Mrs. Leake, one of our fearless building substitutes, channeled her best "elf on a shelf" to help create our new student work display in the Main Entrance!

As we shared briefly in our Open House presentation, RULER is one of the resources we use to support students' social-emotional learning and intelligence. We wanted to take the opportunity to share more information in this week's newsletter!

The RULER social-emotional program is an evidence-based approach and curriculum to help children develop emotional intelligence skills. It teaches children how to recognize and regulate their emotions, understand the emotions of others, and communicate effectively.

What is RULER?

RULER is a social-emotional learning program developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. It stands for Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions. The program is designed to teach children the skills they need to recognize and manage their emotions effectively.

Why is emotional intelligence important?

Emotional intelligence is a critical skill for success in life. It helps children develop healthy relationships with others, make good decisions, and cope with stress and adversity. Research has shown that children who have strong emotional intelligence skills are more likely to be successful in school and in their personal lives.

What does the RULER program involve?

The RULER program includes a variety of activities and lessons designed to teach children the five key emotional intelligence skills. These activities may include games, role-playing exercises, and discussions about real-life situations. The program is typically implemented in the classroom, but parents can also reinforce the lessons at home.

How can parents support their children's emotional development?

Parents can support their children's emotional development by modeling healthy emotional behavior, talking to their children about their emotions, and encouraging their children to express themselves in healthy ways. They can also reinforce the lessons their children are learning in the RULER program by discussing emotions and problem-solving with their children at home.

Overall, the RULER program is a valuable tool for helping children develop emotional intelligence skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. By working together we can help children learn to recognize and regulate their emotions, communicate effectively, and build healthy relationships with others.

More opportunities to learn about RULER will be coming throughout the year!

If you'd like a more detailed overview, you can check out the presentation below.

One of the core RULER tools is a Charter. The Classroom Charter helps create the positive, supportive social-emotional environments that we know are best for learning. The Charter is like a promise we make to one another, or an agreement.

The Charter describes how we want to feel at school and what we can do to ensure that everyone has those feelings more consistently. Everyone has a voice in its creation and plays an active role in bringing it to life. The Charter is considered a “living” document – meaning once it’s created, teachers and students make a habit of checking-in with the Charter throughout the school year; the “Charter Check-in” is a Core Routine that is woven throughout the week.

All of our classrooms start the year by creating their own unique Charters. Here are questions and ways you can talk about the Charter with your child(ren):

• How do you want to feel when you are at school?
• Who created your Charter?
• What feeling words are included on your Charter?
• How can you help your classmates feel they ways you've included on your Charter?
• What happens when people are not behaving in ways that match your Charter?
• What is one way you upheld your classroom Charter today?
• If we had a Charter for our family, what words would you include on it?

In addition, check out the resource below for an "At Home" activity that guides you through the creation of a family Charter!

We are thrilled to introduce a new math website designed to support your child's learning at home. This resource includes helpful information on improving math skills, assistance with homework, and family letters from our math curriculum.

We would love to hear your thoughts and any suggestions on how we can better assist you at home. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Each year the PTO coordinates a Student/Family Directory. This is OPTIONAL but, if you would like your child's address/phone number/e-mail included please fill out the Google Form below.

*NOTE: A separate form for each child in the family will need to be completed.

Teachers/Administrators/Staff are NOT allowed to give out this information so, this is a great way to be able to schedule play dates, birthday parties, etc.

This form will be open for submissions until October 14, 2024. At that time, the form will be closed and the family directory will be put together and distributed electronically to all Eli Terry Families. The form will then re-open again at the beginning of January 2025 for any new submissions and be re-published.

Any Questions? Please reach out to sweliterrypto@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Mrs. Hahn's class takes a sunny day "smart walk" on our outdoor sensory path!

Mrs. Hammer and Julianna Connor were twinning in their axolotl gear!

Riley, one of our ET therapy dogs, made her first visit of the school year! Miss Delvecchio's and Mrs. Bowden's class received a VIP classroom visit because they had 100% of their therapy dog permission slips turned in!

Second graders in Mrs. Glasser's class enjoyed playing "Race to $1" with a partner!

The whole second grade came together to make promises with their hands to contribute positively to their classroom community Charters. As a grade level they shared the words on their Charters and talked about the words they noticed were the same and which where different. They also read Our Class is a Family!

Kindergartners in Mrs. Botticello's class learned how to partner read this week...

"Hip to hip, knee to knee, book in the middle so we both can see!"

Eli Terry will be welcoming the Scholastic Book Fair during the week of October 15th!

There are many volunteer opportunities available throughout the week and we'd love for you to be part of it! Sign-up directly at this registration link and be sure to complete the district's "volunteer registration" form.

For additional information about the book fair, stop by the fair website - there's great information about what books will be featured at this fair, as well as how to set-up your student's electronic payment option (the very popular eWallet)!

THANKS to the success of our fairs over the last few years, we ensure that no child leaves the book fair empty-handed. Also returning this year is Family Night on Thursday, October 17 - stay tuned for more information!

Any questions, contact the Eli Terry PTO via email or on our Facebook page.

PTO Meeting (virtual and in-person) - Wednesday, September 25th, 7-8PM (see flyer above!)

PTO Movie Night - Friday, September 27th, 7-9PM

NO SCHOOL - Rosh Hashanah - Thursday, October 3rd

PTO Night at Hartford Athletics - Saturday, October 5th, 7PM

Fall Picture Day - Friday, October 11th

STEM Night - Thursday, October 10th, 6:30-7:45PM

NO SCHOOL - Indigenous Peoples Day - Monday, October 14th

Fall Scholastic Book Fair - Tuesday, October 15th - Friday, October 18th

Please note: All events can easily be added to your own Google Calendars by clicking the blue hyperlink above! We don't want you to miss a thing!

Throughout the year, you may miss something and want to easily access a previous week's newsletter. Thanks to YOUR feedback, we've made that easy. You'll be able to just click the links below! We've included the last few weeks of newsletters here.

Week of 9/13

Week of 9/6

Week of 8/30

Welcome Back to School (sent August 9th)

If you would like access to ALL previous newsletters you can find them here!