The Dolphin Digest
October 5, 2020
Upcoming Events
October 7th- CMS Early Release Day (Instructional Day ends at 11:30am)
October 9th- Parent Town Hall Meeting (Instructional Plan) @ 9am (link below)
October 12th- CMS PreK returns to in-person instruction
October 15th- Parent Town Hall Meeting (Procedures & Safety) @ 9am
October 19th- No School -Teacher Workday
October 22nd- Hungry Howie's Smithfield Spirit Night
October 29th- Parent Town Hall Meeting (Lingering Questions) @ 9am
October 29th-November 11th- Smithfield Virtual Book Fair
November 2nd- CMS In-Person K-5 Begins
Parent To Do's:
- Consider joining the Smithfield PTA!
- If you, or someone you know, wants to sign up to receive the Dolphin Digest, email: smithfielddolphinnews@gmail.com
CMS UPDATED K-5 Return to School Plan
CMS K-5 Return to School Plan
- CMS Board of Education approved a revised plan to K-5 In-Person instruction on Wednesday, September 30th, as shown above.
- Students will be in two attendance groups A or B.
- Students currently assigned to group C, will be distributed between A or B by the district. Schools do not have the option to choose any attendance groups for students.
- Students in Group A will come for in-person instruction on Monday and Tuesday- every week.
- Students in Group B will come for in-person instruction on Thursday and Friday- every week.
- Wednesday will be a remote learning day for ALL students (both A & B).
Smithfield K-5 Return to School Instructional Plan
Be on the lookout for a special email coming to parents tomorrow (Tuesday). The email will share the Smithfield Instructional Plan for our A and B students. We are finalizing the plan today with our staff. We will include the plan and also a video presentation of our team explaining the plan and they why.
In addition, we will hold a parent meeting this week on Friday, October 9th at 9am. The zoom meeting information is below. * Please note that the Zoom meeting will be limited to the first 100 attendees. We will record and send out the video for any who were unable to attend.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88979999728?pwd=R2wweS9ZYjNDbmRJRmpSRjI1cFFWdz09
Meeting ID: 889 7999 9728
Passcode: 654321
Plan B Smithfield Family Communication Plan
Week of October 5: Understanding the Smithfield Plan B Instructional Plan
October 9: Parent Town Hall @ 9am (link above)
Week of October 12: Procedures, Logistics, Health and Safety at Smithfield
October 15: Parent Town Hall @ 9am
Week of October 19: Preparing our Dolphins
Week of October 28: Responding to Lingering Questions or Concerns
October 29: Parent Town Hall @ 9am
If you are unable to join the Virtual Parent Town Hall Meetings, we will send out the recording of the meeting to all families.
*Please note, the Zoom Parent Town Hall meetings are limited to the first 100 attendees.
"Looking for a fun activity for your family? We have just the thing for you!"
October Fun with Mrs. Solar : A Pumpkin Book Report!
Choose one of your favorite children’s book characters and decorate a pumpkin to look like that character!
How creative can your family get?
Snap a picture of your finished pumpkin and send it to Mrs. Solar by October 25th: sara1.solar@cms.k12.nc.us
All pictures will be published in the Dolphin Digest and on Smithfield’s FaceBook and Instagram!
Some examples for inspiration:
Early Release Day 10/7
Military Reporting 20-21
In an effort to ensure that the unique needs of military-connected students are met, Session Law 2014-15 requires the North Carolina State Board of Education/North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to collect information on military-connected students. The goal is to help accommodate these students by providing them with support and consistency when their parents are deployed, when they are transitioning between schools, and at other pivotal times during their academic career.
Please complete this link if the content applies to you.
Thank you!
Coronavirus Parenting: Managing Anger and Frustration
How to maintain your cool under stress?
“It’s not as though parents didn’t yell at their kids before. But since things are more stressful right now, parents need to be extra conscious of their own big three: diet/nutrition, activity level and sleep. They impact our mood, as well as our ability to problem solve, stay calm, concentrate, and focus. If any of those things are off, which is likely right now, it can have a major impact on your ability to be your best self.”
Check more out here at this website!
https://childmind.org/article/coronavirus-parenting-managing-anger-and-frustration/
Join the Smithfield PTA!
The Way to a Teacher's Heart... Snacks!
If you are able, families can drop off canned drinks and individual packaged snacks and fruit. Please pull to the front of the school and call the front office (980-343-6550). We will come right out to get the donations from your car.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Dolphin Mental Health Support
Hello Dolphin Families!
We are over a month into virtual learning and some of us are still settling into our routines. As I have talked to different parents across NC and in other areas. I have noticed many common threads among families from all over:
- Online learning presents a challenge for families to manage unwanted feelings and conflict, let's face it we are around each other WAY too much! (Or students and families find themselves feeling frustrated with learning online.)
- Routine, structure, and rules of the "schoolhouse"
One way to tackle this challenge is by setting the stage by establishing agreed-upon expectations for how things will go, including how family members will treat one another. Here are some examples of how families are doing this:
- Establish a “charter,” describing how families members want to feel at home and how they will act and treat one another to support those feelings, along with how family members will manage unwanted feelings and conflict. Every family member should have a say and commit to their charter to writing.
- Drafted a “constitution” establishing the rules of the road, including who is responsible for what, how spaces in the house are to be used, and even who the mascot is (spoiler: the dog).
- Another family decided that they would treat home life as if they were on a spaceship that had embarked on an interstellar voyage. With that as the backdrop, they hammered out daily routines and ways to treat one another that would help in the days and weeks ahead.
Although school has been virtual for quite some time, it is never too late to make necessary changes, if you find that your family is struggling in certain areas.
Whether it’s in the context of a charter, a constitution, or an interstellar voyage, the common theme here is to take steps to decide intentionally how your family wants to behave, to treat one another, and ultimately, to support one another through an unusual and upsetting time. In a time that feels out of our control, this is a small way of taking matters constructively in our own hands. This can set families up for success, and most importantly, a family platform that promotes kindness and support! Even as we navigate close quarters and, sometimes, with frayed nerves. When our feelings and emotions are in check it sets positive conditions for learning in what has become an unplanned schoolhouse.
CMS Meal Bundles
CMS Eats at Home
This week, CMS Eats at Home had a total of 20,426 meal bundles ordered for pick-up and delivery. For next week, 22,402 bundles have been ordered. As students return to school, they will receive breakfast and lunch daily in school. The meal bundles will still be available to them during weeks they have remote learning.
How to sign up
You can pre-order meal bundles through a new or existing PayPAMS account.
Click here to log in to PayPAMS
Learn more about PayPAMS
Delivery by Transportation to your designated bus stop during the assigned timeframe.
Pick up at one of 40 CMS school locations between 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
View locations.
Students do not need to be present for pick up or delivery. Name must be provided to receive the meal bundle. Meal bundles must be pre-ordered. You will receive a confirmation email when you have completed the order process.
CMS Meal Benefits
https://mealapps.cms.k12.nc.us/lfserver/CMS_FRA_APP_ENG-20-21
Meal prices will remain the same next year. All students will receive breakfast at no charge. Lunch prices are $2.50, pre-kindergarten; $2.75, kindergarten to eighth grade; and $3, ninth to 12th grade.
Stay Connected!
Each child will have an Agenda that will go between home and school every day.
Weekly ConnectEd email newsletters
Facebook (Smithfield):
www.facebook.com/smithfieldelem
Facebook (Smithfield PTA):
www.facebook.com/SmithfieldElementaryPTA
Twitter:@SmithfieldES
Instagram: smithfieldelementary
School Website: http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/smithfieldES