DATES AT A GLANCE
31	START OF SPRING BREAK – ENJOY –SEE YOU APRIL 7th 
April
3/31- 4/6 SPRING VACATION – NO SCHOOL
7	Return to School
8	School-Wide Head Lice Check
	Michigan Center Community Food Pantry – 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
9	Credit Union Day
12	St. Aidan’s Breakfast – St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church – 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.
14	Bible Release
	School Board Meeting – MCHS – 7:00 p.m.
15	PTO Meeting – Keicher Lounge – 6:00 p.m.
16	Credit Union Day
17	Spring Arbor University – Mrs. DuBois’ class - Big Brothers/Big Sisters – 8:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
	Good News Club – More information to follow
18	NO SCHOOL – GOOD FRIDAY	
22	Michigan Center Community Food Pantry – 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
23	Credit Union Day
25	Keicher Parents’ Night Out – More information to follow
	Mother/Son Bowling – More information to follow
26	Rachel Kurtz – Family Concert – MC High School – 7:00 p.m. – Free Will Offering – All proceeds to benefit the 	MC Food Pantry
30	3rd Grade Parent Mackinac Informational Meeting – 6:00 p.m.
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Attention:  All Parents and Students

We will no longer be allowing charges for lunches after…			
Monday, April 7th

All balances need to be paid in full by the end of the school year.

1.  ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER – Since January, we have been emailing our Keicher “K”onnection (newsletter) in addition to sending paper copies.  We are switching to an electronic version after Spring Break. The newsletter is also posted on our Keicher Elementary School website. If you do not have an email address or access to the internet, please let your student’s teacher know so we can send paper copies home. If you are not receiving our newsletter and would like to, please email Connie Chalfant at connie.chalfant@mccardinals.org.  Thanks for helping us go green!

2.  TEACHER REQUESTS for the 2014-2015 school year are now being taken in the Keicher office.  We will continue to take requests during the month of April.  We have a super teaching staff at Keicher Elementary, and are excited at the variety of teaching styles we can offer our students.  Requests must be written and have an educational reason to be considered for the placement. As much as we are able, we will honor requests made, but there are no guarantees. The deadline is April 25, 2014.

3.  ATTENDANCE is a very important part of the academic process.  Please stress to your student the importance of being in school and getting to class on time. This is something that will carry them through in their professional career as well.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

4.  6TH GRADE CAMP is coming soon!  Parents, we need you!  We especially need dads for overnight supervision of the boys’ cabins.  In order to make our kid’s experience at camp wonderful, your assistance is needed to help us chaperone on June 3rd and 4th.  Any time you can spare is most appreciated.   Please call 764-5200 if you can help us out or have any questions.  The final payment of $35.00 is due on May 2nd.

5.  ST. AIDAN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH will be sponsoring a breakfast on April 12th from 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.  They will be serving biscuit & gravy, pancakes, bacon, sausage, coffee, orange juice and milk. The cost is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for kids 10 and under.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

6.   The MICHIGAN CENTER COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY will be open every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 6:30 -7:30 p.m.  The pantry is located at the west end of Keicher.  Follow the signs through the Pre-School playground gate.  See dates above.

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After-school chats

	“What’s in your backpack?”  Greet your child with this question and you’ll discover a lot about what she does in class.

•	Set aside time each day to go through her papers.  Try to do it first thing after school when her day is fresh in her mind.

•	Look over your youngster’s work together.  Help her feel proud by making a specific comment about something she’s done.  For instance, if she shows you a picture she drew in art class, you might say, “the gray sky and big waves look just like our rainy day at the beach.

•	Have her talk through math problems or science experiments to show you what she’s learned.  She might explain how she finds the perimeter of a triangle or why ants dig tunnels, for example. Home & School Connection

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Ask math questions

Q.  I’ve never felt comfortable with math.  How should I talk to my children about what they’re learning in math class?

A.  Show enthusiasm for what your youngsters are doing in math by talking to them about it.  You might ask them each day at dinner or homework time what they studied in math that day.  Let them explain the concepts they are working on, and follow up with questions.  For instance, if they’re learning about decimals, you could ask how decimal points are used in money (they separate the parts of dollar from the whole dollar).
Then, when your children finish their homework, have them show you how they solved the problems. As they explain their methods to you, they’ll be reinforcing their own skills.  And they’ll be proud to be teaching you something.

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Look at me!

	Help your youngster learn about the science of optics with this mealtime activity.
	Have him look at himself in a clean spoon.  What happens if he looks in the bowl of the spoon? (He’s upside down.)  What happens on the other side? (He’s right side up.)
	Next, have him bring his finger toward the spoon and watch what happens on each side.  The bowl (the concave side) will magnify his finger, or make it look larger.  The back (the convex side) will make his finger look smaller.  Ask your child how scientists might use this information to make eyeglasses, cameras, or telescopes. 
	Tip: He can remember which side is which by thinking of concave as “caves in.”