The Informer - the International School of Stavanger

The Informer November 28, 2003
Primary School News
November 28, 2003
Primary School News
The Informer
Our Primary School students are
working hard, preparing for the Winter
Concert on Thursday, December 11th
at 7:00 p.m. (The students need to be at
school by 6:30 p.m.) Our kindergarten
through fifth grade students will be performing.
This is always a wonderful
event and we encourage all families to
attend.
On December 5th, our Dutch students
will present a traditional Dutch
"Sinterklaas Fest". Sinterklaas and his
helpers will be here.
The Primary School students will
travel to the Soma Farm on December
4th (K-2) and December 12th (3-5).
They will have hands-on experiences
with the animals, go caroling, meet the
Norwegian Santa Claus (Julenissen),
play in the straw, and also taste a bit of
Norway with warm rice pudding and
julegrøt.
December 9th at 8:30 is our Santa
Lucia celebration. Some of our primary
school children will be dressed in white,
carrying candles and singing the traditional
Lucia song. The procession will
visit all elementary classes and hand out
buns. An explanation of this tradition is
mentioned in the Norwegian News following
the PS School News.
Also on December 9th, "Santa Claus"
will visit the primary school students
when they will have their picture taken
with him. The Parent Association will
be donating these pictures and give them
to each child to take home at the end of
the week.
FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS AND
PARENTS – An informational meeting
will be held Monday, December 15th at
7:00p.m. for our Fifth grade experience
at Gullingan Leirskole. This trip is
scheduled for January 19th-23rd. We
will discuss the program and activities
planned along with supply list and cost,
and of course, questions and/or concerns
you may have. This year the students
will be having a "skiing experience"
along with orienteering, nature study
and outdoor play. Should you not be
able to attend this meeting, we will be
sending home a summary of this information.
(Fourth grade will have an
information meeting later in the school
year.)
The ISS Primary School Reading
Class Challenge, Soar into Reading,
sponsored by the Parent Association
ends November 28th. An incredible
amount of reading is going on in the
Primary School. Students are anxiously
watching their grade-level soar.
Monday, December 1st is the last day
for the student to turn in their reading
sheets.
The Parent Tip for this week comes
from the National Parent Information
Network with information from an article
(The Respectful Child) written by
Elizabeth Pantly.
Webster defines "respect" as …, "to
show honor or esteem for. To treat with
deference and regard." How can we
raise respectful children?
1. Teach through actions
"Do as I say, not as I do" sounds like a
fun idea, but as a parenting tool it rarely
(if ever) works. You are your child’s
first and most important teacher. Just as
children learn to talk by listening to us
talk, they learn how to treat others by
following our lead. Watch how you
treat, not only your own children, but
other people you come in contact with
during the day. What are you teaching
your kids?
2. Teach more than just manners.
"Thank you" can be said as a polite compliment,
or can be said with sarcasm and
attitude fit for a back alley. When we
teach our children manners, we must
also discuss the not-so-obvious details –
such as using a polite tone of voice, and
using real words (such as yes instead of
"uh huh"). These are not things our children
are born knowing. We need to
teach these important facets of good
manners.
3. Provide positive and consistent discipline.
Parents with knowledge and skills to
tackle the job of raising children will
find it easier to raise respectful children.
When you have good parenting skills
you will find that discipline is an easy
task. This means reading a few good
books or taking parenting a class to help
maintain control of the parent/child relationship
in a way that fosters respect in
the family.
You may find a selection of excellent
resources in our High School Library.
Mrs. Donna Seymour will be glad to
assist you in choosing and checking out
a reference book.
4. Be firm but fair.
Letting children get away with bad
behavior only breeds more of the same.
Make sure your child knows the rules of
the family and that you discipline appropriately
when rules are broken. Firm
and fair discipline is not haphazard and
does not change depending on your
mood. It requires a consistency that
your children can count on. (They may
not like it, but they can count on it!) It
is not the severity of a consequence that
makes it effective, but the certainty of it.
When your children know exactly what
your expectations are, and that there will
be a penalty for failing to meet those
expectations, they will more likely
behave in an appropriate manner.
5. Praise good behavior.
Your praise and encouragement have a
tremendous impact on your child.
"Praise" messages are not all verbal
either. An "OK" hand signal, a wink, a
smile, a hug all speak volumes to a child
who has just done something right.
These positive messages reinforce a
child’s goodness, and encourage more
of the same positive behavior.
Thursday and Friday, November 20th
and 21st, a group of our teachers attend-
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