The Clayville Chronicle
June 2019 Edition
From the Desk of Mrs. Francis
Thank you for an enjoyable and memorable school year! Clayville students have excelled in many ways thanks to their supportive community. These achievements include academic studies, STEAM, teamwork and giving back to the community… just to name a few!
Our PTO went above and beyond to ensure students were afforded rich experiences that extend beyond the school day. These enriching opportunities would also not be possible without our incredibly dedicated staff. Their devotion to our students inspires me daily. A final shout out to our students; thank you for your constant hard work and fun-loving personalities. You make us all proud to be Wildcats! We look forward to a productive and fun last few days of the 2018-2019 school year!
Warm Regards,
Courtney Francis
4 Tips for Parents: Making Summer Fun and Educational for You and Your Child
Avoiding the Summer Slide with Learning Activities that Will Help Make Summer Fun and Educational
by Stephanie Whitley
Summer break is here and you are likely thinking about family vacations, summer camps and a more relaxed schedule for your family. What you might not be thinking about is how the summer months might affect your child’s learning. The “summer slide” is the regression of skills that takes place between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next school year and can for some students mean significant learning loss.
The good news is that the summer slide can be prevented with a little planning and some creative thinking. The following are a few tips to consider this summer to prevent regression for your child.
1. Stick to a schedule.
The school year is highly structured. Not only is the school day structured, but extracurricular activities also force families to live with a busy, highly organized schedule. The liberation of summer offers a stark contrast to the structure of the school year. Balance can be achieved, though, to keep those learning muscles strong while providing fun, rest and relaxation.
Many students with individual education plans also have structured schedules with minimal unstructured time to aid in the predictability of events. A summer schedule does not have to include minimal unstructured time, but rather down time can be entered into a child’s schedule. Changes in the schedule can also be learning opportunities for your child as they learn to tolerate changes. Consider creating a visual or written schedule and post it in an area of the home that is easily accessible. Another consideration is to utilize a schedule that is similar to the schedule your child uses at school. Rethink has tons of fun printable resources you can download and print straight from our website!
2. Read every day.
Read to your child, with your child and have your child read to you every day. Daily reading does not have to be limited to the child’s favorite book or story time, but can include: the cereal box, street signs, signs at the pool, etc. The idea is to expose your child to numerous opportunities to hear written language.
3. Indulge in learning trips.
When planning the family vacation, consider destinations that have an educational element embedded in the destination (such as visiting NASA’s Space Center) or that are along the route to the family vacation destination (such as stopping and reading historical markers).
4. Take advantage of the teachable moments.
Maintaining social skills and life skills can be as important as maintaining academic skills, especially for children with special needs. Everyday life provides numerous opportunities to practice skills with a child, whether it’s planning the family vacation, running a lemonade stand or setting the table. Below is a list of other activities to consider:
The Grocery Store Trip: Involve your child in the process. From helping to create a shopping list and finding items in the store to paying for groceries and unloading them at home, your child can practice valuable skills, including writing, spelling, reading, sorting, and labeling.
The Family Walk: Take a walk in your neighborhood. You can have your child count objects such as trees or houses or classify plants. To add a social component, you can have them complete artwork prior to the walk and then drop it off at a neighbor’s house. This way your child can practice everything from academic skills like counting and classifying to social skills like initiating greetings.
Park Play/Rec Center: Have your child invite one or two friends to meet him/her in the park, or at the local rec center, for time to play and socialize. A few of the skills your child will practice with this activity include: gross motor skills, language skills, phone skills (when calling to invite a friend) and socialization.
Lemonade Stand: Your child can aid in making the lemonade or baked goods. The child can help design and build the stand. Running a lemonade stand can give your child opportunities to practice reading, counting, following directions and socialization.
Setting the Table: Your child can aid in setting the table for family dinners and when guests come over. A few of the skills your child will practice with this activity include: counting, one-to-one correspondence, organizational skills, spatial reasoning and fine motor skills.
Planning Family Vacation: Have your child help research different ideas for family trips. They can help pick out the destination, find the appropriate place to stay, plan the route, plan the events to occur during the trip and help organize the vacation photos for the family scrapbook. A few of the skills your child will practice with this activity include: typing, reading, sorting and language skills.
When it comes to your child’s learning, summer doesn’t have to mean stagnation or regression. With a little planning and organization and by thinking about everything you do with your child as a teachable moment, you can make summer fun and educational for everyone!
Source: http://rethinkrethink.com/blog/2015/06/09/making-summer-fun-and-education-for-you-and-your-child/
Announcements & Reminders
- It is important that students adhere to appropriate school attire for the spring. As outlined in our handbook: Shoes with open toes, sandals, clogs, and flip-flops are not safe for the recess field, stairs and where objects could be dropped on children’s feet.
