February Newsletter
Full Color Link : https://5il.co/2do8q
2023-2024 School Calendar:Click HERE
Half Day- Friday, February 2nd
No School- February 19th-23rd for school vacation week
Click HERE for our February Lunch Calendar!
Character Trait for the Month of February: FRIENDSHIP
A Word From Mrs. Soltysik- Principal and Mrs. Rasmussen- Assistant Principal
As we have done in years past we want to remind you about World Read Aloud Day. This year World Read Aloud Day is February 7th. We encourage you to participate in the celebration of reading, not only on this day but every day at home! Here are some great tips for reading aloud with your child(ren). If your family chooses to participate at home, email pictures to mrasmussen@nrsd.org !
1. All reading is good reading.That includes books with commercial characters, comics, and nonfiction.
2. Find a comfortable space to read together. The love of reading is built around our cultural connection to books and hearing stories. Being in a cozy environment while reading will help create those loving connections. It’s also good to carry a book with you wherever you go—reading in a crowded space like a busy subway can soothe and distract.
3. Slow down. It takes time to process what’s happening on the page. You can pause on a page to look more closely at pictures or discuss the events of the story before turning the page.
4. Ask and answer questions together. If you come across a word or concept your child or students don’t know, ask them what they think it means. And if you don’t know, it’s OK to say that! Explore unknowns together: these moments are opportunities to discuss the book and what is happening in connection to the world around us and capitalize on curiosity.
5. Be yourself. You don’t have to be an entertainer while you’re reading a great book! This is especially true when reading one-on-one with a child. The bond already exists and the moment is special because it is your voice.
6. Read ahead! Rhythm and meter are part of the magic of storytelling, so a little pre-reading can make a big difference. Flip through the pages before you start so you know what happens in the story and can check that it’s appropriate for your audience and moment. This will help you identify key moments for social-emotional learning.
7. Embrace wordless picture books. Books without words are an opportunity for you and your child to invent a new story each time. Wordless picture books are also a great opportunity to think and talk about what is happening—and to predict what will happen next!
8. Don’t worry about age or grade level. Even if a book isn’t entirely age-appropriate or seems a little advanced, you can still try reading different parts of it each time. You also don’t need to rush into bigger books just because they are labeled as being more age-appropriate.
9. You don’t have to finish a book. Don’t make reading a chore! Sometimes the best thing to do is to stop. If your audience is running around or not interested, come back to it later or ditch it entirely!
10. Make reading aloud part of your routine. This is especially valuable for our littlest ones, who crave structure for comfort and early learning. Make bedtime or tummy time a good time for reading. Plus, if children see you reading, you’re modeling great reading behavior that sets the foundation for future readership.
Templeton Elementary School PTO
Next Meeting: TES cafeteria on Tuesday, February 6th at 5pm
CLICK HERE for information about the Templeton Elementary PTO.
Valentines Day 2024
In observance of Valentine’s Day this year, we welcome students bringing in Valentine’s cards to hand out to friends in the classroom. Classroom teachers will have a designated time at the end of the day for exchanging and opening Valentine’s. Guidance from our Wellness Policy does not support traditional parties that include food and snacks. As a reminder, the characteristic trait we focus on during the month of February is FRIENDSHIP. Although we don’t expect everyone to be friends, we do expect that everyone will be kind to one another.
TES Weekly High Five
Each week we send out an email with 5 important announcements, reminders, etc. These updates are emailed each Friday and posted on our School Website and Facebook. We do this in an effort to keep families informed but not overwhelmed. If you are not receiving these updates please reach out and let us know!
Covid Vaccine Clinic
A COVID Vaccine clinic has been scheduled for Thursday, February 15, 2024 3:00-6:00 PM in the Narragansett Middle School Cafeteria. This clinic is open to anyone who wishes to be vaccinated and is able to get to the school, so share the links as much as you would like.
Please CLICK HERE to sign up.
