Together We Can

The last few weeks have been very busy. Our staff and students are working hard, learning, and growing! Thank you to everyone who supports our students and staff in the work that they do.

It is hard to believe that the 2024 calendar year is coming to an end. I can not wait to see what 2025 brings. I want to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday Recess and a Happy New Year.

Best,

Stacey Heiligenthaler, Ph.D.

Chief Officer of Special Education and Student Supports

stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us

At Parkway School, Mrs. Grandville and Mr. Cheris facilitated an energizing whole school assembly focused on the District Norms—Be Here, Be Honest, Be Safe, Care for Self and Others, and Let Go and Move On. They shared how the staff will be actively looking for students who demonstrate these norms throughout the school day, with each week dedicated to focusing on one specific norm. Students were excited to contribute to the decision-making process for how many "shout outs" they would receive for exemplifying the norms and motivated to embody the District Norms, leading to a positive and supportive culture at Parkway.

Fifth graders at New Lebanon School participated in a special lesson with Dr. Fabian Agiurgioaei Boie and Ms. Maria, one of the cafeteria monitors, where they review and discuss the school's norms, and expectations during lunch.

Kindergarten students in Mrs. Cutler's classroom at Hamilton Avenue School participated in a Be Kind-Stand Up Against Mean Behaviors workshop, where they learn how to be assertive and be an ally.

The fifth graders in Ms. Young's classroom at Cos Cob School, showed BE HERE by starting their morning lesson with a mindful breathing exercise, led by a classroom mindfulness ambassador, to help everyone get ready for another day full of learning.

Third graders in Ms. Wellington's class at Cos Cob School participated in a Self-Regulation Workshop and practiced SEL skills using role-plays and group activities.

Riverside School's speech & language pathologist, Ms. Victor, visited first and second grade classrooms with an interactive lesson about augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She used the book I Talk in Different Ways and gave students a chance to use an AAC device. The goal was to get students excited about encouraging all forms of communication, such as speaking, gestures, sign language, communication devices, and playground communication boards.

Students in Mrs. Harrison’s class at Julian Curtiss School uses 10 frames to solve math problems. Using manipulatives in math helps students visualize abstract concepts, deepens their understanding, and enhance problem solving skills by providing hands-on, concrete experiences.

Ms. Weaver's third grade North Mianus School class participated in whole-group lesson on Co:Writer with Ms. White, the district's assistive technology specialist. Co:Writer uses grammar-smart and vocabulary-smart word prediction, translation supports, and speech recognition to help unstick ideas and get them to flow in writing.

Jennifer Bulson, Bridges In Mathematics Workshop leader, facilitated on-site follow-up training sessions with elementary Special Education teachers across the 11 elementary schools. During these sessions, Ms. Bulson worked with Special Education teams to address their specific questions and provided targeted support, ensuring a smooth integration of the program into their classrooms to address the math goals of their students. Additionally, she modeled the Bridges program with small groups of students, demonstrating key strategies for effective implementation.

Western Middle School seventh grade students in Academic Support are working hard on simplifying linear expressions on IXLs with Mrs. Moraiz. IXL Math is a web-based learning program that helps students learn math from PreK through calculus. The adaptive program provides questions that match each student's skill level and performance

Seventh-grade ELA students in Eastern Middle School's Ms. Barocas and Ms. Parker co-taught class explore grammar and mechanics, and sentence structure. Using an engaging "Animal Oddities" theme, students identified errors like comma splices and run-ons, taking ownership of their learning by choosing how to fix sentences step-by-step. The activity emphasized creating independent clauses and allowed students to explain the reasoning behind their corrections. This approach encouraged critical thinking and improved students' writing skills.

In Mrs. Lomanto's eighth grade Academic Lab at Eastern Middle School, students are enhancing their reading skills through targeted strategies and vocabulary-building exercises. By learning how to determine the meaning of words and using guided questions, they are strengthening reading comprehension and critical thinking.

Paraeducators did a gallery walk as part of a professional learning session with inclusion specialist, Ms. Rachel Rubin. Paras reflected on the importance of fostering student independence and learned strategies on how to implement the most appropriate levels of prompting when working with students.

In Ms. Pietrafeso and Ms. Younghan's co-taught eighth grade English class at Western Middle School, students are actively building their vocabulary skills. By working independently and in small groups, they engage word attack strategies to identify prefixes and word parts, and explore the meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary. During this interactive lesson, students annotated and shared their insights with classmates to deepen their understanding of new words.

At Western Middle School's sixth grade red team AVID award ceremony, students are being recognized for Excellence in Spanish and Citizenship. WMS School holds AVID award ceremonies for each grade/team on one Friday a month.

GHS Unified Sports ended its soccer season with a home game vs. Stamford on November 14. The team was cheered on by the GHS cheerleaders, the Cardinal mascot, and whole lot of fans. Congratulations to unified athletes, GHS partners, and Coach Burke on a successful game for all! Next stop, basketball!

