The Pulse of the Pride

Lyme School Friends,

It has been a great two weeks. After the stomach bug swirling around the community, it looks like our students and staff are back on track. A lot has been happening. We have finished our winter Track My Progress testing, the ski program has started, and we celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. last Monday.

There are only three weeks before the students get another break in February. We will keep our eye on the prize for that time and will celebrate with our February Fun Fest and Winter Carnival before heading into February Break.

There were a few folks that reached out about school not being closed for the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday on January 20th. This was unusual this year as we are trying to end the year as early as possible for the asbestos abatement project to get started quickly after the last day of school. Our last day of school this year is June 11, 2025. I expect us to return to a more traditional schedule next year with school closed for MLK, Jr. Day, 2025-2026.

Have a fabulous weekend! The next newsletter will hit your inbox on February 7th.

As always, please reach out if I can be of assistance.

Regards,

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Dates:

Peter and the Wolf 2nd Grade - Friday, January 31, 2025 @ 8:20AM

MS Activity Night - Friday, February 7, 2025 @ 7PM

Lyme School Spotlight - Monday, February 10, 2025 @ 1:30PM

February Fun Fest - Thursday, February 13, 2025

Winter Carnival - Friday, February 14, 2025

February Vacation (School Closed) - February 17th - 21st

Although GI illnesses in our school and staff population have decreased, we expect to continue to see cases during the Flu and Virus winter season.

We have been diligent with hand washing and wiping high touch surfaces with bleach based disinfectants.

As a reminder here are a few ways you can help:

Know the signs of GI illness: Look for diarrhea (3 or more loose stools a day), vomiting, fever (over 100.4) and/or stomach cramps.

Keep sick children at home: Children should stay home for at least 48 hours after the last signs of vomiting and/or diarrhea. Consider seeking medical care if your child's illness is not improving after 3-4 days. Prevent dehydration with electrolyte replacement drinks, ice chips/popsicles.

Cleaning: Use bleach when cleaning as it is the only known chemical to kill GI illness germs. Focus on high use areas including counter tops, doorknobs and tables.

Report absences to school nurse: Please report any GI symptoms when letting the school know your child will be absent.

Teach/reinforce frequent hand washing: Soap and water is the best way to clean hands.

Without testing we cannot verify that this illness is Norovirus. However, it is likely to be based on reported onset and symptoms. Here is more information on How to prevent Norovirus.

Our school works closely with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to monitor and stop illness outbreaks. Please email me with any questions/concerns.

This week I’m highlighting some of the creative projects happening around the school. In second grade and third grade, students have been using a tool called Buncee to create a slide or slides to share in both Spanish and Library classes. This platform introduces students to new and at times frustrating ways to navigate their Chromebooks. It can be a steep learning curve and students practice patience and resilience and they learn how to create their vision. I am proud of their perseverance! You can view the second and third grade book recommendations here.

The sixth and seventh graders completed podcasts to share what they learned after researching in social studies with Ms. Collins. The sixth grade podcast is called “Shining a Light on the Dark Ages” and the seventh grade podcast is titled “Expanding Frontiers.” Click here to access these original episodes. Happy listening!

CFL News:

https://lymenhlibrary.org/events/#event=77719369

https://lymenhlibrary.org/events/#event=77885646

https://lymenhlibrary.org/events/#event=77868172

To see all that's new at the library go to: https://catalog.lymenhlibrary.org/?browseCategory=converse_new_books

Hello Lyme Families,

Here is a run-down of what each grade level is up to in Stanton Time!

Kindergarteners just wrapped up their tattling vs telling/reporting and size of the problem unit and have started learning about feelings and emotions. We will continue to work on how to best communicate our feelings with our classmates in a respectful way. They will learn about I-Messages and “A Bug and a Wish” as tools to help others understand how they feel and what they need.

First Graders are learning about the ZONES OF REGULATION. The hope is that students are able to identify which zone they might be in, and think about whether that is expected or unexpected in the context of their environment. They will then learn about identifying a calming or alerting tool that can help them get back into the green zone or, learning zone. This is where they are ready to learn, calm, focused, and comfortable. You can ask your students what the blue, green, yellow, and red zones are. What feelings or emotions would we be experiencing, and what might our body be feeling in those zones? ALL feelings are ok and ALL zones are ok!

Second Graders will be getting a Zones of Regulation refresher from first grade. We will do a deeper dive and this will set us up well for our Self-Control Unit where we learn about the different parts of our brain.