Global School Play Day
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." ~ Plato
On February 7th, our school will be participating in Global School Play Day 2024 (GSPD.) GSPD has been promoted by Psychology Today and is being celebrated at schools around the world. You can learn more about the benefits of unstructured play by visiting the official GSPD website: www.globalschoolplayday.com .
Here are some key benefits:
Unstructured play helps children learn how to work collaboratively, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and learn self-advocacy skills;
When play is child-driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover areas of interest on their own, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue;
When play is controlled by adults - such as in organized sports - children have to follow adult rules and concerns (like winning) and lose some of the benefits play offers them, particularly in developing creativity, leadership and group skills.
Play offers adults a wonderful opportunity to engage fully with their children;
Play and unscheduled time that allows for peer interactions is an important component of social-emotional learning; and
Free, child-driven, creative play protects against the effects of pressure and stress.
We are inviting all of our students to bring in things to play with on this very special day. They are limited to no more than 2 toys. Here are some examples of things your child may bring in (be sure your child’s name is clearly marked on all items):
Non-Violent Toys (no weapons)
Legos, blocks
Board Games
Dress-Up
Puppets
Stuffed Animals
Puzzles
Sports equipment
*No Electronic Devices* will be allowed
Though our play day will be unstructured, it will still be supervised by teachers and staff. It is my hope that this one day of play will inspire families to plan for more unstructured play time during non-school hours.
Support for Families
Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension
Children learn when they make connections between what they read and what they know. One method parents can use to help make these connections during shared reading time is called a think aloud. In other words, you talk through your thoughts as you read to them. Here are three ways to use think alouds, with examples from some of our favorite kids’ books:
1. Connect the book to your child’s own life experience.
Example: A River Dream by Allen Say
“This book reminds me of the time my father took me fishing. Do you remember the time we went fishing?”
2. Connect the book to other books your child has read.
Example: Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
“This story reminds me of Cinderella. Both stories are about sisters. Do you know any other stories about sisters? Let's keep reading to find out other ways the stories are similar.”
3. Connect the book to big ideas/lessons.
Example: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
“This story helps me understand that we are all the same in many ways, but it's our differences that make us special.”
In these examples, you are “thinking aloud” many of the connections that good readers make naturally as they read. Modeling these types of connections will help young readers know how to do it when they read alone.
Adapted from Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension by Judith Gold and Akimi Gibson (2001).
Check out Reading Rockets’ Books and Authors section for great read-aloud books: www.ReadingRockets.org/books
ALICE Letter to Families
Dear TES Families,
Back in December, Dr. Casavant sent out this letter that outlined the district’s commitment to teach our staff and students ALICE which is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. The ALICE plan offers a different philosophy that allows for staff and students to make informed decisions in an emergency event, which removes as many people from the danger zone as possible.
The week of February 5th, classroom teachers will review age-appropriate choices and responses to emergency situations with their students. Below is a list of examples of the resources teachers will use at each grade level.
K-2nd Grade and read “I’m Not Scared, I’m Prepared”
3rd/4th Grade and read “I’m Not Scared, I’m Prepared”
At the end of the week we will also practice a Stay in Place:
Stay in place is used often in schools and many of our students have probably experienced at least one of these and did not even realize it. “Stay in Place” is used usually during a medical emergency in which a person needs to be taken out of the school by EMT and we want to provide them with as much privacy as possible. During a Stay in Place, teaching and learning goes on as usual, but there are no transitions of large groups throughout the building during that time. Stay in Place situations usually only last a few minutes and then an announcement is made that Stay in Place is over.
Please contact Mrs. Soltysik (esoltysik@nrsd.org ) or Mrs. Rasmussen (mrasmussen@nrsd.org ) with any questions or concerns regarding the A.L.I.C.E. plan.
The students, staff, and families of the Narragansett Regional School District elementary schools will work together as a learning community to provide a safe, positive learning environment that promotes academic, emotional, social, and physical growth so that all members will be responsible and respectful citizens.
Connect With Us:
Emily Soltysik - Principal
Marci Rasmussen - Assistant Principal