Important Dates 

February 10-14 -  Kindergaraten Registration, by appointment only

February 17-21 - Winter recess,  schools closed

March 27 & 31-  Parent/Teacher Conferences, Early dismissal, 10:45 am

March 31 - Parent/Teacher Evening Conferences, 5-8 pm

March 24-31 - NYS ELA Testing, Grades 3 & 4

April 20-27 - NYS Math Testing, Grades 3 & 4

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Newsletter February 7, 2020

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

Message from the Principal, Mrs. Kelly Maloney

Dear CET Families,

It is hard to believe that it is February 7 already!  The school year is flying by! We are approaching the 100th day of school, a day that will be celebrated by students in the primary grades. As part of their calendar routines, students in these grades count the number of days we are in school!  Ask your child what else they do when they go over the calendar. The focus on 100 supports NYS Mathematics Learning Standards. In kindergarten students are expected to be able to “count to 100 by ones and tens” and “count to 100 by ones beginning from any given number (instead of beginning at 1)” . In first grade, students need to extend the counting sequence to 120, and read and write numerals in this range.  First graders also need to “understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones”. If you are interested in knowing what else your child should know or be able to do by the time they exit their current grade, you can go to EngageNY.org and go to the Next Generation Learning Standards tab.  Your child’s report card is also an important resource to reference if you want to know how well your child is doing in relation to the NYS Learning Standards. 

For those of you who were looking for your child’s STAR assessment results in the eSchool Parent Portal, they are now there.  

We held a PTA Principal’s Coffee this week on the topic of Read Alouds, Audio Books, and Podcasts . Coincidentally, it fell on World Read Aloud Day!  Sadly, there were only six parents present. Our AIS Literacy teachers, Debbie Hager, Lisa Flynn, and Nancy Rimoli along with second grade teacher, Eileen Deacy did a wonderful job presenting on this topic .  Thank you also to Janet Cueto, our ENL (English as a New Language) teacher who attended.  There are a number of benefits to reading books aloud to children (even if they can read!) or listening to an audio book or podcast.  Our teachers spend a portion of their day reading aloud to their students. According to studies, auditory comprehension is higher than reading comprehension; students can listen and comprehend two grade levels above their reading level.  Ask your child what book their teacher or librarian has read to them recently. For those of you who are interested in podcasts, commonsensemedia.org has a recommended list for children and families. 

Our third grade students have been learning about eagles which includes a trip to the Croton Harmon train station to observe eagles feeding along the Hudson River. Thank you to Charlie Roberto, a Croton resident, who shares his knowledge and large scope monocular (I think that’s what it is called!) with our students, families, and teachers. All third grade students have created eagle posters that include facts about eagles, and these will be on display at the Teatown Hudson River EagleFest at Croton Point Park tomorrow, Saturday, February 8.  Ask your third grader what they know about eagles. I encourage you to attend the EagleFest just to see the amazing posters our students created! Their artwork is impressive! (I could never draw an eagle, even with a positive mindset!)

Speaking of Teatown, our first grade classes will be going there in the spring to study beavers! Thank you to our PTA for offsetting the cost of this field trip by providing $1000 towards student fees. 

In the last CET newsletter, I wrote about the Wait Until 8th pledge, a pledge to delay giving your child a smartphone until at least 8th grade. I was informed this week that there are at least 10 first grade families that have taken this pledge which means that the pledge is in effect! 

Enjoy the weekend!  I am sure I am in the minority, but I keep wishing for snow!  

Warmly, 

Kelly

News from the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kerri Bianchi

It is hard to believe that we are fast approaching the 100 ^th day of school!  The year is flying by and it seems like a perfect time to review some of our CET expectations and our Code of Conduct.  Each September our students sign and return the Tiger Cub Contact but often by this time of year students forget its contents.  Below you will find the Code of Conduct page of our Tiger Cub Contract for you to review with your students.

Code of Conduct

All members of the CET School Community will respect and be kind to everyone.  This means:

 1. “CET will R.E.A.C.H for Knowledge” Your behaviors and actions should represent our school-wide focus on Respect, Effort, Acceptance, Cooperation and Honesty.

2. We are polite to our classmates, teachers, administrators, and other visiting adults and children in our school.

3. We follow the rules whether an adult is present or not.

4. We walk quietly in the hallways. 

5. We don’t tease one another or call each other names because of how people look, what they believe in or how they act.

6. We include others and do not leave anyone out.

7. We use appropriate language at all times.

8. We help one another.

9. We solve our problems with one another by talking, not fighting, touching one another or arguing

10. We ask a teacher or other adult staff member for help if we have a problem we cannot solve on our own.

11. We are proud of our school and ourselves and we do not do anything to harm either.

12. We do not bring real or toy weapons, dangerous objects or electronic items (games, ipods, cell phones) to school.

It is important to stress that students must always be respectful to all peers and adults at CET.  We have recently had an increased number of reports that students are using inappropriate language and excluding others from certain games and activities.  Student should be reminded to use appropriate language at all times and no one should be excluded from any games or activities during recess.  Students should also remember that they should not bring toys from home to school.  When we all follow the expectations and treat each other with respect, we are creating an environment where everyone feels safe and is conducive to learning.

I would also like to take this time to remind you that if your child is experiencing a problem or difficulty at school that you should reach out to their classroom teacher first.  Having direct conversations with classroom teachers can usually resolve an issue before it has the potential to escalate.  Teachers are easily reached by email or phone and will respond in a timely manner.  If your child is dealing with an issue that may be of a more sensitive nature you can also reach out to our school counselor or our school psychologist.

We strive to provide an environment where all students are successful.  By reviewing these expectations and guidelines, we are hoping to ensure everyone’s future success.  

News from Robin Woolley,   School Counselor    

Alphabet Soup, Thinking Thursdays & A Charter

A few weeks ago I started going into the lunchroom on Thursdays to provide students with mini lessons as part of our comprehensive school counseling program and social and emotional curriculum.  I have started calling this “Thinking Thursdays” as I’m asking the students to take time during their lunch to think about their feelings, behaviors, and the feelings of others.  The lessons have and will incorporate themes that we have covered in REACH assemblies as well as components of the RULER program that we are beginning to introduce to the students.  All of our students should know that REACH stands for Respect, Effort/Empathy, Acceptance, Cooperation and Honesty and is the cornerstone of CET’s behavioral expectations.  RULER is part of a program that our district is implementing K-8 through the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence and stands for Recognize, Understand, Label, Express and Regulate.  Through RULER, both staff and students will be continuing to learn how to understand and manage emotions.  

Over the past three mini lessons, the students and I spent a lot of time talking about how students actually feel and how they WANT to feel at recess and lunch.  Most people think that recess and lunch are a favorite time of the day.  In reality, these times of the day can be difficult for many students for a variety of reasons.  Each grade level was able to come up with a list of how they want to feel at recess.  All grade levels agreed that they want to feel happy, excited, included, and safe, among many other similar emotions.  Yesterday I put these feelings up on the projection screen and asked the students to really think about how we can make sure that each one of their classmates feels this way.  Their responses were amazing and included ideas such as standing up for others, checking the buddy bench and inviting anyone sitting on it to play, helping each other, playing fair, using kind words, respecting personal space and making new friends.  

So what am I going to do with all these wonderful thoughts and ideas? How do we get the students to really follow through and use them on a daily basis?  I’m going to pull them together to create a Recess/Lunch Charter.  A charter, by definition, is a written document that outlines the rights and obligations of an organization.  Our students have the right to feel positive feelings at recess and lunch, but they also have a responsibility to make sure that their actions and behaviors are helping themselves and others to feel those positive feelings.  This charter will be a tool that recess and lunch monitors, as well as myself, teachers and administration, can use to talk to students about their behaviors and feelings when there is a problem at recess.  I also hope the students will use it to remind themselves and each other about the importance of helping everyone feel good.  By creating this charter with the students, it is my hope that the “Thinking Thursdays” will bring about “Magical Mondays,” “Terrific Tuesdays,” “Wonderful Wednesdays” and “Fabulous Fridays” for all!     

