The CPES BobChat
April 3, 2022
How Can We Best Take a "Break" This "Spring?"
We are fortunate to have this Friday through Monday, April 18 as Spring Break. It is the best medicine for "March Madness" or "Spring Fever" that I discussed last week. When we return, we will have 28 days until the end of the year. It has been a long winter for our children and teachers and quite honestly, it has been a long two years for all of us working through COVID. This is a great time to take a break and enjoy some time away. How can we help our children enjoy this time and return ready for the challenges of testing and end of year activities? 1. Rest. Even little bodies and minds need some time to power down and disconnect. Sleep a little more and a little later. Take a nap. Stop. Sit down for a little bit. Our children need some time to replenish their physical tanks just like we do as adults. 2. Recreate. We all need to do something fun or silly or senseless or meaningless. Play a game or go for a bike ride or walk. Plant some flowers or go fishing. Work a puzzle or listen/play some music. The goal is to turn off our striving and working to do something different which allows us to disconnect from our daily stresses. Resting fills our physical tanks. Recreating fills our emotional tanks. Again, this is true for our big and little people. 3. Relate. Spring Break hopefully allows us time to gather with our friends and family. Have someone over for dinner. Sit on the front or back porch with a neighbor. Take time to ask someone how they are really doing and be ready to listen. Be sure to tell them how you are really doing. Talk (not text) with someone, especially those in our own homes. Put the phone down as much as possible. For two years, we've missed connecting with others. This is a great time to make up for lost time. 4. Reflect. This is such a sweet time of year when new life comes from the flowers and trees in our yards. It is a time of "doing over" and beginning again. We made it through the cold, dreary and drab winter. What are we ready to put behind? What do we want to begin? What do we maybe want to begin again? Take some time to be quiet and listen to your thoughts. Think through how you want to respond and not just react. Our children need us to show them how to pause and reflect in these ways. This is one of the longest spring breaks I can remember. Let's make some great memories with our children and show them how to slow down a little. Let's model for them the value and benefit of taking a meaningful "break" during this "spring." I hope you will enjoy the blessing of this time away.
Strength and Blessings,
Mr. Maness
National Library Week is this week. See schedule of theme days below.
National LIbrary Week--April 3-9
Welcome Back Event--Wednesday, April 6 at 1:00 (Main Entrance off Caswell)
Yearbook Orders Due April 8
Notes and Reminders
National Library Week Theme Days--We will celebrate National Library Week next week. Please see theme days below.
Monday, April 4 – “Reading Takes You Places.” Dress in your favorite collegiate, military or job-related outfit.
Tuesday, April 5 – “We are Wild About Reading!” Dress in animal prints or outfits that have pictures of animals on them.
Wednesday, April 6 – “Reading is My Superpower!” Dress up like your favorite super-hero.
Thursday, April 7 – “The Future is Bright for Great Readers!” Dress in neon colors, tropical designs and sunglasses to celebrate reading and Spring Break!
NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK CONTESTS
All - Design a Book Mark Contest
K-2 - Guess the number of books in the library.
3-5 – Whose Favorite Book?
Any student dressing up will receive a small prize at the end of the week.
Welcome Back Event (Wednesday, April 6 at 1:00)--We would like to invite all parents and family members to come and celebrate with us as we reopen after Spring Break to outside visitors. We will gather Wednesday, April 6 at 1:00 PM in the loop in front of the main office. We will have music and fun activities for our kids and families. We hope you can come. Parents and family members can park in the car line and walk over.
Yearbooks--Are now on sale through Friday, April 8. All orders will be placed online. Softcover yearbooks will be $20 and hardcover yearbooks will be $25. We do not anticipate ordering extra yearbooks for sale at a later time. See attached flyer below for more information. Parents of 5th graders can purchase dedications and you can share pictures at the website as well. You can go to the following website to order a yearbook: https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/?event=general.displayLanding&jobnumber=24915
Spring Testing Dates--Are listed below on the Calendar section and you can click on the button below for dates. Please check those dates and please reschedule any appointments you have for your child on those dates. Children do best on their tests when they take them with their own teachers in their own classrooms.
Field Day--We will have Field Day for K, 1st and 2nd on Tuesday, May 24 in the morning. If you would like to volunteer to help that day, please click on the following link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4EACAC22AB9-k2field2 Field Day for 3rd, 4th and 5th will be Wednesday, May 25. If you would like to volunteer on that day, click on this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4EACAC22AB9-35field1 We look forward to having volunteers back helping us.
Signing Children Out During Lunch--Parents, if possible, please consider signing your child out either before or after lunch when you need to take them. At lunchtime, our teachers are eating lunch and supervising their children and it is difficult be in the cafeteria and to walk a child back to class to get their things and then get them to the office. Dismissing children before or after lunch is much easier on everyone.
Student Dress Code--Please help us by checking the appropriateness of your child's clothes. As temperatures turn warmer, our children will be wearing more shorts and short-sleeve shirts. Many of them have had growth spurts since last spring so last year's clothes may not meet our dress code as they did last spring. Please check this in advance. You can find our Dress Code on p. 7 in our Family Handbook in the link below.
Newsletter Article Suggestions--Do you have suggestions for topics and questions that you'd like Mr. Maness to discuss in the newsletter? Always feel free to email him your ideas here: mailto:pmaness@rhmail.org
Need Tech Support? Call 803-324-TECH
School Calendar
April 3-9-- National Library Week
April 8--Last Day to Order a Yearbook
April 8-18--Spring Break
April 21-30--Come See Me Festival
April 21--1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Grades Taking Measures of Academic Progress Reading Test
April 22--1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades Taking MAP Math
April 25--3rd, 4th and 5th Field Testing for SC READY (This is a practice test)
May 2-6--Teacher Appreciation Week
May 3--3rd Grade English Language Arts SC READY Test(Writing)
May 5--3rd Grade English Language Arts SC READY Test (Reading)
May 10--4th and 5th English Language Arts SC READY Test (Writing)
May 11--3rd Grade MAP Reading Test
May 12--4th and 5th English Language Arts SC READY Test (Reading)
May 17--3rd, 4th and 5th Math SC READY
May 19--4th Science SC PASS
May 23--Fifth Grade Graduation at 9:00 AM (Sullivan Auditorium)
May 24--K, 1st and 2nd Field Day
May 25--3rd, 4th and 5th Field Day
May 26--Last Student Day (Students are dismiss at 11:00)