Best of Bennet
April 9, 2021
From the Principal
I hope you are all doing well! Spring is here and so is our April Break! I hope you all can find some time to relax and get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. As a staff, we are very excited about our full time schedule that starts after break for both remote and in-person students. We realize this additional time will be a transition for students. Staff is prepared to support students through this change.
As always, thanks for all your support!
With appreciation!
Joe Chella, Principal
POP-UP PORTRAIT SESSION TOMORROW!!!
The package is $35 and contains (1) 8x10, (2) 3x5s, (4) wallets and free shipping. Your package will be mailed home and you will receive an email with information on how to order more packages, prints and novelties. (Rain date is April 17, same place and time).
Can my child go to school today?
Has your child or a family member been in close contact with a known positive Covid person?
Does your child or a family member have a persistent cough, or other respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath, lung congestion?
Has your child or a family member lost the ability to smell or taste?
Does your child or a family member have a fever over 100 F?
If you have answered YES to any of these questions for you or your child, your child should stay home and you should call the school absentee line.
If you answered YES to any of these questions for a member of your family, please contact the school nurse for advice prior to sending your child to school.
We are Nut-Free this year!
Remind your student please!
What's for lunch?
Team Malala
Students on Team Malala have been working hard this marking period! In Language Arts, they spent a great deal of time reading and researching a topic. Then they learned how to use their notes to write an informational essay on that topic that clearly communicated what they had learned. We will be moving on to our final unit on argument writing, where students will learn to communicate their opinion on a topic and back it up with evidence.
In Science, students learned all about the four spheres of the Earth (Atmosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere and Geosphere) and how they have been affected by humans’ production and use of plastics. We ended the unit, by creating a project to communicate to the public how plastics hurt and what people can do to help. Moving into our last unit in science we will begin to investigate how matter and energy cycle through ecosystems as organisms live and die.
In Social Studies, fifth graders finished up their study of the thirteen colonies by spending time sharing the projects they created about the New England colonies, the Middle colonies and the Southern colonies. When we return from spring break, we will begin our study of the French and Indian War.
In Math, we have finished our unit on multiplication and division and have moved on to learn about fractions. Students are using fraction bars to compare fractions and to show what they know about equivalent fractions. As we move through the unit, students will learn how to add and subtract fractions.
Enjoy the break next week and HAPPY SPRING!
Team Hughes
On Team Hughes we are looking forward to having a great fourth marking period. We have completed some major projects recently. Students have completed the book Refugee and their character analysis essays. We are also putting the final touches on our climate change research projects in science. We will move to some new topics in these classes for the last part of the year and look forward to some engaging lessons.
We are also looking forward to our new schedule that begins after our April break. In person students will be in the building every day. We are excited to have our homerooms together and have been working hard on preparing our rooms and establishing protocols to have a safe and enjoyable final marking period. Remote students will be in class everyday for a full day.
Reminder to parents, if you have not yet scheduled a report conference, please contact your student’s homeroom teacher. We hope to speak to all families about your student’s progress. Enjoy your April break!
ELA at Bennet
Grade 5
In fifth grade, students have wrapped up their Informational reading and writing unit by publishing their research papers. Students worked through the research process by reading multiple texts, taking notes and turning those notes into main idea paragraphs. As we wrapped up this unit, students celebrated by showcasing parts of their writing with their peers. We are excited to begin our upcoming unit after April Break. We will focus on Argument and Advocacy, and students will utilize skills from their informational unit to conduct research on a specific topic while developing a claim, reasons and evidence.
Grade 6
Students just completed our unit: Historical Fiction Meets Literary Essay. During this time, students engaged in interactive read-alouds with their teachers, preparing them with strategies to gather evidence in order to support their analysis of a character of their choice. Our next unit is Nonfiction Reading & Informational Writing. Your students will start off learning to navigate and orient themselves to nonfiction text, determine the author's central idea, and to make the most out of embedded stories. They then move to investigating topics with research groups by reading multiple articles. During this time, students will be taught how to synthesize information from multiple sources and summarize nonfiction articles. Your students will learn about teen activism by pursuing a topic that they are passionate about (bullying, environmentalism, pet abandonment, equality in education, child labor, or one of their own choices/interests). They will be learning how to research inspiring teen activists in our world and the positive changes they set out to make. They will use their research to draft a table of contents and envision the organizational structure of the ebook they will write. When students have completed their ebooks, they will have an opportunity to share them during class.
