Reed Times
Reed PTA Newsletter November 2018
Important Dates
- November 6th- Election Day No School
- November 12th- Veteran's Day-Wear Red, White, and Blue
- November 14th - Volleyball Intramurals Begin
- November 16th-Movie Night 6:30
- November 21- Early Dismissal/ First Marking Period Closes
- November 22-23-Thanksgiving Recess-No School
- November 30th- "Heroes Around Me" Contest Drop Off
- November 30th-Hat Day
- December 4th- Concert Choir Practice begins
- December 5th- Grades Available on Parent Portal
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and/or Guardians,
We are looking forward to seeing all of you in our school during our upcoming parent conferences. Certainly, parents and teachers represent two of the most important contributors to student learning. When parents and teachers are able to support a student collaboratively, good things happen! Thank you for providing a supportive educational environment for your child. The first marking period will close on November 21st; grades will be available when the portal reopens on December 5th. I will send out an email reminder when the Portal reopens for viewing of the first trimester report card.
I’d like to thank all of our amazing parents for the remarkable effort that went into creating our Annual Reed Color Games. Student involvement was high throughout the week and the atmosphere in the building was truly focused on fun, friendship and teamwork. From door-decorating to the incredible food pantry donations to the Friday night finale that included roughly half of our student body, the whole week was a tremendous success. Many thanks to all who helped out!
It was great to see so many moms at our recent Muffins with Moms. Remember, we have approximately 625 students so we must have cut-off numbers for our events due to fire regulations and parking. That is why our Muffins with Moms and Donuts with Dads events are each held twice – so that we can accept the overflow into the second event. We made this move a few years ago based on feedback from our PTA members and in an effort to not have anyone feel left out. We appreciate your understanding.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out our Reed homepage, or like or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to stay current with all upcoming events.
Warm Regards,
Anne Uberti, Principal
A Message from Jill B. Beaudry, Assistant Principal
Managing screen time can be difficult if you are doing it in the moment (ex. Turn off that computer/tv/phone!). Experts say you should have these conversations with children BEFORE they go on a device. Make a family plan. It is important to talk with them about:
· Screen time limits
- set them before students get on so everyone is clear about expectations. Talk about it. Do you know that a fortnite game can be completed in less than 20 minutes? They do not need to be on for 2 hours! (ps- I am not a fan of fortnite for young students)
· Prioritizing time. Homework, hobbies, school activities are all part of a student’s life. Help them prioritize that screen time can fit in there, but family time comes first. Make a plan!
· Kind and compassionate usage- make sure they understand that negative comments are not part of your family morals and beliefs. Comments/tweets/emails should all be kind and respectful.
· Shared passwords- at this age you should have access to their phone, whether it is passwords to all the apps they use or you set it up so when they send a message it comes to you too, check what they are sending. Remember you are teaching them how to navigate the internet and their online activity. As Josh Ochs, creator of Smart Social.com, says, “Keep it light, bright, and polite”.
Color Games Recap
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2nd Annual Color Games. Everyone had a great week and there was a lot of friendly competition between the houses. We saw creativity with the homeroom door design using recyclables, Fun with Trivia, Kindness Hearts/Notes, a STEM Project, Spirit Day, etc.
The scores were neck and neck most of the week so going into Friday nights Grand Finale, it could have been any team's win. 5,443 Blue House and 6,289 Green House going into the finale. There were about 325 students at the Friday night event trying their best to earn as many points as they could for their team.The final results for Friday night were only 88 points apart! Blue House with 8,474 and Green House with 8,386 for a Grand total for the week of games of 14,268 for Blue House and 14,675 for Green House. Congratulations to Green House on the win, but also congratulations to both teams for a job well done.
Another big winner for this week was the Faith Food Pantry. We brought over almost 7 full truck/suv loads of food. They were amazed at what a great job Reed did to help their community. They also thought our idea of giving 2 points for the items they are really in need of was a great idea. So as a result, they did get MANY, MANY of the things they really need the most. Everyone should be so proud of this accomplishment. Having fun but at the same time helping the people in need in our community.
