Cubbie Chronicle
October 19, 2020
SPIRIT DAYS AT CES DURING COVID 19
For this year, our Spirit Days will be held in the same week for Cohorts A and Cohorts B. Students are welcome to wear something or create something to support the theme. We will not have an assembly, but I plan to visit each class to support the theme in some fun way. This will only be 5 - 10 minutes as I realize with our schedule how important time on learning is.
This Tuesday for cohort A and Friday for cohort B is Super Hero/Princess Day. I am looking forward to going into classes to teach a say and do cheer to my friends.
PHONEMIC AWARENESS: What is it and why is it important? Submitted by Amy Kirouac - CES Reading Specialist
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is literally ‘sound’ awareness. Phonemic awareness is understanding that words are made up of sounds and being able to hear, recognize and manipulate the individual sounds that make up a word. For example, phonemic awareness is realizing the word ‘puppy’ is made up of the sounds /p/ /u/ /p/ /ee/.
Many children do not realize that the words they hear break apart into smaller chunks of sound. Hearing the individual sounds within a word is difficult because spoken language is so seamless. When we speak, we naturally and effortlessly blend all the sounds together to say and hear the overall word. For example: The child says and hears the word “puppy” as one seamless word /puppy/ and does not recognize or distinguish the separate sounds /p/ /u/ /p/ /ee/ that make up the word.
Research has shown that children with poor phonemic awareness struggle with reading and spelling. The child’s natural phonological abilities are not related to intelligence. In fact, many highly intelligent children have phonological weakness that leads to reading difficulty. In addition, tendency for natural phonological weakness may be an inherited trait as it appears to run in families.
Why is Phonemic Awareness Important?
Phonemic awareness is important because it is critical to reading and spelling success. If a child has poor phonemic awareness it is difficult for them to discover the necessary link between print and sound.
At CES, we teach phonemic awareness every day. When in school, students have interactive lessons with their teacher. When at home, they listen to and (hopefully) participate in the videos that I provide. As a parent, you can help practice any of the phonemic awareness skills that your child may need more work on by pausing the video and giving them more examples.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSE - Mrs. Moisan
Hello CES families!
It is so nice to see our students in school! They are all doing a great job wearing their masks and washing their hands.
This year the immunization requirements for your child to attend school have changed. Along with the standard required immunizations (DTap, HIB, Polio, Hep B, MMR, & Varicella) the state of Massachusetts has added the flu vaccine. The standard immunization requirements must be completed by November 16, 2020 for your child to attend school, remotely or in person. I will be sending out reminders via email this week if your child is missing vaccinations.
The flu vaccination must be completed by December 31, 2020. This is for all students who are attending school remotely or in person unless homeschooled or a religious or medical exemption is provided. Please refer to the following article for information about the flu.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/family/flu-guide-for-parents-2020.pdf
Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. Thank you for helping to keep our students in school and healthy!
Nurse Moisan
Stephanie Moisan BSN, RN
Charlton Elementary School Nurse
9 Burlingame Rd.
Charlton, MA 01507
Phone (508)-248-7774
Fax (508)-248-7003
SUPPORT WITH REMOTE EXPECTATIONS
HALLOWEEN FUN AT SHEPHERD HILL
Want Kids to Develop Thinking Skills? Let Them Make Decisions. Submitted by Laura Drinon - School Psychologist
Parents often wonder how to “teach” skills in decision making. We talk to children about making “a good choice” but how will they learn what this means? Decision making is a skill to be practiced — much like tying shoes. The best way to learn to make good decisions is to make a lot of them, so we need to give them many opportunities to practice.
Young children can decide what color shirt to wear, and maybe even which breakfast cereal to purchase — if only from a choice of two. You might begin by offering simple choices: “Would you like grapes or apples?” Gradually, give your child more practice in figuring out how s/he can make responsible choices.
Older kids can have a wider range of choices. Of course, as the parent, you will need to set the boundaries. For example, while your child may decide whether to do math or spelling homework first, s/he can’t decide to play on the tablet before homework is done.
Children do not always connect outcomes with the choices they have made, so help them to think about potential consequences of the decision. Wearing cowboy boots to the park might seem like a fine idea until blisters become a problem. Taking a special toy on an outing might mean that it gets broken or lost.
When your child does make a poor decision (because they will, as we all do) sit down and talk about it. Ask “what would you do differently next time?” Avoid saying “I told you so” as much as possible… learning to make good decisions takes experience and lots of practice! The next time your child needs to make a similar decision, s/he will be able to draw on what was learned!
Feel free to contact me at Ldrinon@dcrsd.org or by phone 508-248-7774 x 211 if I can be of assistance. You can also access many resources on my blog: https://msdrinon-ces.blogspot.com/