North Scituate Elementary School
October Newsletter 2019
A note from Mrs.Soccio
It's hard to believe October is here. The first month of school has flown by! Thank you for all of your support during the first month of school. I truly appreciate your support and partnership in your child's education. During the month of September, we practiced many safety drills, including a fire evacuation drill and a lock down drill. I was very proud of students and staff as they handled each drill very responsibly.
Our school staff has worked hard to establish clear expectations and routines with students. On October 1st, all teachers met with our data team to assess student beginning of the year benchmarking data. The goal of this day was to identify student need and ensure all students are successful throughout the year.
Please reach out with questions or concerns at anytime. Happy October!
Check out our Library Newsletter here.
Warm Regards,
Kaitlin M. Soccio, Principal
Monthly Reminders
- *Please note, Free and Reduced Forms were sent home with students! If you are in need of another copy, please call our main office 401-647-4115. All other questions should be directed to the Superintendent's Office, 647-4100.
- Student lunch money can be put onto their accounts using myschoolbucks.com. Their four digit school ID will be needed.
- Walk A Thon permission slips are due ASAP or by 10/4. Your child must have a signed permission slip to participate in this event. An additional copy was sent home last Friday.
- 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 can be ordered here. One week left to order for this round. Please email NorthScituatePTO@gmail.com with any questions.
Attendance Matters!
Did you know?
Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
*information gathered from attendanceworks.org
North Scituate Attendance Initiative
Congratulations to our September winners:
- Mrs. Scuccess' & Mrs. Pontarelli's class! Enjoy your special reward!
- Kindergarten: Marie O'Neill
- Grade 1: Ethan Neirinckx
- Grade 2: Charlotte Snow
- Grade 3: Aliya Hillis-Piecyk
- Grade 4: Fallon Green
- Grade 5: Austin Dutra
All students get a fresh start for October! Keep shining, North Scituate Stars!
Positive Office Referrals
Site Visit for Gr. 2 & 3
Start with Hello Week
Bullying Prevention Month
During the month of October students will participate in activities to educate all children and raise awareness about bullying. North Scituate Elementary School will participate in Unity Day on October 23rd by wearing orange- together against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Students will also have the opportunity to take a pledge against bullying and will be given a certificate for doing so.
**Parents are encouraged to contact North Scituate teachers or Mrs. Soccio directly with any concerns related to bullying. Your child's safety and well being is a top priority for all North Scituate School staff members. Educating students, parents, and staff members, open communication, and solution-focused intent are key to combating bullying! Please see the link below for more resources.
2019-2020 Student Council
Thank you to our Student Council advisors, Ms. Miguel and Ms. Augustine.
President: Fabiola Beene
Vice President: Maddie Twiggs
Secretary: Haley Birmingham
Treasurer: Giada Iacobo
Grade 5 Representatives:
- McKenna Werchadlo
- Giada Zolkos
- Tyler North
- Bailey Jencks
Grade 4 Representatives
- Makayla Ross
- Caroline Clemence
- Sophia Morgan
- Lucas Borin
A Note from the School Nurse
As we begin a new school year, I wanted to remind you of a few Scituate School Department health policies and recommendations.
Medication, of any kind, to be given in school, must be accompanied by a written doctor’s order, written parent permission and must be transported to and from school by an adult only.
If your child is ill, please wait until they have been without a fever and/or vomiting, for 24 hours, until sending them back to school.
If your child has been prescribed an antibiotic for strep throat or other contagious illness, please wait until they have been taking the antibiotic for 24 hours before sending them back to school.
Please call school to report absences so we can track contagious illness in the school, sanitize classrooms and notify other classroom parents of the presence of these illnesses.
Thank you for completing the Annual Health Update sheet and returning it to school. Having up to date information helps us provide your child with the best possible care while at school. If you haven’t completed the form please let me know and I would be happy to send another home. Also, if any new health concerns arise throughout the year, please let me know with a phone call or note.
