HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dear Parents,

We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and that Santa brought lots of joy to you all on Christmas morning.  It is a magical time in a child's life that should be treasured.

I hope children will continue to deliver those "acts of kindness" gifts to Jesus beyond the Christmas season.

Now that the big day is behind us, this is a gentle reminder to please help your little one focus 2 to 5 minutes a day on letter and sound recognition or numbers or printing.  We want students to incorporate learning into daily routines in a positive way on an ongoing basis.  You can do this type of learning at the grocery store, at a friend's house, etc.  Use environmental print (such as cereal boxes, advertising signs, Christmas cards, etc.) to draw letters and numbers to their attention. Any artwork can be used as a spring-board to promote and develop fine motor skills, as well as giving an authentic purpose to printing their name or a title, or labelling items in a picture.

Keep in mind that praise for all and any attempts at printing goes a far way to motivating ongoing efforts in this regard. (Don't correct! - Artwork is suppose to be totally pleasurable so it is not the time for any sort of negativity.)

Also, please review basic personal information on a regular basis.
This includes:

• child's full name
• address
• phone number
• birthday
• parents' full names

Thank you for your ongoing support as the most important member of our educational team!

SENIOR Kindergarten DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Click here for the
  SENIOR Kindergarten DECEMBER Newsletter.





CRAFT DAY - Thursday, DEC. 12

JK's begin at 8:30 AM
SK's begin at 12:50 PM



SENIOR Kindergarten students NEED a small 250ml MILK CARTON each to hold up the walls of their gingerbread house.  PLEASE ensure your child has one no later than Dec. 6th!  Thank you.
                                            NO

NO

                                                                                   YES 
                                               

JK DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Click here for the JUNIOR Kindergarten DECEMBER NEWSLETTER.

The most important gifts at Christmas are the "Acts of Kindness" that we show to one another.

 ADVENT ACTIVITY  -  To cherish the true meaning of Christmas

Here is a wonderful family activity that helps prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday, and focuses more on “giving to others” rather than commercial gifts.

Starting immediately or ASAP--- leading up to that special day celebrated on Dec. 25th:

1. Find a small box and decorate it. (This will hold Jesus’ birthday gifts.)
2. Keep the box in a prominent place in your home where you will see it on a daily basis.
3. Keep some small notepaper and a pencil next to the box to mark down any random act of kindness witnessed over the Advent season.
4. Each day (or as often as possible) family members put something in the box representing a "gift" for Jesus. ("Gifts" such as sharing, cleaning, helping, visiting, etc. --- an act of kindness they have witnessed or was given to them.)
5. On Christmas Eve place the box under the tree so that in the morning, before you open your own gifts, you can give your special box to Jesus. Read aloud the many acts of kind 'giving' that were witnessed over the Advent season. Share together the good works that were done in preparation for the coming of Jesus, offer thanks to God for all these things.

                          MERRY CHRISTMAS!

67's TICKETS AVAILABLE for December and January.

Holy Redeemer has been given free tickets to more Ottawa 67's games through the Adopt A School Program thanks to our sponsor Capital Security & Investigations. The games dates are:

Friday, Dec. 6 - 7:30 pm

Friday, Dec. 13 - 7:30 pm

Friday, Dec. 20 - 7:30 pm

Friday, Jan. 3 - 7:30 pm

Saturday, Jan. 4 - 2:00 pm

If you would be interested in tickets for one of these games please send a note to school with your child.Please

include: 

•  
  student's
   name,
• classroom teacher
   
• game date 
• number of tickets you would like

In order to accommodate as many families as possible, a maximum of 4 tickets can be given per family. Tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Preference will be given to families who have not already received tickets this year. 

(Thank you also to all those families who remembered to send in their thank you notes for our sponsor from the previous ticket distribution).

Thanks very much!  Let's go 67's!

Puppet Show for JK's

Rock the Arts puppet show for the JKs. Com/Pass/ion hot chocolate. Chocolate is the humans. Hot Water Marshmallows -  doing little things in life for others make us happy. Thinking of others makes us feel warm inside like hot chocolate.

PLEASE NOTE...

