Clarendon Elementary School Newsletter

Clarendon Elementary
School Newsletter
February 2015
Clarendon Elementary School
84 Grange Hall Road,
North Clarendon, Vermont 05759
P: (802) 775-5379 F: (802) 747-7584
Fred Valastro, Principal • fvalastro@rssu.org
“Every Student, Every Day, Our Personal Best in Every Way!”
Dear Clarendon Families,
The winter is in full swing. Do you like the cold, crisp, invigorating air? As a good friend puts it, “At least there are no mosquitoes.” I
hope you are all doing well and enjoying our Vermont winter landscape, it is beautiful.
As we approach the budget vote, I want you to know that we are here to answer questions and provide any information that you need.
Please let me know. You remember our motto: Every Student, Every Day - Our Personal Best in Every Way! And yes, we all value
the social, emotional and educational growth of our children. But, how do we balance the need with the cost? Where do we shift funds?
What are the priorities?
Here is what we believe the Fundamentals for Critical Decision Making at Clarendon Elementary School should be:
Preserve quality programs and services for students through innovative practices and thoughtful investments
Ensure financial sustainability for future years
Maximize our resources by improving efficiency and effectiveness
Be mindful of the impact on taxpayers
Consider the entire school community
As you will see in our proposed budget, Clarendon Elementary’s educational spending is up 2.44%. We have Math and Literacy Coaches
on the team to improve student learning by providing expert resources to the teachers and offering interventions to the students. Our model
allows for small groups, curriculum development, and improved delivery through teacher support and leadership. CES has improved our
technology to support Self-Paced Learning and ensure 21st Century Skill building.
Colin Powell said: “A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” We all are providing the
sweat and hard work. We need the entire school community’s determination to raise the kids and teach OUR students.
The Clarendon Elementary budget in 2009 was $3,278,379; in 2010 it was $3,290,916 – this year we are proposing $3,234,078. That is
$56,800 less than in 2010.
Here is what one of our upper grade teachers says about our teaching model. “I can become an expert in my area. Teaching to our
strength, enthusiasm and passion is passed along to students to fuel engagement and curiosity. This allows for a deeper understanding of
the material especially when integrated in other subject areas through collaboration with my colleagues. Of course, making connections
with students and recognizing their strengths allows for extension of learning at other times of the day. With the number of teachers at the
5/6 team, students will have at least one trusted adult they can co
nfide in during homeroom time - morning, midday, and dismissal. This allows for teachers to check in with students and process with them
if necessary.”
Your principal, Fred Valastro
IMPORTANT DATES
School Board Meetings
Tuesday, February 3rd - 6:30pm
Winter Recess - No School
Monday, February 16th - Friday, February 20th
Clarendon Elementary School
84 Grange Hall Road,
North Clarendon, Vermont 05759
P: (802) 775-5379 F: (802) 747-7584
Fred Valastro, Principal • fvalastro@rssu.org
www.rssu.org
Every Student, Every Day, Our Personal Best in Every Way!
February 2015
Sun
1
Mon
2
Tue
3
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
4
5
6
7
School Board
6:30pm
8
9
10
11
12
13
“I Love to Read”
14
15
16
President’s Day
17
Mardi Gras
18
Ash Wednesday
19
Chinese New Year
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Preschool Does Science and Math with
Cooking and Play Dough Making
We were measuring the
different ingredients,
taking turns putting
them together and
stirring the play dough.
When we were mixing
the oil and water together, we noticed that
it, “made little bubbles”
that “looked like circles”
and we wondered if “it
was going to always stay
like that”.
Playing in the "snow"!
We made snowmen
using lots of
different materials.
Fabulous Four Winds
In
First Grade
Mrs. Jami Charron and Mrs. Quincy
Bruckerhoff teach the first grades
an interesting lesson on predators and
prey.
Mill River High School students come to help out at CES.
Thank you!
Grade 2 learned a bit abou the Winter Solstice during
our brief study of The Season of Light. We sampled
latkes, lit a menorah, sampled Kwanzaa cookies and lit
a Kinara, made Christmas cookies and lit candles on
an advent wreath and much, much more! It was interesting to think of different cultural
traditions.
Thank you Marcos Levy for
coming to CES to share a
holiday sing along with us.
HO! HO! HO! Thank you Mike
Klopchin for being Santa's helper
Our Soup-er Second Graders want to collect
100 cans of soup as one part of our
100th Day of School celebration.
We will deliver the soup February 10, 2015 to
The Community Cupboard in Rutland.
If you would like to help us and donate canned
soup, please drop it off in
Mrs. Pratico's classroom.
Thank you.
