The Lawrence Elementary School

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Principal's Corner   

Principals Newsletter for March 2021

Parent Conferences are right around the corner on Wednesday, March 10, Thursday, March 11, and Friday, March 12. I want to strongly encourage all families to either attend the parent conferences or conduct a phone conference with your child’s teacher. This is a great opportunity to hear how your child is doing and to work with the teacher on how to help your child improve. There will be early dismissal on those days at 1:00 pm and lunch will be served. Please confirm your scheduled conference time with your child’s teacher.       

                                     Re-Entry Family Meeting

As many students get ready to return to Lawrence School 4 days a week starting on Monday, March 15, the SGC and staff will be sending out helpful ideas and activities to get students ready for the return. Some routines will be changing based on having a majority of students returning, but the emphasis will remain on safety.

     I will hold a zoom meeting for families on Monday, March 8, at 6:00 pm to answer any questions about the re-entry or procedures. The invite for the meeting will be sent to all families on Monday the 8^th during the school day.

                      School Governance Council Updates

Our SGC met in February to discuss ways to support families with remote learning. One of the pieces of data we reviewed were strategies that our students from grades 2-5 used to help them with learning remotely. These are ideas from our students:

- frequent breaks throughout the day

- finding a quiet space to work

- having music on in the background helped some students

- having a support person (parent, sibling, grandparent, baby-sitter) around to ask for help when needed

- Alexa/Echo Dot reminders on when zooms are scheduled

- sensory items (pet, favorite stuffed animal, putty, etc.) easily accessible

- having noise cancelling headphones

 Notes from the NURSE

Greetings, families! Just a few reminders as we prepare to welcome more students back into on-site learning. We will continue illness prevention strategies that include wearing masks, maintaining social distances, washing our hands frequently, and keeping our school environment clean and safe. Before sending your child off to school:

1). Ensure your child leaves the house with clothing that is appropriate for the weather. Mask breaks and some Specials classes like Music and PE will be outdoors as long as the temperatures are within reasonable limits.

2). Grades K - 1 students should have a change of clothing (pants, socks, undergarment, top) in a plastic bag in their backpack in the event they are dirtied. 

3). Please keep your child home if they are sick and call the school to let us know not to expect them in the classroom. To excuse your child’s absence from an in-person day, please provide the school with a handwritten note.                        

International Baccalaureate: Our Learner Profile attribute that we are focusing on in March is Risk-Taker.  Being a global citizen who takes risks means we approach uncertainty with determination, we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas, and we are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.  We are encouraging our students to take chances with their learning, to make a new friend, and to speak up when they notice someone not being treated nicely or fairly. 

Being a risk-taker also means being willing to try something new, be it finding a new book to read, learning a new math strategy, or finding a new hobby or craft one wants to explore.

                      “Never stop taking risks. Just keep reaching.” – Ryan Eggold

                  “Without risks, there can’t be breakthroughs.” – Peter Diamandis

 Celebrating Read Across America

The students will be having fun throughout March with many creative activities to encourage reading. Here are some of our fun plans:

March 4 & 5: students can choose to either dress up as their favorite character from a book OR wear their pajamas to school. Students are asked to bring their favorite book to school to share with their classmates. 

Arts & Crafts with Books: in upcoming Tuesday and Thursday folders will be several ideas on activities families can engage in that connect a craft to a story. We will create the paper materials that students will need and distribute them to students. Be on the lookout!

Family Reading Night:                     Wednesday, March 24

              6:00 pm (K-1 students)              7:00 pm (grades 2-5)

Zoom links will be provided: we will have guest readers, reading trivia, rhyming game, and the opportunity to share your arts and crafts projects.

   

                                LETTER FROM THE PTA                 

Dear Lawrence School Families:

It’s been nearly one year since our school closed at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, and we are about to embark on a new, close to full-time schedule, 368 days later. What a year it has been, and we hope to return to some normal activities over the next few months.

The PTA has been somewhat dormant as we have navigated through the restrictions placed on the school, but we are excited to awaken from our hibernation. It is in times like we have recently experienced that we realize how much our community has missed when our usual events and activities were suspended. However, we hope to bring back some of those community-making activities as we finish out the last third of the year.

In order to do that, as well as to start to think about plans for next year, we are looking for Lawrence families to join the PTA and take part in planning and running some events (likely virtual for the foreseeable future) so we can all get reacquainted and to bring back our Lawrence family. Three of the four PTA board members will be leaving at the end of this year, so we are asking everyone to consider making a commitment to volunteer to ensure our ability to continue the long traditions we have had at Lawrence. If you are interested in joining the PTA, please contact Kelly Weisenberg at mikekellyluke@gmail.com.

Fifth Grade Families: As a school and as a PTA, we are trying to create some memorable activities for our fifth graders as they get ready to be promoted to 6^th grade. We are looking for parent volunteers from 5^th grade to help in the planning of these experiences.

If you are interested in helping, please contact Parent and PTA President Kelly Weisenberg at mikekellyluke@gmail.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

   April: One Book, One School – all families will receive a copy of The Word Collector

   April: Earth Day and Turn Off the Screen Day activities

   May: Dedication to Mrs. Share from the PTA

   May: Teacher Appreciation Week

  HELPFUL TIPS FOR FAMILIES ON RETURNING TO SCHOOL FULL-TIME

           As we look toward returning to school 4 days a week starting on March 15, 2021, here are some helpful tips as you navigate this change in your routines.

1. Reestablish sleep routines with your children, creating specific times to go to bed and times to wake up in the morning
2. Reestablish morning routines to help your child organize their materials and to be ready for school
3. Be aware you may see irritability or other changes in your child - that's normal and may pass. Being back in school will feel like the first day of school for many children.  
4. If you have concerns about your child's mood or behavior, talk to your child's teacher and/or your child's doctor
5. Make sure the school has your updated contact info

Since the school experience will be very different from before with desks farther apart from each other, teachers maintaining physical distance, and lunch time and recess being organized very differently than in the past, it is unlike anything your child is used to. Before March 15, you may want to talk to your child and explain that all these steps are being taken to keep everyone safe and healthy.

The list below provides actions and considerations regarding your child’s mental health and emotional well-being as they transition back to in-person school. CDC’s website provides additional resources for you and your family.

Actions to take and points to consider:

• Talk with your child about how school will look different
• Talk with your child about how school is going and about interactions with classmates and teachers. Find out how your child is feeling and communicate that what they may be feeling is normal.
• Anticipate behavior changes in your child, which may be signs of your child struggling with stress and anxiety.
• Try to attend school activities and meetings. Schools may offer more of these virtually. As a parent, staying informed and connected may reduce your feelings of anxiety and provide a way for you to express any concerns you may have.
• We have several types of mental health services available to students in need of support. Please reach out to your child’s teacher for support.
• We provide students with strategies to help them with their emotions (mood meter, meta-moment, CHL). If you need any information on these strategies, please contact your child’s teacher.
• You can be a role model for your child by practicing self-care and by modeling strategies you use to help with stress or anxiety.
  
  

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.