Tashua Family Weekly Update
Mrs. Neumeyer, Principal
May 6, 2022
Dear Tashua Families,
Monday kicked off an amazing Teacher Appreciation Week as the classroom teachers were greeted with fun-themed door decorations! Each day, we felt spoiled as we were celebrated with the theme, "Let's fill their buckets with our thanks!" Tashua staff was treated to a delicious breakfast, snacks, an amazing luncheon, desserts and more. Each classroom teacher received supplies, indoor and outdoor games on their wish list and all staff were given gift cards to show how much they are appreciated!
A huge thank you goes out to Mrs. Caskin and Mrs. Ellezam, the entire Teacher Appreciation Committee, and to all of you who offered to volunteer or make contributions to make this a special week for our Tashua staff! WE appreciate you!
This week, we also celebrated Child's Mental Health Awareness week. On Tuesday, we had a school-wide homework assignment of everyone thinking of their very own happy place. To kick off our day on Wednesday, we spent some mindful moments of visualizing our happy places and going there for a solid two minutes! This was a calming way for all of us to start our day! Did you know, research shows the more you are able to take time to do this, the more positive you will feel and the more successful your outcomes will be? Further, in celebration of Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, Mrs. McKenna shared a Social Emotional Learning slideshow with classroom teachers containing many great Read Alouds and Activities. She also shared some of the books in our library such as "I Am Peace" and "Try a Little Kindness." Please visit the link below if you would like to have your child access the slideshow from home: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19-r2dY_SRrx4iL75mWyWIlXULLy3c4H6dPCzGPGclJY/edit?usp=sharing
On Monday, we also kicked off our One Book, One School event with our first school-wide assembly in the gymnasium!
We hope you are enjoying the book Little Dog Lost at home with your family. Each day, we have organized nightly readings for the students and trivia questions on the morning announcements the following day about the reading. The classes are eager to submit their response to Mrs. McKenna each morning. Remember, if you want your child to listen to a staff member reading the chapters, you can access these on our school website. Thank you goes out to the Tashua Fathers' Club for purchasing these books.
Congratulations to our Principal Proud Board Students!
Kindergarten: Bella Morales, Conor Orloski, Myra Paudel, Lani Rumora
Grade 1: Jacob Conklin, Nate Howard, Colton Lascano
Grade 2: Lily Hurwitz, Maddie Lynch, Talia Principi, Camden Richards
Grade 3: Dylan Carew, Samuel Martinez-Diaz, Stella Petrossi, Parker Tedesco
Grade 4: Jacob Brakoniecki, Lilia DeVellis, Grace Zmistowski
Grade 5: Valentina Antolinez, Hannah Cartell, Avery Godsill
Lastly, Tashua students have done an amazing job this school year by showing the Tiger Traits (tolerance, integrity, generosity, empathy, responsibility and self-control) and earning stripes for Thunder. Very soon, our students will once again have earned enough stripes that it’s time for a school wide celebration! Please see the note below from our art teacher, Mrs. Thomas.
As a reminder, we will be continuing with the administration of the Smarter Balanced Assessments to students in grades 3-5. The students have been doing a great job! They have been extremely focused and putting forth their best effort! They should all be extremely proud of themselves. Our remaining testing schedule is posted below:
SBAC Testing Schedule
Grades 3 - 5
Math
5/10 & 5/11
Math Performance Task
5/12
Science Testing - Grades 5
NGSS - Science Field Test
5/17 & 5/18
Again, we hope students will not be absent during the testing period, except for illness, and that they will strive to do their very best.
Again, here are some ways you can help us from home:
- Make sure your child arrives to school on time.
- Make sure your child has a nutritious breakfast.
- Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep.
- 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 SBAC state assessments, we will be administering our district iReady assessments in mid-May to early June.
Please keep in mind, smartphones and watches, with the capacity to call, text, take pictures or use a calculator are not permitted in school. These devices need to be turned off and placed in the students' backpacks if they are at school. If you need to get an important message to your child, please contact the front office, 203-452-4433.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
A special thank you to our Tashua Parent Diversity Committee for continuing to educate and inform our school community. This month they have highlighted information and resources to help us celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month.
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
Like most commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress. In 1977 Reps. Frank Horton of New York introduced House Joint Resolution 540 to proclaim the first ten days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week. In the same year, Senator Daniel Inouye introduced a similar resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 72. Neither of these resolutions passed, so in June 1978, Rep. Horton introduced House Joint Resolution 1007. This resolution proposed that the President should “proclaim a week, which is to include the seventh and tenth of the month, during the first ten days in May of 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” This joint resolution was passed by the House and then the Senate and was signed by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978 to become Public Law 95-419 (PDF, 158kb). This law amended the original language of the bill and directed the President to issue a proclamation for the “7 day period beginning on May 4, 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” During the next decade, presidents passed annual proclamations for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week until 1990 when Congress passed Public Law 101-283 (PDF, 166kb) which expanded the observance to a month for 1990. Then in 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-450 (PDF, 285kb) which annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 since most of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
Source: https://asianpacificheritage.gov/about/
Take a look at the resources below to celebrate and learn with your family!
