The Clayville Chronicle
June 2020 Distance Learning Edition
From the Desk of Mrs. Francis
Thank you for an enjoyable and memorable school year, despite the many unique challenges presented by Covid-19. Clayville students have excelled in many ways thanks to their supportive community. These achievements include academic studies, STEAM, teamwork, giving back to the community, and now virtual learning! On behalf of the Clayville staff, THANK YOU to our Clayville parents who truly became our teaching partners this year. Distance Learning would not have been possible or successful without your support.
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!
I realize we are ending the school year with much uncertainty and in a way none of us anticipated. I'm proud to say our community made the best of a challenging situation. Plans and guidelines for the 2020-2021 school year will be communicated with all families over the summer as more information becomes available. The School Re-Opening Task Force is under construction to address the community, safety, wellness, governance, instruction, school operations, and technology elements that we'll need to prepare for in planning. We appreciate your support and understanding.
Best wishes to our fifth graders moving on to middle school. We will miss you very much! I look forward to welcoming the rest of you back to a new and exciting academic school year. I hope you have a wonderful summer!
Warm Regards,
Courtney Francis
Save the Date! End of Year Pick Up and Drop Off 6/15!
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/
Distance Learning Attendance
Kindergarten Registration: 2020-2021 School Year
Digital PAWsitive Office Referral
We are excited that PAWsitive Office Referrals became digital! Students who earned an office referral received a digital copy and special video from Mrs. Francis. We're proud of all students who have earned a digital office referral during Distance Learning!
Junior Scholar Good Deed Grant Winner!
Another $500 was donated to Clayville School! Meysha is a true Wildcat in and outside of school! Special thanks to Mr. Feinstein for the generous donation!
Virtual Field Day 2020
Reading Week!
Spring & Summer Book Fair!
The book fair will run throughout the summer!! Click the link below to access our fair!
Distance Learning Highlights!
Ocean Habitats in PreK
Insect Unit in Kindergarten
First Grade's New Partnership!
Second Grade: Jobs in Our Community
Second grade is wrapping up our final American Reading Company Unit: Jobs in the Community! Students are putting their last touches on a project to create a newspaper ad for a job posting or are writing an opinion piece on what qualities/skills are needed to be good at a particular job. Second graders are also looking forward to an upcoming virtual meet and greet with local community members to hear about their jobs! ~Ms. Forgue
Third Grade: Sports & Society Unit
Fourth Grade's Rhode Island Unit!
Fifth Grade is Finishing Strong!
Grade Five Lawn Signs!
Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week!
Beep Beep! Clayville School's Car Parade!
*Special thanks to the Scituate Police Department for helping to keep us all safe! We appreciate Chief Delaere and his team's generous donation of time!
Virtual Art Show!
Physical Education Highlight!
Thank you for all of the amazing pictures of you doing your Physical Education assignments! It was so cool to see all of the creative and different ways you are staying active and completing the fun activities, games and exercises! Keep up the great work and I miss you all! ~Mr. Ceprano
Celebration Event Dates!
- June 10th - Prek Celebration
- June 11th- Kindergarten Celebration
- June 12th- Grade 5 Celebration
PTO Update
News from the Scituate School Committee
Dates to Remember:
- 6/1: Professional Development Day: No School
- 6/4: Virtual Talent Show @ 5:00 p.m.
- 6/5: Field Day!
- 6/8-6/12: Reading Week!
- 6/10: PreK Celebration
- 6/11: Kindergarten Celebration @ 10:00 a.m.
- 6/12: Grade 5 Celebration @ 10:00 a.m.
- 6/15: Last Day of School
- 6/15: End of Year Drop Off/Pick Up 12:00-4:00
Stay In Touch!
Email: Courtney.Francis@ScituateSchoolsRI.net
Website: https://clayville.scituateschoolsri.net/
Location: 3 George Washington Highway, Clayville, RI, USA
Phone: 401-647-4115
Twitter: @Mrs_Francis7