A Greenwich High School SESS Parent/Guardian Coffee took place on December 4 in the GHS Media Center. Ms. Rachel Rubin presented on Inclusion Facilitation and Coaching. Ms. Iannello and Mr. Burg answered questions about programming and accommodations at GHS. Our next Coffees will be on February 25 and April 22 in the GHS Media Center at 10 AM. We look forward to seeing you then!

While students welcome the Holiday Recess because it gives them time to relax, many parents worry that these many days off are too much of a learning break. To help, below is a list of learning activities for the break to help keep your children on track.

1. Skittles Science

If you are looking for fun winter break activities for elementary students. or even middle school students, you will want to put this Skittles activity on your list. Start by placing Skittles around a plate. Then pour some hot water in the middle. You want there to be enough water that it reaches the Skittles, but doesn’t drown them. In a few seconds, you will notice the colors start to come off, making beautiful rainbow art. Since the coating on Skittles is made of mostly sugar and food coloring, the warm water causes the color and sugar to dissolve and diffuse through the water. This is a quick science lesson that is also fun to watch.

2. Visit a Museum

Schedule a family day trip to a museum. This can include a natural history museum, aquarium, or zoo. Any of these places can be fun and educational at the same time. Rather than choose the location for them, have your children decide where they want to go. When you put them in the driver’s seat, they will have more of an interest. If you are having a tough time finding a spot, this resource can help you find a museum in your area. Or, if weather or time is not permitting, try a virtual field trip to a museum instead.

3. STEM Projects

When it comes to activities for winter break that can also teach a lesson, you can not go wrong with a STEM project. Teach Kids Engineering is one resource that is dedicated to raising the next generation of engineers. You can also view family-friendly videos, tutorials, and DIY projects. Many fun and exciting activities for winter break found here are easy for kids to try at home. Some fun activities your student will find here include different LEGO projects like dancing robots, a LEGO music box, and a SpeedCuber Alarm Clock. If your student does not find anything interesting there, they can always do a quick Google search to find plenty of fun and easy STEM projects to do during winter break.

4. Go Ice Skating

While you may think that ice skating is just a physical activity, it is a mental activity, too. Skating requires a great amount of hand-eye coordination, requiring children to determine how to make different movements and motions work together. Whether you visit an ice-skating rink or live in an environment that allows you to skate outside, plan an ice-skating day to get your student moving while working on these skills.

5. Attend a Winter Camp

Camp is not just for summer! Your local parks and recreation department and YMCA may offer winter camps for children during their winter break. These can provide great opportunities to learn new skills while making new friends. YMCA camps can include activities like arts and crafts, swimming, music, and more.

6. Bake Together

The holidays are a time for sweet and savory treats. Take advantage of delicious winter recipes, and indulge in a little math and science, too! Encourage your child to help bake cookies, but double or triple the batch to practice measurements. Discuss the techniques you might use to achieve a cake-like or chewy cookie, and how science plays out inside the warm oven walls. When it is time to serve up a slice of chocolate cake or pecan pie, use fractions to figure out how much of the cake or pie is left over for tomorrow.

7. Read a Book for Fun

When school is in session, students are busy reading for their classes. Why not encourage them to read for fun during winter break? Let them choose a book that interests them and have them devote time each day during their break. You could even get the family involved by creating a winter break reading bingo challenge.

8. Write Thank You Notes and Holiday Cards

We can not talk about activities for winter break without mentioning taking a moment to reflect on what you are grateful for. Does your family send out holiday cards? Or maybe your child wants to thank a school teacher? Keep your kid writing, even when the homework is complete! Winter break is a great time to practice handwriting and vocabulary skills. Not only will your child get practice with the format and tone of a letter, but they will also have the opportunity to think about and express what they are thankful for and what they appreciate in others. Writing thank you notes and cards to the important people in their lives can help them feel more satisfied overall.

9. Make Handmade Holiday Gifts

When you are looking for what to do over winter break, try creating some handmade holiday gifts. A gift made by hand carries special meaning. Younger kids can gather craft supplies such as markers, glue, pipe cleaners, glitter, and scissors while older kids might try their hand at knitting, painting, or even writing a song. Let your kids really make their project their own, and you can rest easy knowing your artist's imagination is getting a workout, too!

10. Go on a Hike

Combine education and exercise in one activity by going on a hike. If the weather permits, take time to stop and notice the plants and animals around as you get the blood pumping. Note how different the environment is in winter than it is at other times of the year. Are there other plants or animals that you never noticed before? Check out animal tracks and even do some bird watching, if you can.

Please visit the new Special Education and Student Supports Department webpage on the Greenwich Public School Website. Information about Special Education supports and services as well as contact information is provided

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Email: stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: https://www.greenwichschools.org/teaching-learning/special-education
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT
Phone: (203) 625-7493