Pajama Day!

Families,
I hope you all are enjoying your holidays!  When we return on Thursday, January 2nd, students can wear their pjs to school (if they want).  Students are asked to wear their regular shoes that day.  It will be a nice way to transition back to school. 

See you all in 2020!
Mrs. Rocky

Special Guest Reader

G is our Student of the Week.  She invited her dad to come and read us two stories.  One story was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the other was Fancy Nancy at Christmas.  Both were so fun and the students loved both stories!  Thank you for spending your morning with us!

Newsletter-Our Week In Review- December 16-20

Dear Parents,

This week we talked about the sounds "gr" and "tr."  We also learned the sight words "was" and “are”. We reviewed these words in the stories, poems, and writing we did this week.  We continue to review all words and assess through the year! Please continue to work on these words with your child.

The story this week was The Gingerbread Girl  by Lisa Campbell Ernst.  While listening to the story, students were working on the strategies of making predictions, retelling, answering questions, and stating their opinion.  The children really loved it when the Gingerbread Girl tamed the tricky fox.

Here is a video link to the story to enjoy!

This week, our poem was called Reindeer Snack.  We looked at rhyming words, looked for star words, and made our own reindeer snack.  Ask your kindergartner to sing it to you!

In writing, we are continuing to work on our How To stories.  We worked on remembering to add a captial letter to start our sentences and adding a period to the end of our sentences.  When we return from break, we will have a special celebration about our stories.

Reminders:

1. Tomorrow is Jaguar Jump Start!  Be sure to be at school on time.  Wear your favorite holiday gear!

2. Practice the self-care skills of zipping, buttoning, and tying shoe laces.  Winter break is a perfect time to practice!

3. Tomorrow is our holiday party!  Be sure to bring your ID to check into our system at school.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to e-mail or call anytime.

Thank you for all your support!

Gingerbread Houses

Thank you so much to all who donated items to our gingerbread house day.  The kiddos had a fantastic time decorating- and eating- the gingerbread houses!  Thank you so much to our volunteers who came to help out our class.

I apologize that I was not able to get pictures of everyone's gingerbread house.  Hopefully you were able to take a picture of your child's creation at your house.  

Kapco Kids to Kids Assembly

Enjoy the photos from the Kapco Kids to Kids Assembly.  Thank you to all who were able to donate to this great cause!  We were treated to a fun morning of songs, jokes, and visits from mascots.  

Special Guest Reader

H was our Student of the Week from December 2-6th.  She invited her dad to come and read us a story.  We loved hearing it!  Thank you for spending your morning with us!

Out On Monday

Families,
Just a heads up, I will not be at school on Monday.  Please be sure to send any changes in going home plans in a written NOTE as our guest teacher will not be able to read my emails.  You may also email the office with any change in going home plans and they will let our substitute know. 
I will return to school on Tuesday.
Thanks so much!

Newsletter-Our Week In Review-December 9-13th

Dear Parents,

This week we talked about the sounds gl and sl.  We also learned the sight words "one" and “this”. We reviewed these words in the stories, poems, and writing we did this week.  We continue to review all words and assess through the year! Please continue to work on these words with your child.

The story this week was The Gingerbread Man  retold by Jim Aylesworth.  While listening to the story, students were working on the strategies of visualizing, retelling, problem/solution, character traits, and stating their opinion.  The children really loved it when the Gingerbread Man popped out of the oven and surprised the Old Man and Old Woman.

Here is a video link to the story to enjoy!

This week, our poem was called Gingerbread Man.  We looked at rhyming words, looked for star words, and identified the three animals that were chasing after the gingerbread man.  Ask your kindergartner to sing it to you!

In writing, we are continuing to work on our How To stories.  We learned that we need to add sequence words like First, Next, and Last to our stories.  We also learned that we should add labels to our stories so our readers have a better idea on what to do.

Reminders:

1. Donate a gift to the Kapco Kids to Kids toy drive.

2. Donate $1 on Friday, December 13th to wear red or green to school

3. Practice the self-care skills of zipping, buttoning, and tying shoe laces.

4. Gingerbread Houses are tomorrow!  Please feel free to come and help us out at 2:45pm.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to e-mail or call anytime.

Thank you for all your support!

From the Thorson Office

ALL THINGS THORSON!
Thursday, December 12, 2019

Wear Red and Green for the Kapco Assembly

A Note from the Principal:

Dear Thorson Families,

Thank you so much for your generous donations for our Kapco Kids 2 Kids Toy Drive.  Tomorrow, we will have our Kids 2 Kids all-school assembly where we will give our donations to Kapco and celebrate our community's hard work and generosity.  The Student Council will lead the assembly and we will have an all-school sing along with the 4th graders accompanying us on guitar. This is always a fun way to culminate our toy drive.  We are humbled and grateful for the generosity of our community that makes this toy drive such a huge success.  

Along with this, I want to give you an update on our Stuff the Bus food drive from last month.  In collaboration with the other CSD elementary schools, we collected 4,100 pounds of food! That is an amazing amount of food and is up about 200 pounds from our food drive last year.  Additionally, we had more volunteers helping unload all of the food at the food pantry this year. Again, we thank you for your generosity and support!

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Angela Little

Dates to Remember
December 12-5th Grade Winter Chorus 6:30-7:30
December 19- 4th Grade Field Trip MSO(CPAC)
December 20-Winter Holiday Parties
December 23-January 2- Winter Break

Check Thorson out on Facebook to get the latest pictures and school updates!!!

Illness Tips- Please read this important letter regarding illness at Thorson from our school nurse, Nicole Cofta.

Great America Reading Program
Thorson is participating in the Great America reading program again this year.  Students (K-5) will be receiving a reading log soon from their homeroom teacher. If a student reads six hours at home by Thursday, April 9th, he or she will receive a ticket to visit Great America.  New to the program this year, students do not need to return their paper logs to their teachers, instead parents log their child's reading time online. The log that you will be receiving has our school's code at the top (PSJPK). All you need to do is enter the code and then select your child's teacher. Happy Reading!

Kapco Kids 2 Kids Toy Drive Disney World Hopper Tickets- We are having a silent auction to raise money for the Kapco toy drive. The bidding on the Disney World hopper tickets starts today and ends at 5:00 p.m., December 12th. 

Winter Chorus Reminders-  Please review this flyer from Mrs. Plaster regarding our 5th Grade Winter Chorus.

Birthday Treats- We love to celebrate birthdays here at Thorson.  If you are brining in a birthday treat for your student, please make sure to bring in napkins, plates and have the cake or items cut up before bringing to school.  

Absent/ Late Arrival-
If you are going to be late or absent, please call the Thorson attendance line at 262-376-6766 before 9:00 a.m. Please state your students first and last name, teacher, and the reason for the absence. If you are going to be late and are taking hot lunch, please let us know your child's lunch choice by calling the school office at 262-376-6705.

School Supply List 2019-20
PTO Membership
CSD Volunteer Application
Medical Form

From the Thorson PTO

Thorson Variety Show-
Calling all creatives! This spring, we're doing our version of Thorson's Got Talent.  You are invited to participate!  Musical acts, karaoke numbers, magic tricks, dancing, poetry readings.... let your imagination be the inspiration. Ger your friends together or fly solo.  Please prepare your 2 minute act and plan to attend on the listend dates. Open to all grade levels at Thorson. Also seeking 3-6 5th grade hosts for the event. Contact Molli Rasmussen at molliras@gmail.com with questions.  See dates below:

Thursday, January 16: Preview at Thorson - after school
Monday, March 2: Rehearsal at Cedarburg Performing Arts Center (CPAC) - after school
Monday, March 9: Dress Rehearsal at CPAC - after school
Tuesday, March 10: Show at CPAC - 6:30-8:30pm

Girls Fancy Dance-Save the Date for the Fancy Dance!

Thorson Giving Tree Classroom Wish List- The Thorson Giving Tree has been created by the Thorson PTO to give parents/community an opportunity to give a classroom item to a teacher member any time of the year. Please click on this link as often as you choose. It will be updated from time to time, so please check in often. Thank you!

Box Tops- As of today, we at Thorson have earned an overall total of $505.90 by clipping box tops and scanning our receipts. Our next turn in date is Friday, February 14th.  With the Holidays coming fast over the next few weeks, you are sure to come accross box tops and receipt credits.  Please have families and friends help you clip those box tops and scanning credits from their store receipts on the Boxtop App.  Thank you for all the time you take to make our Boxtop program a success.

The Rock- Want to let the Thorson school /community know about something special?? Sign up to paint Thorson's celebration rock! !Sign-ups will take place at Sneak Peek 8/28! Click here to reserve your spot. The cost of the rock is $10 for a 24 hour period which can be made by cash or check.Message stays in place until another Thorson family secures a 24-hour period.

• PTO requests that parents accompany students when creating their painted message.The message stays in place until another Thorson family secures a 24-hour period.
• PTO requests that no inappropriate words, acronyms, or abbreviations that could be misconstrued as inappropriate are painted as part of your celebration message.