Web Resources:
https://asianpacificheritage.gov/
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month
https://www.pbs.org/specials/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month/
Children’s Books:
https://imaginationsoup.net/childrens-books-asian-pacific-american-heritage-month-aapi/
https://www.epicreads.com/blog/books-for-asian-pacific-american-heritage-month/
It is hard to believe we only have a little more than 6 weeks left of school, just 31 days! Let's continue to work together to support our students to help them to get the most out of each and every day!
Again, we thank you for your continued support and partnership in ensuring the success and happiness of our students. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns or good news to share by emailing me at NeumeyeJ@trumbullps.org or calling me at school 203-452-4433.
Happy Mother's Day to all of our Tashua Moms!!
Warm regards,
Mrs. Neumeyer
Principal
A Few Highlights from the Grade K and 3 Classrooms
Kindergarten
Our Kindergarten students were excited to begin the science unit on hatching chicks. They are counting down the days and patiently waiting for the eggs to hatch. Ranger Mark visited the K classrooms and together they explored the parts of an egg. The students got to watch Mark candle the eggs in order to see the developing chick inside.
In May Number Corner, students will be exploring addition and subtraction story problems and learning how to solve them using pictures and manipulatives. In math, students are using balance scales to compare the weight of two objects. They will be strengthening their number sense by determining whether a number is greater than, less than or equal to a given number.
Students started a unit on persuasive writing where they state their opinion and explain why. They will be working to provide reasons in order to convince their reader. Be careful, they might try to convince you that they should have a later bedtime!!
Grade 3
In math, 3rd grade has been studying polygons and the different attributes that make up each one. Check out our Geoboard fun.
Spotlight on Social Emotional Learning
Promoting Flexible Thinking
Think about a time when you wanted something, but it wasn’t available or sold out, or a time when you had plans to do something fun, but it got postponed or cancelled. As adults, we have learned over the years to process the disappointment by acknowledging how we feel, and moving on. For kids, this is a very hard skill to learn and manage. In school, kids have been learning about the Social Thinking concepts of “flexible and stuck thinking”. Being “flexible” means thinking about what others’ need, changing our thinking, and changing our plans. It helps us to make different choices that are expected and still follow our group plans.
When we are being “stuck” we are only thinking about what we want, continue making unexpected choices, and are not following our group plans. A great way to model “flexible thinking” with your children is staying calm when unexpected or undesirable situations occur, and show them how to look at different alternatives and options to promote flexibility. Using your “Inner Coach” or positive self-talk is a great strategy for kids to help validate their feelings and look at the situation with a positive outlook.
Examples:
You get sick and can’t attend your friend’s birthday party.
Stuck Thinking: Yelling, crying, screaming, saying unexpected things:
“I hate my life” “I want to go!” “I never get to do fun things!” “I don’t want to miss out!”
Flexible Thinking: “I feel upset that I can’t go to my friend’s birthday party, BUT maybe I can have a play date with them once I am feeling better.” “This is only a small problem, I can stay calm”.
You don’t get to go first during family game night.
Stuck Thinking: Tossing the game board, yelling, screaming, crying, saying unexpected things:
“I don’t want to play anymore!” “You’re mean!” “I never get to go first!”
Flexible Thinking: “I’m feeling disappointed that I can’t go first, BUT maybe I can go first next time?” “Since I can’t go first this time, can I choose the color game piece I want?” “Even though I can’t go first, it is still fun to play a game with my family”. “This is only a small problem, I can stay calm”.
Student News
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Po0q2Du5qMQjA-QwXFvJznE8XogX2dxu/view?usp=sharing
Congratulations to Abhay Kamath, 2nd grade student in Miss McGillicuddy's class, who won 2 gold medals at the Dojo Karate Tournament at Tobukan Martial Arts this past weekend. We wish him the best of luck as he competes in AAU ADIRONDECK Regional Karate Tournament in Troy, New York later this month!
If you have any "Good News - Student News" to share about your child, please email Mrs. Holmes at holmesM@trumbullps.org and Mrs. Neumeyer at NeumeyeJ@trumbullps.org.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tashua Spring Concert
Tashua Field Day
Tashua Field Day is coming up on Friday, June 3 (rain date Friday, June 10) and we need your help! If you are interested in volunteering to run a Field Day game station, please complete this form:
https://forms.gle/exxF3z9SRbQpanDT6
Field Day schedule:
Grades K-2 9:00 - 11:00
Grades 3-5 12:00 - 2:30
All volunteers must complete the district's School Volunteer Security Check. This form must also be processed and returned by the district prior to volunteering. The Volunteer Security Check form is available here:
https://www.trumbullps.org/general/volunteer-form.html
Mr. Richard is also looking for a Volunteer Coordinator to assist with scheduling volunteers prior to Field Day. Please indicate your interest when completing the Field Day Volunteer Information Form.
