The Lawrence Elementary School​

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Principal's Corner

    
Principal’s April Newsletter

I hope all of our students, families, and teachers are staying safe and healthy this April! COVID-19 has had such a dramatic effect on our routines and daily lives. This is the first time I can recall having to cancel school for such an extended period of time.

With school not being in session, Lawrence Elementary School has moved to distance learning. Our teachers received training in Google Classroom (grades 2-5) and Seesaw (Kindergarten – Grade 1) in order to provide students with meaningful learning activities at home. Virtual learning is not meant to replicate the learning that can occur in school, but our teachers are working very hard to provide all students with a variety of activities and experiences. Additionally, all of our Specials teachers (Art, Music, Spanish, PE, Library Media, Band) are uploading creative learning opportunities. Please have your child visit Google Classroom or Seesaw each school day to view the day’s activities. Teachers are taking attendance and noting who is participating and completing activities, so daily attendance is encouraged.

If you have any questions regarding the schoolwork or technology, please start by reaching out to the teachers on Class Dojo or through email. They can hopefully help you. If the technology issue is more significant, the district technology department can be contacted to offer free support.  

Email address: techassist@mpsct.org, for families to contact the technology department when having technical issues with the student devices. Their plan is to address issues with non-functioning devices by swapping out the student devices at the Grab & Go food sites.  The goal is to process requests daily, depending on the number of requests, then drop of replacement devices in the afternoon at the Grab & Go sites so families can get the device the next day. Families will drop off the broken device and get the new one at the same time.

Grab & Go food sites:      Monday – Friday     9:00 am – 1:00 pm    Breakfast/Lunch

Spencer School (closest to Lawrence)     207 Westfield Street

Snow School                                          299 Wadsworth Street

Macdonough School                               66 Spring Street

Bielefield School                                     70 Maynard Street

Car Parade: As a staff, we are trying to create a car parade as a way to let all of our students and families know how much we miss you. The teachers will be in their cars and will drive around the neighborhoods to wave hello. We will all still practice social distancing, so you can stay in your homes and wave to us as we drive by. More information will be coming out soon, but we are thinking of Friday, April 3, after 3 pm.

Please contact the teachers with any questions. Lawrence School is closed, so if you need additional support, please email me at gaudreauj@mpsct.org. Please do not call the school or leave a voicemail, as no one may hear it for some time.

                                                             
Take care!    Jim Gaudreau, Principal

Update on Spring Events

Due to school being closed, there are many events that will need to be either canceled or postponed until we are either back in school or rescheduled until the summer. I will be in touch with families through mail or email if events are rescheduled. Events include …

          Kindergarten Orientation for Incoming Students

            Kindergarten Registration and Family Night

            Young Author’s Night and Science Fair

            Field Trips

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY & TV FREE WEEK WITH CREATIVE FAMILY PROJECTS 

Typically, Lawrence School organizes activities around these two annual events. Since we cannot do so this year, please engage with the activities at home. Enjoy and take pictures of what you have done. You can share them with your teachers.   

ARTS AND CRAFTS ACTIVITY

1. Nature Exploration: Go around your yard and neighborhood and collect as many different types of nature as you can find (leaves, twigs, grass, etc). Try and find examples that represent different shapes (triangles, squares), textures (smooth, rough)., and patterns.  
2. Nature Posters: Take one piece of construction paper and some glue and stick the items you found on your nature exploration onto the paper. Try and be creative as you move the items around the paper. You can make a pattern or arrange the items to make a shape.
3. Turn Trash into Art: Take a look around your house for recyclable materials. After you collect a bunch of objects, use glue or tape to connect the objects in order to make something. You can make an animal, flower, or person, or try to make something very tall. Try to turn your trash or recyclables into something creative and wonderful.

1. Making Collages: once you collect a lot of recyclable materials, peel off or cut off the food labels or pictures on the recyclable boxes or bottles. Use all of these words, designs, and pictures to create a collage.
2. Growing your own Garden: Start your own garden and watch the flowers/veggies grow.

Leftover seeds: use extra seeds as art. You can take construction paper and make a design. Using glue, you can attach the seeds to the paper in any shape or design you wish. The 3-D element of the seeds will add a lot of creativity to your designs. Acorns are also a great substitute.                                  

Creative Writing & Poetry

              Sensory Poem: Go outside and find a nice place to sit or lie down. While outside, make a list of everything you sense (see, hear, taste, touch, and smell). Try closing your eyes and feel the nature around you. After you make your list, write a poem about all of the things you sense; be as detailed as possible.

Example:            As I am sitting in my backyard, I can feel the wind blowing my hair.

                             I see two squirrels running around the yard after an acorn.

                             Flowers give a fresh smell to the yard, reminding me of grandma’s hand lotion.

              Acrostic Poems: write a key word or phrase related to Earth Day (SPRING, NATURE, EARTH DAY, etc.). Try and think of words or phrases related to your KEY WORD and write them next to each letter. EXAMPLE:

              Squirrels running in the yard

              Pretty flowers

              Rabbits

              Insects crawling on my leg

              Nature

              Green grass

Social-Emotional Strategies:

A focus at Lawrence School is in helping students to be able to recognize their feelings and to help them learn strategies to self-regulate and respond appropriately to triggers. Communicating their feelings in a constructive way is emphasized, and the Meta-Moment is shared with students.

We discuss that all of us – every student in the school, every teacher, every parent – we all have triggers, something that may get us angry or upset. Learning to recognize our triggers and the triggers of others helps us with our emotional responses. Taking the time to stop and think about the best way to respond to a peer or adult when one is triggered is emphasized.

Sample Strategies:     Take 3 deep breaths, Get a drink of water, Count to 10, Go to the Calming Corner [take a break], Draw, Write, Read a Book, Think of a Place/Person/Pet that makes you happy, Talk to someone you trust, Squeeze or hold a comfort object, Positive self-talk

VISION:

The Lawrence School is an inclusive community that supports and values the academic, social, physical, and emotional development of every student through an engaging and relevant transdisciplinary curriculum that fosters students as collaborators, communicators, thinkers, and global citizens.

MISSION STATEMENTS:

1. We foster students’ emotional intelligence because we believe social-emotional learning is key to the development of the whole child.

    

2. We cultivate a growth mindset among students, families, and staff because we believe in the value and importance of perseverance, varied learning dispositions, risk-taking, goal setting, and reflection.

    

3. We foster a safe and welcoming environment that promotes a mutually-supportive school community of empathetic and collaborative individuals who are globally responsible, curious, and action-oriented.

    

4. We engage learners by purposefully planning lessons that encourage inquiry and critical thinking, value student interest, and promote collaboration and discourse among all students.

    

5. We value a balanced and comprehensive arts and physical education program that enhances the core curriculum and allows students to explore, experience, and appreciate world cultures and language experiences while encouraging creativity, curiosity, and healthy movement.

    

6. We provide rigorous challenges so students take ownership of their learning as they use reasoning and thinking skills and academic risk-taking in order to develop creativity, perseverance, and recognition of their role in the global environment.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

The Middletown Board of Education is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, marital status, civil union, military or veteran status, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or past or present physical or mental disability in any of its education programs, activities, or employment policies.  All educational programs and offerings, including vocational education and extracurricular activities, subscribe to this policy. Marco Gaylord, Director of District Operations, has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the district non-discrimination policies and may be reached at 311 Hunting Hill Avenue, Middletown, CT  06457; phone (860) 638-1485.