Bennett News

This week, the fourth grade students in Room 11 had a fun and imaginative challenge: to help a turkey stay safe from the holiday dinner table! After brainstorming and creating a list of supplies, students designed clever disguises to keep their turkeys hidden from sight. Each student will now write a poem from the turkey's point of view, describing how they plan to blend in and avoid being caught. The lesson has been full of humor and creativity, and the students have enjoyed demonstrating their artistic and writing skills in this festive, turkey-saving adventure!

Over the past three weeks, select first graders teamed up with third-grade buddies for an exciting enrichment activity on invasive species. Every day, the buddy pairs came together to explore and research a chosen invasive species. They discovered fascinating facts, including where the species originally came from, how it spread to new regions, the impact it has on the environment, and much more. The project wrapped up with a gallery walk, where our young researchers proudly presented their findings to their classmates. It was a wonderful opportunity for collaborative learning.

In a recent math lesson, second grade students used base 10 cubes and other hands-on manipulatives to dive deeper into solving story problems (formerly known as word problems.) By physically modeling the problems, students were able to better visualize the scenarios and understand what the question was asking. With the manipulatives, they identified the best operation—whether addition, subtraction, or another method—to find the solution. This interactive approach helped reinforce their problem-solving skills and made tackling story problems more engaging and fun!

We are in need of volunteers to ensure the book fair runs smoothly. One hour time slots are available. Please choose as many or as few as you would like. Any amount of time is greatly appreciated. All volunteers must have a CORI in good standing with Bennett. If you are not sure if you have a current CORI, please reach out to Mrs. Patenaude in the main office. The book fair will also be open during parent / teacher conferences on Wednesday, November 20 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM and Thursday, November 21 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. It would be great to have some extra help during those times as well. Register for a time slot at Book Fair Volunteer Sign-ups.

Due to Parent Teacher Conferences, Bennett will have an early release day this Thursday, November 21. Students will be dismissed at 12:30 PM. If your child rides the bus home, please make sure to have a known adult waiting for them when they arrive at their assigned bus stop. For parent pick-ups, be sure to send a note to school if someone different than usual will be dismissing your child.

This year, we will be scheduling opportunities for parents to meet with teachers on Wednesday, November 20 between 4PM - 6PM, and Thursday, November 21 between 1PM - 3PM. If you have not signed up for a conference appointment, please contact your child's teacher directly to see what time slots are still available.

This coming Friday, November 22, will be a school spirit day at Bennett Elementary. All students and staff are encouraged to wear Bennett gear to show off their school pride. If you don't have any, that's no problem. Just wear the color red on that day.

Bennett and the other Taunton Public Schools will be closed Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29 for Thanksgiving break. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2.

With the unpredictable nature of the New England weather, we encourage parents to dress their children in layers that can be added or removed to accommodate variations in temperature and conditions. Please note that students will go outside for recess most days of the year. Thank you.

Even the tidiest of kids will misplace items from time to time. Parents are encouraged to label all backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, jackets, sweatshirts, and other miscellaneous belongings with their child's first and last names. If we know who lost items belong to, we can return them to their rightful owners.

We’re excited to invite parents to join the Bennett Elementary School Facebook group, managed by BES administrators. This private group will showcase highlights of lessons, activities, and events happening at school. It’s a great way to stay connected and celebrate the wonderful things our students are learning and experiencing. Parents can request to join by searching for the page online or by using the SKU code provided.

If your child misses school for any reason, please contact the main office. Absences may be excused for medical appointments with a note from the doctor's office. Notes can be sent in to your child's teacher or faxed/emailed directly to the main office.

The BES Health Office is here to support the well-being of all our students. Our school nurse, Christine Kimball, oversees the Health Office and is dedicated to providing care for every student during the school day. This includes managing chronic health conditions, illnesses, and any injuries that may occur. She can be contacted at (508) 821-1245 or ckimball@tauntonschools.org.

Reminders about Student Health and Wellness:

• Please share any changes to your child's prescription medications with the nurse
• If a child is absent for five or more consecutive days, a written note from your child’s health care provider may be required for re-entry to school.
• If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or more, diarrhea, or vomiting, he/she cannot return to school until they are fever/symptom free for 24 hours without the use of fever/symptom reducing medicine (Tylenol, Motrin etc.)

The Bennett PTO is a group of parents, teachers, and administrators working together to help supplement the educational offerings at BES by planning, coordinating, and running special events and fundraisers. The group is always looking for new members and volunteers. If you would like to take a more active role in supporting the school community, please consider joining. The next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, December 3, at 6 PM in the BES cafeteria.