Eastwood Elementary Update

State testing is a long process for our building. Student schedules are different, the stress of taking the tests multiple days, and the extra effort that everyone gives is exhausting, but the students did a really nice job of showing grit and effort throughout their testing sessions.

We really appreciate the support you gave your children during testing weeks.

We will have a one-hour early dismissal on the last day of school- May 31st.

Students will be dismissed starting at 2:20.

Please be prepared for this and with typically a larger number of students being picked up, the bus routes may vary in time left off.

Summer school will be held the weeks of June 10th, 17th, and 24th. It will be held from 8:30 until 11:00 on Monday through Thursday of each week. The bus pick up/drop off locations will be the same as last year. You are also welcome to drive them in.

We do ask, however, that if you agree to summer school, that you make the best effort to attend regularly. We limit our number of students for each grade and if you are not able to make a majority of the days, please allow someone else to attend. We know you may need to miss a few days, but in general, please plan on attending regularly.

We know the year is coming to a close but just a reminder of a few safety points.

1-Please remember that if you wish to come in to school in the morning, please stop in the office to get a badge before going further in to the building.

2- I can not emphasize it enough to you that you regularly check your child's technology devices, phones or computers or tablets, to see what they are looking at or who they are communicating with. There are many challenges involved with technology and having parent supervision is very important.

3-Especially with our younger students, discussions on what types of toys can be brought to school. We have a lot of students bringing in cards or electronics or other gadgets and there typically ends up being cards traded or lost or devices broken, which causes issues. There are also toys that could look like unsafe items, like weapons, that shouldn't be brought to school.

Thank you for continuing to have these discussions with your children.

Dear Eastwood Families,

Wow! This school year is rapidly coming to an end! I encourage you to take a few moments to reflect on the growth and gains made during this year. Let’s celebrate our students on the perseverance required for a successful school journey. Recognize the lessons learned (both academic as well as life lessons) and appreciate the knowledge that has been attained.

While the academic classroom environment may be coming to a brief pause soon, there will continue to be opportunities for growth and learning even throughout the summer months as our children participate in summer activities, interact in social situations with peers, and more! Whenever they face a challenge or difficulty, embrace these moments as opportunities to help instill a growth mindset.

Growth mindset is an internal belief that intelligence and abilities can be improved through effort. Children with a growth mindset will enjoy learning and embrace challenges. They are more likely to think independently and bounce back from failure. Growth mindset shapes a child’s approach to challenges, fosters resilience, and establishes a foundation for a lifetime of learning. The opposite is a fixed mindset, which is a belief that no effort will be enough to overcome the challenge.

Strategies to Promote a Growth Mindset:

1. Praise the process, not the results: Shift the focus from praising innate abilities to acknowledging the effort, strategy, and perseverance put into a task. This helps children understand that success results from hard work and learning. Sounds like…”You worked so hard this week during practice and it really showed during the game!” “You put in so much effort and now you are great at it!” “You tried different strategies until you found one that works. Great job!”

2. Encourage a love for learning: Promote curiosity through exploration and discovery. Emphasize that mistakes are a normal part of the learning process and offer valuable opportunities for growth.

3. Teach resilience in the face of challenges: Rather than avoiding challenges, teach children to view them as opportunities for growth. Help them to break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps and celebrate progress.

4. Promote a positive attitude toward failure: Help children change how they view failure. Emphasize that failure is a stepping stone towards improvement. Teach them to examine their mistakes, learn from them, and try again (and keep trying!)

5. Model a growth mindset: Children often learn by example. Demonstrate a growth mindset in your own life by modeling how you approach challenges, learn from failures, and continuously strive for improvement.

Please reach out any time with questions or concerns. I look forward to watching your children grow and thrive over their coming elementary years. Thank you!

Best Regards,

Nikki Ohms, M.Ed., LPSC

School Counselor (Grades K-4)

Eastwood Elementary

4700 Sugar Ridge Rd. Pemberville, OH 43450

nohms@eastwoodschools.org

419-833-2821 ext. 205

May

1st- Science state testing- Part 2 for 5th

10th- Field Day

13th- Rain Date for Field Day

24th- Senior Walk-through

27th- No School- Memorial Day

31st- Last Day of School- 1 hour Early Dismissal

June

3rd- Work day

4th - Teacher Professional Development

5th- Summer Institute Professional Development Day for teachers

10th-11th-12th-13th-17th-18th-19th-20th-24th-25th-26th-27th- Summer School Days