The Lawrence Elementary School​

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Principal's Corner

Principal’s Message for January 2020

The staff and I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! The New Year is often a time for reflection, so we selected REFLECTIVE as our IB Learner Profile for the month. When I reflect on being the principal of Lawrence School, I definitely appreciate the community of families and teachers that we have who are 100% committed to our children’s education.  THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!

Goal Setting is a very important and purposeful activity that we want all children to do. We want the children to learn that once you create a goal, there are specific things that they can do to achieve the goal. Effort and a great attitude help children reach their goals. Here are some simple things you can do at home to help with the development of this skill:

1. Talk to your children about the goals they have for themselves. Ask them what they need to do in order to meet their goals and share strategies. (Example – if your child wants to be a better writer, what do they need to do in their writing to make it better? It could be adding more specific details, using the 5 senses in their writing, or rereading their work more carefully for spelling and punctuation errors.). Creating goals around work habits, behavior, and following daily routines are also effective at this age.
2. Share with your child the goals that you have or had. Talk with them about how you met your goal and how that made you feel. Children usually look to their families as positive role models, so discussing your goals will help them with their goals.
3. Talking to your child about visualization helps with goal setting. Asking your children to picture themselves achieving the goal and taking the necessary steps to meet the goal is an effective strategy. Here is a good question to ask: What will it look like if you have met your goal?
4. Distinguishing between a long-term goal and short-term goals. A common goal for a 2^nd or 3^rd grader is to learn ALL of their multiplication facts (long-term goal). A more reasonable short-term goal could be that the student will learn all of their 4 times tables by February. Breaking up long-term goals into smaller, doable chunks helps with children feeling that they have accomplished something in a short period of time.
5. Celebrating each success as the children meet short-term goals builds confidence and internal motivation in children. Seeing a child proud of himself/herself is what it is all about.

Another good goal is to attend school every day and to be on time. The school doors open at 8:45 am, so we want students in their classrooms shortly thereafter. When children are absent too often or are late to school, they are missing valuable instruction and many are not making the progress that other children are making. Another important reminder is that when your children are absent from school, a hand-written note from you is needed to excuse the absence. The note can be sent in to your child’s teacher. Thank you.                                                    

FAMILY FITNESS AND WELLNESS NIGHT is Friday, January 24, from 6:30 - 7:30 pm at Lawrence. This free event is open to all families as there will be activities all throughout the school centered on physical activity, learning about nutrition, emotional and relational well-being, and relaxation/stress reduction. Additionally, you can learn more about the work your children have been engaged in through IB and inquiry. Student work and activities will be shared so families can gain a better understanding of how IB is integrated into our curriculum. PLEASE JOIN US FOR A FUN NIGHT!

                              

Impacts of Social Media on Students

Student access to social media has grown significantly in recent years, but at the elementary level, I have not seen a lot of negative effects until recently. Monitoring of social media and what students are viewing and writing to one another is a new problem that we as educators must confront and deal with. Students bring issues from home and from social media to school, which disrupts the learning environment, especially for this year’s 5^th graders. This is a topic that the PTA is also interested in exploring.

          The PTA meets on Thursday, January 9, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm

and part of the meeting will be devoted to hearing from families about their experiences and what support or information they would like. The goal is to bring in some guest speakers with experience on social media for elementary-age students in the near future.   

There is a free viewing of the documentary Screenagers at the Rocky Hill library that is open to the public on January 21. The Screenagers documentary explores family struggles over social media, video games, academics, and internet addiction. With surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, Screenagers reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.  Recommended Viewing Age: 10 and older. On the link below is additional information.

   https://www.eventcombo.com/e/screenagers-film-presented-by-rocky-hill-youth--family-servi-37272 

                                              
January Food Drive

We will start our January collection of non-perishable food items this week and continue through the end of next week. Our food of the month is baked beans, but of course, all non-perishable food items are greatly appreciated. In addition to food donations for The Amazing Grace Food Pantry, we will also collect coffee mugs for donation to St. Vincent de Paul’s Soup Kitchen. SVP is always in need of mugs of any size. This will be a good time to make a little extra space in your kitchen cabinets by donating your extra mugs. And finally, a huge Thank You for being such a caring and giving community!  We donated 2,168 pounds of food to The Amazing Grace Food Pantry in 2019 and that doesn’t even include the nearly 400 packages of stuffing you contributed to the Middlesex Community Thanksgiving Project.

