Important Dates 

January 14 -  Principal's Coffee, 9:30 am

January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,   school closed

January 22 -  Coffee and Conversation with Dr. O'Connell, 7:00 pm, CHHS Community Room

January 29 -  Early dismissal, 11:45 am

January 31 - Pocketbook Bingo, 6:00 pm, Multipurpose Room

January 31 -  Report cards

February 10-14 - Kindergaraten Registration, by appointment only

February 17-21 - Winter recess,  schools closed

*****

CET Newsletter January 10, 2020

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

Message from the Principal, Mrs. Kelly Maloney

Dear CET Families,

Happy New Year! I hope that you all had an enjoyable holiday and that the 2020 year is off to a good start. It was great to greet our students back last week; many of them seemed to have grown over those two weeks off! Although students may have been a bit tired the first day back, they were enthusiastic about seeing their friends and teachers. The start of a new year provides the opportunity to make resolutions and set goals for ourselves.  First graders in Mrs. Stouber’s class engaged in writing their own resolutions. Here are a few of them!  “I will write very neatly.”  “I will be quiet in the hallway.” “I will try to eat healthier.” A group of Mrs. Lynch’s fourth grade students were challenged to write “intriguing ways to express 2020”.  I was very impressed with what they came up with, and how serious they took this challenge! Here are a few! (250 x 8) + 20; (1000 x 2) + (27  ÷ 3) + 17;  10 ³  + 102. To see more examples, follow us on Twitter at #CETelementary. You can also see our Twitter feed on our CET homepage! 

We are hosting our second PTA Principal’s Coffee next week.  The topic is technology. I will share how technology is used as a learning tool at CET, and we will have a guest parent talk about Wait Until 8th, an initiative that supports families who want to know more about restricting smartphone and social media access at an early age. This Coffee was originally scheduled for December 11.  

This month, all students will be taking the STAR Reading and Math assessments in grades 1-4, and the STAR Early Literacy in kindergarten. This data provides us with a growth measure as students take this computer based assessment three times a year.  The data is also used to identify students who may be in need of remediation or students who may benefit from enhancement. The results of the STAR assessments can be found in the eSchool Parent Portal.  At the end of the month, you will also be able to access your child’s report card in the portal.  I will send out report card information in a latter communication. 

In case you missed our December 20th newsletter, I wanted to let you know that we are extending an invitation for a family member or two to join your child for lunch between now and June 19. If interested, please contact Laura Sherry, our Welcome Center aide, at Laura.Sherry@chufsd.org or at 271-5184 x3238 to schedule your lunch visit.  The family member should be an adult over the age of 18; no siblings are allowed.  You can bring your own lunch or purchase a school lunch.  We are hopeful that this opportunity to eat lunch with your child provides you with a little glimpse into their school day.  

Hope to see you at one of our January events! 

Warmly,

Kelly

News from the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kerri Bianchi

Winter Weather and Recess

Should we have indoor or outdoor recess?  That is a very common question during these cold winter months.  We obviously want to get our students outside to play as often as possible during the winter but sometimes that is just not possible.  I wanted to share some guidelines that we use when trying to determine where we are having recess.  The first thing we look at is the temperature.  Generally speaking if it is above 27 degrees we will send the children outside to play.  We also look at the wind chill and the “real feel” temperatures when making our decision.  Next we look at snow and ice.  If there is significant snowfall or icy conditions we will keep the children inside. During indoor recess children spend time in their classrooms because the gym is not available during recess times.  While in their classrooms children spend time playing indoor games, building with blocks or other toys, working on puzzles, coloring or reading just to name a few activities.  Fourth grade students are also supervised in the fourth grade hallway so that they can socialize with friends from other classes.  Due to concerns of frostbite we require students to wear long pants and jackets if the temperature is below 40 degrees.  We acknowledge that the building can be warm even in the winter months and do not object to students wearing shorts in the building during the winter months.  However, we ask that those children wearing shorts to school bring a pair of sweatpants in their backpack to change into for outdoor recess.  If the temperature falls below 40 degrees and a child does not have sweatpants of their own to wear we will provide a pair from the nurse’s office for them to wear.  Safety is always our number one concern when it comes to determining if we will have indoor or outdoor recess.  If for some reason your child finds it too cold to be outside during recess they are always welcome to come into the multipurpose room.  If your child has an ongoing or temporary health concern that would prohibit them from going outside for recess please contact the nurse’s office.  Additionally, PLEASE REMEMBER TO LABEL ALL OF YOUR CHILD’S OUTERWEAR.  We have so many unclaimed jackets and sweatshirts and we make every attempt to return them to their owner.  This task is much easier when the clothing item is labeled.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

News from Robin Woolley,   School Counselor    

Think ~ Create ~ Reflect ~ Respect 

for Parents 

Our district has adopted the philosophy of “Think. Create. Reflect. Respect. Challenging all students to be critical and creative thinkers.”  If this is our expectation for our children, we need to not only teach them these skills, but to model them, as well.  Our children learn A LOT by watching what we do.  Here are some tips that might help your child to learn critical and creative thinking skills through your examples:   

Think - In a world that has become extremely reactionary and fast-paced, take a moment to stop and think before reacting.   

• Think about each decision you make and how it will impact yourself and those around you.
• Give yourself 24 hours before you send that frantic email, angry text, or post something out of anger or frustration that you might regret.  
• Ask more questions to try to find out the “whole story” before jumping to conclusions that may be false.   

Sometimes our emotions overwhelm us and our first reaction may not be the best one.  Take a moment to pause and think before acting.   

Create - quality time in your schedule to spend with your kids and to practice self-care.   

• Yes, we are all busy - that’s not an excuse!    
• No, driving your child to/from activities and sitting on the sidelines or watching dance class and gymnastics doesn’t count.  Neither does watching TV.  
• Make an “appointment” with yourself and with your children ~ then make sure to keep it.
• Have regular meals together - this has been proven to decrease substance abuse and increase a child’s self-esteem.
• Put the phone/devices down and really interact with your kids - dinner, board games, reading together, a walk outside, build something, play imaginative games, be creative!

Take the time to create opportunities to really be present and interact with your children in positive ways before it’s too late - time flies by and before you know it they will be grown up.   

Reflect - on your own behavior often.  Model this for your children. 

• If you talk about other people negatively, you may teach your child that it’s OK to gossip and be critical of others.  
• If you don’t follow rules and expectations or if you don’t set clear expectations and limits for your child, you may be teaching your child to think that rules don’t apply to them, which can ultimately cause confusion, anxiety, and consequences when they come to school or other places where rules do apply.  
• Mrs. Flynn shared with me something that she does with her daughter to reflect about their day.  It’s called “High, Low, Hero”
• Ask yourself and your child the following questions:
• “What was the highlight of my day?” (focuses on positive thinking)
• “What was the low point and how did I get through it?” (reinforces coping skills)
• “Who was someone that was a hero to me today?” (Choose someone who helped you or was nice to you) 

Respect - be respectful in all your interactions with your children, their friends, their teachers, and other adults. 

• Show respect for yourself - make sure you get plenty of rest, eat healthy, exercise and find time to relax. 
• Be mindful of your substance use - alcohol, prescription medications or otherwise.  
• Be kind to others and respect their differences, whatever they may be.
• Respect your surroundings - recycle, put trash in trash cans, don’t throw things like gum or cigarette butts out your car window, be kind to animals.  
• Expect your children to be respectful of you and others.
• If you need help, ask for it - taking care of your own mental health is modeling respect for yourself and can be imperative to your child’s healthy development.

If we are all modeling these positive behaviors for our children, they will follow us and learn from our example.

CET PTA   

Happy New Year!  We hope you enjoyed some time off with your family and are ready for an amazing 2020.

The PTA has been busy working on some informative and some fun events: 

First, we have organized the Principal’s Coffee on January 14 ^th at 9:30am in the Projects Room.  There will be a discussion about technology and our children which will include a discussion about the Wait Until 8 initiative.

Second, we will be hosting our second annual Pocketbook Bingo on January 31 ^st from 6:30-8:30pm in the multipurpose room.  Last years was a near sellout, so buy your tickets early.  

Go to cetpta.com for more information on both of these events.

Lastly, you will receive a flyer home in the next two weeks regarding our Greeting Card Fundraiser.  This fundraiser is a great opportunity for you to get a deal on a box of beautiful cards.  Each card will cost $1 or less and having them in the house will save you from having to run to the store to buy a last minute card.  

News from Patricia Lynch, Math Teacher  

C.E.T. Loves Math! 

Happy New Year!

Do you know why the names of our months seem a little odd?  If ‘septa’ means 7, why is September the 9 ^th  month? … ‘Octo’ = eight but October is our 10 ^th  month, ‘Novem’ = nine, and Decem = ten.  The Romans named some of the months after their position in the calendar year: September means the 7th month, October the 8th, November the 9th, and December the 10th month. However, when January and February were eventually added and the beginning of the calendar year was moved to January, the position of these months no longer corresponded with the original meaning of their names.

Your child may already be familiar with the days of the week and the months of the year, but a quick review is always helpful. Writing the date is also an important concept to review. There are several standardized ways to write the date, as in August 25th, 2020. Remind children about the position of the comma, just after the number of the day. The date can also be written as 8/25/2020, using slashes, or as 8-25-2020 with dashes. Review with your children that a week is a unit of seven days.  A month is a unit of about four weeks or 28-31 days.  A year is a unit of twelve months, about 52 weeks, or 365 days.  There are 366 days in a leap year and 2020 is a Leap Year!

Many children have problems remembering the days of the week and the months of the year or spelling them. Encourage your child to find patterns in the names and to generate a strategy for remembering them.  To further this conversation with your child, you can access the Brain Pop Jr. site from C.E.T.’s homepage under the Students/Parents Tab and then go to the CET Digital Links/Tools.  Your child should know the username and password.  Brain Pop Jr. and Brain Pop have wonderful age-appropriate, non-fiction short educational videos on a host of topics. Remember that you can always access your child's math curriculum on the C.E.T. Math Lab site. Happy 2020!

https://jr.brainpop.com/math/time/calendaranddates/

https://jr.brainpop.com/math/time/timetothehour/ (elapsed time on the # line)

***************************************************************************

News from Lisa Percoco, World Language Teacher 

STUDENTS ATTENDING AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

If your child will be attending an afterschool program, please be sure to send in a note that specifies the name of the program and what day(s) he/she will be attending.

***************************************************************************

CHANGE IN CALENDAR EVENT

Please note that March 13, 2020 is now a regular school day at Carrie E Tompkins Elementary School.

***************************************************************************

  LETTER DAY WHEN A SNOW DAY(S) HAS OCCURRED

When school is closed due to inclement weather, the letter day is rolled over to the next school day.

***************************************************************************

EARLY MORNING DROP-OFFS

Just a reminder to use the traffic loop in the back of the building for early morning drop-offs. The loop in the front of the building is for buses ONLY until 8:15 AM.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

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.