The Clayville Chronicle
April 2019 Edition
From the Desk of Mrs. Francis
Beginning the week of April 8th, all students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will take an on-line test of mathematics and English Language Arts proficiency called The Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS). 2018 was the first year of administering the new RICAS, which is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.
Students in grade 5 will also take the Rhode Island Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA). The NGSA was administered for the first time as a census field test in 2018. This year, we will receive student scores in the fall. Teachers and students have been working hard and are prepared!
Visit http://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/Overview.aspx for more information.
Warm Regards,
Courtney Francis
Announcements & Reminders
- Nurse Lisa kindly requests the donation of any used/clean clothes to keep in her office for student use (when necessary). We are specifically in need of small pant sizes. Thank you in advance!
- District Policy requires all parents and school volunteers to maintain a current BCI check and to RENEW all BCI checks yearly prior to volunteering in classrooms/school or field trip activities. Please contact the school office if you are in need of a form.
What is STEAM? A Quick Guide for Parents!
You may have heard the term STEM or STEAM recently as part of your child's education. We're finding that many parents are feeling lost about what STEAM is and how they can help as education moves quickly in a new direction of maker-spaces, coding, and electronics in the classroom. This is a quick intro on what STEAM is for parents who want to stay up to date.
WHAT IS STEM OR STEAM?
Kind of like the subject area language arts, STEM is a mix of interrelated subjects that are taught together in an integrated way. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math. KitHub and some other STEM initiatives are pioneering the term STEAM, which adds an 'A' to the acronym for art.
There is a lot of research suggesting that integrating these subjects, especially adding a creative component with art, is beneficial for students and makes sense for the way kids learn. STEAM lessons are usually hands-on and exploratory (your might hear your child's teacher using the term inquiry-based). STEAM education prepares students for the real world, where professionals often use multiple disciplines (an engineer might also use a lot of math or a programmer might find creative approaches helpful to solving a problem.)
You might be hearing a lot more about STEAM because it's becoming increasingly important that schools and communities catch up to educating modern students. Most school districts in the US don't have a set curriculum for coding. Many schools don't have enough technology resources to fully integrate technology into education. For what some schools may lack, you might be able to find other resources in you community to help your child practice STEAM learning.
WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN MY KID'S SCHOOL?
Ask your child's teacher about hands-on STEAM lessons or school activities. Some schools integrate STEAM in the classroom and other schools have clubs or fairs to encourage school-wide excitement. Make sure you find out about any after school or summer school programs that your school has partnerships with as well. The school librarian is usually a great resource to find out about school maker-spaces or technology initiatives.
WHAT RESOURCES CAN I FIND IN MY COMMUNITY?
Community maker-spaces have been popping up in cities all over the world. A maker-space is an area that holds events or sometimes rents out space or equipment to make all kinds of projects. Lots of maker-spaces have things like 3D printers, laser cutting machines, and woodworking tools. They might charge a membership fee or one-time fee, and sometimes they are free! Maker-spaces are a great resource for STEAM learning.
There are lots of government, business, and community sponsored STEM initiatives as well. You can find online inspiration and resources for school and home.
HOW CAN I HELP AT HOME?
The best way to prepare students for STEAM learning is to start young and make it interesting to them. Provide a variety of experiences that your child enjoys, like going to science museums, making STEAM kits, reading STEAM books, and going to maker-spaces.
(Source: https://kithub.cc/2016/03/steam-quick-guide-parents/)
PAWsitive Office Referrals
Tootles!
Mrs. Francis enjoyed another lunch with students who either wrote or received a Tootle Ticket acknowledging how a classmate was kind or helpful. Check out the pictures below from our February luncheon!
Don't forget to take a peek at all Tootle Tickets and pictures of our PAWsitive Office Referral recipients displayed in our cafeteria.
March Attendance Winners!
Staff and students have an ongoing discussion about the importance of ATTENDANCE! As a reminder, during the course of the school year, we will host friendly competition to encourage students to come to school every day. The class with the best attendance rate for the month will get to "house" our mascot, Paws! In addition, students who have perfect attendance for the month will be entered into a raffle to win a special prize.
Congratulations to our March winners:
- Mrs. La Rose's 1st grade class! Enjoy Paws!
- Jared T. (K-2 winner) and Lauren H (3-5 winner). Enjoy your special prizes!
All students get a fresh start for April
Pennies for Patients!
Clayville School is proud to take part in the Pennies for Patients fundraiser! All donations benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year our school donated over $1,910! Simply amazing! The top fundraising class, who raised over $200, was Ms. Radtke's class! Enjoy your pizza lunch!
Special thanks to Ms. Colvin for organizing this important fundraiser and to our school community for your generosity.
Scituate Art Festival Grant!
Clayville teachers were recently awarded $900 worth of grants from the Scituate Art Festival, Inc.! Mrs. Ethier was awarded funding to purchase BoomWackers, which are instruments that are played like hand bells and are child friendly. Our Clayville Technology Committee was also awarded funding to help purchase a SmartTV for our Library Media Center!
