Best of Bennet
February 11, 2022
From the Principal
I hope this finds you all doing well! As we navigate our third quarter, in what is a very unique school year, we want to remind families that we are here to support you as well. If you would like ideas on how to better support your student at home, please feel free to reach out to your child's teachers for strategies.
We also sent a parent survey to families at the beginning of the month. We are planning a special Internet Safety presentation for Bennet students. To help with our planning, we are looking for parent input. It would be very helpful and appreciated if you could complete the survey by next Wednesday, 2/16/22. Thank you to those that have already completed the survey. Additionally, below are some links with information centered around internet safety tips for home.
Tech Tips for Home - Social Media
Tech Tips for Home - Digital Citizenship
Tech Tips for Home - Screen Time
Thanks again for your commitment and partnership. We make a great team!
With appreciation!
Joe Chella, Principal
Can my child go to school today?
Has your child or a family member been in close contact with a known positive Covid person?
Does your child or a family member have a persistent cough, or other respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath, lung congestion?
Has your child or a family member lost the ability to smell or taste?
Does your child or a family member have a fever over 100 F?
If you have answered YES to any of these questions for you or your child, your child should stay home and you should call the school absentee line.
If you answered YES to any of these questions for a member of your family, please contact the school nurse for advice prior to sending your child to school.
Attendance Line - 860-647-3582
Please take note, even if your child is in quarantine, it is important to call them in absent if they are to ill to complete assignments or participate in remote learning (if they qualify).
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February is Black History Month
How do you celebrate Black History Month? Who do you want your child to learn about?
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CVS
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Things to note on the calendar:
REMEMBER WE HAVE EARLY RELEASE EVERY WEDNESDAY THROUGH JUNE 1st. Students will dismiss at 1:15 on Wedndesdays.
Report cards will be posted to Home Access Center (HAC) February 1st. If you do not know your HAC information please email Mrs. Turner (b39hturn@mpspride.org). You can see your child's grades, attendance and progress notes as well as report cards, so take note of the different tabs.
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ENGISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS UPDATE
During the past month, English Language Learners have been working hard on the LAS Links Assessment. This assessment, taken once a year, measures English proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. The test is quite comprehensive and can be challenging at times so kudos to all of the students for giving it their best. We are proud of them!
We continue to support students in their classrooms in areas such as main idea and details and character development. We also work more intensely on English with targeted lessons on areas such as meanings of idioms, and grammar work with antonyms/synonyms, irregular plurals, and sentence structure.
World Language at Bennet
In World Language class our students for the second half of the year are just weeks into their Spanish journey and loving it! After a great start to our year with our first group of excited learners, this group is jumping right in and quickly picking up the joy of speaking another language.
In grade five Spanish class, our newest language learners are learning some of the basics like numbers and the alphabet as well as simple greetings. We have also begun practicing words for classroom items and will soon be starting to learn colors. By the end of this school year the large amount of vocabulary they have knowledge of will support beginning conversational skills and prepare them for a successful year in grade six.
In grade six Spanish class, our students have started learning words for family members and we have a blast including our pets in the conversation! By the end of our time together they will be able to describe friends or family members' physical and personality characteristics as well as what they are wearing and what they enjoy doing. Most importantly, we hope these early language experiences will teach them that language learning can be fun and is achievable so they can go into future experiences with confidence and positivity.
Parents and guardians, you can help your student learn in several easy ways. You can ask to see your students' google classroom and access the vocabulary lists we are working with so that you can quiz them on the words. Also, you could go on youtube and type the topic we are working on into the search bar to see informative and fun videos on the subject. (For example, you could search "alphabet in Spanish" to find several versions of the Spanish alphabet being repeated, or type in "Spanish family members" to watch a video explaining these words.) If you would like to contact your student's teacher, we will be happy to provide you with a list of helpful videos or any other information to help you lead your student to success.
Math Olympiads 2022
Congratulations to the members of the 2022 Bennet Math Olympiad Club. Students in this club stayed after school to collaborate on extremely challenging math problems. For our final meeting the fifth and sixth grade math lovers celebrated their accomplishments with a yummy pizza party.
Ms. Christensen's 5th Graders
Ms. Herbette's Grade 6 Class Happenings:
In Math, students will be taking their performance task this week on equations and inequalities. Next week, we will be starting the new unit on ratios. For the next two weeks, the school is hosting a challenge: If a student completes 12 dreambox lessons, they will be able to take part in an hour of code located in the library on Feb 23rd. Students will be able to build circuits!
To add to the school challenge, for February my classes are having a dreambox competition. Whichever class turns in the most lessons by the end of the month will receive a popcorn party. So far both classes are off to a great start :)
In Science, we are finishing up the unit on genetics. 6th grade is growing Salmon again this year and students are learning about them every Friday. Hopefully, at the end of the week, they will be “taking a trip” to one of the 6th grade science labs to visit the salmon eggs!