          Follow us on Twitter @MpsLawrence! 

Music Notes - January

 Follow me on Twitter! @ScalaMPS

What a wonderful winter concert! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come celebrate with us! This month we will be diving back into our curriculum now that the concert is over. We will be learning about different types of accompaniment such as ostinatos (repeated patterns in music). The older grades will be working on different ways to sing in more than just one part in addition to getting back into Recorder Karate. 

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to me via email at scalaf@mpsct.org or you can message me, Farah Scala, right through the ClassDojo app. 
Wishing you all a wonderful 2020! 

News from the Lawrence School

Library Media Center

In January, the American Library Association (ALA) holds its annual meeting and announces which books have won awards. At Lawrence School, we are very excited to get in on the action.

Kindergarten and first graders will evaluate books for the Geisel award, which is given to great books for beginning readers.

Second and third graders will evaluate books for the Caldecott Medal, which is given for outstanding illustrations.

Fourth and fifth graders will evaluate books for the Sibert Medal, which is given for great nonfiction books.

Students will then vote on which book they think should win an award. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in February. It is always a very exciting day for the students. Will our winners match up with the ALA’s? We’ll see!

                         
 Update on International Baccalaureate

There have been many developments with our IB program over the past month.  In December, Grades 1-5 have completed their first IB units.  They are currently working on planning units which will be implemented in mid-February to the end of March. 

First Grade will be inquiring into How the World Works and how living things need natural resources to grow and survive through their study of plant and animal life cycles.

Second grade will be inquiring into Where We Are in Place and Time and how people's actions and beliefs shape our world through their study of biographies. 

Third grade will be inquiring into How the World Works and how our world is composed of natural and man-made structures through their study of non-fiction text structures, Colonial CT history, and the structures of animal adaptations. 

Fourth grade will be inquiring into Where We Are in Place and Time and the discoveries, explorations, and migrations of humankind through their study of the regions of the US. 

Fifth grade will be inquiring into Sharing the Planet and how human advancement can cause conflict with other living communities through their study of the colonies and their relations with indigenous peoples and how environmental disasters affect living communities.  The students are using their classroom Wonder Walls to make their thinking and questions visible throughout the units. 

Kindergarten is currently in the middle of their first unit: Where We Are in Place and Time.  They have been inquiring into what life was like for children in the past compared to the present.  They explored some toys, household items, and school items from the past and present to practice their noticing skills.  We have had some family volunteers come in to share photos, stories, and objects from when they were a child.  The students enjoyed asking questions about what life was like in the past. The CT Historical Society will be visiting on Jan. 31, to share some artifacts, clothing, and toys from the past so students have a multi-sensory opportunity to continue their inquiries.  

Our Learner Profile attribute that we are focusing on in January is Reflective.  Being a reflective global citizen means we thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience.  We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.  This seems to fit in very nicely with this time of year. 

The students will be bringing home a reflection activity to complete with their families which will be posted in our main hallway so they may share their reflections on their accomplishments this school year as well as the goals they are setting for themselves.  

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.

  Social and Emotional Learning Opportunities

 CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL NEWSLETTER

We emphasize the importance of students being able to recognize their emotions and to learn strategies on how best to regulate their emotions. The staff has been trained in the RULER, a strategy from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (ei.yale.edu).

                R      Recognizing                  Identifying emotions in ourselves and others

                U     Understanding             Knowing the causes of emotions (why do we feel the way we do)

                L      Labeling                           Knowing feeling words to help us communicate feelings accurately

                E      Expressing                     Learning how to display our feelings and act in the school setting

                R      Regulating                     Developing strategies to manage our feelings

Your children will be coming home and will most likely be using some of the vocabulary and strategies we teach at school. You may hear about the META-MOMENT or TRIGGERS or your children may talk about breathing techniques and strategies. We will send home for you copies of the strategies and vocabulary we use so that you can also reinforce this at home if you so choose. Thank you.  

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.