Newport Primary School
March Newsletter
Matt Atkins, Principal
Nichole Hayden, Assistant Principal
1102 York Street
Newport, Kentucky 41071
(859) 292-3011
District website: www.newportwildcats.org
NPS page on website: https://nps.newportwildcats.org/
NPS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/npswildcats
The NPS Handbook can be found linked here and our our district webpage.
March
6th - Muffins in the Morning 7am
12th New Kindergarten Registration & Open House 5 - 7pm
19th - Preschool family event 5 - 7pm
April
2nd - Spring Conferences
7th - 11th - Spring Break
16th - Preschool Family event
23rd - NPS Family Night 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Please note that the last day of school for students is now Thursday, May 29. Updated calendar is below.
Ms. Barbour & Mrs. Glancy - Sylas Deaton
Ms. Burkart & Mrs. Johnson - Kaitlin Macario-Pablo
Mrs. Hahn & Mrs. Kennedy - Liam Guilkey
Ms. Mayle & Mrs. Shay - Karson Foxx
Ms. Staude & Mrs. Lewis - Sofia Tafolla
Ms. Jones - Vanesa Ruiz Aguilar
Ms. Mitchell - Dana Gomez
Ms. McGroarty - Bryan Morales
Ms. Rice - Anthony Matias Coronado
Mrs. Weaver - Elisa Ruiz Mejia
Ms. Bravo - Connor Messer
Mrs. Chalfant - Andrew Limle
Mrs. Goines - Leonel Escobar - Pablo
Ms. Mariani - LaZaria Lewis
Mrs. Powell - Cristian Mendez Mendez
College and Career Unit
Each Monday beginning March 3rd two colleges will be showcased during our Monday morning assembly. Students will decide which college most interests them and will receive a sticker to wear. We encourage families to ask your child each Monday about the college they found to be most interesting.
March 3rd - NKU & UC
March 10th - Mount St. Joseph & Thomas More
March 17th - Xavier & WKU
March 24th - EKU & MSU
March 31st - UK & Transylvania
As part of this project, our second-grade student ambassadors interviewed community members about their careers. These were created into videos that all students will have the opportunity to view throughout the unit to learn about careers from the sixteen career clusters. These videos can be viewed via this link. As more videos are finalized, they will be added to this linked folder. We are so proud of our second graders!
Our unit kicked off on Monday, February 24th with a career fashion show during our Monday morning assembly. Check out photos here.
iReady Celebration
Each student has the opportunity to earn the monthly iReady celebration. Students are given time each day to work on their iReady reading and iReady math pathway. The goal is to complete 5 lessons per week, adjusted for shorter weeks. Students should be able to meet this every month if they have good attendance and stay on task during the provided iReady time. Our February celebration will be held on Friday, February 7th. Students will receive an iReady sticker. We encourage you to ask your child about the iReady celebration.
Sundae Scholars
Students in grades first and second grade will be coming home with the list of second semester sight words. Students are encouraged to practice the sight words at home. Once your child can read each of the grade level sight words let us know using the Sundae Scholars form link. Mr. Atkins or Mrs. Hayden will test the students ready for the challenge and they will make their very own ice cream sundae during lunch.
Please note that the list of words for kindergarten is the same as first semester as they have fewer words overall. To challenge those kindergarten students who already earned the title Sundae Scholar by reading all 40 kindergarten words, they have the opportunity to earn a second semester sundae like the other grades by reading the first grade list for first semester! The teacher will send these home to those students.
Sight Word Lists
Music in Our Schools Month
March is recognized nation-wide as Music in Our Schools month. To celebrate MIOSM, each grade will perform on a Friday in March. For each event, the gates will open fifteen minutes prior and guests can enter the gym through the steps. If elevator access is needed, please enter the main office. Adults entering the main office will need show identification.
March 14th – 2nd grade @ 2:00 pm
March 21st – 1st grade @ 2:15 pm
March 28th – Kindergarten @ 2:15 pm
Our second-grade students brought home a paper about a folk song project led by our music teacher Mrs. Gunnels. Families are encouraged to share a song that is important to your family or culture to be shared at our April 23rd family fun night. If you need an additional copy of this, please call school. The form can also be found here.
Muffins in the Morning
Students and guests will enter the York Street arrival gates as normal to the cafeteria. The student and family member will use the left side food line. Once you reach the food line door, the student will enter to get their regular breakfast tray. The adult will stop at the table for coffee, juice and a muffin. Muffins in the Morning ends promptly at 7:30am as our regular arrival doors open and bus riders arrive. Guests will exit the foyer doors and students will continue on to class.
Looking forward to seeing families for Muffins in the Morning at 7am on Thursday, 6th!
Morning Meeting & Wildcat Way Rule #6 Reveal
Students with perfect attendance in February will be recognized and our wildcats of the month for March will be announced in addition to the regular school announcements during our Monday assembly. Mr. Atkins always reviews our three core expectations. The first Monday of the month a new rule is revealed. Check this folder out for the parent communication letters. School staff will play a silly game to kick off Rule 6 during our Monday morning assembly. I will say excuse me when I bump in to someone.
Preschool Event
Our preschool families are invited to the first of four family events we will host this spring on Wednesday, March 19th. Dinner will be served 5:00 - 5:30 with a session to follow until approximately 6:45pm. We will have two student and two parent giveaways each event. The event topic of our first is Self Regulation & Impulse Control. I manage my thoughts, my feelings and my behaviors. Come meet other families, engage in activities to help your child with self-regulation and take some materials to use at home. Register by scanning OR clicking on the picture of the QR code.
Finding Balance: Screen Time for Young Children
In today's digital world, managing screen time for young children presents both opportunities and challenges. While technology offers educational benefits, balance remains key to healthy development.
What Research Tells Us
Current guidelines from pediatric experts recommend minimal screen exposure for children under 2, and limited, high-quality content for ages 2-5 (typically 1 hour per day). These recommendations emphasize that how screens are used matters as much as how long.
Quality Over Quantity
Not all screen time is equal. Interactive, educational content that you engage with alongside your child provides more developmental benefits than passive viewing. Look for age-appropriate programs that encourage thinking, language development, and creativity.
Creating Healthy Boundaries
* Establish screen-free zones in your home, particularly bedrooms and dining areas
* Set consistent daily limits that work for your family
* Preview content
* Use parental controls and timers to maintain boundaries
The Power of Co-Viewing
When you watch with your child, you transform screen time into valuable bonding time. Ask questions, discuss what you're seeing, and relate content to real-world experiences. This "media mentoring" helps children develop critical thinking skills.
Signs It's Time to Reassess
Consider adjusting your approach if screen time regularly leads to tantrums when devices are removed, displaces physical activity or face-to-face interaction, or disrupts sleep patterns.
Remember that you're modeling healthy technology habits through your own behavior. Children learn by watching how adults in their lives engage with screens.
Every family's circumstances are unique. The right balance for your household depends on your child's age, temperament, and your family values. Trust your instincts and adjust as needed.
PBS Kids offers high-quality, age-appropriate games and activities across many content areas for children. Families are encouraged to check out pbskids.org. Additionally, PBS offers great resources for parents on a plethora of topics.
March is National Nutrition Month
Use this month to start making informed choices about your food. Some ways to kickstart healthy habits are as followed:
· Plan weekly meals ahead of time
- Use the nutrition fact labels to help compare ingredients and find foods with higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers, and low amounts of sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars.
- Use MyPlate.gov to create healthy, complete meals that cover all 5 food groups.
