Principal’s News – April 2024
When everything claims to be educational, it can be difficult to determine which media content is appropriate for your kids. We know that reviewing everything on your own can be a very time-consuming and frustrating process. Common Sense Media publishes reviews on movies, TV shows, books, games, and apps to help families make educated decisions on content curation. They even have a Star Wars Age-by-Age guideLinks to an external site. to help you introduce your favorite characters in an age-appropriate manner. Families can access 3 free reviews monthly without creating an account. Consider including your children in the decision-making process and let them pitch why they feel the movie, show, game, or app is a good use of their time.
“Inflammation” is a word that has been floating around the health community for a while. Though most of us think it is something that affects us as we get older, if we learn to beat inflammation when we are younger, life could be much easier, as we and our children get older. Not all inflammation is bad. Acute inflammation is our body’s defense against infection. Chronic inflammation is what is causing us the most problems. Here are some quick tips to beat inflammation:
- Get consistent sleep (go to be around the same time…sleep 7-8 hours each night).
- Get daily exercise (mix it up to keep you and your children interested and engaged).
- Focus on foods that suppress chronic inflammation: leafy greens, yellow vegetable, fatty fish, extra-virgin olive oil, whole fruits (especially berries and apples), whole grains, coffee, tea, walnuts, ginger, and turmeric. There are many other anti-inflammatory foods so get a variety.
- Stay away from red and processed meats, sugary or fried foods and refined carbohydrates.
- With spring coming, now is the time to plant a garden and eat some fresh home-grown food. Involving our kids in this process will help instill in them a healthy lifestyle habit.
If you have a learning environment need for the 2024-2025 school year, Learning Environment forms will be available April 9, 2024 – April 19, 2024. Watch for a Parent Square post outlining the details and a link for the form.
We are currently enrolling Kindergarteners for 2024-25. Please contact the office if you have an incoming kindergartener. You must be five on or before September 1, 2024, to be eligible to enroll.
On Thursday, April 18th, Draper Elementary will join schools around the state for the Great Shake Out. This event will be our monthly emergency drill to practice what to do if there is an earthquake.
Our focus for the month of April is helping students to “celebrate and cheer themselves and their peers on”. We have seen so much growth and positive change within our students this year. We have introduced many life skills throughout the school year and have been so proud to watch as students reflect on the life skills presented each month and see them work to apply these skills in their day-to-day activities. We hope you are seeing some of this growth at home as well. We want to celebrate the good that our students have learned and applied. With Spring in the air and summer break approaching our doorsteps, it can be difficult for students (and teachers… and parents!) to endure through the final weeks. We want to encourage students to cheer themselves on and invite them to cheer their peers on as well. It can be easy to want to give up and feel our motivation and positive momentum start to decline when nearing the end. Together we can keep this great momentum going. To reinforce this month’s life skill, Mrs. Kim or Mrs. Chelsey will be reading “Ish” by Peter Reynolds. “In any given moment we have to options: to step forward into growth, or step back into safety” -Abraham Maslow
Calendar items:
April 1st – April 5th SPRING BREAK April 8 3:45pm SCC meeting; library April 9th – April 11th Grandparents Day April 10 9am PTA meeting; faculty room
April 18 The Great Shake Out April 30 6-8pm Art/STEAM night
