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Fairforest Elementary School
February Newsletter
A Message from the Principal
Important Dates:
Dear Parents,
February 2 – Spring Pictures (3rd-5th)
February 4 – Student Council meeting 7:20 am
in Media Center
February 6 – Interims issued
Spring Pictures (K-2nd)
February 12 – Mother’s Breakfast (K-2nd) 7:00-7:45 am
February 13 – Mother’s Breakfast (3rd-5th) 7:00-7:45 am
8:30 am – Kindergarten American Symbols
program in auditorium
February 16 – Teacher Workday: No School for Students!
Greenville Drive Reading Program begins
for 3rd-5th graders
February 17 – Jr. Beta Club Induction ceremony 6:30 pm
February 19 – Science Fair judging
I would like to thank those of you who gave money in
January for our student council fundraiser. A portion of
that money allowed us to honor the hard work of our
cafeteria staff and custodians with a delicious lunch. A
donation will also be made to the “Make a Wish”
Foundation which will help make a wish come true for a
child with a terminal illness. The generous giving of our
Fairforest students and families truly made getting a pie
in my face much sweeter.
This past week, one of our district six families suffered a
tragedy in the total loss of their home in a house fire.
Fortunately, no one was injured; however, all of their
belongings were destroyed. During the month of
February, Fairforest Elementary School will be showing
our love for this family. We will be collecting any
monetary donations to present to the family at the end of
the month. Our administration is ready to have some
more fun with our students to celebrate our students’
generosity and loyalty to our community.
Thank you in advance for your unselfish giving!
Scientists at work!
Respectfully,
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Art News
Music News
The artists at Fairforest have been making name
designs in fifth grade in an array of patterns of black and
white that are repeated in a creative design. Fourth
graders have been designing carnival masks and will
display them in time for Mardi Gras on February 17. The
masks have a harmonious color group of either warm,
cool, tinted or primary colors. The result is a spirit- lifting
parade of color and design. Third graders are making
Impressionistic paintings and studying the work of
Claude Monet followed by a unit on South Carolina
theme drawings and sculpture. Second graders have
begun a unit on Japanese art and artists. The unit
includes celebrating girl’s day in Japan on May 4.
Japanese boys can look forward to their special day on
May 5. First graders are learning about portraits and
making their own self portrait in collage. Their
assignment is to observe closely in a mirror to make
their face and tell something about themselves through
shapes, colors and a background.
Visions News: Congratulations go to Anna Grace C.
whose artwork was chosen for the HeART award. She
will be honored at the Heart Ball on February 14.
Current gifted art classes are researching Oceanic art
and are making two dimensional art and crafts based on
their study. Mark your calendar for June 8-12 for Visions
summer Art Institute free to current art and music Vision
students. Visions testing for the 2015 – 2016 program
began in January and the results will be sent home to
parents in mid-February. A second screening will take
place February 23 – 27 and consists of an interview as
well as a portfolio of student artwork.
The 5th grade Honors Chorus is busy preparing for the
District 6 Choral Festival which will be held on Tuesday,
March 3rd at 6:30pm. This concert features all of our
choral ensembles in the district and will be held at our
new District Fine Arts Center on the Dorman Campus.
Our 5th grade students will soon begin a recorder unit.
They are reviewing notes on the staff, reading rhythm
and melody, and translating notes on the page to an
instrument. They will prepare to perform in May at their
awards ceremony.
Our 4th grade students and Music Visions students are
studying the orchestra instruments and beginning “The
Orchestra Moves” curriculum from the Carnegie Hall
series. The Spartanburg Philharmonic will be presenting
a concert at Converse College on March 25th for our
students to attend during the school day. More
information will follow about this field trip.
Our 3rd grade students are getting ready to show you
what they have learned. Their music share time will be
in March. More info. will be sent about dates to visit your
child’s music class.
Our 2nd grade students have been translating simple
melodies from music page to the glockenspiel. They will
soon prepare music for a spring program in April.
Music Visions students are reminded to turn in two
concert programs during the year. If you attend a
concert or outdoor music event where a program is not
handed out, just write a note to Miss Moore with the
child’s name, the date of the performance, and a few
details about the concert. Also – a reminder for Visions
students to be on time. Class begins at 7:30 a.m.
A note to all parents and students: I’ve added kids’
websites, event dates, program information, and music
tracks & lyrics on the district itslearning site. I encourage
you and your child to check out their page. This will be a
great way to communicate important information and
allow students to practice what they are learning in the
classroom.
Spanish News
La Familia is the unit of study for Spanish classes this
month. As students practice vocabulary for family
relationships, they also learn about the heritage and
daily lives of children who live in Spanish-speaking
countries. Kindergarten and First graders are introduced
to families of Mexico and Costa Rica. Second graders
become familiar with families of Puerto Rico and Spain.
