Graham Elementary 10026 204th St. E, Graham, WA 98446-1533 (253) 683-8500 FAX (253) 683-8598 24-Hour Attendance Line- (253) 683-8593 Rob Haugen, -Principal Pam Paulsen, -Secretary Carrie Berglund, -Counselor Charity Dean, -Editor Graham Website: http://www.ge.bethelsd.org Bethel District Website: http://www.bethelsd.org

OFFICE HOURS 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. SCHOOL HOURS All-Day Kindergarten and 1st-6th 8:50 a.m. – 2:55 p.m. AM KINDERGARTEN 8:50 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PM KINDERGARTEN 12:15 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. EARLY DISMISSAL 11:15 a.m. LATE ARRIVAL 10:50 a.m. 24-HOUR ATTENDANCE LINE (253) 683-8593 MAIN OFFICE (253) 683-8500 SCHOOL MEAL COSTS Breakfast: $1.35 Lunch: $2.25 Milk $0.50

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 24th – 28th – Parent / Teacher Conferences October 28th – Harvest Carnival 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. November 4th – Hat Day November 4th – Popcorn Friday November 7th- 10th – Food Drive November 9th – End of 1st quarter November 9th – Veteran’s Day Assembly 4th- 6th 1:40 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. K – 3rd 2:20 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. November 10th – Picture Retakes November 11th – Veteran’s Day - NO SCHOOL November 16th- Late Arrival – No PM K/AM attends November 18th- 1st Grade Thanksgiving Feast @ 1:00 p.m. November 18th – Fun Snacks November 23rd – Goodies with Grandparents November 24th – 25th – Thanksgiving Break November 28th – December 9th – Mitten Tree December 2nd – Early Dismissal December 9th – Popcorn Friday December 9th – Winterfest Family Night December 16th – Fun Snacks December 16th – PAA Assemblies 2nd – 3rd 9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. K – 1st 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 4th – 6th 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. December 16th – Hat Day December 19th – January 1st– Winter Break – NO SCHOOL

Respectful * Responsible * Ready

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November 2011 Dear Grizzly Families, We are off to another year of hard work and rich learning at Graham Elementary School! As I’m sure you’ve observed, our staff is committed to doing what’s best for students. Our team understands that our mission to “equip all children for a hopeful future” is achieved as we develop strong partnerships with our families, focus on instructional excellence, and maintain high expectations. One measure of a school’s effectiveness is whether or not it meets adequate yearly progress (AYP). AYP measures year-to-year student achievement on the state assessment in reading and mathematics. Schools satisfy AYP requirements when their students meet or exceed the established state assessment proficiency goals in both reading and mathematics. For the second consecutive year, Graham Elementary School met AYP on the 2011 state assessment. If you’d like to study our scores in detail, I encourage you to check out our Washington State Report Card online at http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us.

With student enrollment continuing to grow and the addition of a preschool program, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming several new staff members to our community. It’s a pleasure to introduce these new faces to our staff:

• Marylene Durocher (Resource Room paraeducator) • Michael Dietrich (Resource Room paraeducator) • Joy Hathaway (paraeducator for tuition-based and self-contained preschools) • Rick Neigel (Computer Specialist, will work Tuesday through Friday) • Mary Fischer (tuition-based preschool teacher) • Donna Jo Rasmussen (developmental preschool teacher) • Rebecca Willis (Family Support Specialist for our preschool programs) • Ria Browning (sixth grade teacher) • Charity Dean (Office Clerk)

Again, welcome to a new year at Graham Elementary School. Should you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for ways to improve our school, please feel free to contact me. As always, it’s a great day to be a Graham Grizzly! Rob Haugen, Principal Graham Elementary School “Equipping every child for a hopeful future

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DON’T FORGET TO MOODLE! Maybe you’ve heard your student use this funny word. If not, ask your student to show you how to MOODLE! Students who MOODLE access Graham Elementary Science and Music websites for an interactive and fun experience. Both of the websites are under construction but contain information that is continually being updated. Check it out by following these steps: 1. Go to www.bethelsd.org 2. Click on "myBethel Login" 3. Enter your username (lunch ID#) and password (birthday example: nov-02 (first 3 letters of birth month, dash,

and 2-digit birth year, no spaces)) 4. Click on "Moodle" at the bottom-right hand side of the page 5. Click on "Graham Elementary" 6. Choose a course (i.e. Graham Elementary Office) 7. Click on "Enroll me in this course" to become a member of a course

