Primary Letters

Students from PreK through fifth grade "traveled" to Ireland, exploring its culture and traditions through a series of engaging activities. They learned fascinating facts about the country while immersing themselves in traditional Irish customs. Highlights included learning Irish dance and crafting bagpipes using recorders and bags. Some students made Irish pancakes, while others created Irish no-bake cookies to deliver to the Town Hall and Central Office in honor of Saint Stephen's Day, an Irish holiday. Additional activities included crafting Celtic knots and stained glass designs. Indoor golfing offered a fun opportunity to learn about the sport's Irish origins. Through these experiences, students expanded their understanding and appreciation of the diverse world around them. A special thanks to the staff and volunteers whose creativity and support made this immersive learning experience about Ireland possible for our students.

We are learning how to recognize when we have high and/or low energy and how to implement strategies to help us focus and get ready to learn. We love dancing to songs that connect to our letters of the week when we need to move. In addition, we practice how to calm our bodies by listening to relaxing music, visiting our classroom’s quiet spaces, using belly breathing, sharing exercises from our Alpha Breaths book and creating our own breathing strategies. Mindfulness helps us to focus our thoughts and gain self-control. We even sing a song about regulating our bodies and minds to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”

Ask us to teach you how to do this. It's like magic.

Second Grade is feeling BUGGY! Recently, second graders have become Entomologists. We are reading lots of books on all different kinds of bugs, including beetles, butterflies, ants, and spiders. So far we have become experts on 3 research questions. First, we learned about the classification of our bugs. Next, we learned about our bug’s ecosystem. Finally, we learned about our bugs' physical adaptations and how these adaptations help the bug survive in its environment. Through shared reading, accountable talk practices, and writing activities we are learning how researchers become experts in their specific topic area. We are excited to continue our bug research!

In science, students examined clues about how clouds look and feel to discover what they’re made of and how they form. In the activity, Gas Trap, students added hot water to clear cups to observe evaporation firsthand. They observed the condensation of the water vapor on the sides of the cup. They used this model to understand how clouds are formed.

Next, students learned how to make predictions about the weather by observing clouds and their changes. In the activity, Storm Spotter's Guide, students created a small book to record their notes, identify different types of clouds, and think about wind direction to figure out if a storm is heading their way. Ask your child to tell you which kind of clouds are in the sky and how this will impact your weather for today!

Our Kindergarteners are doing an amazing job selecting books they love during their library visits! From colorful picture books to exciting beginner readers, they are showing great curiosity and independence in exploring their interests. It’s wonderful to see their enthusiasm as they discover stories that spark their imaginations and fuel their love of reading. Keep encouraging your little readers to share their favorite library picks at home!

It’s January and it’s that time of year when many people set new goals. Might I suggest the goal of building good reading habits in your child? Early reading habits are predictive of a number of later life outcomes, including higher education attainment, and income. This is a goal that will have long reaching effects. Here are a few suggestions that will help to build good reading habits in your child.

First, make sure your children can observe you reading on a regular basis. What you read is not important, it’s the act that reinforces the importance of reading. Let them see that reading isn’t just for pleasure, but for purpose too. Show them how we use it to find information and to solve problems at home.

Next carve out a time every day for family reading time. It can be short. Try to set aside 20 minutes where everyone in the family stops and reads.

Then, try to provide a variety of reading options. Your child will bring home reading material from school, but you can increase their library by visiting the library. This will give you free options to increase their choices.

Finally, create comfy spaces in your home for reading and a place for your child to keep their books and other reading materials.

So go ahead and set that goal. Use these tips to come up with a plan and be willing to change it to meet your family’s needs, and finally put your plan into action. Enjoy reading and watching your child develop life-long reading habits.

Reading books with your children, whether at bedtime, noontime, or first thing in the morning, is always a great idea. There are so many great read aloud books to choose from, but I want to highlight an often overlooked genre of story time books – math books!

There are many counting books, but one of my favorites is How Many? by Christopher Danielson. It gives opportunities for children to practice counting, but they also have to identify what they’re counting. The pictures offer a number of different things and ways to count. Similarly, there are great books about counting much larger numbers that demonstrate the place value system and how it works. How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti and How Big is A Million? by Anna Milbourne are fun stories that show just how big a million really is.

