Best of Bennet
October 15, 2021
From the Principal
I hope this newsletter finds you all staying healthy and safe! It is hard to believe that we are in mid-October already! Students are working hard and acclimating well back to a full time school schedule.
Please stay engaged with your child's teachers as we move deeper into the school year so you can best support your student at home.
We are here for you and appreciate your partnership! Thank you all again for your part in a productive start to our school year!
With appreciation!
Joe Chella, Principal
Where do I drop off or pick up my child?
Can my child go to school today?
Has your child or a family member been in close contact with a known positive Covid person?
Does your child or a family member have a persistent cough, or other respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath, lung congestion?
Has your child or a family member lost the ability to smell or taste?
Does your child or a family member have a fever over 100 F?
If you have answered YES to any of these questions for you or your child, your child should stay home and you should call the school absentee line.
If you answered YES to any of these questions for a member of your family, please contact the school nurse for advice prior to sending your child to school.
HELP OUR PTA!!
Things to note on the calendar:
REMEMBER WE HAVE EARLY RELEASE EVERY WEDNESDAY THROUGH JUNE 1st. Students will dismiss at 1:15 on Wedndesdays.
Our next day of note is Election Day - November 2, which is a remote day.
November 11 we have no school for Veteran's Day
Parents please note:
ELA - Grade 5
In September, we spent time getting to know our students, connecting with them, and getting to understand their strengths and interests. We also launched our Reader’s/Writer’s Workshop where students learned the foundational practices and routines we will use throughout the year.
We also began our CT Kid Governor integrated unit for reading, writing and social studies. Students were given the opportunity to develop their own platforms based on a community issue and outlined a speech. We incorporated aspects of our argument reading and writing to show students the power of quotations, using evidence, and persuading an audience. Students used speeches from our mentor text by Greta Thunberg to guide them towards an issue they were passionate about.
In October and November, we are teaching a Narrative Reading Unit and Narrative Writing Unit in tandem. In the Narrative Reading Unit, students will focus on analyzing characters, and themes as they present themselves in the stories we are reading. In the Narrative Writing Unit, students will spend time writing personal narratives. A personal narrative is a true story about you. Students will choose a small moment from their life to write about. Examples of small moments can be an exciting part of a basketball game, a parent’s reaction to a report card, the moment a pet is brought home, or a favorite ride in an amusement park. In their small moments, we will be teaching them how to elaborate,(add details, figurative language, feelings…), use transition words, edit their pieces, and grow their pieces into many pages. This Narrative Learning Progression shows how students grow from year to year in this content. This student checklist is used to help your child identify the areas where they need to focus on improving in writer’s workshop. Students will spend time reflecting on their strengths/areas of growth and what their goals are during this unit. We will be meeting with children often in writing and reading conferences to follow up on these goals and progress towards them.
Looking forward: Would you like to know more about what your child will be learning this year in Reading and Writing, and how to support him/her? This parent information sheet gives an overview of each unit.
It is an exciting time of year for the ELA teachers as we get to know our students as readers and writers. Please make sure your child is reading 30 minutes every night. We are so excited for the year to come!
ELA - Grade 6
Esperanza is Rising! Esperanza means hope in Spanish and our hopes are high for this year at Bennet Academy. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, your child is engaged in a beautiful story that highlights the resiliency of our Hispanic ancestors, which by holding onto hope, were successful in achieving their goals and bringing major contributions to our nation. As we work to build community, our Humanities classes are buzzing with conversations around our mentor text, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. With our interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning, our students are able to bring in their knowledge of Hispanic culture learned during our social studies and world language classes to aid in their comprehension of this inspirational story. These classes consist of: vocabulary lessons connected to Latin America and our mentor text, a reading and/or writing mini-lesson with interactive read-aloud, independent & small group reading and writing time. Teachers will be conferring with readers and writers one on one and in small groups, to teach targeted individualized lessons. Teachers are continually assessing students as they read and write, and are forming groups as students’ needs dictate.
In September, we spent time getting to know our students, connecting with them, and getting to understand their strengths and interests. We also launched our Reader’s/Writer’s Workshop where students learned the foundational practices and routines we will use throughout the year. We covered very important topics like:
Reading
How to find a “just right” book
How to Buzz Effectively & Accountable Talk
How to Build Reading Stamina
How to create post-it notes and how to use talk stems to discuss your book
Writing
Building a writing life & brainstorming ideas
The value in knowing your audience and writing the way you speak
How to prepare for a writing conference and listen to and respond to a partner’s writing
The importance of building writing stamina
In our writing lessons, students will spend time writing personal narratives. A personal narrative is a true story about you. Students will choose a small moment from their life to write about. Examples of small moments can be an exciting part of a basketball game, a parent’s reaction to a report card, the moment a pet is brought home, or a favorite ride in an amusement park. In their small moments, we will be teaching them how to elaborate,(add details, figurative language, feelings…), use transition words, edit their pieces, and grow their pieces into many pages. This Narrative Learning Progression shows how students grow from year to year in this content. This student checklist is used to help your child identify the areas where they need to focus on improving in writer’s workshop.