Third Graders are having fun
with group activities prior to
the December vacation.
They played with some
familiar materials.
They also learned how to
make elf hats and to play
a game called Spot It!
Fourth grade is researching and doing reports on different regions in the United States.
Talk to some of them and have them share what they are learning.
Wait! Don’t throw away that empty paper towel roll!
Please save it and send it to school for Mrs. Doiron.
You will learn more about the project
from your children. Many thanks!!
The fifth grade has studied the colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth - England’s first
stable settlements in the New World. As students continued learning about the
development and expansion of the thirteen colonies, they generated questions about
what life was like for the colonists.
Students researched topics such as food, schools, and artisans to answer their
questions. Once they had their information, they typed their answer in a Google Doc.
This document was then used to generate a QR Code. These codes are on display in
the 5/6 hallway. Check them out!
How did colonists keep their food from spoiling?
What did children have for chores?
6th grade students tested their solar collectors in early November.
As part of a unit on Energy Conservation and Transfer, students learned about sources of energy
and the water crisis in developing countries. Using this background knowledge, students were
presented a problem to solve by applying the scientific concepts of energy conservation and
transfer learned in previous investigations.
Students worked collaboratively to design and construct solar collectors that meet the criteria
outlined in the design task.
Sixth grade writing students recently interviewed students in Kindergarten and Mrs. Jakubowski’s first grade
class and then wrote biographies on each of the students.
They went back to the classes and shared the biographies
they had written and presented a copy to each of the
students.
Lemurs
Created by CES students
for the
December concert
about endangered animals
December Ping-Pong Ball Winners
The winner
of the
Ping-pong drawing
for December was
Adam from
4th grade!
Grade
K
K
K
K
K
K
1J
1J
1J
1M
1M
1M
1M
1M
1M
1M
1M
Name
Chloe
Collin
Logan
Raegen
Wyatt
Wyatt
Caden
Connor
Gracelin
Domonick
Evelyn
Gracie
Mariana
Matthew
Olivia
Paden
Summer
Grade
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
2P
3C
3C
3L
4R
4R
4R
Name
Bronson
Camryn
Elijah
Evan
Hayden
Ian
Jack
Jadon
Jasmine
Logan
Nicholas
Nicholas
Damian
Mike
Ava
Carmen
Darrian
Kyran
Grade
5H
5H
5H
5H
5H
5H
5H
5H
5P
5P
5P
5P
5P
5P
Name
Grade Name
Ashley
6D Alaina
Crystal
6D Bailey
Ethan
6D Emma
Hailey
6D Hannah
Justin
6D Makenzie
Kaleb
6D Zach
Taryn
6M Jonah
Trenton
Brayden
Dylan
Josie
Kaleb
Samantha
TJ
December
Chloe
K-Loyzelle
Dominick
3-Cohen
Crystal
5-Hogan
Savannah
Wyatt
Emma
1-Jakubowski
3-Lind
5-Pritchard
Olivia
Alison
Hunter
1-McLaughlin
4-McCoy
6-D’Amico
Bronson
Darrian
Bradley
2-Pratico
4-Redman
6-Moore
Third through
sixth grades
skating at
Spartan Arena
Clarendon Counselor
Thank You!
We are so fortunate in this community to have people dedicated to
making sure all of our students have a wonderful holiday season. A
big Thank You to the following organizations and community members for making this happen:
*Dolls & More
*Rutland Regional Medical Center
*Northshire Bookstore
*Clarendon Elementary School students and staff
*Mill River Union High School students and staff
Denny McCullough
Clarendon Elementary
School Counselor
Contact Info:
dmccullough@rssu.org
802-773-5379 x105
PBIS CORE VALUES
Since the start of school we have
awarded 200+ Ping Pong Balls to
students for following our PBIS
Core Values.
Keep Up The Good Work!
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem is our beliefs about our self. This includes how capable and loved we feel. One of the most important things we can help our children do is to develop a healthy self-esteem. Here are some tips to help
your child develop a healthy self-esteem.
*Praise your child: Notice when your child has done something well and tell them. Limit criticism. A good
rule of thumb is to give 5 positive comments for every 1 negative comment.
*Criticize the behavior: When your child misbehaves talk about the behavior, problem solve how your child
can make things better. Avoid labeling a child as “bad.”
*Validate feelings: Allow your child to feel sad, hurt, or mad. After you can give them a positive boost.
*Opportunities to help out at home: Children learn by doing. Give them an age appropriate chore to make
them feel like part of the “team”. Offer praise for their work. If they are failing at the chore try a new one.
They will feel valued as a family member that you can count on them to do the chore and do it well.