1.
On Thursday, November 28th we have a special event planned for all Kindergarten classes - a PUPPET SHOW!   The school activity fee provides the funding for this wonderful "Rock the Arts" performance. The show presents puppets conveying important messages and includes an interactive workshop.

2.
We would like to ask parents to please remind your child to keep all toys at home. Pokeman cards that are shared with friends can sometimes be a happy transaction and sometimes not - which is a problem.

3.
A friendly reminder to ensure your child is ALWAYS DRESSED for the weather conditions. We try to play outdoors for 10-20 minutes every day. Please send mittens (instead of gloves) as they are easier for your child to put on.  The goal in Kindergarten is to achieve dressing INDEPENDENTLY so please practice and reinforce this habit at home. Also remember the sequence we practice: "pants, boots, coat, hat, and LAST comes MITTS".  We would appreciate if you could do the same at home.

Thank you for your support.

Morning - JK Ms./Mlle. Schlesak

On Friday, I handed out a small notebook to each student. 
This notebook needs to stay in your child's mailbag. This notebook is a writing journal to encourage your child to write their name, draw, doodle, and/or copy words and even short phrases/sentences. The routine will be that every morning they have a choice to read quietly or write in the notebook. I would also like to encourage your child to hold the pencil with a proper grip. 
You do not want them to hold the pencil with a fist. In class, we ask them to show us their little ducks and this encourages them to put together the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger. Below is a picture of the stages of pencil grip. 
The dollar store has pencil grips that encourage proper pencil grip. 



The goal is for each child to be able to write his/her name independently starting with a capital letter followed by lowercase letters (i.e. Natalie). If your child is reluctant to write his/her name find fun ways to practise writing the letters. For example, this week we used a bingo dabber to write large letters on large 81/2 by 14 paper. Use play dough or use the sand and a stick to make the letters. Fine creative ways to make their names and send it in to share with the class for positive reinforcement. 
We also have been working on reciting last names during morning attendance, most of the students are able to state their last name. Please ask your child to say his/her last name if your child is still unsure of his/her last name. 
In Science, we have been reviewing the parts of the body in English and French.
Please review the body parts in French using the sheet that was sent home.

A gentle reminder to send only a maximum of two snacks. Also, please don't allow your child to bring toys/stuffed animals to school.  The toy is a distraction and tears ensue if the toy is broken.

Follow me on Twitter Natalie A. Schlesak@NatalieSchlesak
Have a great week!!

BOOK ORDER INFORMATION

Did anyone order Kids Cooking. 100% KLUTZ certified.  If so , please contact Mme. Blahout or myself. 

REMAINING INTERVIEWS

Any parent who has NOT had a parent-teacher interview with Mme. Blahout will be contacted this week. 

Thank you for your patience.

PARENT - TEACHER INTERVIEWS - This week!

Dear Parents,

All teachers will be conducting interviews in the gymnasium  on THURSDAY, November 7th.

Please note that each meeting is only 10 minutes long and so your assigned time is all that is available. If we run out of time and still have items to discuss - don't worry - we will follow-up with a phone call home. We must stick closely to the interview schedule in order to talk to all parents and /or allow timely transitions to other teachers. Thank you for your understanding in this regard. 

Mme. Blahout has now filled all available time slots on Thursday, November 7th.  [Mme. Blahout teaches 64  students.]  Any parent who has not received a note indicating an interview time will be contacted in the next few days by either a note or phone call.  Thank you for your patience.

Please remember that this checklist is not an official report card but a "teacher-created" assessment of curriculum expectations that we focus on at this point in the SK school year.  The statements on the list only represent a very small portion of the Kindergarten Program and are what we expect most children would have attained by this time.  That means the 2 months for the JK checklist or 12* months for SK checklist (*10 mth. of JK + 2 mth. of SK).

Please bring or have your child's checklist with you (or have it ready for phone interviews) to reference it when speaking with the teacher. The checklist helps us focus our discussions so we can quickly address areas of concern, next steps, and strategies for improvement during those few precious minutes of an interview.  This is also a concrete way of documenting where children are now in order to note improvement by February or June (Report Card times).

