November 2020
Intermediate Education Center Newsletter
From the Principal's Office
Dear Parents and/or Guardians,
November is here! It is a great time to practice an Attitude of Gratitude! Do you have a moment to send a quick thank you note, tweet or email to a staff member at Lewiston-Porter Intermediate Education Center?
Expressing gratitude can fill your cup and our staff member’s cup. Positive connections between home and school foster mutual respect, in turn creating a rich learning environment. If you’re interested in sharing a quick thank you with someone that is having a positive impact on your child, please go to the @LewPortIEC and tweet a special message to your child’s classroom teacher. We are all a“twitter” about great staff at the IEC.
-------------------------------------------------------My Turn!----------------------------------------------------------------
THANK YOU, PARENTS!
I want to thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate this time in our children’s educational journey. Your continued support and work at home is providing a positive experience at school. We are fostering a safe and caring environment, nurturing the SEL and educational success of your child while at school. Together this provides a solid platform for us to build on! We appreciate your hard work and commitment to our work together. #STRONGERTOGETHER creates a team of support for your child(ren) that allows great learning to happen academically, socially, and emotionally. Thank you for your ongoing support!
It has been a great start to our year. The students and staff have been working diligently to implement their daily routines in school and provide home learning for our hybrid students. We strive for academic success for all children. Thank you to all our families that completed our Leader In Me survey. I am so proud of the hard work and devotion to our school. Through the Leader in Me Character Program our school is becoming a better place to learn and grow. Our goal is to educate students to be respectful, responsible and resourceful.
We are coming upon the conclusion of our first trimester, so please be on the lookout for information from your classroom teacher regarding the process for Parent-Teacher Conferences. We value Parent-Teacher conferences. They are an important and effective means of reporting individual pupil progress. The parent teacher conference allows parents and teachers to review the growth and academic achievement of every student. This process is designed to address individual strengths and weaknesses and to support the optimal growth of each child.
Please join Twitter @LewPortIEC to find more information on school events and happenings throughout the day.
Sincerely,
Tina Rodriguez,
Principal
REMOTE MONDAYS : SPECIAL AREAS EXPECTATIONS
The special areas are an important part of your child’s educational plan and overall social-emotional development. We have been listening to feedback from our families and teachers on what is needed to increase engagement in PE, Art, Music, Technology & Library Media on Remote Mondays. Keep in mind that your child will only receive Zoom invites and assignments for the special area classes that they are scheduled for in the six day rotation on Mondays. Based on this feedback, the following changes will begin on Remote Monday, October 19th:
There will be both asynchronous (instructional videos, assignments, projects, choice boards) and synchronous (Zoom, “real time” instruction) opportunities for all students K-5.
Asynchronous work and Zoom invitations will be posted on Seesaw Monday mornings.
The required asynchronous assignments may be completed at any time during the week, at your pace and at a time that works best for your family - to stay on track, all assignments should be completed within one week.
Synchronous Monday afternoon Zoom is optional and will be an opportunity to extend and reflect on the asynchronous assignment. Please review the Special Area Zoom Schedule below.
Special Area Teacher Office Hours are available by appointment to answer any questions and provide help & individualized support that your child may need to be successful, from 9 am - 12noon and 2:00 pm - 3 pm
We encourage physical activity each day to provide appropriate brain breaks to help children re-energize, refocus and give their brains a boost. Our Physical Education teachers will provide choice boards to get the whole family up and moving!
Health & Wellness Update:
Mr. DiCamillo's 5th grade classes and Mrs. Lombardo’s 4th grade classes are participating in the Health & Wellness program with Mrs. Thompson. Topics that will be discussed include:
- The Endocrine system and the role of hormones in growth & development
- Gender differences
- Personal hygiene
- Nutrition & Physical Activity
- Puberty
- Cyberbullying
- Infections/HIV & AID
Mrs. DeFranco & Mrs. Boss’s 3rd grade classes are participating in the Health & Wellness with Mrs. Thompson. Topics that will be discussed include:
- Personal Body Safety
- Nutrition & Healthy Eating/Exercise
- Internet Safety
- Bullying & Cyberbullying
- Personal Hygiene
Students will keep a journal for the classes, and will reflect on topics discussed each week. Students are also encouraged to leave questions in the “question box” each week on topics in Health that requires further explanation. All classes will continue through November.
Screen Time and Your Child’s Health
Recently I’ve been hearing more and more from parents, teachers, and students, about an increasingly pervasive concern: “screen fatigue”. Screen fatigue is the eyestrain or ocular tiredness that occurs from staring at a computer screen for long periods of time. It can lead to Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) with symptoms such as burning, itchy, or tired eyes, blurred or double vision, headaches, or neck pain. While the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased amount of virtual learning for students of all ages, prolonged cell phone use and video game playing also contribute to this issue. Students are not the only ones to be affected; with more adults using technology to work from home, people of all ages are experiencing screen fatigue.
