December is just around the corner and we have been working hard at North Scituate School. Teachers are finishing up assessments and units as they prepare report cards which will be sent home on December 3rd. A friendly reminder, parent teacher conferences are on January 8th and 9th. Please call the office to sign up for a conference if you haven't already done so.

The Village Stroll will take place on Friday, December 6th at our school. There will be crafts, raffles, a bake sale, and a visit from Santa at the school. All of the shops in town will be open. We hope to see you there! A flyer will be sent home next week. Please see below under PTO section- BAKERS ARE NEEDED!

Check out our Library Newsletter here.

Check out our Reading Specialist's Newsletter here.

Warm Regards,

Kaitlin M. Soccio, Principal

Kaitlin.Soccio@ScituateSchoolsRI.net

• Morning Drop Off- please do not pull up to the walkway unless your child is able to get out of the car INDEPENDENTLY. When a person stops to get out to help his/her child, it slows down the flow of drop off and clogs buses. Please park in the lower lot and walk your children up to school if they cannot get out on their own. Go up to the top of the hill and turn around there. It is dangerous to try to turn around anywhere else and causes traffic problems. I will be monitoring this closely in the coming weeks.
• Pick Up- If you are picking up your child, DO NOT park your car near the tennis courts (on either side). This area is for Child Care Company Vans and handicapped individuals. There are signs prohibiting parking during certain hours. You must park in the lower lot and walk up to get your child at dismissal time.
• Student lunch money can be put onto their accounts using myschoolbucks.com. The four digit school ID will be needed.
• Please make sure all notes that are sent to school with students are dated. If you are writing a note about dismissal, please write the full name of the person picking up your child.
• Please call to notify the office if/when your child is absent.
  

• Be sure your child is dressed appropriately for outdoor play in 30 degrees or higher temperatures. As a building, we are making every effort to the get the children outside each morning and afternoon. If you are in need of warmer clothing items, please contact Mrs. Soccio.

  
  

As we enter the holiday season, here are a few things to consider:

• This holiday season, the best gift you can give your child is a good education. And the best place to get that education is in school. Every day. On time.

• Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle.

• We know it’s tempting to extend your vacation by a few days on either side of the holiday.

• We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The costs of plane tickets often influence when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.

• Just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and put your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school.

• So make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.

• If missing school is unavoidable, talk to your children’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. But remember, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that goes on in the classroom.

So give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.

~Information gathered from www.attendanceworks.org

As a North Scituate STAR, the "S" stands for "safety first" and is one of our core values. Mrs. Soccio will be reading The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill and Laura Huliska-Beith to all students. This book addresses bullying and making safe choices on the playground. Mrs. Soccio is looking forward to having a discussion around this topic with all students.

Reading Specialist, Mrs. Gould, hosted two informational sessions for parents about the American Reading Company curriculum. She discussed the process involved in choosing and the implementation of a new curriculum, why ARC, the specifics of the IRLA (Independent Reading Level Assessment), Parent Progress Report, and answered questions. Click here for the padlet link from the informational session. In the second picture students in grade three are researching a weather phenomenon and learning how to use text evidence to gather information. In the third picture, second graders are getting lost in a good book and earning steps to meet their reading goals. In the last picture, third graders are reading independently while focusing on their power goals.

Holiday Stress!

Tips for helping your child cope with holiday stress

For most children, the holiday season is filled with excitement, fun and happiness! There is a break from school and a chance to spend time with family and friends. There may also be special food, music and family traditions. However, the holidays can be a stressful time for both adults and children. Family plans may be complicated by divorce or the loss of a parent or close relative. Children may be separated from parents due to ongoing military service.

There are a number of things parents can do to help children cope with holiday stress.

• Discuss holiday plans well in advance, and let kids participate in decisions when possible. Children benefit from some degree of predictability. Children can become stressed when plans change last minute.

• If you are traveling, leave extra time and bring kid friendly activities and snacks.

• Don’t overschedule. You may not be able to do everything or see everyone. Kids can easily get overtired and cranky during the holidays.

• Give kids some down time. Let them have some quiet time, read a book, listen to music or go for a walk together.

• Make sure they get plenty of rest. While it may be exciting to stay up late, lack of sleep can lead to increased irritability.

• Don’t make promises you can't keep. For example, don’t promise that a parent will be home in time for the holidays if the decision is out of your control.

• Uphold and maintain family traditions even if a parent is absent. Kids count on certain traditions, which can have an important grounding effect by letting kids know that even though some things have changed, other things have remained the same.

• Don’t try to compensate for an absent parent with extra gifts. What most kids really want most is your time, attention and reassurance.

• Take care of yourself. Try to avoid getting overloaded with obligations. If you feel stressed, your children will sense your stress and increase their tension.

Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing holiday season!

Mrs. Schiappa

School Psychologist

Join us at our Village Stroll on Friday, December 6th from 6-8pm. There will be crafts, snacks, a bake sale, raffles, and more. We hope to see you there! Toy donations are welcome as we help to "Stuff a Cruiser".

Thank you to everyone who came out to Chelos Smithfield to support our school. We raised $256.00!

Please see pictures below about our Holiday Shop for students on 12/19. More details will be coming home the week before. There will be a limit of $10 per student to spend on their entire family.

Our next PTO meeting will be on Wednesday, January 15th at 6:30pm in the school library.

Stop & Shop A+ School Rewards Program- click here for more information. The school is still collecting empty ink cartridges and box tops.

Please email NorthScituatePTO@gmail.com with any questions.

12/3: Report Cards Sent Home

12/3: School Committee Meeting at NSES 7pm

12/4: Robotics Club

12/5: Student Council Meeting

12/6: Village Stroll at NSES 6-8pm

12/9-12/13: Book Fair

12/11: Robotics Club

12/13: Parents Night Out 5:30-8:00PM

12/18: Robotics Club

12/18: Chorus to sing at State House

12/19: Holiday Shop at NSES for students

12/19: Student Council Meeting

12/20: 5th Grade to Stadium Theater Christmas Carol

12/20: PTO Treat for students

12/23-1/1: Holiday Recess

01/07: School Committee Meeting

01/08-09: Parent Teacher Conferences