News from Eli Terry
Week of September 8th, 2023
A Note from Your Principals
The first part of the 2023-2024 school year has gone by quickly, and it has been an exciting time. This fall has been full of field trips, assemblies, parent volunteers and fun family events. Let's not forget all the teaching and learning, which will be shared and celebrated soon in progress reports and parent-teacher conferences!
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to each and every one of you. We are endlessly thankful for the laughter, the support, and the fantastic energy you bring to our Eli Terry school community. Your involvement—whether you're volunteering in the classroom or cafeteria, joining us for school events, or cheering on your kiddos—is like the sprinkles on top of our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. It makes everything a little sweeter!
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for your endless enthusiasm and dedication. Working alongside our staff, you're the real MVPs of our students' journeys, and your involvement sparks that curiosity and love for learning that makes our school so special.
As we gather with family and friends to celebrate this season of gratitude, we want to extend our deepest thanks to each family within our school. Your trust, support, and active participation make our school a vibrant and thriving community.
Wishing you all a Thanksgiving filled with joy, warmth, and cherished moments with your loved ones. May this holiday season be a reminder of the many "gifts" that surround us and the importance of coming together in appreciation.
With heartfelt thanks,
Mike & Jenn
Recess Reminders
With the cooler weather seemingly here to stay, we wanted to remind families that throughout the fall/winter months students go outdoors for recess every day; weather permitting and as long as the "feels like" temperature is above 20 degrees!
While most students have transitioned into wearing coats to be "weather ready", once we have white stuff on the ground, the expectations for being "weather ready" change. In order for students to be able to play in the snow, they must be wearing:
- coat
- snow pants
- hat (may be helpful now as well!)
- gloves (also helpful now!)
- winter boots
If students are not dressed for the snow, they are still outdoors for recess but will only be permitted to play on the blacktop portion of the playground!
We know our students will be SO excited when the first flakes fly, but we want to ensure they do so safely, are protected from the elements, and are able to tackle the rest of their school day warm and dry!
Feeling Word #2: Annoyed
The first RULER skill involves being able to “Recognize” emotions and how they are experienced in the body (thoughts, facial expressions, and physiological responses). As a result, in November, students were explicitly introduced to and taught the feeling word - annoyed. Through both oral storytelling experiences and connecting to the character in a picture book, students learned that annoyed is:
An adjective meaning “bothered by something or someone”
Located in the RED quadrant of the Mood Meter
Described as unpleasant with high energy.
People who are feeling annoyed may have closed lips or lips that are pulled back from their teeth. Their eyes may be narrowed or open widely, and their eyebrows may be turned down. Annoyed voices might be high and loud, and people who are feeling annoyed may speak quickly. Annoyed bodies may have raised shoulders; crossed arms; hot or sweaty hands, face or feet; a quick heartbeat, tight feeling muscles, and tapping feet or hands.
To complement students' work with this word in the classroom, here are some things you can do at home to reinforce what they are learning, as well as connect as a family in new ways!
Have each family member share a story about a time they felt annoyed. Have each family member share how they knew they were annoyed - how was it experienced in the body?
With your family, talk about these questions/strategies for when you experience feeling annoyed:-
- Is it best to do something to change the situation, like moving to a different place, asking the person to stop, or talking to an adult?
Is it best to think about the situation in a different way, like asking yourself is it really a big deal or telling yourself that this is a chance to learn how to manage emotions?
Choose stories to read before bedtime where the main character feels annoyed (it could also be characters experiencing anger or frustration…those feelings are in the same quadrant!) As you read together, look for “clues” that help you recognize the feeling (thoughts, actions, body language, etc.) Here are a couple suggestions:
Ravi's Roar
Grumpy Monkey
Crankenstein
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Meet the ET Staff
A Peek Inside Our Week
Students in Mrs. Conyer's class had the honor of learning about life in the military through visits by the Allard, Monette, and Bycholski families!
In Kindergarten writing, students have transitioned from "show and tell" books to writing pattern books. They are hard at work using the sight words they are learning in sentences!
Kindergarten writers use their tools (writing tents and personal word walls) to help them write sentences.
5th graders enjoyed a gorgeous fall recess!
Madeline Halle was selected as our FIRST Junior Safety Officer in November's PAWS raffle. She worked with Mr. Luis to ensure the safety of all our students and staff!
Nolan Venoutsos was selected as our FIRST axolotl caretaker. Marshmallow appreciated his diligence and responsibility in making sure he was fed every morning!
Harper Wetmore was inspired to share her gratitude for our Cafeteria staff. She wanted to make sure they were "seen" and appreciated!
The love for Marshmallow just keeps pouring in! Now to find the same hat for Mrs. Hammer! :0)
PTO Events
Paint Night
This week's virtual paint night was a huge success. We have 118 students participate, with over 80 families on the Google Meet! Enjoy some of the Eli creations below!
Flash Food Drive
Thank you to our Student Ambassadors and our families for helping to teach our kids that changing the world starts with changing your own community and that they can do amazing things!!!!
The Paperstore Fundraiser - Purchase an Ornament, Help the PTO!
Are you planning to shop at the Paperstore next week or need a cute ornament for a gift this holiday season? Please consider purchasing the Gift of Giving Ornament which is a cute snowy gingerbread house, it's only $2.99 and $1 of that comes back to the South Windsor PTOs to help support our programing.
As a special bonus you will also get 20% off your total purchase.
Please see the flyer for more details. The special offer starts Monday, November 20th and ends on Sunday, November 26th.
Holiday Fair Volunteer Sign-Up
Hello Eli Terry Families,
Its time for our Eli Terry Holiday Fair. Students can shop for gifts for their family and come home with them all wrapped and ready. Parents who have a student vendor cannot work the student vendor tables. We are looking forward to seeing you!
Please sign-up to help below!
Mark Your Calendars!
- Wear Blue for 22q11.2 Awareness - Wednesday, November 22nd (see flyer below!)
- NO SCHOOL- Thanksgiving Break - Thursday & Friday, November 23rd-November 24th
- PTO Holiday Fair - Friday, December 1st (during the school day)
- PTO/CCMC Pajama Day for the Kids - Friday, December 8th
- Early Dismissal - Winter Break - Friday, December 22nd (12:45 dismissal)
- NO SCHOOL - Winter Break - December 25th - January 1st
Remember...any of the above events can be quickly added to your own Google Calendar just by clicking the blue hyperlink!
Want Access to a Previous Newsletter?
If you would like access to ALL previous newsletters you can find them here!