Winter Vacation is Here!

This is always a busy time of year with travel and family, yet I encourage you to set aside a bit of time each day to read and write with your child.  There are many ways to weave reading and writing into special vacation activities.  Read recipes together, and then choose one to bake.  If your family receives letter or cards, sit together and read them.  Include a short note from your child when sending out holiday cards.  Pick a special book related to winter or the holidays to read, and then write a story of your own using the same writing style as the author.  Write thank you letters to family and friends.  The possibilities are endless!  I'm sure you'll find activities that work well for you and your family.  Just be sure to set aside time to keep reading and writing.  It makes for wonderful family time!

Take Time to Appreciate Those Around You

It's such an exciting time of year with the special events and holidays that come with the winter months!  As our kids share their hard work through special projects and music programs, and families pull together to support our community through the giving of food and gifts, I want to say "Thank you".  We often get caught up in our busy schedules and forget to stop and appreciate the wonder of day to day events.  Today, I am stopping to appreciate and thank the students who keep each day interesting and full of smiles, the staff who work so hard to encourage our kids to grow, and the parents and community members who volunteer, making kids' time at school more successful than ever.  I encourage you to stop and appreciate yourself for contributing to our community with time, food and gifts.  Most importantly, take time to really look at the young members of our community.  They are becoming such caring and responsible people.

Winter Weather and School

With the unpredictable weather, be sure you are prepared in case of school delays or closures.  There are several ways to get information in the morning:  the district website www.ortrail.k12.or.us,  local television or radio updates, or the school number for an update on the answering machine.  You can register for a flashalert to be sent to you on your computer or cell phone.  Go to oregontrailschools.com , click on the icicles picture (weather closures and emergencies), follow the links, and you can choose email, text messages, tweets, or Facebook notifications or all of the above.

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A New Name and Face 

Tracey Johnson is a teacher in the Oregon Trail School District who is working on her administrative license through Concordia University.  Beginning in January Tracey will join me 2-3 days each week as a practicum student, observing and practicing administrative duties.  Don't be surprised to receive a note home that may be signed by her, or receive a phone call if there is information to be shared between the principal's office and a parent.  This is all part of her required coursework in preparing to be a future school principal.  I'm excited to have her join us and I'm sure you will enjoy interacting with her upon occassion as we work together out of the office.