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Narcoossee Elementary School

Every Day is Day One!

Bear Cub Digest #13

Posted Date: 11/09/26 (07:11 AM)

Narcoossee Elementary School seal

Bear Cub Digest

Parent & Community Newsletter

November 9, 2026
 
Picture of Narcoossee Elementary School
 
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Month of Gratitude

Welcome back to another busy week! It is Week 14 of this school year! In continuing this season of gratitude, this Wednesday we observe Veterans Day. Our first graders have been working hard on their "Give Back" service project, which will be a Veteran's Appreciation and Honor Ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 10th.  NCES staff and students will pause to honor the courageous men and women who have served our country. Their sacrifice, commitment, and willingness to put service before self, remind us of the responsibility and privilege we have to lead and serve others. To all of the veterans represented in our Bear Cub Families, thank you for your service! We look forward to this special event. Please see some highlights of our past week and week to come.
 

Leader of the Month

We honored some of our very special Bear Cubs this week during our lunch time period.  We call this our Leader of the Month Awards.  Students who stand out for exhibiting one of the 7 Habits will be nominated by their teacher to win this award. As a reminder, the 7 Habits are:


Habit 1: Be Proactive® (You're in Charge) — Take responsibility for your choices, actions, and mood without waiting to be asked.
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind® (Have a Plan) — Set goals and plan how you want things to turn out before starting.
Habit 3: Put First Things First® (Work First, Then Play) — Prioritize important responsibilities like homework before free-time activities.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win® (Everyone Can Win) — Balance your desires with others to find fair, happy solutions.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood® (Listen Before You Talk) — Listen closely to others' ideas and feelings before sharing your own.
Habit 6: Synergize® (Together Is Better) — Value teamwork and diverse strengths to solve problems better together.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw® (Balance Feels Best) — Care for your body, mind, and social well-being through rest, learning, and play.

See pictures of our honorees below.
Kindergarten leaders
First Grade leaders
Second grade leaders
Third grade leaders
Fourth grade leaders
5th grade student leader
5th grade leaders
 

Reindeer Run Update!!!

We are so excited about the success we have seen with our very first Reindeer Run fundraiser! Our leader board is still on fire!! We have Julianna Mojicar the number 1 spot with $1,424.00 raised!  Next, we have Powis Spencer who moved into the second-place spot with $625.00 raised, and Lilly Smith holding on to a third-place position with $563.75 raised!  We are up to a total of $18,120.51 thus far!! Please see the leader board below for more updates. Though we are highlighting just a few below, we have over 14 students who raised $150.00 or more and over 10 students who raised $100 or more.
Thank you to the many families who have registered their children in this great event.  We want all students to be registered, and there is still time!  All you need to do is use the QR code in the flyer below (or the web address shown) to register your child and start with any amount, even just $10.00.  Your child will then be able to participate. Students will also win prizes with the more they are able to raise, See details below.
Reindeer run fundraiser flyer.

Raised $500 and up!


Reindeer Run leader board

Raised $300 and up!


Reindeer Run leader board

Raised $200 and up!


Reindeer run leader board
Reindeer Run Leader board
 
November calendar events

November Events

Nov 10- Veteran's Day Assemblies (First Grade Give-Back)
Nov 11- No School- Veteran's Day
Nov 12- Young Peoples Concert- Dr. Philips- 5th Grade field trip 10:00-1:30
Nov 13- Quarter 2 Progress Reports
Nov 17- SAC/PTO Meeting @ 7am in Media Center
Nov 18- DEAL Buddies
Nov 18- 3rd Grade Thanksgiving Day Parade 
Nov 19- Dress Down Day
Nov 19- Educational Choice Fair
Nov 19-20- Turkey Trot during block
20- District Schedule Adjustments- Early Release Day
Nov 23-27- Thanksgiving Break
Nov 30- PM2 Testing Window Opens
 

PM2 Reminder

The countdown is on for our PM2 testing! We have 14 instructional days remaining before the PM2 window opens. To help you plan ahead (and plan around any vacations), please see the tentative schedule for PM2 testing below.  Please talk to students and use all resources to support them as we move toward our second round of state testing. We have also placed some reminders about the testing and our expected proficiency by the end of the year. 
PM2 testing schedule
 

Celebrations and Rewards!

To help encourage and motivate our students, we continue to reward their efforts.  We are planning PM2 Celebrations for student growth from PM1 to PM2 and for student proficiency on PM2.  We encourage students to grow on their assessment score one or more "buckets" or meet/exceed proficiency on the second FAST progress monitoring test.  These celebrations will be for both primary and intermediate grade levels. As mentioned in the last newsletter, we believe that like adults who receive a paycheck as recognition for their work on their "jobs", our students deserve recognition for their focus and growth on their assessments, which is ultimately a culmination of the work they have put in throughout the school quarters. See the flyers for those events below.
PM2 party flyer1
PM2 party flyer2
 

Leader in Me Give Backs

The "Give Back" lesson in FranklinCovey’s Leader in Me curriculum focuses on community service, active citizenship, and helping others.  What a great time to begin that process with a Thanksgiving food drive initiated by our very own 5th grade students. Giving back ties closely to habits like Think Win-Win (finding ways to benefit the community alongside oneself) and Synergize (working together with others to create a larger positive impact). Please see information about this below. We will have a drop off location for students to bring and drop off their canned and boxed food items.
 We also have our 1st grade give back coming up next week with our "Veteran's Day" honor ceremonies.  Our first graders are working on a program to honor our veterans and pay tribute to the United States Constitution and freedoms.  I will present more information in our next issue of the Bear Cub Digest.
Give Back flyer
 

Discipline Reminders

We have recently seen an increase in students using inappropriate language at school. While some students may believe they are joking or do not fully understand the seriousness of their words, certain comments can have significant consequences and must be addressed.
Please take a few moments to remind your child that any statements about killing, hurting others, violence, negative statements regarding race and/or religion, or weapons are not appropriate at school and will be taken seriously. Encourage students to think carefully before they speak and to use respectful, responsible language at all times. It is important for students to understand that being proactive and choosing appropriate words from the start is far better than facing the potential consequences that can result from making threatening or inappropriate statements. Even comments made as jokes can lead to investigations, parent contact, disciplinary action, and disruption to the learning environment. Thank you parents for helping us maintain a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students and staff.
Poster about threats and Fortify Fl reporting site.
 

Monitoring for Learning

We have more teacher examples of monitoring for learning. Monitoring for learning is the ongoing, systematic process by which educators observe, assess, and track a student's academic and behavioral growth relative to specific learning targets. In the pictures below, Ms. Strum (1st Grade) is seen monitoring her students after implementing a math lesson. Students use manipulatives to work on these concepts. Ms. Stainsby (1st grade is also implementing a math lesson and supporting students in their use of manipulatives to practice the concept. 
Strum teaching
Strum teaching
Strum teaching
Students working
Strum supporting
Strum teaching
Strum teaching
Students working
Students working
Students working
Strum working
Students working
Stainsby teaching
Stainsby lesson
Stainsby class working
Stainsby supporting students
 
Person using a laptop

Contact info

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links:

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Phone: 407-892-6858
Twitter: @NCESbearcubs