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Tiger Cub News
Delano Elementary Family Newsletter
February 2015
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Does Your Child Have Grit?
This summer, I had the fortunate experience of participating in my first ever half marathon. While I enjoyed the scenic
Grandma’s Half Marathon course, at the end of the race I felt that I could have done better. I felt good physically, but
struggled with the mental part of the race and my overall race time. After countless hours of training for this race, I felt
my “Grit” or how I responded to the conditions of the race was lacking. This frustration allowed me to relook at how I
responded to the adverse weather conditions (40 degrees at race start) and how I would be able to handle these
adverse conditions in the next half marathon.
The term “Grit” has been in the forefront of discussions in classrooms across Delano Elementary this school year.
Teachers are having conversations with students about the feeling of failure and how to respond when we encounter
frustration in our daily academic work. As parents and teachers, we are very skilled at offering positive praise when our
students or children do well. We work hard to help our students have positive attitudes, be good friends, and to be
accepting of others. On the flip side, we struggle to teach our students and children how to deal with failure and how to
respond to failure when it occurs.
What is Grit? It can be all of the following: Effort, Perseverance, Growth Mindset, Resilience, Good Mistakes, Mental
Toughness, Goal Setting, and Reflection. Our staff has followed the work of educational leader, Ms. Carol Dweck, in the
area of Grit. Ms. Dweck states, “the quality in children that is most crucial in achieving success is learning to respond to
failure.” She goes further to say that as teachers and parents we need to encourage the Growth Mindset: students who
embrace the challenge, value effort and realize they have to work hard in order to develop their abilities. On the flip
side, students with a Fixed Mindset do not embrace effort, believe everything should come naturally, do not handle setbacks well, and become discouraged when they don’t succeed the first time.
In conclusion, what can parents do to encourage Grit at home? Here are some ideas:
 Praise your child’s willingness to try; effort, patience, and practice.
 Model a positive “Yes, I can” attitude even during difficult times.
 Encourage your child to try many different things before they find their “niche.”
 Value taking on challenges and exerting maximum effort more than you value natural talent and easy success.
In closing, we encourage you to help your child get out of their comfort zone. Gaining “Grit” will not happen without
taking risks and experiencing challenges along the way. Good luck!
- Mr. Darren Schuler, Principal
Come to Delano Elementary’s Winter Activity Night!
Who:
K-4 Students, Siblings, Parents/Guardians
(All children must be accompanied by an adult)
What:
Ice Skating, Snowshoeing & a warm drink!
When: Monday, February 9, 2015, from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Where: Delano Elementary School
Cost:
FREE
Come join us for ice skating at the outdoor rink (on the south side of the
indoor hockey arena), and snowshoeing on the varsity soccer field. Please bring
your own skates. No hockey sticks or pucks. Snowshoes will be provided by the
Three Rivers Park District. After the fun, warm up with hot chocolate and hot apple
cider in the DES cafeteria!
A Unique Way of Learning “Compare & Contrast”
Do you remember learning how to
compare and contrast things when
you were in grade school? I bet you
didn’t use hula hoops! Mrs. Kurth’s 1st
graders brought their favorite stuffed
animals to class last week to help them
learn how. They used hula hoops as a
Venn Diagram to see how two stuffed
tigers were alike and different. Then,
students chose a partner, and did
similar comparing and contrasting with
their own stuffed animals. What fun
there is in learning!
“Children enter school as question
marks and leave as periods.”
- Neil Postman
Author & Media Theorist
Course Offering: Parenting Through Divorce
Parents in Wright Country have an opportunity to attend a
course titled, “Parenting Through Divorce.”
This course is offered for parents in Wright County who:
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are filing for a divorce.
are considering divorce.
are already divorced.
are professionals working with families in divorce.
are ending a relationship with children in common.
are concerned about the impact of divorce on their children.
This program will give you information about the divorce process and how it may affect you and your child. Topics in
this 6-1/2 hour course include:
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the legal process.
child support.
conflict resolution.
personal safety.
impact of divorce on children.
developing a parenting plan.
community resources.
Classes are held at the Wright County Government Center in Buffalo, MN, on Mondays or Saturdays. For additional
information on the class schedule, registration and cost, please call 763.295.4302.
Chill Out and Read!
February is “I Love to Read Month.” The elementary school has many “I Love to
Read” activities planned. We will be “chillin” with books all month long! The
month will kick off with a Pajama Day and DEAR (Drop Everything and Read)
time.
