The Greystone Glance
Weekly Newsletter from Principal Quattrucci
Great to be Back!
It was great to be back at Greystone after our long February Vacation. I missed everyone, and especially the sounds and sights of children engaged in joyful learning. Luckily, it all started right away again on Monday morning, and with new furniture!
Family Resources
Our front foyer got a bit of a makeover as well, with family resources and a "Take 1 or Leave 1 Little Free Library! Come on in and check it out.
Wow!
Thank you to whoever donated these amazing books!
Reading Week is Here!
Reading Week will be celebrated throughout next week! The theme is "Be You! We are Readers!" We are pleased to be welcoming author Jay Miletsky for a School-Wide Virtual Author Visit on March 10th. He is the best-selling author of multiple children's books, including
Ricky the Rock That Couldn't Roll. Thank you to all who ordered his books. They went home on Monday.
We are very excited about the many different ways Greystone will celebrate reading, including a Battle of the Books run by Mrs. Eastman, many, many virtual guest readers, and exciting creative writing and art activities! Thank you to Mrs. Montecalvo and the Reading Week Committee for all your hard work planning this very special time of the year!
Flyers went home this week, so please be sure to complete the reading log so that your child will receive a bookmark for free admission to United Skates of America.
Also a complete calendar with all the reading week activities should have gone home today.
And a reminder our Vocabulary Parade will be Friday, March 11th. We can't wait to see all the different words come to life!
Here's Mrs. Eastman Getting Ready for the Battle of the Books
Plates with Purpose
Thank you so much, Ms. Capracotta, for donating this beautiful book to our school! I can't wait to read it to our Greystone Tigers!
PTA
Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday, March 8th at 6:30pm. We would love for you to join us!
Scholastic Book Fair
We will have the Scholastic Book Fair at our school on April 4th and April 15th. So exciting!
Kid's Heart Challenge
From March 21st to April 8th Mr. Bello will be facilitating this wonderful program and provide families with all they need to know about it soon.
As a Kids Heart Challenge Heart Hero, your child will impact kids with special hearts and raise funds for the health of all hearts. They’ll also get moving with fun activities, learn about keeping their hearts and minds healthy and the power of kindness!
Thank you Teachers!
I love the clear writing expectations spotted in grade 4 and the beautiful growth mindset reminder in grade 3!
Sheep Scale
Isn't this a fun way to have children check-in and share how they are feeling?
Academic Talk
I really enjoyed visiting Mrs. Lineberger and these eager little readers on Tuesday. They were so happy to share with me how they knew for sure their book was fiction vs. non-fiction.
Empowering Students
It was amazing to see Mrs. Giammarco's students taking ownership over thier own learning and progress on Tuesday. Her fifth graders worked hard to apply new strategies to simplify fractions, as well as chart their growth, and clearly explain and extend their thinking throughout the entire lesson.
Writing
I saw wonderful writing in Grade 5 and in PreK on Wednesday.
Differentiated Math Projects
First graders in Mrs. Moura's room were having so much fun creating these special projects that helped them to practice counting coins!
Small Group Reading
Second-graders in Mrs. Creamer's class learned about different cultures while participating in small group reading instruction.
World Down Syndrome Day
Don't forget to rock your socks on Monday, March 21st!
Paint the World Green!
Wear green on March 25th to help spread awareness for Cerebral Palsy.
Save the Date!
We are planning an engaging family event for April 28th that will be focused on essential math learning, literacy, and FUN! We are hopeful that this event will be in person from 5pm-7pm and that you will consider joining us!
SurveyWorks
SurveyWorks began on Tuesday, January 18th. It is important for all of us to participate by answering the SurveyWorks questions, because our answers provide meaningful feedback on how to improve Rhode Island Schools.
This is the family link bit.ly/ridefamily and it will ask you to choose our school from a drop-down menu.
This is the teacher link bit.ly/rideteacher and it will also ask you to choose our school from a drop-down menu.
PBIS Character Trait of the Month
We will focus on perseverance this month. There are many activities planned to support grades 3-5 as they prepare for and take the RICAS/RI and NGSA assessments.
Caught Being Kind!
Nathan R. and Giovanni V. from Ms. Fournier's class, Angel B. from Mr. Torres' class, and Emilia and Jamie from Mrs. Lucca's class were all great helpers at Cafe Greystone on Monday!
Elena B. from Mrs. Creamer’s classroom was so kind to help a friend learn how to play 7-Up even though it meant missing her turn!
Copper from Mrs. Crudale’s class was so kind to move a chair out of the way so his friend could get by.
Hamid K. from Mrs. Creamer's class was so empathetic as he accepted an apology from a classmate who made a mistake and also Gabriel A was very helpful with the situation.
Andrew, Cadyn, and Derek from Ms. Sloan’s class helped 4th graders from Mrs. Aquilante’s move desks and chairs into the hallway.
Laura B. also from Ms. Sloan’s class is always offering to help others!
James T. from Mrs. Kovolski’s room is always willing to help a friend in need!
Important Reminder
March 14th is a Distance Learning Day and also a Professional Development Day for teachers. Students will work independently at home and there will not be any live meets.
Quote of the Week
"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you."
Your comfort zone is a nice place, but nothing will ever grow there. Progress requires you to push yourself. If you stick it out, great things await you. Change is uncomfortable. It is awkward, and it is even scary at times. It’s okay to take a risk this week. Try something new with your students. If it fails, try again. How you interpret challenges is up to you. You can focus on the challenge in a fixed mindset way- (“I can’t do it” or, “I don’t have the talent to do it.”) Or you can think of it in a growth mindset way by stretching yourself. Take on the challenge wholeheartedly. It is up to you. If you don’t try, you will automatically fail.
