Greetings, Tanner families,
Happy November! The first quarter has flown by and officially comes to a close on Friday, November 3. The past nine weeks have been filled with a great deal of new learning for both students and staff. Students are engaged with their daily schedules including reading, writing, math, specials and more. Staff is diving into the assessment results and discussing the needs of all students. We look forward to talking about these assessment results and the growth your child is making at Parent/Teacher Conferences the week of November 13. If you have not already signed up for a conference time, please contact the main office or your child's teacher. You can also click on this link to view the sign-up.
Enjoy hearing a little bit about first grade from these two friends:
Enjoy hearing a little update from these Kindergarten friends:
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is quickly approaching. Enjoy the Thanksgiving break (Nov. 22, 23, 24) with family and friends.
Thank you for supporting Tanner and your child's education!
Liz Thoreson
November Community Flyers and Events
Meet our new staff!
Featured new staff member this month:
Mr. Theder
We are excited to have Mr. Theder teaching Art with us this year! Here is some fun information about Mr. Theder:
Where did you grow up? - "Hayward, WI"
Where did you go to college? - "UW-Oshkosh"
What is your favorite food? - "Pizza"
What do you enjoy most about Tanner? - "I enjoy all the wonderful students and staff that I get to work with."
Family Fun - "I enjoy spending time with my daughter Charlotte, fishing and being outdoors."
News from...
Mrs. Sundelius - school nurse
Mrs. Sundelius - school nurse
A child needs many tools to succeed in school. Good vision is one of these important tools. Some tasks at school that require good vision include; reading, writing, chalkboard work, and using computers. A child's eyes are constantly in use in the classroom and at play. When his or her vision is not functioning properly, education can suffer.
According to Prevent Blindness Wisconsin vision problems affect one in 20 preschoolers and one in four school age children. Without early detection and treatment, vision problems can lead to:
- permanent vision loss
- learning difficulties
Only an eye doctor can diagnose and treat a vision problem, but screenings help find children who need a full eye exam.
In the month of October the Kaukauna Lioness Club has been in the Kaukauna schools doing vision screening for preschool, kindergarten, grade 2 and grade 4 students. The Lioness ladies use the Spot Vision Screener. This is a handheld, portable device designed to help users quickly and easily detect vision issues on children. Spot screens both eyes at once from a nonthreatening 3-foot distance.
Parent contact will be made for any of the children in these grades who did not pass this screening. If you do not received a letter regarding a vision concern, please be assured that your child did pass this screening. As always if you have any questions please contact the nurse at your child’s school.
Art news - Mrs. Siegel
Kindergartners created a “shooting star” project by gluing a black star onto a long white paper, and then learned all about lines. They used their practice lines to draw lines coming from their “shooting stars.” Black markers and watercolor pencils were used for the lines. Water was then painted over the lines to show the watercolor. Glitter lines were also an added bonus! Ask students about their yellow star in the sketchbook!
First graders practiced drawing leaves and chose their favorite to draw for the cover of their sketchbook. The leaves were outlined and at least 5 lines (veins) were added. The 6 or more spaces were then painted with watercolors in the rainbow colors in correct order. Students used their fine motor skills in cutting and gluing their leaf and in adding “wind” lines.
Y-Arts Week
The Heart of the Valley YMCA is celebrating “Y-Arts Week” from November 13th-17th. Student artwork from the school districts in the Heart of the Valley area will be on display down the main hallway of the YMCA. Tanner students that have artwork displayed will receive a note home. For more information call Sharon Johnson at 920-830-5705 or email sjohnson@ymcafoxcities.org.
All students at Tanner have created a Square1Art project! You should have received an order form to order products with your child’s art on them! Orders are due on Tuesday, November 14th, and products will arrive towards the beginning of December in time for holiday gift-giving!
Art news - Mr. Theder
Kindergarten Artists worked on their fall hand tree. They got to learn about coloring in between lines and adding details. Kindergarten also got to make their own monster after reading “Where the Wild Things Are.”
First Grade Artists worked on their fall landscape. They got to look and talk about landscapes, background, middleground, and foreground. First grade also got a chance to look at and talk about the landscape art made by Gustav Klimt.
Square One Art
- Teachers - Please pass out the order form to your students. Their names are on the top.