Front Office News & Attendance News We know that emergencies arise and after school plans change; however, please try to make sure your student knows his/her plans before leaving for school. If you find it necessary to call the office with changes in your student after-school arrangements, please do so before 2:30 p.m. This allows the office staff enough time to write and distribute passes. From now on, for bus passes, we will not be able to write them for your students unless we have a written note from a parent or legal guardian. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Parents who come to the office after 2:40 p.m. to get their students will be asked to wait until school dismisses. Please make arrangements in advance for early dismissal and late arrival days. A BIG THANK YOU to all our parents who continue to call when their student is out for the day. Please remember to report absences to 253-683-8593 by 11:00 a.m. on the day your student is absent. You will receive an automated phone call regarding your student’s absence.

Honesty Being sincere, open,

trustworthy and truthful in word and deed.

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Need School Supplies?

Mrs. Berglund has free school

supplies for students who are in need. We have binders,

backpacks, pencils, glue, scissors, and more. Please call or stop by the counselor’s office as soon as

possible. 683-8579

Dear Parents, Welcome to an exciting year at Graham Elementary! My name is Carrie Berglund and I am the school counselor. I feel it is important that all parents at our school are aware of the kind of counseling available to you and your children. The focus of the elementary counseling program enables me to be available for all children as they go through their normal developmental stages. This is seen as an integral part of the educational program. I do a great deal of whole classroom lessons on personal safety, making and keeping friends, study skills and self-esteem. I also meet with small groups of children focusing on friendship, anger management, and divorce. I will gladly work with children individually as the need arises. During the course of your child’s school year at Graham, it would be safe to predict that I will work with your child in some capacity. Many of these concerns are common, ordinary kid concerns that can be handled at school. Be assured that if something were to come up that was more serious, you would be contacted and we would work together to solve the situation. I invite you to call whenever you have a concern for your child. If your child is going through a difficult time that may affect their school performance or behavior please call so we can help you and your child through this challenge. Again, feel free to call with any concern. Sincerely, Mrs. Carrie Berglund School Counselor 683-8579

A Time to Give; A Time to Receive

At this time of year people and organizations in our community call the school offering help for the holidays. If your family would like assistance, please call Mrs. Berglund, school counselor, at 683-8579. All requests are confidential.

Empathy Placing oneself in another’s

situation; understanding others’ points of view.

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The warm coats, warm hearts coat drive is starting November 1st and going through January 13th. Donations of new and gently used coats of all sizes are needed. This years goal is 100 coats.

Graham Elementary offers opportunities for students and families to share their special collections. Model airplanes, Webkinz, WSU Cougar collections, baseball cards, etc can be shared and placed in our display cabinets. Simply go to the office and pick up a parent permission form to display your collection. See Mrs. Berglund in the counseling office for more details or call her at 683-8579. Thank you and have fun!

Helpfulness Assisting others in meeting a need rather than a want.

Ecosystem Explorers

K – 6th graders come and join us for science projects, crafts, games, snacks, & field trips!

Wednesdays after school for 2 hours October 5th through May 25th (1/2 days too)

Graham Elementary Portable 5 $4 /hour (snack & craft included), 5% off if you bring, pay by month or use a family or military discount. Transportation home if needed $1

Please pre-register: carol.v.wright@att.net or 253-279-3071

www.grahamlearning.org Graham Kapowsin Community

Council’s Learning Center

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Playground Safety

For the safety of all students here at Graham please do not hand items over the fence to your student on the playground. If your student has forgotten an item at home, please check with the office staff before heading to the playground.

Kindness

Being concerned with the welfare of others.

Positive Action Assemblies

Every other month we honor outstanding students at a PAA (Positive Action Assembly). Students earn awards for their academic achievements, personal accomplishments, and by demonstrating a specific character trait. We reinforce that we value and support all learners by recognizing students who exemplify desired behaviors, academic excellences, and perseverance. Families are invited to attend these assemblies and Graham staff encourages you to celebrate the accomplishments of your children.