Third Graders are rolling right along in their Compassion Project Curriculum. We are learning all about compassion and empathy through skits, short videos, and activities. Here are our essential questions: What is Compassion and how do I show it? What is Empathy and how does it lead to Compassion? Ask your students what the equation for compassion is!

Fourth Graders had several weeks of team building activities - we are now using those experiences to launch into our Communication Styles Unit where we explore Passive, Aggressive, Assertive styles of communication. Our essential questions are: What are “Rights”? What are my Rights at school? How do I communicate my rights/wants/needs effectively while not violating anyone else’s rights?

If you spend time with a fifth grade, ask them what happens when you “Clap Twice?” ;-) That’s all I will say…

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Stanton

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Pearl Dimick Funds are available to help offset the cost of camps for students and families.

If you’d like to apply for a grant for any camps or activities your child is signed up for, or plans to sign up for, during the February or April breaks, please reach out to me at rstanton@lymeschool.org. Each student is eligible for up to $200, with a family cap of $600.

Additionally, families who access funds during the February or April breaks are also eligible for camp grants for summer programs. The funding will reset, and you can reapply for summer camp assistance.

Second Grade Performs at Morning Meeting Friday, January 31st ~8:20AM. Families are welcome!

Lyme School Spotlight Talent Show, Monday, February 10th Families are Welcome!

It's not about the creation, but the creator

I love that students get so excited about the things they create in the design lab, however, the thing they make isn’t the true product, it’s the student who creates it. The design lab empowers students to develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills through hands-on, iterative design processes. By focusing on real-world challenges and encouraging experimentation, students learn how to navigate ambiguity, test ideas, and adapt solutions in dynamic environments. The result? Not just a finished product (which is - admittedly - often crude and imperfect), but a student on the journey to becoming a confident, innovative thinker ready to tackle complex problems. In the design lab, the process of making is more important than the thing being made, shaping students into resilient, forward-thinking designers.

January 2025

Kindergarten: First papier mache sculptures

K kids had a very tactile experience this week, creating forms with newspaper and cups and then layering their forms with papier mache.

First Grade: Paper Dragon Puppets

We read the book The Paper Dragon and fashioned and folded dragon puppets. These dragons should be trained well enough to make it home after the next art class.

Second Grade: Papier Mache Snakes

Our sculpture project this year will be in honor of the Lunar New Year's zodiac animal, the snake. We learned a little about the myth of the zodiac animals and the Great Race. This week, we created forms with tape, wire, and newspaper.

Third Grade: Owl Moon

We are making what I call the “Owl Moon” painting. The students learn what the word “Value” means in Art (and its parts: tint, tone, and shade). They paint a gradient around a white circle on their page, creating the effect of looking up at a winter moon. We are also starting to look at Chinese Landscape Paintings.

Fourth Grade: Birch Tree Watercolor

4s just finished a tape resist watercolor painting inspired by Wolf Kahn’s landscape pastels.

Fifth Grade: Mix 100 colors

5s just mixed 100 different colors. 100! They sorted out brush skills, how to keep a clean palette, and found new favorite colors. I asked them to mix them all and see what happens. We reviewed vocabulary (analogous, complementary, monochromatic, primary, secondary, and tertiary). We are getting ready for a painting project!

Clay Elective: Mugs and Bowls

We are getting rolling with new electives, learning routines and care of a clay studio. High on the list is respecting this ancient form of creating from the earth to their hands to a finished form. We are learning about the states of clay and how each state serves a purpose. Our first challenge was mugs and bowls!

The Scholastic Art Awards

Last Friday, Dr.D presented Anju Meng with a certificate of participation in the Scholastic Art Awards, highlighting what an honor it was for her work to be selected for the competition. We are all super proud of her!

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at The Hood

Cathering Coggins, our educator at the Hood Museum of Art, asked us to let our communities know that there is a Lunar New Year celebration at the museum this weekend. We have been learning about this holiday in many of the k-3 Art classes these past few weeks, so this would be a wonderful opportunity to grow that learning experience!

February 1st, from 1:00-4:00 pm.

At the event, drop in anytime and we’ll be offering the following:

• Artmaking activities for all ages, such as red envelope decorating and printmaking a collaborative banner of this year’s zodiac animal, the snake.

• A special tour of “Attitude of Coexistence”, the current exhibition of Asian art on view in the galleries.

• A reading nook with books for children, young readers and adults, as well as a special event coloring page.

Music and snacks for you to try!

Second and third graders connected our unit on emotions to a famous music and dance style from Spain: Flamenco. Students learned some basic Flamenco dance steps and observed how emotions are expressed through this dance style and its music. After studying vocabulary related to expressing emotions and learning about Spain's geography and culture, it felt natural to combine these topics by exploring Flamenco. Students chose an emotion they wanted to express and played a charades-like game, where the rest of the class guessed their emotion through their dance and music. ¡Olé!