Thank you to all the volunteers that helped the entire week, the people that brought in baked goods for the Cake Walk, the volunteers for the finale evening (which requires about 48 volunteers just for that night!), teachers and staff that got pie's thrown at them! When you see the custodians in the building, please give them a big thank you. We could not have done it all without them. From them collecting all the food and bringing it to the counting room, bringing Color Games Gear out and back every day for the sales, setting up and cleaning up (especially the pie toss with all that whippped cream!) Also, a big thank you to Mrs. Uberti and Mrs. Beaudry and all the ladies in the main office (especially Mrs. McFadden) who helped support this event and make it the success that it was. It would not have been possible without you! Enjoy your 15 minutes of extra recess Green House, the plaque for the Green Hallway proclaiming them the reigning champs and getting your house name added to the Color Games trophy in the trophy case by the library! The slogan for the Color Games is FUN, FRIENDSHIP, TEAMWORK and I think that goal was accomplished during this last week and a half. Let's keep that going forward for the rest of the year! Great job everyone.
Reflections 2018-2019 "Heroes Around Me" Contest
It's Reflections time again! Reflections is a national PTA arts contest based around a different theme each year. This year's theme is 'Heroes Around Me'. Students can submit entries in any of the following categories: Literature, Photography, Visual Arts, Musical Composition, Dance Choreography and Film/Video. Children can enter as many categories as they would like but only one entry per category. Also please note that each entry must be solely their own idea since only one student can get recognition for each entry.
Entries can be dropped off in the cafeteria on Thursday, November 29th from 8:30 - 9:30. Rules and entry forms will be available soon in the main office and on the school website. If the date/time for entry submission is a problem for you or if you have any other questions, feel free to contact any of us. We look forward to seeing all of the students' amazing work!
Jill Baimel (203)364-1979, Renee Deveau (203)218-4165, Kris Powers (203)426-8665, Kat Banas (203)482-2772 or Nora Murphy (203)426-6918
Box Top Collection Time!
It's Box Top collection time in the Reed library and we really need your help! Our goal is to collect 10,000 Box Tops during the school year and we are having a slow start.
Please send in any General Mills Box Tops that you may have been collecting over the past few months, and if you haven't been collecting, now is a great time to start.
We are holding a contest until December 3rd and whichever homeroom turns the most in will win a prize.
Remember, Box Tops= Books for the library!
Notes from the Nurses
As a reminder, ALL 6TH GRADE STUDENTS WILL NEED A PHYSICAL EXAM (including Tdap and Meningococcal vaccine) FOR ENTRANCE INTO 7THGRADE. Please send in to the Reed Health Office any physicals dated after 1/1/2018 for your student. These physicals should be on the State of Connecticut “Health Assessment Record.” Please take the time to fill out the parent/guardian section on the first page, and also sign and date it. We would like to have all physical exams in by May, to prepare their charts for the Middle School.
Please keep sick students home! If your student has not been fever free for 24 hours without medication, if your child has had a sore throat not tested for more than 3 days, or if your child has vomited in the last 24 hours, they should not be in school. Don’t forget to call the Reed attendance line to call your student out sick for the day, and leave the reason as well. This helps us to track any illnesses that may be affecting our students.
It is getting cold out there! Please be sure your student has the proper attire to wear outside for recess in the colder weather. Enjoying the sunshine and crisp fall air should be a welcome part of their day, not an opportunity to sit inside because they are too cold.
Lastly, our Reed students are busy and learning all day here. They are growing like weeds and are HUNGRY! Healthy snacks packed from home gives your student what he/she needs to be at their best all day. If your student is going right from school to an after school activity, make sure they have an extra, healthy snack packed for the end of the day. Also, a water bottle packed from home helps keep these kids hydrated. Especially during these dry, fall into winter days, water is essential to their optimum health and best learning.
