Dolphin Update
Samuel R. Donald Update 2/7/2022
Dive Into Our Classrooms!
Second grade doing research for science.
Third grade working on measurement.
Fourth grade experimenting with sound.
Shine a Light on Positive Behavior
Weekly Recipients Grade 2
Joanna Serafin
Jusuf Shaqiri
Brandon Taylor
Scarlett Camacho
Sophia Parks
Autumn Fuller
Vincent Ferry
Nick Cecala
Paul Scandone
Justin Nunez
Weekly Recipients Grade 3
Oliver Lukovic
Ella Norman
Olivia Aponte
Aseel Abudayyeh
Chris Burgos
Scarlett Graziano
Khloe Dagion
Alondra Olivas
Robert Keesser
Weekly Recipients Grade 4
Izzy Brown
Danielynn Lowell
Julia Leptuch
Madison Teran
Leah Duran
Vincent Cecala
Victoria Serafin
Nick Martinez
Jordy DeDios
Our Classroom Bulletin Boards
Student Council Community Engagement
Calendar Splash
February 11th: Animal Shelter items due
February 14th: Wear Pink/Red for Valentine's Day / Dress like you're 100 for the 100th day of School
February 17th: EARLY DISMISSAL 12:15pm for all
February 18th - February 21st: Closed for President Weekend
February 22nd - Twosday - Celebrate 2/2/22 - Wear tutus, tiaras, ties, and tees!
February 25th - Second Grade Concert @ 9:30 am
February 28th- March 11th: Access 2.0 Assessment for ESL students only
Early dismissal
All Grades - 12:15 pm
Colder weather means warmer layers
We try to get the students out daily as long as the temperature is at or above 32 degrees. So please dress your child in mittens, hats, scarves, and jackets daily. Please make sure to label all items so if misplaced we can get them reunited with their owners as quickly as possible.
Helpful Suggestions for SRD Dismissal
- Students are dismissed at 2:50 pm on the playground blacktop.
- Parking spaces start opening up as students are dismissed.
- Try to arrive right at dismissal so parking spaces can be accessed as others leave.
- If we all arrive early, there will not be enough spots for everyone.
- Carpool if you can!
From the Counselor - Mrs. Krol
Teaching Social Skills at Home
How kids can learn and grow during social distancing
BY Gia Miller
While some children who had social skills struggles before the coronavirus crisis are now finding it easier to communicate with their friends remotely, others are struggling to connect. Regardless of which category your child falls into, you may be worried that social distancing will set them back. If you’re stuck at home, how can you help your child maintain and build upon the social skills they’ll need to interact successfully with peers — in person or virtually?
The truth is that teaching kids social skills can be challenging for parents because these are skills most people pick up on their own. We usually don’t even know how we learned them, says Stephanie Lee, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute. “Parents with children who have social skills deficits need to remember that even if something seems obvious, it may not be obvious for their kids.”
For example, Dr. Lee notes, “I don’t think anyone ever told me that if I’m having a conversation with someone and they start to walk towards the door or look at their watch, that means they’re trying to wrap up. It’s just something I figured out.”
But the good news is that there are ways you can help your child develop these crucial skills at home, even while their contact with peers is limited to virtual interactions.
Use modeling to focus on social skills
Try consciously modeling a few of the most important social skills, many of which will naturally occur with everyone cooped up together.
- Taking turns. Patiently waiting your turn to speak is a struggle for many children during in-person conversations, and it’s even more challenging over video chat. “Right now, you could practice purposeful turn taking with everyone in the home,” says Michelle Kaplan, LCSW, a clinical social worker. “For younger kids, you can take turns being in charge of who selects what you’ll build or how you’ll play with the dolls, and for older kids you can practice taking turns selecting games and topics of conversation.”
- Seeing things from someone else’s perspective. Tell your child how you made decisions during your day and what motivated your behavior so they can practice taking on your perspective. When possible, explain how you how you took someone else’s perspective, too. “For example, instead of saying, ‘I had a good day today,’ explain that you noticed an employee was feeling down,” says Dr. Lee. “Tell your child that you tried to take her perspective and thought about how difficult it must be for her to work with three kids at home. So you discussed it with her and decided to change her hours.”
- Being flexible. Lee recommends talking through your choices and actions to help your child understand how to tolerate their feelings and be flexible. For example, you might say: “I’ve been really upset and stressed today, and I think the news is what triggered me. So I’m not going to read or watch the news for the rest of the night. Instead, I’m going to play a game or read a book to distract myself.”
Sneak social skills lessons into movie nights
For children or teens who don’t understand societal norms, use your time watching TV or movies with them to build understanding, especially if they want to know more about the shows their friends are watching.
- Try a comedy. Understanding unspoken social rules and why things are funny can help children better relate to their peers. “For kids with social skills deficits, it can be hard for them to pick up on social awkwardness or sarcasm,” Dr. Lee explains. “They might not know enough about the characters to understand the dynamics, or they may not understand what behavior is considered appropriate for that setting. So you’ll need to explain the specifics and point out why it’s funny.”
- Set the scene. Before you start a new episode (or toward the beginning, if the show or movie is new to your child), talk with your child about the characters and the setting. What do they know about them? How do they know it? What do they expect to happen? Through conversation, you can help your child work out some of the connections that they’ll need to understand the action.
- Keep the remote handy. It’s often helpful to pause the video and to discuss what’s happening in real time. You can also rewind to help your child decode a character’s actions, or even pause on specific frames to point out what you notice about a character’s body language or facial expression.
Encourage connection
Even though your child can’t see their peers in person right now, you can still encourage them to check in with friends and family via video chat, text or playing online games. Especially if your child tends to experience social anxiety, a little regular practice connecting with others can go a long way.
After a virtual playdate or chat with relatives, check in with your child. How did the interaction go? What did they enjoy? What was challenging? What could they do differently next time? Don’t worry if you and your family don’t have a lot of time or energy for this kind of practice right now — even a quick conversation can be a helpful learning experience for your child.
https://childmind.org/article/teaching-social-skills-at-home/
Dolphin Health News
- Please send your child to school with a refillable water bottle each day. There is a water station for them to refill.
- Cold weather has arrived. Please send your child with appropriate clothing to be outside, as long as it is not raining or below 32 degrees we try to get the children outside at some point during their day.
- Thank you for having a change of clothes in your child's backpack, they have come in handy many times. Please remember to replace them after we use them.
To report an absence please call (973) 838-5353 press 1
Samuel R. Donald Elementary School
Email: ktrusheim@bloomingdalesschools.org
Website: http://www.bloomingdaleschools.org/bsd/SRD/
Location: 29 Captolene, Bloomingdale, NJ, USA
Phone: (973) 838-5353