FOR SENIOR KINDERGARTEN PARENTS ONLY!!Due to Mrs. Maxwell illness (pneumonia), the SK informal progress CHECKLISTS have been delayed. They will be sent home either tomorrow or Wednesday.  Thank you for your patience.

Book Orders

I have received the book Lucy and the Bully.  If you ordered the book could you send a note to either myself or Mme. Blahout in your child's mailbag.

We would like to welcome 2 new students, Stephan and Athiang, to our school!! Thank you to many of the students who volunteered to be their buddy for their first few days.

NOVEMBER NEWS for JK PARENTS

Click here for the JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER.

THE BODY  /  LE CORPS

NOVEMBER NEWS for SK PARENTS

Click here for the SENIOR KINDERGARTEN NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER.

COSTUMES ARE FUN!

The Halloween Parade was a great success!   We walked around the school hallways while the rest of the students cheered "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!" 

We all had a costume or a fun hat on to celebrate the day.

Thanks go out to the Pigeon family for bringing in a small pumpkin for every child in the JK classes.

Special thanks also go out to several other families from both JK and SK classes who also sent in special treats for their child's classmates. That is very kind and generous. 

(A friendly reminder to ensure anything sent to school is marked "Nut-free" for the health and safety of those with life-threatening allergies. Thank you again for your care in this regard.)

PLEASE REMEMBER!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25th 
- School PHOTO RETAKES
(*  If you would like your child's photo retaken, please send a note to the teacher prior to this date.) 

       - HALLOWE'EN FAMILY FUN NIGHT / DANCE  >> 6 - 8 PM







WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30th 
- JK and SK Fall Progress Checklists will be sent home. These informal assessments are "teacher-created" & will provide basic feedback that can be used for our discussion at INTERVIEWS on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7. 
(The formal report cards will be sent home in February and June.)











THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31st 
- HALLOWE'EN!  
- All Kindergarten students will be participating in a COSTUME PARADE!
 (*If they do not wish to wear a costume, please wear orange and/or black for our parade. 
    FYI: Children usually take off all or some pieces of their costumes after the parade.)

LEARNING SELF-REGULATION

We may wonder how does one learn or teach self-control?

The more pertinent question becomes "What are we doing to help children learn about it?" Obviously, they need to experience what it feels like!  Therefore, for children to practice self-control they need to be given opportunities to be in control.

Learning self-control requires lots of practice! Plus somebody needs to facilitate the learning by offering support, suggesting strategies and coping skills - especially when self-regulation is bound to be a challenge.  That "somebody" refers to parents, teachers, other adults, and sometimes even peers. 

School is a place where students must demonstrate ever-increasing self-regulation ability. Kindergarten provides the second environment (2nd to home) where self-control  is demanded of them (ie. to wait one's turn, share physical space, or a toy, and engage in ACTIVE listening). 
ACTIVE listening means full attention and focus with their ears, eyes, and body.  The first environment naturally being their home and with parents, the 'wait time' (and therefore, self-control time) is often shorter because there are fewer people involved. School creates a very demanding environment for learning these skills because 'wait time' can be longer or more complex due to pure numbers of those involved or the demands of the situation (ie. school bus' departure). 

In order to facilitate this essential learning of "How to DO school", we will be practising self-control through daily routines and games.  We encourage you to be aware of any effort that your child demonstrates in this regard at home and then reinforce by rewarding them for it! 

Here are a couple of examples of exercises that we have done to help them learn what "self-control" looks and feels like:

1. Let the bubbles float!  DON'T POP THEM! 
                   (The teacher blows bubbles while students resist the urge to pop them.)

2. Keep the musical instrument quiet!  
    (Pass around an instrument without shaking or playing it.)

Naturally, we will reward the self-control exhibited during these games by popping bubbles and playing musical instruments at a later time.  



Self-regulation is an essential life skill!  

Experiencing, practicing and gradually increasing one's self-control, will help tame the natural impulsivity of young children. Learning to be an active listener, maintain spatial boundaries, and sit still are all required skills to successfully function in our society, particularly in the learning environment. 

Thank you again for your efforts and support in this regard.

NOTEWORTHY DATES and EVENTS!

OCTOBER
15th - Marcia Tate 7 - 8:30 PM at Holy Trinity High School
        - She is a fantastic, knowledgeable speaker! I would highly 
          recommend attending this event! (I will definitely be there.)

16th - our annual Holy Redeemer WALK-A-THON  fund-raiser after lunch
        - JK's will participate in their own walk-a-thon in the morning
          (Parent volunteers are welcome to attend either event.) 

25th - School PHOTO RETAKES; if you would like your child's photo
          retaken, please send a note to the teacher prior to this date.

        - HALLOWE'EN FAMILY FUN NIGHT / DANCE 
                                      >> 6 - 8 PM


30th - JK and SK Fall Progress Checklists will be
          sent home. These informal assessments are
          "teacher-created".  (The formal report cards
          will be sent home in February and June.)




31st - HALLOWE'EN!  All Kindergarten students will be participating in a
          hallway COSTUME PARADE for the rest of the school population! 
          (If they do not wish to wear a costume, please wear orange and/or
          black for our parade. FYI: Children usually take off all or some
          pieces of their costumes after the parade.)

NOVEMBER

 1st - All Saints Day

5th - School Council - 6:30 pm

7th - Parent-Teacher INTERVIEWS:  3-5pm / Dinner Break / 6-8pm

8th - PD Day: "Christian Community Day" for all OCSB staff members

11th - REMEMBRANCE DAY: Please encourage your little one to "thank"
          a veteran and/or any member of our Canadian Armed Forces. Poppies
          will be available at school, please send in a donation to support this
          worthy cause.

THANKSGIVING FRUIT SALAD FOR JKs

Just a reminder that JUNIOR Kindergarten classes will be celebrating Thanksgiving with a wonderful fruit salad made from a combination of each child's contribution of cut up BITE SIZE pieces of fruit. 

If each child brings a small container of either berries, apple pieces or grapes or whatever, we will have a wonderful FEAST!! 

Thank you in advance for your help in this regard.

May you have a blessed family-filled weekend!  

IT'S A LONG WEEKEND!

FRIDAY is a Professional Development Day for OCSB staff.
     
MONDAY is a holiday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Have a wonderful weekend!

GREEN TO GROW FOR JOE!

Joseph (Joe) is a grade 6 student at our school who suffers from Dravet’s syndrome. We would like to
help his mom out with funds to assist with Joseph’s treatment. Please bring a loonie or a toonie on
October 10 and wear green to support Joseph.  Thank you in advance for supporting one of our
students.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/battle-withmalignant-epilepsy-joseph-vs-dravet-syndrome

Ms. Schlesak's class

Would parents be so kind as to send in flyers of food items for the students to paste on Wednesday and Thursday.
The colour/couleur de la semaine/week is blue/bleu. If you have pictures of anything blue (i.e. would not be returned) please send them in with your child.
There is a Thanksgiving Mass on Thursday. Please check the school website to confirm the time. Families are welcome to attend. We have been focusing on making the sign of the cross in class and this month the prayer is the Hail Mary. Please practise reciting the prayer with your child before they go to bed.

Hail Mary full of grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed are you amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus
Holy Mary Mother of God
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen

Please sign up to follow me on Twitter @natalieschlesak. I continue to be amazed each day with all the learning that is taking place.  Yesterday, Joel came to school with his name printed. He is very proud of his accomplishment. Way to go, Joel!  Please encourage your son or daughter to practise printing their names with the capital letter followed by lowercase letters. We will continue to work on this skill throughout the year.
As part of the math program (counting to 10 en francais), a ten frame will be included in each mailbag starting next week. Each day if the mailbag is returned to school, your child will colour in one square of the ten frame or dab a dot with the bingo dabber provided on each table. Once the frame is filled out, they will receive a prize. Please encourage your child to get into the habit of removing the mail from the mailbag. This is a great routine for them to get used to as they progress through the grades.
Here are the numbers in French: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. There are great Youtube videos of cartoon characters counting to 10 in French.  Make it fun!!
I would like to wish all the families a safe and happy Thanksgiving. May you enjoy the beautiful weather with family and friends!! 

