The Pulse of the Pride

Lyme School Friends,

It has been a quick two weeks. Life at school has been quite busy. Our students are happy and engaged. Our 5th graders had their first small ensemble performance. Our 6th and 7th graders were able to get off campus to Northern Stage for a performance. Our 8th graders were able to visit Hanover High School. And the excitement with an upcoming break is felt in the K-4 classrooms.

As with any break from school, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. Please remember that getting back into the bed time routines a few days before the end of break will yield dividends later for the transition back into school. We always encourage students to get their backpacks ready and lunches made the night before, as these routines can anchor children. Even our smallest children in first and second grade can start these tasks with our help.

You might have noticed that our flagpole has been vacant for quite some time. Our 4th graders will be picking up this important duty as a part of their classroom jobs. Each day two students will raise and lower the flag.

Don't forget to check out the PTO section for a few upcoming events!

The next newsletter will hit your inbox in the New Year on January 5th!

Please remember that school is closed December 22nd - January 2nd. Students will return after the winter break for 8AM on January 3rd.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Happy New Year,

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Dates:

December 4th - Report Cards were Emailed Home

December 22nd - January 2nd - School Closed/No School

January 15th - School Closed/No School

January 23rd - NH Primary

Kirsten Glass made an amazing gingerbread house of our school for the recent Lyme Utility Club Tree Festival. An anonymous bidder/winner of the house wanted us to have it. It is now in the lobby if you'd like to see it!

Keep an ear out or come sing along with our third graders as we do some Winter Caroling around the green! Wednesday 12/20 from 11:20-12:00.

If you hear a knock on the door, it's probably us and we'll love to sing for you!

If you are having trouble, please reach out to Amanda Perry or John D'Entremont.

So far, you should have:

1. Gotten yourself logged in.
2. Received an emergency alert.
3. Double checked your contact information.
4. Completed ALMA Start Registration for this year.
5. Been given instructions to opt in to the Directory. [To opt in to the directory, you can click on the link for “my info” or get there through your profile icon in the top-right corner. You can toggle your visibility in the directory.]
6. Received preliminary information about the standards based report cards.
7. Received a first trimester report card via email on December 4th.

The Lyme School Apparel Store has a variety of apparel and accessories all customizable with a variety of school logos. The Lyme School PTO earns 12% of all sales. Thank you for supporting our school and go Lions! #LYMESCHOOLROCKS

Kati Miller RN BSN: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

Matthew Greenway RN BSN: alternating Weds and coverage as needed

Celeste McCool RN BSN: alternating Weds and coverage as needed

We have entered the season of colds, flu and other viruses. It is a good time for a reminder on what to do when your student is ill.

1. Please notify the Main Office and/or Nurse at nurse@lymeschool.org

2. Students should stay home from school if they have a temperature of 100.4 F or higher and can only return when they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

3. Students should stay home from school when experiencing nausea/vomiting or diarrhea.

4. It is recommended to test for COVID-19 if your student has a fever, sore throat, significant coughing and congestion or runny nose.

Please review the provided links regarding COVID-19 recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC):

• Individuals who are experiencing symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home and follow CDC's recommendations
• Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19

• What to do if you were Exposed to COVID-19

The Health Office has a supply of rapid antigen COVID-19 tests if needed.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping to keep our Lyme School community healthy during this winter season.

Please review the provided links regarding COVID-19 recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC):

• Individuals who are experiencing symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home and follow CDC's recommendations Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19

• What to do if you were Exposed to COVID-19

The Lyme School Nurse's office is here to support you and your child and to promote healthy outcomes for students and staff.

WISE FOLKS!

This week, lower school students had our final WISE lesson with our prevention educator, Emily Cousens. Emily and I are dear friends and actually went through our graduate school program together at Plymouth State University. It was such a treat to share a very special place and special people with another very special person. It is no surprise that the Lyme School students ROCKED it as they showed care, respect, and curiosity during their lessons. Those expected behaviors and positively enthusiastic attitudes helped our classmates learn and grow as we explore all the ways to have healthy, respectful, safe and happy relationships with ourselves and the people in our lives. Thank you again families for your support and thank you Upper Valley WISE as you “share hope and change lives” right here in Lyme and beyond - We feel so fortunate to have you as a resource! We can’t wait to see you next year when we’re all a whole grade older!

