North Scituate Elementary School

Over the next few months, students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will take an on-line test of mathematics and English Language Arts proficiency called The Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS). RICAS is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Students in grade 5 will also take the Rhode Island Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA). Teachers and students have been working hard and are prepared!

Visit https://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/Assessment/ResourcesforFamilies.aspx for more information.

Trimester 2 ends on March 13th. Families can expect report cards to be sent out via email on Tuesday, March 25th after school. Progress notes for IEP students will be sent home (hard copy).

As a reminder, if your child is going to be absent please send a note, call the Front Office or email our Secretary at jennifer.foster@scituateschoolsri.net.

Thank you,

Mrs. Soccio

Contact Mrs. Soccio with questions or concerns.

• If your child is going to absent or late to school, please call 647-4110 or email the school secretary.
• Please date notes that are sent to school with students. If you are writing a note about dismissal, please write the full name of the person picking up your child.
• Clearly mark water bottles, lunch boxes, etc. with student's name.
• District Policy requires all parents and school volunteers to maintain a current BCI check and to RENEW all BCI checks yearly prior to volunteering in classrooms/school or field trip activities. Please contact the school office if you are in need of a form and this will be available at Open House.

The National Education Association annually sponsors Read Across America. This year's theme is Celebrate a Nation of Diverse Readers with Story, Sound, and Song. The program's goal is to promote literacy, encourage a love of reading, and build community. It also aims to promote diversity and inclusion.

The nationwide reading celebration takes place each year on or near March 2nd, the birthday of children's author Dr. Seuss. Thousands of schools, libraries and community centers participate by bringing together kids and books. You can too!

We will be reading and celebrating all week with our themed days. See photo below for more details.

For more information about Read Across America, visit: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/read-across-america

Children are using the internet more and more frequently. There are many benefits to using the internet, such as having access to educational programs and tools that help us learn new skills. Children can also stay connected to family members and friends through chat features and games.

But unsupervised use of the internet can put a child at risk. There is harmful content, such as games that get more disturbing as phases are unlocked. There is also user created content on social media that supports harmful behavior, such as disordered eating and self harm.

Children are also at risk through chat features, which would allow them to communicate with unknown children and adults. They may even experience bullying from random players online (through gaming platforms).

Also, the use of prolonged internet is still being researched in regards to its impact on the developing brain of a child.

Here are some tips for safe internet use that you may consider:

• Have your child use their internet enabled devices in a common area.

• Have some rules around internet use and review them with your child. Consider having time limits and let your child know what websites they can visit, games and other features they are allowed to use.

• Make sure your child knows not to share personal information online, including pictures or videos of themselves or friends. If your older child uses social media, consider checking their privacy settings.

• Consider the use of parental controls which limit inappropriate content for your child’s age and check their internet history regularly (as these parental limits are not foolproof in blocking all inappropriate content).

• Prior to downloading new games, consider doing research or reviewing the game yourself before allowing your child to play it. More and more games are being created that appear child friendly and are aimed at children, but have content that is scary or inappropriate for young children.

• Try to support lower stimulation content for your child, such as movies, shows, games that have a slower pace and are not as stimulating.

Shawn Swift

School Social Worker

The SHS Childhood Education Academy visited Kindergarten students at North Scituate last week to teach a lesson on kindness! High school students designed puzzles, a bingo game, and workbooks to help teach elementary students the importance of being kind to others.

Congratulations to Scituate Middle School's Elliana Pagliarini for winning our District Spelling Bee on February 11th. Best of luck in the State Bee this month.

Congratulations to Olivia Slaughter and Emerson Voller, who represented North Scituate Elementary in the district bee. Your North Scituate Community is very proud!

The Boys Indoor Track Team joined us for High Five Friday this past month. Students were eager to start their day with high fives and smiling faces. Thank you to SRO Sgt. Parenti for facilitating and to the team for joining us!

These students completed our Turkey Trot challenge back in November and have patiently waited for their reward. We decided to make it "snow play" extra recess! We all had a great time outside!

Students cashed in their 50 stars to participate in a school wide BINGO with prizes. Thank you to Mrs. Slaughter for organizing this incentive and Ms. Foster for calling all of the cards.

Students can receive these awards given by a faculty or staff member for EXEMPLARY behavior in the following categories: Growth Mindset, Problem Solving, Managing Emotions, Effort, Kindness, and Goal Setting. These categories align with our Social Emotional Curriculum- Second Step.

