

*Unit 19 for spelling next week (see links to the right of the blog page)

*Check out the link for Moon Phases!  Mrs. Clausen showed us how to look up the moon phase for any date you enter!

*Book Report details coming home today.

*All other important dates have been noted on last week's newsletter (you can pull up newsletters on here as well).

*Grandparent's Day is coming soon!  Please talk with grandparents that might be able to join us, and let us know (form being sent home today) who is coming so that we are prepared.  

The Little Mermaid is Coming!

FPD Theatre presents …

Thursday–Friday-Saturday, March 9, 10, 11 - 7:00 pm

PRE-SALE TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

We are using a new system this year that we hope will provide a convenient alternative for buying tickets to FPD Theatre shows.  Pre-sale tickets will be available this year, but only online at:

https://fpd.booktix.com/

Step 1: Create an account at Booktix.

Step 2: Select tickets, purchase with credit card, and print out a voucher. If needing free student tickets, add this option during purchasing. No charge incurs.

Step 3: Vouchers will be scanned at the door, so you can avoid standing in line for tickets.

Prices: $15 reserved seating (first 8 center rows);  $10 general admission;  ** Free general admission for students, faculty and staff;  Online prices same as at door - no fees

Reserved Seating:  This section replaces “premium seating” from previous year’s shows. On the booktix website, choose specific seats in the first 8 rows of the center section of the auditorium. General Admission seats are all others except the first 8 center rows and are open to everyone after the doors open.

FREE TICKETS: Please note all audience members will need a ticket – including FPD students and staff who get in free. Simply add student tickets to your order when you purchase – you will see the option. You will not be charged for these tickets.  If requesting free tickets at the door, all middle and high school students must show their student IDs.

Don’t want to purchase online?  No worries!  We will also be selling tickets at the door. Cash or checks made payable to FPD are accepted.

Have questions about the process?  Email Dr. Strickland: andrew.strickland@fpdmacon.org

Counselor Causey's Newsletter

Counselor’s Corner – February 16, 2017

By Susan Causey, M.Ed., LPC

“What Makes My Child Act This Way?” Part 4

The fourth goal children try to achieve after contact, power, and protection, is withdrawal. Children need time to be alone, to reflect, to consider who they are and who they are becoming. They need time to talk to God and get to know Him. The Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

If you find that your child is avoiding you by spending more time in his room, on the iPad, or not wanting to join in the family meals or family fun, it may be he is seeking to reach this fourth goal.  If a parent is over-protective or hovering, withdrawal may be more extreme. The child may shut down emotionally even if they are present in participation.

Too many questions or “help” in solving problems may actually drive the child to spend more time escaping. When your child is 2-years-old, he will express this by saying, “I want to do it by myself.” As children enter the preteen years they begin to individuate wanting to come to their own conclusions, trying to “find themselves,” and desiring more approval from peers than parents. This can be painful as the parents feel they are being shut out through the child’s negative attempt to reach the goal through undue avoidance.

“A wise parent is like a warm quilt, which protects, but does not smother.” It is important to require your child to participate at meals and with the family, but it is also important to give them healthy space as they seek to find their own way. Charles Fay’s “Love and Logic” put it this way:

Hope and pray that your kids make plenty of affordable mistakes when they are young. Hold them accountable for these mistakes with sincere empathy. DO this so they can learn while the “price tags” are small.

It is in overcoming the small challenges which gives them the stepping blocks to deal with the larger ones later on.

Mrs. Putnal's Newsletter

Lower School Newsletter from Wade Putnal

February 9, 2017

Our mission at First Presbyterian Day School is to educate and equip students to change the world for God’s glory.

DRESS DOWN TOMORROW for the Daybreak Center for the homeless in downtown Macon. Students bringing a $1 donation may wear jeans, shorts (non-athletic) and a spirit top.

SAFETY FIRST!! Parents, please be aware that there will be some big machinery on the elementary playground and construction underway to put in needed drainage. There may even be some big holes at times. Students are not allowed anywhere near the machinery or construction areas. Thank you for taking the time to be aware of these changes and making sure all students are safe. Please remind your children that these rules are for before, during and after school.

A BIG THANK YOU to all Viking Parent Ambassadors (VPA) who helped with the “Teacher Appreciation” luncheon. Those who planned, cooked, donated, and kept classes made it a great success. FPD is a great place to be!

