SES Tiger News
December 18, 2023
Put a Title Here!
A Note from Mr. Clement
Families of SES,
It's been a great start to the second semester of school! Our teachers continue to work to provide engaging and challenging learning opportunities for all students. The students are taking on these challenges and providing solid efforts. Families have been supportive of all the happenings within the walls of SES. We certainly have had plenty of happenings, too! We have tried to capture many of the fun events here within this newsletter. Everything from celebrating our local Veterans, essay contest winners, cookie making, a full school holiday meal, and the start of our Middle School Basketball season. I even had my hair dyed! As we wind down to the December break with a noontime dismissal on Friday, December 22, I can’t wait to think that January will bring even more exciting times!
One reminder worth mentioning is the need to have students dressed for the weather. Every winter, bad weather — snow, slush, freezing temperatures, or even heavy rains — can present challenges to getting children outside for recesses. We love having your students at school! Recess is a valuable time for students and we want them all to have proper ear, hands, and feet covering, along with coats to keep them warm. One rule of thumb — if the Reel Feel is below 32F — keep everything covered up with mittens/hat, coat, and boots @ minimum. Thank you!
On behalf of our staff at SES, we want to wish everyone a happy and healthy December break!
See you in 2024!
Sincerely,
Larry Clement, Principal
Spotlight on the School 📚
Report Cards
Report cards went home last week! If you haven't seen them, check your student's folders/backpacks. Please sign the envelope and return as soon as possible.
Patriots Pen Essay Competition
Congratulations to all the middle schoolers who took part in the Patriots Pen essay competition and a special congratulations to Ziva, Tristan and Gentry on their 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes!
The Holidays are at SES 🎄
SES is in the full holiday spirit! We've been celebrating the holidays with daily themes to include cookie decorating, card making and an exchange, Grinch Day, a whole school tree lighting, a hot cocoa bar, ugly sweater day and more! SES is wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season, however you may celebrate this time of year!
PTCO, Ms. Paige, Ms. Cait and Mr. Glenn decorated out front!
Whole School Tree Lighting Ceremony
Looking merry and bright!
Cookie decorating kits made by our lovely kitchen staff, Ms. Katrina and Ms. Jamie!
Bea (1st grade) with her cookie!
Jackson (1st grade) with his cookie!
PK and K made ornaments with 8th grade for the Rural Hall Festival of Lights
Our oldest and youngest students working together!
5th grade cookie decorating
Grinch Day Triplets!
2nd Grade has great Ugly Sweaters
Middle School celebrating too!
Girls versus Penbrook on Thursday night
Boys playing Deer Isle on Tuesday night
Girls playing Penbrook on Thursday night
New Website!!!
If you have visited www.surryschool.org recently, you might have noticed some really big changes! We have done a soft launch of our new website! Click the link and check it out!
Flashing Back to November 🍂
November went by quickly it seems. During the month of November, SES had many wonderful activities to include Loaves and Fishes food donations, PTCO penny wars, Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving celebrations!
Many thanks to our kitchen staff and the PTCO for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast! The meal was fantastic and the gym was filled with the whole school, members of the school board and select board, as well as most of the staff. It was a joyful occasion.
SES put on a wonderful assembly, in which students sang, read stories and poems, did a flag folding ceremony and distributed handmade cards to veterans. Jason McFarland spoke about bravery, courage and strength while talking about what it means to serve. Thank you all who came!
SES donated 582 items to the Loaves and Fishes food bank in Ellsworth. 2nd grade got to deliver the items and help stock the shop!
6th Grade won the Penny Wars! They voted to dye Mr. Clement's hair purple!
SES was invited to the Blue Hill Heritage Trust to name their new tractor... Mr. T... to help with trail clean up and Chickadee Composting!
Sorting food for Loaves and Fishes
Meet Mr. T - the new tractor at Blue Hill Heritage Trust!
Thanksgiving feast preparations underway
Fabulous place settings for our guests!
A delicious meal served by our wonderful kitchen staff!
The Great Lego ReGifting
How It Works - Collecting
The Great LEGO Re-Gifting starts in the early summer, with yard sales that have used LEGO stuff. Some families offer to donate their LEGOs, other times someone will purchase them at the yard sale and donate them to our effort. This continues into the fall, as people drop off donations at the school. Starting November 1st, we put a donation bin in the main lobby and begin to actively solicit donations of LEGOs.
How it Works - Washing, Sorting, Distributing
In early December, students in Mr. Ford's technology classes wash and dry the LEGOs, combine various parts to make a new kit, and box them up. Throughout the month, right up until Christmas Eve, we work hard to get these re-gifted kits into the hands of children who need them.
Got some LEGOs to donate?
You can drop them off at Surry Elementary School.
Tiger Clubs and Athletics 🐅
Basketball
Monday 12/18 Away versus Castine - Boys B Game only; Girls and A Team boys have practice
Thursday 12/21 Away versus Sedgwick - Girls play first
No Practices through the winter break. Practices will resume on January 2nd.
News from the PTCO
Next PTCO meeting will be January 8th 6pm SES
PTCO needs volunteers to help with the school reward cart! You can sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4CADAE2DA2F5CE9-46780811-school?fbclid=IwAR0HO4sQ_as6gbCAzjHwhBesRZ6njWBpybl0Y384AaZYVevnmpzDK6Hj1ig#/
Nurse's Note 🩺
Since the pandemic, absenteeism rates among students have continued to grow, raising serious concerns for school staff about students well-being and our ability to educate them.
According to preliminary data, during the 2022-23 around 25% of students in the US were chronically absent, which means that they missed at least 10% of school days. We have just completed trimester one. I encourage parents to look at your child's attendance record. If your child has missed 6 days or more, they are considered chronically absent. Chronic absenteeism not only correlates to low academic achievement, it is also a powerful predictor of dropout rates and has been linked to poor outcomes later in life. Consistent attendance in school is paramount to achieving academic success and the benefits of regular attendance extend far beyond good grades. If you are finding it difficult for your child to maintain a regular attendance pattern, please reach out to someone here who might be able to help. Principal Larry Clement, Counselor Erica Garvey, the nursing team or your child's classroom teacher. We are all invested in your child's learning and growth and what them nothing more than to see them succeed.
Upcoming Events 📆
Monday, 12/18 — PJ Day at SES, PK-2 Wafflepalooza
Tuesday, 12/19 — Wear your holiday best to school!
Winter Concert (band members arrive a 5:00pm, rest at 5:15pm) for a 5:30 concert start
Wednesday, 12/20 — Santa Day, wear red and white!
SES School Board Meeting at 5pm
Thursday, 12/21 — Caroling around Town! Dress in your best festive outfits!
Friday, 12/22 — HALF DAY! Noontime dismissal for kids!
Tuesday, 1/2/2024 — School Resumes in the New Year!
Our 2023-2024 School Calendar: https://www.schoolunion93.org/surry/surry-school-calendar
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/surryschool
Surry Elementary School
754 N. Bend Road
Surry, ME 04684
207-667-9358