The NEW LBE Newsletter!
October, 2020
Dear Families,
Welcome back to the 2020-21 school year at Long Branch Elementary School. This year has started off differently than years past due to our hybrid learning model, however one thing is still the same and that is our commitment to providing the best learning experience for our students and families that we can. I am new to Long Branch this year as well and am honored to be the new principal. The first few months have been amazing. The staff here at Long Branch truly love and care about our children. I have had the opportunity to meet many of the families and look forward to continuing to build relationships with all of you.
We know this year has been challenging for many and our current situation is not ideal. We are committed to supporting you in any way we can, so please continue to reach out to us and stay connected. This new newsletter is intended to give you a glimpse into our building to see all of the wonderful things that are taking place as well as to provide information and resources to families.. Please take a moment to read through, learn about some of our new staff and upcoming virtual events.
Jason Taylor, Principal.
Greetings from the New LBE Secretary!
Hello Everyone! I am Mrs. Cain, or Ms. Cathie, your new LBE Main Office Secretary!
For the last 5 years I was at Chestnut Hill Elementary and before that I was the secretary at the Transportation Department right next door. I am really enjoying my time here with my new LBE family and getting to know everyone!
I am married and have 2 sons who both graduated from Liverpool High School. We also have a 15-year old cat named Ginger and a rescued Pit Bull named Jack.
During the summer/warmer months of the year, my husband and I like to relax in our camper in Old Forge, NY. We love taking walks around the campgrounds, cooking food on the grill, and site-seeing in the Adirondacks! I also enjoy doing crafts, including cards and jewelry, and taking Jack for walks around the neighborhood.
I look forward to getting to know all of you when I can see your smiling faces!
Important Message from the Nurse
Just a reminder that physical exam and immunization requirements remain in effect for both hybrid and virtual students. Physical exams are required for all students entering grade K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 and all students new to the district. Any physical exam completed within one year prior to the first day of school will meet this requirement. Please send a hard copy, email or fax the updated paperwork to the LBE Health Office. ~ Mary Anne Lesperance
LBE Health Office
4035 Long Branch Road
Liverpool, NY 13090
mlesperance@liverpool.k12.ny.us
Phone (315) 453-0261
Fax (315) 453-0269
October 26 - 30 - School Spirit Week
Wednesday October 28th - Parent Teacher conferences
Election Day! Tuesday Nov 3rd - No In-Person School - Fully Virtual
Wednesday Nov 4th - Parent Teacher Conferences
Grade Level Projects & News
Kinder.
1st Grade
2nd Grade
Students have worked on a scarecrow craft, with the writing topic: Our favorite things about fall.
3rd Grade
Students have worked on Selfie Projects and Bio Poems.
4th Grade
Part of the challenge was to borrow ideas from nature. Students collected and studied seeds that are carried on the wind, and “designed” by nature to fall slowly. They incorporated the ideas into their designs - an engineering approach referred to as “biomimicry”, then built and tested their inventions. The inventions were a complete success and students learned a lot along the way!
5th Grade
If a fifth-grade family is interested in taking Gizmo for a weekend, please email Mr. Radford (rradford@liverpool.k12.ny.us) and you will be placed on a list. The fifth-grade teachers continue to feel proud of our hybrid and virtual students. Keep up the good work everyone!
Spotlight on 6th Grade
Jump About It!
Hello Parents,
In PE your child has been working on personal fitness and jumping/jump-rope skills. We've also started spooky Halloween themed stations. Keep encouraging your child to work on completing this month's fitness challenge, 'Squatober.' Check out the PE google classroom for more information. Anyone that turns in a completed sheet will get a prize! Please continue to bring weather appropriate clothing for in school PE, as well as a water bottle.
Stay well,
Coach Anderson
Welcome New LBE Staff!
Emily Thomas - Library Media Specialist
Jennifer Heaney - Special Ed TA
I am a Special Ed TA in kindergarten this year. I am grateful to be back at LBE! In my free time, I enjoy doing anything outside! Running, kayaking and going for walks are some of my favorites.
Nina Leader - 3rd Grade Teacher
Natalia Lott - ENL Teacher
Tech Tips & Virtual Learning Strategies
Self-Care, Mental Health, and Support
Long Branch Elementary is excited to have Althea Narine of Contact Community Services supporting the Liverpool Central School District again this year! The Prevention Specialists (formerly known as Youth Development Specialists) will assist students with academic, social-emotional, and behavioral support during this crucial time. Althea's email is anarine@contactsyracuse.org
Some upcoming family engagement opportunities are computer literacy, pax training, and GED classes for parents.
Contact Community Services provides a free, confidential 24-hour/7-day a week counseling and crisis hotline and referral service for individuals looking for information on health and human service agencies. We answer calls on our local Contact Hotline, 211CNY and serve as a crisis call center for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline throughout the Central New York region.
Additionally, Contact provides suicide prevention and mental health training to community organizations, businesses and school districts all free of charge throughout CNY. Our classes teach individuals how to recognize suicide warning signs, assess risk, respond in a supportive manner, intervene, connect a person with a trained professional or community resource, and develop a safety plan.
To reach the free Contact Hotline 24-hours a day, call 315-251-0600. To get information and referral for health or human service agencies, dial 2-1-1. Visit ContactSyracuse.org for more information.
Matthew Barnes, the LBE School Guidance Counselor, is here for you! Email: mbarnes@liverpool.k12.ny.us
Author Nora Roberts on Juggling Kids and Work:
Know Which Balls Are Plastic and Which Are Glass
By Quinn Fish & Jennifer Lynn Barnes, January 23, 2020, WorkingMother.com
"One time, I was at a Q&A with Nora Roberts, and someone asked her how to balance writing and kids, and she said that the key to juggling is to know that some of the balls you have in the air are made of plastic & some are made of glass.
And if you drop a plastic ball, it bounces, no harm done. If you drop a glass ball, it shatters, so you have to know which balls are glass and which are plastic and prioritize catching the glass ones.
As this has gone viral, I have seen a lot of people interpreting this as "your kids are the glass ball" and/or referring to speeches made by men about juggling five balls, where work is plastic and family is glass.
That's not what Nora was saying in this case.
Nora was not talking about juggling five balls. She was talking about juggling FIFTY-FIVE balls. The balls don't represent 'family' or 'work.' There are separate balls for everything that goes into each of those categories. 'Deadline on Project Y' or 'crazy sock day at school.'
And her point, addressing a room full of women, was not 'prioritize kids over work.' It was 'some kid stuff is glass and some is plastic, and sometimes, to catch a glass work ball, you have to drop a plastic family one, and that is okay.'
And the reverse is also true. Sometimes, to catch a glass kid ball, something at work has to slide, and that is okay, too.
If you are juggling 55 balls, some are going to drop, so you have to focus not on broad categories, but on the glass balls."
(Thank you to Jessica Stever, LCSD School Counselor, for sharing this article!)