Pennies for Patients

Pennies for Patients week is coming February 1 - 5. We will be collecting spare change and other donations to support Pennies for Patients, a cancer education program and fundraiser benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
* Every day, approximately 33 parents learn their child has cancer.
* Every 4 minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
* Leukemia is the number one cancer in children and young adults under age 20.
* In the early 1060's, only 1 in 25 children survived leukemia. Today, more than 8 in 10 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia survive.

Monday: Hello Yellow Day: wear yellow to raise awareness for the penny program
Tuesday: Reverse your clothing so we can reverse the fatality of leukemia
Wednesday: Pennies PJ Day
Thursday: Jerseys (Team up against Leukemia)
Friday: Hat's On to Leukemia Day (donate $1 to wear a hat during the school day)

For more information: www.leukemia-lymphoma.org

Elementary NFL Day

"Never Forget Learning"

Super Bowl Sunday and NFL week are coming soon! The Fred Assam Elementary Student Council is "Gearing Up" to celebrate their own NFL week.

All students may wear any NFL clothing they have supporting their favorite team (Saints, Colts, Vikings, Dolphins, Cowboys, LYNX!) to school on Friday, January 29. Come dressed to observe "NFL Day" - Never Forget Learning.

NFL Backers: Fred Assam Elementary Student Council

P.S. May the Best Learner Win!

3rd grade students continue working on Math Facts

Congratulations to Sydney, Thomas, Devin, and Carley! They are the latest third grade students to complete their adding and subtracting math facts.

Operation Kids Clothes to Haiti!

WOW! What a turn-out on this special mission!! 5th grade teacher Jon Peters coordinated this effort at the last minute on Thursday. A note was sent home after he heard that a couple of his friends would be making the trip to Haiti. On Monday, Jan. 25, a truck will be leaving from Canton, SD to bring clothing and other necessities to the people of Haiti. Just take a look at these pictures to see what a great response from our Fred Assam Elementary families!!

I HATE WINTER!

We had
TONS of fun at our I HATE WINTER DAY! This was a fundraiser for Student Council ~ so for 25 cents, students could wear their summer clothing and purchase freezer pops! With the weather forecast sounding nasty outside - there were lots of giggles and warm smiles inside. We sold over 350 freezer pops. BIG THANKS to everyone who supported our fundraiser!

Flashing Beacons!

The flashing beacons are in! Motorists will now know exactly where the reduced speed limit is enforced. Sioux Falls city and Minnehaha County each paid for the flashers. Brandon Valley School District will be picking up the tab for the sidewalk leading to the crosswalk area north of the school on the east side of Six Mile Road. Home owners in Mystic Meadows and Pine Lake Hills will be deciding about sidewalk on the west side of Six Mile Road. Come Spring ~ when all of this snow disappears ~ the sidewalks will be 'cemented in', walkers and bikers will be ready to go, and we will be looking mighty fine along Six Mile Road with safe areas for children to travel to and from Fred Assam Elementary School!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year. It is celebrated as a holiday in almost every country in the world. It is a time of gaiety, sharing with friends, remembering the past, and hoping for good things in the future.
January is a very productive time in schools. I like to call it "the meat and potato" time of the school year. All of the holiday distractions are over and we are all well rested and ready to go. We now have a stretch of mostly uninterrupted teaching time!
As a school faculty, we have been working quite hard to improve academic achievement. Coming together as a new school, making changes, working towards a common goal ~ using teamwork, cooperation, determination, and executing it well, have been critical elements for success. I am very pleased with the progress we have made up to this point and look forward to watching as the remainder of the year unfolds.
On behalf of the staff at Fred Assam Elementary, I would like to extend a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all of our school families. Susan Foster ~ Principal

Meet Frassy!

Mr. Peters and his family adopted

"Frassy" ~ a 2 month old German wirehair pointer mix puppy. Once Frassy is old enough, she will go through therapy training and be used at the elementary school. Many studies have shown that when students read to and interact with dogs, their reading (and behavior) improves. While Frassy will spend time during the day at school, Mr. Peters will take her home evenings, week-ends, and school vacations. If you haven't figured it out by now - Frassy was named for our school ~ Fred Assam Elementary. Grandma's Arrowsmith & Foster are looking forward to Frassy's visits to the office.

Student Council service project a success!

Our Student Council sponsored Angel (Pet) Christmas tree was a huge success! Just ask the Humane Society ~ we needed a van to transport all of the goodies to them! Student Council members loaded the donations, traveled to the Humane Society, and unloaded the donations just before Christmas. We actually moved our visit up by one day due to the weather forecast ~ and we were really glad that we did! The Humane Society was desperately in need of food for the animals and we had lots to give them. After unloading, Monique (from the Humane Society) gave us a tour of their facility. We had a chance to see the many animals waiting for adoption ~ and of course - pick-up, play, and pet a few, too!
If you haven't checked out Jill's story in the Brandon Valley Challenger ~ be sure to find the December 30th issue. Thanks, Jill for spotlighting the Fred Assam Elementary Student Council!

Christmas tunes

Students and staff at Fred Assam Elementary School were treated to lots of delightful tunes from the orchestra and band. 4th & 5th grade orchestra students and 5th grade band students have been practicing very hard all fall to prepare for their holiday performances. Everyone enjoyed their festive music ~ and attire! Keep up the super sounds, students! Fa -la -la, Fa -la, -la!

Piano practice pays off!

Mariah, Mason, & Mayer played a Christmas piano recital for their teachers at school! It was their gift to their teachers and principal! ~ and what a wonderful gift it was! They each practiced and prepared two Christmas songs to play for their audience. It was obvious to each listener that the children have dedicated many times of lessons and practice ~ their performance was perfect! Keep up with your lessons ~ you are very talented and we need more piano players!!

5th grade students ~ Math Facts

The goal for Emmett and Jordan was to get their Math Facts in a Flash finished by Christmas ~ and they did it! Congratulations, guys!

Gingerbread Houses

3rd grade classrooms smelled really sweet just before Christmas! Each student constructed their own Gingerbread house with a milk carton foundation, graham cracker rooftops and siding, lots of frosting, and a wide variety of candy! Student imaginations created sidewalks, fences, chimneys, and festive decorations on each house. It was super fun to listen to their descriptions and plans for their house creation!

update with 3rd grade Math Facts!

The latest Math Facts in a Flash finishers are ~ Sterling, Audrey, Jacob, Jackson, & Chris. Way to go 3rd graders!! Keep mastering those math facts!

Egg Drop

5th grade students completed their science Egg Drop experiment prior to Christmas. Each student created a unique egg holder ~ to keep their egg from breaking when dropped from 5', 10', and 20'. Great fun was shared by all 5th grade students and staff as each container with an egg inside was dropped.