Community Connections

Season’s Greetings!

During the holidays, middle school and lower school students join forces to send some winter and holiday cheer to members of the Lyme Community. The town offices (Thanks, Patty!) help out in a big way by sharing names and addresses for our students to make some community connections with letters and pictures. Our middle school, 4th grade, and 5th grade students crafted friendly letters to Lyme folks while our lower school students draw winter scenes to accompany the letter. The magic is in the mail - each picture and letter as unique as the student who created it! We hope this act raises the corners of some Lymie’s mouths as we wish you all a happy holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year!

Winter time can be hard as days are colder and sunlight is shorter - we know that connection is incredibly important for mental and emotional health. This was a great opportunity for students to think about others during this time and send some hope, care, and energy their way. Students typically share their holiday traditions or winter hobbies, as well as a little bit about what it is like to be a student at Lyme School. They also ask community members questions about their holiday traditions or their experience in school. We are fortunate that some of our recipients choose to write back! If you are reading this and receive a letter this month, we hope you choose to, too! The students LOVE it. We are very proud of our Lyme students and fortunate for our Greater Lyme Community who supports their growth and learning every day.

Be well, have a wonderful holiday break and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Mrs. Stanton

The time between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the New Year can be stressful for kids. The holiday season can be hectic and stressful. Activities that seem fun can be anxiety provoking and challenging for some kids. Changes in routines and schedules can be overwhelming. Here are some ways that you can help your child manage their stress during the holiday season.

Manage Stress

One way to help kids manage their stress is by having adults manage their stress. When adults keep their stress low, kids feel a sense of calm. During hectic times take good care of yourself. Get plenty of rest. Uncertainty can be stressful for kids. Plan and share what the school break will look like for your children. Talk about what your child is expected to do and what activities you hope to do during the time off from school. Predictability helps children manage their feelings.

Give your child the tools to work through stress/anxiety.

Even with the best planning and attempts to reduce stress and anxiety there may be times where your child may feel uncomfortable and stressed. Providing your child with some tools to cope may help your child manage their emotions. Tools like focusing on calming breath, counting slowly up to ten and back to one, journaling, drawing, listening to music, reading a book, getting outdoors into fresh air, or having some alone time might be helpful strategies.

Keep Routine

Try to keep bed and meal time schedules similar to the schedules your child has during school. Predictability is important. Let children know when they might be staying up later than normal or eating at a different time. Children need 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Exceptions are ok, but changes in schedules can throw some children off.

Prepare for family and friend time.

The holiday gatherings with family and friends are supposed to bring joy and togetherness. For children, a room full of adults that they may or may not know can be overwhelming and anxiety inducing. Help your child prepare by discussing who will be at the gathering and what the event will look like. Help them plan out things to say or answers to questions that they might be asked. Talk about the last time your child saw some of the people who will be at the gathering. Talk about how people attending the gathering will be excited to learn about the things your child has been doing since the last time they gathered. Remember to allow for quiet times and plan activities that allow children an opportunity to recover and recharge from the high demands of special events.

Have fun!

It is easy to focus on all the “Have to do” during the holiday season. Take time to do fun activities that the family can do all together. Doing something outdoors, reading a book together, watching a movie, or playing a game. Laugh, be silly, and enjoy the break !

Outdoor Clothing

Even though we do not have snow, the temperature is getting colder. We go outside nearly every day. Please send your child to school with proper outdoor clothing i.e., long pants, coats, snow pants, boots, mittens, and a hat. In addition, please include a pair of indoor shoes. Slippers are not adequate as the floors are often wet or muddy from recess traffic. If we have an emergency or drill where we need to go out slippers will not keep feet dry and warm.

December 15, 2023

Need a book to read? Check out an Award Book!

Students in grades K-3 are abuzz with excitement for many reasons this week, including voting for their favorite of the 2023 Ladybug Book Award Nominees. All K-3 Lyme School votes are in and tallied. The results are HERE! We will have to wait until next month to learn the state-wide results! You can browse the 2023 Lyme School Library Catalog List and CFL list of Previous Ladybug Award Winners.