Mrs. Holman's and Mr. Duva's classes are doing exciting things!
Happy New Year! We are overjoyed to begin a new year IN school. We wish you all health and wellness in 2022!
As we move toward spring, students have just started marking period 3. The beginning of a marking period is a great time to check with your student to see if supplies need to be refreshed. As always, it is recommended that students keep a spare mask in their book bag as well as their own sanitizer. There are class sanitizer bottles and students are given sanitizer to use every time they enter or leave the classroom.
Here at Bennet, our rule is that cell phones should be turned off and stored in locked lockers for the time that they are in the building. Please review with your child the cell phone policy that is outlined in their planners on page 11. We would like parents and guardians to remind their child to follow through with this.
Students are busy learning in our STEAM and Humanities classrooms. Science is always exciting! Students in Mr. Duva’s science class has just begun a favorite unit here at Bennet…our salmon unit! Salmon have arrived in each sixth grade science classroom and students are diligently tracking the growth of the salmon through their life cycle. Daily, they observe the salmon and calculate their growth. The unit will culminate with a field trip (hopefully) at the end of the year to release the developed salmon.
In math, students are engaged in a unit focused on analyzing independent and dependent variables. They are using tables, graphs, and equations to solve for the specific variables. Learners are solving real world problems that keep math relevant. They love learning in collaborative groups, math centers and through the use of technology.
In Humanities, students have started another favorite unit here at Bennet - our Refugee unit. Refugee, is a novel written by the author Alan Gratz and lends itself to cross curricular activities that move between ELA and Social Studies. This engaging novel follows the journey of three refugee families fleeing their countries at different periods in history. Josef is a young German boy living Nazi Germany in the 1930’s, he and his mother, father and sister must flee to avoid being sent to a concentration camp. Isabel, another main character in the book, is fleeing Castro’s Cuba in 1994 with her father and pregnant mother by boat. The final riveting story is that of a young Syrian boy named Mahmoud, who must flee his homeland of Syria, which is in the midst of a violent civil war. Mahmoud flees with his mother, father, brother and infant sister. This novel is powerful and the range of emotions that come with it are nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster. The students hang on every word during read aloud and participate in discussions with fervor. Students are studying these characters and their historical conflicts deeply. At the end of the unit students will have produced a cohesive and in depth literary essay about the character of their choosing. Ask you learners about “their characters”! As they read and write we are also studying the historical conflicts that the characters are living through and escaping from in Social Studies. This is a super exciting time in both STEAM and Humanities!
Lastly, and most importantly, students must bring their chromebook fully charged each day to class. Chromebooks are used everyday and it is vital in keeping students on top of their school work. Please, please, please hold your students accountable for chromebook charging. We remind them that when they put their phones on chargers for the night that they should also put their chromebook on the charger too!
Another reminder, Ms. Skoog has changed her name. You can still find her listed as Ms. Skoog although she will be going by her new name, Mrs. Holman!
Thank you for sharing your children with us. We hope that their Bennet experience is a positive one! Again, we hope you are happy and healthy in this new year! Up next….SPRING!
Busy, exciting times with Mrs. Brown, Ms. Elmore, Ms. Fagan & Ms. Woodard in Grade 5!
Ms. Brown - Math - Students recently finished up their work with multiplication and division of decimal numbers and have moved on to fractions. Students began the unit by building fraction kits. Using their kits, they played games like “Cover Up” and “Uncover” to review concepts such as equivalent fractions before moving on to our fifth grade curriculum. We are now ready to begin adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators! So, pull out your measuring cups and spoons and have your child practice fractions in real world situations while helping to make a yummy treat for the whole family!
Ms. Elmore~ Science - We just finished up our unit focused on the movement of energy and matter through an ecosystem. Students were engaged in activities to investigate the answers to the questions, “Why do dead things disappear over time?” and “Where do living things get the matter and energy they need to grow?” Students finished up the unit, showing what they learned by creating food webs that include producers, consumers and decomposers. We are now beginning our next unit learning about the Earth’s systems (or spheres); the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere.
Mrs. Fagan~ Social Studies - The students have completed their final projects on Elisabeth M Bennet. They put a tremendous amount of time and effort into these projects. We are so proud of their work! The students have started our next unit on the establishment of the Thirteen Colonies! This unit will be integrated with the informational unit in ELA. Our focus is on learning all about the New England colonies, the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies. We began our study of the geography related to these three regions. The students are completing a map where they label the three regions, the states included in each region and the physical/political boundaries surrounding each of these factors. Vocabulary is very important in this unit as the students move forward. Our 5th graders are also learning about the climate of each region and deciding on which region would be the best for farming. This is an exciting time of year for our students!
