Dear Assawompset School Families,
Happy February! The Assawompset students had another great week here at AES as we began our kick off to Black History Month Every February, we learn/celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans as part of Black History Month. Throughout this month, AES is going to participate in the ABC’s of Black History! Starting with the letter A, each morning, the office will read 1 or 2 interesting facts about a certain African American achievement or event. Classroom teachers will then follow up during their lessons, etc.
This week we kicked off our Black History Month with the Kid’s Cabinet. We watched the following video about how STUDENT VOICE matters and can make a BIG difference. (Video below). We then reviewed the ABC’s and created a mural near the cafeteria of the school for all to see! We discussed Black History at a level appropriate to elementary students. For example - students were told “If you have green eyes - you cannot use the bubblers today. Is this fair? Why or why not?” Great discussion took place and your children were very vocal in expressing their feelings.
VIDEO: Can Kids Change The World? | Black History Month For Kids
Kid’s Cabinet - ABC’s of Black History
*** The kid’s cabinet is your child’s voice for their classroom. Students go back to class and share out the monthly topic. All students then participate in something school wide around the topic. These are also reviewed during schoolwide bi-weekly ceremonies.
FEBRUARY 7 - 2024
We are getting ready for World Read Aloud Day next Wednesday, February 7th. We have five really great authors lined up for our virtual google meets. They are Jocelyn Rish, Jamie Michalak, Buffy Silverman, Lydia, Lukidis, and Lindsay Leslie. Students are learning about their authors and listening to one of their books. Students are also brainstorming questions for the authors and will have the opportunity to
ask during the Question and Answer session. So Fun!
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
February 2nd - Early Dismissal at 12:15 a.m.
February 13 - PTO Meeting 7:00 P.M.
February 14 - School Committee Meeting
February 19th through the 23rd - Winter Break - School Closed
March 5th - NO SCHOOL
March 6th - Spring Photos
March 11th - March 15th - AES Book Fair
March 19th - Curriculum Night 6:00-8:00 PM
March 23 - Artapalooza 12:00 - 2:00
Spring MCAS DATES - GRADE 3 ONLY:
April 3 and 4 - ELA
May 8 and 9 - Math
OUR BEST HOLIDAY GIFT - HYDRATION STATIONS!
Have you asked your student if they are using the hydration stations?
We are super excited about them and they are used all day long!
ART
Kindergarten students recreated the dashed-line style paintings of African American artist Alma Woodsey Thomas.
Firsties are completing their oil pastel color mixing.
Second graders are learning how to make block letters.
Grade three has finished their color word paintings.
MUSIC
K: The K classes used boomwhackers this week and did an amazing job keeping the beat along with some melody mixed in. We also had a little time to dance!
1st: The Grandparent’s Day performance is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 @ 10:00am in the AES gymnasium! The first graders are working hard preparing for their big day!
2nd: The Disney performance is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15 @ 10:00am in the AES gymnasium.
3rd: The recorders have officially been ordered! This week in 3rd grade we are using boomwhackers to some popular songs!
This week in PE we are learning about the importance of flexibility and how to increase or maintain flexibility. Students are practicing this by completing a yoga routine from cosmic yoga. I highly recommended this for an at home work out that can be found for free on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/user/c...
KINDERGARTEN
This week we continue to solve addition problems within 10. The students have been practicing this skill through direct instruction, center activities and classroom games. We have also been showing them strategies to use like counting on fingers, counting on, and using a numbe line. In Wonders we started Unit 5 with the big idea of What kinds of things can you find growing in nature? This week the question that we discussed was What do living things need to grow? We brainstormed a list of living things, talked about what they needed in order to grow and survive and we read My Garden by Kevin Henkes. We continue to work on letter sound associations, blending words, and reading and writing sight words.
GRADE 1
This week the children learned what a folktale is. We read several stories including The Gingerbread Man and Drakestail. The children learned that a folktale is a story that has been handed down from generation to generation. Moreover, these stories often teach us a moral or lesson. We also continue to work on reading and spelling words with glued sounds and suffix -s. Lastly, we celebrated Groundhog Day and created opinion pieces that reflected whether we wanted early spring or a longer winter. We supported these opinions by listing several reasons why we feel this way. Have a wonderful weekend!
GRADE 2
We have been busy in grade two as this month comes to a close. This week we have had some discussions and lessons on the upcoming Groundhog Day as students predict what our weather will be for the rest of this winter. We are also beginning the ABCs of Black History Month, as a school, starting tomorrow. . In our academic subjects we have been working on two-digit addition strategies during math and continuing our work with stories about helping the community during reading. Happy February, almost!
GRADE 3
Grade 3 is learning about how animals are unique; there are several selections in our Wonders book to explore this idea. In math we continue to learn about fractions. In social studies we have started studying the American Revolution; right now we are looking at the causes of the war. We are also working in a bit of science about animal adaptations as we have an assembly about this right before February vacation.
Nurse’s Nook
5 Tips to deal with Picky Eaters (Click Here)!
1. Shop and cook with the kids
2. Cook one meal for the whole family
3. Keep offering new foods
4. Avoid the clean plate club
5. Serve smart snacks and drink more water
Counselor’s Corner:
What is Self-Regulation?
Self-regulation is the ability to regulate (manage) emotions, attention and behavior. Students who have difficulties with this have challenges in school both academically and socially in that they are more likely to have difficulties following teachers’ instructions, coping with schoolwork and getting along with other children. So how can you help your child develop this skill? An important factor in helping your child is recognizing how you as the parent regulates your emotions and behaviors. The key to self-regulation is finding strategies that help calm you. Here are some ideas that may help your child learn breathing techniques to help him calm.
Take Five - Teach your child to breathe in as she slowly raises each of her fingers on one hand, and then to breathe out as she closes each finger.
Turtle Shell - When your child is over excited or upset, teach him to go to a quiet space, hug himself or a stuffed animal and take a slow, deep breath.
Find Your Breath - Teach your child the correct way to take a deep breath. Breathe in through your nose while counting to 5, then breathe out through your mouth, again while counting to 5.
Stomach Ride - Have your child lay on her back and place a small stuffy on her belly. Your child can watch the stuffy go up and down with each breath.
The key to mastering self-regulation is to practice the skills when your child is calm. It is not easy for your child to remember to use these techniques when he is starting to become emotional, so practice, practice, practice!
Thank you and have a great day!
Bethany Pineault, Principal
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