*Daily check ins: Try to find 10 minutes a day to listen to your child as he/she talks about the day or play a
game. They know how busy you are and they will feel great that you took time out for them. Time well
spent can be better than money well spent.
*Avoid comparisons: Try to not compare your child to others, especially siblings. Instead of saying, “Why
can’t you be more like so-and-so?” try “Do you notice that so-and-so does this?” Let your child know that it
is okay to be different, and that you don’t expect perfection.
We Care Elementary Newsletter
INTRODUCTION
Your child is taking part in the We Care Elementary Program. This Program is a sexual abuse prevention program that promotes healthy relationships at an age appropriate level for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th
grade students. The Program includes a classroom curriculum, trainings for school staff, and information and events for parents. We Care is a part of the Healthy Relationships Project, a series of three
programs (Care for Kids, We Care Elementary, and SAFE-T) provided by Prevent Child Abuse Vermont (PCAV) serving children ages 3-13, their families, and schools. For more information about the
Healthy Relationships Project, please visit www.pcavt.org.
Clarendon Elementary School will begin implementation mid March. Specific dates will be
shared with families in the coming weeks.
A representative from PCAV and our School Counselor, Denny McCullough, will be available at Parent Teacher Conferences on March 12th to answer questions. A copy of the curriculum is available at any time to review.
Approach to Prevention
All Healthy Relationship Project programs include a common approach to prevention. Central to the
Healthy Relationships Project approach to prevention are the following beliefs:
 Adults are responsible for protecting children and adolescents from abuse.
 Violence can be prevented through helping students build healthy relationship skills.
 Comprehensive prevention includes victim and victimizer prevention and bystander engagement.

It is important to make everyone feel supported when talking about child sexual abuse.
ACT 1: SCHOOL COMMUNITIES
In 2009, the Vermont legislature passed Act 1, requiring that all school staff be trained in child sexual abuse
prevention and that parents also be given the opportunity to receive sexual abuse prevention information. In
addition, the law requires that sexual abuse prevention education be part of comprehensive health education K12. The law went into effect for schools on July 1, 2011 and PCAV has partnered with schools to assist them
as they work to meet these new requirements across the state.
Education is the best way to provide communities with the tools to prevent and respond to sexual abuse.
PCAV provides training, curriculum materials, resources, and co-teaching support in your child’s school.
CURRICULUM AT A GLANCE
If at any point you have questions
regarding or concerns about the We
Care Elementary Program please
contact the We Care Elementary
Team at Prevent Child Abuse Vermont.
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont
Montpelier, VT
802-229-5724
www.PCAVT.org
3rd Grade
4thGrade
 Introduction and Safe Spaces
 Trusted Adults and Asking for Help
 Recognizing Feelings in Ourselves
 Personal Boundaries
 Mixed Up and Confused
 Wrap Up
 Program Introduction and Safe Spaces
 Self-Esteem
 Support Systems and Understanding Feelings
 Recognizing and Responding to Emotions
 Body Language and Mixed Messages
 Wrap Up
 Wrap Up
5th Grade






Introduction and Safe Spaces
Empathy
Recognizing Others’ Boundaries
Asking for Permission
Coping and Accepting No
Wrap Up
6th Grade






Introduction and Safe Spaces
Sexuality
Sexual Harassment
Body Language
Adult Support and Resources
Wrap Up
Children of all ages need a healthy smile! If you need help finding a dentist or have questions about your
child’s teeth, please contact our school’s Dental Hygienist for our Tooth Tutor Program,
Christina Sweet, RDH. RutlandToothTutor@gmail.com 802-786-1987
111 Moulton Avenue
North Clarendon
802-747-7743
baileylibraryvt.wordpress.com
The library catalog is now online! Visit the library’s website and
click on the link to search for books that we might have.
At the Bailey Memorial Library, you will find nonfiction and
fiction books for adults and children, as well as audio books,
DVD and VHS movies, and music CDs. Many of the best sellers
from the New York Times Best Sellers list as well as Red Clover and DCF books are available. We also have museum passes,
computers for public use, and free wireless!
HOURS
Monday
5:00 - 7:00
Tuesday
11:00 - 4:00
Wednesday 11:00 - 4:00
Thursday 11:00 - 7:00
Friday
closed
Saturday 9:00 - 2:00
Sunday
closed
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
ANY WILL ENTER AND PLAY, FEW WILL WIN.
Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. at least 18 years of age.
Ends 12/15/15. Void where prohibited. © General Mills
To play and for Official Rules, including odds, alternate method of entry, and prize descriptions visit www.BTFE.com/BigMoney.