While technology can be an incredible educational tool for children, too much screen time can result in more than just fatigue. Research has indicated a correlation between screen time in children and the likelihood of developing myopia, or nearsightedness. Additionally, blue light from the computer can affect sleep patterns and concentration. Too much screen time has also been linked to an increase in behavior problems, such as inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. This could result in a misdiagnosis of Attention-Deifict/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Out of concern for our students’ health, I’d like to offer some simple tips to help decrease the risks associated with too much screen time. I hope that you will find these helpful, not only for your children, but maybe for yourself, too!
* Follow the American Optometric Associations 20/20/20 rule: Look away from the screen every 20 minutes to focus on an object that is at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
* Make sure the screen is at or just slightly below eye level. If using a tablet, this can be accomplished with the use of a pillow placed under the forearms. Sit close to the mouse/keyboard and keep feet flat on the floor.
* Use adequate lighting, but adjust the monitor to decrease glare from the window or other light.
* Walk away from the screen for at least 10 minutes every hour to rest your eyes and to re-align your body. Move your head slowly from left to right, and, up and down.
* Turn off devices at least 1 hour before bedtime.
* Remember to blink during computer use in order to keep your eyes moist.
* Try not to use screen time as a reward.
* Schedule annual eye exams to make sure that your family’s eyes are healthy.
Christa McClemont, School Psychologist
IEC Library News
Fifth Graders are taking the lead and making safety a priority!
This month over 60 members of the 5th grade class joined the Safety Patrol Team. We are thrilled to have such a large group and are ready to begin our safety mission this year. They are currently training while on duty. There will be a morning team and an afternoon team. They can be identified by their bright yellow belts. Please thank them for their dedication when you see these fine young leaders!
Mrs. Jaruszewski and Miss Yager
We have been exploring pumpkins!
Ms. Scalfani’s class explored pumpkins by predicting how many seeds were inside, the height, the weight, and the circumference of their pumpkin. There were 415 seeds inside the big pumpkin! No, they didn’t count them one by one, that would take too long. Instead, they put them into groups of 10 and skip counted (much quicker!). The pumpkin weighed 18 pounds, measured 14 inches tall, and the circumference was 30 inches!
From the IEC Health Office
Art News!
Grade 5 is finishing up their skulls for Day of the Dead. They enjoyed learning about the Holiday, learning about symmetry and analogous colors in this lesson. Our next project is an abstract painting in the style of Contemporary artist Yellena James from Portland.
Grade 4 is finishing up using their names to create a radial design. They are also learning about color choices while coloring their designs with markers. I love this lesson because it helps me learn their names! They are all so beautiful! Our next lesson is a Batik Tiki mask.
Grade 3 learned how to draw a Minion by looking for recognizable lines and shapes. They also looked at professions in the Arts. Our next lesson is a drawing of a pumpkin, then using oil pastels and acrylic paints to create a stained-glass effect.
I will include some photos in the next issue!
Mrs. Gorney
IEC Annual Food Drive
Free Lunch!
Lewiston-Porter Central School District will be providing free meals to all students on days when they are attending school in person. Breakfast and Lunch will also be available for free to our remote students, hybrid students, and any children under the age of 18 not on campus. Grab and go lunches will be available for pick up on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 10:30 am at the High School main entrance. This service will continue through the end of December.
French Heritage Day at Fort Niagara
Saturday, Nov. 7th, 2020 - All Day
Explore the early history of Fort Niagara when the French controlled the fort.
French Heritage Day is usually held on the first Friday in November in concert with National French Week, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. This year, because of field trip restrictions, we will be moving French Heritage Day to Saturday, November 7 and inviting students and teachers to visit the fort with their families. Guests will experience many of the same engaging programs that we have offered on French Day Friday in the past. All guests are asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing! Old Fort Niagara is a large site and many of the activities will be outdoors.
French Heritage Day at Old Fort Niagara offers students and their families a variety of experiences that will help them better understand the early French exploration and occupation of the Great Lakes region during the 17th and 18th centuries. The day’s program includes living history programs about garrison life, trade, architecture, music, travel, foodways, Native-American relationships and other topics.
Cost: Admission to the program is discounted at $14.00 for an adult and $9.00 per student (please show school ID). Tickets are available at the door.
Safety Guidelines: Please wear a face covering and practice social distancing. Our list of safety precautions is available at https://www.oldfortniagara.org/visitor-information
Pre-visit video (in French) here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqKMGMPGoAo&list=TLPQMDExMDIwMjDNzJwqMhN9qg&index=1
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, Nov. 10 - Green Team
- Thursday, Nov. 12 - White Team
- Remote Lancers can come on either day, 9:00am-2:00pm. Be advised that ONLY the student is allowed in the building for picture re-takes. Parents must wait in their vehicles.
- The link for parents to order child's photos is: www.inter-state.com/order
- The IEC unique code is: 52445D
Intermediate Education Center
Grades 3-5
Email: trodriguez@lew-port.com
Website: lew-port.com
Location: 4061 Creek Road, Youngstown, NY, USA
Phone: 716-286-7252
Twitter: @LewPortIEC