Teaching Kids the Gift of Giving

Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt Free) Giving

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays/christmas/29608.html#ixzz2DSUxNRuN

Six Ways to Get Going on (Guilt-Free!) Giving

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays/christmas/29608.html#ixzz2DSUxNRuN

Source: familyeducation.com

1. Get honest. Okay, so your kids have never seen the inside of a homeless shelter, nor donated a single item for a charity toy drive. Talk about it! "You know, we really haven't made this a priority as a family, and that was a mistake, so now we're going to." Done. Now move on...

2. Remember the 2 Gs: gratitude and giving. "You can't have one without the other," says Kendrick. "They go hand in hand." Giving kids a chance to help others is how they learn to appreciate what they have (and children who appreciate what they have are not only happier people, they are less likely to whine and moan for every last item they see in the mall!)

Christmas Card Holder Craft

Here is a cute paper plate Christmas card holder to make together with your kids. 

If you haven't already purchased Christmas cards to send to friends and family, check out the cards available through the C-FB ISD Educational Foundation.  All of the artwork was done by C-FB ISD students and the funds raised go back into C-FB schools. 

click here to see the C-FB Kids Cards

Printable of the Week

Countdown to Christmas Calendar

Here is a website with a month full of activities to do with your kids for the month of December.

click here to print the countdown calendar

Thanksgiving Table Crafts

Here is a website with printable table crafts for the kids table at the family gathering. 

Printable of the Week

Curious to know what your children are thankful for?

Here is your chance to find out.

What are Parents Saying About C-FB ISD?

“Ms. Carr has made a great impact on not only my life but my son’s life. He is now able to sit down with such confidence and write his name. He has been learning so much and its because of her. Every time I speak with Ms. Carr, she has a big bright smile on her face and assures me that she really cares about each and every student. I would like to thank Ms. Carr and the Blair staff for welcoming my family with open arms and smiles.”  -Aimme Jordan, via Facebook

Got Orchestra? C-FB ISD Does!

C-FB Blogabilities: C-FB ISD is rated as one of the "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America.” Come and experience the award-winning C-FB ISD Or...

Community Literacy Night

C-FB Blogabilities: Mark Your Calendar for Literacy Night: C-FB ISD Literacy Night December 3, 6-8:30 p.m. At Newman Smith High School Free books for all secondary students who attend.  All C...

Music and Development

Facts on Growth: Babies to Young Adults

While experts warn that it's too early to get excited about magically turning children into superlearners with a wave of the baton, here's a sampling of what some researchers have observed in their experiments:

• Preschoolers who had keyboard training did better at math reasoning than another group that had computer training instead.
• College students who had received musical training before age 12 remembered significantly more words from a list than other students.
• Infants can distinguish differences in pitch, melody and rhythm from very early on. In fact, they even seem to recognize music they were exposed to repeatedly in the womb.
• Students who received daily music training for seven months had higher reading scores at the end than did a control group. A year later, their scores were still higher than the control groups.
• Preschoolers were able to learn body parts better in a lesson that used music and dance as opposed to conventional lessons, or even one including movement but no music.

source:  www.eduguide.org

Thanksgiving Holiday

This is a time of year when we are reminded how thankful we are for the students, families and staff at C-FB ISD.

In observance of Thanksgiving, C-FB ISD campuses will be closed Monday, November 19 through Friday, November 23. Classes will resume on Monday, November 26.

Have a safe and restful holiday.

What are Parents Saying about C-FB ISD?

Miss Davis and Evan Acevedo

“My son is a 1st grader at Country Place Elementary in Miss Davis’ class. He is having a fantastic year so far, but this week Miss Davis went above and beyond. We have been working on handwriting skills and I sent her an email asking if she had any ideas or strategies we could work on at home. Not only did she send me an email with several FREE websites to go to for ideas, she sent home a packet the next day with personalized worksheets and a new spiral for him to practice on! He was so excited and I was so touched at the individual attention she paid to him!!  It is moments like these where we are without a doubt positive we made the right choice with C-FB ISD and Country Place Elementary!”  - Paige Acevedo

Read more parent testimonials about C-FB ISD here.

Thanksgiving Craft for Little Hands

Create a lifetime of memories in 15 minutes or less with this turkey potholder craft.  

Printable of the Week

Here is a fun color by numbers printable for Thanksgiving featuring the numbers 1-5.

Great Books for Thanksgiving

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
Cheerful and lighthearted, this familiar holiday rhyme gets an inventive retelling as a class trip to a turkey farm turns into a daring rescue.

Thanksgiving Rules
This giddy guide offers playful instructions for how to stuff oneself silly during a Thanksgiving feast.









Find these and other Thanksgiving Books on Scholastic.com

The Benefits of Parent Involvement

Students with involved parents have greater academic success, better attitudes about school, and fewer behavioral problems.

Here are some tips on how to get involved:

· Share your child’s strengths, talents, and interests with teachers.
· Share expectations and set goals for your child with his or her teacher.
· Attend parent-teacher conferences with specific questions you want to ask.
· Ask teachers or school counselors about how to talk with your child about tough topics.
· Seek out classes or information on child development, learning styles, discipline, etc.
· Attend parent education fairs and other special events at school.
· Start a parent book club to discuss current publications.



Check out this brochure produced by the National PTA about parent involvement.





 

C-FB ISD has an Award Winning PTA

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Council PTA was organized in 1959. It currently supports 36 PTAs, including 1 early childhood PTAs, 24 elementary PTAs, 6 middle school PTAs, and 5 high school PTSAs.

Visit the PTA website for more information.

Check out this video about the C-FB ISD PTA

Teaching Kids about GERMS!

Help stop the spread of the flu by talking to your kids about germs.  Here is a website designed for kids to learn about the flu and other health issues.

kidshealth.org

Here is a printable newsletter with more information about the flu from healthwaveinc.com.

Easy Turkey Craft for Toddlers

Have you looked at our Pinterest Board lately? 

This turkey craft for toddlers could also been done with older kids but toddlers get an extra kick out of squeezing and spreading the glitter glue as well as the sticky texture of the contact paper.

Find this and other cool crafts on our Pinterest Board

National Young Readers Week

November 12-16 is National Young Readers Week.

Here is a free website for young readers where they can hear a story read to them or select a story to read independently. 

Printable of the Week

Monday, November 12 is Veterans Day.

Here is a patriotic printable to spark a conversation.