Fair Oaks Elementary School - Cobb County School District

Fair Oaks
Elementary School
Cobb County School District
February 2015
Volume 7, edition 1
MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
Welcome to February! We all hope that the weather is beautiful this winter. In the event of inclement weather, you will be able to find information on
the local news stations and the school district website. The school district is also sending out text messages and voice messages to alert parents and
staff members to school information.
This will be a very busy month. We hope you had an opportunity to come to school to see your child’s Leadership Notebook. They are very proud of
the goals they have set. Each child has set goals for this nine weeks. Ask them about their reading, math and personal goals. We have so much to
learn and it will be very important for students to stay focused on learning, remembering to practice the 7 Habits will help everyone be successful.
If your child is having difficulty with anything at school, please talk to their teacher. Here are a few more things that will help your child succeed in
school:

Come to school every day!

Pay attention and do your very best work all day every day.

Finish your work and turn it in. Teachers can tell if you understand something if they see your finished work.

Ask questions if you don’t understand. No one will think you are silly for asking a question.

Do your homework every night and bring it back to school. Practicing what you’ve learned at school helps you remember what to do.
If you have any questions about how to help your child do well in school, please call the school. We would be happy to help you!
Mark your calendar for Math & Science Night on February 12th!
Have a fabulous February!
Cindy Szwec
Ronald Crawford
Principal
Assistant Principal
ONLINE TOOLS FOR PARENTS
With daily screen time averaging 7.5 hours for today’s young
people, it’s time to embrace the
learning potential.
COMMON SENSE MEDIA
(commonsensemedia.org), a
non-profit online resource, has
an in-depth learning potential
rating system developed by
specialist to score the media
children use. “Our goal is to
give families information about
what’s best for their kids”,
says Seeta Pai, VP of research
and digital content.
KHAN ACADEMY
(khanacademy.org), a nonprofit online “global class-
room” works as a free, personalized tutor. Join for engaging
video mini-lessons, customized
practice problems and student
progress data tracking. “It’s a
learning tool to help their kids
get ahead or catch up”, says
chief of staff Jessica Yeun.
Valegrams for Sale
Parental Involvement Survey
Valegrams are a cute valentine card that you can
send to a fellow student or teacher. They will be for
sale in the front of school the week of February 9
to 13. They are $1 and all money goes to Relay for
Life.
Dear Parents. In January you should received the
Parent Involvement Survey. The survey will assist
us in effectively determining the needs of our school.
The feedback given by parents is vital to our school so
that we may afford opportunities for parental assistance and support. It is essential that you complete
and return the survey to the teacher, front office or to
the Parent Liaison Diana Rossie by February 14.
Once the surveys are returned we will advise you of
upcoming activities.
Thank you in advance for your help
Greetings Fair Oaks Families!
Music class is off to a great start and the children are enjoying moving, singing, playing instruments and getting deeper into our latest curriculum from Quavermusic.com. Not only are the students becoming more interactive with technology and music, they are more engaged
than ever and really enjoy the experience that music gives them. Your child can explore Quavermusic.com free! There is no cost to you
whatsoever. Just go to www.quavermusic.com and register for your free account. Once you are registered I can add your child to my quaver account and we can interact through music assignments and songwriting contests, and that’s only the beginning. Quavermusic makes
music accessible to everyone, regardless of their age or grade. Most of all it’s just really FUN!
Chorus students will be taking a trip to Kennesaw State University to sing the National Anthem on Saturday February 21st during a basketball game. Students will take to center court and later stay a while and enjoy the game
and some refreshments. We will need some parent volunteers who would like to accompany us. Let me know if
you are interested.
Thanks and have a wonderful February!
Mrs. Martinez
Helping Your Child Succeed in School
As a parent, you have a special interest in your child's education. As you become more involved, here are some
basic tips that you may use at home:

Encourage your child to read. It's the single most important thing that you can do to help your child succeed
in school. Read with your child right from the start, and make sure there are lots of reading materials in the
house.

Talk with your child. Talking and listening are major components of children's school success. By having
many opportunities to use and hear spoken language, children are given a tremendous advantage, picking up
the language skills they will need to do well in school.

Monitor homework, and how much time children spend watching television, playing video games, and using the Internet. Help
your child get organized and provide a quiet place in the home for him or her to study. Limit the amount of time your child spends
watching television, surfing the Internet, and playing video games. Help your child learn to properly and effectively use the Internet.

Encourage your child to be responsible and work independently. Make it clear to your child that he or she has to take responsibility for actions both at home and at school.

Encourage active learning. Listen to your child's ideas and respond to them. Active learning also can take place when your child
plays sports, acts in a school play, plays a musical instrument, or visits museums and bookstores.
Leaders Loving Math and Science
Thursday, February 12
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Science Projects, Math, and Science games,
Fun , Fun, Fun!!!
Drinks $1.00
A Slice of Pizza and
a cookie for $1.00
Attendance: A key to your student’s Success.
Schools are responsible for teaching your child. But schools can’t do their job if your child is absent.
Learning builds day by day. A child who misses a day of school misses a day of learning.
Research shows that children who are in school most of the time do better on standardized test. Studies
also show that kids who are absent more often score lower on standardized test.
Being late for school hurts a child’s learning, too. A student who is 10 minutes late every day will miss
30hours of instruction during the year.
Children can copy notes or make up an assignment, but they can never get back what’s most important:
the discussions, the questions, the explanations by the teacher and the thinking that makes learning come
alive.
Your child’s success in school depends on having a solid educational background—one that can only be
gained through regular school attendance.
Here’s How You Can Improve Your Child’s School Attendance

Talk with your child about why it’s
important to attend school regularly.

Avoid scheduling family trip or doctor appointments during school
hours.


Make sure your child stays healthy
by eating nutritious food and getting
enough sleep and exercise.


Don’t accept excuses for why your
child “must” miss or be late school.

Discuss with your child what happened at school each day.

Support school rules and conse-
Volume 7, edition 1
quences for skipping class and being
tardy.
Show your child why education is
important. Give specific examples of
how education helps people succeed.
Research shows that attendance is the
single most important factor in school
success.
The Parent Institute.
www.parent-institute.com
Lead by example. If children see
parents taking off work for no real
reason, they may expect to be able to
do the same thing.
Page 3
Black History Month
Black History Month, or National African American History Month,
is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a
time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S.
history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild
of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African
Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries
around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also
devote a month to celebrating black history.
Everywhere you look, black culture, talent and expression have
played an enormous role in shaping America’s past and present.
The PE Place
For more information about the below activities, check
out: http://fairoakspe.weebly.com/
Make Yours a Healthy Heart!
Heart-A-Facts
Your heart is a pump that moves blood
to all the different parts of your body.
The pump works when the heart expands (fills with blood), then contracts
(pushes the blood out).
When you are physically active, your
heart works harder and faster to get
your blood to the muscles you are using.
Physical Activity Raises
Your Heart Rate
Your heart beats to fill up with
blood and then pushes it out to
reach all of the parts of your body.
When you are active, your body
needs more oxygen from the air
we breathe, and your heart has to
get it there fast! So, when you are
active, your heart has to beat faster
than normal.
To see how fast, try this experiment:
Put your hand on your chest now. Can
you feel anything? Probably not much
if you have not been active.
Now, do 25 jumping jacks, and then
put your hand on your chest again. Do
you feel anything this time?
That is your heart beating faster to get
oxygen to the muscles you just used
doing jumping jacks.
Coach Kindra Brock