Every Wednesday we will have different dress up themes from Tourist Day to dressing like our favorite book
characters. We will end the month with a Reading Carnival. Students who turn in their reading slips will receive
tickets for the carnival. In addition, author and illustrator Rick Chrustowski is coming to visit us in March. Thank
you to DES PIE for sponsoring his visit.
Here are some of the many exciting events that students will participate in that are designed to promote reading
throughout February:
February 2:
Pajama Day
Kickoff to Chill Out and Read Month - Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time for all students.
February 4:
Tourist Day
Wear your favorite vacation t-shirts and dress like you are on a trip!
February 11: Wacky Color Day
Wear as many colors as you can!
February 18: Beach Day
Bring your beach towel to read on, dress for the beach, and don’t forget your sunglasses!
February 25: Book Character Day
Dress like your favorite character from a book!
February 27: Pajama Day
Last school day of “Chill Out and Read”
March 6:
“I Love to Read Month” Carnival!
Tiger Fun Fair
Mark Your Calendars for Saturday, February 28!
Get ready for the Annual Tiger Fun Fair that will take place on Saturday,
February 28, 2015, from 4-8 p.m. at the Delano High School Tiger Activity Center.
There will be FUN, FOOD and FABULOUS prizes at Delano’s largest school
carnival hosted by Delano Elementary School Partners in Education (DES PIE).
DES PIE will be pre-selling wristbands (which will take the place of tickets this
year) a few weeks prior to this event. They will be available online at
www.etigershop.com and at school. The Tiger Fun Fair will be larger than years
past - more games, bouncers, a silent auction and tons of food.
We are in need of many volunteers to make this event a success. To volunteer,
go to www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0949A5AB29A0F58-tiger
Questions? Please contact Meredith Huikko,
at mhuikko@delano.k12.mn.us.
Thank you to everyone who
purchased books, volunteered and
supported the January Book Fair.
Because of you, it was a huge success!
The sales for the book fair
were over $11,000.
All proceeds raised go to purchase
additional books for the media center, as
well as subscriptions to Tumble Books
and BookFlix.
February is “I Love to Read Month!”
2
4
9
10
11
16
18
25
26
27
Welcome
New DES Staff Members!
28
Pajama Day for “I Love to Read Month” Drop Everything and Read time
Tourist Day for “I Love to Read Month”
Winter Activity Event
5:30-7 pm
ES PIE Meeting
7 pm
Wacky Color Day for “I Love to Read Month”
Dairy Queen Night
5-8 pm
Artwork by Mrs. Kern’s and Mrs. Griep’s classrooms
President’s Day - NO SCHOOL
Beach Day for “I Love to Read Month”
Book Character Day for “I Love to Read Month”
Dairy Queen Night
5-8 pm
Artwork by Mrs. Burns’ and Ms. Hegland’s classrooms
4th Grade Music Program
7 pm
DES Gym
Pajama Day for “I Love to Read Month”
ES Play “Disney’s Cinderella Kids”
5:30 and 7:30 pm
Delano Performing Arts Center
ES Play “Disney’s Cinderella Kids”
1 and 3 pm
Delano Performing Arts Center
Tiger Fun Fair
4-8 pm
Tiger Activity Center
Keep Your Children Safe:
DES Drop Off Policy
Joan Gust
Paraprofessional
At Delano Elementary School, we take our drop-off policy
very seriously. We continue to see parents dropping off
their children in the parking lot, which represents an accident
just waiting to happen.
Nyla Kuhne
Paraprofessional
Jon Wissink
Paraprofessional
Delano Elementary’s drop-off policy states that
students should be dropped off along the sidewalk in front
of the school. This can be ANYWHERE on the sidewalk
from the south end of the school to the front entrance.
Parents are also welcome to park and walk their children to the
sidewalk or the front doors of the school. Children should not
be dropped off in the parking lot or on County Road 30. This
is a hazardous situation, as the children have to walk in between
cars to get to the sidewalk.
As a parent, please take the time needed to drop-off your
children along the sidewalk in front of the school. We hope that
this information will prove helpful in understanding our concern
for your children.
Please help us keep your children safe!
Tiger Cub News is published by Delano
Elementary School. Editor, Traci Lawman,
District Office, 763.972.3365, ext. 2111,
tlawman@delano.k12.mn.us.
Delano Elementary School
678 Tiger Drive Delano, MN 55328
Phone: 763.972.6200
Website: www.delano.k12.mn.us