Three Fires Elementary School

May 24, 2019

No School on Monday!   

Please remember that there is no school on Monday, May 27th as we celebrate Memorial Day. If you are in town on Monday, the Highlander Marching Band will be participating in the Memorial Day parade at 10 am.  Have a great weekend!

4th Quarter Progress Reports

Please remember that progress reports are online for grades 3-5. If you have not already done so, please check the PowerSchool Parent Portal to review your child’s grades. If you have questions or concerns regarding the grades, please contact your child's teacher.   

Support Student Leadership Activities at Three Fires

On Tuesday, May 28th between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm, the Three Fires Student Council will host a fundraiser at Panera Bread in Howell.  The monies raised will support the operating expenses for our student council program. Panera will donate 20% of pre-tax sales from participating orders.  A printed flyer or an electronic version of the flyer on a mobile phone or tablet must be presented when ordering. Click here for the flyer.

Field Day

Filed Day is scheduled for June 3rd with a rain date of June 4th.  Please have your child wear tennis shoes on June 3rd.

Fifth Grade Graduation

Fifth Grade Graduation is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5th at 9:30 AM in the cafeteria.  This graduation and celebration will last approximately one hour. Parents are welcomed to attend this event.    

Student Medications

Please remember to stop in the office by the last day of school to pick up all student medications (prescription and over the counter).  We cannot hold medication or supplies over the summer.

Summer Food Resources

With summer approaching, the Livingston County Hunger Council has prepared a list of summer food resources. This list includes summer meal programs, food pantries, and other resources. You can view the resource guide at https://tinyurl.com/y3qrq9nn. Additionally, the Summer Lunch Bunch, a food assistance program put on through a partnership with The Salvation Army, the Livingston County United Way and the Livingston County Hunger Council will kick-off their summer program on Tuesday, June 18. To learn more about the Summer Lunch Bunch, please visithttps://tinyurl.com/y2urp68f.  

 New PTO Officers and Thank You

We’d like to send out a huge thank you to all of our 2018-19 officers for their time and dedication. We appreciate each and every assembly, field trip, festival, hallway decoration, and everything else that our PTO has made possible with their commitment to make our school year the best it can possibly be for our entire Three Fires Community.

Please give a warm welcome to our 2019-20 officers:

President: Lea Dexter
Vice President: Lizz Curnalia
Treasurer: Jodie Austin
Secretary: Karrie Gusman  

Counselor’s Corner - When Children Have Emotional or Behavioral Struggles: Tips for Parents

Children feel a variety of emotions, and they often feel these emotions strongly.    To encourage mental health in children and to support parents along the way, below are tips from Mental Health America to help parents care for children’s emotional or behavioral struggles.  

1. Cover the basics.  Before you dismiss the outburst as a lack of control or disrespect, ask yourself if there is a simple explanation for the behavior.  Are they hungry or thirsty? Too hot or too cold? Overstimulated? Tired? Are they feeling under the weather (i.e. - colds, allergies, etc.)

2. Pick your battles.   Ask yourself if the specific behavior is doing any harm or if it’s just annoying.  If it’s annoying, it’s not worth arguing over. If you do engage, resist the urge to raise your voice.  Be matter-of-fact and stand your ground.

3. Environment matters.   Do your best to create a home that is low on stress, safe, and supportive.  Give reasonable timelines for getting homework and chores done. Praise your child for the things they do well and let them know you love them.

4. Encourage communication.  Let children know that they can talk to you about their thoughts, feelings, or difficult situations they are dealing with.   When you talk with a child who is in crisis, do your best to soften your voice and use short, clear directions. “Come with me.”  “Sit down.” “Take a deep breath.” “Tell me what’s going on.”

5. Timing is everything.  If your child is in a stressful situation or has heightened emotions/behaviors, they will need some space.  Address issues later when they have regained control over themselves.

6. Help them to help themselves.   It is great for children to learn coping skills.  Praise successes and use failures as learning opportunities.   Ask questions such as, “What can you do the next time you’re in this situation?” or “What made you feel better the last time you felt this way?”   A few coping strategies include the following:

   • Mind boosters (read the story of someone you admire, play with an animal)

   • Address basic needs (drink some water, have a healthy snack, take a bath or shower, take a nap)

   • Process feelings (draw how you are feeling, make a gratitude list, let yourself cry)

   • Problem-solving (make a list of solutions to problems.  Go over the list with a friend or family member)

   • Volunteer/do acts of kindness (do something nice for someone you know)

   • Relaxation exercises (belly breathing, mindfulness exercises, yoga, go for a walk)

   • Ask for help (talk to a parent, trusted adult, teacher, counselor, etc.)

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/threefireselementary, find our PTO on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/ThreeFiresElementaryPTO/, find us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowellTFE