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Important Dates
June 4 - Incoming Kindergarten Parent Orientation,
7:00 pm
June 12 -
Spring Concert,
7:00 pm
June 21 - Grade 1 Concert,
Parent Performance,
8:45 am
June 24-26 - CET Early Dismissal,
11:45 am
June 25 - 4th Grade Moving-Up Ceremony,
9:30 am,
Multipurpose Room
June 26 - Report Cards
June 26 - Last day of school
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CET Newsletter May 31,
2019
http://www.chufsd.org/schools/carrie_e_tompkins_es
Message from the Principal,
Mrs.
Kelly Maloney
Dear CET Families,
As I write this article,
the sun is shining! I could feel a different energy as the students entered the building today! They entered excitedly,
eager to see their friends and teachers.
Not that they generally don’t enter with zest,
but the rainy,
cool weather had seemed to dampen their lively spirits.
Thankfully the weather cooperated last Friday for Field Day! Kudos to Mr.
Duchin and Ms.
Leslie for organizing such a wonderful day filled with cooperative,
fun games and activities.
Thank you also to all of the faculty and staff members who ran the stations,
and to our PTA for providing watermelon and ice pops! Also,
a big thank you to Abigail Epprecht for coordinating the sale and distribution of Field Day t-shirts! We posted some pictures on Twitter.
You can follow us at #CETElementary.
I am happy to share that our music teacher,
Ms.
Peters has returned.
She is busy preparing fourth graders for their upcoming concert on June 12.
This concert will feature our fourth-grade chorus and band.
Additionally,
she is preparing all fourth graders for their Moving Up Ceremony.
An invitational flyer for the ceremony will be sent home today,
and more information will be sent at a later date via K12.
Please note that Mr.
Connors is still with us.
He has been preparing first graders for their grade level performance that takes place on June 21.
He is also continuing to teach kindergarten music classes.
Our school psychologist,
Mrs.
Lauren Fitzgerald will be back next week.
We look forward to her return.
As I know sustainability has been a topic of conversation in the district as well as the community,
I thought I would share that there is an exhibit at the New York Historical Society titled
“Hudson Rising”
.
This exhibit examines two centuries of ecological change and environmental activism.
Although I have not been yet,
it sounds like it might be a good educational trip for the whole family as there are fish,
and objects that can be touched! Our students should already have some knowledge of the Hudson River along with an understanding that the river belongs to us and it is our responsibility to care for it.
During library time,
Mrs.
McManus has taught all grade levels about the Hudson River.
Her lessons included the history of the river,
the animals of the river,
and the challenges that the river faces.
You can access some relevant Hudson River links from Mrs.
McManus’ website that can be found on our CET homepage.
Ask your child what they know about the Hudson River or how they can be a steward of the Hudson River!
Don’t forget tonight at 7:30 pm is the drawing for the Raffle Baskets! You don’t have to be present to win however it would be pretty exciting to be present if you DID win! Good luck!
Warmly,
Kelly |
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News from the Assistant Principal,
Mrs.
Kerri Bianchi A critical part of the test development process is the field testing of questions in schools throughout the state in order to ensure validity and reliability in the New York State Testing Program. Each year,
school districts are asked to participate in field testing either paper-based or computer-based. This year on June 7
th
,
the 4
th
grade will take part in a NYS ELA Computer Based Field test. In the near future,
all NYS ELA and Math tests will be administered online.
Participating in computer-based field testing will provide us with the opportunity to test our devices and testing procedures in a low stakes testing environment. We agreed to participate in the computer-based field testing as we want to be completely prepared when New York State makes the shift to only online assessments. The field test will last approximately 40 minutes and students will not be graded on their performance on the field test. Field tests are administered in order to help the state develop questions for future NYS tests and student participation is important. If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact Kelly Maloney or Kerri Bianchi. |
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News from Robin Woolley,
School Counselor
Teaching Children about Personal Safety As our children grow up,
it is important that we have “difficult” conversations with them about things that might be hard FOR US to talk about.
It is easy to talk to them about fire safety because fire is something that is obviously dangerous and we have a simple strategy to give to them: Call 911 and get away from the fire.
It is much harder to talk about something that is less obvious – we don’t want to mention that there may be scary things in this world like strangers and “bad people” who might hurt them.
After all,
we don’t want to scare them. However,
when we have age-appropriate conversations with them about what to do if something dangerous or bad happens,
we are actually giving them tools to keep them safer.
Using a strategy such as “No,
Go,
Tell” is something that our students have learned through Bullying Prevention and can be used for personal safety as well.
Making sure children are not forced to hug or kiss relatives/friends at get-togethers or parties is another strategy that helps children learn they are in control of who touches them.
Always let children know that you will believe them if they come to you with an uncomfortable feeling or tell you that someone touched them in an inappropriate way. Below are some books that can help you start these conversations with your child(ren) about stranger safety,
personal boundaries/consent and sexual abuse prevention (safe/unsafe/uncomfortable touches).
Never Talk to Strangers
by Irma Joyce
The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers
by Stan and Jan Berenstain
A Little Book About Safety
by Samantha Kurtzman-Counter and Abbie Schiller
My Body’s Mine
by Kayla J.
W.
Marnach
I said No!
by Zack and Kimberly King
Your Body Belongs to You
by Cornelia Spelman
No Means No!
by Jayneen Sanders
My Body! What I Say Goes!
