Hope Happenings

Wow, has October flown by! It has been filled with so many highlights -- our curriculum is running full steam ahead and the students are so invested in their learning. In addition, October has been packed full with spirit days to raise money for community organizations and awareness days to learn about citizenship and respect!

On behalf of all staff and students at Hope Elementary School, I would like to recognize the dedication of our PTA members and parent volunteers. With the support of Hope families, the PTA covers the costs of admission and buses for field trips, special classroom supplies, assemblies, and much more. Our PTA also plans events that create meaningful and special memories for our students. To date, they have sponsored and coordinated our Trunk or Treat, and are currently busy planning our annual Turkey Trot and Winter Holiday Snowflake Shop. The school community looks forward to a continued partnership with the best and most supportive parent group around!

As always, I encourage you to reach out with any suggestions, questions, or concerns.

Becca Toomey, Principal

rebecca.toomey@scituateschoolsri.net

As we enter fall and winter, it is important that your child is dressed appropriately for school. Students will be going outside for recess with temperatures 28 degrees or above. Please ensure your children are dressed for these conditions, and have a sweatshirt or jacket in their backpacks.

The 2024-2025 school year marked the fourth administration of the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) for students in grades 3-8 post-Covid. Although we know test scores are only one measure of student performance, the results give teachers, students, and families information about student progress, school performance, and how to improve teaching and learning.

Hope Elementary School's Results:

• ELA- percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 29.3%
• Math - percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 35.9%
• Science (NGSA) - percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 40%

We have much to be proud of and this information provides a spotlight on areas to further improve. As a district, we will continue to focus on improving curriculum in all areas, especially mathematics and literacy. Next steps include a data analysis with grade-level teams and our School Improvement Team resulting in action steps and plans that focus on improving individual student achievement.

*Individual RICAS student reports were sent home in your child's backpack in October.

*Click on the link below to access the RI Department Of Education's Assessment Data Portal to view results by district or school. I suggest using the Interactive Reports tab to view results*

On October 16th, Hope students participated in Unity Day. Students wore orange, showing that we are together against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Our students raised over $100 to donate to a Scituate family in need!

Hope Elementary students participated in a district-wide Pink Out Day, in order to raise funds for The Gloria Gemma Foundation. We are proud to announce that Hope raised $202 to donate towards research, programming, and support services!

We are so excited to celebrate all of the good deeds and good choices that our Hope students make on a daily basis! Students receive these awards 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.

Students who completed the Summer Homework/Reading Challenge not only celebrated with extra recess, but also had the opportunity to select a new book to bring home!

Thank you to all of the families who donated baked goods and to the volunteers who worked the Bake Sale at the art festival. The money raised will be used to fund field trips, school needs, assemblies for students, and more.

Our Trunk or Treat on 10/18 was a super successful event! Thank you to all the families who donated candy, those who decorated trunks, those who joined us, and our wonderful PTA for organizing this event.

The next PTA fundraisers will be our Annual Turkey Trot! See the flyers below for more information.

If you have any questions, please email the PTA board at hopeschoolpta@gmail.com.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 13th @ 6:30pm

Hope staff had some fun leading up to Halloween! They held an underground spirit week (for adults only!), which included days like blue day, scarf day, rainbow bright day, favorite holiday day, and stripes day! Each day, the students had to try and guess the theme of the day!

Kindergarten paid a visit to Salisbury Farm! The students picked pumpkins, went on a hayride, and got the opportunity to pet many farm animals!

Grade 1 students love exploring our new Mystery Science curriculum lessons! During this experiment, the students learned about how different shaped beaks aid birds in collecting different types of food!

Second grade had an amazing time on their field trip to Roger Williams Park Zoo!

Grade 3 students have been working hard during the month of October. Students have been enjoying multiplication and math fluency activities in math stations each week with Mrs. Brady and Mrs. Leonetti. In science, they have been learning about fossils and other fall-based topics through the Mystery Science program. Lessons have included some great conversations and lots of new learning.

Grade 4 loves recess!

Grade 5 wears orange to show that they are unified against bullying and unkindness!

Check out some of the amazing performances from Music class this month!

November is a time of thanksgiving and gratitude. Cultivating gratitude has been shown to increase wellbeing and positive emotions, such as joy, love and happiness.

Gratitude is the positive feeling we get when we recognize a positive experience we’ve had or a positive aspect of our life. Gratitude is also the understanding that the source of a positive gift or experience is outside oneself.

There are many strategies to help us recognize the things and aspects of our lives for which we are grateful. Cultivating gratitude is beneficial for children and adults, and has been shown to decrease negative emotions, such as bitterness, envy and resentment.

Strategies to support gratitude:

1. Keep a gratitude journal for 30 days and/or support your child with this activity. Everyday write 3 things for which you are grateful, and try to write down different things each day (opposed to the same things over and over). This will help you prime your brain to notice good things in your life and increase positive emotions as a result.

1. Keep a family gratitude jar. You can consider starting this in the new year, and make a habit of writing down things and experiences you and your child are grateful for every day or a few times per week. At the following new year, you can open the jar and review all the positive events and experiences your family has had in the previous year.

1. Support your child with writing a gratitude letter to someone who has been especially kind to them but has not been thanked. Your child can use the letter to share the act that made them feel happy or supported, and to describe how that act helped them. Have your child give the letter to the person they are thanking.

As we approach the holiday season, which can be busy and full of events, it is helpful to slow down and recognize the things and experiences for which we are grateful.

Wishing you a happy start to the holiday season and Happy Thanksgiving

Sincerely,

Ms. Swift and Mrs. Schiappa

The next Scituate School Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 12th! All members of the school community are encouraged to attend in person or virtually. For more information about meetings, click here.

• 11/05: No School- Election Day
• 11/11: Veterans Day- No School
• 11/13: PTA Mtg, 6:30pm
• 11/19: Picture Day Make-Ups
• 11/21: SIT Mtg, 3:20pm
• 11/26: Turkey Trot
• 11/27-29: Thanksgiving Recess- No School
• 11/29: Trimester 1 Ends
• 12/2: Trimester 2 Begins
• 12/12: Parent Teacher Conferences
• 12/13: Snowflake Shop
• 12/23-1/01: Holiday Recess- No School
• 01/02: Back to School in 2024

Email: rebecca.dinerman@scituateschoolsri.net
Website: https://hope.scituateschoolsri.net/
Location: 391 North Road, Hope, RI, USA
Phone: 401-821-3651