Dike-Newell School Newsletter
December 18th, 2023
DATES TO REMEMBER:
December 8th - Report Cards Go Home
December 15th - Holiday Bee-Zaar!
December 18th to 22nd - No PreK
December 22nd to January 1st - Holiday Break - No School
January 15th - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
A Message from Ms. McKay
Thank you everyone for the generous donations for both our soup drive (over 500 cans of soup were donated from our two schools!) and for our upcoming Holiday Bee-Zar! We are so very excited to bring this event back for the first time since the pandemic. Some of the best stories from parents come from this event - people who have donated items only to receive them back wrapped under the tree because their child thought they looked perfect for their family member, or gifts that have become prized treasures because of children picking them out and being so very proud to gift them.
We also note and have worked with our PTA to include children whose families do not celebrate the season or holiday with the giving of gifts. We want to make this event a positive experience for all of our students and families, so please let your child's teacher know if the giving of gifts is not your family practice, and we can engage those children with craft activities or helping in other ways.
Coming in January, we will have a new student recognition program that we are super excited about!! Our school uses "PBIS" which stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. This approach targets the desired student behaviors we want to see and ways to support students in learning and practicing those behaviors. We are going to continue celebrating student of the week, but we will also begin the "Principals' Club." Stay tuned for more information coming soon!!
Finally, your child got to experience the "Hour of Code" this week in library class!! This week is hour of code week across the country, and Mrs. Hardman read books about coding, and helped students try various coding activities. Please ask them about it, it's a lot of fun!
Volunteering in RSU1
Are you interested in being on a list of eligible volunteers? Visit the RSU1 website to learn more and to sign up: https://www.rsu1.org/page/volunteer-information. At site preference, scroll down to select PES and be sure to click Submit after the form is complete and signed. Please allow one week prior to a field trip or event for processing.
Notes from the Nurse
Did you know that eating 5 servings of vegetables and fruit a day can reduce your risk for serious health problems?
Vegetables and fruit provide your child with vitamins and minerals that promote healthy growth and development. Try offering a serving of vegetables and/or fruit at each meal. No need to force your child to eat vegetables, just serve them and let them try it out. You can role model healthy eating by making sure there are vegetables and fruit on your plate at meal times as well.
Lines from the Library
Here at Dike Newell, we read How to Code a Sandcastle and How to Code a Rollercoaster by Josh Funke as well as Coding in Video Games by Elizabeth Noll and How Do Video Games Work? by L.E. Carmichael. Students then worked in small groups programming Bee-Bot robots to follow challenges given by various members of the group as well as by Ms. Hardman. The lesson ended with a dance activity from code.org.
For more information on Hour of Code, please visit: https://hourofcode.com/us/learn
For more information on Bee-Bots: https://www.terrapinlogo.com/beebot-ss.html
To code a dance party, please visit: https://code.org/dance
Midcoast Youth Theatre
Midcoast Youth Theater will present the family-friendly musical Newsies January 4-7 at Brunswick High School's Crooker Theater. This show features nearly 100 singers, dancers, and other performers in a popular show that will be a great event for the whole family to enjoy.
More information about Newsies can be found at MYT's website, midcoastyouththeater.com.
For any families who wish to request free tickets to Newsies: MYT and its Ticket Sponsor, Bath Savings, are making free tickets available to each performance for families who otherwise might not be able to attend. To reserve your complimentary tickets, please send an email to tickets@midcoastyouththeater.org and provide your name, the size of your family who will be attending, including the number of children and adults, and the date and time of the show you would like to see. You will receive an email reply to confirm your reservation and with instructions on how to pick up your tickets at the show.
Bath Elementary PTA
Join us downtown Friday Night (12/8) for Bright Night Bath! We will be handing out Hot Cocoa near the Trolly! It’s a wonderful night with lots to do!
Want to come to the next PTA meeting? We would LOVE to have you! Join us online 12/13 at 6:15 pm. Keep an eye on next week's news letter or our Facebook page for the link to the meeting.
Nicole Brassard - President
Courtney Bilokonsky - Co Vice President
Jenny Byrnes - Co Vice President
Dike-Newell School Information
Email: kwalker@rsu1.org
Website: https://dns.rsu1.org/o/dike-newell-school
Location: 800 High Street, Bath, ME 04530
Phone: (207)443-8285