We were unsure how our first major event with parent and students would go as it had been quite some time since we could host such a night, but the masses seemed to enjoy themselves right away. We would like to thank the PTA volunteers as well as the staff members that were able to help make this night awesome. Everyone in attendance walked away with new books to read, and that is the main goal of the night!

Sight Words. Trick Words. High Frequency Words. These are all different names for words that are important for your child to know as they are learning to read. These words are not always able to be “tapped out”, “sounded out” or decoded. Therefore, a lot of us learned with flashcards. Here are a few other ideas on how to make learning these words fun!

Hello Briggs Family and Friends.

March is upon us and to be honest I personally feel like it is the longest month to get through because we get so excited about the thought of spring and getting outside to start living a more physically active lifestyle; which requires proper nutrition. With March being “National Nutrition Month” it is a great time to start to focus on our nutrition so that we are healthy and have the energy to be active. So to all my 4th and 5th graders let's dive in and talk about some fancy words that deal with nutrition, Macronutrients and Micronutrients.

The calories that we put in our bodies that come from macronutrients come from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. About 45-65% of the food we eat should come from carbohydrates like whole wheat, fruits, and vegetables. The reason why these types of foods have the biggest percentages is because carbohydrates are the preferred source of fuel for the body. 10-35% of our calories should come from proteins. Even though proteins can provide a little bit of fuel for our bodies their main function is to help our bodies recover and build lean muscle mass. Good sources of protein come from lean meats, poultry, fish, nuts, and soy. Lastly, 20-35% of our macronutrients should come from fat. Now this one is tricky because fats are a great energy source but if they are not used up they are stored in the body as fat. A lot of the food we eat have fat in them which is completely normal, but it is important that we try to consume food that are low in saturated and trans fats like butter and lard and eat more foods with polyunsaturated fats and omega 3&6 fatty acids like fish, walnuts, and flaxseed.

Micronutrients is the cool name for vitamins and minerals. Vitamins like D, C, and B are needed to help the body maintain its health, the ability to function, and help our immune system. Most vitamins and minerals come naturally from the food we eat ,except for Vitamin D. Vitamin C is a very important micronutrients that helps our body's immune system. Over the past few years we have heard about the importance of a good immune system because it helps to fight off many types of viruses. By eating just a few fruits and vegetables a day, such as oranges and peppers, you provide your body with more than enough Vitamin C for the day. Now let's talk about Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. Our bodies lack Vitamin D during the winter months because of the lack of sun exposure which is why we need to find foods that are fortified with vitamin D. The reason why vitamin D is important is because it helps build bone mass and improves our mood.

Nutrition is a cool but complicated thing. To make it easy on yourself, make sure your plate is colorful. Try adding fruits, vegetables, whole grains as your carbohydrates and lean meats, poultry, fish, spinach, soy and/or nuts for your proteins and fats.

Make it a great day.

Mr. Berg and Mrs. Shea

This piece of work by Savina P. in Mr. Losordo’s Grade 2 class was selected by the president of the Massachusetts Art Education Association to be acknowledged as one of this year's President's Choice Artworks.

Savina will be receiving a special certificate and her work will be highlighted in the virtual YAM Exhibit which can be found here beginning on March 21st!

Awesome job Savina!

Happy Spring!

This weekend officially marks the start of Spring! With the Spring comes warmer weather, sunshine, and hopefully more time for all to enjoy outdoor sports, hiking, gardening, or just playing outside. This is a good time to remind everyone that the prevalence of ticks will also be increasing. Be sure to check your student(s) and yourselves daily after spending some time outside, as ticks like to share your living and playing places! For more information on ticks, please click on the following link. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html

Health Screenings

Massachusetts has resumed the requirement for all health screenings to be completed by the end of the school year.

Vision screenings are done on all students in grades K-5; stereopsis is an additional vision screening done with students in grades K-3. Hearing screenings are done on students in grades K-3. Notices of any failures are sent to the parent by the school nurse for follow-up. Results of the follow up will be returned to the school nurse.

Height and weight screenings are completed in 1st grade and 4th grade.

All 5th grade students are checked for scoliosis, unless notification from the parent/guardian has been received by the school nurse to opt out. If you prefer for your student to not participate in this screening, and have not already notified the school nurse, please do so by sending an email, or written note with your request to opt out. Parents/guardians are notified if additional evaluation is needed by the student’s primary care physician.

Physical Exams

Please continue to send in your student’s physical exam documentation from their medical provider. AWRSD requires that all kindergarten and third grade students have a current physical exam on file in the nursing office.

Thank you to all who have donated underwear, clothes, socks, shoes, and boots to the nurse's office! Our supply seems to be replenished at this time. We greatly appreciate your generosity!

April Break- April 18-22

Email: nnorth@awrsd.org
Website: https://jrb.awrsd.org/
Phone: 978-827-5750