The seventh grade have spent a fair amount of time learning about HIV and AIDS. This infectious virus has been around for many years and we are still without a cure. Throughout the study of this complex, fascinating, and brilliant virus, students have learned that there are treatments and preventative measures that can be taken to help combat this tricky virus. Recently, Dr. Antonia Altomare, an infectious disease doctor at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center was invited to come and speak to our seventh graders and share her knowledge about the latest statistical information and medicines that is current. Dr. Altomare’s experiences and care of her patients gives hope to one day finding a cure for this long time virus. I am beyond grateful for her time and to be able to have a local resource in our community.

Students in the primary grades have continued their work building their eye-hand coordination skills. This past week, students worked on combination skills. These included, volleying with the tips of their fingers and them being able to catch with two hands. Through the use of manipulative skills and eye-hand coordination skills, our youngest students learn these skills to then blend them with other, more complex skills as they get older.

Staffing:

The Nurse's office is staffed Monday-Friday by a Registered Nurse. Please email

nurse@lymeschool.org and/or call the Main Office 795-2125 if your child is absent from

school due to illness or injury.

Duties include Nursing care, Health Screening, Medication administration, First

Aid, Emergency care, Individualized Health Planning, Health Education, and

collaborative work with families, teachers, special education services, our

guidance counselor and behavioral coach.

Kati Miller RN BSN: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

Matthew Greenway RN BSN: Wednesday/as needed coverage

Celeste McCool RN BSN: Wednesday/as needed coverage

Medication Administration:

If your child requires emergency medications (epipen, inhaler, etc.) to be kept securely

in the Nurse's office, please contact nurse@lymeschool.org to set up a time to deliver

the medication along with an updated allergy or asthma action plan from your child's

Healthcare Provider.

Returning students need an updated allergy or asthma action plan at the start of each

school year.

For daily medication administration, please complete and return the forms below with

your child's Healthcare provider.

All medications need to be dropped off before the first day of school.

Authorization for RX Medication Administration

Medication or Procedure Order Form

COVID-19 Information:

Please review the provided link regarding COVID-19 recommendations from the Center

for Disease Control (CDC) if your child is experiencing respiratory illness symptoms or

has tested positive for COVID-19.

CDC Guidelines

The Lyme School Nurse's office is here to support you and your child and to promote

healthy outcomes for students and staff.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you or your student may have

regarding the upcoming school year.

We look forward to a new school year and appreciate your cooperation.

Kati Miller RN BSN

Lyme School

As of March, 1 2024 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance to provide "practical recommendations and information to help people lower risk from a range of common respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, flu and RSV."

We follow these guidelines. Please review the following links from the CDC for more information and reach out to me with any questions/concerns.

Thank you for your efforts in keeping our Lyme School students, staff, and families healthy.

Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick

Testing and Respiratory Viruses

Masks and Respiratory Viruses Prevention

The Lyme School Apparel Store has a variety of apparel and accessories all customizable with a variety of school logos. The Lyme School PTO earns 12% of all sales. Thank you for supporting our school and go Lions! #LYMESCHOOLROCKS

Hello Lyme Families,

We are excited to announce that registration for the Pond Program is now open for campers and volunteer counselors! The Pond Program at Chase Beach will be held the following weeks: June 16-20, June 23-27, and July 7-11 from 9am - noon. We look forward to providing your children with a fun and active summer camp experience! Each day, your child will rotate through three stations: swim lessons, arts and crafts, and field games. Campers must be entering grades K-6. We will fill spots on a first come first serve basis, with preference given to Lyme families.

Tuition for camp is $150 per week per child, with discounts for multiple weeks.

We are also looking for enthusiastic volunteer counselors! If you are a rising 7th grader, 8th grader, or high school student who is interested in joining our team, please apply!

Please visit the Town of Lyme website to register campers and counselors. From the home page, registration is located under Recreation Commission, Recreation Program Registration, or by following this link. If you are registering on a mobile device, please download this app.

We are thrilled to bring the Pond Program back this summer and look forward to seeing many familiar and new faces! Please feel free to share with Lyme families who may be interested.

All the best,

Susan Wasp and Allison Mancuso

Pondprogram@lymenh.gov

OUR VALUES

● Fairness ● Acceptance of Others ● Integrity ● Responsibility

● Perseverance ● Individuality ● Compassion ● Courage

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Elise Foxall, Academic Director

Geoff Tomlinson, Student Services Director