Have you seen my Kindergarten friends? I am not sure where they went, I only see 100 year old people in these photos! Looks like they are having a great time with their friends and playing math games up to 100.

Students in Mrs. Lancellotta's class are reading by the light of finger flashlights. Their teacher was impressed with their ability to track words as they read.

Our first graders had SO much fun celebrating the 100th day of school. Check out all of the fun activities and stations students went through using 100 of certain things.

On the 100th day of school, students in Mrs. Bettez' class played a race to 100 math game and wrote about what life will be like when the years 100 years old.

Mrs. O'Grady's second grade readers got lost in good books! This crew loves getting lost in a good book and sharing what they are reading about with others.

Third grade students welcomed their families to the building this month to share their nonfiction books about a weather phenomenon. Students selected, researched, wrote, revised, and edited a specific weather phenomenon with others in their class. We are so proud of their hard work and courage to share their work in front of others. Well done!

Students in Mrs. DiLuglio's class are building writing portfolios of their third grade writing. This week they added poetry! We can't wait to see your portfolio at the end of the year!

Mr. McGovern's class played a game where they applied their knowledge about pollination and different pollinators to "grow a garden over two years" as part of their "Circle of Life" science unit.

Grade 5 has begun their American Historical fiction unit. Over the past few weeks, they have been conducting extensive research on the important events from American History. They are using a combination of historical fiction and informational texts to become experts on their preferred time period!

In STEAM, students presented Shark Tank Projects to a panel of judges. Students worked in groups to create a product, logo, slogan, business plan, advertisement for their product, etc. Well done!

Grades 3-5

February was a fun and active month in PE! Students worked on improving their cardiovascular endurance through jump rope activities, starting with the basics and progressing to more advanced skills.

We also introduced two engaging strategy games:

• 3 Ball – A game that required both individual skill and teamwork to develop strategies for success.

• Container Ball – A fast-paced game where students had to divide duties within their teams, emphasizing cooperation and strategic thinking.

Grades K-2

Our younger students stayed active with a variety of movement-based activities:

• Hula Hoops – Students explored different ways to use hula hoops

* Tag games to build cardio endurance while practicing chasing, fleeing, and dodging skills.

• Container Ball – Just like the older grades, our K-2 students played this teamwork-focused game, learning to communicate and collaborate for a common goal.

February was all about movement, strategy, and teamwork! We look forward to more exciting activities in March!

Check out our school nurse's page for updates, information, and more. Please call 647-4110 or email Colleen.McCann@ScituateSchoolsRI.net with any questions or concerns.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 19h 7:30pm

Please email NorthScituatePTO@gmail.com with any questions.

The Scituate School Committee will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, March 4th. All members of the school community are encouraged to attend in person or virtually. The meetings begin at 7 p.m. For more information about meetings, click here.

• 03/04: School Committee Meeting
• 03/13: Trimester 2 ends
• 03/21: Learning Walks (MS/HS/NS)
• 03/25: Trimester 3 Report Cards Sent Home (tentative)
• 03/31 & 04/01: Grade 4 & 5 RICAS ELA Testing
• 04/02-03: Grade 3 RICAS ELA Testing
• 04/09: Dental Screenings
• 04/11: Grade 5 Transition Event at RIC
• 04/14-18: April Vacation- NO SCHOOL
• 04/25: Girls Event @ Cranston Country Club
• 04/27: Boys Event @ Dave & Busters 8:30-11am
• 04/28 & 29: Grade 4 & 5 RICAS MATH Testing
• 04/30 & 05/01: Grade 3 RICAS MATH Testing
• 05/02: Hearing Screenings
• 05/07 & 08: NGSA Testing Grade 5
• 05/09: Spring Picture Day
• 05/19-21: Spring Book Fair
• 05/21: Arts Night 6-7:30pm (tentative)
• 05/26: Memorial Day- NO SCHOOL
• 06/03: Field Day (tentative)
• 06/10: Kindergarten Celebration 9:30am (tentative)
• 06/11: Grade 5 Celebration 9:30am (tentative)
• 06/16: Last Day of School- 1/2 day (date subject to change based on snow days)

Email: kaitlin.soccio@scituateschoolri.net
Website: https://nses.scituateschoolsri.net/
Location: 46 Institute Lane, Scituate, RI, USA
Phone: 401-647-4110
Twitter: @NScituateSchool