Crescent Lake Connection
Newsletter of Crescent Lake School: Issue 6 - Nov. 20, 2023
Giving Thanks
In the month of November, our monthly theme at school is service and selflessness. We began this month with our annual canned food drive that benefits the Life Ministries Food Pantry. Together as a school community, our Student Council collected and donated 1,131 items to the Food Pantry. This is something to celebrate! We recognized Veterans Day earlier this month; we will continue to recognize the dedication to service from those who served our country when Wreaths Across America visits our school after Thanksgiving. This has been a great month for learning and working together!
I am particularly thankful for our staff and parents working together for our students. Watching parent/guardian conferences taking place this month felt very powerful this year. Teachers and staff had the time to get to know your child which made the conversations with you as parents, guardians, and caregivers that much more meaningful and impactful. We are all looking forward to seeing growth and achievement from our students as a result of working together as a team. If you have not been able to hold your parent/guardian conference yet, please contact the main office so we can help connect you with your child's teacher.
Bookmark and visit our school website often for information: https://www.crescentlakeschool.org/ and follow us on Instagram: clsotters You can always reach me by email at bbeaverstock@sau49.org or by calling 603-569-0223.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!
Yours in learning,
Brian Beaverstock
Principal
"Those who are the happiest are those who do the most for others." ~ Booker T. Washington
Upcoming Events at Crescent Lake School
Tuesday, Nov. 21: Fall Festival at Crescent Lake School
Tuesday, Nov. 28: Drama Club begins at CLS - students need to have received information from Mrs. McGuire
Wednesday, Nov. 22: Friday, Nov. 24: No School - Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, Nov. 29: Wreaths Across America at Crescent Lake School
Saturday, Dec. 2: Kingswood and Kids Program starts, 9-10:30 am at Kingswood Middle School gym
Thursday, Dec. 7: Holiday Concert: Jazz Band, 4/5/6 Chorus and 5/6 Band, 6:30 PM at the Kingswood Arts Center SAVE THE DATE!
Friday, Dec. 8: PTO Holiday Family Fun Craft Night, 5:30-7 PM
Friday, Dec. 8: Grades close for Trimester I
Monday, Dec. 11: PTO mtg at CLS, 6 PM in the CLS Library
Friday, Dec. 15: Trimester I Report Cards emailed home to families
🦃🦃🦃 👉 No school Wed, Nov. 22 to Fri, Nov. 24 for Thanksgiving Break👈🦃🦃🦃
Fall Festival at CLS Tuesday, Nov. 21 - Be Ready!
🍂Tomorrow is the Fall Festival at CLS! All students will be participating with their Otter Family Teams in cooperative team building activities and events. Mrs. Skelley has done an amazing job at once again organizing this fun schoolwide event! 🍂
Please make sure your otter is ready by being dressed in layers--including a hat and gloves-- as we will plan to be outside throughout the morning. Sneakers are required. In addition, please pack your child a change of socks (and maybe a change of shoes if you have them!) in case they have wet feet when we get inside. Students should bring a reusable water bottle to carry around with them from one activity to the next. We are looking forward to a great day with all students showing the Otter Way!
Thank you to those families who purchased wreaths through our recent 4th grade fundraiser.
Wreaths will be available for pickup at Crescent Lake School on Monday, November 27, from 3-5 pm.
We are looking for volunteers to help organize and distribute the wreaths on this date. If you are available to help, please contact Brittany McGuire at bmcguire@sau49.org Thank you!
The fifth grade is raising money now for the end of year Ecology School trip. The funds raised through this fundraiser will help offset the bus cost as well as provide scholarships for students.
If you're going to be doing some shopping for the holidays, anyway, check it out! It's not just wrapping paper; there are a lot of other items available! Use this link to shop: Charleston Wrap
The Wreaths Across America mobile education exhibit will be visiting Wolfeboro after Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, Nov. 29, the mobile exhibit will be in the CLS upper parking lot and students will be able to visit and tour the exhibit.
The exhibit represents the TEACH pillar of the Wreaths Across American mission, sharing information about the veterans and those who serve our country, and how everyone can play a part in remembering and honoring them.
Be sure to ask your child about their experience and reflection from this exhibit!
Attention All Families - Additional Help for Free/Reduced Qualifying Families
If you or someone you know has a child who received free or reduced prices last year, you may be able to get $120 in P-EBT benefits. Many families qualify. Very few have claimed this benefit in NH. Not spam. This is real.
Who is eligible?
If your child received free or reduced price school meals in 2022-2023 you are eligible!
What to I have to do?
Already enrolled in SNAP? You will receive P-EBT in November on your SNAP card.
Not receiving SNAP but your kids were eligible for free-reduced meals? Go to nheasy.nh.gov ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 30 2023 to complete a brief application.
Once approved, a P-EBT card will be mailed for use at any participating food retailer.
#foodsecurity #putfoodonthetable #everybithelps #yourtaxdollarsyourbenefit #foodaccess #snap #EBTcard #costofgroceries #freereducedlunch
Qualifying families must complete this process by November 30, 2023 in order to receive this benefit.
Kingswood N' Kids is a mentoring program under the direction of KRHS teachers that matches high school student mentors with Crescent Lake students by providing time and programing, crafts, and cooperative games. Students do not need to attend every program date; come for one and try it out or come for all and have some fun!
Kingswood N' Kids will begin Saturday, December 2, and runs from 9-10:30 AM at the KRMS Middle School gym.It is very important for parents to pick up their child on time at 10:30 AM.
2023-2024 Program Dates for Kingswood N' Kids
December: 2nd, 9th, 16th
January: 6th, 13th, 27th
February: 3rd, 10th, 17th
March: 9th, 16th, 23rd
There is no cost to this program....only benefits to all involved!
The PTO Holiday Family Craft Night will be held on Friday, December 8th, from 5:30-7:00 PM at CLS. The cost for the event is $3 per person or $10 per family. Every attendee will receive a cup of hot cocoa, a gingerbread cookie to decorate, opportunity to create many crafts as gifts for family members, and enjoy a fun evening with family and friends. There will also be gift basket raffles for parents and guardians to try to win.
The PTO Holiday Family Craft Night is going to be a fun night filled with holiday cheer....we hope to see you there!
Reach out to Mrs. Rapoza with any questions about the Pass Night at Gunstock or our Winter Sports Program at crapoza@govwentworth.k12.nh.us
CLS Delivers on Selflessness
Our Student Council led a food drive at the beginning of the month. We collected 1,131 items as a school! Congratulations to Ms. Evans 6th grade class for winning the Golden Can award for donating the most Thanksgiving food items to the collection.
Fun Times Together
Last Thursday, CLS students were treated by a visit from the Harlem Triksterz. Students had fun watching and participating in some games and hearing some inspirational words from Kevin "Showboat" Jackson: Do good for others and make good choices!
Ottersbots are a Masterpiece!
Our CLS Otterbots Robotics team brought home the CORE Values trophy from their recent District Competition held at KRHS. The Otterbots will now move to the State Competition level! Congratulations!
Are you raising a child who is not biologically yours? Are you a grandparent or other relative caregiver? Are you looking for support from others who understand your situation and similar circumstances? Are you interested in learning about resources available in your community?
Join us at the Kinship Support Group!
3rd Tuesday of each month at the Conway Public Library from 9:15-10:15 AM
and
3rd Wednesday of each month at the First Congregational Church of Ossipee from 1:30-2:30 PM.
Fourth Grade News & Update
Thank you for taking the time to meet with us during parent-teacher conferences. It was great to sit down and talk about your child's progress this year! In the weeks since we've met, fourth graders have been hard at work.
In math, fourth graders are working on the early skills needed to do multiplication and division with larger numbers. This includes exploring how a place value chart and area model can help us understand the relationship between numbers. This is also the time when mastering math facts becomes a crucial skill! If your child has access to a device, Reflex Math is a great way to practice these facts at home. To login, go to www.reflexmath.com and use the usernames bmcguire1213 for 4M and 4alessandroni for 4A.
In literacy, we're working on building the skills great readers use, particularly making inferences as we read. We started this process with pictures and short video clips and have now moved onto text passages. We're also working on how to take good notes when researching as we learn about natural landmarks of New Hampshire. In spelling, 4-McGuire has just finished all ending blends (like -lp, -ft, -nt, etc). In 4-Alessandroni, they've just finished learning the Sammy Rule, which says that when you have a one-syllable word with a short vowel that ends in l, s, f, or z, you double it (-ll, -ff, -ss, -zz).
In science and social studies, we are wrapping up our study of weathering and erosion with our first major project! Fourth graders have chosen a natural landmark in New Hampshire to research and create a brochure about. Students have been very engaged as they have researched and crafted their final products!
Finally, thank you for sending your child with appropriate clothing each day. As it gets colder, hats and mittens and warmer jackets will be helpful. Once the snow flies, fourth graders will need boots and snow pants to enjoy the fields and playground. Thank you for your help with this! Happy Thanksgiving!
CLS Chorus & Band Trip to Boston
GWRSD Strategic Planning Committee Wants Your Voice!
The GWRSD Strategic Planning Committee is looking for feedback on how we can improve our schools. Please take a few minutes to answer a short survey and share your voice.
Thank you!
The first trimester interim reports have been sent home to all families - but know that you can always access and view your child's progress throughout the trimester and school year by accessing JumpRope.
JumpRope is the grading program that our teachers use to track and record student progress towards our grade level curriculum standards. Attached to the link below is a brief overview of what JumpRope is and how it works for the parent/guardian viewpoint. All parents/guardians should have received a welcome email to log in the JumpRope system. Our Curriculum Director, Dr. Katey Hills, is in the process of creating a series of short videos on various features of JumpRope and competency-based grading that will be posted and shared in the coming weeks. If you have not received the welcome email and login information, please reach out to our Dr. Hills at khills@sau49.org
At the end of each trimester of school, we will be presenting students who have earned a 3.0 or higher in all Work Habits in the summary section of their report card the Otter Pride Award. Families can track their child's progress towards earning the Otter Pride Award by logging into JumpRope.
Upcoming PTO Meeting
The next meeting of the Crescent Lake PTO is set for Monday, December 11 at 6 PM at Crescent Lake School. We will be reviewing our Holiday Craft event and begin working on plans for upcoming events and support of the school in 2024. Please join us!
CLS Robotics Team Success at District Competition
The Otterbots Robotics Team competed this past Saturday at the District First Lego League competition held at Kingswood Regional High School. The Otterbots won the Core Values Award and will be moving on to the state level competition held at Windham High School on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Congratulations to our coaches Mrs. Custeau and Mr. McCafferty and to the entire team for their problem solving skills and collaborative work! Way to go Otterbots!
District Grading System Updates
Our district has made some changes to how grades are tabulated in the online Jump Rope grading system. Please view the letter attached through the link below, visit the Curriculum Instruction and Assessment page on our district website often for updates and information, and reach out with any questions. Thank you!
We can't wait to start working together on this year's production!
Winter Recess and Lost & Found
The winter is fast approaching and weather can change drastically between morning drop-off and recess time. Please help your child be ready for recess by having them prepared and wearing layers of clothing, winter hats, mittens or gloves, and winter boots. When the snow begins, all students must be wearing the Frosty Five (Hat, gloves/mittens, winter coat, snow pants, and snow boots) in order to sled or play in the snow.
Coincidentally, our Lost & Found table has expanded drastically in the last month. Is your child missing a sweatshirt, jacket, or even a lunch box? Your child's missing items can very well be on our Lost & Found table located between the main office, the gym, and the Dining Room. In order to help losing items, please label your child's items - especially jackets - so we can help get them to the rightful owner.