SENIOR Kindergarten OCTOBER Newsletter now AVAILABLE!

               Click this link for the
  SENIOR Kindergarten OCTOBER Newsletter.

JUNIOR Kindergarten OCTOBER Newsletter NOW AVAILABLE!

                     
                           Click the following link for the

                          JUNIOR Kindergarten OCTOBER newsletter.

JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS ONLY!

This month JK teachers will be completing a  Speech & Language Assessment of each child that "flags" potential concerns.   When concerns are noted, a copy of the assessment form will be sent home.   We would also phone you to discuss any area of concern.  

When a student is 'flagged' for further assessment we recommend parents attend a "First Words Screening Clinic", where a Speech & Language Pathologist carries out some simple tests.  These clinics are offered through the City of Ottawa Public Health Dept. and are funded by the Ministry of Health.  

For dates and times of these Screening Clinics, click here for the "First Words" website.
Call Ottawa Public Health at (613) 580-6744 extension 28020 and speak to a Public Health Nurse for more information.

* Please note that this assessment is not only for physical articulation concerns, since many of these are age appropriate, but also for processing concerns - in regards to both receptive and expressive language.

Thank you in advance for your consideration in this matter.

YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!

@natalieschlesak

@chrisblahout

Ms./Mlle. Schlesak's Junior Kindergarten students

Ms. Schlesak's Junior Kindergarten students.
The students are beginning to settle into routines. Now that October is approaching, I would like to start the snack table.  This means that if your child chooses to eat right after our whole group morning lesson, they are permitted to have his/her snack at whatever time they wish.  
A gentle reminder to only include one healthy snack such as:

•  fruits/vegetables
• crackers with cheese
• a muffin
• pudding
• yogurt
• one or two cookies

 Healthy beverages include:

• 100% juice
•  milk/chocolate milk 
•  water 

We have been talking about healthy snack choices all month. Also, I have noticed several of the children have come to school with runny noses and colds. 

Morning Routine

When the boys and girls enter the classroom, the routine is to find a spot at the table, hang his/her knapsack on the chair, remove the mailbag from his/her backpack, and lastly to sit and read a book from the book bins until 'O Canada' starts on the PA system.  

I would like to designate a colour to each table where the students sit.  I want to hang a poster on the ceiling of the wall of items in that table's colour. Today I will sent home a note with each child requesting they bring a small object or picture of an item that is in the colour assigned to his or her table. 

 I will have a red, blue, yellow, and green table. Found objects must be small and not weigh too much so they can be glued to the poster board. It can be a drawing, a digital photograph, or a found object (i.e. a feather, a button, a piece of fabric, or a piece of lego). Today, Olivia suggested that a blue sparkly hair clip (that is if Mom will let donate her hair clip). 

I have also been tweeting under my name Natalie Schlesak.  Please join me on my twitter account so that you can view my tweets. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me via telephone or through a note in the mail bag if you have any questions.

Scholastic Book Orders

Just a reminder that payment for Scholastic orders is by CHEQUE ONLY. Orders are due by Oct. 9th. Thanks.

FRIDAY is SCHOOL PICTURE DAY!

This is a reminder that FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th is SCHOOL PICTURE DAY! 

Remember to fill in your "Lifetouch" photo form with your child's name and grade, plus the background colour and pose selection checked off.  The photographer will be asking each child for the form but if they do not have it then the photographer uses a standard background and pose.

Please wear your favourite outfit 

                                                       and best smile!  

MEET THE TEACHER evening TONIGHT!

Hope to see you all in the gym at 6:30 tonight. Students will be showing their classrooms and places of interest around the school.

There will NOT be any teacher presentations at this event. We welcome everybody!

Since the JKs have not started school yet, this is just another opportunity to visit the school and classroom so they can familiarize themselves with this new environment.

WELCOME TO SCHOOL!

September 3rd is the official first day of school for Senior Kindergarten to Grade 6.

Our Junior Kindergarten students will be visiting the classrooms this week with their parent(s) and next week they will participate in a "practice school day" in small groups staggered throughout the week.  Finally all students will start attending regular classes as of Tuesday, September 17th. 

Please note that "MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT" will be September 12th. (Details to follow.)