English Language Learners
Physical Education
Did you know… Favorite sports moment?
Mr. Silver - Boston Celtics 2008 NBA title
Mr. Leitao - UCONN Men's national championship in 1999
Ms. Palmisano - Julian Edelman’s impossible catch - Super Bowl 51
Mr. Hansen - University of South Carolina Men’s basketball beating #1 Ranked Kentucky in 2010 to give them their first loss of the season!
Mrs. Coles - UCONN Women Undefeated 19
Current Unit: Floor Hockey
Students will be working on the primary skills of hockey which includes: stick handling, the push pass and the wrist shot. Activities help students work on hand and eye coordination, agility, strength and motor skills.
What’s up next: Cooperative games and individual fitness activities.
Lets Think: How many Championships and Final Four appearances does UConn women’s basketball have? Stay tuned for the answer next month!
Last Months Let’s Think: On average, how many steps are in ONE mile? The average number of steps in a mile is 2,000! Did you guess correctly?
Have a question? E-mail us at:
Coles: b25scole@mpspride.or
Hansen: khansen@mpspride.org
Silver: msilver@mpspride.org
Leitao: mleitao@mpspride.org
Palmisano: apalm@mpspride.org
Science in Grade 6!
As a culminating product for the most recent science unit sixth grade students created a product which communicated what they learned about global warming to others. Topics included: Heat Waves, Hurricanes, Sea Level Rise, Melting Ice, Change in Habitat for Animals, Disease, and more...
Students had to and try to convince others to make three (or more) action steps part of their lives. Products included raps, flip grid videos, slide shows, reports, and more! Take a look below to see some snapshots of their work!
VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR!
The virtual book fair has been extended until April 15th!
You can follow the link below to order books to support Bennet Academy.
Spring Scholastic Book Fair Information
All orders will be shipped directly to the customer’s home. ANY “ALL BOOK” orders of $25 or more will be shipped for free. If an order contains any non-book item it will negate the free shipping. If you would like to order non-book items and also order at least $25 in books, you should place two separate orders for the books and non-book items. Shipping will then be less expensive. Happy shopping!
Team Escalante
We need YEARBOOK candids!!
Many parents have been asking about the "regular" yearbook photos that we typically take in the fall and use for identification in our computer system as well as the yearbook and parent purchase. Obviously this year will look very different for that and more information will be forthcoming from Central Office as to how we can accomplish that. Stay tuned!
Ms. Tanner's students
Mr. Morelli's class
Ms. Tanner's students
Could you use a helping hand?
If you have fallen on hard times - you're not alone. Unfortunately, during this pandemic many people have also felt the economic consequences. These services have been put in place to assist people in need: CT/Government assistance: https://www.connect.ct.gov/access/jsp/access/Home.jsp - this is the website to apply for cash assistance, food stamps(SNAP) and medical. The first box will ask you questions and take about 15 minutes - to find out if you are eligible. The second one beneath it will take about 30-60 minutes to fill out for benefits. Click on it and it will take you to a page of information: You'll want to click the circle to the left on the page for start a new application - it looks like this:
Start a new application for any of the following:
Manchester Food Pantries: https://www.foodpantries.org/ci/ct-manchester
Mobile Foodshare is an outdoor pantry-on-wheels for people who need food assistance. The program visits community sites throughout the Greater Hartford area. Food choices vary from week to week, but usually include several types of fresh produce. To receive the Mobile Foodshare schedule on your cell phone text FOODSHARE to 85511.
Thanks to Miss Cavanna, Bennet Academy Social Worker (860-647-3571 x70543), for sharing these resources.
Do you want to lend a hand?
If you know other ways community members can help, please share your ideas with us for possible publication in a future newsletter. Email cberman@mpspride.org.
SHOUT OUTS!
We are trying to highlight positives this school year...and the following people have had a positive impact on us at Bennet!! Do you want to see someone shouted out next time? Email your suggestion to cberman@mpspride.org.