- Stickers are inside the order form for each artist! There is also a sticker for each student that says, “Ta-Da! Ask me about my artwork!” Please have them wear one home or put in their agendas.
- Orders are due on November 14th. They need their online art access code if ordering online. It is located on the back of the order form. They can also order on the paper and send to the office for safekeeping. Checks payable to “SQUARE 1 ART.” Phone orders are also a possibility. The phone number to order is on the back of the order form.
- I am keeping their originals until all are ordered. There is usually some mix up, so then I have the original.
- Products should arrive end of by December 4th. They will be sent home again with the students, unless Parents ask to pick them up.
In October Kindergarten students have been learning about Internet Safety and the Tanner Chromebook lab. Students talked about going to sites that are just right for them, not talking to strangers online, and always asking an adult before going online. Students watched the video titled "My Online Neighborhood" and took a virtual field trip to the San Diego Zoo! Checkout the link below to find more resources on Internet Safety:
First Grade students started their guided research project on squirrels. Students listened to Ole' Mama Squirrel" by David Ezra Stein and started to create a class KWL chart on what student already know about squirrels, what they want to learn about squirrels, and are starting to fill in what they learned about squirrels by exploring a variety of informational text to research their questions.
In October we continue to work on steady beat and the difference between beat and rhythm. Songs we’re singing in Kindergarten this month include Mi Cuerpo, The Wheels on the Bus, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Hey Jack, 5 Little Pumpkins and 10 Big Pumpkins. We worked on our 'tah' and rest rhythms with songs and chants about apples and Halloween words. We’ve also been singing and moving to music about fall and falling leaves.
In 1st grade we’ve been reviewing Patriotic songs including America, You’re A Grand Old Flag and Yankee Doodle. We sang and listened to a few different versions of the American folk song, Bought Me a Cat, and even a Halloween version called Bought Me a Bat.
Our composer of the month was Charles Ives. Ives was from Connecticut. He came from a very musical family. He studied music in college and wrote most of his music early in his life. He wrote music, but also focused on his job in insurance. Ives incorporated American folk music into his innovative compositions. We listened to his Variations on America, played on a pipe organ.
During the month of October, students have been working on different manipulative skills. The main skills learned were rolling, throwing, and catching. These skills were taught and practiced in a variety of different activities. Our main focus is stepping with opposition when rolling/throwing and keeping our eye on the ball when catching. On our word wall, we added the following words: underhand, overhand, throw, roll, catch.
Holidays always make for fun festive activities. During the week of Halloween, we played two games: Ghostbusters and Monster Mash. These activities are only played once a year which make for a great deal of excitement. :)
Guidance corner - Mrs. Charneski 
In November we will focus conflict resolution and interpersonal skills in our classroom Life Skills time. All students will become “skilled problem-solvers” by learning how to use Kelso’s Choices (wheel of 9 helpful choices when dealing with a conflict/problem). The conflict resolution wheel is mounted on our playground and available for kids to use when they have a small problem or conflict with friends. If they have a BIG problem, kids are encouraged to tell a grown up that they trust! Your child will also be bringing home a paper copy of this wheel to use with conflicts at home! 
In addition, we will be continuing to start up small groups throughout the next quarter. Students will be able to participate in Friendship Groups, Family Change Groups, or School Success Groups depending on the needs. If you would like support for your child either small group or individual, please feel free to contact me at the following addresses:
charneskik@kaukaunasd.org 920-766-6150 ext. 3817
PBIS update...
Thank you to all of the families who attended our PBIS open house! We had such a great turn out and we hope you enjoyed the student-guided tour!
We focused on the character trait RESPECT in October. Our focus for November will be RESPONSIBILITY. We will be learning about how we can be responsible at school, at home and in our communities.
We are participating in the district-wide food drive. Students are invited to bring in non-perishable food to donate. The classroom that collects the most food will earn a movie and popcorn event.
Thank you for your support!
Thank you for your support!
Parent portal sign-up
The parent portal is a valuable tool that contains information about your student in the Kaukauna Area School District.
If you have not yet set up your parent portal account please follow the directions below.
Go to the district website and go to the Family Resources > Need A Parent Portal Account and click on the "Click here to complete the request form" or click here for the direct link.
Complete the form and submit. Your account information will be emailed to you.