At some point during the first few days of each month we will post a link to our monthly newsletter. We will also post occasional reminders, news items, or upcoming events whenever necessary. Please subscribe to the blog in order to automatically receive this link in your email so that you are always informed about news and events happening in your child's classroom.

Click here to view the SEPTEMBER JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN newsletter.

Click here to view the SEPTEMBER SENIOR KINDERGARTEN newsletter.

Welcome to our educational team. We look forward to collaborating with you throughout the year.

SOME HELPFUL TIPS!

Summer fun and long days often throw our normal schedules off. To help little ones get back to their regular school schedule and those familiar bedtime routines, it is usually more successful if it is done slowly over a couple of weeks. Good Luck!!    :)

In preparation for the school year, here are a few suggestions and necessities:

• a LARGE child-size backpack with only one or two zippers. Please avoid tiny backpacks as shoes, jackets and artwork simply does not fit in with their snack-bag and causes lots of frustration. Also avoid adult-size hiking backpacks with tons of pockets and oversized shoulder straps.
• School shoes should be easily put on by your child INDEPENDENTLY! Velcro or slip-on are best. Please label these as we often have duplicate designs.
• We require TWO SMALL wallet-size PHOTOS of JK students only.
• The school ACTIVITY FEE is $25, which covers field trips, special guests, and Christmas crafts.
• a set of EXTRA clothes should be clearly labelled in a large ZIPLOC bag; including pants, shirt, socks and underwear. This bag is stored in your child's small cubby and will be sent home whenever an item is used so that you can replace the missing piece before sending back to school.
• a donation of one box of Kleenex is always appreciated.
• PLEASE !! KEEP personal TOYS at home.  Many problems arise from toys coming to school. Thank you in advance for your assistance, persistence, and effort in this regard.

We are all looking forward to your arrival in a couple of weeks!  Enjoy the last days of summer!

Sincerely,
The Kindergarten Team

WELCOME TO SCHOOL!

Dear Parents and Students,

WELCOME to the 2013-14 school year, which begins on Tuesday, September 3rd.  Here is some essential info. for everybody.

Morning classes run between 8:25 AM and  10:55 AM.
Afternoon classes run between 12:25 PM and 2:55 PM.

For safety reasons, visitors (including parents) must sign in at the office whenever entering the school.

The BUS LANE in front of the school is a restricted area for buses & staff ONLY.  PLEASE do NOT park or drop-off students in the curved drive-through lane at any time of day. Use the street or parking lot ONLY. Thank you.

Please always dress your child for outdoor conditions as we usually play in the yard every day.

Feel free to contact the teacher if you have any concern or question (no matter how trivial it may seem) as home-school communication is a priority in order to work as a productive "educational team".

We would like to WELCOME you all to KINDERGARTEN!!

Last Day of School

On the last day of school, the kindergarten students are invited to wear red and white to celebrate Canada Day! We will be eating our snack outside (weather permitting). Feel free to pack a special treat for your child to eat. Children are reminded to wear sunblock and hats as we will be spending a longer period of time outside.

WELCOME WATER DAY!!

All Kindergarten classes will be having a Water Play Day on Wednesday, June 19th.  All parents are welcome to join us for this fun end-of-year event.  
 MORNING GROUP - 9:15 to 10:30 AM
AFTERNOON GROUP - 1:15 to 2:30 PM

However, due to large numbers and safety concerns, we will not be able to accommodate siblings as well.  (Sorry for any inconvenience.)

REMEMBER: Students wear their bathing suit under their clothes. Sunscreen on. Hat on.
ALL children MUST wear SHOES!!  Bring towel, underwear & snack.

YES - IT'S SO MUCH FUN TO GET WET! 

 
PLEASE JOIN IN ON THE FUN!

Please remember sunscreen and a hat for your child's protection EVERYDAY!

Click here for JUNIOR Kindergarten JUNE newsletter.
Click here for SENIOR Kindergarten JUNE newsletter.

LINKS to JUNE NEWSLETTERS

Click here for JUNIOR Kindergarten JUNE newsletter.
Click here for SENIOR Kindergarten JUNE newsletter.