Looking forward: Would you like to know more about what your child will be learning this year in Reading and Writing, and how to support him/her? This parent information sheet gives an overview of each unit.
It is an exciting time of year for the ELA teachers as we get to know our students as readers and writers. Please make sure your child is reading 30 minutes every night. . This year we are challenging our students to set reading goals for themselves, and they are all off to a good start!!!
Meet the teachers!
GRADE 5
Matt Lemay - STEAM - Mr. Lemay is entering his eighth year of teaching and his first ever year teaching science! He loves baseball (Go SOX!), football, golf, hiking, fishing, camping and pretty much anything outdoors. His son is in 7th grade and his daughter just turned 2 on October 13. He has been happily married for 2 years and lives in the quiet town of Chaplin, CT.
Tracy Pietkevich - Humanities - Ms. Pietkevich has taught in Manchester for the past 10 years. She taught 5th grade at Martin and Bowers and is in her 4th year at Bennet teaching Humanities. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her dog, Hunter, run & lift weights and read.
Brian Gordon - Humanities - Mr. Gordon has been teaching in Manchester for 14 years, spending the last four years teaching Language Arts at Bennet Academy. His wife of 11 years is a Language Arts teacher at Keeney Street School. Together, they spend time with their two children, who are in second grade and kindergarten, and who are very active in many sports.
Chelcee Surdam - Humanities - Ms. Surdam grew up in Manchester and has been teaching here for five years. She is looking forward to a great year!
Kelly Kearney - STEAM - Ms. Kearney has been teaching in Manchester for 7 years. She has a huge passion for science and math and is looking forward to a great year!
Melissa Emmerich - STEAM - Ms. Emmerich has been teaching fifth grade in Manchester since 2004. She began her teaching career at Bowers Elementary School and has been teaching at Bennet Academy for the last four years. She spends most of her free time training and can be seen running all around Manchester. When she is not running, she is spending time with her new puppy Winston.
Kim Leining - STEAM - For the past 20 years Ms. Leining has called Manchester home.
She has taught a variety of grades ranging from Head Start (3-4 year olds) to grade 5.
As a child, Ms. Leining grew up on a dairy farm and loves animals of all kinds. (Not reptiles though!)
Brandi Chapman - Humanities - Mrs. Chapman has been teaching grade 5 at Bennet Academy for four years. Before teaching at Bennet, Mrs. Chapman taught at Keeney School and also taught in San Francisco, CA. She also has taught in London, England and Cape Town, South Africa as well! Mrs. Chapman loves to spend time with her husband and their wonderful 6 month old baby boy. She loves to travel, hike, and eat delicious food.
GRADE 6
Grace DeAngelis - STEAM - This is Ms. D's 4th year teaching at Bennet and her 26th year of teaching in Manchester!!! She holds a BA in Asian Studies, an MA in Education, a 6th year degree in Mathematics, and her 092 (admin. certificate)! She has two daughters and two dogs and loves spending time with family and friends. Other interests include working out, Starbucks, reading, soccer and MATH!
Erin O'Hara - Humanities - This is Miss O'Hara's 6th year teaching here at Bennet. During her free time Miss O'Hara likes to play disc golf, craft, build with lego, and hang out with her family and friends! When she is at home you can catch her snuggled up with her 3 dogs reading.
Thomas Pinatti - STEAM - This is Mr. Pinatti's 3rd year teaching. He lives in Windham with his wife, 9 month old daughter, dog, cats, a horse, and a lot of chickens. Mr. Pinatti spends his free time doing absolutely anything outside.
Ashley Bertuglia - Humanities - Mrs. Bertuglia has been teaching 6th grade for 3 years now. She was just married over the Summer! One of her favorite activities is going hiking with her 13 year old dog named Jackson.
Michael Menefee - Humanities - Mr. Menefee has been a teacher in the Manchester Public School district, teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, for the past 18 years! 6th grade is his favorite age group. His goal for your child is to have a memorable school experience, while preparing for the rigors and opportunities available at Illing Middle School, and beyond.
Mrs. Chapman
Winston Emmerich
The Chapmans
ART
In grade 5 Art Classes students have been doing a great job creating contour line drawings of Ornamental Native Corn. They are observing and incorporating VALUE (light & dark) using pencil shading. See Giulia F's drawing from Ms. Gillespie’s Class to the right and more examples below.
Sixth grade Artists are developing their compositions using 3D objects and incorporating the use of VALUE (Light & Dark) to create the Illusion of FORM (3D).They are to show MOVEMENT and consideration of 2D space by having the objects visually interact with each other and you can see some samples below as well.