PTO Agenda
PTO November Minutes
PTO Newsletter
PTO Planning Meeting
PTO Calendar of Events
Next PTO Meeting is December 9, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

From the Cedarburg School District:
Cedarburg Parent Engagement Series (PES) Steering Committee's purpose is to inform and foster active engagement with parents and community members to support the learning, development and health of our kids. The PES Committee is committed to bringing families and schools together to create a meaningful home-school connection that provides an opportunity to learn, share and discuss relevant topics that affect our kids. Knowledge Is Power !

The Second in a Series of Events Offered By The PES Committee

Screenagers: NEXT CHAPTER

January 23, 2020 6:30PM | Cedarburg Performing Arts Center  

Intended Audience: Parents, Caregivers, Students (5th-12th) and Community Members

The showing of "Screenagers: NEXT CHAPTER" is a follow-up to "Screenagers: Growing Up in a Digital Age" shown last fall by the PES Steering Committee. 

In this documentary, filmmaker and physician Dr. Delaney Ruston takes the conversation around screens and teens to the next level with Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience—a film that examines the science behind teen’s emotional challenges, the interplay of social media, and most importantly, what can be done in our schools and homes to help them build crucial skills to navigate stress, anxiety, and depression in our digital age. The film sets the stage to understand these challenges in our current screen-filled society, and how we, as parents and educators, can empower teens to overcome mental health challenges and build emotional agility, communication savvy, and stress resilience.   

The one hour video presentation will be followed by a 30-minute talk back panel discussion with experts in the field and other educational professionals.  

Please Join Us:

If you are planning to attend this important event, please RSVP here. 

NOTE: Free child care will be available and is provided by CHS National Honor Society students. To ensure we have enough child care supervision, please reserve a spot and sign up on the RSVP form.

Visit our website to learn more about upcoming events hosted by the district. It will be updated as more information becomes available.

Is your child eating lunch at school? Students enrolled in the free or reduced-priced lunch program receive school meals at a free or reduced rate at our schools.  Click here to view our lunch menus for the month and make sure that your child is taking advantage of the nutritious meals offered at school every day.  Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year and can be found on the Cedarburg School District Website Lunch Program.   

No Holiday Concert for Kindergarten

Families,
I have been receiving many emails wondering if there was a holiday concert for kindergarten.  There is NOT a concert for kindergarten.  The concert that you are hearing about is for 5th grade students ONLY.  You weren't missing anything!  The kindergarten has a concert in spring and more information will be given to you closer to the date.

Thanks so much!  If you have any questions about music programs or concerts, please contact our music teacher, Mrs. Plaster.  Her email address is jplaster@cedarburg.k12.wi.us

Bring in Money for Kapco!

If your child would like to wear a hat or bring a stuffed animal to school tomorrow, please have them donate $1 to the Kapco Kids to Kids Toy Drive.  If they want to do both, bring $2!  Thanks!

There is still time to donate a new toy!

Forts and Gingerbread Houses

Families,
Our school earned a PBIS reward!  We will be building forts with our 3rd grade buddies and reading in our forts.  So fun!  Your child is able to bring ONE blanket, sheet, or beach towel on THURSDAY, December 12th.  We will build our forts in the afternoon.  It will be such a fun time!

On FRIDAY, December 13th we will be building our gingerbread houses.  We would love to have parents come and help us out.  If you would like to join us, please be at school by 2:40pm in our classroom.  We will be making our special gingerbread houses. 

If you are able to help us out on this day, please click on the Sign Up genius link!  Thanks so much

Gingerbread House Volunteers

Newsletter-Our Week In Review- December 2nd-6th

Dear Families,

This week we talked about the sounds sh, ch, wh and th.  We also learned the sight words "up","do" and “an”. We reviewed these words in the stories, poems, and writing we did this week.  We continue to review all words and assess through the year! Please continue to work on these words with your child.

The story this week was The Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson.  While listening to the story, students were working on the strategies of visualizing, retelling, and  adding to their schema about brown bears.  Ask your kindergartner what they learned about brown bears.

Here is a video link to the story to enjoy!

In math we are focusing on identifying the numbers that come before and the numbers that come after a certain number.  For example 3 is before 4 and after 2.  We are also working on being able to count to 100 by 1s and being able to count to 100 from any number- not just starting at one.  

In writing, we are working on our How To stories.  We are learning how to use words like first, next, and last to describe how to do something.  We learned that we need to use specific language when giving directions.

I am in need of some volunteers to help out at our Holiday party.  Please contact me if you are willing to play a game with the students.

