State Street Scoop
Issue 15 - January 5th
Principal's Corner
Hello Families, Jan. 5, 2024
Happy New Year! State Street School has set some New Year Resolutions. Actually, these aren’t new resolutions but are the priorities the staff set forth in September after reviewing data and evidence.
Title*
ELA Proficiency and ELA Growth
Statement*
We will improve students’ overall performance in reading and writing.
Description
State Street School has begun implementing a high quality curriculum (EL). Fidelity to lesson planning and pacing will have a positive impact on student achievement. All teachers are responsible for identifying LO,SC, as well as active participation in collaboration, analyzing student work, and setting individual student goals.
Title*
Math Proficiency and Math Growth
Statement*
We will improve students’ overall performance in mathematics.
Description
State Street School has begun implementing a high quality curriculum (Bridges). Fidelity to lesson planning and pacing will have a positive impact on student achievement. All teachers are responsible for identifying LO,SC, as well as active participation in collaboration, analyzing student work, and setting individual student goals.
Title*
Chronically Absent Students
Statement*
We will improve our overall rate of chronically absent students
Description
State Street School anaylyzes attendance data on a monthly basis. Families are informed of the attendance policy in the handbook as well as receive an overview letter in September. Students who are absent 10% of the total days automatically receive an attendance letter. If attendance does not improve, student names are sent to the attendance team for deeper analysis. Students who have improved attendance receive a celebratory letter. Finally, if no strides are made, the Attendance Officer intervenes with the school and family to offer support.
Title*
SEL Perseverance
Statement*
We will improve students’ ability to persevere through rigorous tasks and stressful situations.
Description
State Street School analyzed SurveyWorks data of students in grades 3 and 4 (Spring 2022). In addition to Second Step Lessons, staff implemented lessons at a tier 1 level in all classrooms on Zones of Regulation. Students will be able to identify emotions in each Zone, identify how their body feels in each zone, and identify self regulation strategies.
65% of students in grades 3 and 4 responded favorably to “How does stress interfere with their ability to participate in school in the last 30 days” and “If they fail at an important goal how likely are they to try again.” on the SurveyWorks Student Survey given one time per year SEL Domain (Spring 2022)
35% did not respond favorably
I hope your resolution in supporting our priorities is to send your child to school each day and to give them the time and space to complete homework! We appreciate you and all of your support!
In Partnership,
Audrey Faubert
Principal
From the Desk of the Parent Liaison
Dear Families,
Over the holiday break, I was given a book, "Not That Fancy" by Reba McEntire. It was great. It talked about her life, struggles and successes. It had a lot of recipes and pictures, however, one element of the book that stood out to me was the insights she shared about raising her son. Everyone has children in their lives, whether you're a parent , grandparent , aunt, uncle, cousin or friend. She said, "Be the person to them that you needed when you were a kid. Listen to them. Help the kids in your life find their strengths. It means letting them try a lot of things you may know nothing about, but they need to see what's out there to find their passion. Let them fail! Letting them win all the time or stepping in to save the day won't do them any favors." That reminded me of a story I heard about a friends child. When the child was a junior in high school, the teacher called the parent and said they were going to fail math. After reviewing all the possible options, It became clear to the teacher that there was not any viable way the child could pass. The teacher was newer at the time, very conscientious and had kept in touch with the parent throughout the year. As as parents, we have to make choices. Do we step in and try to fix things or do we let the child fail? These parents, as hard as it was, let the child fail. It was the first time the child had ever failed and actually fell down. With guidance from educators, the child went to summer school and ended up with a B+. And guess what, the child focused on the summer class and experienced success even though it was tough.. After that experience, the child never failed another class and is now a successful adult. As parents, they felt it was a good life lesson because they couldn't always fix things or pick their child up. As Reba said, "Children need to learn that life is tough at times and they have to be tough." It is extremely important that we always let children know they are valued and loved no matter what. Children are resilient and will be successful with love and encouragement from parents and family:)
Cultural News
Nurse's Corner
Winter 2023
Dear Westerly Public School families,
Cold weather is a fun time of the year for kids of all ages who eagerly anticipate the holidays and time off from school and all the other kid-friendly perks that come with this season. Beginning with Halloween and trying on costumes, kids also use scarves, hats, gloves and mittens and other cold-weather accessories, unfortunately this can sometimes maximize the risk of potentially transmitting lice.
One way to minimize transmission of lice is to avoid piling clothing. You’ll often find piles of warm clothes (hats, scarves and jackets) because kids love throwing things to the side- it’s their specialty. We all need to teach children to hang their items on a coat rack, doorknob or hanger or even the back of a chair, rather than toss it to the side on top of other children’s clothing. Kids also enjoy sleepovers, but they can pose a risk of lice transmission. Encourage kids to bring their own pillow, sleeping bags and/or blankets to sleepovers- it can be fun!
As school nurses, we encourage you to check your child’s head for lice. In fact, a weekly check is a good idea, especially once they return to school after the holidays. It only takes a couple of minutes to check a child’s head for lice. Finding lice/nits early on prevents many problems, including infestation in the home. Check your child’s head for lice in the bathroom or another well-lit area in the home. Take immediate action if there is a lice or nits (egg sack) presence.
Please teach your kids that sharing their personal hygiene items, including hair brushes and combs, hair barrettes, and other similar items with friends comes with a risk. This is one of the biggest ways that lice is transmitted from one child to another.
In the event your child is found to have head lice, don’t panic! It is important that head lice removal take place and that you check (contact) all other close contacts over the past month. Over-the-counter treatments usually work for most kids, however you may need to contact their pediatrician for prescription shampoo in rare cases.
Along with using lice treatments to remove lice from your child’s hair, you also need to remove all the lice from your home and shared homes. Preventive measures significantly help to minimize the chance of an infestation. Make sure to read all of the information in the Lice Shampoo box and consult the school nurse for school attendance information.
We hope this is helpful information. One thing to keep in mind; lice don’t jump, they walk. They spread from person to person through direct contact with another person or their personal belongings that have been infected with lice. This is why it is important to understand that we can all help to keep our kids lice free!
Please reach out at any time, to any of the Westerly school nurses. We are all here to help keep our kids healthy and ready to learn and in school.
Warmest regards,
Westerly School Nurse Teachers