In the Leonard Loop December 16, 2022

Family Circle Lesson - Greetings and Conflict Resolution

This week, we gathered with our Family Circles to remind ourselves about a few important lessons from years' past -- greetings and conflict resolution. Starting a conversation with a friendly greeting is a powerful way to set the tone. When you call someone by name, look them in the eye, and make an effort to show you care, it truly can change someone's day. After practicing our greetings, we brushed off our conflict resolution skills with the "I-message" and learning how to respond with our words and our actions. As a refresher, an "I-message" is a statement that one person gives to another who has caused them harm or hurt. It sounds like this, "I feel frustrated when you ______ because________. Next time, please _________." These messages take the focus away from blaming others and are geared towards arriving at a resolution so it doesn't happen again. When responding to an "I-message," we know we have to use our words and our actions. It's not enough to simply apologize. We may need to do something to help show we're sorry as well.

Here are a few questions you can use at home to start a conversation about our Family Circle Lesson:

• Why do you think it is important to greet someone?
• What are ways that you like to be greeted?
• What is an "I-message?"
• How can we use "I-messages" at home?

Leopard League!

During this month's Leopard League, our fifth graders focused on developing a growth mindset. By combining previous months' lessons on teamwork and communication, students worked together to create their own gingerbread houses. When things became challenging, they supported each other and practiced positive self-talk. The life lessons our kids are learning will impact them far into the future!

Congratulations to our FLL Supercharged Leopards!

Our Lego Robotics team, the Supercharged Leopards, competed at the state level this past weekend against 47 other teams. Our team earned two awards in the competition: Robot Performance and Breakthrough. The Robot Performance Award recognizes a team that scores the most points during the robot game. Our team scored 300 points! The Breakthrough Award celebrates the team that made significant progress in their confidence and capability in the Robot Game and the Innovation Project.

Congratulations to Shriyan, Sohyeon, Alex, Simran, Pranav, and Evalynn for their accomplishments!

Our Letters to the Military Arrived!

Last month, our Leonard Leopards wrote letters of holiday cheer and gratitude to send to our military service men and women stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. We just received word that our well wishes have been received! Thank you to our community for helping to spread joy around the world!

Leonard Teachers Awarded TFEE Grants

The Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence (TFEE) is proud to have funded two grants that will impact Leonard students.

Future Ready Readers - Mrs. Palma, Mrs. Perez, Mrs. Van Tol, Mrs. Rosewarne & Mrs. Haboush

The Artist's Library - Mrs. Mee

The TFEE is a nonprofit dedicated to support all Troy School District students. To support the TFEE and make more enriching projects a reality, you can give online here -

Report Cards Available on PowerSchool Parent Portal

First trimester report cards are now available for your review. Please log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal to view/download your child(ren)’s reports.

Report cards are one way our teachers communicate student progress with families. In combination with conferences, your child’s work, and frequent communication between home and school, report cards are a helpful tool in understanding your child’s strengths and challenges. As you review your child’s report card, we suggest that you first find the areas to celebrate with your child. Then, set a goal for the next trimester by looking at what can improve. Make a plan as a family to work on the targeted area and be deliberate on checking in with progress over the coming weeks. We want to emphasize the importance of hard work, effort, and learning over time – not to solely place value on the grade itself.

As always, if you have any questions about your child’s report card, please reach out to his/her teacher. We’d be happy to set up a time to chat!

Noon-Aides Needed at Leonard

If you want to be a part of the greatest crew, come join our noon-aides! We are in need of extra help on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. If your schedule allows you to work one or all of those days, please contact the office (248-823-3300). Noon-aides work from 11:55 - 1:40 and are paid an hourly rate. It's a great way to spend time at the school and get to know Leonard kids and parents.

TSD MLK Day of Service is Back!

The Superintendent's Advisory Board (a special group of high school students) is excited to bring back the Troy tradition of honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service in his honor. The entire community is invited to help on Monday, January 16 at Athens as we come together to make a difference! Your help is needed for one of the projects - we need fleece donations. Please bring your donations to the Leonard office by Wednesday, January 11th.

COVID Tests Available

If your family is in need of COVID tests, please contact our office. We have access to free tests and are happy to share with our community. We want to help keep our families healthy all season long!

Gratitude for Wonderful Winter Celebrations

Thank you to all the parents and family members who helped make our classroom parties so memorable yesterday. The children had so much fun crafting, playing games, and laughing together. We appreciate all the time and love that goes into making these days happen.