The following are some of the general topics the children
are interested in knowing more about: What are the kids’
daily activities? What is their school like? What kind of
food do they like to eat? What kinds of sports/pastimes
are they involved in? In what ways are their lives
different/similar in comparison to our own?
STRINGS: Our annual String Fling Concert is quickly
approaching. This concert will feature all Orchestra
students in District 6. The 5th grade Strings students will
open up the program and again join all students at the
end in “America the Beautiful” with over 700 Orchestra
students! String Parents: Please encourage your little
musicians to practice every day and perform for the
family. The 5th grade String Fling Rehearsal is
Thursday, February 26, 4-5pm, @ Dorman in the
Orchestra Room and the String Fling Concert is
Thursday, March 5, 7pm @ Dorman HS Arena. Please
mark your calendars. *A reminder that Practice Snakes
should be turned in every Tuesday for a grade.
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PE News
Media Center News
In February, we will be participating in the Fitness Gram.
This is a health and fitness assessment given to 3rd-5th
grade students. It is the program adopted by South
Carolina to create a uniform assessment around the
state. It measures aerobic capacity, muscular strength &
endurance, and flexibility. We also work with our
younger students on the concepts related to the Fitness
Gram so they will be prepared when they reach 3rd
grade.
TWEENS (ages 10-12): Looking for something fun to
do? The Westside Library has programs the first
Thursday evening of every month. This month, on
February 5th, there is a Valentine’s Craft. Younger than
10? Don’t feel bad, there are children’s activities too!
Check out the Westside Library website for more
information:
http://www.infodepot.org/zLoc/WESinfo.asp
Please remind your students to check the gym and lost
& found for their coats and sweatshirts. We have had
quite a few left in the gym after the early morning
program and the after school program lately. When we
collect these items, we take them to the lost & found
clothes rack outside the cafeteria, where they can easily
find their lost items.
Many of our students are doing research projects in
class. A great resource available for all South
Carolinians is Discus, South Carolina’s Virtual Library.
You can access it at home by visiting scdiscus.org
As the weather turns cold, many of our students will be
wearing boots or clogs. Please remind your children that
they need to wear proper athletic shoes on PE day. This
is important for their safety, as we do not want anyone
tripping or falling and getting injured. Thank you for your
assistance and support in this matter.
Contact Mrs. Groover for login
Information!
You can also visit the FES library catalog from home!
Type http://tinyurl.com/k4h6mu3 or click through the
links on the school website. Second-fifth graders know
how to logon to Destiny Quest (the name of the catalog)
and can put books on hold and see what they currently
have checked out. They can also leave book reviews!
You can also download the Destiny Quest app from
iTunes or GooglePlay.
Horizons News
As I was perusing through some old books, I found this
article I thought would be good to share.
John Glenn was the first American and third man to be
put into orbital space flight. But, he is notable for being
more than an astronaut. He became involved in politics
and was elected U.S. senator from Ohio in 1974.
Senator Glenn was asked to share some of his thoughts
about growing up and he gave some excellent advice for
us about school: “While you have the chance, go to
school, study and learn as much as you can, use that
knowledge to help yourself today and tomorrow. While I
can’t promise you that the task will be an easy one, I can
guarantee you that it will be challenging, rewarding, and
well worth it.”
Here is John Glenn’s list of things students should think
about.
1. Realize that school isn’t just a chore –it’s the key
that will open the door to your future.
2. Remember that through school you have the
chance to shine, to use your talents and gifts. To
be somebody!
3. And the hardest thing of all—you must realize
that education goes on forever.
The Big Book of Kid’s Lists by: Sandra Choron
After I read this I thought …this is what Horizons class is
all about, challenging, rewarding, and well worth it!
Upcoming trips: April 2, 2015 5th grade trip to Kings Mt.
April 3, 2015 3rd grade trip to Rose Hill
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Guidance News
Hopes, Dreams, Goals, Future
This month during classroom guidance we have been
focusing on skills we need to have school success that
will eventually lead to career success. These skills
include tips to do better in school, goal-setting, and
realizing we are unique and special. Self-Confidence,
or faith in oneself, is needed to achieve success in
school, make good career decisions and responsible life
choices. As parents, you can help your child develop
that all important confidence. Here are just a few ways:
 Provide positive reinforcement whenever possible;
reward and praise your child’s achievements.
 Teach your child the power of wise decision making;
you can show how good judgment leads to positive
results by setting up achievable goals and tasks
(saving money for a large purchase, for instance).
 Become active in your child’s choice of friends and
activities; encouraging positive friendships and
participation in constructive activities; attend sporting
events, plays and recitals. Drive them to movies,
concerts and other outings.
 Be active in your child’s school career. A student will
take school - and the future, more seriously knowing
that his or her parents are attending conferences,
job fairs, career nights and school board meetings.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or
concerns about your child’s guidance and
counseling program here at FES.
In Partnership,
Nicole Mason and Anna Ballard
FES School Counselors
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