Room 13 Newsletter

Friday, November 17th, 2023

Thanksgiving Edition
Week 13
Thanksgiving is next week as well as my Birthday. There
will be no school. It is a time for all of us to share one of
the most important emotions—gratitude. In positive
psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently
associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people
feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences,
improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong
relationships.
In other words, showing gratitude is beneficial to our
health.
This time of year, we all share why we are grateful, so I
am going to share what I am grateful for:
1. I am grateful for my students – they are shining
examples of success and progress each and every day.
Each day they put a smile on my face.
 2. I am thankful for you, the parents – your support and
encouragement throughout the school year via email
and in person is invaluable to make me feel as though
all is right with the world even on the bleakest of
days.
3. I am thankful for my Special Education colleagues:
speech, OT, Psychologist, Program Coordinator, etc. –
Without their support none of this would be possible.
4. I am thankful for my classroom staff: Ms. Lily, Ms.
Roselle, Ms. Janela, Ms. Emelin, and Ms. Belle – They
are the ones who do so much to make sure each
student completes their work or takes them to recess
or the bathroom,etc. Without these important
people, it would make things much more challenging.
5. I am thankful for my family: partner, son, etc.-
Outside of school, they are the greatest joys of my
life. There love and support mean the world to me
and they will always have my heart and I will hold
them in mine.
Each year, as my birthday comes around (11/21), and
always close to Thanksgiving, I am always reminded of the
passing of time and the importance of making sure to make
every moment, every breath, every step, every word,
phrase, etc. mean something. I try to make a difference in
my community, and my profession on a daily basis. I want
to be a change-maker, and I love what I do and I will
continue to do it until my last breath. Teaching and
learning go hand in hand. As a teacher, if we are not
learning, we become stagnant and ineffective. I always
want to maintain my efficacy.
When we get back from Thanksgiving Break, we are ending
November and beginning the Christmas, Chanukkah,
Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice season, we’re reminded of the
importance of sharing and giving—there is no greater feeling
than that of giving of one’s self to another or a cause or
purpose for which one holds dear.

I would like to welcome a new student to our classroom as of this

week, Jackson! Welcome, Jackson! We look forward to getting to
know him and his family and, once again, we welcome them into our
Room 13 Family!
Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Thanksgiving movies. Here
is a link to version that is a book/movie. I hope you enjoy it as well as your
kids:

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

The one thing I love about Charlie Brown and the PEANUTS®™ Gang is that
they always have a great message to impart to everyone no matter how old
you are!

What are the benefits of children coloring?

When we think about coloring pages, we tend to think that they are just for
fun.

While children might enjoy the activity, there are many real benefits when
your students participate in the activity.

1. Fine Motor Practice This is especially true with the designs and fine lines found
on these pages. Coloring will help children strengthen the muscles in their hands.
 2. Hand-Eye Coordination We need this skill to track the movement of our hands
with our eyes. The eyes can send important signals to our brain about our hands.
Developing this skill helps eliminate what we offer refer to as clumsiness.

3. Improves Handwriting Part of this is due to the two skills mentioned above.
Coloring can also improve handwriting by helping children develop a correct grasp
on their writing tool.

4. Relaxation Coloring can also provide stress relief for children and adults. Focusing
on the task of coloring can be relaxing because as they focus on something simple,
it helps children release their emotions. Some children might do this through their
coloring. For example, a child might begin with more of a scribble while they are
angry and slowly calm down and become neater as they calm down. Because this
might be and emotional outlet, it is important not to critique the results. If your
child is coloring hard or scribbling a little, this might be how they are getting their
emotions under control.

11/17 National Take A Hike Day

11/18 National Princess Day

11/20-11/24 FALL BREAK – NO SCHOOL

11/21 Mr. Jarvi’s Birthday

11/22 Ms. Dani’s Birthday

11/23 THANKSGIVING DAY – TURKEY DAY!!

11/24 Ms. Viviana’s Birthday (Occupational Therapy)

Today’s inspiration comes from an email I received on
Wednesday evening. I was informed that three of our
students’ artwork from Room 13 is going to be included in
exhibit in collaboration with Beach Park Elementary and
Foster City Library! Congratulations!!!
I will be sending out congratulatory email to those parents
whose students’ works were chosen.