Our first full week of October finally brought cooler fall weather to PRES! Also this week, many classrooms incorporated seasonal projects that engaged students in learning and fun! Walking around, we saw leaf painting, apple tasting, and writing about the fall in several classrooms.
Tuesday was a professional development day for our staff members. Our morning was spent collaborating with law enforcement officials from the Rehoboth Police Department. During the session, educators had the opportunity to learn about and apply our newly designed, and greatly enhanced, safety and security protocols. We want to offer a sincere thanks to the officers in attendance who supported our training: Sergeant Ranley, Deputy Chief Ramos, and Patrolman Hedrick.
Our afternoon session was spent with behavior specialist and author Jessica Minahan. She presented practical ways to recognize and support students with anxiety, and she also offered easy to apply techniques for challenging behaviors. Staff were provided a copy of Minahan's book entitled The Behavior Code. Overall, staff feedback about our day was positive and staff reported that they learned a great deal about school safety, building security, and also learned new ways to support students with anxiety.
If you should need help or support, please contact us by phone or email anytime. We are always happy to help. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kristine Kefor, Principal
email: kkefor@drregional.org
Dr. Cheryl Leandro, Assistant Principal
email: cleandro@drregional.org
phone: 508-252-5100
#WeAreDR!
Dear Families,
This week I want to share some information on backpacks. You may need to adjust your child’s backpack if :
They appear to be struggling to lift it… and get the backpack on or off.
They are complaining of back pain.
They tend to lean forward when they are walking.
They experience numbness, weakness, or tingling in their arms or legs (call the doctor).
They complain of headaches that originate in the neck/shoulders.
A rule of thumb to follow is that children should not carry more than 10 percent to 20 percent their actual weight (National Children's Hospital Org). A child should avoid carrying a backpack on just one shoulder. This is harmful as it strains the neck, shoulders, lower and upper back. Narrow straps should be avoided as they have been associated with causing numbness and weakness in the arms and hands. If possible, choose a backpack with wide padded straps.
Straps should be tightened so that the backpack fits snugly to the body. A waist belt is helpful as it aids in spreading the weight evenly across the body. When a backpack has multiple compartments, the weight of your child’s possessions can be spread more evenly, rather than tugging from the bottom. Place the heavier items (books) in the center of the back and check to see if there are items that your child is lugging that he/she does not need for school.
Finally, other ways to lighten the load are to explore digital access to online curriculum, paperback books, bringing home only what's needed each day, use desks and lockers if possible, carry some items with both arms if the pack weight exceeds the 10% to 20% body weight.
Have a safe and pleasant weekend.
Nurse Alyson Bellora BSN RN NCSN
Palmer River Elementary School
Palmer River Elementary School
The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District
#WeAreDR!
Website: https://pres.drregional.org/
Location: 326 Winthrop Street, Rehoboth, MA 02769
Phone: 508-252-5100/Fax: 508-252-5110
