Poor Mr. Turkey! He has his feathers all in a ruffle because he heard a terrible rumor about what happens to turkeys on Thanksgiving Day. He’s really hoping it’s not true, but just in case it is, he asked for help from Mrs. Lucking’s kindergartners. He asked Mrs. Lucking’s friends to make a disguise for him to avoid his Thanksgiving Day demise. Here are pictures of Mr. Turkey in disguise. What do you think…will he be safe on Thanksgiving Day?
A brisk damp morning didn’t bother Central Elementary’s plans to honor Veterans.
On November 11th the school day started out a bit different than normal. Students and staff gathered outside around the flag and watched as the VFW Color Guard presented and raised the flag. High school students Ryan Umland and Garret Ragland played “Call to Colors.” After the flag was raised, the students joined together in saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
Students and guests then gathered in the gym for a special program. Mrs. Mans welcomed the guests and thanked them for their service. Mrs. Beachler gave a brief history of Veteran’s Day and what it means to be a veteran. Lee Greenwood’s, “God Bless the USA” video was played.
The student body, led by Mrs. Bigley sang “God Bless America” with choreographed red, white, and blue plates. It was wonderful!
Mrs. Mans read a video to the students entitled “Veteran’s Day Honors,” followed by asking the guests to introduce themselves, tell what branch they served under, and tell how many years they served.
The student body concluded the program by singing “Grand Ole Flag” as they waved their own little flags.
The program received many compliments. A special thank you to the Veterans who have served and are currently serving, and a thank you to the Central Committee for putting on a wonderful program to honor them.
The PE classes observed October as Fire Awareness Month by participating in games that reinforce basic safety rules in an emergency situation. We played “911” which included discussing that 911 was the number to call ONLY in an emergency situation. Emergency situations were reviewed and discussed as being a fire, someone not breathing, unconsciousness, someone breaking into your house, and a car wreck. I encouraged the students to talk to the grown-ups about putting their name, address, and phone number by the phone in case 911 ever needed to be called.
Every student put cones randomly on the asphalt outside and then they were given “red emergency 911 cards” that were to be put under each cone. Groups were formed and the first person in each group ran and turned over a cone. If there was a red card under the cone the student yelled “911” and quickly returned to their group and the next player turned over a cone. If there was no “911 emergency card” they said nothing and went back to their group.
Fire Safety Skills Tag was a review of what to do if you are ever in a fire situation. Prior to the game we discussed having a family plan on how to get out of the house and designate a specific meeting place. Members of the Fire Safety Cabinet team talked about getting out of the burning building BEFORE calling 911, and what to do if you awaken and see or smell smoke coming under the door. Smoke rises so we want to crawl and get low to the ground and not open doors if the handles are hot. They recognized the fact that smoke rises and that is why we stay low. If someone catches on fire we STOP, DROP, ROLL! We reviewed that oxygen is what keeps fire burning so by STOP, DROP, and ROLLING we can slow down the fire whereas running will only make the fire bigger.
We had several taggers with blue balls that represented smoke. If they were tagged they crawled until a friendly firefighter, designated with a fire sticker, came and helped them up. Taggers with red balls represented fire so they needed to STOP, DROP, ROLL until a friendly firefighter helped them up. Everyone had a turn being a tagger and a friendly firefighter.
During Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 26-30, we discussed the importance of taking care of our body through healthy eating, exercise, and living drug free. We played “Live Drug Free” a game that reinforces these concepts. Once tagged students run in place getting their heart rate from resting to rapid which increases the flow of blood taking oxygen to all parts of their body which makes them happier, increases learning, and makes their body stronger. Two teammates get on each side of the student, hold hands and say “live drug free”, “get off the couch”, or “eat healthy foods”.
Last week, Mrs. Lucking’s kinders investigated pumpkins. Students started their investigation by describing the pumpkin. Was it bumpy or smooth? Was it small, medium or large? Next, students made predictions about whether the pumpkin would sink or float. After dropping the pumpkin into a tote of water, many students were surprised to find it could float! Students were even more excited about pumpkins after watching a video of giant pumpkins that were used for boats! Last, students guessed how many seeds were inside the pumpkin. After opening up our pumpkin and counting the seeds, we discovered…there were just TOO many seeds to count. We lost count at 267!
Our Step Ahead students enjoyed costumes, parades, parties and treats for Halloween!
On Friday, October 9th the kindergarten class went on their field trip to Roca Berry Farm! The weather was beautiful and the students had a wonderful time playing. They also enjoyed going on a hayrack ride to the pumpkin patch and finding the perfect pumpkin to bring home. Hope you enjoy these pictures from our fun day!
Children’s author, Jerry Pallotta visited Fairbury Public Schools on Wednesday, October 7th. Students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade enjoyed listening to his presentation. Jerry shared his ideas in creating and writing several of his nonfiction alphabet and math titles. He has traveled to over 3500 schools and has spoken to over two million children. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife Linda, and continues his quest to write a ZILLION BOOKS!!!
On Friday, October 2nd, the FHS Cheerleaders held a cheer clinic for younger students at Central and Jefferson. They had 54 future FHS Cheerleaders participate. The girls spent the afternoon learning cheers, playing games and eating snacks! To end the clinic, the girls put on a performance for friends and family, where they did a wonderful job. For the girls that wanted to participate, they were able to go to the Varsity Football game vs. Lincoln Lutheran and perform with the HS Cheerleaders until halftime. All girls involved did a fantastic job!! As a sponsor, I am very proud of the hard work they put into this!!
The first family fun night was held September 24th in front of the FYI Center for Jefferson and Central School Students and Families. Children enjoyed games, food, and dancing to music throughout the night.
