Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the start of school and this year is no different. We had a wonderful opening and in a lot of ways school feels "normal". The energetic buzz is back and classrooms are fully engaging. The biggest adjustment from last year is that students are moving much more throughout the building. These built-in movement breaks have proven to be a beneficial part of the school day. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this year's challenges around the pandemic.

I hope everyone has had a nice transition back to school. Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and academic performance. The transition from summer to school can be difficult for both children and parents. Here are a few suggestions to help ease the transition and promote a successful school experience.

• Reestablish bedtimes and school routines.This will help students from becoming overtired or overwhelmed by schoolwork and activities.

• Select a spot to keep backpacks and lunch boxes. Designate a spot for your children to place their school belongings as well as a place to put important notices and information sent home for you to see.

• Make lunches the night before school. Older children can help or make their own lunches.

• Set alarm clocks. Have school-age children set their own alarm clocks to get up in the morning.

• Leave plenty of extra time. Make sure your children have plenty of time to get up, eat breakfast and get to school on time.

• Prepare for after school. Review with your children how they will be getting home after school either pick up or bus and review who will be home when they get off the bus.

• Let your child know you care. If your child is anxious about school, send a little note in their lunch box or backpack. Let them know it is natural to be a little nervous anytime they start something new. Reassure them that they will be fine. Young children in particular may experience separation anxiety. If you drop them off, try not to linger. Reassure them that they are safe and will be okay. Tell them you will think about them during the day and will be back. Remain calm and positive.

Give your child time to adjust to their new teachers and classmates. If your child appears to be having difficulty adjusting as time goes on, please feel free to contact me.

Mrs. Schiappa, MA, CAGS

School Psychologist

*Information provided by the National Association of School Psychologists. (2017). Back-to-School transitions: Tips for parents. Bethesda, MD K. Cowan & T. Feinberg, EdD, NCSP

We are happy to announce that our 2021-2022 Student Council were elected in September. Candidates in fourth and fifth grade wrote speeches and read them to their classmates. After the voting process, we're pleased to announce twelve students were elected to represent their class on Student Council. These students will coordinate school events such as spirit days, fundraisers, and food drives. In addition, they will be assigned to a classroom to serve as a room helper throughout the year. Congratulations to our student leaders!

As you may know, students are assessed periodically throughout the year using a variety of assessments. These assessments are designed to assist us in better understanding our students' strengths and making instructional decisions to meet the needs of our students.

Hope School teachers have wrapped up these fall assessments. Staff members met this past week to analyze the data and create instructional groupings designed to provide targeted skill instruction to students with similar strengths and needs. The results of these assessments will be communicated to parents. Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Pictured here is our grade five data team discussing fall assessments. American Reading Coach Mariah joined the conversation, as well.

We are excited to expand the American Reading Company Core curriculum to all grades, K-8! ARC Core is a basal alternative designed to turn balanced literacy into transformative literacy for both students and teachers. ARC Core is organized into thematic units that carefully structure a project-based learning process that ensures students participate in complete extensive reading (both as a class and independently), multiple extended writing projects, and daily practice discussing both ideas and texts with peers.

A key component of the program is the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA), which is a tool that works with every student, at any reading level. The IRLA delivers specific and actionable data that tells the teacher where a student is, why, and the sequence of skills/behaviors she needs to learn next to accelerate her reading growth.

Check out Ms. Barlow's kindergarteners "yellow-level" readers working to build their reading stamina...

During the month of October students will participate in activities to educate all children and raise awareness about bullying. Hope School will participate in Unity Day on October 20th by wearing orange, together against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

**Parents are encouraged to contact Hope teachers or Ms. Morel directly with any concerns related to bullying. Your child's safety and well being is a top priority for all Hope staff members. Educated students, parents, and staff members, as well as open communication and solution-focused intent is key to combating bullying!

Students in K-5 are fully immersed in the Choose Love curriculum! Students participate in a weekly lesson rooted in one of the four Units: Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness and Compassion in Action; all part of the Choose Love Formula. This month students are learning all about courage.

The Choose Love calendar is linked below. It is our hope that this learning and small steps you can take daily is helpful for our Hope families to complete at home.

Each week, staff members submit a Positive Office Referral for a student who has gone above and beyond in areas including hard work, cooperation, responsibility, and attitude. These students are recognized school-wide and then get to bring their Positive Office Referral home. The goal of the program is to validate the positive behavior going on throughout the school while building an even stronger partnership with our families.

Oct. 5th - Clayville Flu Clinic

Oct. 6th - Hope Flu Clinic

Oct. 5th - Scituate School Committee Meeting

Oct. 8th - PD Day (Asynchronous Day for Students)

Oct. 11th - Columbus Day (NO SCHOOL)

Oct. 13th - PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Oct. 14th - North Scituate Flu Clinic

Oct. 23rd - PTA's Trunk or Treat

Oct. 30th - Rain Date for Trunk or Treat

Nov. 11th - Veterans' Day (NO SCHOOL)

Nov. 24th-26th - Thanksgiving Break

Email: dana.morel@scituateschoolsri.net
Website: https://hope.scituateschoolsri.net/
Phone: (401) 821-3651
Twitter: @dana_morel

The Scituate School Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, religion, national origin, color, creed, political affiliation or disability in any of its educational programs and activities, and in employment and application for employment, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and other federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Equal Employment Officer, P.O. Box 188, North Scituate, Rhode Island 02857, Telephone: (401) 647-4100; Email: EEO@ScituateSchoolsRI.net. You may also direct inquiries directly to: Office for Civil Rights (Boston Office), U.S. Department of Education, 8th Floor, 5 Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109-3921, Telephone: (617) 289-0111; Facsimile: (617) 289-0150; Email: OCR.Boston@ed.gov. If you require an accommodation to attend a meeting or program at a school, call the Equal Employment Officer at least two business days in advance of the meeting or program.