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BRYN MAWR BULLETIN December 2015 & January 2016 35 Swanson Rd, Auburn MA 01501

508-832-7733

Ed it ion 3: 2014-15 Pr inc ipa l : Beth Chamber land

From the Principal’s Desk Once again, I am pleased to provide you with information regarding the happenings at Bryn Mawr School. As often happens, the month of December snuck up on us, so this month you are receiving a Bryn Mawr Bulletin for both December and January. Students and teachers have been very busy continuing to develop skills in literacy and mathematics. Recently, teachers have coordinated a number of cross grade level projects to encourage students to work with one another and to learn from each other. During our Curl Up with a Good Book and Read Day, many classes collaborated on projects related to Thanksgiving and friendship. While comfy in their PJ’s, students also had opportunities to share a good book with a classmate. This was a wonderful chance to reinforce the great sense of community found at Bryn Mawr School. In the coming weeks, Mrs. O’Donnell will review behavior expectations with students. The excitement of the holidays and vacation can contribute to students making inappropriate choices. Please remind your child that it is up to them to think and make the right choice. I thank you all for monitoring the electronic content that students are exposed to at home. In this age of technology, students are often challenged to appropriately understand the content that is presented on television and the internet. This misunderstanding can lead to inappropriate behavior and confusion at school. Limiting exposure to television will contribute to the further development of imagination and creativity. Please attend the Auburn MA PTO meeting on December 7th at 6:00pm at Bryn Mawr School. Teachers from each of the elementary schools have prepared a presentation on Go Math. The objective is to help parents learn more about the many components of Go Math and to ask questions. We look forward to seeing you there. Kindergarten registration will take place at Auburn High School on Wednesday, February 10, 2015. If you have a child or know of a child who is a resident of Auburn and will turn five years old by September 1, 2015, please attend this important event. More specific information will be distributed when we return to school in January. Registration for the Auburn Preschool program will also take place on Wednesday, February 10, 2015 at the same time and place as kindergarten registration. If you are interested in the half day program for 3 or 4 year old students or the full day program for 4 year old students, please make every effort to attend this important event. Priority will be given to students already enrolled in the program. Proof of residency (2 documents), birth certificate and medical records are required at the time of registration. Preschool screening appointments will also be scheduled at this time. When we return from vacation, we will once again complete the DIBELS and DRA testing of students. When complete, you will receive a letter regarding your child’s progress. Should you have any concerns or questions, please contact your child’s teacher directly. As we prepare for the holiday break, I hope that you can help students to continue their learning over the break. One of the best ways to do this is to read with your child but there are many other ways. If the snow arrives over the break, you can measure a snow man, talk about shapes, allow your child to help in the grocery store with counting money, or just take a nature walk. Students learn a lot through conversation and activities. Keep the learning going! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. Thank you for your continued support of the Auburn Public Schools.

Sincerely, Beth Chamberland, Principal echamberland@auburn.k12.ma.us

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DATES TO REMEMBER

End of Trimester Friday, December 4

Hearing Screening Friday, December 4

PTO Meeting Monday, December 7 at BM 6:00pm

Half Day of School Tuesday, December 8th 12:10 Dismissal

Report Cards Distributed Friday, December 11

Kindergarten Gingerbread House Building

Friday, December 11

• 8:55 am - 9:55 am S. Johnson & S. Schofield

• 9:55 am – 10:55 am N. Mendicino & K. Sandberg

Holiday Concert Tuesday, December 22

• 9:00 am Kindergarten • 10:30 am Second Grade • 1:30 am First Grade

Second Grade Polar Express Wednesday, December 23

Holiday Break Thursday, Dec 24 – Monday, Jan 4

School Resumes Monday, January 4

PTO Meeting Monday, January 4

Safety Meeting at High School

Monday, January 11 - 6:30 pm

Martin Luther King Jr. Day No School

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November has flown by! December is such a busy month! We

always look forward to the holiday season in Kindergarten. There are so

many exciting activities coming up! In Math, we have been learning to

count and compare numbers to 10. We will begin Chapter 5: Adding.