Mrs. Berman would like to shout out to our nurses Miss Penny and Miss Elisha for all their hard work this year and during the vaccine clinics, helping make it safe for us all to return full time to buildings!! They have done all this with huge smiles and comforting words for our students and staff all year!
The Bennet Bear Den
NURSING NEWS!
REMINDER for 6th Grade Families
As the school year is coming to a close quicker than you think - In order for your child to start 7th grade they need to have a physical exam by your doctor, a walk-in clinic, or an urgent care center, as well as both the Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines. Physicals for 7th grade may be dated anytime anytime after January 1, 2020, so if your child had one last winter or over the summer and you have not provided the nurse with a copy, please do so now. You can fax the paperwork to the nurses at 860-647-6348 or send the hard copy to the Nurse’s office via your child. Be prepared, doctor's offices often schedule physicals months in advance, especially during summer - You don’t want your child to miss the first days of 7th grade!
Bennet School Nurses
Penny & Elisha
860-647-3582 (p)
860-647-6348 (f)
Attendance Line
REMINDERS - Masks, Jackets, and Report Cards!
*We try to go outside every day for mask breaks, PE class and whenever we can sneak in a short break. Please be sure your student is dressed appropriately - it can still be cold outside, especially in the shade!
*Please be sure your student has a mask when they leave the house. It is also helpful if they carry an extra mask in their backpack just in case.
*Report cards were posted in the Home Access Center March 30th, or mailed home if your child earned a D or below in any subject. Your login and password remain the same for HAC throughout your child's time in Manchester Public School through graduation. Please keep this information in a safe place as you can always log in to look at your child's grades, but it is also where Progress Notes and Report Cards are found. If you need help logging into the HAC please contact the Registrar, Heidi Turner at b39hturn@mpspride.org.
*If your child earned honors or high honors this quarter, Honor Roll Certificates were EMAILED home to parents April 5th. Many times certificates are overlooked or sent to "junk", so if your child earned honors please check your email. Contact Mrs. Berman at cberman@mpspride.org if you cannot find the certificate and if you need to update the email on file, you will be directed to contact Mrs. Turner at the email above.
Take a look at our Virtual Backpack!
Do you want to make a real impact on our school? Join the PTSA!
Help your student get involved with PTSA!
Bennet Bears! Strong communities are comprised of strong individuals & we need your child!
As a member of the PTSA (Parent, Teacher & Student Association), students will represent their peers and classmates of Bennet Academy. We will work to ensure Bennet is a welcoming, respectful and inclusive community.
Together we will identify goals for our school community, discuss activities for all members to engage in, and develop plans for implementation. Think movie nights, spirit days and more! Your time, talents and skills can help build a stronger school community & WE NEED YOU!
Meetings will be held virtually on Thursday afternoons from 3-4pm. Use this PTSA FORM to join!
News from the Bennet Office:
Would you like to talk directly to Principal Chella? He has parent office hours every Thursday from 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm. If you would like to sign up for a Google Meet with Mr. Chella please contact his secretary Mrs. Hegenauer (laurenh@mpspride.org) to sign up for a time slot as soon as possible, but no later than 2:00 pm Thursdays. If there are no time slots available for the current week you will be scheduled for the following week.
Picking your student up early? Please call ahead and we will have your student ready. Let us know when you arrive and we will meet you at the door with your student to check your ID. Thanks for being patient with this early dismissal procedure as we limit visitors.
For all technology assistance (including Chromebooks, laptops and iPads), go to the IT Helpdesk or call / text 860-682-0607, Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
- Did you move? Please see the list of required documents. Contact Registrar Heidi Turner to update your information: b39hturn@mpspride.org or 860.647.8275.
- New number? Please remember to update the registrar with any changes to your phone number or email so we can reach you!
- New email? If you are reading this on our app and not in your email it may mean we have old information. Please contact Ms. Turner with your new email address so you don't miss out!
A note from the security team.
Please be aware of our school security guards directing traffic for arrival & dismissal times at the exit area of our bus Lane and Vine St. Parents dropping off and picking up should enter the property via Spruce to School Street and exit onto Wells Street. Thank you for your patience.
Is there something you would like to see in this newsletter?
Bennet Academy
Email: jchella@mpspride.org
Website: https://www.mpspride.org/Domain/9
Location: 1151 Main Street, Manchester, CT, USA
Phone: 860-647-3571