Middlebrook Lion's Link
Linking Our School To Our Community April 8, 2022
WEEKLY NEWS
Early Dismissal Hours:
8:35 AM – 1:00 PM
Upcoming Events:
April 1st - April 30th
- Autism Awareness Month
Monday, April 11th
- PTA Meeting - 7:15pm in the cafe
Tuesday, April 12th
- Author Dan Gutman - grades 2-5
- BOE meeting 7pm
Wednesday, April 13th
- Wear Tie Dye - $1.00 to help support the Odyssey of the Mind Team
Thursday, April 14th
- Math is "Dreamy" - wear your PJ's
- Author Alyssa Capucilli - grades K & 1
Friday, April 15th
- No School - Good Friday
- Passover Begins
Sunday, April 17th
- Easter
Monday, April 18th - Friday April 22nd
- Spring Break
Wednesday, April 27th
- Administrative Professional's Day
Thursday, April 28th
- School Store
Friday, April 29th
- Wear a jersey or a number on your shirt
- Bingo 6-9pm in the school gym
- Arbor Day
Next month, we will begin to administer the Smarter Balanced Assessments to our students in grades 3-5. The SBA Assessments will expose students to Common Core English/Language Arts questions and Mathematics problems. In addition to the SBA assessments, our students in grade 5 will be taking the NGSS Science Field Test.
SBAC Testing Schedule
Grades 3 - 5
English Lang. Arts
5/3, 5/4 & 5/5 (if needed)
Math
5/10, 5/11 & 5/12
Science Testing - Grades 5
NGSS - Science Field Test
5/17
We hope students will not be absent during the testing period, except for illness, and that they will strive to do their very best.
Here are some ways you can help us from home:
- Make sure your child arrives to school on time. If he or she is late, your child will not be able to enter the classroom until testing is done for the day. A make-up test will be given at another time by one of the specialists so your child will miss classroom instruction.
- Make sure your child has a nutritious breakfast. Even toast and a piece of fruit will provide the body and brain energy.
- Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep. Most children need at least 10 hours of sleep each night. Children cannot do their best work when they are tired.
- Let your child know that you expect him or her to try their very best.
Some children can become so worried about taking a test that they cannot demonstrate what they know. It will not be effective to just tell your child not to worry.
Instead, share these tips:
- Tell your child to remember past tests where he or she did well and remind your child that he or she can do well again!
- Reassure your child. Let your child know that all you expect is his or her best effort.
In addition to the SBA state assessments, we will be administering our district iReady assessments in mid-May to early June.
Kushagra won Elementary School CT Chess tournament on April 2nd organized by CT Chess Association wherein elementary schools across CT participated and he stood first and became eligible to represent CT in prestigious 3rd Annual John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions to be held from July 30th - Aug 2nd 2022 in Rancho Mirage, California.
Only 1 student from each state is selected and they compete for the National Championship, Kushagra will be representing CT state , below is the URL of the tournament for more details.
Odyssey of the Mind
Congratulations to our Middlebrook students, Anasara Figueroa, Vasilia Kourounis, Hope Lang, Oliver Henrique, and Siena Nemec on advancing to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Iowa! They are one of the two teams representing the Town of Trumbull.
These fifth-grade students have been meeting for two or more hours per week since September to create a solution to their long-term problem, as well as practice for both verbal and hands-on spontaneous problems. They have worked to develop three moving vehicles, their set, costumes and a planning calendar to keep each other on track. For fun, they created a haunted house and walked several of their friends through it the weekend of Halloween. With supervision, the Odyssey of the Mind team has learned to use many tools found in a garage such as saws, drills and mixing plaster.
On April 13, the team asks if you could bring in $1 and wear tie dye to school. The funds will help support your Middlebrook Odyssey of the Mind Team!
News from our Mental Health Team
Part of helping our school community flourish is supporting our student’s mental health. When faced with challenging emotions, it is important for students to identify what they are feeling, why they are feeling this way and develop the strategies to self regulate their emotions. Encouraging students to utilize what we call “coping strategies” at home will help promote their well-being. Coping strategies, or coping skills, are actions or thought processes used when meeting a stressful or difficult situation. These skills are important to introduce when our students are calm and ready to take in the information. Practicing them every day will ensure their identified tool is effective and familiar to use, assisting them when their emotions are high and their minds unfocused. With support at home, students can identify the tools that work for them in a supportive and calm environment. To help introduce this concept at home, please click the link below “Coping Strategies” to learn more about the concept including; when they should be used, how to teach them and examples. Additionally, the link “Virtual Calm Room” is another resource that students can use, including a virtual feelings check-in and fun, calming interactive activities that promote self-regulation.
Placement Process
The process of class placement for the upcoming school year is beginning for classroom teachers and specialists. Please know that grade level teams and support staff take the placement process very seriously and class communities are built thoughtfully. Teams work diligently and consider many factors when deciding upon student placement. Some of the factors considered are:
Balancing classrooms academically, behaviorally and by gender
Social partnerships; some enhance learning while others may distract from the learning process
Understanding each child’s unique needs and our ability to deliver differentiated instruction and support
These decisions are not made in isolation and are always made in the best interest of the student. You are asked to refrain from requesting a specific teacher. If there is a particular situation or learning need regarding placement that you need to share I ask that you inform me in writing by sending an email to dponte@trumbullps.org by May 1, 2022. Remember, this is not to request a particular teacher or student placement with others due to friendships, teachers already take the latter into consideration.