Get to know the Art Department
Ann Reimels has taught art in every grade PK-12 in many different schools. She most enjoys the magical moments when students are completely engaged in the art process. Hiking, walking, biking and spending time with her grand-children and family occupy her time outside of school.
Ryan Courey has been teaching art for five years, and this is his second year teaching at Bennet Academy. His favorite part of the teaching process is watching students have “a-ha!” moments, where new and challenging concepts click and make sense. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Courey is a working artist, and enjoys painting, listening to music, and spending time with his family and cats.
Margaret Gillespie’s favorite part of teaching art is watching students make connections to themselves and the world through their artwork. This is her 2nd year teaching at Bennet! Ms. Gillespie is also a working illustrator and when she isn’t painting, she loves to travel, visit museums, and bake chocolate cake.
Joy Houlder has been an art instructor for three years in CT. Her passion lies in helping our youth find their voice and artistic expression through art. Joy enjoys hanging out with her morkie puppy, outdoor roller skating, traveling to different countries, and creating inclusive and fun artwork.
Bryan A.
Madison L.
Alyssa W.
Rough Drafts for final in Mrs. Reimels' class
Marcus W.
Griffin V.
Sruthi V.
We are Nut-Free this year!
Remind your student please!
What's for lunch?
SHOUT OUTS!
We are going to continue highlighting the positives this school year. Throughout the year please let us know who has made you smile, or been a wonderful role model for your child, went that extra mile, or was there when you needed a shoulder. This could be a student, a teacher, support staff, or even an administrator.
Ms. Skoog shouts out to Behavior Tech Kayla G for always jumping in and helping out. We love having her on Barnard 2nd! Also, her kind heart and amazing way with animals is something to be admired! She is a hero among us!
We want to hear from parents and staff alike - email cberman@mpspride.org with your shout-out!!
The Bennet Bear Den
Nurse's Corner
Did your child have a physical over the summer? Please feel free to fax the paperwork to the nurses.
Bennet School Nurses
Penny Parent & Elisha Mathews
860-647-3582 (p)
860-647-6348 (f)
Attendance Line
REMINDERS - Masks, Water Bottles, and Home Access Center!
*Please continue to send your student with a reusable water bottle as all water fountains remain closed this year. We do have filling stations throughout the school to refill their bottles.
*Please be sure your student has a mask when they leave the house. It is also helpful if they carry an extra mask in their backpack just in case.
*Just a reminder that grades, progress notes and report cards are posted in the Home Access Center. Your login and password remain the same for HAC throughout your child's time in Manchester Public School through graduation. Please keep this information in a safe place as you can always log in to look at your child's grades, but it is also where Progress Notes and Report Cards are found. If you need help logging into the HAC please follow the link above and click on "forgot my user name or password". We no longer have access to your password at the school level.
Take a look at our Virtual Backpack!
The PTSA needs you!
Bennet PTSA is looking for a new Treasurer this school year. Interested candidates should email the PTSA @ bennetacademyptsa@gmail.com.
To join the PTSA as a regular member please fill out the membership form below and send it in with your child or email it.
News from the Bennet Office:
Picking your student up early? Please call ahead and we will have your student ready. Let us know when you arrive and we will meet you at the door with your student to check your ID. Thanks for being patient with this early dismissal procedure as we limit visitors.
For all technology assistance (including Chromebooks, laptops and iPads), go to the IT Helpdesk or call / text 860-682-0607, Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
- Did you move? Please see the list of required documents. Contact Registrar Heidi Turner to update your information: b39hturn@mpspride.org or 860.647.8275. Remember we cannot change your child's bus information until you have provided your new proof of residency.
- New number? Please remember to update the registrar with any changes to your phone number or email so we can reach you! We send out newsletters and emails from the principal weekly and you do not want to miss anything!
- New email? If you are reading this on our app and not in your email it may mean we have old information. Please contact Ms. Turner with your new email address so you don't miss out!
10 Ways to Bring Social-Emotional (SEL) Learning Home
From your Bennet Social Work Team...Last week we brought you the first of 10 tips and here is tip #2...
Tip #2: Establish Routines: Routines help us to organize our lives, and provide a sense of safety and security. Routines are especially important right now amid the uncertainty of COVID-19. Create a daily routine for you and your children to follow. It should start from when you wake-up in the morning to when you go to sleep at night. Children crave structure, and providing it consistently will help encourage a more peaceful home.
A note from the security team.
Please be aware as you drive through our pick up/drop off area that students are everywhere!
Please be sure to discuss pick up and drop off plans with your student to eliminate any confusion and keep your plan consistent. Thank you.
Is there something you would like to see in this newsletter this year?
Bennet Academy
Email: jchella@mpspride.org
Website: https://www.mpspride.org/Domain/9
Location: 1151 Main Street, Manchester, CT, USA
Phone: 860-647-3571