Miss Woodard~ ELA - We are closing out our Personal Narrative writing unit. Students were hard at work crafting stories about a personal experience such as the first time on a roller coaster, a new sibling or the best vacation ever. We are beginning to move into our Informational Reading Unit learning about the key components of Non Fiction text. This unit will also pair with our Informational Writing Unit and the work we are doing in Social Studies on the 13 Colonies. We are busy!
Greetings from Ms. Crudden and Mrs. Randazzo’s Team!
Students are really thriving academically and socially in the new year 2022. In Math we are finishing our algebra unit. We started the unit by solving equations, and now we are exploring inequalities and relating tables and graphs to equations. Our next unit will explore ratios and rates. In science we are observing our salmon eggs develop and looking forward to releasing them in the spring.
Let’s hear from our students: here is their response to the question: “If you could have any superpower what would it be and what scientific principle or discovery supports the possibility of having this superpower in the future?”
Tristen: Becoming small and big like ant man.
Changing the distance between electrons in atoms to make you bigger or smaller.
Grace: Invisibility.
Light is responsible for everything that the human eye can see. When light falls on an object and the light bounces off the object to reach our eyes we can see the object. So the one way to make things invisible is to make light stop interacting with the object.
Connor: Telekinesis.
You would need to control the momentum of objects so I dont think this would happen soon.
Makai: Teleportation
Two electrons can get separated but stay connected and send messages back and forth.
Alex: Cosmic Manipulation.
The only way Cosmic Manipulation could work was if magic were real.
Vinny: Teleportation
Last year, scientists confirmed that information could be passed between photons on computer chips even when the photons were not physically linked.
Cole: To move things with my mind
Cybernetic helmets are able to take the thought waves from your brain to control drones now. Maybe in the future, cybernetic helmets will be able to control anything.
Brittany: Teleportation
Scientist have been able to teleport in the subatomic world and hopefully in the future we will be able to teleport actual living humans.
Davidson: Hydro and Pyrokinesis
They already made a wristband that makes it so you can shoot a pyro ball out, and in the future they could create a chip like with other things in the world, and implant it into your neck. Same for water.
Zale: I would have the power to control the multiverse and I would have webs so I could get rid of my fear of heights.
a. There is always the possibility of infinite universes that are a part of a big multiverse.
b. If it was possible to collect spider silk, spider silk is stronger than steel and kevlar. It also absorbs water making it brittle and elastic.
Mira: If I had a superpower it would be a dramatic invisibility. I would poof into sparkles and turn invisible.
To become invisible, I must do two things. I have to bend light around myself so that I cast no shadow, and I must produce no reflection.
Crudden's crew
Ms. Crudden & Vinnie
Jerome Stephenson
Because The World Needs PLAY...
Now More Than Ever! The grassroots effort created by educators in support of unstructured playtime for students around the world. No Pandemic Will Ever Stop Play! Look below to see Ms. Crudden's Crew playing in the snow!!
February Dreambox Challenge
Students Complete 12 lessons between January 30 - February 12
If they complete the challenge and have completed their classwork,
teachers will be able to sign students up for a special celebration in the library during math workshop!
Hour of Code: Exploring Circuits - February 23
Paper circuits projects, littlebits and robots!
To log-in to Dreambox:
Go to MPS K-8 Resources and log-in to Clever
Choose Dreambox
Choose your lesson
Complete 6 per week to meet the challenge!
Tips:
Use your tools - math strategies, multiplication chart, scratch paper
Use the tips and help buttons that Dreambox offers
Choose a different activity if one becomes too frustrating
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Parents please help!
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Ms. Godbout's class above with their very tall snowman!!
We are Nut-Free this year!
Remind your student please!
What's for lunch?
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We have water stations all over the school, and we are running out of cups!! Do your part to save the landfill by sending your student with their own bottle to fill.
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The Bennet Bear Den
SHOUT OUTS!
We are going to continue highlighting the positives this school year. Throughout the year please let us know who has made you smile, or been a wonderful role model for your child, went that extra mile, or was there when you needed a shoulder. This could be a student, a teacher, support staff, or even an administrator. Remember, we rise by lifting others!
A parent gives an anonymous big SHOUT OUT to Mrs. Borcea for going above and beyond for her students. One of many examples is when she recently held an impromptu Google Meet to help a couple of her students with their science homework that they were having difficulty with. She was so patient and really took the time to make sure they understood the concepts and understood them well, all on her own time. It is so very appreciated!! You are amazing!!
Ms. Fortin shouts out Susan Ospina in Mr. Duva's homebase. Susan is a hard worker and such a pleasure to have in class! Way to go Susan!
Ms. Fortin also shouts out Mason Walters in Mrs. Holman's homebase. Mason is doing an awesome job in math! He is always tries his best. Way to go Mason!
