Hawk Talk

Dear Duran School Families,

Welcome to the hustle and bustle of December! The month of December is often filled with many family activities and traditions along with the second vacation of the school year. We have a number of fun events planned for this month including a steel pans presentation for our 3rd and 4th grade students, a whole school assembly, and our traditional PreK Polar Express. It will be an exciting time for our students and staff.

While the month of December is full of excitement, the holidays can also be a busy and stressful time--even for our youngest students. One way to avoid holiday meltdowns is to try to make sure that students are getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and eating healthy foods. We appreciate all that our families do to ensure that all students are at school on time and ready to learn.

We hope that you have a truly wonderful holiday season and remember we are here if you need us.

Sincerely,

Melissa Davis, Ed.D

Principal

During the month of November Pre K learned about what veterans are and how important they are to our country. We also learned what it means to have a thankful heart and show gratitude. We also shared a special “friendsgiving” feast in our classroom and took turns saying what we are thankful for. We even learned how to make our own butter like the early Americans. Next month we are so excited to go on our Polar Express adventure and take our annual trip to the “North Pole!” We will also learn different ways we can be kind and caring during the holiday season.

The year is off to a busy start in the guidance department! We are enjoying visiting all grade levels for lessons, facilitating small groups, and working with individual students. This year Dr. Nichols is working with Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade, while Mrs. Brookings is working with PreK, third, and fourth.

In kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students have been or will be participating in activities, book readings, and discussions focused on academic success (listening, staying focussed, respect, and responsibility), emotional regulation and coping skills, and safety. During the month of October, Bullying Prevention month, students learned and discussed the differences between rude, mean, and bullying behavior. We also focused on being upstanders to prevent bullying behaviors. As the year continues we will focus on feelings and coping skills as well as work on conflict resolution. Towards the end of the year will begin the exploration of different career options. Students will be introduced to a variety of careers along with different pathways to build successful careers.

PreK, third, and fourth grade students have been (or will be during their guidance quarter) engaged in discussions, read alouds, and activities to continue building skills for academic and social success. In PreK we’ve been learning how to be careful listeners, use kind manners, and greet others. We’ve also spent some time celebrating differences and expressing gratitude. Third and fourth grade students have been working on following school expectations, being respectful listeners, and making safe, responsible choices. We have also been recognizing different emotions in our own bodies and showing empathy to others. Third and fourth grade students have enjoyed playing feelings charades, building their knowledge of coping skills, and learning steps to take when solving conflicts. As the year continues students will expand their friendship skills, demonstrate acts of kindness, and learn how to be upstanders.

We have partnered with the High School and the food bank to provide extra food to community families. We also have donations of sneakers and hats/mittens if there is any need. Please contact Meredith Brookings or Janet Nichols with any questions or concerns.

Stay tuned for an announcement and another volunteer opportunity during our career day assemblies for each grade level. If you are interested in talking about your career please reach out to your grade level school counselor.

Just a reminder that school vacation begins on December 23 and goes through January 1st. Students will return to school on January 2. We hope that all of our students have a relaxing and restful break!

'Tis the season for cold and flu! Just a reminder that if your child has been sick, we ask that you keep them out of school until they have been fever, vomiting and diarrhea-free for 24 hours. Fever-free requires that the student is without a fever, and not using a fever-reducing medication, for 24 hours. Thank you for helping us reduce the spread of seasonal illnesses.

Please remind your student to use good handwashing skills, cough into an elbow, and use a tissue when sneezing. Having a water bottle at school to stay hydrated is important also.

Thank you for your help encouraging your child to keep up healthy practices!

When your child is absent, please verify their absence by calling the main office at (207) 848-4000, option 3 for the Duran School. Please do not send information regarding absences to your child's teacher via SeeSaw. They are often not checking SeeSaw during the day. We are required by law to track student absences to ensure that students are attending school on a regular basis.

Excused absences include: illness, health related appointments, observance of recognized religious holidays when observance is required during school hours, family emergency situations, educational absences approved by the principal in advance, absences caused by school activities held during the school day. As a school, we are required to maintain and report truancy data to the state. Students who accumulate five consecutive unexcused absences or seven unexcused absences are considered by the state to be truant.

As you all know, dismissal and arrival times can be very chaotic. With close to 500 students to dismiss, it is critical that we have student plans. Please do not send dismissal information to your child's teacher through SeeSaw. Please call the main office or send your child with a note if their dismissal plans change. We begin preparing for dismissal at 2:00 and request that if plans need to change, they are done before 2:00.

Cold weather has arrived! Please make sure to pack appropriate clothing for outdoor play. We do try to get students outside to play every day. Packing a hat, mittens and a warm jacket is essential for winter recess. When snow arrives, students will be required to wear snow pants in order to play in the snow at recess. If you are unable to provide these items, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Davis. We will make sure that your child has the items they need for cold weather play.

It's also a great idea to make sure that your child comes to school with an extra set of clothes that are seasonally appropriate. We sometimes have spills and the extra clothing ensures that students have what they need

December 4: School Committee Meeting at HHS @ 6:30pm

December 12: PTA Meeting via Zoom @ 6:00

December 20: PreK Polar Express Day

December 21: HHS Steel Pans Concert for Grades 3-4

December 23 - January 1: School Vacation