Reminders:

1. Donate a gift to the Kapco Kids to Kids toy drive.

2. Donate $1 on Friday, to purchase an ornament for the Toy Drive

3. Practice the self-care skills of zipping, buttoning, and tying shoe laces.

4. Bring in the items for Gingerbread houses!  We are so excited to start decorating next week!

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to e-mail or call anytime.

Thank you for all your support!

Ornament Sale Tomorrow

Families,

We are collecting toys for the Kapco Kids to Kids toy drive.  If you are able to donate a brand new toy, please do so by the 14th of December.

Tomorrow, students also have the opportunity to purchase an ornament (paper) that will hang outside the office.  All money donated will go to the toy drive.  Each ornament costs $1.

Thank you!

Wear Green Tomorrow!!

In case you haven't heard....

WEAR GREEN FOR BELLA TOMORROW

For Friday, December 6th

In support of our 5th grade friend Bella, we are wearing green on Friday (December 6th) to spread awareness of Kabuki Syndrome and send kindness her way. We will take a few pictures at Jaguar Jumpstart of our school support of our friend...be sure to wear green on Friday.  

If your child would like to buy a paper ornament for Kapco Kids to Kids Toy Drive, please have your child bring $1 to school.  These ornaments will be hung on a special bulletin board near the office.  All money donated will be given to the toy drive to purchase toys for kids.

Holiday Party Sign Up

Our Holiday Party will be here before you know it!  We will be having a party on Friday, December 20th in the afternoon.  To have a great party, we will need some supplies.  If you are able to help out, please click on the Sign Up genius button.   Thank you so much!  

Gingerbread Houses- Friday, December 13th

Our annual tradition of creating gingerbread houses is quickly approaching!  We will be decorating gingerbread houses on Friday, December 13th in the afternoon.  More information will be sent home soon. 

We need your help in making this day a special one!  Please click on the Sign Up Genius button to see if you are able to donate an item or two for our gingerbread house day.  If you have any questions, please contact me. 

Thank you so much!  The students always look forward to this fun day!

Home Connections Sent Home 11/22/19

Families,

In your child's folder you will find several home connections.  This is what we are working on during math.  If it works in your schedule for your child to work on them, please have them do so.  This is NOT homework and does NOT need to be returned.  If your child does complete it and would like for me to look at it, please feel free to send it to school.

Thanks so much for your support!

From the Thorson Office

ALL THINGS THORSON!
Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Note from the Principal:
Greetings, Thorson Families!  

As we begin our first set of Parent/Teacher Conferences, now is a great time to celebrate your child’s first two months of school and his/her accomplishments.  As you review your child’s progress and prepare to discuss it with your child’s teacher, I would like to draw your attention to two Math Progress Report changes and areas that the district will soon be revising:

1.  Progress Report Descriptors | To ensure alignment between what students are learning about and what teachers are reporting out on, we have started to consider a few changes to the Progress Report.  Generally, Progress Reports will be the same for this year with preparations underway to align descriptors to key outcomes for 2020-21.

2.  Standards Based Progress Report | Cedarburg School District has adopted Bridges as the primary math resource for math instruction. With a strong emphasis on key quarterly math outcomes, the following marking code will be used to provide feedback to students and their parents:

Exemplary	Secure	Developing	Needs Strengthening
Consistently performs above grade level expectations	Meeting the standard	Approaching the standard	Area of support

More learning updates about math will follow through your school/classroom teacher; however, should you have any questions about your child’s math learning experience/development, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, Math Coach Sheri Rowe, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Alan Groth, or me.

Also, please remember that our District Math Coach, Sheri Rowe, will be presenting at the PTO Meeting on December 9 regarding the Bridges Math program.  Please join us to hear more about the great things that are happening for your child in this area.

I look forward to seeing all of you at conferences tonight or Monday evening!

Sincerely,

Angela Little

Dates to Remember
November 21-26-Book Fair
November 21-Parent/Teacher Conferences 4-8 p.m./4K-No School 
November 25-Parent/Teacher Conferences 4-8 p.m.
November 27-December 1st- Thanksgiving Break-No School
December 5-5th Grade Field Trip to Nutcracker(CPAC)
December 12-5th Grade Winter Chorus 6:30-7:30
December 19- 4th Grade Field Trip MSO(CPAC)
December 23-January 2- Winter Break

Check Thorson out on Facebook to get the latest pictures and school updates!!!

