Happy Holidays!

We wish you all a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season.  We look forward to seeing you in 2014!

Holiday Music

A group of very talented sixth graders performed for the Senior Center this morning.  Enjoy the music!

Parent Conferences

Thank you to all who attended conferences this week.  The home-school connection is so important and your involvement is critical to your student's success.  We appreciate your support!

We know what we are thankful for...

We want to thank Governor's Academy for the very generous donation of six SMARTBoards to Newbury Elementary School.  The SMARTBoards will be placed into classrooms and will be used daily to enhance the curriculum and help ready our students for the 21st century. 
We at NES are so very fortunate to have friends and neighbors like Governor's Academy!

NES 6th Grade Environmental Camp Holiday Fundraiser

Newbury's very own Anastasia's Flowers on Main Street has generously agreed to provide a portion of the proceeds on all holiday flowers and floral arrangements purchased by the NES community, your friends, and family to next year's 6th Grade Environmental Camp Fundraising.

 

Scheduled PRACTICE Lock Down Procedure

This morning, the NES community practiced our lockdown procedure.  Once the procedure began, students found the designated safe place in their classroom and waited quietly for the school to be cleared.  Students handled themselves calmly and appropriately.  Newbury Police and Fire Departments then walked through the building with the office staff to take notes and check that all of our safety measures were in place.  A big thank you to all that help to keep NES safe everyday!

 

Thank you to the NES Student Council!

A big thank you to the NES Student Council!  They donated money to purchase ear buds for the entire student body.  This will lower the chances of unwanted critter sharing.  Each student now has their own pair of ear buds that are sealed in individual bags and will travel with the class to and from the computer labs.

The 6th Graders Head Off to Environmental Camp

We wish all of our 6th graders an exciting and fun-filled week at Environmental Camp!  We hope you learn a lot, try some new things, and make memories that will last a lifetime.  See you on Friday!

 

Annual NES Halloween Parade

The annual NES parade was a huge success!  The NES community marched around the school to the beat of our very own marching band.  Thank you to all of the families that came to cheer us on!

 

 

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

 

Little Red Hens

The NES pre-schoolers have been studying chickens in class.  They have learned about where chickens live, what they eat, their life cycle, and how they behave.  Today, they had their Halloween Parade and all dressed up as red hens. 
Parents were welcomed into the classroom and joined in on the celebration.  It was a wonderful opportunity to see what the pre-schoolers are doing in class and helps to make that ever important school to family connection.

An original song by one of our very talented NES students about bullying...

At our all school meeting we were fortunate to have an original song about bullying shared with the school.  Many thanks to Maggie for writing and singing the song and to Riley for accompanying her.  Here are the lyrics.

Just keep on going every day,

if you stop walking that path of dismay,

your courage will come sooner every single day,

because it gets better it really really does,

you'll find it in your heart to be true,

don't fight back it's not really you,

you'll find it's better to love than to hate,

your brothers and sisters in this world are cheering you on

so just remember every single day just keep walking that beautiful path of love,

just keep remaining strong,

if you just stay true to yourself you will find your strength,

just keep on going every day,

if you stop walking that path of dismay your courage will come,

it'll come to you someday, someday very soon,

because we're all here to help each other through this.

 

 

Our Second All School Meeting

Our second all school assembly was a great success!  Students from Mr. Dollas and Ms. Lucy's sixth grade classes shared skits about bullying and how to stop it.  The students did a wonderful job and we all learned how to make NES a safe and strong community.  Each student was asked to think of an adult that they are comfortable reporting a bullying issue to.  Ask your child who they picked.

 

 

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, How does your garden grow?

At NES, our gardens grow thanks to the hard work of the NES students and parent volunteers like Michelle Walsh.  The outdoor gardens were planted last spring and over the summer and are now bursting with fresh vegetables.  Each grade level has been able to participate in the planting, maintaining, and now harvesting the beautiful gardens.  This week, students will be able to enjoy vegetables from our own garden at lunch.  Students will sample zucchini, summer squash, carrots, beets, and green beans.  I wonder what their favorite will be?

Many thanks to all who helped to make our gardens so successful! 

 

10 Benefits to Reading

 

Reading everyday is so important and can improve your child's schoolwork emensely. 

Here are 10 benefits of reading taken from The Best Books for Kids website (http://www.best-books-for-kids.com/benefits-of-reading.html).

 

1.    Kids who read often and widely get better at it.
2.    Reading exercises our brains.
3.    Reading improves concentration.
4.    Reading teaches children about the world around them.
5.    Reading improves a child's vocabulary and leads to more highly developed language skills.
6.    Reading develops a child's imaginiation.
7.    Reading helps kids develop empathy.
8.    Children who read do better at school.
9.    Reading is a great form of entertainment!
10.  Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind.

Homework Tips

 

As we start the year off, it is always a good idea to get into a routine.  Here are a few homework tips from TeachersAndFamilies (www.teachersandfamilies.com) that may help. 

 

Elementary Homework Tips

Homework should not be a battle. Here are some steps you can take to encourage your elementary-age child to take responsibility for his own homework assignments.

Remove distractions - Do homework in a quiet place that does not have distractions. Turn off the TV; don't expect your child to do homework in a room where siblings are playing.

Establish a routine - Set a specific "homework time" such as right after supper. Require that homework be complete before your child can watch TV, use the phone, etc.

Prioritize - Encourage your child to work first on those assignments that are due tomorrow. Then tackle the tasks that are due later. Help your child plan his studying so that projects are not left until the last minute. An assignment book can be a big help with this.

Check understanding - Be sure your child understands new assignments before he or she starts working on them. This one can save lots of late-evening tears!

Guide, but don't correct - If your child needs help, offer ideas that can help her sort out the problem, but don't give her the answers.

Get organized for tomorrow - Remind your child to pack the backpack before going to bed. Even the best homework effort doesn't do much good if it's left on the kitchen table!

Open House

 

Thank you to all of the families that joined us for the PreK-2 Open House on Thursday night. It is wonderful to be part of such a supportive community. We want to also thank all of the teachers for putting together such wonderful presentations about the important work we do here at school. We are off to a great start and look forward to a terrific year!

A second Open House is scheduled for grades 3-6 next Thursday. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

 

Grades 3-6

6:30 – 8:00pm

 

Agenda

Meet in NES Auditorium

6:30 – 7:00pm

Introduction of Faculty and Staff

School Committee Briefing

Principal Yando and Assistant Principal Pasquarello

PTA Presentation

Nurse Mrs. French

Grade Level and Classroom Presentations

7:10 – 8:00pm

Have a Wonderful Evening!

PTA Meet and Greet - Thank you!

 

A big thank you goes out to all who attended last Friday's PTA Meet and Greet.  We had a tremendous turn out and it was wonderful to see so many new and familiar faces.  The PTA is happy to welcome new families into the NES community.  We look forward to a wonderful year!

Newbury Elementary School Open House Nights September 2013

Newbury Elementary School

Open House Nights September 2013

Please join us at Newbury Elementary School for our Open House Nights.  The night will include various speakers and then an opportunity to join your child’s teacher for a presentation of their curriculum and other important information.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

PreK-2

6:30 – 8:00pm

 

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Grades 3-6

6:30 – 8:00pm

 

Agenda

Meet in NES Auditorium

6:30 – 7:00pm

 

·         Introduction of Faculty and Staff

·         School Committee Briefing

·         Principal Yando and Assistant Principal Pasquarello

·         PTA Presentation

·         Nurse Mrs. French

 

Grade Level and Classroom Presentations

7:10 – 8:00pm

 

Have a Wonderful Evening!

NES First All School Meeting

 

NES had its first all school meeting this morning.  It was a huge success!  During the first few days of school, each class submitted possible school rules and today, the new NES school rules were revealed.  A special thanks to Ms. Nicholson's sixth grade class for putting on skits to demonstrate each rule!  After the school meeting, each class signed a contract if they agreed to follow the school rules.  Next time your are in our lobby, check out the rules and each class' signatures.

NES School Rules

1. Follow C.A.R.E.S.
2. Respect others, yourself, and all school property.
3. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
4. Have fun!

Lunch time

Lunch time is a wonderful time to relax and catch up with your friends.  It can also be a time of anxiety and feeling rushed.  The age old worry of who will I sit with at lunch and will I have enough time to eat is a feeling that most of us can remember from our childhood and hear about from our children.  We have been working hard this week to ease both of those worries.
I am so proud of the many students who have gone out of their way to make sure their classmates have someone to sit with at lunch.  It makes my heart sing when I get to witness the true kindness and caring of helping out a peer who may not know the routine or is just nervous about the less structured time.  A big thank you goes out to all of those students who have gone out of their way to make someone else's day brighter!

As far as the stress of feeling rushed, I ask for your help.  Please help your child remember his/her PIN number so students will move through the line swiftly and all will have enough time to eat.
Thank you for your support.

Getting Ready for the Big Day

Everyone here at Newbury Elementary School is working hard to get ready for a wonderful year.  We look forward to seeing all of the students very soon!  

Going back to school can be an exciting time for kids, but sometimes they can become anxious.  The following links may be helpful as you prepare your child for the big day.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/back_to_school.html

http://www.parents.com/kids/education/back-to-school/

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/back-to-school

See you next week!

Summer Reading and Exercise

One of the best ways to keep our minds sharp and ready for the next school year is to keep reading.  I hope that all Newbury Elementary students are enjoying some wonderful books this summer.  Whether it is an independent read, a book read with a parent or family member, or even a book group, it is very important to explore different books and stories to expand our thinking.  I always love to hear about what books students are reading, so I will be asking about their favorite books as I learn more about each student.

It is also important to keep moving in the summertime.  I know it has been hot, but students need to get outside and move around.  Healthy bodies feed healthy minds, so keep moving and I look forward to hearing all about your students' summer adventures.

Welcome!

I am very excited to join the Newbury Elementary School community as the new assistant principal.  I look forward to working with all of you to promote the mission of learning.  I will use this blog throughout the school year to provide updates of what is happening within the school.

If you would like to receive e-mail updates each time a new blog is posted, please enter your e-mail address in the box provided on the right hand side of this blog.  You will receive an e-mail confirmation from FeedBurner.  Once you confirm that you would like e-mails, you will be notified each time a new blog is posted.

I look forward to a wonderful year!