Welcome back North Scituate families and students! I am excited to start my 7th year as principal at North Scituate. For those of you who don't know me, I am a proud wife, mother of 3, and fur mom. I look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday, August 28th, and meeting our new students and families.

We are looking forward to continuing to strengthen relationships and communication with families and our community. Please do not hesitate to call the school or email me if you have any questions or concerns throughout the year.

Looking forward to a successful and exciting year!

Kaitlin M. Soccio, Principal

Kaitlin.Soccio@ScituateSchoolsRI.net

Hi, I’m Mr Sperry! This is my second year in Scituate, last year I was the district elementary math interventionist. Two of my favorite things to do are gardening and spending time outdoors. I am so excited for my first year at North Scituate!

I am entering my 28th year in Scituate and I hold a certificate in Early childhood. I live with my husband Domenic and two daughters Olivia 20 years old and Alyssa 17 years old. I am excited to join the NS team and meet the families.

Ms. Bucalo was born in New York City. She has a masters degree in literacy education.

She has worked in rural, suburban and urban schools, most recently a library media specialist for Providence Schools. She lives on a small farm in Burriville also enjoy hiking in woods; cooking plant based meals and grooming horses.

Mrs. Dupre is our full time Reading Specialist as of the 2024-2025 school year. She is expecting her first child in September and will be out for some time. We have hired Patricia Beaupre (Pat), an experienced Reading Specialist to work with our students this school year. Ms. Beaupre comes with 25 years of experience in the Pawtucket School Department. She lives in East Providence. She is excited to continue doing what she loves to do for the upcoming school year in Scituate and look forward to meeting everyone.

Hi, I’m Kerry Coffey. I am thrilled to join North Scituate Elementary as a special education paraprofessional. With my background as an occupational therapy assistant, I am excited to support and engage with our young learners. I look forward to contributing to the classroom and helping each child thrive!

I am a resident of Burrillville, RI, and will be celebrating 10 years of marriage to my husband, Dan, this October. We have 2 amazing children. I appreciate all things New England, especially during the Fall season. I enjoy spending time with family, baking, shopping, and reading.

The bus routes for this year have not been posted yet. The routes will be posted to the School District website and will be sent out via our Alert System to families.

Reach out to First Student with any questions: Scituate Bus Yard number 401-312-7819.

• Please return devices that were borrowed by students for summer learning.
• Student information forms will be sent home the first week of school. Please return by September 6th.
  
• If your child is gong 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.

• Parents are reminded that students may arrive between 8:15-8:45 AM.
• If you are dropping off or picking up, it is best to park in the lot adjacent to the gazebo. Please avoid parking where "NO PARKING" signs are posted. Failure to do so often results in difficulty with arrival and departure for our buses.
• KINDERGARTEN, GRADE 1, and GRADE 2 will enter through the cafeteria each morning
• Grade 3-5 will enter through the front office doors and proceed to the gymnasium until the bell rings.
• Students arriving after 8:45am must be escorted to the front door by an adult to be buzzed in by the office. For safety, please do not have your child walk in alone.
• Students will be marked tardy if they arrive after 8:45am.
• MORNING DROP OFF- Please pull in the front circle and have your child exit on the passenger side. If your child needs assistance getting out of the car, please park in the lower lot near the gazebo and walk your child up the walkway. This will ensure traffic moves smoothly for busses and cars. Thank you for your understanding.

• Please send in a note to the classroom teacher if you choose to pick-up your child from school on any given day. If you are picking your child up on a regular basis, only one note is needed and we will place your child’s name on the list for the year. *Form will be sent home*

• Record the name of who will be picking up if it is someone other than a parent. Any person picking up students from school should be listed on your student information form.

• Please remember to date all notes.

• Students will be dismissed from their exterior classroom door at 2:55pm
• PARK IN THE LOWER LOT NEAR GAZEBO, NOT NEAR TENNIS COURTS OR BUILDING. We will kindly ask you to move as our daycare vans pick up in that area.
• Signs will be outside classrooms to easily identify which room it is.
• There will be a clipboard on a hook outside the door with a list. You will find your child's name, sign your name, return clip board to hook, and wait for your child to be dismissed at 2:55pm.
• Always have identification with you at DISMISSAL. Safety first :)
• The classroom teacher will send your child out to you when the bell rings.
• If someone "new" is picking up your child, please have them arrive by 2:45pm and report to the office for an identification check.

