A Chinchilla

On April 25th students from Chandler Creek Elementary had the chance to meet animals from across the globe. Safe Haven & Educational Adventures is a local non-profit which “is a permanent refuge for rescued exotic wildlife that have either been abandoned, abused, lost their home through death of the owner, or found to be more than the owners can handle.” Students were able to learn about the individual animals and their natural habitats. Previously in the school year students spent time learning about the animal kingdom, now they were able to get a closer look at a few of the animals from Safe Haven. The students also learned about picking out a new pet and learning about taking care of a new ones.

Coincidentally, it was also one of our students birthdays. As birthday surprise he was called into a ‘man versus beast’ battle. The competition was to open a walnut as fast as possible. Both were off to a slow start, with the Macaw taunting our 4th grade human competitor. Eventually after a hard fought battle the bird ended the fight with one break of the beak. Everyone had a good laugh and congratulated both for their effort.

-We would like to thank Safe Haven and Educational Adventures for doing such a great job not only showing animals but also teaching the students about taking care of the pets and knowing when its appropriate to take on a new housemate. Their website is SafeHavenAnimals.org. The would like to mention that on May 19th they are having Adventure Day from 11am to 7pm

In March our theme was about Protecting and Preserving the Environment so as a class we started a project based learning unit about the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle; and how important they are.  Students divided themselves into 6 groups and then the team leader of each group drew one of the R words, at random, to see what their group would be researching and preparing a poster for.   Each group was responsible for promoting their R, explaining what their R is, giving others ideas on how to use their R, and teaching their peers how important their R is in protecting and preserving the Earth. 

Students researched their Rs by taking notes using books and magazines, computers and the internet, and various other resources.  After collecting facts about their R, each group worked with our Art Club Teacher, Miss Gaffney.  She helped students brainstorm and get ideas on how to create a poster to promote their R and show others how important it is.  She also helped each team create a rough draft of their poster to get them started.  Groups also worked very closely with our tutors for this project.  Each group had a tutor that helped them on coming up with concepts and a theme for their poster, and also on completing their posters.

After completing their posters, students presented their project to the class and others; explaining and teaching them about their R and how it helps the environment.  After presenting their posters, we had a 3R Poster Celebration for all their hard work!  We had a variety of brownies, cookies, and drinks.  During the celebration the posters were judged by other teachers and tutors and each poster won in a different category!  Students really enjoyed this activity and worked very hard, giving their best effort to complete this project. Students will reduce, reuse, and recycle in order to have a greener tomorrow!

Written by Ms. Davis, 5^th Grade Afterschool Teacher

 Through The Children’s Trust of South Carolina, our state has been moving towards a campaign that focuses on prevention, rather than shocking media messages about abuse.  This new campaign, Pinwheels for Prevention, emphasizes the 5 Protective Factors that strengthen a family’s resistance to abuse or neglect. Protective factors are positive attributes that strengthen all families, not just those at risk.

The Protective Factors include:   

1. Nurturing and Attachment

Building a close bond helps parents better understand and respond to and communicate with their children.

2. Knowledge of Parenting and Development

Parents learn what to look for at each age and how to help their children reach their full potential.

3. Parental Resilience

Recognizing the signs of stress and enhancing problem-solving skills can help parents build their capacity to cope.

4. Social Connections

Parents with an extensive network of family, friends, and neighbors have better support in times of need.

5. Concrete Support for Parents and Access to Services

Caregivers with access to financial, housing, and other concrete resources and services that help them meet their basic needs can better attend to their role as parents.

CIS reinforces the 5 Protective Factors by offering program strategies that:

• Facilitate children’s social and emotional development
• Strenghten parenting skills
• Value and support parents
• Link families to services and opportunities
• Respond to family crisis
• Facilitate friendship and mutual support

 As you drive through Greenville, be on the lookout for “gardens of pinwheels” that serve as visual reminders that families are not alone and our community cares for them. CIS is excited to be a part of this collaborative effort that is bringing attention to the joys of childhood by planting pinwheels!