Kapco Kids 2 Kids Toy Drive
The Thorson Student Council will be collecting new, unwrapped toys from December 2-13.  This is the 9th year that Thorson has participated in this wonderful program that collects toys for children in our area.  Please consider making a donation. Your support is very much appreciated!

Early Dissmissal Procedures
We receive a lot of early dismissal notes daily. To limit the amount of time students wait in the office, we will not be calling your student down to the office till you arrive at Thorson to sign them out. This procedure is in place to hlep limit disruptions in both the office and classroom.  Please plan accordingly with your pick-up plans. 

Cold Weather
Please help your children be responsible and safe by dressing appropriately for the weather. At Thorson, when the temperature is below 55 degrees we expect students to wear a jacket and long pants or leggings for recess. Please reinforce at home that as winter weather approaches, it is time to dig out the winter coats, boots, hats, snowpants, and gloves or mittens and even check the weather report to see what is in the forecast.

Absent/ Late Arrival-
If you are going to be late or absent, please call the Thorson attendance line at 262-376-6766 before 9:00 a.m. Please state your students first and last name, teacher, and the reason for the absence. If you are going to be late and are taking hot lunch, please let us know your child's lunch choice by calling the school office at 262-376-6705.

School Supply List 2019-20
PTO Membership
CSD Volunteer Application
Medical Form

From the Thorson PTO

Parent Teacher Conference-  We need your help to give our wonderful teachers dinner during our parent teacher conferences. If you are able to contribute to the November 25th dinner, please sign-up.  Thank you.

Book Fair- Did you know you can set-up a book fair account with a set amount for your child to access on their own when visiting the fair?  No more lost dollars!  Any unused funds will be returned to the card on file after the fair ends. eWallet
We are also looking for book fair volunteers!  Book fair will be open Thursday, 11/21-Tuesday 11/26. Please help us out by signing-up to volunteer.

Girls Fancy Dance-Save the Date for the Fancy Dance!

Thorson Giving Tree Classroom Wish List- The Thorson Giving Tree has been created by the Thorson PTO to give parents/community an opportunity to give a classroom item to a teacher member any time of the year. Please click on this link as often as you choose. It will be updated from time to time, so please check in often. Thank you!

Box Tops- As of today, we at Thorson have earned an overall total of $505.90 by clipping box tops and scanning our receipts. Our next turn in date is Friday, February 14th.  With the Holidays coming fast over the next few weeks, you are sure to come accross box tops and receipt credits.  Please have families and friends help you clip those box tops and scanning credits from their store receipts on the Boxtop App.  Thank you for all the time you take to make our Boxtop program a success.

The Rock- Want to let the Thorson school /community know about something special?? Sign up to paint Thorson's celebration rock! !Sign-ups will take place at Sneak Peek 8/28! Click here to reserve your spot. The cost of the rock is $10 for a 24 hour period which can be made by cash or check.Message stays in place until another Thorson family secures a 24-hour period.

• PTO requests that parents accompany students when creating their painted message.The message stays in place until another Thorson family secures a 24-hour period.
• PTO requests that no inappropriate words, acronyms, or abbreviations that could be misconstrued as inappropriate are painted as part of your celebration message.

PTO Agenda
PTO November Minutes
PTO Newsletter
PTO Planning Meeting
PTO Calendar of Events
Next PTO Meeting is December 9, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

From the Cedarburg School District:
Want to enter to win a sleigh ride for your family of 4? Check out the door prizes when you attend our next 'Outdoor Learning in the Burg' session hosted by CSD and Riveredge Nature Center.
Dec 10 | Outdoor Adventures in Winter: Ideas for the whole family!
Winter in Wisconsin is a beautiful time of year, and sometimes a challenging time of year to get your family outdoors. This session will explore fresh new ideas to make your winter the most enjoyable, and interesting, one yet! Offering Fun Family Outdoor Winter Door Prizes!
Location: Cedarburg Public Library 6:00-7:00 PM
This free seasonal nature series is designed for parents and broader Cedarburg community members who have a desire to learn more about exploring the outdoors.

The Cedarburg High School is now accepting enrollments for children ages 3 and 4 to be part of the CHS Child Development Preschool winter session. This program has offered a preschool experience to Cedarburg children of the district for over 20 years while also providing a work-based learning experience for Cedarburg High School students. The winter session begins December 2nd and goes through January 10, 2020.  The group meets at the high school every day from 8:15 am - 11:00 am; every other day, the session ends at 9:35 am. For more information or to register, please contact Family and Consumer Science Teacher, Alice Matthews, at amatthews@cedarburg.k12.wi.us or call 262 376-6355 with questions.  Openings are limited so register soon!