Please note that changes happen over the summer. Sometimes there are students that join or leave Middlebrook. There can also be teacher changes that are unavoidable, therefore in alignment with all the elementary schools in Trumbull we wait until approximately one week before school starts to disseminate class placement lists. Thank you for your understanding.
We thank you for your continued support for our work at Middlebrook School! As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or good news to share, please feel free to email me at dponte@trumbullps.org or contact me at school at 203-452-4411.
Warmly,
~Debbie Ponte
Middlebrook's International Festival
Please see the link below for details.
Messages From the 5th Grade Activities Committee
Hello 5th Graders & Families,
We have been continuing to plan activities and events for the kids throughout this year and each event costs a fee, depending on the event type and location. The Committee is also responsible for organizing many of the End of Year activities such as:
· End of year Graduation Party at Beaches Pool
· Graduation decorations and slideshow
· Graduation T-shirts and Yard Signs for each child
· School Plaque Presented to Principal at Graduation
· Class Gift/Project to the school
· End of Year Talent Show
To help with the above end of year costs, we are asking for each 5th grader to pay a one-time end of year activity fee of $25.00. To pay for this fee, you can go to Membership Toolkit at: https://middlebrookelementarypta.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/166166
Should you have any questions, please contact Liza Pontonio, at LPontonio77@gmail.com.
SLIDESHOW SUBMISSIONS
DEADLINE: APRIL 30, 2022
We are collecting photos to put together the slideshow that will be played at our children's graduation in June. We need your help by providing your photos of the kids from Kindergarten through 5th grade.
Here is a guideline of what we need from you:
1. Email your high-quality images to 5thgradeslideshow2022@gmail.com.
2. Please label each photo with your child’s full name, grade level, and activity. For example, Addison DeLong, 1st grade Halloween.
**Landscape photos are preferred.
**Group photos are encouraged so we can include as many of the kids as possible. Please label with grade level and activity.
If you have any questions, please email Liza and Justin at 5thgradeslideshow2022@gmail.com.
Thank you in advance for your support this year.
-The 5th Grade Activities Committee
Classroom News
Poetry Slam in Mrs. Reding's Class
Climbing Wall in PE
Weathering Lab in Mrs. Abate's Science class
MIDDLEBROOK SCHOOL AUTHOR VISITS
Middlebrook School is excited to welcome authors Dan Gutman and Alyssa Satin Capucilli!
Kindergarten and Grade 1
Alyssa Satin Capucilli, in person Thursday April 14th
Author of the Buscuit series, Katy Duck Series and more!
Grades 2-5
Dan Gutman, virtually Tuesday April 12th
Author of the My Weird School series, Baseball Card Adventures series and more!
DRESS to the Nines - Fancy Day at Middlebrook
Middlebrook started weekly math challenges this week, with raffle prizes being awarded on Friday! What a fun way to get our students excited for math! Please encourage your child to participate!
Making math meaningful everyday can help grow strong mathematical thinkers! Let’s start by pointing out math all around us (grocery store, getting gas, every job/career, speed limits, cooking, planning a schedule, etc.). From NWEA, the following ideas are intended to help increase your child’s understanding of math skills and to develop confidence in learning. All of us play such a vital role in the development of our children’s love of math!!
Provide activities that enrich and relate mathematics to daily life:
Talk about how many bowls to put out for dinner
Fold napkins in different shapes
Have your child count similar items as you put away groceries
Give your child change to count out to pay for small purchases at the store; have older children calculate the change
Ask your child to compare prices of items by asking things like, “Which can of beans costs more?”
Allow your child to weigh the fresh produce; have older children calculate the price by multiplying the price per pound by the number of pounds
Read the days and dates on a calendar, talk about the number of days in the month, the number of days remaining until a special event, etc.
Draw a scale map of your home and determine the best escape route in case of an emergency
When traveling, write numbers on a grid and have your child color in the box as they see the numbers on signs or license plates
Use computer software or online games or apps to practice math skills at home
Play games with dice and cards
Keep empty containers, write different prices on them, then play “Store” by using a calculator to add up the prices for different purchases
Kindness Club
Trumbull Nature and Arts Center
Volunteer Forms
Parents,
We welcome limited volunteering this school year, but you must complete the Volunteer Form. It can take up to 2 weeks to get approved by Long Hill so please don't delay. If you did not complete one this school year and would like to volunteer, the forms must be completed. We need/want our parents in to volunteer! Use the link below to access the forms to complete. This needs to be done every school year. Please make sure every blank is filled in, use N/A where necessary.
https://www.trumbullps.org/Attachments/boe/volunteerforms201920.pdf
See the flyer below for more information.
TLC Registration is Open for 2022-23
Register now and we'll make sure your children have a safe and fun experience in our Before and After School programs for the upcoming school year. Please use the following link to register: https://parentportal.tlctrumbull.com/
UPCOMING PTA DATES
PTA General Meeting Dates:
April 11th
May 16th
Middlebrook School
Email: dponte@trumbullps.org
Website: middlebrookelementary.com
Location: 220 Middlebrooks Avenue, Trumbull, CT, USA
Phone: 203-452-4411