***If you plan to pick up your child prior to the end of the school day without sending in a note, it is very helpful to call the school prior to your arrival. This will ensure your child's teacher and your child have been notified of the early dismissal and can be properly prepared to leave school upon your arrival.

If your child will be purchasing lunch or breakfast, you can send in cash clearly labeled with their name or add money onto their school bucks account. Here is a link to help you set up and load money onto an account: https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/help/gethelpvideos

Breakfast

Paid - $1.50

Reduced - $.30

Lunch

Paid - $2.50

Reduced - $.40

Families are still encouraged to complete the 2023-2024 meals application. Meal status provides assistance with federal programming and funding. Free and reduced lunch application forms and information are located below. We strongly encourage all families to fill out a form. All forms are confidential. Please direct any questions to the Superintendent's Office, 647-4100.

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.

Any adult in the building may choose the recipients. Grade levels are color coded: Kindergarten- Orange, Grade 1- Red, Grade 2- Green, Grade 3- Yellow, Grade 4- Purple, and Grade 5- Blue.

These stars will be displayed in the front office windows. These certificates are presented to students on Fridays. Monthly newsletters will include photographs of our recipients.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS improves social emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves teacher health and wellbeing. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrive.

This year students will earn Stars and Class Stars to use for monthly incentives or cash in at the PBIS cart! Our focus is that North Scituate students are "Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn".

Second Step® Elementary is a research-based social-emotional learning (SEL) program designed to improve students’ social-emotional skills, including growth mindset, goal-setting, emotion management, kindness and empathy, and problem-solving. Studies show that these skills can support students’ school performance, increase positive social behaviors, and reduce

conduct problems such as bullying. SEL programs can also create positive classroom and school climates. Second Step Elementary is taught in the classroom, to all students, and helps students develop a common set of skills and strategies that can be practiced, used, and reinforced throughout the school community, including at home.

This curriculum will be used with all students K-5.

Visit https://www.secondstep.org/ for more information.

North Scituate is excited to continue to expand STEAM enrichment! STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking (Source: Susan Riley, Arts Integration Specialist).

Beginning in late September, students will have a 40-minute STEAM enrichment block weekly focused on various activities related to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. This block of time is in addition to art, music, physical education, and library. A special thanks to our STEAM teachers, Ms.Bucalo, Mr. Cullen, and Mr. Labossiere, Mrs.Downs, and Mrs. Ethier for supporting this important initiative!

All students will use American Reading Company Core curriculum! ARC Core is a basal alternative designed to turn balanced literacy into transformative literacy for both students and teachers. ARC Core is is organized into thematic units that carefully structure a project-based learning process that ensures students participate in complete extensive reading (both as a class and independently), multiple extended writing projects, and daily practice discussing both ideas and texts with peers.

A key component of the program is the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA), which is a tool that works with every student, at any reading level. The IRLA delivers specific and actionable data that tells the teacher where a student is, why, and the sequence of skills/behaviors she needs to learn next to accelerate her reading growth.

Parents, be on the look out for information about how to support this curriculum at home!

The Bridge to Reading Foundational Skills Curriculum combines explicit phonemic awareness and systematic phonics instruction for a comprehensive and highly effective approach to literacy instruction.

Bridge to Reading provides an ideal first step for K-2 classrooms looking to align their literacy instruction with the Science of Reading. It includes everything teachers already love about the Heggerty curriculum—it’s easy to use, seamlessly supplements your existing language comprehension resources, and provides teachers with support and knowledge to implement the curriculum with confidence.

To learn more, visit https://heggerty.org/programs/bridge-to-reading/

Bridge to Writing is a comprehensive writing curriculum that develops strong writers through research-based instruction, making writing instruction easy for teachers and engaging for students. Bridge to Writing is the only writing curriculum to combine grammar concepts with writing process instruction, providing a comprehensive writing solution for K-3 classrooms that develops strong writers through research-based instruction. This first-of-its-kind writing solution seamlessly supplements existing ELA curriculum and empowers teachers with the tools they need to foster essential writing skills in students.

