The Lawrence Elementary School
Pictures from the Lawrence Fun Run Walk-a-thon
Principal's Corner
Principal’s Corner for November 2019
November is my favorite month of the year! It is a time to think about all of the people and things that we are thankful for in our lives. I know that I am thankful to be able to work in a school with such a loving community, dedicated staff, and wonderful families and children. Showing our appreciation to others is a positive theme that will be reinforced throughout many of the activities here at school.
Our school community has been consistently showing how giving we are by participating in a variety of recent activities that benefit others. Thank you to our families who participated in these activities! They make a difference in people’s lives.
- Two school-wide canned fooddrives in September and October, when we collected over 500 cans of food for the Amazing Grace Food Pantry
- Fourth grader Justin C. raised over $1150 to benefit the Susan G. Komen New England Center to support breast cancer research. Justin is the official Pink Tie Guy!!!!
- We collected at least 300 boxes of stuffing to support local families and Amazing Grace
- Families donated their time to helping on field trips for grades 4 & 5
- Families helping to organize our Bingo Boo Bash, Welcome Back to School Night, & Book Fair
- Our Walk-a-thon was a huge success! As a community we raised over $9500. What an amazing effort! Congratulations to Axel A. from second grade, our top fund-raiser, who will be the principal for the day soon.
Parent Conferences are fast approaching! That means that children will be receiving their first report cards soon! On Wednesday, November 20, Thursday, November 21, and Friday, November 22, parent conferences will be held for kindergarten and grades 1- 5 so families can see how much progress their children have been making. We will have early dismissal each of those days; children will be dismissed at 1:25 p.m.
I want to strongly encourage every Lawrence School family to attend the parent conferences. This is the perfect opportunity to talk to the teachers about your concerns, questions, or your goals for your children. The teachers can share tips on how to help your children at home with homework, reading, and math. It is also important for your children to share their goals with you. We recommend children attend part of the conference so that they can share their progress with you. If you cannot attend in person, please arrange a phone conference
ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES UPDATES
This is a friendly reminder about the importance of hand-writing an absence note for your children if they miss school for any reason. In order for the absence to be excused or verified, the office needs a written note within 10 days of the student’s absence. Thank you for your help with this.
Annual Book Fair will be held from November 18 – 23. The Book Fair will be open during most parent conferences, so you can drop by to shop before or after your child’s conference. We will continue with our traditional GRAND LUNCH on Tuesday, November 19, from 11:10 – 1:40 pm. Families can visit Lawrence and have lunch with their children or grandchildren. Then, they can visit the book fair together. This is a wonderful event to enjoy together!
Lunch Times for Children
Grade 2 11:10 – 11:35
Grade 3 11:35 – 12:00
Grade 1 12:00 – 12:25
Grade 4 12:25 – 12:50
Kindergarten 12:50 – 1:15
Grade 5 1:15 – 1:40
If you are unable to attend the Grand Lunch, you can schedule another time to have lunch with your child. The times above are the lunch times for full session days.
News from the Lawrence School Library Media Center
Kindergarten and grade one students have enjoyed learning in our new MakerSpace, using Keva Planks, Magnatiles, and Cubettos. Grades two and three are learning how the library is organized and will use this knowledge to help Bad Kitty escape from our Breakout EDU box. Fourth graders will program Ozobots to show their knowledge of library organization and the library catalog, and fifth graders are building their own push/pull toy.
We are all looking forward to the book fair during the week of November 18. Thanks in advance to the many volunteers that orchestrate this popular event!
Kerry Darby darbyk@mpsct.org
Library Media Specialist
Music Notes
Don’t forget the winter concert is right around the corner! The date is TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10th and the snow date is Tuesday, December 17th. At the 9:30 am show, all students in grades K-2 will be performing. At the 11:00am show, all students in grades 3-5 and band will be performing. Please send your child to school in a neat, clean, and dressy outfit. If you have any questions or concerns, I am most easily reached by email: scalaf@mpsct.org
Mrs. Scala, Music Teacher
Creative Minds in the Art Room
Grade 4 students had a truly wonderful experience on their field trip to Wesleyan University. They had an opportunity to play instruments from Indonesia, view etched miniature artworks, practice cross hatching, go on an art scavenger hunt, and view sculptures which they then replicated through movement.
