Dear Scituate Families,

Welcome to our new newsletter, where I will be sharing news and happenings from around the Scituate School Department. Here, I will be highlighting our curriculum, activities at the schools, and information about the school department's operations and projects. I will also be including reminders about meeting dates and times, as well as other events that our community members are interested in.

I am very excited about many of our new initiatives, including the Superintendent's PACT and an upcoming survey. I hope you find this newsletter informative and helpful.

All the best,

Superintendent Andries

• Clayville Elementary School: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (although a slight decline, many success stories)
• Hope Elementary School: ⭐⭐⭐ (Improved from last year)
• North Scituate Elementary School: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Highest designation possible)
• Scituate Middle School: ⭐⭐⭐ (Although the same as last year, many categories have improved significantly)
• Scituate High School: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Improved from last year)

We want to give parents/guardians a better line of communication to myself and our school principals. We will be introducing a new Superintendent's Parent and Administrator Communications Team (PACT). PACT will be a way for myself and school administrators to hear from parents/guardians at every school and provide more insight to them into how children are being educated across the Scituate School Department. We plan to start meeting as soon as all members of the team are in place.

The PACT team will consist of myself, each school principal, and a parent/guardian representative from each school. A school's parent/guardian representative will be selected by the school principal. We will meet once per month, right before the building committee meetings on the last Thursday of the month.

As we approach the holidays, I want to share some important dates and updates to keep in mind:

• Vaccine Before You Graduate: on Wednesday, January 15th - middle and high school students can register here.

• 6th & 7th Grade Winter Concerts: on Wednesday, January 29th

• Scituate High School's Move-Up Night & Open House: on Wednesday, February 5th at 6 p.m.

Please visit our school website for the full calendar and more details. We look forward to a great year together!

We want to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff. Here are some suggestions/news from our nurses.

ELEMENTARY FAMILIES

As we enter the winter season, it is important that your child is dressed appropriately for school. Elementary students will be going outside for recess with temperatures at 28 degrees or above. Please ensure your children are dressed for these conditions, and have a jacket, hat, and gloves as needed.

MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL FAMILIES

You can register to get vaccinated using this link. Vaccinations will take place on Wednesday, January 15th.

ALL FAMILIES ACROSS THE SCITUATE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

For most children, the holiday season is filled with excitement, fun, and happiness! There is a break from school and a chance to spend time with family and friends. There may also be special food, music, and family traditions. However, the holidays can be a stressful time for both adults and children. Family plans may be complicated by divorce or the loss of a parent or close relative. Children may be separated from parents due to ongoing military service.

There are a number of things parents can do to help children cope with holiday stress.

• Discuss holiday plans well in advance, and let kids participate in decisions when possible. Children benefit from some degree of predictability. Children can become stressed when plans change at the last minute.

• If you are traveling, leave extra time and bring kid-friendly activities and snacks.

• Don’t overschedule. You may not be able to do everything or see everyone. Kids can easily get overtired and cranky during the holidays.

• Give kids some downtime. Let them have some quiet time, read a book, listen to music, or go for a walk together.

• Make sure they get plenty of rest. While it may be exciting to stay up late, lack of sleep can lead to increased irritability.

• Don’t make promises you can’t keep. For example, don’t promise that a parent will be home in time for the holidays if the decision is out of your control.

• Uphold and maintain family traditions even if a parent is absent. Kids count on certain traditions, which can have an important grounding effect by letting kids know that even though some things have changed, other things have remained the same.

• Don’t try to compensate for an absent parent with extra gifts. What most kids really want most is your time, attention, and reassurance.

• Take care of yourself. Try to avoid getting overloaded with obligations. If you feel stressed, your children will sense your stress and increase their tension. Whenever possible, try to eat healthy meals, get to bed at a regularly scheduled time, engage in regular exercise, and schedule time for rest.

• Keeping predictable routines as much as possible will also help your child transition back to the school routine when the holiday season comes to a close.

Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing holiday season!