By Jayneen Sanders |
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News from Patricia Lynch,
Math Teacher
C.E.T.
Loves Math!
Strengthening Math All Year! Summer and reading go hand in hand,
so does summer and math! Yet,
just when you are ready to take a break from nightly academic routines as the school year winds down,
think again! Learning can still occur although it may look different than reading logs and homework packets.
Think about it,
… the average summer backward academic slide is two to three months! Just reading 3 or 4 chapter books can prevent the summer reading slide. In math,
the summer slide from grades K-4 can equate to 3 years of lost progress by the time your child reaches 5
th
grade! You may be thinking that math progress is best handled by teachers and within the school hours but research proves that summer math work makes a HUGE difference in a child’s achievements over their K-12 school years. I’m sure the last thing you want to think about is scheduling expensive math tutors for your child in middle or high school.
So … what should you do? Plan ahead! In my experience,
I know that some students go to Math Centers,
some are tutored,
some attend academic camps,
some like to do workbooks at the kitchen table and some enjoy family math discussions and being quizzed during downtime (like long car rides). Believe it or not,
just placing a slight emphasis on math in any way that communicates to your child that math is fun,
important,
and everywhere works wonders!
One fun way to keep those math skills and strategies sharp is to play math games on math guru,
Greg Tang’s free site! He has over 78,000,000 hits on his site ….
It’s THAT fun!!! https://gregtangmath.com/
He also has included a summer challenge! https://gregtangmath.com/summer
Greg Tang has a wonderful TedEd talk on YouTube where he explains the visualization,
number sense,
and reasoning needed to grow as mathematicians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnecUrHgTkc Another great idea is to visit the National Museum of Math in Manhattan! The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) is an award-winning museum that highlights the role of mathematics in illuminating the patterns and structures all around us.
Its dynamic exhibits,
gallery,
and programs are designed to stimulate inquiry,
spark curiosity,
and reveal the wonders of mathematics.
The Museum’s innovative exhibits will engage folks from 105- to 5-years-old — and even younger!
https://momath.org/
‘XtraMath’ is a free site to work on rote facts. https://xtramath.org/#/home/index
You can also access IXL and ZEARN from home over the summer. If your child isn’t already accessing these sites from home,
contact your child’s teacher. Also,
keep in mind that spending so much time online and advancing beyond the grade-level point should not be the focus as your child’s depth of understanding can suffer without real math applications.
So whether your child gravitates toward lively math discussions,
workbooks,
online games,
or interesting trips,
start to think about a summer math plan.
C.E.T.
teachers love that our students want to keep growing as mathematicians even over the summer! |
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News from Christine Martins,
School Nurse The past couple of weeks have seen temperatures ranging from the 60s to the 80s. With these fluctuating temperatures,
it can be difficult to plan how to dress for the day. As always,
your child’s health and safety is my top concern. According to the CET Parent Handbook,
“Clothing,
footwear,
and accessories must be safe and must not distract or interfere with the educational process. Sneakers with wheels and flip-flops are not permitted.” Please keep in mind that recess,
free time,
field trips are all a part of the “educational process”; safe clothing and footwear are a must. Sneakers are the preferred footwear for school. Flip-flops are not permitted. Cleats are not permitted. Open-toed footwear/shoes are discouraged,
as are heeled or wedged shoes and boots. I get many students with blisters and rub spots on their feet and ankles from ill-fitting footwear. I also see many students with bumps and scrapes; when asked what happened,
they say they “just tripped”. Proper footwear would prevent many of these injuries.
If your child tends to sunburn easily,
please apply sunscreen on sunny days. Especially on field trip days. If you want your child to have sunscreen applied here at school,
you will need to fill out this form: https://cetschoolnurse.weebly.com/uploads/4/3/7/2/43725439/new_medication_form
The bottom of the form is the “Parent Permission for Sunscreen” section.
Please call me with any questions or concerns.
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CET PTA Feeling Lucky? Still one more chance to buy raffle tickets for the
GIFT BASKET FUNDRAISER. From 7:00-7:30 pm Friday,
May 31 at CET (
TONIGHT),
just before the drawing of winners' names!
While winners need not be present,
you'll have a blast if you come and experience the excitement in person. Don't worry if you don't go home with endless craft supplies,
a new power washer,
or any other coveted item - everyone at CET will really be a winner thanks to the money raised! Generous financial support with fundraisers like this is only one way we support our kids' education.
Find out how you can give of your time and energy by taking on a role with the CET PTA - we're sure to find what's just right for you! CETPTA@gmail.com While there's still much on the horizon as we gear up for next year,
let's not miss a chance to get together and celebrate all the hard work and efforts already benefitting our kids this year.
Join us for the end of the year final meeting and party at Black Rock Kitchen,
Wednesday,
June 19, from
7-9pm |
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Updating You and Your Child’s Information in the K12 Alerts System To be sure we have the most up-to-date information for you and your child,
you may access K12 Alerts by either logging on to the CET Homepage where you will find “Parent Portal/K12Alerts” or by accessing the Croton-Harmon School District’s Homepage and clicking on “Parent and Resident Portal/K12Alerts”.
Once you log in to the K-12 Alert System,
you will be able to make any necessary changes to your or your child’s information. If you have any questions please contact Denise Cuomo,
914-271-4793,
ext.
4200 |
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