Our first IB units are underway. Students in grades 2 and 3 are being taught lessons which have been designed through collaboration with the teachers and me. To read more about these units or to see what other grades are working on in art, Visit the Lawrence Art site to see what your children are studying in the art room this month by:
Going to the Middletown Home Page. Click on the staff directory circle.
Type Alison Kaye in the search bar, then click search. Under my name you will see a small globe icon. Click on this and you will be brought to the Lawrence Art page. Enjoy
Alison Kaye kayea@mpsct.org
IB update for November
This was a busy month at Lawrence School for our IB program. The teachers completed the planning of their first units and grades 1-5 have started their first inquiry units with their new Central Ideas.
First Grade is exploring how people communicate ideas/facts using various forms of language in their How We Express Ourselves unit.
Second Grade is exploring how stories communicate beliefs and values in their Who We Are unit.
Third Grade is exploring how communities change over time in their Where We Are in Place and Time unit.
Fourth Grade is exploring how people express their values through their words and actions and can change their cultures over time in their How We Express Ourselves unit.
Fifth Grade is exploring how human behavior and Earth's systems change in relation to one another.
Kindergarten will be starting their first unit in December. The students and teachers focused on the Learner Profile Attribute "Communicators" for the month of October. They discussed all the different kinds of ways we communicate such as nonverbal, written, oral, communication in different languages, and communication in different disciplines such as art, math, and science. Our new Learner Profile Attribute for this month is "Thinkers". Students and teachers will learn about ways to improve critical thinking and problem solving skills, will continue focusing on our meta-moments to think about our emotions and ways to react, and also thinking about how our words and actions can affect others.
Denise Kraft, IB Coordinator kraftd@mpsct.org
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
Important Dates and Events
Tuesday, November 19: PICTURE RETAKES If your child was absent or you do not care for the picture taken in October, your child will have the opportunity to be photographed again on Tuesday morning. Please have your child bring back the package that was sent home to you (except for the class picture, which you get to keep for free). You can also place new orders for Tuesday.
Tuesday, November 19: GRAND LUNCH families can have lunch with their children. Please see the schedule of times above
BOOK FAIR is November 18-23 Come visit during parent conferences
Wed., Nov. 20 – Fri., Nov. 22:
Parent Conferences & Early Dismissal
Students dismissed at 1:25 pm each day
Saturday, November 23: Craft & Vendor Fair at Lawrence School 9-2
Come by and see all of the creative items for sale
Our School Band will play music starting at 12:00 in the cafeteria
This is the last day for the Book Fair
Wednesday, November 27: Early Dismissal at 1:25 pm for all students
NO SCHOOL ON THURSDAY, NOV. 28 & FRIDAY, NOV. 29
Monday, December 2: Meet our Superintendent, Dr. Conner
He will visit Lawrence School from 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Community Conversation centered on Health and Wellness
All families are welcome to attend Free Baby-sitting, Dinner provided
Tuesday, December 10: Winter Concerts at Lawrence
9:30 am K-2 students 11:00 am Grades 3-5
Middletown Public Schools’ Policy of Nondiscrimination
Each year the Middletown School District is required to notify staff, students, and parents about the Middletown Public Schools’ Policy of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex and the grievance procedures. The policies and forms are located on the district website and will also be e-mailed to parents. Marco Gaylord is the District Title IX Coordinator. He can be reached by phone at 860-638-1485.His office is located at the Middletown Board of Education, 311 Hunting Hill Road, Middletown, CT 06457
Also available on the website is a list of all Annual Notifications which can be found under District Information
Fondly,
Jim Gaudreau, Principal
gaudreauj@mpsct.org (860) 632-2158
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:
- We foster students’ emotional intelligence because we believe social-emotional learning is key to the development of the whole child.
- 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.
- 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.
- We engage learners by purposefully planning lessons that encourage inquiry and critical thinking, value student interest, and promote collaboration and discourse among all students.
- 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.
- 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.