Elm Hill School ~ February 2024

The start of the new year has been great here at Elm Hill School. We have had so many fun and enriching learning experiences. In kindergarten, students have been learning, writing, and creating projects about winter animals. In first grade, Colin McKaig, our Technology Intervention Coach, visited Ms. Whaley’s class for a Snowflake Bentley unit. The class replicated taking a photo of a snowflake in Bentley’s style, after reading a children’s book about him. Students also continue to have a great time during recess sledding and playing in the snow. The Gallery at the Vault in Springfield is hosting a Springfield School District Student art show beginning on February 3rd until the end of the month. The Elm Hill students that were chosen to participate are very excited and proud to have their artwork shown to the Springfield community!

This past month, Elm Hill School had its first all school assembly this year featuring our very own students. The students did a fantastic job reading and presenting in front of an audience.

On March 21st and 22nd, Elm Hill School will be holding Parent Teacher Conferences. The 21st is an early release day, and the 22nd there is no school for students. Teachers will be contacting you about scheduling a conference sometime before then. Conferences are an excellent way to strengthen home to school connections, and to support your child in their learning.

As we move from Winter to Spring, please remember that our students go outside each day for recess. Please ensure that your student has the proper attire so that they can stay warm and dry. Extra clothes are a great idea too, in case your student gets wet.

Next, this is a friendly reminder that all toys and personal items should stay at home and not come to school. When they are brought to school, there are often issues that arise that could be prevented if they were left at home. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

During this upcoming week (2/12-2/16), Elm Hill School will be conducting a lockdown drill. If you believe that your student will need any extra support for this, please contact their teacher.

Finally, I want to thank you for the support that I have received from the students, staff, and families during the transition into my role as Acting Principal here at Elm Hill School. You have all made me feel very welcome and I look forward to collaborating with you and getting to know you all. This is an amazing and special place.

Amanda Tyrrell

Acting Principal

February 19 - 23: Winter Break

March 13: PTA Meeting 5:30-7pm at Union Street School

March 22: Parent Conferences

If you student has lost an item please reach out to Ryan Seaver at rseaver@ssdvt.org. Ryan is the keeper of lost and found.

Our week this week has continued to be focused on Penguins...with a bit of Groundhog Day fun as well! One of the many activities we did was to roll and fill a penguin shape with unifix cubes. When done, the children came up and wrote the number of cubes that fit into their penguin! The children were very curious about groundhog day. They were asking what a groundhog is, why there is a picture of a groundhog on our February calendar, and what does groundhog day mean. Great

questions. So I took advantage of this teachable moment and found a short lesson on our “Mystery Science” website about groundhogs and groundhog day. After discussing this lesson, we created a prediction chart. Each of the children predicted whether they thought the groundhog would

see his shadow, or not. And whether we would have an early Spring or not. On Friday during circle, we watched Punxsutawney Phil be brought out from his home in order to make his prediction for this year. The children all cheered as they are ready for spring! When Phil did not see his shadow, the children cheered! Excited for spring to come early! It was a lot of fun and engaged the children in some wonderful conversation.

I hope you are all staying warm in these cold months. Our class had a blast learning about Snowflake Bentley and the lifecycle of snowflakes. We were fortunate to have a snowy day at school and went outside to catch snowflakes and studied them with magnifying glasses. Then, our class came back inside, drew a picture of their favorite snowflake, and shared it with their peers. We observed that all snowflakes were different, which was a part of their beauty. Our class has also enjoyed learning about some of the native animals in Vermont and looking for their tracks in the snow. This week we will be learning about snowshoeing and going on a brief snowshoeing trip.

Our class challenged themselves to exceed their previous fall I-ready class score by 600 points. They not only met this challenge, but exceeded it! The students worked very hard and scored 1,033 points higher, as a class, than in the fall. They are, understandably, very proud of themselves and have earned an ice cream party!

As always, thank you for your support, encouragement, and partnership!

Warmest wishes,

Courtney

We have been learning lots in second grade! Here are some highlights from the past month!

There are several special health observances to mention this month:

February is Dental Health Month 🦷: Here are several tips to promote a happy, healthy smile:

----Brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste at least 2 times/day for 2 minutes

----Floss your teeth at least once each day

----Snack on fruits and veggies/ try to keep sugary snacks to a minimum

----Choose water as your beverage alternative instead of sugary drinks

----Visit the dentist every 6 months

**If you are looking for a dental home for your child and would like some help, please call me at the Health Office at 802-885-5315 or send an email to mchristman@ssdvt.org.

