Heath Brook School...

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We are pleased to announce the return of BOKS, a before school physical activity program, at Heathbrook Elementary School this fall. BOKS prepares children for a day of learning and is an important step in helping children gain an appreciation of the benefits of exercise and healthy choices that will last a lifetime. BOKS was inspired by Dr. John Ratey’s book “Spark”. Dr. Ratey, of Harvard Medical School, states that “exercise is the single most powerful tool that we have to optimize the function of our brains.” Classes are filled with team-oriented games and provide plenty of opportunity for play, since the program focuses on fun!

Typical BOKS Class

• 30 minutes long

• Fun warm-up game or movement drills

• Running activity, relay races, obstacle courses and strength movements

• Fun game

• Kids will be directed to before school recess and have time to get breakfast before starting their day

Look for more information soon!

Did you know that experts say financial behaviors are already formed by the time a child reaches age 7?

Children Who Have a Savings Account...

 Have greater expectations for education beyond high school

 Have higher employment rates as adults

 Become more financially successful & have less debt as adults

 Develop positive financial behaviors to last a lifetime

At Tewksbury Federal Credit Union, our goal is to help families make smart money choices, strengthen our community, and help our youth achieve future success!

Join our Smart Savers Program, coming to your school this fall!

How it works:

 Savings accounts are offered to students at the start of the school year (watch for our postcard and account application coming home in September!)

 Interested families fill out the account application and return it to school with the student on the 1st scheduled banking date

 TFCU comes to your school twice a month on predetermined dates to collect deposits  Students get to choose a small prize each time they participate

 We’ll offer some additional fun activities and contests throughout the school year Students really love participating, and they learn the important habit of saving money!

From the Superintendent's August newsletter:

We are beyond excited to be moving forward with our plan to implement Standards Based Report Cards in grades K-4. Please click the link below to view the presentation that was shared with School Committee in June to learn more. We are planning a parent information night on October 26, 2023. Please save the date - more details coming soon.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XZZitD-0PU3tWi8CYnaExXG2-9FNu32/view

Did you know that the Massachusetts Legislature has extended funding so that ALL children can get FREE breakfast and lunch? Please take advantage of this opportunity and encourage your child to order and enjoy school meals everyday! Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria beginning at 8:30 am each morning. For more information on our food service program, please click TPS Food Services.

Occasionally we will share an article we find interesting. We may or may not agree with its content - it's simply an opportunity to look at one side of an issue that impacts teaching and learning.

Is Over-Managing Kids Driving Them Crazy?

In this New York Times article, psychologist Camilo Ortiz (Long Island University) and author Lenore Shenazy (Free-Range Kids) describe the increasing protectiveness of U.S. parents, brought on by round-the-clock scary news alerts on cable TV and growing concern about getting kids into good colleges. The result is more adult-supervised activities and indoor screen time and a lot less free-range independence.

“But as kids’ freedom has been going down, their anxiety has been shooting up,” say Ortiz and Shenazy. “While there could be many reasons our kids are suffering, what if the problem was simply that kids are growing up so overprotected that they’re scared of the world? If so, the solution would be simple, too: start letting them do more things on their own.”

To help young people grow up more brave and resilient, Shenazy set up the Let Grow Project. Working with schools, a suggested homework assignment is kids asking parents if they can do something new by themselves (or with a friend): walk the dog, run an errand, make breakfast for the family, ride the bus – anything they are capable of doing but haven’t done yet. The feedback has been very positive: doing these small things builds kids’ confidence and reduces anxiety.

In Ortiz’s therapy sessions with young people with anxiety disorder, he has found the same thing. When he asks what cool things they’d like to do on their own, they follow up and there’s a strangely liberating effect: kids go from saying they are worried most of the time to worrying only a little. The results so far have been better than medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. Ortiz is doing a larger study to get more-definitive results.

“Giving kids more freedom,” conclude Ortiz and Shenazy, “could be the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to give kids back the bounce they’ve lost.”

“To Help Anxious Kids, Give Them More Freedom” by Camilo Ortiz and Lenore Shenazy in The New York Times, September 6, 2023

What makes the difference between wishing and realizing our wishes? Lots of things, of course, but the main one, I think, is whether we link our wishes to our active work. It may take months or years, but it's far more likely to happen when we care so much that we'll work as hard as we can to make it happen. And when we're working toward the realization of our wishes, some of our greatest strengths come from the encouragement of people who care about us.

The Heath Brook School is one of two primary schools that serve students aged three through 7 who learn in preschool through grade 1.

Email: tgerrish@tewksbury.k12.ma.us
Website: www.tewksbury.k12.ma.us/heath-brook
Location: 165 Shawsheen Street, Tewksbury, MA, USA
Phone: 978-640-7865
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathbrooktewksbury