Cole Miners' Dig
December 13, 2024
Many thanks to the entire PTO and the PTO President, Mrs. Anne Brennan, for organizing a wonderful Winter Fair this past Saturday morning. There were so many gifts to purchase and activities to do that kept all attendees entertained and joyful! What a festive and fun Cole School tradition!
We are excited to announce that the first trimester elementary report cards are available today in Aspen! This is a wonderful opportunity for you to review your child's progress and celebrate their achievements thus far. As you look over the report cards, we encourage you to engage in meaningful conversations with your child about their strengths and areas for growth. Setting goals for the second trimester can help foster a growth mindset and motivate your child to continue learning and improving. Remember, every student is on a unique journey, and they are continually learning, growing, and working towards mastery of essential skills and concepts. Your support and involvement play a crucial role in their success, and we look forward to partnering with you in this important process!
Each trimester, we send home attendance letters for any student who has six or more absences, tardies, or dismissals (excused or unexcused as all absences are reported in our data). If they have six or more absences, that is equivalent to 10% or more of the first trimester. Any student missing 10% or more of the school year is considered chronically absent. As always, please keep your child home if they are not healthy enough to attend school, but be mindful of the absences where parents have more control (vacations, long weekends, etc). These letters will be in student backpacks this afternoon.
The Lost and Found is right near the main entrance and is full once again. We have purchased some rolling clothes racks to make it easier to see what is there. Please take a look at what has been collected before Friday, December 20th. We will donate the items to charity that afternoon.
The special education teachers with the help of some students will be hosting this month's Community Meeting on Monday, December 16th at 2:30pm. They will focus on the theme of Inclusiveness. Community members are welcome to attend.
Cole School will be presenting at the School Committee Meeting on Monday, December 16th at 7pm at the Norwell Library. We will be presenting "Building Resilience Through Play and Mindful Habits" and highlighting the parent book discussion group this fall, Habits of Mind, and the new Gaga Pit and Big Blue Blocks.
Four new signs were installed yesterday around the Cole School grounds reminding community members and others that the grounds are not accessible during the day while school is in session. Many thanks to our maintenance team for getting these signs and installing them. They should be helpful in reminding local dog walkers, passers by, and residents and non-residents alike that the school grounds are closed to the community during school hours (8:45-3:30).
We continue to focus on the Habit of Mind - Listening with Understanding and Empathy. Here are some ideas taken from Joycelyn Green's website, https://www.childsplayinaction.com/empathy-activities/ to use at home to help build this Habit of Mind with your child(ren):
Play Emotion I Spy
Helping kids name and identify feelings is a powerful gateway into feeling for others. I got this fabulous game from Dr. Aliza Pressman of Raising Good Humans. The idea is that you simply sit on a park bench (or at an outdoor dining establishment!) and observe people’s emotions.
Similar to “I Spy”, you observe and then name the feelings that they see on other people. The other person will try to guess at who the person is “spying”. Maybe a toddler is having a meltdown (“I spy frustration”) or a woman is feeding the pigeons (“I spy kindness”). However it goes, you can spot and name the emotions. Don’t be afraid to use vocabulary that is sophisticated. This will help your child process their own feelings and also strengthens their empathetic muscles.
“Name It to Tame It”
This is a favorite phase in our household. It was coined by Dr. Dan Seigel, a renowned psychiatrist and author. In order to prevent emotions from overwhelming, the first step is to identify them. As we look to build empathy in kids, helping them process their own feelings is a crucial first step.
This week we continued our Paddle Striking Unit for all grades. K-2 used lollipop paddles with either a nerf or plastic ball to practice a set of striking challenges. Grades 3-5 warmed up with a striking movement game called Balloon Dot Challenge. With the goal of learning the fundamental rules of pickleball, students played Toss Ten. Fourth and fifth graders transitioned to using paddles to strike, with control, the ball back and forth over the net.
December
December 16 - Cole School Outreach for School Committee at Norwell Library at 7pm
December 16 - Community Meeting at 2:30pm
December 16 - Shine Brightly Day!
December 17 - You're a Gift Day!
December 17 - Kindergarten Traditions (KF and KG)
December 18 - Mistle Toes Day!
December 18 - Kindergarten Traditions (KM and KD)
December 19 - Character Celebration Day!
December 19 - Grade 4 Winter Solstice Celebration
December 20 - T'was the Day Before Winter Break Day!
December 23 - January 1 - Winter Break
