PawPrints December 21, 2020 Principal ’s Message: Dear PRS Community, I hope you enjoyed the beauty of the snow on Thursday and despite the cold, a little time playing in the snow, sipping cocoa by a fire, and simply enjoying the day with your family. Thank you in advance for your support at home over the 8 days of virtual learning (12/21-12/23 and 1/4-1-8). We know when the kids are home learning, it is a sacrifice on the part of the parents. Please know how much we appreciate the help and I am hopeful this allows for less disruption upon our return to school on January 11th! It is hard to believe but we are already thinking about Kindergarten Registration for the 21-22 school year! Please let friends, families and neighbors who have Kindergarten aged children know that starting in February SWPS will begin the registration process! Happy New Year!! I hope that 2021 brings you and your family happiness, health and peace throughout the year! I think we can all agree that we are not sad leaving 2020 in the dust! I’m eager for the staff and students to return to school refreshed after a well deserved break AND healthy so we can continue learning in school. Please do everything in your power to keep yourself and your child(ren) safe. Happy Holidays, Michelle Dixon, Principal

Kindergarten Hello Kindergarten Families! We are working hard in school. We continued to learn about story elements and focused on the sequence and order in a story. What happened first, next, then and last. It is fun to look closely, talk about and share our books. Be sure to be working on our sight words and read each day. In Math, we are working on addition and addition stories. We encourage the students to use Dreambox at home to build their math foundational skills. Additionally in Science, we continued with our weather unit.

First Grade Fi rst graders should read night ly for at least 20 m inutes! Use these helpful t ips t o help your growing reader !

Second Grade

It is hard to believe that we are already at t he end of December! Our second graders

have been working so incredibly hard bot h in s chool and online! In reading, s econd

graders have been s t udying series ! W e have worked t o collect inform at ion about our

s er ies charact ers such as what t hey do and say as well as how t hey are s im ilar

acros s different books in t he sam e series . W e a lso spent t im e s t udying charact er

t ra it s and charact er em ot ions . Recent ly, we have begun t o dive int o our nonfict ion

unit . In t his unit s t udent s will be s t udying nonfict ion t ext fea t ures , learning lot s of

new and int eres t ing fact s , and s t udying holidays around t he world. In writ ing,

s econd graders have fina lized t heir personal narra t ives and have been working hard

t o begin writ ing a rea lis t ic fict ion piece! In our new writ ing unit , s t udent s have spent

t im e planning a s t ory t ha t is m ade up but it is a s t ory t ha t could act ually happen in

rea l life, hence m aking it a rea lis t ic fict ion piece. St udent s have a lso been learning a

lot of new m at h in s econd grade! St udent s have learned and will cont inue t o pract ice

count ing coins , t elling t im e, and applying addit ion and subt ract ion t o rea l world

problem s . Las t ly, we have begun our s econd unit in s cience which will focus on t he

changing eart h! Second graders have rea lly begun t o apply learned s t ra t egies in a ll

subject s t o t heir independent work, have been building t heir work s t am ina , and are

learning a lot about academ ic respons ibilit y! W e are so proud of our growing second

graders !

Third Grade Third graders have been busy reading nonfiction books and learning how to research a specific topic by generating questions they have about the topic, closely reading and annotating articles about the topic, and taking notes on books, articles, websites and videos. In math, we are exploring geometric shapes as well as their

attributes, and we’ve started to learn cursive, too. We’ve wrapped up our unit on Native Americans and are excited to start learning about folktales after the winter break. It’s been a busy month in third grade!

Fourth Grade In reading, students have been learning to ident i f y t he them e or l i fe lesson in stor ies they read. We’ ve read a var iet y of picture books, m yths, shor t stor ies and chapter books to pract ice th is ski l l . Also, t he four th graders have been com par ing and cont rast ing books w i th sim i lar t hem es. They’ ve looked at how the characters t each us the sam e lesson through di f ferent exper iences, st ruggles, set t ings and even t im e per iods. Over vacat ion you can suppor t your chi ld’ s l i t eracy developm ent by having him or her read dai ly and by asking quest ions about t he book. You m ight ask your student , “ What is t he problem in t he story? What is t he character doing to overcom e the problem ? What l i fe lessons can you learn f rom the character ’ s act ions?” We are cur rent ly t eaching division in m ath class. Students have been working on using ei t her t he rectangle m ethod or par t ial quot ients t o solve problem s wi th and w i thout rem ainders. You can cl ick t he l ink below to watch a video on both st rategies. Rectangle and par t ial quot ients division st rategy Over w inter break, m ake sure your chi ld keeps pract icing h is or her m ul t ipl icat ion fact s. We hope you and your fam i l ies have a safe and joyful vacat ion!

Fi fth Grade Fifth graders have been very busy navigating all areas of the curriculum. We have also continued to focus on being responsible and caring members of our grade level team. In math, we have continued to learn about decimals and fractions. We have worked with adding and subtracting decimals and fractions. We have used fraction pieces, number lines, and money to help with these skills.

We wrapped up our second Humanities unit, which focused on inventors and innovators. We studied an inventor/innovator and read several books/articles on that person. We took notes about the character traits of inventors/innovators and ended the unit with writing a five paragraph expository essay. The essay began with a hook or interesting lead and thesis, continued with three detail paragraphs which centered on those character traits about which we read, and then ended with how that inventor/innovator changed the world. We began our work on our second science unit, Energy in Ecosystems. We are learning about food chains and food webs right now. We continue to wear our orange t-shirts on Fridays, work to do our best on our homework and assignments in class and/or at home, and try our best to be our best. We can’t believe that the first four months of the school year are already done!

