The Eagle Express
Antrim Elementary School October 2019
Welcome Fall!
The weather is getting cooler, and it makes me think of fall leaves, mums, hot cider, and pumpkins. With the fall weather comes the need for jackets and maybe even hats and gloves. Be sure to label your child's clothing so that if items go astray, we can get them to the rightful owner.
I wish you all a wonderful month. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to stop by or drop me a line.
All the best,
Stephanie
AES is on the Move
Important October Dates
October 9 - Fire Prevention Day
October 10 - Picture Day
October 11 - 8:50 - 9:15 - Assembly with 2nd grade hosting - All are welcomeOctober 14 - No School
October 17 - 4th Grade Field Trip
October 25 - 8:50 - 9:15 - Assembly with 1st grade hosting - All are welcome
October 31 - Halloween
Zones and Apples in Kindergarten
During the month of September, kindergarten did lots of work together. We have really enjoyed learning about Letterland, and have learned 26 Letterlanders and their sounds! We also learned 5 sight words: I, am, the, little, and a. In math we have been working on counting in different ways and counting groups. We have learned to count on fingers, ten frames, tally marks, and other ways too.
Two things our classes did together were an apple taste test in science and learning about the Zones of Regulation. For the apple taste test, we each tried a piece of green and a piece of red apple. We then described each apple and voted for which one we liked best. Our chart is in the kindergarten hallway, so feel free to check it out when you are in the building! We have spent a lot of time learning about the zones and how we feel in each zone. We discussed what makes us go to each zone and how to calm our bodies to get back to the calm, green zone so we are ready to learn. We watched a few short video clips and had to decide what zone each character was feeling. It was a lot of fun!
Grade 1 Critters
Hands On Learning in Grade 2
Grade 3 Field Trip
4th Grade Excitement
4th grade are excited for our Social Studies field trip to the Fort at Number 4 on October 17th. This fortification protected the northernmost British settlement along the Connecticut River in New Hampshire until after the French and Indian War. The fort was established in 1744, 275 years ago. We are looking forward to learning about Colonial jobs in order to prepare us for the much-anticipated annual Colonial Fair later in the fall!
In September, we worked with Jeannie Connolly on an Arts Enrichment Project. The students thought about and wrote about their favorite places, practicing descriptive writing and using sensory details. With Jeannie, we each made 3D Shadow Box models of our favorite place.
Working on School-wide Behavior Expectations
The AES Universal Team has been hard at work planning week-long expectations practice for students for common areas. Each week since the beginning of the school year, students have been practicing showing positive behaviors in a given area (recess, lunch, hallway, dismissal). At the beginning of each week the students talk about and practice what the positive behaviors are for that week’s focus area and then are awarded eagles when they show these positive behaviors. We’ve set goals as a school of a certain number of eagles the students need to earn in a week and if we meet our goal as a school, we have a small celebration. So far the students have earned extra recess, a classroom celebration and certificates that were sent home last Friday. So far the students have earned 939 eagles for following directions, 190 eagles at recess and 16 large eagles during dismissal!
A Note from the School Counselor
Talking About Race--October 24, 2019 6:30 p.m. at the Tuttle Library (45 Main Street) in Antrim
By Robin Gregg, School Counselor
School counselors teach students about empathy and about listening to and respecting other people in all of our differences and similarities. In classroom counseling lessons we encourage students to acknowledge and appreciate human diversity. At school we teach children to listen to and respect other people in all of our differences and similarities. These lessons often are reinforced and supported by children’s family members. Adults, too, benefit from education and open conversations about human diversity. A workshop at Antrim’s Tuttle Library on Main Street on the evening of October 24 is an opportunity for adult and teenage family members of AES and Pierce School students and other community members to explore how we can learn to appreciate and understand experiences and perspectives different from our own.
Facilitated by educator Allen Davis, the evening’s focus will be on the experiences of three local African American residents: Grace Aldrich, Jim Guy, and Doug Sutherland, who have generously offered to share what it means to be an African American person in the U.S. today.
Muzart News
We are “Getting to Know Music” by learning how to sing with voice control and learning about beat and rhythm! We also studied the music of Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. We listened to the musical piece Autumn which is part of “The Four Seasons” concertos. Students shared an expression of the music through painting an autumn scene.
In art we are exploring various drawing materials through portraits and portfolio creations. We also painted some unique stones for the secret garden space in our school!
A Word from Title 1
Every year at this time I like to reiterate how we choose students to participate in the Title One program. Let me start by saying that, because we are a Title One school, we have a little bit more flexibility with who participates in the interventions.
At the start of every school year each grade level has specific assessments that are administered to check every student’s proficiency in specific areas. Based on those results, the classroom teacher may administer further assessments to pin-point what areas of need the student has. With all of that information, the Title One teachers, classroom teachers, administration and paraprofessionals meet to determine what students would benefit from additional help. Students are then grouped on the basis of instructional need. For example, students who need extra practice sounding out and blending words may be grouped together; students who need help with specific math computations may be together.
The teacher in charge of the group will choose an instructional focus for the group, create individual student learning goals and how student success will be determined. Based on the needs of the group, the interventions can be done inside the classroom or in a small area outside the classroom. Once the student has achieved their learning goal, the team moves forward with a new goal or stops intervention. Again, it is all determined by the student’s individual need.
If at any time you have questions about this process, please send me an email at klevesque@conval.edu.
Guidelines for Keeping Sick Children Home
School attendance is important, however, your child may need to stay home because he/she is too sick to be comfortable to learn at school, and/or he/she might spread a contagious illness to the other students. Students should come to school able to participate in all school activities, and should not be tired and listless. Below are some guidelines as to when to keep your child home from school.
Colds
Children with a new cough or severe cold symptoms such as sneezing, congestion and/or thick or constant nasal drainage should stay home. Minor cold symptoms such as mild stuffiness and clear nasal discharge are OK to be in school as long as your child feels well enough to participate.
Fever
Children with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher must stay home from school. Your child may return to school after he/she is fever free for a minimum of 24 hours - without the use of fever reducing medicine. Fever (temperature of 100 degrees or higher) is a normal response by the body to fight off an infection. It is also an indication that your child could be contagious. Often, temperatures are lower in the morning and rise during the day. Giving your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen will reduce the temperature but will not prevent him/her from passing the illness to their classmates.
Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea
Your child should stay home from school if any of these illnesses has occurred within the last 24 hours.
Returning Students to School: “The 24 Hour Rule/Guideline”
Students may return to school after 24 hours on antibiotics, when their temperature has been less 100 degrees for 24 hours, and/or no vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours. It is important that the school knows how to reach parents or a designated emergency contact person during the day, particularly if a child has been sick.
Calling the school when your child is home sick.
Please remember to call your child’s school whenever your child will be absent. Messages may be left anytime during non-school hours or sign into Pick Up Patrol. Please give the actual reason for the absence such as fever, sore throat, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, so that we may keep track of “what’s going around”. Sick children will be sent home from school. The School Nurse may require a note from your Healthcare Provider before returning to school. Also, please note that children who are sick and stay home from school are not allowed to attend any school functions on that day.
Thank you,
Nurse Mellon
Stephanie Syre-Hager
Email: ssyre-hager@conval.edu
Website: aes.convalsd.net
Location: 10 School Street, Antrim, NH, USA
Phone: 6035886371
Twitter: @aes_ssh