During Dental Health Month, Lisa Watson, dental hygienist will be visiting Elm Hill School. She will be teaching some dental health tips to all students; and giving some dental products to take home. Thanks very much, Lisa!

International Epilepsy Day is February 14th: Epilepsy is a neurological disease which causes someone to have recurrent seizures. One in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime. See https://www.epilepsy.com/ to learn more about this disease and also how to help someone who is having a seizure by learning seizure first aid.

February is also American Heart 💝 Month: Heart (Cardiovascular) disease isn’t happening to just adults any longer. It is the second leading cause of death in Vermont. Risk factors include High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Smoking, Obesity, Diabetes, Inactivity, and an Unhealthy Diet. See https://www.livetothebeat.org/ to learn how to take small steps towards having a healthier heart. If you would like to take an American Red Cross CPR/First Aid/AED Certification course on Thursday, 2/8, 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., call the Springfield Parent-Child Center at 802-886-5242 or sapcc@sapcc-vt.org.

Read on for some other health news……

How to Stop the Spread of Germs: Unfortunately, germs continue to circulate in our district throughout the school year, but especially during the Fall and Winter months. Respiratory illnesses, strep throat, the “stomach bug,” continue to be transmitted at school. Parents/Guardians can help to stop the spread of germs by reinforcing the following habits at home with their student(s):

• Wash, Wash, Wash your hands!! 👐 By practicing these five easy steps: lather, scrub, rinse, and dry, your student can help keep their school community and family healthy. See https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/handwashing-family.html to learn more. According to the CDC, 1 in 3 diarrhea-related illnesses and 1 in 5 respiratory related illnesses (flu, colds) can be prevented.

• Stay home if you are sick. 🤒

• Avoid touching your eyes 👀, nose 👃, and mouth 👄 with unwashed hands.

• Cover your nose 👃 and mouth 👄 with a tissue or elbow when you sneeze🤧 or cough.

Thank you, everyone, for helping to keep the Springfield School District healthy!

Get Outside and Play!!: Cheers to families getting outside for some fresh air and exercise 😃 From making snow angels , to taking a walk, making a ⛄, to skiing ⛷️, skating ⛸️, sledding 🛷, and snowboarding 🏂…there are so many ways to enjoy the outdoors during the winter ❄️ months. Sharing some safety tips on how to keep your little ones safe while having outdoor family fun this winter…

Spare Clothing/Outerwear: Please continue to send a spare set of clothing to school with your child each day for those “unexpected” accidents. Also, please make sure that your little ones are protected against the cold winter temperatures by wearing a warm winter coat, gloves or mittens, snow pants, and boots to school. Wearing a gaiter may also especially help those students with asthma to breathe more easily outdoors. We have limited clothing in the Health Office, so we may need to call you at home if we cannot accommodate your child. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

Have a fun and memorable February!

With “Warm” Regards,

Nurse Mary

My name is Anne Lamb and I am a speech therapist in the district in a new role as special education liaison. As the liaison I am offering additional support for parents of students with an IEP who might be looking for ideas of how to support their child at home. These ideas will be tailored to you, your child and your families needs and can be incorporated into your everyday activities NOT additional tasks for you to add to your already busy life. An example of a few areas of support would be increasing independence, following a routine,using a communication device, articulation and language strategies. If you would like to make an appointment to meet in person or virtually to learn more please email at alamb@ssdvt.org. I look forward to working with you.

Kids often have trouble with pronouns. Your student might confuse he for she or him for he.

Below is a chart of when kids are usually using the different types of pronouns correctly.

Acquisition of Pronouns

Approximate Age Pronouns

1-2 yrs me, my, mine, you, it, that

2-3 yrs I, we,she,he, your, yours, this

3-4 yrs Your, she, he, yours, we

3-4yrs They, us, hers, his, them, her, Its, our, him, myself, yourself, ours, their, theirs

4-5 yrs Herself, himself, itself, ourselves yourselves, themselves

Here are some ways to help your student learn to use pronouns correctly.

Model language using pronouns and put emphasis on the pronoun you are using.

1) Talk about what family members are doing at home.

Examples : ”Look at daddy HE is making coffee. HE is drinking HIS coffee.” “What is Gramma doing?. SHE is sitting on the couch. SHE is reading HER book.” “Your brother is putting on HIS shoes all by HIMSELF.

2) Talk about what people are doing in the illustrations of books

Examples: “I see a girl. SHE is running. SHE is fast. HER hair is brown. HER shirt is blue.”

“Look at all of the kids. They are playing on the playground. “

3) Talk about what people are doing at the store.

Examples; “This lady is a cashier. SHE is scanning our food. SHE is going to tell us how much our food costs. "