North Scituate Elementary School

October was filled with many highlights! Our curriculum is off and running, and students are focused on learning!

On behalf of North Scituate School, I would like to recognize the dedication of our PTO members and parent volunteers. With the support of North Scituate families, the PTO covers the costs of admission and buses for field trips, special classroom supplies, assemblies, and more. Our PTO also plans events that create meaningful and special memories for our students. To date, they have sponsored and coordinated the Back to School night, Bake Sale @ the Scituate Art Festival which raised $1,700.00, Trunk or Treat and Walk-a-Thon that raised $10,000.00. The school community looks forward to a continued partnership with our supportive parent group!

If you did not sign up for a parent teacher conference at Open House for January 9th and 11th, please email Jennifer.Foster@scituateschoolsri.net to set up a time to meet with your child's teacher.

I would like to thank Mr. Fortin for 28 years of dedicated service to the Scituate School Department and our Head Custodian at North Scituate. Mr. Gary Cotnoir from the High School will be taking over for Mr. Fortin as Head Custodian. Happy Retirement!

Reminder, as the holidays approach, food items are discouraged from being sent into school due to multiple severe food allergies. Any food items brought into school must be approved by Mrs. McCann one full week prior. You can email Mrs. McCann at Colleen.McCann@scituateschoolsri.net.

Please reach out with any questions or concerns throughout the year.

Kaitlin M. Soccio, Principal

Kaitlin.Soccio@ScituateSchoolsRI.net

• As a reminder, if your child is going to be absent please send a note, call the Front Office or email our new Secretary at jennifer.foster@scituateschoolsri.net.
  

• If you have a change in dismissal for your child, please alert the Front Office before 2:00pm, if possible. This allows us time to inform the teacher and student of the change.
  

• Please date notes that are sent to school with students. If you are writing a note about dismissal, please write the full name of the person picking up your child.
• Clearly mark water bottles, lunch boxes, etc. with student's name.

As we enter fall and winter, it is important that your child is dressed appropriately for school. Students will be going outside for recess with temperatures 28 degrees or above. Please ensure your children are dressed for these conditions, and have a sweatshirt or jacket in their backpacks.

The 2022-2023 school year marked the third administration of the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) for students in grades 3-8 and NGSA Science testing for grade 5. Although we know test scores are only one measure of student performance, the results give teachers, students, and families information about student progress, school performance and how to improve teaching and learning.

Overall, the RI state averages:

• ELA- percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 33.1%
  
• Math- percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 29.6%
  
• NGSA- percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 43.6%

North Scituate School's Results:

• ELA- percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 61.5%
• Math - percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 59.6%
• NGSA- percentage of students meeting/exceeding expectations: 58.3%

North Scituate School scored above the state average in both ELA and mathematics. We saw a 15.2% increase in ELA and 12.9% increase in mathematics proficiency rates as compared to our results in 2021-2022. In NGSA science testing we saw a 14.7% increase from last year. We have much to be proud of as our scores improved greatly in both areas. I am very proud of our students for giving their BEST effort on these assessments, and their teachers for their instruction and preparation to achieve success. As a district, we will continue to focus on improving curriculum in all areas, especially math and literacy. *Individual student reports will be sent home in December.

*Click on the link below to access the RI Department Of Education's Assessment Data Portal to view results by district or school. I suggest using the Interactive Reports tab to view results*

Thank you to the Boys Cross Country team for coming to North Scituate in October for morning high fives to start our Friday on the right foot!

The third Wednesday of October is National Unity Day, a day founded by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center to pledge to end bullying and wear orange. Students wore orange in support of Unity Day on October 18th.

On October 25th, the North Scituate Fire Department visited our K-2 students to teach us about fire safety. Students learned about calling 911, what to do if you are in a fire or on fire, fire fighters gear that keeps them safe, and to check for smoke detectors in the home. Students were thrilled to explore the ladder truck and rescue. Thank you for making this visit happen this year!

