The Week Ahead:

​Week of October 17 - October 21

• Monday, 10/17 [9am] Monday Morning Mocha with Mial in the Cafeteria! Come talk to Principal Mial about whatever is on your mind regarding our students and the future of Miner! 
• Monday, 10/17 [5:00pm] LSAT Meeting
• Tuesday, 10/18 [6:30pm] CHPSPO Meeting at Miner Elementary in the Large Group Instruction Room
• Wednesday, 10/19 [3:15 - 5:30pm] Miner Farmer's Market Day [3:30pm-5:30pm] // School Foyer. Pick up some fresh garden veggies and herbs from Miner's Peace Garden
• Friday, 10/ 21 Department of Health to perform vision and hearing tests at Miner.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

• Data entry! Seeking: Someone who uses a computer and has a few extra minutes! We need help with creating and distributing receipts and reminders for the 2016 Fall Fundraising Drive! Knowledge of Google Sheets is a plus! Email minerpto@gmail.com if you can help!

A Look Ahead

• Wednesday, 10/26 [NEW DATE!] [4:00pm - 6:00pm] OKTOBERFEST CELEBRATION! We need volunteers! 
• Friday, 10/28 [5:30pm-8pm] Hilloween At Eastern Market! 
• Saturday, 10/29 [12pm - 4pm] Halloween at Rosedale Recreation Center co-hosted by E-Street Adventures! 

​

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS at our annual Oktoberfest event to help with the food, games, and fun! If you can give a donation or some time, we would love to have you! 

Join us for Miner's annual fall festival - Oktoberfest - featuring faceprinting, fun, bounce house, refreshments, and more! ​

Thank you to all of the community members, teachers, staff members, parents, guardians, friends and families who contributed to the Miner PTO 2016 Fall Funding Drive! 

Thanks to your generosity, the Miner PTO was able to raise $9,673 in pledged and donated funds! This money will be used to provide a wide array of support, events, supplies, and other benefits to the students and staff at Miner. If you are interested in working on the Miner PTO budget, contact us at minerpto@gmail.com as we plan how to allocate our funding for the remainder of the school year. 

If you have made a donation, a receipt will be sent to you in the coming weeks. If you have made a pledge, look for a reminder email! If you would still like to contribute, our online donation form is always available at www.minerelementary.org.

October 6, 2016  

Dear Parents,  

This school year, we chose a nationally recognized character education program called CHARACTER COUNTS! The Six Pillars of Character is a framework for teaching good character and is composed of six ethical values (characteristics) everyone can agree upon:

• Trustworthiness
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Fairness
• Caring
• Citizenship  

The CHARACTER COUNTS! Program uses six character traits to help instill a positive learning environment for students and a “culture of kindness” making schools a safe environment for students to learn. 
Teachers will incorporate these values into their classrooms in many of the following ways: classroom rules/rituals/procedures, literature activities, class discussions, cooperative groups, modeling and by rewarding examples of positive behavior. Each month our school will focus on one of the six values, and students will participate in classroom activities that help them to learn about and remind them of the value of the month.  

The CHARACTER COUNTS! program is not another curriculum to add to the teaching day. Instead, it is a means of sharing common beliefs and language between school, community and home. It is delivered all day, every day by everyone our students encounter. The Pillars are taught, reinforced and modeled by adults and peers alike. Through this immersion in the program, students will begin to internalize the pillars and act upon them, even if no one is around!  

Your child will be involved in learning-activities designed to develop good character and empower them to make good choices. He or she may be asked to complete several tasks at home. Your cooperation with these activities will support our overall goal.  

For the month of October we will focus on the Responsibility Pillar. Students will participate in group activities and discussions about being responsible, and about the personal benefits of making responsible choices.  

Here are some things you can do to support us in teaching our students about being a responsible person:  

• Talk with your children about responsibility. Tell them that responsibility isn't just doing chores; it's following through on commitments, being accountable for their actions, being reliable and trustworthy, using good judgment, taking care of their own affairs, doing their best, thinking before acting, admitting mistakes and working to make them right, and not procrastinating. Let them know that these are signs they are growing up and can be trusted with more responsibility. 
• “Catch” your children making a responsible choice or behaving in a responsible manner. Tell them how much that means to you. 
• Help your child do his or homework and talk with them about being responsible. 

​We look forward to working with you this school year because at Miner, CHARACTER COUNTS!

Hello Miner families and friends!

Join with your fellow Miner families as we participate in Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, in Lincoln Park. This will be a Capitol Hill-wide gathering to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this event.

Families can either meet up at Miner at 7:00 to walk together to Lincoln Park, or meet up at the eastern end of the park at 7:30 (East Capitol and 13th Street).

The party includes snacks and entertainment. In attendance will be Mayor Bowser, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, representatives from the National Park Service and National Transportation Safety Board, student entertainers, and local exercise instructor Gabriella Boston.

Then starting at 8:10 to 8:20, school groups will gather to walk, bike, or scoot together back to Miner.