Each school year, all students throughout the state of New Hampshire have the opportunity to read and vote for their favorite books in one of three award categories: Ladybug (Grades K-3), Great Stone Face (Grades 4-6), and Isinglass (Grades 7-8). Links to the library catalog lists for these categories are included throughout! When browsing books on the shelves, you can easily find books nominated in each of the three categories by looking for the award icon on the book spine.

Each year, twenty books are nominated by Children’s Librarians of the New Hampshire Library Association for the Great Stone Face Award. Grades 4-6 have until April to read Great Stone Face Award Nominees. Browse the Lyme School Library Catalog List and read now, vote in April! You can also browse the CFL list of all GSF Award winning books.

The fourth grade read one of the Great Stone Face books together as a read aloud. Here is their compiled book review:

Nominations for Isinglass Award (Grades 7 & 8) come from teens and teachers/librarians around the state throughout the year. The 2024 Isinglass Award Nominees can be found on this Library Catalog List. Voting happens in April. Read now, vote in April! You can also browse the CFL list of all previous Isinglass Award winners.

Please be on the lookout for library books around your space and return items to book drop locations at school or at the library. We send overdue notices periodically. Thank you for your help in returning books, especially as we head into a long break!

We are now 4 months into our first year of our new K-5 reading program, EL Education. Our teachers have become adept at managing the rich resources that came with the new program and have made necessary changes to their routines in reading instruction to make more time for both literature-based instruction and reading skills lessons. The EL Education program comes with “real” books for the classrooms that have engaging science and social studies topics. Here is a list of the topics in each grade of our reading program.

Lots to share! We've had an exciting few weeks!

Kindergarten performed a successful rendition of the Carnival of the Animals last Monday. We had an amazing turn out for the audience!

2nd Graders are well into their Peter and the Wolf rehearsals. The performance will be Friday, January 26th. An official email with more information will go out soon! We're still ISO a few musicians (flute, clarinet in A, oboe, bassoon, horn, violin) please email soleary@lymeschool.org if you'd like to play or pass on the info to someone who might be interested!

5th graders did an amazing job at their Small Ensemble concert last Tuesday. After only three months of practice, our instrumentalists played confidently and impressively. We had a great turn out for that performance and we're all looking forward to their Ensemble Concert in the Spring!

I am thrilled to share some exciting news about how our Lymies represented at the NH First Lego League state championship on Saturday. Both teams impressed the judges with their project presentations and both improved on their scores on the robot game table. We were surprise and excited when our name was called during the closing ceremony and learned that team one (Owen, Elan, Madelyn, Bennett, Jay and Forest) secured a remarkable 3rd place overall for their innovation project (out of 46 teams). Their project focuses on promoting D&D through an engaging promo video that they produced.

Once again, congrats to this crew and if you see them around, please give them a high five or a pat on the back!

Also, I want to express my gratitude to James Ricker, Dave Allen, Pete Roberts and Mike Novello for helping to channel the teams' energy and move the projects along this fall. They were all instrumental in supporting the teams.

The fifth graders have begun to learn the process of belaying on the vertical climbing wall. This annual and traditional rite of passage is not taken lightly, as it involves an incredible amount of trust and responsibility.

Everything from putting on a harness, learning the climbing wall vocabulary, safety protocols, and specific belaying techniques are all implemented to foster a great deal of independence and confidence in students.

Excellent job, fifth graders, who are soaring to new heights in many ways!

Students in the primary grades have been working on the underhand toss. This manipulative skill also serves as a great practice for eye-hand coordination and motor planning.

Using bean bags, students used the skills cues of “ step, tick, tick” to toss a bean bag, aiming for a hoop. Skill cues are words that serve as helpful reminders when practicing a skill. Various sized hoops were placed around the gym and students rotated around to ensure multiple practice opportunities.

The more practice, the better the chance to improve skill.

Recently Emily, an educator from WISE, joined our fifth grade class to lead a lesson on being aware of our senses, what appeals to us in terms of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell and becoming more self aware of the things we like and do not like.