Friday, October 27th was an eventful day! Our annual Walk a Thon organized by our PTO was a huge success. Families helped raise over $10,000.00 for field trips, assembly, and other PTO funded events through the year. Students enjoying walking around the building through bubbles, obstacles courses, and more! Huge thank you to our parent volunteers for making this event possible.

Our winners from this fundraiser are:

1st Place Top Individual Fundraiser: Ronald E.

2nd Place Top Individual Fundraiser: Sadie D.

3rd Place Top Individual Fundraiser: Logan C.

1st Place Top Classroom $$: Mrs. Slaughter's Kindergarten Class (earned a pizza party)

13 Students raised over $200 and pied Mrs. Soccio. Check out the photos below.

Those students are Brantley C, Ronald E, Eliana C, Olivia L, Ryan W, Robbie F, Lucciana G, Jaelyn M, Sadie D, Aria J, Ashton W, Logan C, and Mia D.

Our PINK and WHITE day in support breast cancer awareness was on Friday, October 20th. We raised over $500. Thank you to our Student Council, students, and families for support this cause.

Our Trunk or Treat on 10/22 was a successful event with 33 trunks. Thank you to all the families who donated candy, those who decorated trunks, those who joined us, and our wonderful PTO for organized this event. Check out some amazing costumes below.

Our next meeting is on November 14th at Ponaganset Middle School from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Parents can register to attend in person by emailing Sharon Bowden at sbowden@northwestri.org. Parents can also attend virtually (see information below).

SELAC Meeting

Tuesday, November 14 · 6:00 – 7:00pm
Time zone: America/New_York
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/vdr-drnb-ujw
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 304-548-9094‬ PIN: ‪438 825 150‬#

What a perfect day for extra recess. Over 90 student enjoyed extra recess this month for completing our Summer Reading Step Challenge of 100 steps. I am very proud of you all! I hope you enjoyed your reward with friends. Thank you to Mrs. Scucess for supervising this reward for students.

Students can receive these awards given by a faculty or staff member for EXEMPLARY behavior in the following categories: Growth Mindset, Problem Solving, Managing Emotions, Effort, Kindness, and Goal Setting. These categories align with our Social Emotional Curriculum- Second Step.

Kindergarten students read Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and made their own carrots. Students enjoyed playing "who will win?" and learn how to use number racks. Well done!

In Mrs. Dupre's class, Teacher Table is one of our favorite activities in room 3! Students are seen using sound boxes to tap out sounds, map each sound, and graph (or write) the corresponding letter(s) that represent those sounds. These 1st graders sure are hooked on phonics!

Ms. Robinson's class has been working hard to fill our "warm fuzzy" jar by practicing positive behavior. We filled our jar and celebrated with pajama day!

Second grade entomologists buzzing about bug books in the research resource library. I can't wait to hear what you learn about and see your final projects! In the second photo, second grade mathematicians compose bundles of tents and hundreds as part of their Eureka Math curriculum.

Students in Mrs. Bettez's class observing bugs and taking notes in their journals as they begin unit 2 of American Reading Company. I spy some interesting bugs in these photos!

Look at these Reading Rockstars in Mrs. DiLuglio's class! These students have already read 200 steps (1 step=15 minutes so in total 50 hours) which is above the current target. I am very proud of you all.

Students proudly share their own Magic Tree House story with their class. Students spent the first 6 weeks of school comparing Magic Tree house stories in their Lit Lab unit.

In STEAM, grade 4 students had to work in groups to construct something that could hold extreme weight. The photo below is the WINNER!

Students completed a challenge to see how many cups they could stack within their team using strings and an elastic band only. This activity went along with our Second Step lessons where we have been learning about setting goals, making plans, and adjusting those plans to reach the goal. The students loved this activity and it helped us practice our teamwork.

In STEAM, students in grade 5 constructed castles made of index cards with a partner. Impressive creations and great team work!

Below, a group of fifth graders learned about Fibonacci's Sequence with Mrs. Scucces. The Fibonacci sequence is a type series where each number is the sum of the two that precede it. It starts from 0 and 1 usually. The Fibonacci sequence is given by 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, and so on. These mathematicians worked together to challenge themselves.

Students in Ms. Sloan's class spent some time peer editing their first writing piece of the trimester!

During the month of October PE students have been working on a variety of skills.

Students in grades 3-5 finished the soccer unit and are currently learning skills related to football. As we enter the month of November, students will be playing teamwork/cooperative games.

Students in grades K-2 have been practicing levels, pathways, and tempo. Secondly, K-2 students have been playing invasion games. Lastly, we are reinforcing spatial awareness which we learned in September. As we enter November, we will build upon our chasing, fleeing, and dodging unit.

Students in 4th and 5th grade sang classic Halloween songs like the Purple People Eater and playing "Guess that Halloween Movie" by using their song recall skills. Kindergarten students enjoyed dancing to the Monster shuffle. Look at those moves!

This month in health the students in grades 3-5 focused on bullying and what they can do to help stop it. We discussed strategies about how to handle bullies if they are the victim and also how to help others if they see bullying going on. The students ended the unit by creating anti bully bracelets that they can wear around school. On their bracelets they wrote down how they can stand up to bullies and by wearing them they show support in our efforts to stop bullying.

As we move forward into November and the coming holiday season, Gratitude is a word that often comes to mind. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. There has been research that shows people who experience gratitude have many positive outcomes including improved well-being and less negative emotions, increased feelings of connectedness; improved relationships and greater physical health. Given the benefits, there are many interventions a person can do to improve their gratitude.

1. Gratitude journal- Encourage your child to write down 3 things they are grateful for today. This can be done before bedtime as a way to reflect positively on the day. For example: making a new friend, learning something new, spending time with a grandparent.

2. Gratitude Letter- Encourage your child to write a letter to someone who has been especially kind to them. In the letter, explain the act and how it made them feel.

3. Gratitude List- Children can complete sentence stems that are designed to help them reflect on people and experiences that they are grateful for. For example; Someone who helped me through a difficult time is________. Someone who helped me learn something important about myself is____________.

4. Gratitude Poster-Children can make a collage of words, quotes, photos, etc. of things they are grateful for.

With our busy schedules, we often don’t take the time and show gratitude for the people who mean the most to us. I encourage you all to take a moment and reflect on the positive people and events that occur in our lives each day.

Mrs. Schiappa

School Psychologist

Check out our school nurse's page for updates, information, and more. Please call 647-4110 or email Colleen.McCann@ScituateSchoolsRI.net with any questions or concerns.

Thank you to all of the families who donated baked goods and to the volunteers who worked the Bake Sale at the art festival. We raised over $1,700.00 in one day at the Scituate Art Festival. This money will be used to fund field trips, school needs, assemblies for students, and more.

If you have any questions, please email Lynn Francazio at northscituatepto@gmail.com.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 15th @ 7:30pm

The Scituate School Committee will hold it's first meeting of the 2023-2024 school year on Tuesday, November 7th! All members of the school community are encouraged to attend in person or virtually. For more information about meetings, click here.

• 11/07: School Committee Mtg @ NS
  
• 11/08: Picture Retake Day (contact the office if your child will have their picture done)
• 11/13: No School- Veterans Day
• 11/16: Anthony's Coal Fire Pizza Fundraiser Night
• 11/17: Mad Science Fire & Ice Show
  
• 11/22-24: No School- Thanksgiving Recess
• 11/27-30: Fall Scholastic Book Fair
  

• 12/08: Christmas in the Village

• 12/15: Holiday Store
• 12/22: Munchkins & Juice Boxes by PTO
• 12/25-29: No School- Holiday Recess
• 01/01: No School- New Year's Day
• 01/09 & 11: Parent Teacher Conferences
• 01/15: No School- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Email: kaitlin.soccio@scituateschoolri.net
Website: https://nses.scituateschoolsri.net/
Location: 46 Institute Lane, Scituate, RI, USA
Phone: 401-647-4110
Twitter: @NScituateSchool