The FPD Bands will be performing a CONCERT on February 16^th at 7:00pm in the Clark Fine Arts Center. Call time is 6:30pm in the band room. Parents, as you know, the most important audience in the world is a child’s family. This is an opportunity for all our talented students to musically express their appreciation for your continued support and encouragement. DRESS: 5th Grade – BOYS: Buttoned-down shirt (any color), long tie and pants (Sunshine/Lands’ End pants are fine); GIRLS: Dress or blouse with pants. No jeans or athletic pants. Seasonal colors are fine. 

DID YOU KNOW??? … Our campus has been a National Wildlife Federation Certified Schoolyard Habitat since 2005. We’re so thankful our FPD teachers are able to integrate the nature trail and walking areas in our curriculum.

TECHNOLOGY TIDBIT: As parents and teachers, our biggest challenge with technology and children is to keep them safe, and to stay current in researching how to use technology with respect to a child’s developmental stages. Here is a link to a great book and wonderful resource if you want to direct your child’s technology experiences to be good and appropriate as they develop. “The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place” https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801018668/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_K8iLyb79A154W

Registration now open for the 18th Annual FPD Golf Tournament, Monday, April 17^th. This tournament is a four-person scramble and proceeds benefit FPD's athletic programs. Registration fee is $150 per person, $600 per team, and includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, golf shirt, and golf balls. Teams have option of 2 flights – one in the morning and afternoon. Prizes awarded for the top 4 gross scores and net scores. Registration: www.fpdmacon.org/golf-tournament

News from THE VIKING STORE:  All long sleeve shirts are 20% off! “Viking Bucks” spending cards make great gifts for Valentine’s Day or any occasion. Remember we have everything a Viking needs for cold weather: headwear, scarves, long sleeve spirit shirts, sweatshirts and jackets (all uniform-approved) as well as blankets. We carry Land’s End uniform shirts and girl’s sweaters also. Open school days 7:45am - 3:30pm in the MAC near the cafeteria. For info, email renita.eversole@fpdmacon.org or call 478-477-6505 x 177.

FPD Center for Discovery spring class registration is underway! Open to the community, classes are available for 3K through adults. Pick up a program guide and registration form in the Elementary Office or online at: www.fpdmacon.org/center-for-discovery

LADIES: Don’t miss a wonderful Women’s Conference featuring author, speaker, and counselor Barbara Duguid at First Presbyterian Church, Friday, March 3^rd (6-9 pm) and Saturday, March 4^th (9am-12 noon.) Cost is $20 which includes Friday dinner. For more information, visit: http://www.fpcmacon.org/event/womens-conference/

Please label all jackets, coats, sweaters, hats, mittens, lunchboxes, etc. If you are missing something, please check Elementary “Lost & Found.”

BACKPACK NEEDS: Immediate needs: fruit cups, Vienna sausages, Capri Sun, and Jello cups.

*** COMING UP ***

·       Red Cross Blood Drive –TOMORROW – Fri., Feb. 10^th, 8am-1pm, Clark Fine Arts Building

·       Band Concert – February 16^th – 5^th Grade Band will perform with MS/HS bands

·       President’s Day Holiday – No School – Monday & Tuesday, February 20^th and 21^st 

·       Chapel, Tuesday, February 28^th, 12:05-12:25; 3^rd grade leads. Join us!

·       Cleaning Out?? Save items for April 2^nd – 9^th  for our Goodwill Donation Drive competition! FPD Elementary will compete with other area schools to see who brings in the most donations.

·       Class Pictures are Thursday, March 9^th 

• “The Little Mermaid” – Performed by FPD theatre students in grades 6-12 – is March 9-11, at 7:00 pm. Prices are $10 for reserved seating, $15 for premium seating, and free for FPD students, faculty, and staff.
• Grandparent’s Day is Friday, March 24^th – invitations to come home soon!

Celebrating Authors and Ilustrators

We love Amelia Bedelia!!

Second graders have been reading and studying Amelia Bedelia.  She is so funny, and so CONFUSED!!  We learned about many of the idioms in the English language.  We had "Idiom Day" last week.  Can you figure out these 3?

We also had a special visit last week from author and illustrator, Henry Cole!  He was amazing, and funny, and entertaining, and MOST OF ALL INSPIRING!

  

Henry Cole showed us how he became inspired to become an author and illustrator in the first grade.

