Crocker Highlands Elementary School

On Friday, May 11th, we held the seventh of our eight assemblies celebrating the Crocker Cougar  “word of the month.”  The Cougar word for April  was  “Perseverance.”    Ms. Haffner’s and Ms. Kantrowitz’s 2d grade and Ms. Oretsky’s 5th grade buddy classes were our “Perseverance Cougars”.    At the assembly, the Cougars buddies recited an acrostic poem where the first letters of each line forms a word, the subject of the poem (thank you google).

P is for Pride of a job well done

E is for Energy to keep on going

R is for Respecting and believing in yourself

S is for Sticking to it and carrying on

E is for Effort to stay motivated

V is for Vowing to hang in there

E is for expecting to get to your goal

R is for reaching beyond and taking risks

A is for Appreciating our hard work

N is for Never giving up, never quitting

C is for Commitment to the task

E is for Endurance to the end!

Other buddies wore signs with words that mean perseverance like “Grits and guts,” “Spunk,” “Pursue your goal,” “Be determined,” etc. Pictures of the Perseverance Cougars are on the bulletin board outside the office and their designed posters of the PERSEVERANCE letters are hanging in the MPR.  Photos of our Perseverance Cougars are on the photo gallery page.   Thank you PERSEVERANCE Crocker Cougars.

For the last months of school, the Cougar word will be FRIENDSHIP.  Friendship reflects ALL the Cougar words:  respect, compassion, self-discipline, cooperation, acceptance, responsibility and perseverance.   For example, when talking with your child about how friends treat each other you can point out that good friends listen to each other (respect, self-discipline).   Good friends try to understand each other’s feelings and moods (acceptance, compassion).  Good friends help each other solve problems (responsibility).  Good friends don’t give up on each other after a disagreement (perseverance).

Here are some things you can do to encourage your child to develop positive and healthy friendships.

• Encourage your child to talk with you about his or her friendships—use the Cougar words if you can (respect, compassion, self-discipline, cooperation, acceptance, responsibility and perseverance).
• Discuss how to have good friends you must be a good friend.
• If your child shows signs of feeling rejected or left out talk with him or her about it. Share a time when you felt the same way.
• Be sensitive to friendships that may involve negative activities or put-downs of other kids. Discuss it with your child and let him or her know how you feel about it.
• Encourage your child to show appreciation when a friend does something thoughtful or helpful.
• Remind your child that it’s never too late to make a new friend—even at the end of the school year.

Crocker Highlands 5th Grade Class Presenting Movie Night – Parent’s Night Out

When: Friday 5/11
Time: 5:30-8:00 pm
Where: Crocker MultiPurpose Room
Who: Any Crocker student (well behaved students please!!)
Movie: We Bought A Zoo
Fund Raising Cost: $20 first child, $10 second child, $5 third child (additional donations welcomed!!)

Please join your fellow schoolmates along with your comfortable snuggly (pillows, blankets, etc) for a Friday Movie Night in the Crocker MultiPurpose Room! Enjoy popcorn and pizza while hanging with your friends.

All Proceeds to support the 5th grade Promotion!!
Thank you,
5th Grade Parent Volunteers

On Friday, April 6^th, we held the sixth of our eight assemblies celebrating the Crocker Cougar Word of the Month, Responsibility.  Ms. Keller’s 2^nd grade class read journal entries sharing examples of responsibility, and Ms. Spees’ 5^th grade class performed skits showing what responsibility means to them, with a 5^th grade twist! The Cougar Celebration board has a display with pictures of the buddies in these classes. Thanks also to all the other teachers and students who learned about and discussed responsibility this month. And don’t forget about Compassion, Self-Discipline, Acceptance, Cooperation and Respect.

In April, the Crocker Cougar word of the month is PERSEVERANCE, which means to keep on trying in spite of difficulties.  Perseverance looks like practicing a new skill, or pushing harder to do something, like running.  Perseverance sounds like ”I can almost do it,” or “We’re almost at the of the mountain.”  Perseverance feels like success or confidence.  For families, teaching your children perseverance will help them overcome many of the challenges they face each day.  Whether learning to tie shoes or finishing that hard problem in homework, perseverance in the face of hardship is vital to success.  Here are some suggestions to foster this important trait: Model perseverance.  It helps your children to see you going after goals you set for yourself and sticking with a job until it is completed—even if you are frustrated.  Talk with your children about how some of the difficulties you encountered and how good it felt to finally accomplish your task.  Notice and praise your children when they persevere.  Help they see the value of completing activities they may not always enjoy.  Refer back to time spent doing homework when they bring home a good grade.  And if they haven’t done well despite studying, emphasize that their continued hard work will eventually pay off.   Remind your children that things don’t always come easily.  Explain that success is not always immediate and victory is often how they perceive it.  Even the smallest steps or most gradual improvements can bring a strong sense of accomplishment.  Remind your children that even famous people have to work hard and persevere to succeed.  Sport stars like Michael Jordan and writers like J.K. Rowling are just a few examples.  Look to the past.  Talk about the accomplishment of Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks or Anne Franks.  Contribute stories about your ancestors.

Please stop by the Bulletin Board by the office. Talk with your child about what he or she sees about Perseverance. Any questions on Crocker Cougar’s Word of the Month Program, please contact Liz O’Brien at lizobrien@pacbell.net.

On Friday, March 2nd, we held the fifth of our 8 assemblies celebrating the Crocker Cougar “word of the month.” The Cougar word for February was “Compassion.” Ms. Shannon’s kindergarten and Mr. Donahue’s 3rd grade buddy classes were our “ Compassion Cougars”. At the assembly, these Compassion Cougars performed 5 skits written by the 3rd graders about showing compassion: compassion for someone being teased, compassion for those who are hungry, compassion for someone in trouble, compassion for someone new at school and compassion for someone who was hurt. Thank you for showing us compassion. Pictures of our “ Compassion ” Cougars will be posted on our website. In addition, the Cougar Celebration board has a display with pictures of the buddies in these classes. Thanks also to all the other teachers and students who learned about Compassion this month. Let’s keep that compassion going: Let’s continue to show we care: here at school, at home, and in the community. And don’t forget about Self-Discipline, Acceptance, Cooperation and Respect, our Cougar words for January, December.

Any questions on Crocker Cougar’s Word of the Month Program, please contact Liz O’Brien at lizobrien@pacbell.net.