Can you believe 2 months of school have gone by already? Teachers and students have been working hard in their classrooms. I enjoy visiting each classroom and seeing all the great learning taking place. The first trimester closes on November 22nd and report cards will be sent home on December 3rd.

Also, as the cold weather approaches, please 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.

Please send in any gently used children's clothing items you may have to the nurse's office. It is always great to have extra pants, socks, long sleeve shirts, jackets, etc. to use for accidents and playground mishaps with dampness and puddles.

Our student council will be organizing a school wide canned good/food drive from November 12th- 22nd. Students can bring in items to donate in their classroom or to the front office. Suggested items are soups, vegetables, sauce, pasta, ramen noodle, canned fruit, peanut butter, beans, etc.

Please CAREFULLY read drop off and dismissal procedures under monthly reminders.

Check out our Library Newsletter here.

If you did not schedule a parent conference for January (this was done at Open House), please call Mrs. Pagliarini at 647-4110 to do so.

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 car 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 child 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 handicap 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. Their 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.
  
• School spirit wear & Walk a Thon t-shirts (students who raised over a certain amount) will be ready next week.

Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early

What you can do to help you child:

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots.

• Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help her transition.

• Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.

• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.

• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.

• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session

School success goes hand in hand with good attendance!

~Information gathered from www.attendanceworks.org

Vision screenings have been underway in classrooms throughout the school during the month of October and will continue into November. If your child has difficulty with the screening, I will be sending a note home informing you that your child should be seen by an eye doctor to determine if they need prescriptive lenses to improve their vision. If your child is referred for a more thorough exam, please return the referral note signed by the optometrist or ophthalmologist indicating the results of the eye examination. Because vision can affect learning, it is important that children who need glasses wear them while in school. If you need assistance in obtaining glasses for your child, please let me know.

As we head into cold and flu season, I wanted to ask parents to remind their children of the importance of hand washing in preventing contagious illnesses. Good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses such as colds and stomach bugs. This video from the CDC is an excellent tool to help explain the proper procedure for hand washing.

https://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/healthyliving/hygiene/fight-germs-wash-hands.html

Additionally, please see the link below for a webinar, 10 Tips for Treating Colds and Flu at Home, from The American Academy of Pediatrics, that you might find helpful during this upcoming cold and flu season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSAcMjWRdg&feature=youtu.be `

Please continue to contact the office when your child will be absent so we can monitor the spread of contagious illnesses throughout the school. If you not sure if your child is well enough to attend school, please call me and I would be happy to discuss the situation with you.

Thank you!

Colleen McCann, RN, CSNT

School Nurse

Building Resiliency: Helping Children Learn to Weather Tough Times

Adversity is a natural part of life. At some point, we all face difficulties, such as family problems, serious illness, a personal crisis or a painful loss. Being resilient is important to dealing with adversities like these. While most parents hope that their children never face extreme adversity, successfully facing tough situations can actually foster growth and give children the skills to be more resilient in the future.

Most people have a natural tendency to adapt and bounce back from adversity. However, parents can help their children learn to face challenges successfully, whether it is the stresses of everyday life, such as academic difficulties or problems with friends. Following are five ways to promote resiliency in your children and help protect them from long-term ill affects of difficult experiences.

1. Think positive!! Modeling positive attitudes and positive emotions is very important. Children need to hear adults thinking out loud positively and being determined to persist until the goal is achieved. Using a “can do” problem-solving approach to problems teaches children a sense of power and promise.

1. Express love and gratitude! Emotions such as love and gratitude increase resiliency. Praise should always occur much more often than criticism. Children who are cared for, loved and supported learn to express positive emotions to others.Positive emotions buffer kids against depression.

1. Express yourself! Resilient people appropriately express all emotions, even negative ones. Adults who help kids become more aware of emotions, label emotions appropriately, and help children deal with upsetting events are giving them useful life skills.

1. Get fit! Good physical health prepares the body and mind to be more resilient. Healthy eating habits, regular exercise and adequate sleep protect kids against the stress of tough situations. Regular exercise also decreases negative emotions such as anxiety, anger and depression.

1. Foster competency! Making sure that children achieve academically is great protection against adversity. Children who achieve academic success and who develop individual talents, such as playing sports, drawing, making things and playing an instrument are much more likely to feel competent and be able to deal with stress positively. Social competency is also important. Having friends and staying connected to friends and loved ones can increase resiliency. Social competency can even be created by helping others.

Protecting our children against all of life’s unexpected painful events is not possible. Giving them a sense of competency and the skills to face adverse circumstances is extremely important. The more we practice these approaches; the better able our children will be to weather whatever life brings.

Adapted from : “Resiliency: Strategies for parents and Educators,” Virginia Smith Harvey, Helping Children at Home and School II: Handouts for Families and Educators, NASP, 2004

Mrs. Schiappa

School Psychologist

Huge thank you to our parent and student volunteers for manning our Bake Sale at the Scituate Art Festival. This event brought in over $1,000.00 for our school.

Our next restaurant fundraiser night is on Thursday, November 21st at Chelo's Smithfield. We hope to see you all there. A coupon will be sent home the week of this event.

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. We hope to see you there!

11/4: Art Club

11/5: School Committee Mtg 7PM at Hope

11/6: Robotics Club

11/7: Student Council Meeting

11/11: No School- Veteran's Day

11/12: School Improvement Team Meeting 3:15

11/13: Robotics Club

11/15: Picture Retakes

11/18: Art Club

11/20: Robotics Club

11/21: Student Council Meeting

11/21: Chelo's Fundraiser Night

11/22: End of Trimester 1

11/25: Art Club

11/27-12/1- Thanksgiving Recess