News from Christine Martins, School Nurse

“At what time is my child considered ‘late’?”  I have been asked this question many times by parents.  We (Ms. Schulze and I) here in the Nurse’s Office are responsible for the school attendance.  When a student comes to school late, they must first stop at the Nurse’s Office to acquire a Late Pass before continuing on to class.  For most students, being late is a rare occurrence.  For others, it can be a couple times a week.  You might think to yourself, “Oh, it’s only a few times a month...  Where’s the harm in that?”  As I’m not a teacher, I can’t speak from hands-on experience, but I do know, from talking to teachers here at CET and from my own children’s school day, that practically every minute of the school day is allotted to some type of activity or lesson.  Every minute of the day has value and purpose.  Missing some of that time can leave a negative impact on your child.

The answer to my opening question is:  8:10 am.  If your child arrives after 8:10 am, they will be late.  The CET start-of-day goes like this:  The school doors open to the students at 8:00 am.  Students have 10 minutes to get to their classrooms; they should be there by 8:10 am.  Morning announcements start at 8:15 am.  Once Morning Announcements are over, it’s pretty much “down to business”; lessons begin.  Students need the time before Morning Announcements to do their Morning Routines and get settled in-  put coats and lunches away, unpack bags, make their way to their seats.

Here is an example of one of our teacher’s early morning schedule:

8:00-8:20:  Morning Routines (putting away coats, unpacking bags…)

                  Finishing up Work in Progress

                  Extra help time for students in need

                  Classroom library

8:20-8:35:  Morning Meeting (consists of building math skills)

8:35-8:45:  Shared Reading (literacy skills)

8:45:  Writing Workshop

Per another teacher, the school day’s early morning routine is important for helping children to develop important life skills such as social skills, coping/self regulation skills.  It is the children’s chance to socialize, play and burn off some energy before jumping into lesson time.

Each minute of the day is valuable.  Please have your child in school by 8:10.  It is what is best for your child and all others in the class!

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CET PTA   

Looking ahead to spring, save some dates for upcoming events:

• Zumba Dance Party and Basket Reveal: March 20
• Jungle Themed Spring Book Fair: May 5-7

You will be receiving communication from your class parent regarding this year’s basket raffles soon after Winter Recess. 

If you are wondering where your child’s missing winter jacket, sweater, hat, or gloves are, sign up to be a PTA member on cetpta.com and receive monthly e-mails with pictures of Lost and Found items.  You can also follow the PTA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to view these pictures and more.

News from Patricia Lynch, Math Teacher  

C.E.T. Loves Math! 

The 100 ^th  day of school is upon us and will occur during the week we return from Winter Recess. If you think it is not a big deal, ask a Kindergartener or First Grader!  First Grade is also planning on celebrating the 120th day of school as working with numbers up to 120 is part our Math standards. Composing and decomposing 100+ objects helps to strengthen number sense.  Equal groups, comparison, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division conversations arise naturally in the lower grades.  In the upper grades, conversations begin to turn to fractional proportions, decimals and percentages out of a group of 100.

If you have time during winter break or when spring cleaning, engage your child in counting, sorting, dividing, and comparing their collections (toys, paper clips, coins, etc.).  Even if you do not have 100 of something, add collections together and compare totals.  Collections lend themselves to all kinds of math discussions, even skip counting and place value. 

Using mathematical language with your child during play is a great way to deepen their understanding.  You could use blocks to make a perimeter around a group of stuffed animals and add math concepts into your playful discussion.  Whether engaged in play or while traveling in the car, etc., consider talking about math concepts or making up story problems for your child to solve aloud.  You will be surprised at how your curiosity around math influences your child’s curiosity!

CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH -  FEBRUARY 2020

POSTER CONTEST

This Contest is open to all students grades K-12. Create a dental poster that shows the positive impact of good oral health on your overall health and well-being! Send all entries on or before Friday, March 6th to:

NINTH DISTRICT DENTAL ASSOCIATION
364 ELWOOD AVENUE
HAWTHORNE, NY 10532

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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.

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CHANGE IN CALENDAR EVENT

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

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  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.

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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.