Our annual Flu Clinic, sponsored by the RI Department of Health will be held on Monday, October 7th, 2019, in the school cafeteria, from 4:00 – 6:30 pm and is open to all students/staff and family members, age 3 and up, at no out of pocket cost. You can register online at www.schoolflu.com or register when you arrive at the clinic.
There have been some changes this year regarding health classes. Ms. Haley Crossley, a Physical Education and Health teacher, will be teaching grades 3, 4, and 5 and I will be teaching grades K, 1, and 2. Classes will now be held weekly, rather than every other week, as was done in the past.
With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to remind all parents that candy should not be sent into school to be passed out to students in the classrooms. Our district “Procedures for Food in the Classroom” states that only pre-approved healthy foods will be allowed for classroom celebrations. If you and your child would like to send Halloween treats in for the classroom, please make them non-edible treats such as pencils, stickers, or similar small keepsakes. Any candy sent into school will be sent home unopened.
Thank you! Please call me if you have any questions or concerns.
Mrs. McCann, RN, CSNT
A Note from the School Psychologist
Anger Management
Every time an adult expresses their own anger in a positive way, it provides children with a lesson in anger management. Children need to learn safe limits of their behavior for the safety of themselves and others. They also need to know that their feelings are understood and validated. It is important to let children know that anger is a feeling and it is okay to get angry. Although it is okay to feel angry, it is never okay to hurt yourself or others or damage property when you are angry. When your child is angry validate their feelings by saying, "I can see you are angry” or “it sounds like you are angry”. Both adults and children have a difficult time thinking clearly when they are angry. Therefore encourage your child to use calming strategies such as taking a deep breathe, counting slowly, taking a break or doing something relaxing like drawing or listening to music. Tell your child, “We can talk when you are calm”. Once the child is calmer, allow them to express and explain the reason for the anger. Then help the child brainstorm ideas to help solve the problem. Help the child examine options by asking “What might happen if you do that”? Allow your child to have a say in the solution if possible. Remember that children learn how to behave from role modeling and from what they see and hear.
Reference: A Volcano In My Tummy: Handling Anger. By Elaine Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney.
Mrs. Schiappa
School Psychologist, MA, CAGS
High Five Friday
Kindergarten: Bridges Implementation
Grade 1-Math fun
Grade 2
grade 3: Partnerships & Stamina
grade 4: Flexible seating
Grade 5- Station Rotations
PTO News
A huge thank you to all the families and school staff who supported our Uno's fundraiser night. Our school PTO profited $312.31 from that event.
Our next restaurant fundraiser night is on Tuesday, October 22nd at Chipotle. From 4-8PM, 33% of your bill will go directly to North Scituate PTO.
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!
Scituate School Committee Update
Child Outreach Screenings: Fall 2019
Child Outreach is Rhode Island’s universal screening system designed to screen all children yearly ages 3-5.
Screenings look at various developmental tasks in a wide range of areas. Screening results are often the first step in identifying children who may need further assessment, intervention, and/or support at an early age to promote positive outcomes in Kindergarten
The Fall Child Outreach schedule is as follows:
October 23, 2019 Hope Library – 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
November 15, 2019 Trinity Church – 9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
** We also offer screenings in the towns of Burrillville, Foster, Glocester and N. Smithfield **
Please contact Julie LePain, Child Outreach Coordinator at 647-7560 or nwrcoscreen@gmail.com for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Important Dates
10/01: School Committee Meeting
10/04: School-wide WALK A THON
10/07: Flu Clinic 3:30-7:00PM
10/11: No School- Professional Development Day
10/12: NSES Bake Sale at Scituate Art Festival
10/14: No School- Columbus Day!
10/15: School Improvement Team Mtg 3:20-4:20
10/18: Fire Prevention Visit from North Scituate Fire 9AM
10/22: Chipotle Fundraiser 4-8PM
10/23: Unity Day (wear orange)
10/25: Trunk or Treat 6-7:30PM (rain date 10/26)
North Scituate Elementary School
Email: kaitlin.soccio@scituateschoolri.net
Website: https://nses.scituateschoolsri.net/
Location: 46 Institute Lane, Scituate, RI, USA
Phone: 401-647-4110
Twitter: @NScituateSchool