Don’t hesitate to call the Reed Health Office with any questions/concerns you may have. We can be reached at 203-270-4883.
Deirdre Murphy RN
Christine Winner RN
Growth Mindset
What is Growth Mindset?
Growth Mindset: “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” (Dweck, 2015)
What can parents do to instill a growth mindset?
Click on the link below.
The Reed School Counselors,
Jenny Grustas, Amy McGoldrick and Jen Welton
Band!
Dear Band Parents,
Please check the parent portal frequently for grade changes. Also, please encourage your child to bring their instrument home every day. No instrument should be left in school for any reason.
There are many after school events; we cannot guarantee the security of the instruments and students need to bring them home to practice.
Please encourage your child to practice at home. Daily focused practice will improve their playing tremendously. Students do not need to spend more than 10-15 minutes per day. Fifth graders are asked to keep track of their practice time on a calendar that will be collected at the end of every month.
Thank you for your support it is greatly appreciated! Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Phil Beierle Bob Nolte
Wellness World: A peek inside the Health Classroom Issue #2 October 2018
Hello Reed Families!
The sixth grade students learned about the Health & Wellness Continuum and we reinforced the concept to “Choose Wisely! Because all choices have consequences.” All sixth grade students are working on their Behavior Change Plan (aka Growth Mindset project) and established their general wellness goals for the year.
At the end of October, all sixth grade students will work on their emotional wellness in learn about Stress Management. Emotional Health is one key to academic success. During this unit, the children will learn what stress is, how to identify their personal stressors and their stress responses, including the “The Zones of Regulation,” how to seek help when feeling stressed. As an assessment of learning, students will participate in a series of workshops to learn healthful stress management techniques such as guided imagery, yoga stretches, progressive muscle tension and relaxation, journal writing and of course, fitness fun.
If you have any concerns you would like to share with me that are directly related to these health topics, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at faillam@newtown.k12.ct.us Reminder: Please check your child(ren)’s grades regularly on PowerSchool. I wish you all a wonderful school year full of health, happiness, and making new friends.
*Many sixth grade students have set their wellness goal to brush and floss their teeth. Please help them reach their goals.
Reminder: I will conduct the annual Health Night for fifth grade and new to Reed sixth grade parents on Thursday, October 25, 2018 from 7:00-8:00pm in the Reed Library Media Center (LMC). RSVP by October 24. The Human Growth and Development (HGD) unit will not be taught until the late spring for both fifth and sixth grade students.
Fondly, Michelle Y. Failla,
Certified Intermediate Administrator, Health & Physical Educator PK-12 Health Educator Reed Intermediate School
Past Vice President of Health Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (CTAHPERD)
Join Concert Choir
It’s Time to Join Concert Choir
TUESDAYS AFTER SCHOOL!
BEGINS DECEMBER 4th!!!
· All students at Reed School are eligible to participate!
· Concert Choir welcomes students in Band, Orchestra and Chorus!
· Take advantage of this special opportunity to improve your singing, learn new songs and meet new friends!
· Rehearsals are held once a week AFTER school on TUESDAYS from 3:45 – 4:45 P.M.
· Performance will take place 4/4/19 at 7:00 P.M.
· Any questions, email Mrs.Tenenbaum at tenenbaumm@newtown.k12.ct.us
Please return to your music teacher by 11/14
Coaches Corner
Coach’s Corner
The second intramural program is volleyball. They will take place for seven (7) sessions 8am-9am (rain or shine).
Dates: Wednesday 11/14, Tuesdays: 11/20, 11/27, 12/4, Wednesday 12/12, Tuesdays: 12/18, 1/8/19
Intramurals will start before school at 8am. Students should report to the main gym.
Volleyball Intramural Permission slips: Click the link below for permission slips.
https://myschooldesk.net/newtown/teachersite.aspx#site.7441_pid.31765_mid.459210
Please return them to Mr. Blank and see me if you have any questions.