Friday Flash
October 27th, 2023
Notes from the Principal's Office
We have some increasingly sleepy children coming to school each day. Daylight savings time and waking up with a little more daylight couldn't come quick enough. It might help us combat the increase in tardiness that we have been experiencing at school.
Our first community coffee was a success, as several community members attended our meeting to learn more about our recent building improvements and received a tour of the school. In November, we will be hosting our traditional Thanksgiving meal on the 15th. All are welcome to attend as guests of the school. Please RSVP by November 8th.
In conjunction with Veteran's Day we will be learning about what it means to be a member of the armed forces and to be a veteran. We will be raising funds for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Please consider donating, by using our online link. If you know a veteran please encourage them to attend our meal on November 15th.
Wishing You Well,
~Loretta
Staff Spotlight
Lottie Page: 5-6 Math & Science Teacher
Positivity Project: Creativity
Dear Families,
This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Creativity. Creativity means you come up with new and original ways to think about and do things.
Creative people can look at the world in original ways. They are open to new experiences, and have an imaginative and independent thought process. They generate lots of different ideas and can pursue them with energy and enthusiasm. Creativity is a process that takes courage. Anytime you share your original ideas with the world, you risk being criticized or even ostracized.
On a group level, creativity is vital. It helps us solve seemingly impossible problems, create something we never knew we wanted, or simply see the world in a new way. Technological examples include the printing press, refrigeration, electricity, automobiles, and the internet. Just think of what we’d be missing without Renaissance art, Enlightenment thinking, Harlem Renaissance jazz, or hip-hop emerging from the South Bronx in the 1970s and 80s.
To practice and encourage the character strength of creativity with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2) where together you will watch a video, read a quote and talk about the answers to three questions.
Have a wonderful week!
NES Library News & Announcements
Library/Technology around the school:
Preschool:
Mrs. Williams visits preschool weekly, where the Preschoolers are working on the Gathering Song and observation skills with colors. This week, they helped Mrs. Williams read The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything.
Intervention:
Mrs. Williams teaches 5/6 Math Intervention every day, with activities ranging from long division challenges to "Battlefish" on coordinate planes. Students also work out math brain teasers to get their creativity with numbers flowing!
Research Skills:
In Music class, Ms. Labonte and Mrs. Williams have teamed up to help Grades 3-6 research classical composers and their music. The students will complete a slide deck that includes details about the composer's life as well as a musical analysis of one song. Students are making connections between classical and contemporary music as well as learning about the challenges women and composers of color faced. Hard working Sea Turtle researchers even earned a little dance time to Beethoven's Fur Elise and Scott Joplin's Shoptime Rag!
In Social Studies, Mrs. Houde and Mrs. Williams are working with Grades 3/4 to learn about Native American cultures throughout the United States. Students are not just learning about the past: they are researching the impact of First Encounters as well as contemporary indigenous governments and current challenges.
Technology Skills:
Kindergarten is successfully navigating ipads as a listening station and is now learning to login and sign off of Chromebooks appropriately. Grade 1 is working on navigating their Clever portal, multiple Chrome windows, and the keyboard. Grade 2 has hopped into coding with Kodables, and so far we have talked about sequencing and conditions.
Monkeys & Dolphins Visit the Fire Station
Thanks Mr. Fischer!
Bears
Sea Turtles & Bovines
The Sea Turtles designed questions for our quiz on the history of the Abenaki in Newbury this week with partners.
The Sea Turtles also spent some time this week planning our Halloween candy drive to benefit the VA Hospital in White River Junction. Be on the lookout for more information next week!
Art Leaf People
In 3-4 grade Forest school today we read Leaf man by Lois Elhert and the kids created animals with leaves and nature. Each child had the opportunity to photograph their own creations.
In art today the otters painted a monochromatic portrait using one color and mixing tints and shades.
Family, Veterans & Community Members are invited to our Thanksgiving Meal November 15th
Please RSVP the School by November 8th
1-2 Setting 11:30
3-4 Setting 12:00
5-6 Setting 12:30
Important Dates
November 1st: NES Early Release
November 2nd: Hearing & Vision Screenings
November 6th-9th: Parent Teacher Conferences
November 10th: No School
November 15th: Community Lunch
November 16th Turkey Trot (Rain date November 17th)
November 19-26th: Thanksgiving Break
Principal Loretta Cruz
Email: loretta.cruz@oesu.org
Website: https://www.nesvt.org/
Location: 214 Pulaski Street, Newbury, VT, USA
Phone: 802-866-5621
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newburyelementaryVT