WPS welcomes Shanice Rolls as the new Kindergarten teacher. Shanice resides in Bridgewater with her family and brings her expertise as a kindergarten teacher to our school. We are excited to have Mrs. Rolls join our staff and know that she will foster a wonderful learning environment filled with academic learning and fun for our kindergarten students.

In addition, we welcome Brianna Killion as our district elementary art teacher. Ms. Killion is a familiar face to our WPS school, and the community at large. We know her kind disposition and her artistic talents will inspire and grow young artists who are creative and use skills to express themselves through personal art.

Lastly, we are happy to have Katie Kusmierz transition from her literacy tutor position at WPS to the long term second grade teacher. Her familiarity with the students, curriculum and school at large is a wonderful asset as she takes on this new role and we know her commitment will create a strong learning experience for our second graders.

As winter continues and we spend more time inside, illnesses increase and potential child to child transfer of viruses and bacteria rises. Here are some tips to keep your child healthy this winter:

• The CDC recommends that each child receives a seasonal flu vaccine. It's not to late to do this.
• Preventing a disease is always better than treating it after it has occurred. There are many diseases that used to be common in the United States that can now be prevented by vaccines. Some of these include: polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, rotavirus, and Haemophilus influenza type b (HIB). A healthy immune system immediately begins to protect the body when exposed to anything it recognizes as a “foreign invader” (antigen), like germs, bacteria and viruses. The first time the body is exposed to an antigen it begins to produce antibodies to fight against it and immunity to that antigen is then there to protect for next time, but usually some sign of sickness starts faster. Vaccines are a way to give children immunity to diseases without them actually getting sick. A vaccine contains antigen that is either weakened or killed so it does not cause disease but does cause immunity. By following a recommended vaccination schedule, countless cases of diseases are prevented and millions of lives saved. For more information, go to www.cdc.gov.
• Avoid contact with sick people.
• It is also recommended that you teach and encourage your children to take everyday preventive actions against germs such as: cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze, wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol based rub, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and keep your child home when they are sick for at least 24 hours after a fever is gone (without fever reducing medicine).
• Avoid crowds when sick.
• Your child needs good nutrition, plenty of fluids, and rest to keep a strong healthy immune system.
• Exercise and activity are also important for a healthy immune system. As cold weather approaches, please send your child with appropriate clothing to continue to get a nice dose of fun and fresh air during recess during the school day. Inappropriate outdoor weather gear can put unnecessary stress on body systems.

Cold Weather Fun:

Children spend a lot of time outside during the winter months. Whether your child is waiting for the bus or building a snowman, be careful when sending him/her outside. Cold temperatures can be especially harsh on children. Children should be dressed in several layers of clothing to keep them dry and warm. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends dressing young children in one more layer of clothing than you would wear yourself. Make sure you send your child out with a hat that covers the ears (50% of body heat is lost through the head), and wearing waterproof boots with enough room to wiggle the toes. Here at school, unless it is too wet or less than 20 degrees, your child will go outside at recess time and will need snow pants and boots to enjoy the snowy outdoors.

Please call your school nurse, Megan Hodge @ 860-868-6879 if you have questions.

December has been an inspiring month! Our school took part in the Connecticut Children’s Foundation PJ Day for the Kids event, where we had a fun day in pajamas and raised $295 to help children battling cancer and to support vital research. In addition, WPS donated 858 items to our local food bank, 323 more items than last year! Fifth grade contributed the most, winning the Golden Can Award. These meaningful initiatives gave students the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

The chorus brought holiday cheer to the many families and community members in attendance at the Holiday in the Depot celebration. The chorus performed a few songs from their winter concert and joined with the Washington Montessori chorus in a sing along to welcome the arrival of Santa. Thank you to our chorus and to Jennifer Doiron, our WPS Music Director, for supporting this important community event.

January 9 - Band Students - Rehearsal at Shepaug - Students will be transported by bus. Parent pick up is at 5:15 at Shepaug.

January 10 - Primary Partners (grades 4 and 5)

January 14 - PTO Meeting - 6:30

January 16 - District Elementary Band and Chorus Concert - 7:00

January 20 - No School - Martin Luther King

January 30 Early Dismissal - REACH 10:45; K-5 12:45