Tashua School Multicultural Night
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVXA96ANMHpQcVTiNMEl661r2lX6MilK9wT0J2rk_bL29IIg/viewform
Summer Explorations
https://www.trumbullconted.org/images/customer-files/SUMMER-2022-Updated.pdf
Trumbull PTAC Fundraiser
TPAUD - Let's Talk Mental Health Virtual Workshop
From the Desk of Nurse Chamale
Reminders...
Anyone (regardless of vaccine status) with the following symptoms may have COVID:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
For the updated isolation, quarantine, testing and return to school guidelines please click here
To report a COVID positive student please go to the link below to report the case
https://veoci.com/v/p/form/yanggq49bq6t
Please use the following link to upload your child's completed Vaccination Card: Tashua Vaccination Upload Form. You must be signed into your child's @trumbullps.net google account to complete this form and upload the card. If you receive an error message, "you need permission" it is because you are not signed in to your child's google account.
Covid-19 Vaccination Registration:
https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/COVID-19-Vaccination-Scheduling-Options
Nurse Chamale
203-452-4434
Upcoming Events
Saturday, May 7th
- Trumbull Agricultural and Biotechnology Center - Spring Farm Fair; Trumbull High School; 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Free Admission.
Sunday, May 8th
- Happy Mother's Day to all of our Tashua Moms!
Tuesday, May 10th
- SBAC Math Testing for Grades 3-5
Wednesday, May 11th
- School Nurse Day
- SBAC Math Testing for Grades 3-5
Thursday, May 12th
- SBAC Math Performance Testing for Grades 3-5
Friday, May 13th
- Grade 1 Library Visit; 9:15 AM - 10:45 AM
Saturday, May 14th
- Spring Fair
Tuesday, May 17th
- SBAC Science Testing for Grade 5
- iReady Reading Testing for Grades K - 2
Wednesday, May 18th
- SBAC Science Testing for Grade 5
- iReady Reading Testing for Grades K - 2
- Spring Concert at MMS; 7:00 PM
Thursday, May 19th
- Multicultural Night; 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 21st
- Armed Forces Day
Monday, May 23rd
- Grade 5 visits Madison
Tuesday, May 24th
- iReady Math Testing for Grades K - 2
- iReady Reading Testing for Grades 3 - 5
- BOE Meeting; 7:00 PM
Wednesday, May 25th
- iReady Math Testing for Grades K - 2
- iReady Reading Testing for Grades 3 - 5
Monday, May 30th
- No School; Memorial Day
Wednesday, June 1st
- iReady Math Assessments Grades 3 - 5
Thursday, June 2nd
- iReady Math Assessments Grades 3 - 5
- Grade 5 End of Year Party; 5:00 - 8:00 PM
- PTA Meeting; 7:00 PM
Friday, June 3rd
- Field Day
Sunday, June 5th
- Final Mile; 9:00 AM
Monday, June 6th
- Sensitivity Day; Grades 4 & 5
Tuesday, June 7th
- Kindergarten Roundup; 9:15 - 10:30 AM (Last names A-L)
- BOE Meeting; 7:00 PM
- Fathers' Club Meeting; 8:00 PM
Wednesday, June 8th
- Kindergarten Roundup; 9:15 - 10:30 AM (Last names M-Z)
Friday, June 10th
- Field Day - Rain Date
- Kindergarten EOY Picnic with parents; 11:00 - 12:00 PM
Tuesday, June 14th
- Flag Day
Wednesday, June 15th
- Grade 5 Trip to Wolfe Park
Friday, June 17th
- End of Year Teacher Luncheon sponsored by the PTA
- Rain date - K EOY Picnic with parents; 11:00 - 12:00 PM
Sunday, June 19th
- Father's Day
Monday, June 20th
- Rehearsal for "Stepping Up" and Grade level Celebrations Assembly; 9:15 AM
- Early Dismissal; 1:00 PM
Tuesday, June 21st
- First Day of Summer
- Last Day of School
- Grade 5 "Stepping Up" Ceremony; 9:30 AM
- Report Cards Issued
- Early Dismissal; 1:00 PM
Updates from our PTA
THANK YOU
- Thank you to our amazing teacher appreciation chairs Liz Caskin and Nicole Ellezam for organizing a fantastic week celebrating our favorite teachers! Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and/or made donations to make the week a success!
- Thank you to Christie McKenzie for organizing the annual plant sale and for bringing it back into Tashua School for the first time in 3 years!
