Career Cafe is Coming to FGC....We are Looking for Volunteer Speakers

We are really excited to kick off Career Café at the Fifth Grade Center during second semester.  Career Café will be an opportunity for our fifth graders to meet individuals from the community and learn about their careers.  Students are invited to Career Café based on the results of a career interest inventory administered earlier this fall.  Career Café will take place on select Thursdays during all lunch periods.

Career Café speakers will sign in at the front office and will be meeting with students in the corner of the commons during the first two periods of lunch 10:45-11:05 and 11:05-11:25 OR the second two periods of lunch 11:30-11:50 and 11:50-12:10.  Speakers will share their career journey with students, including how they became interested in their current field, what education/training they needed, what they do in a typical day at their job, and any advice to students considering a job in their field.  Speakers will present to students for approximately 18 minutes each session (which includes time for questions and answers). 

If applicable, speakers are encouraged to bring props and or actual items they use in their job. 

Please email abalsavias@ladueschools.net for more information.  

Conversation Starters for Families

The art of meaningful conversation within a family unit or among friends is an important element in the relationships that we have with others.  As this holiday season approaches, our FGC Staff Character Committee would like share the following article by Tim Lickona on how you can ask good questions at home, and hopefully learn more about each other in the process. 

Conversation Starters: Promoting Family Communication
by Tom Lickona

1.  What was the best part of your day?

2.  What was the hardest part of today?  How did you deal with it?

3.  What are you grateful for today?

4.  What happened today that you didn't expect?

5.  What's something new you learned today?

6.  What was an interesting conversation you had today?

7.  What's something you accomplished today?

8.  How did you help someone today, or how did someone help you?

9.  What is something someone in the family did recently that you appreciated?

10.  Who has a problem that the rest of the family might be able to help with?

11.  What's an interesting book you're reading or have read recently?

12.  What are two things that other people can do that make you feel happy?

13.  What's something you look forward to?

14.  What are some things you can do to help yourself get out of a bad mood?

15.  If you could be granted three wishes, what would they be?

16.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

17.  How do you know if someone is the right person for you to marry?

18.  What does "success" mean to you?

19.  Who is someone that you admire?  Why?

20.  If you had $100 to give to a charity, who would you give it to?

21.  If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?  Why?

22.  What is one mistake you regret?  What do you wish you had done differently?

23.  Where would you most like to go on vacation?

24.  What is a way that you've changed in the past year (or two years)?

25.  Share a happy or funny childhood memory.

26.  New Year's: What are two goals you have for the year?

27.  Looking back: What were two highlights of the past year(this summer, this fall, this winter)?

28.  If your house was on fire, what is one thing you would try to pick up on the way out?

29.  Share a happy or funny childhood memory.

30.  Bouncing question: One person asks another a question (such as any of the ones on this list), then that person asks someone else a different question, and so on, until everybody has been asked one.

31.  One word topics: Choose any topic (school, sports, TV, movies, friends, heroes, religion, decisions, music, politics, etc.).  Anyone can say anything about the topic that comes to mind. 

Additional Conversation Resources Included in the Article:

Journal in a Jar: http://www.everydaycheapskate.com/marys-perspective/give-the-legacy-of-a life-history/

Family Dinner Project: http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/conversation/

Beauty and Bedlam: http://beautyandbedlam.com/conversation-starter-questions/

FGC Character Council

Character Council applications are now available.  FGC Character Council will be comprised of student representatives who apply for the position and are Fifth Grade Center role models endorsed by staff members and supported by their fellow students.  Selected student representatives will collaborate to create, plan, and implement character education activities through out the school.  Members will meet every other week during their lunch/recess exploration block and will be responsible for reporting information back to their homeroom class.  Our council this year will consist of 14 representatives, one from each homeroom class. 

Interested applicants should return their application to the counseling office no later than November 26th.  Please feel free to call or email me if you should have any questions. 

November Bullying Lesson

During the month of November, students have been learning about bullying in schools, facts and figures surrounding bullying, and what to do if they are ever bullied and/or witness it occurring.  As part of our lesson, we read Say Something by Peggy Moss.  Students were able to discuss when it is easy to "say something" as well as instances that it becomes more difficult to "say something."  We also learned that in order to make a difference in our school, we need to stand together and to stop bullies from hurting others.

Students learned an African Proverb from the story "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito."  In other words, no one is too small or too insignificant to make a difference.  Each of us has the ability take a stand and "say something" to bullies and report inappropriate behaviors to adults.

Red Ribbon Week was a huge success.  We had a great student participation for our Spirit Days as well an outpouring of positive comments in support for our Red Ribbon "Healthy Choices" bags for Schnucks customers.  Mrs. Korn's class had the most spirit for our "Wear Red" Spirit Day and will be having a pizza party later this week.  Thank you to all FGC staff and students for supporting our school and community in an effort to make healthy decisions and be drug free.