Updates from the Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians:

I hope you have been enjoying these beautiful autumn days! It won’t be long before we are into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season! With this in mind, we will be paying close attention to our school-wide goal for both staff and students of showing mindfulness and exhibiting self-care.

With the increased amount of stress and anxiety that students are experiencing as young children, we strongly feel it is important to take the time to help our students recognize the warning signs of stress and to develop coping strategies to find ways to relax and encounter anxiety-provoking situations with a positive mindset.

On Wednesday, November 6th, we will be celebrating Stress Awareness Day at Tashua School. Throughout the entire school day, the students and staff members will be participating in activities to help them develop strategies for handling stress.

Throughout the day, the students will experience a full day of stress-reducing activities such as working with Play-dough, coloring, running/walking, yoga, meditation/music, completing an art mural and of course enjoying some humorous activities. Students are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and to bring in a beach towel.

If you have filled out a volunteer form, and have an interest in helping us on this day, please email me at neumeyeJ@trumbullps.org. We will be looking for volunteers to assist with some learning activities.

It is our goal to help students to recognize the importance of finding time to not only work hard, but to also enjoy themselves and find ways to relax and deal with stress and anxiety.

For homework on this evening, our entire student population will be asked to write an “I Am” poem. Prior to completing this activity, the students will have had an opportunity to view the “I Am” poem I have written, as well as one their teacher has created. As parents, you might want to consider taking the time to write one for yourself too! This activity will provide an opportunity for our students to reflect on their strengths and personal values.

Late October/early November also brings us to the time for Parent-Teacher Conferences. Conference time will give you an opportunity to learn more about your child’s effort and academic progress in school, as well as give you a chance to offer your insights about how your child learns best.  This conference time will give you and your child’s teacher the opportunity to discuss ways to work together to ensure your child’s success at school.

Before the conference, it would be beneficial to have a conversation with your child about his/her feelings and experiences at school.  Some questions you could ask that would prompt a thoughtful response could include:

• What is something exciting that you learned in school today?
• Tell me something that was easy for you to do today?
• What was something that was challenging for you to do at school today?

In addition, it would be helpful to prepare a list of topics that you want to discuss with the teacher or any concerns you might have.  The following questions will help you to prepare to have a meaningful conversation with your child’s teacher.

• What are my child’s strengths?
• What are my child’s challenges?
• Does my child hand homework in on time?
• Is my child participating in class discussions and activities?
• How are my child’s social skills?
• Is my child striving to reach his/her full learning potential?
• What can I do at home to help support his/her academic progress?

If you have any concerns, it would be helpful to share these with your child’s teacher prior to the parent-teacher conference so he/she can prepare for a productive conversation.

During the conference, be sure to ask questions and give your input with regards to your child’s academic progress and goals for learning. Throughout the conference, your child’s teacher will be sharing student data, specific work samples, and behavioral observations with regards to socialization and study habits to give you an insight about your child’s strengths and challenges.  Collaboratively, this information should be used to help set goals for your child to be supported both at school and home.  It is important to remember that each student is different and learns differently; stay focused on your child’s strengths and areas in need of support.

While meeting with your child’s teacher, it will be important to keep the conversation focused on your child’s learning goals and listen carefully to the information your child’s teacher is sharing with you. If you don’t understand an educational term that your child’s teacher is discussing with you, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. It is important for you to understand what your child’s teacher is communicating to you.

It will also be important for the teacher to know if your child is experiencing a difficult situation outside of school, such as any major changes in your family, any medical concerns, anything that is worrying your child or anything else that may affect his/her mood or behavior. Knowing of such changes will help the teacher provide the child with the necessary support in the classroom.

Remember, the conference time is limited so it will be important for you to arrive on time so you and your child’s teacher don’t feel rushed when having this discussion. If you arrive late, your conference time will be shortened because other parents will be waiting to meet with the teacher following your conference.

After the parent–teacher conference, be sure to have ongoing communication with your child’s teacher. This will help you strengthen the parent-teacher partnership, and will be an important part of your child’s success in school. When a child sees that parents and teachers are working together, the child will understand that his/her education is a top priority at school and at home. This strong partnership between the home and school will help your child to be successful!

Thank you for your continued support for our work at Tashua School!

Fondly,

Mrs. Neumeyer

Tweets by @NeumeyerMrs