This lesson, although aesthetic, was a precursor to an additional lesson centered on the importance of a healthy relationship with oneself. By learning, knowing, and understanding what our likes and dislikes are, we build an introspective relationship with ourselves and begin to build a foundation of the things that we enjoy and value and that are good for us.

As we teach our students about the importance of forming healthy relationships with others, they must first learn the most important relationship is with oneself.

We are always grateful for WISE, their commitment to helping us reinforce our message that our needs and wants are important and that healthy relationships are a good foundation for positive connections with others.

We have been telling the winter stories, making gnomes and wintery landscapes and snow people. Each grade has been working on this in their way: Kindergarten printed villages with cardboard and legos, first grade made snow people with clay, second grade learned about textiles and made winter banners (looking at Grandma Moses and a spanish tapestry), third grade made coil pots and glazed for the first time, 4th grade sculpted winter gnomes, and fifth grade learned how to shade and animate a digital drawing. We started a new session of Middle School electives and a new group of mixed-grade students is working on understanding the flow and function of clay and its tools in Ceramics Elective. On Friday afternoons, 8th grade will have an art rotation. They spent their first day of Art reading and drawing with kindergarten buddies.

Dear Lyme School Families-

Thank you so much to those who have contributed to the Giving Tree and the Teacher + Staff Appreciation Breakfast and Luncheon these past 2 weeks! It's wonderful to see our small community come together in such a big way!

The PTO has 2 more events coming up this month:

The first is at CCL's Jingle & Mingle on Sunday, December 17th from 3-6 pm. The Lyme School PTO will be organizing the Kid's Holiday Shop for children to come and shop for their loved ones. It will be a kid's only, donation-based shop! All proceeds will benefit the Lyme School PTO.

We are also calling for gift wrapping/shopkeeping/crafting elves of ALL AGES! If you would like to help run the Kid's Holiday Shop or help with the art crafts, please sign up using this Sign-Up Genius or contact us at pto@lymeschool.org.

Our second event is:

The Winter Solstice Celebration + Lantern Walk sponsored by the Lyme School PTO and rePlay Arts!

The Winter Solstice Celebration + Lantern Walk will be a luminous celebration of the Winter Solstice, a time of change and community unity. This event symbolizes hope and togetherness, embracing the beauty of change and the different cultures and traditions that make up our vibrant community. It's a reminder that even in the darkest of times, light can bring us together, guiding us towards hope and renewal. Everyone is welcome to join in this journey of light and community, as we mark the passage of the seasons and the joy of togetherness.

The event will take place on Thursday, December 21st, from 3:30-6:30 pm at the Lyme School.

The schedule of events-

• 3:30-4:30 pm: Lantern making in the Art Room and snacks in the hallway.
• 4-4:30 pm: Music will be played/sung in the Design Lab by musicians from our community, including Lyme School students!
• 4:30 pm: We will begin our walk towards and around the Lyme School field with our lanterns while singing and playing cold-hardy instruments.
• 5/5:30 pm: We will be back at the school to warm up and enjoy each other's company over light refreshments, desserts, and hot beverages. Feel free to jam out until 6:30! Please click here if you would like to sign up to bring something to share or help set up/clean up!

If you have mason jars with rings lying around your house, please bring them to the event as these will be the base of our lanterns, or respond to this email. Extras are also appreciated!

We're looking forward to celebrating with you at one or both of our events! ALL ARE WELCOME!

Lastly, the next Lyme School PT Meeting + Cookie Swap will take place on Wednesday, January 3rd at 7 pm, both virtually and in person. Please email at pto@lymeschool.org for the address of where we'll be meeting in person or for the Google Meet link. As we have a number of events in the works, we appreciate all the help we can get!

Happy Holidays!

Cheers,

The Lyme School PTO

Will take place on December 21st, 2023 if needed at the School.

OUR VALUES

● Fairness ● Acceptance of Others ● Integrity ● Responsibility

● Perseverance ● Individuality ● Compassion ● Courage

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Elise Foxall, Academic Director

Geoff Tomlinson, Student Services Director