HEY LOOK MR. COLE, we can do it too!!!

100 Days Smarter!

What does 100 drops of water look like?

Heads or tails?  How many times will a penny land on heads if you flip it 100 times?  Tails?

We are working with numbers on the 100 grid chart.

 2nd Graders are 100 days smarter!

Backpack Ministry

Second graders not only contribute to backpack ministry by bringing in items, they also pack bags for students in need from all over our community. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spirit Week

We had a great time participating in spirit week and cheering on the high schoolers during the relays. Here are a few pictures from the dress up days.

Second graders showed their patriotism dressed in red, white, and blue!

Wacky tacky Wednesday 

Second graders in the science lab

2017 is off to a busy start in 2nd grade! Here are some pictures from our science lab visit focused on sound.

5th graders were assistant teachers for our sound lab. They studied sound in the fall and shared their knowledge of pitch, volume, and vibrations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Counselor Causey's Newsletter

Counselor’s Corner – February 2, 2017

By Susan Causey, M.Ed., LPC

What makes my child act this way? Part 3

“A misbehaving child is a discouraged child.”

A discouraged child tends to choose negative approaches to meet their personal goals. When we as parents look beyond our child’s misbehavior to peer into their needs, we may find that we can help them transform their bad behavior.

One of the five goals which a child needs is to develop and protect their own fragile, emerging identity and sense of self-worth. If we are hurt by what our child says or does, it is possible they are seeking revenge or striking back because their own “ego” is hurt. We never should allow our children to be disrespectful to us as adults. However, if our child is acting out of his own hurt, we may want to look deeper to see if we are disciplining or behaving in a way which would provoke him to respond in such a way. For instance, we may be saying things in jest, but he is taking them seriously, or we may appear to be more lenient on a sibling, fueling dissension. Discouragement and hurt set him up for a failure cycle.

If children think little of themselves because of previous mistakes or failures, they will feel discouraged and act out in ways which they think are expected from them. Low self-image leads to discouragement, which leads to misbehavior and then to punishment or rebuke, which fosters more feelings of inadequacy. Thus, precipitating the negative cycle.

If we as parents can “catch them being good,” or find things throughout the day which they are doing well and encourage them through our words and actions, we may break the negative cycle and build a success cycle instead.

Proverbs 14:1 teaches, “A wise woman builds up her own household.” Words of encouragement build up your child and gives him courage to face challenges of life with a healthy sense of his God-given worth.

Here is a list of encouraging words to say to children:

·       I love you.

·       I’m sure you can find a way to solve this problem.

·       Boy, you worked so hard on that! It really shows.

·       I have faith in you to figure it out.

·       I know you don’t like doing this, and I thank you for doing it anyway. It really helps.

·       The amount of detail you added to this drawing makes it seem so life-like.

·       You must feel so proud of yourself right now!

·       Your eyes easily spotted the quickest way through that maze.

·       I noticed that you’ve been working hard at cutting your own food.

·       You did it!

·       Thank you for putting all of our towels in the laundry. It helps us get ready much faster.

·       Trust yourself.

·       It sounds like your body is trying to tell you something.

·       I noticed how long you stuck with that.

·       You have the right to feel angry.

·       I can tell that some special mom/ dad time would help you right now.

·       How do you feel about what you accomplished?

·       I appreciate your cooperation.

·       Thanks for helping.

·       What do you think?

·       What do you need to do to accomplished your goal?

·       I’m listening.

·       That was hard for you; thank you!

·       I can see you are really angry right now, and that’s OK.

·       What would you do about it?

·       I just want to sit and be close to you for a few minutes.

·       It’s OK to be sad.

·       I appreciate you setting the table so neatly.

·       Wow!

·       I know you are upset. I would be too.

·       You can try again tomorrow.

·       What is your understanding of what needs to happen?

·       Your piggy bank is getting really full; it must have taken you a long time to save all that.

·       You decide.

·       I have faith that we can find a respectful solution.

·       Look at what you’ve accomplished!

·       You are capable.

·       Thank you for getting dressed so quickly.

·       I noticed you gave your toy to that boy when he was sad. I bet it helped him feel better.

·       What is your plan for getting this done?

·       I’m sorry.

·       I love you.

·       You lead the way.

Source: https://parentingfromscratch.wordpress.com

“A child needs encouragement like a plant needs water.” ~Rudolph Dreikurs