FINAL SESSION WITH DR. HERSHBERG
We are excited to have another session with Dr. Hershberg on Thursday May 12th at 8pm via Google Meet:
They Just Don’t Listen: Understanding and Handling Defiance and Other Disruptive Behaviors at Home/in the Classroom
How can we better understand children’s defiance and other difficult behaviors? What are the important factors to consider? What can we, as parents and teachers, do when it comes to effective intervention or, better yet, prevention? In this workshop, participants will learn how to view and interpret behavior as communication, and then how to respond in thoughtful and intentional ways that support, rather than punish, our children as they navigate the stress of school and everyday life during the pandemic.
Virtual on Google meets: Video call link: https://meet.google.com/qbb-ornp-tmk
Or dial: (US) +1 413-438-7354 PIN: 228 706 000#
SENSITIVITY DAY (GRADES 4 and 5)
Sensitivity day is back in person at Tashua this year on June 6th for 4th and 5th graders. We will be having our first committee meeting to finalize planning for the day and prepare volunteers for their roles for the day. Meeting takes place Monday May 9th at 7:30pm. Please contact Christie McKenzie at Christiep99@yahoo.com if you are interested in volunteering for the committee.
SPRING FAIR
The Spring A' Ding Ding Fair is just around the corner!
- Mark your calendar for a day of fun! May 14th 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Games, Raffle, Crafts, Music by our very own Mr. Cohen and lots and lots of fun! We have Uncle G's Comfort Food truck coming to the event and you can order some of their tasty sandwiches for lunch!
- Love to Bake... Cake Walk Flier has gone home and you can sign up to donate a cake to this years Cake Walk by contacting Silvana bateni@icloud.com or Deborah dzmistowski@gmail.com.
- Volunteer... Parents and Teens can sign up now at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044EA8AE2AA4FE3-tashuaor by contacting Karin Chhablani at kiran.chhablani@gmail.com
- Raffle: If you volunteered to provide a raffle item please remember to send it to school with your student.
Poster Contest Thank you to all of our poster contest participants. We had over 30 entries for this years Spring Fair! Everyone that participated will be given 2 raffle tickets (to be given at lunch period next week). Winning posters will be displayed in the foyer for all to see. See you on May 14th 11:00am - 3:00pm!
And the winners are….
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
SCHOOL SUPPLIES SALE IS COMING BACK!
We are happy to announce we will be bringing back our School Supplies sale via our ongoing relationship with Supplies to Please. This is a great opportunity to get your pre-packaged school supplies for the 2022-2023 school year. The website is going live and will be ready to accept orders shortly, stay tuned for login details! Please note we will not be ordering spare kits this year so make use of this sale while it’s available. As we had in years past, there will be an option to make a monetary donation along with your kit purchase, which will go directly to buying spare supplies for the teachers to use throughout the year.
NEW TASHUA SWAG
Check out the amazing new options for purchase:
Pura Vida bracelets are still available! Order on Membership toolkit: https://tashuaschoolpta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/4337
UPCOMING PTA DATES
PTA General Meeting Dates:
June 2nd
PTA Membership
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO JOIN THE PTA
Some of things that membership dues pay for include:
• Recognition of staff throughout the year with breakfasts and lunches
• Activities and goodies for staff during staff appreciation
• Grade level activities, including a number of activities for the 5th grade
• Supplies for Teachers
• Professional Development for Teachers
• Folders and assignment books for students
Please use the link below to join and access your membership:
Important Parent Information
District K-5 Curriculum Guide Overviews
The Department of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessments has captured in brochure format the major curriculum outcomes across all subject areas for each primary school grade, from kindergarten through grade 5. Below, please find the link to each grade-level curriculum overview. https://www.trumbullps.org/techlearn/curriculum/k-5-curr-overviews.html
Parent Volunteer Form
We welcome volunteers at Tashua school, however you must complete the Volunteer Form, link below. Please make sure every blank is filled in, use N/A where necessary.
https://www.trumbullps.org/Attachments/boe/volunteerforms201920.pdf
If you haven't completed this form already, please be sure to do so you are able to volunteer for end of the year activities. In addition, when you are visiting Tashua School, please be sure to have an ID with you.
2022-2023 Kindergarten Registration
Visit the Trumbull Public Schools Dristrict Registration webpage at:
https://www.trumbullps.org/general/student-registration.html
Chelsea Cunha Memorial Scholarship Fund
Chelsea Cunha was a former Tashua student and Trumbull High School graduate. Please use the following link to learn about contributing to the Chelsea Cunha Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Tashua School Hours
Doors open at 8:20 AM
Regular School Hours: 8:35 AM - 3:20 PM
Early Dismissal Hours: 8:35 AM - 1:00 PM
Delayed Opening Hours
2 hour Delay – 10:35 AM – 3:20 PM
2 ½ hour Delay – 11:05 AM – 3:20 PM