• Identify areas to change. If you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you typically think negatively about, whether it’s work, your daily commute or a relationship, for example. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way.
• Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you’re thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.
• Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.
• Follow a healthy lifestyle. Exercise at least three times a week to positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. And learn to manage stress.
• Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.
• Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about your health.

The simple action of reflection and awareness and changed my tune and I hope it will help my students as well.

Parents and students learned about the food groups, serving sizes, and caloric intake.  Jessica shared the importance of starting the day off with breakfast and tips on avoiding the fast food traps.  She also stated for everyone to eat the colors of the rainbow!  What are your favorite fruits and vegetables?

Lillian Munoz, Title I Parent Involvement Coordinator provided Spanish translation services.  Dinner was provided by Redeemer Presbyterian Church.  The informative seminar taught parents how to be healthy role models for their children!

My mother is a middle school teacher. I was always found volunteer work in her school. I knew a few things about motivating kids, but was ill-prepared for developing so many personal connections with the students. The most fulfilling part of the job is being able to positively affect the program’s students nearly every day of the school year. One of my tasks throughout the afternoon is leading opening council. During this time I have all of the kids listening to me at once. This is the time that I get up on my soap box and attempt to provide some words of wisdom to the students. At first I thought the kids were good at pretending to listen just to appease me but then, as they became more comfortable with me, a few students came up to me and asked me questions about what it meant to “go above and beyond.” I take this forum very serious and attempt to create a positive vibe for the day by pointing out what we are doing well and how we can improve.

My site supervisor asked me a few weeks into the program if I was enjoying what I was doing. I responded honestly and said that I loved coming in everyday. I found that no matter my mood or my energy level, when I left Chandler Creek I was in high spirits. The students in our program at Chandler Creek Elementary continue to inspire me and my effort to give back.

Every 26 seconds a child drops out of school. Less than three-quarters of the students who enter the 9th grade graduate four years later.

At Communities In Schools of Greenville we help the kids facing the greatest challenges, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Communities In Schools (CIS) places site coordinators in schools to benefit students and their families. These site coordinators fulfill student needs by mobilizing existing community resources and fostering cooperative partnerships. CIS utilizes evidence-based research to support its model. This model demonstrated the strongest reduction in dropout rates according to an independent study and was shown to be effective in helping elementary and middle school students improve academically. We believe this level of rigor is necessary to ensure that children, particularly those most in need, are provided programs proven to be effective. This approach would also ensure adequate protection of taxpayer dollars.

As the president and Congress deliberate education legislation like the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we hope they support opportunities to include funding for site coordinators to use evidence-based programs as a fundamental part of school reform.

Susi Smith

Greenville

The writer is executive director of Communities In Schools of Greenville.

Duke Energy, along with The National Theatre for Children, provided a free educational assembly for CIS students on energy conservation.  The assembly was a live theatrical presentation called The Energized Guyz!

  It was a comedy show performed by two professional actors.  The two actors played a variety of wacky characters, switching costumes and wigs, in a wild comic-book plot.  It was a fun treat for students, but it also included important educational content about energy conservation.  The engaging and educational show taught students all about energy: the different types of energy, how we use energy, and how we can conserve water and electricity.

 In addition to the show, Duke Energy is providing FREE energy conservation kits for the home, and one school in our state will win $1000 for the highest percentage of kits ordered.  

 Order your kit at MyEnergyKit.org or call 1-855-386-9548. Everyone in our school community can sign up for a free kit and help Duncan Chapel win $1000!  The kits contain 2 CFL light bulbs, gaskets, low-flow shower head, water meter bag, aerators for faucets, an LED nightlight, a glow ring toy and a booklet on energy saving tips.  Encourage your family and friends, as long as they live in SC, NC, or OH, to sign up. Make sure they type in ‘Duncan Chapel’ on the form when they sign-up so we will get credit for their kit.   

 The Energized Guyz! allowed Communities in Schools students to learn practical ways they can be responsible for saving energy, creating a greener tomorrow for us all!