Specials: Spanish News from Senora Woj icki ! ¿Qué pasa en la clase de español? 1st grade: First graders have been practicing the colors, clothing, seasons, and weather. Right now we are talking about some of the clothing you wear during the winter. They have chanted the traditional “lobo” or wolf song that children sing in Latin America. In the wolf song, the wolf gets dressed for the day! 2nd grade: Second graders have been talking about what they like to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Spanish. They love using their emoji face to express their opinions about whether a food is delicious or yucky! They have learned about some traditional dishes from Peru and Mexico like tacos, ceviche, tamales, and arroz con pollo. 3rd and 4th grade: Third and fourth graders are learning about indigenous cultures in the Americas. We have been talking about the Pequots from CT, the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas from Central and South America, and the Tainos from Puerto Rico. They are learning about where these people are from in the world, and identifying symbols from the modern day cultures like countries’ flags and important animals including the eagle, quetzal, and condor.

5th grade: Fifth graders are also learning about foods from the US, Mexico, and Peru. They can tell you if they like or don’t like to eat many different foods. We have begun talking about whether the foods they like are healthy or not, too!

Notes from the Nurse: Winter is here and brings with it the cold weather and snow! I thought it would be a good time to review some of the district guidelines for school attendance. It would be helpful to reinforce constant hand washing, and proper coughing (into your elbow) to help minimize the spread of germs.

COVID- MD’s have stated that one can not distinguish, nor rule out Covid vs a cold, flu, strep etc. If there are any doubts or concerns , please consult your MD and consider getting a COVID test. PLease send an email or call, with dates of testing and especially with positive results. Contact tracing is important,as well as tallying the cases for the district and state. This includes DL students as well. The district is in constant daily communication with the state.

Please refer to the CDC travel restrictions and guidelines for up to date information. https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

I am always available via email for any questions or concerns.

Remember to practice social distancing, wear your mask , and wash your hands- together we will win!

Illnesses

Please keep your child home from school if he/she has complaints in the morning of headache, sore throat, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea or elevated temperature. These complaints may be the beginning of an illness. If your child has any of these symptoms, he/she may be more susceptible to germs and may spread germs to others.

The 24 Hour Rule

If your child has a fever over 100 degrees, he/she must be fever free, without any medication, for 24 hours before returning to school. This rule also applies for vomiting and diarrhea. If your child has an illness that requires antibiotics, he/she must be on the medication for 24 hours before returning to school.

Medication

If it becomes necessary for your child to receive medication during the school day, a permission form (supplied by the school and required by Connecticut state law), must be completed by the doctor and parent before the medication can be administered. The medication must be delivered to the school by a responsible adult in a properly labeled container. Please DO NOT send any medication to school with your child-- they are not allowed to transport any medication. This includes over the counter medication.

Tylenol/Ibuprofen/Sunscreen/Insect Repellent/Cough Drops have a separate form that must be filled out and signed by a parent. Ibuprofen/Sunscreen/Insect Repellent/Cough Drops all must be brought in from home and dropped off with form at the nurse’s office.

Clothing

The health room does NOT keep clothing on hand for accidents. If a child has a bathroom accident, a food spill accident, or an accident because of wet conditions (rain or snow) a parent will be called for a change of clothes. We would not want any child to feel uncomfortable, and will try to minimize this as well as we can. Remember to try to have the kids dress accordingly for all sorts of weather and be prepared.

. More than ever it is important to get the Flu shot this year!

Take time to get a flu vaccine.

All preschoolers who are enrolled in school are mandated by the state to have a flu shot before the start of the new year.

● CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses.

● While there are many different flu viruses, a flu vaccine protects against the viruses that research suggests will be most common. (See Vaccine Virus Selection for this season’s vaccine composition.)

● Flu vaccination can reduce flu illnesses, doctors’ visits, and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations.

● Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every year before flu activity begins in their community. CDC recommends getting vaccinated by the end of October, if possible. Learn more about vaccine timing.

● CDC recommends use of injectable influenza vaccines (including inactivated influenza vaccines and recombinant influenza vaccines).

● Vaccination of high risk persons is especially important to decrease their risk of severe flu illness.

● People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older.

● Vaccination also is important for health care workers, and other people who live with or care for high risk people to keep from spreading flu to them.

● Children younger than 6 months are at high risk of serious flu illness, but are too young to be vaccinated. People who care for infants should be vaccinated instead.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs:

● Try to avoid close contact with sick people. ● While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. ● If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24

hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)

● Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

● Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

● Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way. ● Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.

Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.

● If you get the flu, antiviral drugs can be used to treat your illness. ● Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics. They are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or

an inhaled powder) and are not available over-the-counter. ● Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and shorten the time you are sick. They may also

prevent serious flu complications. For people with high-risk factors, treatment with an

antiviral drug can mean the difference between having a milder illness versus a very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay.

● Studies show that flu antiviral drugs work best for treatment when they are started within 2 days of getting sick, but starting them later can still be helpful, especially if the sick person has a high-risk health condition or is very sick from the flu. Follow your doctor’s instructions for taking this drug.

● Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

Important Dates: Winter Break December 24- January 3 Remote Learning January 4-8 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 18 February Break February 11 -12 Presidents Day February 15 M ichel le Dixon, pr incipal Lisa Lovet t , secretary Carol Scheuing, cler k Col leen Heneghan, nurse Of f ice num ber : 860 648- 5025 PRS websi te: ht t p:/ / prs.southwindsorschools.org/ hom e