To learn more, visit https://heggerty.org/programs/bridge-to-writing/

Teachers in grades 1-5 will continue to fully implement Eureka Math and Kindergarten will begin implementation this school year! Eureka Math is a complete, PreK through 12 curriculum that carefully sequences the mathematical progressions into expertly crafted modules. Eureka Math provides educators with a comprehensive curriculum, in-depth professional development, books, and support materials. Pieces of the program have been implemented in the past. This is our second year of implementation will all parts of the program, including the addition of two online platforms called Affirm & In Sync.

Parents, please note, Eureka provides a series of free Parent Tip Sheets at the topic level that include suggested strategies and models, key vocabulary, and tips for how you can support learning at home. Be on the look out for the tip sheets at the beginning of each module!

Mystery Science is a science program for grades K-5 that uses hands-on activities to explore scientific phenomena. The curriculum is designed to help students stay curious and develop critical thinking skills. It also covers social and emotional learning. Mystery Science lessons are open-and-go and use common classroom items. They include a hook, visuals, and activities. T

To learn more, visit https://mysteryscience.com/home

As you may know, students are assessed periodically throughout the year using a variety of assessments. These assessments are designed to assist us in better understanding our students' strengths and making instructional decisions to meet the needs of our students.

North Scituate School teachers will begin fall benchmark assessments after the first two weeks of school. Staff members will then meet to analyze the data and create instructional groupings designed to provide targeted skill instruction to students with similar strengths and needs. The results of these assessments will be communicated to parents. Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

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.

Executive Board

President: Lynn Francazio

Vice President: Amanda Lyons & Jenna Farina

Secretary: Briana Curreri & Jill Leonard

Treasurer: Chris Bianci

Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 18th 7:30pm

Please email NorthScituatePTO@gmail.com with any questions. We hope to see you there!

A tiny item that makes a BIG difference for others is the aluminum pop tab! Last year our school collected and donated more than 2 recycling bins full of aluminum pop tabs to Ronald McDonald House in Providence. Ronald McDonald House uses the proceeds from the recyclable aluminum to help fund their “home away from home” for families with children in Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

Students are great collectors! Please help them find opportunities to round up lots of pop tabs…and to spread the word to family and friends that we are collecting them here at school.

Your child may leave pop tabs at the office, pass them to his or her teacher, or deliver them to Room 6 (Mrs. O’Grady’s class) at any time. Thanks for helping North Scituate Elementary School help others.

The Northwest SELAC (Sp Ed Local Advisory Committee) meeting schedule for the 24/25SY in your school newsletters, etc., the following dates have been proposed:

Dec 10, 2024
Feb 11, 2025
May 13, 2025

Meeting Location: Ponaganset Middle School, Room 150

Meeting Time: 6:00pm

The Scituate School Committee will hold it's first meeting of the 2024-2025 school year on Tuesday, September 3rd! 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.

• 08/26: Kindergarten Orientation 10am
• 08/28: First Day of School!
• 09/02: No School- Labor Day
• 09/03: School Committee Meeting
• 09/04: Open House/Back to School Night 6:00-7:00
• 09/10: No School Students- State Primary Day (PD Day for Staff)
• 09/18: PTO Meeting at 7:30pm
• 09/25: Fall Picture Day
• 10/05: Hay Ride Event at Cucumber Hill Farm (raindate 10/20- more details to come)
• 10/11: No School Students/ Faculty PD Day
• 10/12: Bake Sale at Art Festival
• 10/14: No School- Indigenous People Day
• 10/16: PTO Meeting 7:30pm
• 10/18: Trunk or Treat Event 6:00-7:30pm
• 11/04: WALK A THON
• 11/05: No School- Election Day
• 11/11: No School- Veterans Day
• 11/18-22: Fall Scholastic Book Fair
• 11/20: PTO Meeting 7:30pm
• 11/27-29: No School- Thanksgiving Recess
• 12/13: Christmas in the Village Event
• 12/20: Holiday Store
• 12/23-31: No School- Holiday Recess
• 01/01: No School- New Year's Day
• 01/20: No School- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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