News from New Haven
Posts from the Principal / October 2021
October brings...
As we begin October, one of the kids FAVORITE months, we have a lot to look forward to. As educators, sometimes we think about all of the animated and engaging lessons we prepare that will WOW our kids, but truthfully... most often than not- it's the fun experiences and moments together that our kids remember the most. October is one of those months of the year that bring lots of excitement and memory making moments for our kids- especially in Elementary.
This month is national bully awareness and prevention month, as well as, Red Ribbon awareness. Both of these topics will be focused on through our classroom guidance lessons with Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Trella. We have our school book fair scheduled for the week after fall break, some field trips sprinkled in, our 1st report cards go home on the 25th, and of course, our Halloween celebrations. We all know that is probably what the kids look forward to the most. Our celebrations will look a little different than they have before, but we are going to permit as much as we can while still making sure we follow the necessary procedures.
I love this time of year and all the fun that comes with it. It's also the time of year where our routines are in place, and our kids are settling in and working to reach goals. I look forward to sharing experiences and pictures of all the fun from this month with you.
Picture Day orders
If you decide that you are not satisfied with the first round of pictures please just let your child's teacher know and we will make sure that they are listed for our retake day in November.
Keep in mind that Schoolhouse photos staff maintained 6 feet distancing during photos, and did not alter the look of any student.
NH FRC
If you have any questions you can reach her at kelsee.aker@boone.kyschools.us
Natural Development observations
What we are finding however are setbacks of another nature. Setbacks in basic self-help and independence of many of our students that were once a part of their natural development are surfacing. This, we did not anticipate to be so widespread. There is an overwhelming amount of students who are overly dependent on adult assistance that we’ve not seen before. The level of dependence varies but overall we are finding that many students are overly dependent on others to do basic things for them. For example, when asked to turn to a specific page in a book, students wait for an adult to help them do that, or we have students who are unable to pack themselves up at the end of the day and put their materials and lunch boxes into their backpacks. In some of our older grades we have children who cannot tie their shoes, or tell their left from their right.
We understand that some of these are a result of an interrupted life for the last 2 years, which is why we are professionally discussing how to help address some of these skills within the school day. Some skills however, are best modeled and reinforced at home so that students develop the independence that will make them successful in a variety of areas. Students who are overly dependent on assistance will struggle greatly and show lack of progress compared to their peers.
Did you also know that students who can skip and walk up and down stairs by alternating feet are more likely to be strong readers? Crossing what is called the midline promotes the coordination and communication of both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This is a vital part of development for all children and can effect both reading and writing. We do activities at school every day, as well as, incorporate midline activities in physical education to strengthen midline crossovers, but some students need more intentional activities built into their day to strengthen their coordination and communication of the hemispheres. We also need to encourage productive struggle, and rescue our students as soon as they come across something challenging. By allowing them to process and sometimes fail, we are allowing them to build neuro pathways that will strengthen and grow over time.
I’ve linked a couple of brief articles about self-help skills and crossing the midline for further investigation, but there are many, many research based articles on these subjects that are available.
The more opportunities we give our kids to be independent the better we prepare them for the world and achievement of their goals. We all want our kids to be successful and happy, and together we can help them achieve that.
Help yourself! 8 tips for teaching kids to be more independent- Today’s Parent
Over-parenting: 8 signs you are doing it- Intouch parenting
Age by age guide to teaching your child life skills- Family Education
Are you over-parenting? Family education
5 Basic skills to Teach Kids to become independent
Why is crossing the midline so important? Growing Hands-on kids
5th grade Entrepreneur Fair
Curriculum Night
Activities
Girls Basketball- Looks like we will have 4 teams. Information has been sent out and practice days (Monday / Wednesdays) are set.
Archery- We are intending on moving forward with our archery team this year! A parent informational meeting is being planned and information will be sent out soon.
PTO
Our PTO is one of our most valued relationships and the parents that volunteer on this committee provide invaluable opportunities for our kids and staff. We thank all of our families who join and volunteer!
Keep'n up with the Calendar! (dates will be added/ revised each month as needed)
October 2021
6th- Superintendent's Student Advisory Council
8th- No school
11th- No school
13th- Book Fair begins / FRC Advisory Council meeting
14th- Kindergarten field trip
15th- Popcorn Friday!
18th- 1st quarter ends!
25th- Report cards go home for all students
26th- CASE assessment Reading (2nd- 5th)
27th- CASE assessment Math (2nd - 5th)
29th- Halloween celebrations
NOVEMBER 2021
9th- Parent / Teacher conferences 4:00 - 7:00 pm
11th- Veterans Day! /// Parent / Teacher conferences 4:00 - 7:00 pm
18th- SBDM @ 4:30 pm
19th- Popcorn Friday
24th- 26th- No School / Thanksgiving Break
29th- Dec. 3rd : SEL survey
December 2021
3rd- "PNO" (parent's night out) 6:00 - 9:00 (PTO sponsored event) more to come
10th- TIGER SURPRISE
16th- SBDM @ 4:30
17th- 2nd Quarter ends!
20th- Jan. 3rd - WINTER BREAK
See you in 2022!!!!
Handy Links
Click on the title below to take you to that information
New Haven PTO
BC Return to school plan
Parent Portal
NH FRC
Kindergarten Handbook
Staff Directory Link
School Policies
New Haven Elementary
Email: newhaven@boone.kyschools.us
Website: www.newhaven.boone.kyschools.us
Location: 10854 U.S. 42, Union, KY, USA
Phone: 8593845325