Shout Out to Angie Conte from Sarah Brown - I have been reaching out to Mrs. Conte for advice on my groups and her guidance has been invaluable. She is in a lot of rooms and I love the way she shares how other teachers are doing things if she thinks it can help one of us grow. She has shared several things that Zoe and Hannah have done that have helped me a great deal. She always comes across as nonjudgmental and has been a constant support to me.
We want to hear from parents and staff alike - email cberman@mpspride.org with your shout-out!!
Nurse's Corner
Parents please talk with your children about not texting or calling home from their cell phones when they feel ill and would like to go home. If your child is not feeling well the protocol is for them to get a pass to the nurse, who will then evaluate their status and determine if a call home is warranted, or if they need a little TLC, a rest, some ice, etc. and to go back to class. It is becoming an issue with students using their phones and parents arriving unexpectedly.
Bennet School Nurses
Penny Parent & Elisha Mathews
860-647-3582 (p)
860-647-6348 (f)
Attention: Sixth Grade Parents
Requirements for your student to start Grade 7 include:
-a copy of your child's most recent physical dated January 1, 2021 or later
-Tdap booster
-MPV/meningococcal vaccine
These documents can be faxed to Nurse Michaud at 860-647-6348. Please call 860-647-8189 with questions or email cmichaud@mpspride.org.
Christie Michaud BSN RN
Manchester Public Schools
District Nurse Substitute
REMINDERS - Masks, Water Bottles, and Home Access Center!
*Please continue to send your student with a reusable water bottle as all water fountains remain closed this year. We do have filling stations throughout the school to refill their bottles.
*Please be sure your student has a mask when they leave the house. Masks are required on buses and in school building at all times. It is also helpful if they carry an extra mask in their backpack just in case.
*Just a reminder that grades, progress notes and report cards are posted in the Home Access Center. Your login and password remain the same for HAC throughout your child's time in Manchester Public School through graduation. Please keep this information in a safe place as you can always log in to look at your child's grades, but it is also where Progress Notes and Report Cards are found. If you need help logging into the HAC please follow the link above and click on "forgot my user name or password". We no longer have access to your password at the school level.
Take a look at our Virtual Backpack!
The PTSA needs you!
Bennet PTSA is looking for a new Treasurer this school year. Interested candidates should email the PTSA @ bennetacademyptsa@gmail.com.
To join the PTSA as a regular member please fill out the membership form below and send it in with your child or email it.
News from the Bennet Office:
Picking your student up early? Please call about 10 minutes ahead and we will have your student ready. Let us know when you arrive and we will meet you at the front door with your student to check your ID. Thanks for being patient with this early dismissal procedure as we limit visitors.
For all technology assistance (including Chromebooks, laptops and iPads), go to the IT Helpdesk or call / text 860-682-0607, Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
- Did you move? Please see the list of required documents. Contact Registrar Heidi Turner to update your information: b39hturn@mpspride.org or 860.647.8275. Remember we cannot change your child's bus information until you have provided your new proof of residency.
- New number? Please remember to update the registrar with any changes to your phone number or email so we can reach you! We send out newsletters twice a month and emails from the principal weekly and you do not want to miss anything!
- New email? If you are reading this on our app and not in your email it may mean we have old information. Please contact Ms. Turner with your new email address so you don't miss out!
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10 Ways to Bring Social-Emotional (SEL) Learning Home
From your Bennet Social Work Team...Last time we brought you the 8th of 10 tips and here is tip #9...
Tip #9: Practice social emotional learning daily. Building habits of any kind takes practice, and just like brushing your teeth each day, students and adults need daily opportunities to identify, express and manage their emotions. Our emotions and stressors change from hour to hour and day to day, and it's important that we check in with ourselves and those around us in order to understand what we all need in order to work through those feelings and move through them together.
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NOTES FROM SECURITY
If you pick up your child utilizing the School Street to Vine Street route please be aware that you may be blocking driveways of the residents on School Street. We have had several compaints about people not being able to get in or out of their driveways as cars are sitting in line, blocking the driveways and not yeilding for a resident to pull in or out. If you are blocking a driveway and see a car trying to get in or out, please yeild to them. It is very frustrating for our neighbors to have to fight to get in and out of their property every day. We appreciate your being aware of your location and helping spread goodwill!
Please be aware as you drive through our pick up/drop off area that students are everywhere!
Please do not stop on the CVS side of Wells Street to drop off or pick up your child. It is much too dangerous to have students crossing that narrow road and causes traffic issues on both sides of the road. Also, there is no parking in the CVS parking lot for drop-off or pick-up.
Please be sure to discuss pick up and drop off plans with your student to eliminate any confusion and keep your plan consistent. Thank you.
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Is there something you would like to see in this newsletter?
Bennet Academy
Email: jchella@mpspride.org
Website: https://www.mpspride.org/Domain/9
Location: 1151 Main Street, Manchester, CT, USA
Phone: 860-647-3571