Well, hello April! I am not sure where you came from, but we sure are glad to see you! The days are getting longer, the temperatures are slowly rising, and students and staff alike are working hard learning together. Students have done so well these last few weeks through what has been a long period from February to April vacation. While the gears are furiously turning and much is being accomplished, I can certainly see that folks will be ready for vacation in a few short weeks.
After vacation, the remaining weeks of school will surely fly by. Before we know it, summer will be here and we will be able to spend time soaking up the warm rays of summer we all are longing for. Until then, let's buckle-down and end the year with a bang. There is still much left to do at school including a great deal of teaching and learning. We will begin end of year assessments starting in mid-May. This information will be shared with families in the end of year report cards.
Finally, it is important to note the important dates to remember in our newsletters from here on out. We will be communicating the many dates and events that happen towards the end of the school year. Additionally, please be on the lookout for communications via Seesaw. Teachers will be utilizing the platform to communicate the events and activities that occur at the classroom level.
As always, if there is anything we can do in these final weeks to support your family, please be sure to reach out. We are happy to help in any way we can!
Be well,
Mr. Blake
Another month has come and gone and so much learning has been done! March was a very busy month for social-emotional learning. We spent a lot of time focusing on safety rules and ways to stay safe. We started off by reading How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe? or Officer Buckle and Gloria, where we discussed various topics from jumping on the bed, cleaning up spills, and even when (or when NOT) to call 9-1-1.
Next, we covered “Never Never” rules and the 3 R’s to staying safe: “recognize, refuse, and report.” As outlined by our SEL curriculum, Second Step, the 8 Never Never rules we covered included never touch guns; never play with fire; never ride on wheels without wearing a helmet; never go in water without an older person watching; never use a sharp tool without an older person’s help; never touch a dog without asking the person in charge; never cross the street without checking all ways for traffic; and never ride in a car without wearing a seatbelt.
Teaching the "Never Never" rules to each class generated a lot of discussion around how different families choose to handle these safety issues at home, from students sharing “I've used a gun to hunt” to “I’m allowed to ride my scooter without a helmet but not my bike.” While honoring individual family values and rules, I tried to stress the importance of being safe and understanding why these “rules” exist.
In particular, the rule around never touching guns created a lot of chatter not only in classrooms but also on the playground, in the cafeteria, and the hallways of our school. After these Second Step lessons, we observed a significant increase in students talking about guns and gun use. As I’m sure you are all well aware, this type of talk is not appropriate for the school setting.
Please understand that the import of these lessons was to teach students that if they are shown or offered a gun or a lighter by a peer, or a friend invites them over to swim in their pool while their parents are out, they are able to recognize whether or not it is safe, say no, and tell a trusted adult. My goal in teaching SEL lessons is always to inform students and give them the tools and skills they need to make good decisions on their own. I hope that these "Never Never" rules and our class discussions around ways to stay safe served as good conversation starters at home for you and your family.
April is a month to focus on honesty and integrity. These character traits are essential to raising strong, brave, independent, and compassionate citizens. After reading about honesty and discussing what it means to be trustworthy, we will move onto digital citizenship, including a lesson on cybersafety. When we return from April vacation, we will move into a Focusing on the Future unit, where we will learn about community helpers and explore various career and professional opportunities.
I’m so excited to be on this journey with your children! Thank you for your partnership and, as always, please reach out to me anytime with questions, comments, or concerns.
Happy Spring!
~Kat Wigmore
Russell School Counselor
207-657-9622