THANK YOU to the Scituate Art Festival Committee for supporting the education of our students!
Spring Picture Day
Mark your calendar! Spring Picture Day is on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. All students will be photographed and will receive a picture package with the option to purchase and/or return pictures you do not wish to purchase. Please notify your child’s teacher if you do not want an individual portrait taken of your child. Look for more information on your child's Picture Day Flyer/Order Form. For Customer Support, please call 401-828-5220.
Pre-K Box Top Winners!
2D and 3D Shapes in Kindergarten
First Grade Scientists
Second Grade Book Tasting!
Grade 3: Life Cycle Presentations
Conductors and Insulators: Grade 4
Grade 5
Scituate Elementary Vex Robotics Competition!
We are so proud of the commitment and perseverance students showed over the past 4 months! Special thanks to Mrs. Boutiette, Mrs. Scanlon, and our parent volunteers for leading our Clayville School team and to Mrs. Donovan for making the event possible!
STEAM Enrichment Highlight: Grade 1
STEAM Enrichment Highlight: Grade 4
PBIS Rewards!
Bwana Iguana Reptile Adventure Program
Mastery Martial Arts Demonstration
PTO Ladies' Choice Event!
Scituate Kindergarten Registration for 2019-2020 School Year
- Children who will be five years old by September 1, 2019 are eligible to attend kindergarten in September 2019. The Scituate School Department requires registration for Kindergarten in Scituate.
- The registration date for Scituate elementary schools is Thursday, April 4, 2019.
- Parents of children scheduled to attend kindergarten this fall should contact the school of attendance so that a registration packet can be sent to you prior to the registration date.Parents/guardians of students whose last name begins with the letters A-L are asked to register between 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM.
- Parents/guardians of students whose last name begins with the letters M-Z are asked to register between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM.
Clayville School: 3 George Washington Highway, Clayville
Phone: 647-4115
Hope School: 391 North Road, Hope
Phone: 821-3651
North Scituate School: 46 Institute Lane, North Scituate
Phone: 647-4110
If you have a question regarding which school your child will attend based on your address, please contact the Scituate School Department at 401-647-4100. Be advised that the Scituate School Department reserves the right to selectively redistrict your child to another Scituate elementary school based on class size issues. In most years this involves a relatively small number of students.
Further, if your child will not be five years old by September 1, 2019, but will turn five by October 1, 2019 and you desire to be considered for a waiver, you must do so by May 17, 2019.
Notes from Nurse Lisa
Spring is finally here and now is the opportune time that we can go outside and become more active. Bike riding is a great option. There are so many reasons to ride you bike: It offers fun, freedom and exercise and it’s good for the environment. Here are a few tips so that you’ll be safe while you do so:
- Wear a properly fitted helmet. It is the best way to prevent head injuries.Properly-fitted helmets can reduce the risk of head injuries by at least 45 % - yet less than half of children 14 and under usually wear a bike helmet.
- Ride on the sidewalk if you can. If not, ride in the same direction as traffic as far on th right-hand side as possible.
- Use hand signals and follow the rules of the road. Make sure that you ride in a straight line and don’t swerve between cars.
- Wear bright colors and use lights, especially when riding at night and in the morning. Reflectors on your clothes and bike will help you be seen.
- Ride with your children. Stick together until you are comfortable that your kids are ready to ride on their own.
The ride is just beginning. Have fun and enjoy the great weather !
Source: safekids.org
PTO Update
News from Northwest Special Education
SPECIAL EDUCATION
LOCAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Northwest Special Education Region
23A Theodore Foster Drive
No. Scituate, RI 02857
IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND CALL 647-4106
News from the Scituate School Committee
Dates to Remember:
- 4/2: Hearing Screening
- 4/2: School Committee Meeting (Town Financial) @ 7 p.m.
- 4/3: PTO Meeting @ 6:30 p.m.
- 4/4: Kindergarten Registration!
- 4/4: Talent Show Dress Rehearsal @ 3:10 p.m.
- 4/5: Scituate High School's Unified Basketball Game @ 6:00 p.m. (SHS)
- 4/6: PTO's Gentleman's Choice Event @ SHS 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- 4/9: Spring Picture Day!
- 4/10-4/11: RICAS Testing- Grades 4/5 ELA
- 4/12: Talent Show @ 6:30 p.m. (SHS)
- 4/15-4/19: No School - Spring Recess!
- 4/23: Grade 3 Field Trip to Scituate High School for Energy Project
- 4/24-4/25: RICAS Testing- Grade 3 ELA
- 4/25: Hula Hoop Skills @ 3:10 p.m.
Stay in Touch!
Email: Courtney.Francis@ScituateSchoolsRI.net
Website: http://www.scituateri3.net/clayville/
Location: 3 George Washington Highway, Clayville, RI, USA
Phone: 401-647-4115
Twitter: @Mrs_Francis7