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Heath Brook School...
Information and news from and to the school community
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Library Pages...
We have had a wonderful start to the school year in Library! Your children are so excited to be checking out books and listening to stories.
So far this year we have focused mostly on book care. It may sound simple to you as an adult, but young children need instruction on how to gently turn pages, how to safely store books at home, and how to carefully walk with their books between the library and their classroom.
We recently started a unit on visual literacy where students are challenged to look closely at illustrations to understand the story being told. These are always fun lessons where students realize just how much can be conveyed through simple lines and color.
Kindergarten this week undertook a wonderful project wherein they made cards for hospitalized children. They drew countless beautiful rainbows, hearts, smiley faces - even ocean scenes! - that are sure to brighten other children’s days.
Please continue to help your child remember to bring their library books back on their library day. So far the kids have been doing a wonderful job of remembering!
Happy Fall!
-Mrs. Smallidge
Seal of Biliteracy
Tewksbury Public Schools
Dear Parent or Guardian,
Is your child FLUENT and LITERATE in English and their own home language (or another language)?
An important goal of the Tewksbury Public School District is to adopt the principles of proficiency in World Languages as well as in English for EL students (English Learners). This is a progressive philosophy that is spreading across the nation with the advancement of the Seal of Biliteracy: a movement in which Tewksbury has been proudly participating in since 2018.
By offering the Seal of Biliteracy to our students, we hope to honor the bilingual students in our community as well as to encourage more students to pursue world language proficiency. The Seal of Biliteracy provides nationally recognized evidence to universities and businesses that graduating Tewksbury Public School students have attained this critical 21st-century skill. This not only involves learning another language but learning how to communicate effectively with people from other cultures. This skill is an asset that students can highlight in both college and job applications and preparing for this level of achievement can start at any age or grade.
Even if your child is not currently of high school age, we encourage you to remember and work towards being a participant of this amazing program. Please feel free to reach out to Sra. Dudley (mldudley@tewksbury.k12.ma.us) or Mrs. Hodgson (khodgson@tewksbury.k12.ma.us) for ideas on how to help your child maintain reading/writing skills in the language. For interested high school aged students, who speak a native or heritage language at home and would like to participate in the Seal of Biliteracy, please complete an application form and hand it into Sra. Dudley - Room B-308 of TMHS’ World Language Department or for EL students to Mrs. Hodgson - Room A101. Please check our website: https://tpssealofbiliteracy.weebly.com/ for more information about the Seal of Biliteracy, and to see our award recipients this year and past years (under the section marked “MORE”).
Thank You, Gracias, Merci, Shokran, Dhanyavaad, Xiè xie, Cảm ơn, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigato…
Brenda Theriault-Regan, Superintendent
and
Lori McDermott, Assistant Superintendent
For more information regarding the Massachusetts DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) Seal of Biliteracy: http://www.doe.mass.edu/scholarships/biliteracy/default.html
Free Reading Websites for Kids
- Storyline Online...https://storylineonline.net/
- We Give Books...https://firstbook.org/blog/2014/10/20/we-give-books/
- International Children's Digital Library...http://en.childrenslibrary.org/
- ABCya!...https://www.abcya.com/
- Storynory...https://www.storynory.com/
- Oxford Owl...https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/
The return of BOKS
We are pleased to announce the return of BOKS, a before school physical activity program, at Heathbrook Elementary School this fall. BOKS prepares children for a day of learning and is an important step in helping children gain an appreciation of the benefits of exercise and healthy choices that will last a lifetime. BOKS was inspired by Dr. John Ratey’s book “Spark”. Dr. Ratey, of Harvard Medical School, states that “exercise is the single most powerful tool that we have to optimize the function of our brains.” Classes are filled with team-oriented games and provide plenty of opportunity for play, since the program focuses on fun!
Typical BOKS Class
30 minutes long
Fun warm-up game or movement drills
Running activity, relay races, obstacle courses and strength movements
Fun game
Kids will be directed to before school recess and have time to get breakfast before starting their day
Look for more information soon!
Tewksbury Credit Union - Student Saver Program has begun!
Did you know that experts say financial behaviors are already formed by the time a child reaches age 7?
Children Who Have a Savings Account...
Have greater expectations for education beyond high school
Have higher employment rates as adults
Become more financially successful & have less debt as adults
Develop positive financial behaviors to last a lifetime
At Tewksbury Federal Credit Union, our goal is to help families make smart money choices, strengthen our community, and help our youth achieve future success!
Join our Smart Savers Program, coming to your school this fall!
How it works:
Savings accounts are offered to students at the start of the school year (watch for our postcard and account application coming home in September!)
Interested families fill out the account application and return it to school with the student on the 1st scheduled banking date
TFCU comes to your school twice a month on predetermined dates to collect deposits Students get to choose a small prize each time they participate
We’ll offer some additional fun activities and contests throughout the school year Students really love participating, and they learn the important habit of saving money!
K-4 Standards Based Report Cards
From the Superintendent's August newsletter:
We are beyond excited to be moving forward with our plan to implement Standards Based Report Cards in grades K-4. Please click the link below to view the presentation that was shared with School Committee in June to learn more. We are planning a parent information night on October 26, 2023. Please save the date - more details coming soon.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XZZitD-0PU3tWi8CYnaExXG2-9FNu32/view
Breakfast & Lunch
Did you know that the Massachusetts Legislature has extended funding so that ALL children can get FREE breakfast and lunch? Please take advantage of this opportunity and encourage your child to order and enjoy school meals everyday! Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria beginning at 8:30 am each morning. For more information on our food service program, please click TPS Food Services.
The World According to Mister Rogers - Important Things to Remember
The Challenges of Inner Discipline
When you feel so mad you could bite?
When the whole wide world
Seems oh, so wrong
And nothing you do seems very right?
What do you do? Do you punch a bag?
Do you pound some clay or some dough?
Do you round up friends for a game of tag?
Or see how fast you could go?
It's great to be able to stop
When you've planned a thing that's wrong.
And be able to do something else instead
And think this song:
I can stop when I want to,
Can stop when I wish,
Can stop, stop, stop anytime.
And what a good feeling to feel like this,
And know that the feeling is really mine.
Know that there's something deep inside
That helps up become what we can,
For a girl can be someday a woman
And a boy can be someday a man.
Heath Brook School
Email: tgerrish@tewksbury.k12.ma.us
Website: www.tewksbury.k12.ma.us/heath-brook
Location: 165 Shawsheen Street, Tewksbury, MA, USA
Phone: 978-640-7865
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathbrooktewksbury