🐝 The Weekly Buzz 🐝
From Palmer River Elementary School
Dear Families,
This week, we returned from February break and got right back into the swing of things. Tuesday brought a snowstorm, and our first snow day of the year, but that didn't slow us down. The highlight of our week was Wednesday night. We held a successful Open House event and we were joined by many new families who will be a part of the PRES community next year.
Our fourth graders (pictured above) served as school experts and tour guides for our guests, and did an exceptional job! They shared their insights about our school with our guests, and showed new families around the building, highlighting grade levels, related arts classrooms, the cafeteria, the health office, and the kindergarten wing.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out anytime. We are happy to help.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kristine Kefor, Principal
email: kkefor@drregional.org
Dr. Cheryl Leandro, Assistant Principal
email: cleandro@drregional.org
phone: 508-252-5100
#WeAreDR!
Social Media Safety
Social Media is prevalent in the lives of our children. It is difficult to gauge when a child is ready to access this world of influences, both positive and negative. Much of an individual’s readiness is determined by maturity and ability to be a skeptic to some degree. It is important for children to have guidance from an adult to determine what platforms are age/developmentally appropriate. This is often aided by parental controls and reviews of the site.
It has been advised by Childrens Hospitals and Advocacy groups that parents and guardians research social media aps before allowing their child to access them. Features such as “youth-friendly programming”, presence of a moderator, and the ability of an adult to utilize parental blocks or passcodes are helpful in guarding children from unwanted material. Common Sense Media, is an independent advocacy organization that has been referenced to provide expert reviews, research, and tools.
In Massachusetts public schools, digital literacy and citizenship is part of the educational standards. “Safety and Security” curriculum is initiated as early as the kindergarten years. The school-home dynamic allows for parents and kids to converse about internet safety and establish an open dialogue regarding the digital world.
Finally, encourage your children not to post pictures of themselves and to not respond to direct messages or posts from people they do not know. Even if that person states they are a child.
Below is information for setting up available parental or safety controls on popular social media platforms:
Be safe! Nurse Alyson Bellora abellora@drregional.org
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