Students will begin to learn how to add up to 10, using plus and equal

signs. We have worked with the letters Ss, Mm, Tt, Rr, and Bb. Please

continue to practice and reinforce these letters and sounds at home. This

month we will be working with the letters Hh, Vv, Cc and Ff. At this

point we have also learned the high frequency words: I, see, like, my,. In

our next reading theme “Friends Together” we will introduce the

words a, and to. We will also begin reading word families, starting with

the family at In the cold weather, we continue to go outside for recess. Students

should bring gloves, hats, and coats daily. Please practice tying shoes at

home; we will soon be switching from sneakers to boots often at school! Now that December is upon us, we will be preparing for the holidays.

Our annual gingerbread house project will be on Friday, December 11th.

We invite parents to come in and enjoy this project with their children.

The children have been busy practicing songs for the holiday concert.

We hope you can join us.

Thanks for all of your support!

The Kindergarten Team

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Second Grade News

December is upon us! It is shaping up to be a very busy month. Polar Express Day will be on December 23rd. The children can wear pajamas. They will go outside for recess so please plan accordingly. The Holiday party will be on December 22nd the afternoon after the holiday concert. We will be starting a new theme in Reading. It is Around the Town, Neighborhood and Community. In this theme they will be focusing on finding the main idea and details in a story. In Go Math during January we will focus on 2-digit addition and subtraction. By now everyone should've received their child's password to navigate through the online portion. In Science we will be finishing up our unit on weather. In January we will begin a unit on animal groups. Reminders: The students go outside every day. Please have them dress accordingly. Also with the cold and flu season upon us we continue to need tissues and antibacterial wipes.

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Reading with Mrs. Fenuccio Have you ever wondered how gummy bears are made? Or how you make paper from a tree?

Children are filled with wonder and often have many questions about the world. I would like

to tell you about a great website called Wonderopolis where you and your child can explore

questions such as these and learn fascinating new things. In addition to learning about new

topics, your child will be exposed to new vocabulary. Each wonder includes a video to

introduce the topic, an article, vocabulary words and a way to test your knowledge of the

words and ideas. Although your child may not yet be able to read these on their own, it may

be a great site for you to explore together. There is also a read aloud feature where a narrator

reads the article and you can follow along as each line is highlighted.

Here is the description from the website at www.wonderopolis.org

Welcome to Wonderopolis®, a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to

exploration and discovery in learners of all ages. Brought to life by the National Center for

Families Learning (NCFL), our Wonders of the Day® will help you find learning moments in

everyday life—ones that fit in with dinner preparations, carpool responsibilities, a stolen

moment between breakfast and the bus, or within school curriculum and education programs.

Wonder is for everyone. It can happen anywhere and at anytime. Connecting the learning we

do in our schools, our homes, and our communities, Wonderopolis walks the line between

formal and informal education. Each day, we pose an intriguing question and explore it in a

variety of ways. Our approach both informs and encourages new questions, sparking new

paths of wonder and discovery in family and classroom settings.

I’ve personally used this site with my own children and students at the upper level and the kids

LOVE it! To be honest, the adults love it too. It’s a fun way to utilize technology to read and

learn new information. Check it out and explore the wonders of the world!

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Music

Bryn Mawr’s Musical Happenings! Trimester 1 at Bryn Mawr has been filled with singing, dancing, playing instruments, and celebrations! Kindergarten has been working hard on getting to know their singing voices as well as learning how our voices can go high and low, soft and loud, and how we can change pitches. They have also begun their “Jedi Xylophone Training”, and are on their way to becoming excellent xylophonists! Grade One has learned about sixteenth notes and has started using them in short original compositions. They have been singing a variety of songs from different cultures, working on expanding the number of pitches their voices can sing, and learning about phrases, long vs. short notes, and dynamics. Grade Two continues to work on using all of the rhythms we have learned in Kindergarten and Grade One, creating their own original Boomwhacker compositions in small groups. They also have been traveling around the world in song, learning songs from Kenya, Brazil, Canada, England, France, and South Africa. At this point in our school year, everyone is hard at work preparing for our fabulous Holiday Programs on Tuesday, December 22nd . Our program times are as follows: Kindergarten : 9:00 AM Grade One: 10:30AM Grade Two: 1:00PM We welcome all of our family and friends to join in our annual celebration of song!

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Snowshoeing/Sledding

Most of you are probably aware by now that during the months of

January and February Bryn Mawr students will be snowshoeing and

sledding during their Physical Education classes. Students must be

dressed properly to participate in this exciting event. They will need:

· Boots

· Snowpants

· Hats

· Gloves

· Winter coat

Please see below the schedule for when your child will be snowshoeing

each week. Also note that on the other day your child has Physical

Education, they will need their sneakers to participate in class.

MONDAY TUESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Kozik Bylund Cotter M. Johnson

LeBreton DeStefano Coccio Tarini

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Notes from the Nurse

December 2015 Please remember that winter is almost here and children need to wear layers of clothing in school. The temperature in the building can vary as children move about, so layers are a good idea. For outdoor recess, please send children with hats, gloves, and coats. When there is snow on the ground, the students need boots and snow pants to go on the field. Flu shots- it’s not too late to receive a flu shot if you have not done so. Washing hands- This is the best protection to keep us from getting sick. Please encourage students to wash their hands often. Head Lice- This is a common childhood condition that affects many school age children. Lice do not carry disease and are not a sign of poor hygiene. Clean hair is the preferred place for the parasite to reside. The most common symptom is itching of the scalp. If your child is complaining of an itchy head, please do a simple head check. Look for small grayish white colored nits which are firmly attached to the hair shaft. Dry skin or dandruff will flake off, but nits will not come free. If you find nits or lice, please consult with your child’s primary care physician for treatment recommendations. Exercise- Children can still play outside on most days as the weather gets colder if dressed appropriately. You may also want to check out your local Y or other health club for some indoor options.

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A Note from the Guidance Counselor

As we head in to one of the busiest times of the year, it is important to continue to

be mindful of children’s sleep needs and their bedtime routines.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, school aged children need 9-11 hours

of sleep. There is an increasing demand on their time from school, sports and other

extracurricular and social activities. In addition, school-aged children become more

interested in TV, computers, the media and Internet as well as caffeine products –

all of which can lead to difficulty falling asleep, nightmares and disruptions to their

sleep. In particular, watching TV close to bedtime has been associated with bedtime

resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety around sleep and sleeping fewer hours.

Poor or inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, behavioral and cognitive

problems that impact on their ability to learn in school.

The following suggestions can help your child fall asleep, stay asleep and establish

good sleeping habits.

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule – Your child's bed time and wake up

time should be about the same every day of the week, regardless if it is a

school day or not. A consistent wake up time sets the stage for the rest of the

day and allows adequate sleep pressure to build up by late evening to allow

for quicker sleep onset at an appropriate time at night.

• Exercise daily – Have your child make exercise part of his or her daily

routine. Incorporating exercise as a daily habit at a young age will help

establish it as a daily life-long healthy routine.

• Avoid caffeinated products – Your child should avoid products that contain

caffeine in the late afternoon/evening. Be aware caffeine-containing products

include ice-tea, some clear non-cola soda, energy drinks, and chocolates aside

from the more obvious colas and coffee.

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CAUGHT BEING GOOD

Payton Murray - putting effort into her work and trying her best Jase Smith - appropriate behavior in the hallway

Audrey Johnson is always ready to learn. Shaun McGrath is always willing to help his teachers. Lucy Reid is always encouraging her friends to grow their brains.

Liam Hesselton always follows directions and makes good choices.

Haley Richardson is a good listener and kind friend.

Ray Litman- for always helping his peers and singing to her to help make her happy.

Kayleigh Ramm - demonstrates kindness and empathy by always finding room and including others. If we are at the rug she will always squeeze over and make room for a classmate.

Matthew Falcigno -demonstrates generosity and humor to make others feel good. His willingness to share, help and support others is admirable. He also enjoys spreading cheer with a happy anecdote.

Jeremiah Kinsumba -demonstrates compassion and kindness by always listening to others, sharing what he has with classmates and using words of understanding when someone is struggling.

Maeve Paquette- For trying to work out problem with friends

Brady Johnson-For helping others find their possession it was lost and for being a great principal. Piper Walsh- For always trying to do the right thing.

Carson Wallace for following directions.

Fiona Eaton for always trying her best.

Andrew Dani for being a good friend.

Julia Holton for helping others.

Kendall Johnson for being a great principal.

Zoe Forsberg for being a good classmate and always trying her best.

Anna Morgan for always being kind and friendly.

Nathaniel Bixby for always working hard in class and for helping his friends.

Nicholas Cariglia for working hard in class every day.

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