Mrs. Schiappa

School Psychologist

Shawna Swift

School Social Worker

• The PTO put on the annual non-profit Holiday shop for kids. Students were able to make purchases or select free gifts to bring home to their families.
• Members from the Scituate Lion's Club visited third grade and distributed dictionaries to all students. They also had a dictionary scavenger hunt for students with clues to help them find words.
• The Scituate Police Department dropped off toys for the Clayville families we will support over the holidays. Some of the fourth-grade students helped Sergeant Parenti unload the toys.

• The annual PTA-sponsored Turkey Trot raised a whopping $17,700 this year that will go towards field trips and other educational experiences.
• The Scholastic Book Fair took place December 2nd through December 6th.
• Student Council students helped design the Turkey Trot classroom banners

• The PTO has worked hard over the past few years, raising funds to purchase a new LED school sign. Town Council was able to match the funds raised to secure a new sign which was installed prior to Thanksgiving.

• On November 8th, students got outside and participated in the annual walk-a-thon which raises funds to support field trips for the school year. The total amount raised was $11,500.00!
• Jonathan from Mad Science treated students to the "Don't Try this At Home Show" where they were able to watch some neat chemical reactions!

• Middle school students will explore the Scituate High School offerings during Move-Up Night & Open House on Wednesday, February 5th.
• Students and families made generous donations to Toys For Tots to help children in need for this holiday season.
• Ms. Norton will be creating the middle school yearbook this year. If you have photos that you would like to see included in the yearbook, please email them to sms_yearbook@scituateschoolsri.net

• The high school now has a new RIDE-approved CTE Academy in Childhood Education, and is accepting students for the 2025-2026 school year!
• The NEASC team has completed their visits and were impressed with what they saw! The NEASC chair will now draft a report and send it out for all to review in the coming weeks.
• Students will be taking midterms from January 17 through January 23.

SCITUATE, R.I., December 11, 2024 – Students across Rhode Island interested in a career in

early education can now apply to enroll in a new Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Academy for Childhood Education at Scituate High School. The Academy, which was approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) on Friday, December 6, will begin accepting applications for out-of-district students in the spring.

“We are thrilled to offer this exciting new CTE Academy not only to our students at Scituate

High School but also to those from surrounding districts who are passionate about pursuing a

career in education,” said Superintendent Laurie Andries. “We decided to seek approval for this

program because we saw a clear interest and enthusiasm from our students in exploring this

field. As a district, we are committed to providing career and technical education that aligns

with the future needs of our workforce, and this Academy is a perfect example of that

commitment.”

This Childhood Education Academy is designed to provide students with the skills, knowledge,

and experience needed to pursue careers in childhood education—a field that plays a critical

role in shaping the development of young learners. The program will offer hands-on experience in child development, classroom management, educational strategies, and more, with opportunities for internships and collaboration with the district’s three elementary schools.

“The Childhood Education Academy is a great addition to our current CTE offerings at Scituate,” said SHS Principal Michael Hassell. “Students enrolled in the program will have the opportunity to create lesson plans and execute those plans in real-life settings as they work with elementary students within the district.”

Earlier this year, Rhode Island State Representative William W. O’Brien expressed concern over

the teacher shortage in a press release published in March. “Our state is facing a significant

shortage of qualified teachers, and this troubling fact poses a real threat to the quality of

education received by some of our state’s students,” O’Brien said. “Part of the teacher shortage problem in our state is that we cannot get enough new, qualified teachers to enter the profession.”

By offering this new CTE Academy, Scituate High School aims to encourage students to explore a rewarding career in a field that is facing a critical need for workers in the state of Rhode Island. Students enrolled at SHS, as well as those from neighboring districts who express an interest in a career in education, are invited to apply.

For more information about Scituate High School, please contact Principal Michael Hassell at

michael.hassell@scituateschoolsri.net.

The North Scituate PTO has worked hard over the past few years, raising funds to purchase a new LED school sign. Town Council was able to match the funds raised so we could secure this wonderful upgrade for North Scituate. The sign was installed prior to Thanksgiving by AA Thrifty Sign & Awning. The next steps are electrical and masonry work to add bricks.

You can still purchase a commemorative brick with your message to be placed as the base of the sign and add a part of your legacy to our town. Use the button below to order!