Activities Calendar

May

  8th         5th Gr. Field Trip to the Mormon Trail Center

    9th         KG. Field Trip to Gifford Farm

    11th        Last Blast Carnival

    14th       Beanery Day

    16th       5th Gr. Field Trip to Mahoney State Park

    17th       Godfather’s Day

    17th     3rd Gr. Field Trip to Arbor Day Farms

    17th       PTO Meeting   6:30 PM

    18th       Field Day/Literacy on the Lawn

    21st      5th Gr. “Night of Memories” 6:00 PM

    22nd      Preschool - Last Day of Classes - Teddy Bear Picnic

    23rd      K-5 Last Day of Classes (Dismissal 1:00 PM)

    23rd     Polka Dot Giraffe Day (open until 6:00 PM)

    26th      Sunrize Donuts Day (6 AM to noon)

Spotlight Section

Each month we would like to “Spotlight” the accomplishments or great activities our students are involved with.  If you have an accomplishment or event that you would like to share, please email the following information to ahuckins@gretnadragons.org.  These will be published in the last newsletter of each month:

Students name, the classroom teachers name, and the “Spotlight information.               

Gretna Last Blast Carnival

Friday, May 11th 6-9pm

Sarpy Co. Fairgrounds

Take advantage of the wristband and single ticket pre-purchase opportunity.  The ”all for one” wristband admits the wearer to most attractions for one price: unlimited games, seven bounce houses, the Balloon Brigade, Human Velcro, Human Bowling, rides on the

John Deere Train and more.

The Pre-Purchase order deadline has been extended to Friday, May 11th

Tickets are needed for:

Sandy Candy, cotton candy, face painting,

temporary hair color by Local Salons, the pizza dinners, and new this year…funnel cakes.

Order forms were sent home today but are also available in the “Printable Flyers” link

Check the “Printable Flyers” for…

*Be A Scout Night Flyer

*PTO Carnival

*College 4 Kids    

* Camp Invention

* Missoula Children’s Theater-Rumpelstiltskin

*Creighton Summer Reading Programs

*Campus Life Flyer

Gretna Elementary School

June 11-15, 2012

9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Contact: Jill Hecker 402-332-3341 or jhecker@gretnadragons.org

Availability is limited, so visit www.campinvention.org

or call 800-968-4332 to reserve

your child’s spot today!

Gretna Days Collection
 The Gretna High School Band is collecting glassware and stuffed animals for the Gretna Days Coin Toss booth. If you would like to donate these items please contact Jeannie Henry at 884-9757, Kristy Hadden

at 690-0091, Jody Human at 573-1360 or

Michelle Kostal at 916-9554

to arrange pick up. We will be collecting until July 20th.

Thank you for your support

of the Gretna High School Band program.

Thank you to all of the parents who helped with the GES Torch Run today.  We couldn’t do it without you.

                         Torch Run Envelopes

Collection envelopes need to  be returned to school

no later than May, 18th .

Gift Card winners will be announced at a later date.

Notes From The Nurse

A good night’s sleep is crucial to good health.   Chronic sleep problems have been associated with a wide range of serious health consequences, including increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression and heart attacks. People who suffer chronic sleeplessness are less productive and more likely to be injured than those who are well rested.  

The symptoms of sleep deprivation in children resemble those of A.D.H.D. While adults experience sleep deprivation as drowsiness and sluggishness, sleepless children often become wired, moody and obstinate; they may have trouble focusing, sitting still and getting along with peers.  Lack of sleep is an insult to a child's developing body and mind that can have a huge impact.

Sleep experts note that children who lose as little as half an hour of needed sleep per night — whether because of a sleep disorder or just staying up too late can exhibit behaviors typical of A.D.H.D.

One study suggesting a link between inadequate sleep and A.D.H.D. found,  children whose sleep was affected by breathing problems like snoring, mouth breathing or apnea, were more likely than normal breathers to develop behavioral problems resembling A.D.H.D.  Children with nighttime breathing problems did better with cognitive and attention-directed tasks and had fewer behavioral issues after their adenoids and tonsils were removed. The children were significantly less likely than untreated children with sleep-disordered breathing to be given an A.D.H.D. diagnosis in the ensuing months and years.  Behavioral problems linked to nighttime breathing difficulties are thought to be more likely a result of inadequate sleep than possible oxygen deprivation.   The same types of behavioral symptoms in children with other kinds of sleep disruptions have been seen.

Sleep deprivation is difficult to spot in children.  Pediatricians may not even know to make a referral, because they often depend on parents to bring up their children’s sleep problems during checkups.  But parents themselves often are uninformed about healthy sleep habits and are unable to answer basic questions like the number of hours of sleep a child needs.  Parents didn’t know what normal sleep behavior was.   Many thought snoring was cute and meant their child was sleeping deeply and soundly.

Occasional sleepless nights are normal.   Abnormal behaviors during sleep are fairly common in children. If they persist and begin to affect waking hours, talk to your doctor.  Everyone can benefit from better sleep habits.  Getting enough sleep will help you feel better and you will be more productive.

Important Lunch Notices 

It is very important that lunch balances are not negative at the end of the year.  Remember, any funds remaining in the account will transfer over to next year. For assistance with your Family ID or PIN number, contact the office at 402-332-3341.

Summer Camp Information:

All summer camp information and camp forms are available on the Gretna Public Schools

website“www.gretnadragons.org”. Click on your child's school and then click on the link “summer camp forms” to find what you need for summer camp information.  Paper forms will not be sent home with students. Forms must be printed from the website and returned, with payment, to the schools.  The due date for all camps associated with the Gretna Public Schools is Tuesday, May 15.  If you need additional camp information, please contact the contact person listed on each individual camp form.

Time with the Counselor

Keeping it Simple

Do great parents use a large variety of good parenting skills? Not typically!

Great parents don't overwhelm themselves by trying to use every trick in the book. Instead, they rely on a small number of skills yet apply them with consistency.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by your kids, could it be that you're trying too hard to do too many things? Might it be time to get back to the bare basics?

What are these "bare basics"? Listed below are the top three I've observed from my experience with thousands of truly great parents and educators:

•They demonstrate unconditional warmth and love.

Kids feel this magical type of love when their parents spend plenty of time with them, when their parents focus on their strengths, and when their parents display empathy instead of anger or sarcasm when things go wrong.

•Their "yes" is always "yes" and their "no" is always "no."

     Great parents are extremely careful to set only the

     limits they know they can enforce. They remember this

     important rule for setting limits:

Never tell a stubborn child what to do.

Instead, describe what you will do or allow.

      Would you like your kids to believe that every word

      you say is important?

•They allow their kids to experience the logical and

       natural consequences of their decisions.

Isn't it hard to watch our kids struggle with the consequences of their mistakes? While it breaks our hearts at times, allowing them to learn in this way gives them a tremendous advantage as they grow.  They develop respect, responsibility, and a good grasp of good old-fashioned common sense.  The key, of course, is to display empathy rather than anger. If you ever find this difficult, listen to our audio: Keeping  Cool When Parenting Heats Up.

Thanks for reading! 

Dr. Charles Fay