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Region In Review
November 15th, 2023
Elementary Schools Unite: INclude Someone Each Day!
By Emily Judd & Emily Rhew
Cultivating kind and caring learning environments is essential for all schools. October is Bully Prevention Month and invites communities to engage in thoughtful discussions and activities that promote awareness and practice of empathy, kindness, and cooperation.
Region 12 elementary schools celebrated Unity Day (Officially October 18th) with many collaborative activities. The purpose of Unity Day activities is to focus on positive behaviors and to bring the school community together in a unified message of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. To celebrate Unity Day, students and staff wore orange, had classroom discussions on what it means to include and be included, practiced and celebrated acts of kindness, and created chains of promises to support inclusion in our school, homes, and community. We all embraced the motto, Include Someone Today.
In addition, The Center for Empowerment and Education visited our schools and presented a wide range of programs that highlighted facts and strategies for healthy and positive relationship building. In Reach, students learned different ways to practice kindness and empathy and to understand feelings and emotions. In kindergarten and first grade, students learned to respect the boundaries of self and others and to be assertive.
Other grades learned to identify and explore ways to respond to mean behavior, know the difference between teasing and joking, how to identify healthy and unhealthy interactions and relationships, and to resolve conflicts in positive ways. These presentations were informative and interactive and provided our students with facts and strategies to support positive relationships.
Engaging in these rich enrichment activities, elementary students learned that using their voice to communicate their needs, without compromising the rights of others, and how to include others to create a community of acceptance and kindness.
Star Party
Article & Photos by Friso Hermans
Astronomy Club Teacher
On the evening of Saturday, November 11th, the Shepaug Astronomy Club held its first-ever Star Party. Twenty-five students, parents, and faculty met at Shepaug on a beautiful, clear night to observe the night sky.
Highlights of the evening included the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, the Pleiades (a beautiful star cluster in the constellation Taurus), and the Andromeda Galaxy. We also saw a slow-moving fireball meteor, which was part of the Northern Taurids meteor shower.
Rockets
by Anthony Weymouth
REACH Teacher
We have been talking about rockets and how we could make one that would lift off. We started by making paper ones and learning the different parts, capsule or nose cone, fins to stabilize and guide, and the rocket body with different stages and engines.
Next, we spent many weeks giving everyone a chance to mix vinegar and baking soda to make bubbles (an invisible gas). We also filled balloons from a pump and let them go to see the action of the air escaping.
We applied what we learned to fill up a balloon using vinegar and baking soda. We noticed how the gas expanded the balloon. Lastly, we made actual rockets from water bottles.
We had many many failures before we learned just the correct combinations to make a rocket - finally, we were rewarded with a lift-off!
Congratulations to Shepaug Field Hockey Berkshire League Champs!
The field hockey team, under the coaching of Owen Moore and Heather Hurley, wrapped up their regular season with an impressive record of 14-2, securing the top spot in the Berkshire League.
This marks the first time since 2002 that the field hockey team has clinched the Berkshire League title. Throughout the season, both as individuals and as a team, they achieved numerous accomplishments, leaving the players with much to be proud of.
UConn Trip
On October 26th, twenty of our juniors and seniors had the opportunity to visit UConn. The students sat for an information session and then took a tour of the campus. They even got a chance to peek in Gampel Pavilion where the nationally ranked men’s and women’s basketball teams play.
The day wrapped up with lunch in the student union and a little time to shop in the campus bookstore where Mrs. Steinis bumped into one of our alumni!
College and Career Center Review
The College and Career Center had a few exciting weeks of noteworthy milestones. Since November 1, the Center welcomed college/university representatives from Post University, Bryant University, Springfield College, SUNY at New Paltz, Trinity College of Dublin, University of Scranton, University of Rhode Island, and Southern Connecticut State University.
These visits, along with future visits, provide our students with useful information when exploring their education options. Also, November 1 was a day noticeably filled with excitement (and relief) because many college applications were submitted, marking a pivotal step for our students reaching their academic goals.
Additionally, a new chapter began with the arrival of the College and Career Center’s coordinator, Diane Decker, whose passion for student success began with a revitalization of the center and the hope of creating a more student-friendly environment. There’s no doubt that the integration of the College and Career Center and the Counseling Office elevates the overall support and resources available to all our students, setting the stage for their continued success.
Forest Leaders
On October 19th, the middle school Spartan Ambassador Leadership Program set off to the woods for a fun leadership training trip at Windham Tolland 4H Camp. They learned about inclusion, teamwork, and being upstanders in our community, while simultaneously having fun on the facility ropes course and zip line!
While having fun on the ropes course and zip line, they also picked up essential leadership skills, discovering the importance of working together and making positive choices in their community.
Fliers & Upcoming Events
Region 12 Calendar
Nov.16 - National Honor Society Induction Ceremony, SVS, 7pm
Nov. 17-18 - Shepaug Dramatics Play, SVS, 7pm
Nov. 19 - Shepaug Dramatics Play, SVS, 2pm
Nov. 20 - BOE Curriculum/Educational Programming Committee Meeting, SVS, 6pm
Nov. 20 - Board of Education Meeting, SVS, 7pm
Nov. 22 - 24 - Thanksgiving Recess - No School
Nov. 28 - WPS PTO, 6:30pm
Dec. 4 - BOE Finance & Operations Committee Meeting, SVS, 6pm
Dec. 4 - Board of Education Meeting, SVS, 7pm
Dec. 5 - HS Winter Concert, SVS, 7pm
Dec. 6 - Holiday Bazaar, SVS, 6pm
Dec. 7 - Early Dismissal - Professional Development Day
Dec. 7 - FFA Supporters Meeting, SVS, 6pm
Dec. 11 - BOE Policy Committee Meeting, SVS, 6pm
Dec. 12 - MS Winter Concert, SVS, 7pm
Dec. 13 - Winter Sing Along, WPS, 3:30-4:30pm
Dec. 13 - BS PTO, 7pm, Zoom
Follow Region 12 on our social media channels for updates and information!
The Region 12 community educates, challenges, and inspires all learners to become compassionate, creative, and courageous individuals who are empowered by the knowledge, character, and perseverance to achieve their greatest potential within the global society.
Email: rir@region-12.org
Website: www.region-12.org
Location: 11A School Street, PO Box 386 Washington Depot, CT 06794
Phone: 860-868-6100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shepaug-Regional-School-District-12-153899298123985/
Twitter: @Region12Schools