September Parent Newsletter
From the desk of Dr. DiTullio, Principal
Principal's Corner
Summer is officially over, and we are ready to welcome your children back to school. The classrooms are set up and ready to provide a rich and challenging curriculum for each and every student. We were so excited to see all of those smiling faces on day 1! I hope you follow the RCSD on social media because they love to highlight the many things that we are doing here at School 46.
This year, we are building on the successes of last year. Students worked hard and showed tremendous growth. We are continuing our monthly Parliament Meetings, SOAR awards, and Super Improver awards. We have added house points. The way this will work is that each grade level is paired with another in a "house". Think Harry Potter, but our houses are just colors. Pre-K and K are in the green house, as they are our youngest learners and are just learning how to be in school. Grades 1 and 4 are paired in the purple house. Grades 2 and 5 are paired in the black house. Grades 3 and 6 are paired in the blue house. House points will be awarded when student are following the school rules, wearing their uniforms to school, demonstrating kindness, respect, and responsibility, and when they stay safe. We are teaching and reinforcing clear expectations for behavior. The goal is twofold. First, we are hoping to bring a little more cohesiveness and build a stronger sense of community between our primary and intermediate grades. Second, we are attempting to focus on the positive, expected behaviors, rather than focus on consequences for negative behavior. This is in line with the RCSD restorative practices initiative. Houses will compete for the House Cup. The House Cup will be awarded to the house with the most points each month. We also plan to have each house attend the Warrior Factory in November for a teambuilding session.
Uniforms
We continue to be a uniform school. I have been less strict about that in the last few years because I was being considerate of the financial burden on families. We have many new and gently used uniforms here at school. If you are in need of uniforms, please call the main office and ask for Mr. McCloud or Mr. Feeney. Please indicate what sizes you need in both pants/shorts/skirts and shirts.
Field Trips
We are sending home one general field trip permission form this year. If you give your child permission to attend field trips with the class, please sign it and return it. That form should be in your child's backpack. If you need one, please call the main office.
Updated Emergency Information
It is crucial that we have the correct information to reach you in the event of an emergency. Also, please make sure that we have the correct information on file for anyone and everyone you give permission to pick up your child. If you send someone who is not in our system as having your permission, I will not release the student. This is district policy. You can update your information by stopping by the main office and speaking to Mrs. Fink.
After School Enrichment Clubs
We will once again be offering after school enrichment for our students. Clubs will begin mid-October. You will be receiving more information about the club offerings in the coming weeks, so look for that information on Dojo and on take-home fliers.
We are so excited to see what amazing things your children accomplish this year! Thank you for sharing them with us. It is such an honor to be a part of this caring school community.
From Mr. Feeney (school counselor) and Mrs. Eck (school social worker)
We are very excited to begin the school year and work with your children to support them throughout the year! A focus of our work, from the first day of school until the last, is supporting the development of executive functioning skills. Throughout the school year, the Second Step curriculum for social-emotional learning will be incorporated into lessons for each classroom.
The five components of Second Step SEL instruction are: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Developing executive functioning skills is embedded within the Second Step curriculum.
Executive functioning is the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember, and juggle multiple tasks. These skills support the development of social skills and academic growth. Learning executive functioning skills are part of the process of growing and maturing. As children meet developmental milestones, they learn and develop new executive functioning skills.
Some executive functioning skills are not yet able to be achieved depending on developmental stage of the child. For example, a four-year-old will not have the same working memory or self-control as an eight-year-old. A common goal for a five-year-old is to develop the ability to have patience and take turns. The Second Step curriculum will teach skills specific to each grade level to support your child’s social-emotional development. This is broken down into four categories: growth mindset, emotion management, empathy, and problem solving. Below, you will be able to see our guide for the upcoming school year. We appreciate your support of our work and ask that you reach out to us with any questions.
