Torringford Tiger Newsletter
NOVEMBER 2023
A Message From Mrs. Galullo and Mrs. Austin
Dear Torringford Families,
As we approach the Thanksgiving break from November 22nd to 24th, we take this moment to express our gratitude for the many blessings in our school community:
- First and foremost, we are thankful for our students and their families. Your dedication to attending classes serves as a daily inspiration. Our students remind us of the core purpose of our school and the importance of our work.
- We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our teachers and staff. Their unwavering commitment to creating a nurturing learning environment has truly made a difference. All of our teachers and staff play a crucial role in fostering a healthy, safe, and vibrant community. They continually go above and beyond, ensuring that our school is a place where students can not only learn but also thrive.
- A special thanks goes out to our wonderful PTO and volunteers. Your extra hands and attention provide the essential support our students need, and for that, we are profoundly grateful.
WE ARE GRATEFUL!
We emphasize the importance of maintaining daily routines, especially during this time. Consistency and structure contribute significantly to reducing stress and creating a sense of security for our children. As long as your child is in good health, we encourage regular attendance. Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as connect to peers and their teachers. We look forward to seeing our Torringford Tigers when school resumes on Monday, November 27th.
Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in nurturing a positive and enriching educational experience for our students.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Mrs. Galullo and Mrs. Austin
Recognize a Torringford Staff Member
If you would like to recognize a Torringford staff member who has made a difference for your family, please take the time to recognize that person completing THIS quick form. We will share your comments with staff in our next staff newsletter.
Principals' Coffee Hour
Click HERE to join the meeting.
Family Supports
If your family or your child needs support, please don't hesitate to reach out to our school social workers, Deb Mordecai at dmordecai@torrington.org or Jim Dziekan at jdziekan@torrington.org.
Torringford Honors Our Veterans on November 10th
To All Veterans
Torringford School thanks you for your service!
Today and everyday we celebrate YOU!
Happy Veteran’s Day!
With Gratitude,
Torringford School
Staff & Students
Mark Your Calendar
November 7: Election Day-NO School
November 10: Veterans Day Ceremony (limited to veterans who preregistered)
November 16, 17, 20: 1:30 Dismissal - Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 21: 1:30 Dismissal
November 22 - 24: Thanksgiving Recess
November 28: Picture Retakes (class photos may be redone as well)
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conference appointments will be organized by your child’s homeroom teacher using ParentSquare. Your child’s homeroom teacher will share information regarding how to schedule a conference time.
Respectfully, we ask that you arrive a few minutes early for your conference so that you are able to enter the building and find your classrooms without being rushed. Our teachers make every effort to stay “on schedule” and want to be sure that they have enough time with each family. Should you have a conflict with a conference date, please let your child’s teacher know so that they can work with you to reschedule.
It would be very beneficial to email your child’s teacher with any questions a few days before the meeting, so they can get that specific information together and maximize your time when the conference is held. We encourage you to use this time to discuss not just your child’s current progress but any thoughts or concerns you may have as well. Together, we will develop a plan to promote your child’s growth and development.
**All parent-teacher conferences are fifteen minutes in duration. Teachers will begin and end conferences according to the scheduled timeline.** Thank you for your support of your child’s education.
REVISED School Calendar
Torringford Tigers are PAWSOME
- Bryce Baylock (grade 3 ) will create a special Art project with Mrs. Fayer.
- Grayson Day (grade 3) and a buddy will enjoy a read aloud with Mrs Farella.
- Luca Bruno (grade 3 ) earned an extra physical education game with Mrs. Young and Ms. McMurdy.
- Mariana Bishop (grade 3) earned a music lesson with Mrs. Ritter.
Students will continue to be awarded PAWsome cards throughout the year. When your student brings home an award, please be sure to celebrate your student's accomplishment.
Torringford Tigers are
RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and SAFE!
Look What's Happening in Kindergarten
Pumpkin Jack
Kindergarten students read the book Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell and began to explore what happens to jack-o-lanterns after the Halloween holiday has ended. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting experiment!
Fine Motor Jack-o-Lanterns
Kindergarten students worked to develop their fine motor skills as they created some silly and spooky jack-o-lanterns!
Showing Emotions with Jack-o-Lanterns
Kindergarten students used jack-o-lanterns as a tool with which to identify and label emotions.
Pumpkin Life Cycle Headbands
Kindergarten students showcased their understanding of the pumpkin life cycle by making colorful pumpkin life cycle headbands.
Pumpkin Writing
Kindergarten students got into the spirit of the season by drawing and writing about pumpkins.
Examining the Parts of a Plant
Kindergarten students examine the parts of a plant up close.
Jersey Day
Everyone shared a smile on Jersey Day, a school spirit day sponsored by the Student Council.
Fire Safety Helmets
Students learned about fire safety and prevention during the month of October. How cute are these junior firefighters?!
Cooperation Through Play
During Purposeful Play, kindergarten students learn to cooperate and work together to build amazing creations!
Dramatic Play
The development of student language and social skills are encouraged while playing in this adorably themed dramatic play center.
Lexia
Students work to practice their literacy skills while having fun using the Lexia Core 5 program.
Number Rack Game
Kindergarten students worked cooperatively while playing a Number Rack game. This game encourages students to practice using numeracy skills such as subitizing, counting, and number identification/representation.
Veterans Day Windsocks
Students work to create patriotic windsocks to show local veterans how grateful they are for their service.
Guest Reader
How exciting! Students enjoyed being read Room on the Broom (Julia Donaldson) by a very special guest reader!
Tallies and Trick Words
Students worked with craft sticks to “tallies” and to represent numbers up to ten. They later discovered they can use craft sticks to spell a few of the high frequency words they have been learning! Clever kids!
The Day the Crayons Quit
Kindergarten teachers joined in on the fun and dressed up as their favorite storybooks characters, crayons! The students were delighted!
Look What's Happening in Grade 1
Did you know that living things grow and change? WE DO! First graders have been very busy studying the life cycle of many animals and plants. Please ask us about the different stages of people, birds, butterflies and plants.
We are also working to know sums to 10, find the missing addends, and solve fact families. We are digging into nouns, and verbs and learning many vocabulary words connected to math, literature and science.
We are excited to begin our next unit about characters! We will read many different fables and fairy tales to help us investigate character traits and story elements.
We also had so much fun showing off our storybook character costumes!
Look What's Happening in Grade 2
Counting
Second grade has been working hard at counting! “Counting what?” you ask. Well, counting beans, of course! We are modeling with mathematics. In doing this, we are learning to demonstrate an understanding that 100 can thought of as a group of 10 tens.
The students in Mrs. Deloy’s 2nd grade class are “hopping” to learn their basic facts by heart by November! We set a goal and we are working hard to achieve it by hopping the Real-Life Number Line to figure out the answer to addition and subtraction equations like, 3 + ___ = 10 or 10 - 2 = ___.
Grade 2 is studying plant and animal adaptations in Science this unit. We learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin as we read the story Pumpkin Jack written and illustrated by Will Hubbell. The students are wondering if our classes will grow a sprout from the seed, that will grow a flower, that will grow into a green pumpkin on a vine, that will turn into an orange pumpkin on a vine! We can’t wait to see!
During Mrs. Deloy’s Grade 2 Pumpkin Estimation, Isabel & Sirenna measure the circumference of our class pumpkin. We measured in both inches and centimeters. Next, we estimated and then counted the number of seeds our pumpkin held inside. We did this by by grouping seeds in groups of 10. Did you know that 10 groups of 10 equal 100? Our 14 pound pumpkin held 863 seeds
Look What's Happening in Grade 3
Students in Mrs. Markelon’s 3rd grade classroom are using “Making Thinking Visible” routines as they learn multiplication strategies.
“Making Thinking Visible” routines help students make connections, share their mathematical thinking and communicate their ideas while solving problems.
Storybook Character Day
Look What's Happening in Physical Education
Student Storybook Character Winners
Congratulations to:
- Paisley and Hadley Jones
- Agnes Izaguirre
- Sofia Soto and Maci Gesauldi
- Landon Feaser
Torringford Elementary School
Torringford School is a safe and welcoming community where we take care of people and foster positive relationships. Our team spirit supports and acknowledges everyone.
Optimists persist to meet challenges with the flexibility and empathy to create healthy, enthusiastic, life-long learners.
Educate. Explore. Inspire.
Email: gaustin@torrington.org
Website: https://torringtontorringford.ss16.sharpschool.com/
Location: 800 Charles Street, Torrington, CT, USA
Phone: 860-489-2300