Important Dates

May 11 - 4th Grade "Broadway Kids" Parent Performance, 7 pm

May 15-17-Incoming Kdgtn Screening appointment only

May 16 - Budget Vote/School Board Member Election, 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

May 16 - Districtwide Art Show Reception, 6:30 pm

May 29 - Memorial Day,  School closed

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CET Newsletter April 21, 2017

http://www.chufsd.org/schools/carrie_e_tompkins_es

Message from the Principal, Mrs. Kelly Maloney

Dear CET Families,

Our first grade students have been out and about in the community visiting local businesses. Each class visited one business. Thank you to Feed the Birds , Baked by Susan , The Dessertist , Mex To Go , and Memphis Mae’s for welcoming our first graders to your business.  Prior to their visit, students brainstormed questions that they wanted to ask. They posed questions such as How long have you been in business? How many customers do you usually have on a given day? What is your most popular dish? and How do you help the community?  Students really enjoyed their visits, and since returning they have been working on creating murals of Croton on Hudson that include the various businesses that they visited.

The study of their community also included a visit from one of our Croton Police officers, Detective Camillieri.   He talked to the first grade students about the role of a police officer and gave them a tour of his police cruiser!  As a way to highlight businesses that provide a service, two instructors (who are also Croton parents) from Yoga Sol led students through yoga and mindfulness exercises. We are very fortunate to have such a supportive community.  As they say, “It takes a village.”  

Our kindergarten students have also been out and about in the community. They recently took a trip to the Croton Arboretum where they were met by storyteller, Jonathan Kruk, who took them on a guided tour as he told the tale of “Barkface and Rootnose” (a tale that I am not familiar with!). Mr. Kruk did a follow-up workshop for each class; he shared his own tale called Wake Up Sun and asked students to write the ending!  Thank you to our PTA for paying for this field trip and workshop.  

As part of their science curriculum, kindergarten students observed and counted how much garbage was produced at snack time. They then were challenged to reduce the number of pieces of garbage! Of course, these smart children were able to do so by eliminating the use of paper napkins, plastic bags, aluminum foil and putting their snacks in containers and using cloth napkins! In a three day period, Mrs. Vlad’s class went from 56 pieces of garbage to 20 pieces! Mrs. Carlucci’s students wrote about what they could “do to help my world”.

We had a timely visit from Bash the Trash, a group of educators who make instruments from reused materials. Bash the Trash performed for our K-2 students this week. The terms reduce, reuse, and recycle were reiterated throughout the performance. Second grade classes each had a follow-up workshop with the Bash the Trash educators; they created their own musical instruments and played them!  This experience supports their study of sound.  

I hope that you are able to visit the District Art Show that will be held May 16-18 at the high school.  Every CET student will have a piece of artwork on display. This is an event not to be missed!  Such talent!

Speaking of talent, mark your calendars for June 8! To help raise money for our PTA, we will be putting on a show called “CET’s Got Talent”.  Stay tuned for more information.

Warmly,

Kelly

News from the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kerri Bianchi  

We have arrived at the time of year when our students are growing excited for summer and, believe it or not, are getting ready to move on to the next grade. They are feeling very comfortable with their teachers and their peers.  Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when some of our students need to be reminded about our CET expectations.   We would like to spend some time reviewing appropriate recess behavior to help ensure safety and fun for everyone. I would like to share the expectations with you in the same language we use here at CET so that you can feel comfortable reinforcing these expectations at home.  Students show respect at recess by listening and following the directions of the lunch monitors, using kind words, using equipment and materials correctly and asking permission to use the bathroom or go to the nurse.  Students show effort by, responding quickly to the whistle and doing their best to follow the recess rules.  They demonstrate acceptance by taking responsibility for themselves and their actions.  They can’t say “You can’t play”, which means including everyone.  Our students show cooperation by taking turns, being a team player, putting away the recess equipment, lining up safely and quietly at the end of recess and working with others to follow the recess rules. Finally, CET students demonstrate honesty by being truthful, playing by the rules and showing good sportsmanship.  We have been encouraging activities such as wall-ball, dodge ball, kickball and 4-square as opposed to unorganized games of tag that can sometimes lead to accidents.  Your support in reinforcing these ideas and expectations is always appreciated.  We believe that recess should serve as an important and beneficial part of the school day at CET.

News From Vilma Torres-Pagan, School Counselor

Our world is becoming increasingly diverse. Children at a younger age are more aware of differences amongst themselves. Gone are the days when they recognize differences between genders; here are the days when the color of someone’s skin, hair style, wardrobe, video gaming systems they own, etc., are impacting their young minds. Our children are bombarded with messages from social media and other outlets that may result in negative feelings and/or comments to those who are different from them.

A starting point in beginning to teach diversity to our children is to first recognize and accept our own biases towards others and actively work towards reframing our minds. Stepping outside of our comfort zone while learning and experiencing other cultures help to not only reframe our minds but expose our children to differences and eventual acceptance of others. Why not use a child’s natural curiosity to initiate these conversations? Being open and honest when answering their questions and avoiding stereotypical language are key elements in opening lines of communication that will benefit your relationship with your child.

For more information, please feel free to refer to:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/2009/02/teaching-children-about-divers.html

CET PTA

The PTA is hosting a Dance Party TONIGHT, on Cinco de Mayo! The event will take place  from 6pm-8pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. Families are invited to join in the fun. There will be a DJ, dancing, crafts and yummy food. The entry fee is $10 per child. Food and crafts are a small extra fee.

We will also be selling Spiritwear at this event. We have NEW Unisex baseball style t-shirts for youths and adults, which are $22, water bottles are $5, and tiger keychains are $2. Come and check them out while supplies last!

The Raffle Basket unveiling will take place in the hallway in front of the gymnasium the evening of the Dance party!  Come see the amazing baskets that your child's class has put together and try your luck at winning by buying some raffle tickets!

Please join us for our PTA Meeting, this Wednesday, May 10th at 9:30 am in the Projects Room. 

CHEF'S Under the Stars

The Croton Harmon Education Foundation is holding their biggest event of the year called CHEF's Under the Stars and is scheduled for Saturday, May 6th. It will help raise funds to bring coding to CET and support collaborative learning spaces at CHHS. The evening will be filled with music from Croton's own Annie DiRusso and samplings from many favorite local restaurants. Tickets can be purchased at http://crotonfoundation.org/new/

FAMILIES LEAVING OR ENTERING THE DISTRICT

If you are moving in or out of the District, please be sure to notify the Principal's Office by contacting, Gail Anzovino at 914-271-5184 x3212.