- 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.
Surveyworks Results
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 May luncheon!
Don't forget to take a peek at all Tootle Tickets and pictures of our PAWsitive Office Referral recipients displayed in our cafeteria.
May Attendance Winners!
Throughout the year, staff and students had an ongoing discussion about the importance of ATTENDANCE! Each month we hosted friendly competitions to encourage students to come to school every day. The class with the best attendance rate for the month will got to "house" our mascot, Paws! In addition, students who have perfect attendance for the month were entered into a raffle to win a special prize. Overall, with the help of our Clayville families, our attendance rate improved from 9% chronically absent to 6%! We will continue this important initiative next year!
Congratulations to our May winners:
- Mrs. Cardarelli's fourth grade class for the second month in a row! Enjoy Paws!
- Amelia B. (K-2 winner) and Dominic T. (3-5 winner). Enjoy your special prizes!
PreK: Butterfly Life Cycle Unit
Kindergarten's Field Trip to Mystic Aquarium
Grade 1 Readers
Grade 2: Powerful Partnerships!
Grade 3 Field Trip to Camp Aldersgate
Third grader, Gabriella D. was also recognized as the school winner for the poster contest!
Class Collaboration Goal in Grade 4
Grade 5 Memory Books
Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week!
Reading Week 2019: Reading is Out of this World!
Reading Week Kickoff: Story Time From Space
Visit From Bill Harley!
*Thank you to our reading specialist, Mrs. Bergeron and her reading week committee for planning all of the week's activities!*
Drop Everything and Read!
Special Thanks to Our Many Guest Readers!
Night of the Arts!
Student Council Spirit Month!
Neon Day!
Disney Day!
Clayville Day!
Field Day 2019!
Scituate High School's Senior Walk Through!
High Five Friday with Scituate High's Boys Baseball Team!
BIOMES Center: Skills Program
Students in grades K-5 had a fun visit from the Biomes Center! The first part of the After School Marine Life Series, Introduction to Marine Animals, introduced sea creatures and showed how they move and eat. The program ended with a crowd-pleasing pufferfish demonstration!
*Special thanks to Amanda Rossi for running our after school SKILLS program this school year and bringing many fun opportunities to our students! *
Spring Scholastic Book Fair!
We also use our profit to sponsor a summer reading kick-off where we supply each student with a book of their choice to help get them reading over the summer. Students enjoyed our many raffles and contests, we had over 20 student winners this week! Wishing everyone a summer full of reading and we’ll see you in the fall for an Arctic Adventure book fair! ~Amanda Rossi
Notes from Nurse Lisa
It’s June, and summertime is beginning!! Your children will want to be outside and enjoying the sunshine. Keep in minds these tips from the American Cancer Society to stay safe in the sun.
REMEMBER TO:
Limit sun exposure
- Peak sun hours are between 10am and 4pm, so try to limit the amount of sun exposure during this time.
Cover up
- Use clothing to cover and protect your skin.
- Wear a hat. This helps protect your skin and eyes.
- Wear sunglasses that block 99-100% of both UVA and UVB rays.
Use Sunscreen
- The SPF in sunscreen states how long the sunscreen will protect your skin from the sun. To find that out, take the SPF, times it by 15, and this is how long the sunscreen will protect your skin.
Use these tips to protect you and your children from the sun. Educate your children about sun safety to have a safe and enjoyable summer! See you in August.
Celebration Event Dates!
- June 5th - Kindergarten Celebration
- June 7th- PreK Celebration
- June 10th- Grade 5 Celebration
PTO Update
News from the Scituate School Committee
Dates to Remember
6/3: Chorus Sings @ Alpine Nurse Home
6/3: School Improvement Team Meeting @ 3:30 p.m.
6/4: Grade 5 Field Trip to Boston!
6/4: Grade 4 RI Showcase @ 2 p.m.
6/4: PTO Play Date 3:10-4:30 p.m.
6/4: School Committee Meeting @ 7 p.m.
6/5: Kindergarten Celebration
6/5: PTO Meeting @ 6:30 p.m.
6/6: Grade 5 Meet & Greet @ Hope Pond (rain date 6/7)
6/7: PreK Celebration
6/7: Grade 1 Field Trip to Ecotarium
6/7: Grade 4 Field Trip to State House
6/10: Grade 5 Celebration
6/10: Moving Up Day!
6/11: Grade 3 Field Trip: Tour of Scituate
6/11: Summer Reading Kickoff!
6/12: Last Day of School
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