Bates Family Newsletter

And just like that a long weekend is upon us! This is a remind that there will be no school on Monday, January 20, due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We wish you all a wonderful long weekend, and we'll see you back at Bates on Tuesday!

My best,

Ms. Smith

After-school clubs for students in grades 3-5 started this past Tuesday. Students should be picked up at 3:30 unless they are taking a bus. Grownups who are picking students up will wait outside. Club facilitators will walk all students out the main doors and wait to be sure they see their ride.

Access testing started last week. We are so proud of our MLs who are working hard on their testing!

Please join us for our grades 4/5 chorus and instrumental concert this Thursday, January 23rd!

• The chorus is singing at 8:15 for families. Doors open at 8:00.
• The instrumental music portion of the show for families will start at approximately 8:40.
• Please note that grade 5 instrumental musicians will also participate in their all-city concert this evening (information on this was sent through the instrumental music department).

January 24 is super fans spirit day! Wear your favorite sports gear, support your favorite singer, show off your best loved movie/TV characters, etc. Let's flood our school with what you all think is awesome!

Our Beacons of the Week showed excellent listening skills this week with a special focus on following self management. We are so proud of these Beacons:

Kate Nguyen

Camila Sanford

Tyler Surrette

Steven Caldwell

Simon Curcuru

Jonas Valedez

Betty Caldwell

Aubri Baggs

Lejla Jakupi

Cora Cauchi

Brantley Kugel

Mila Cosentino

Jillian Lamoly

Charlize Chavez

Kiara Rodriguez

Natalie Boschard

Franklin Ramirez Pena

Lillianna Hernandez

Ashanti Herra De La Cruz

Jearlyn Rosario Camilo

Twice a month, two of our wonderful families will be featured on our morning announcements that are shared each day to build community in our school as well as in our family newsletter. Our hope is that this will create new friendships, bring us closer as a community, and help us celebrate the beautiful diversity that we have here at Bates. It ties in with our motto: "Believe, be you, belong, at Bates!".

Your family can record a Zoom with Ms. Roz, create a poster to share a little about your family, or come into school for a fun interview. Want to learn more? Contact Ms. Roz at rguevera@salemk12.org. Want to sign up? Fill out this form, and Ms. Roz will contact you.

January 13- Listening Review - Written by Ms. Gojanovic, Adjustment Counselor

Following up with a review on School Rules, we are now focusing on listening skills! Active listening is a superpower that helps kids build strong friendships, connect with family, and do well in school. It’s all about truly paying attention to what someone is saying—not just with our ears, but with our heart and mind too! Learning this skill early sets kids up for success in life, from school projects to future jobs.

We talk a lot about the action of whole body listening and make sure that our eyes are watching, ears are listening, mouths are quiet and bodies are calm. This demonstrates respect towards the speaker as well as helps us all have better focus to ignore distractions! It can be increasingly difficult to understand/ hear what someone is saying when we are not totally tuned in as we are missing cues such as hand gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, etc.

By practicing active listening through play, kids learn to tune in, understand others, and strengthen their communication skills. Plus, when you listen closely to your child, you’re showing them how much their words matter, making everyone feel closer and more connected!

Here are some fun ways to practice active listening at home:

• Play "Telephone": Take turns whispering a message and see how well it travels down the line. It’s a silly way to help kids focus on details!

• Storytime Chat: While reading a book together, pause to ask your kid what they heard or what they think will happen next.

• Emotion Detective: Take turns acting out feelings without words, and have your kid guess by watching closely and listening for clues.

• Hide an object: Have your kids close their eyes and really listen to where you are walking around and what you are moving around to see if they can detect where you hid an object. You can later give them hints like getting warmer/ colder. Warmer (gettnig closer), colder (getting futher away).

HAVE FUN PRACTICING WHOLE BODY AND ACTIVE LISTENING!

Sarah, a farmer from Farmer Daves joined us in the Bates cafeteria yesterday passing out apple smoothies to students and interacting with them. She had a slideshow presentation playing in the cafeteria showcasing all of the wonderful photos from the farm so the students could see the farm-to-cafeteria connection. She also had several informational handouts available for the students to view, including the farm's newsletter for January. It was a great learning experience and it was tasty as well!

Ms. D., our school secretary, has really outdone herself this time! This "compliment-tree" bulletin board is not only beautiful, it also gives us a place to display so many heartfelt expressions of thanks for the people who make our Bates community great. Check it out if you're in the building!

Our goal is to keep our chronic absence rate under 19.5% this year. This week, our chronic attendance rate is at 17.3%. We sent less students home this week, and we're hoping the long weekend gives everyone a chance to rest up and get better if they are ill. Take good care of yourselves😊

If you need any assistance with getting your student to school, please reach out to Rosalyn Guevara, Family Engagement Facilitator at rguevara@salemk12.org.

As temperatures drop, we want to ensure everyone stays warm this winter. If you or someone you know is in need of a winter coat, please reach out to our Family Engagement Facilitator, Rosalyn Guevara.

You can contact her at rguevara@salemk12.org or 781-771-8309. We want all our kids to stay warm!

Have any other clothing needs? Please reach out to Ms. Roz.

The school menus are posted on the SPS website. Find them here.

January

• January 13 - February 14 - Access testing for ML students
• January 20 - No school, MLK Day
• January 23 - Grades 4/5 chorus concert for families, 8:15 am
• January 23 - All City Grade 5 Concert (an evening event for families - information sent out through the instrumental music department)
• January 24 - Super fans spirit day! Wear your favorite sports gear, support your favorite singer, show off your best loved movie/TV characters, etc. Let's flood our school with what you all think is awesome!
• January 29 - Town Hall + 1/2 day

February
2/6 - PreK/K Expo at Collins Middle School for any family interested in enrolling their children for the 25/26 school year
2/11 - PTO meeting, library
2/13 - All city grade 4 concert (information comes from instrumental music teachers)
2/14 - Valentine's spirit day😍 Wear red, pink, heart-y things, whatever makes you happy!
2/17-2/21 - February break!
2/26 - Trimester 2 ends

Did you know you can earn money for our school just by scanning your grocery receipts? All you need to do is download the Boxtops app, and scan those receipts! Don't want to scan? No worries, you can always send receipts into school with your student in an envelope marked, "PTO Boxtops".

Our Bates spirit rock is available for weekly rentals. Celebrate your student's birthday or other accomplishments by painting a message on our rock. Please click here to rent the rock!

Bates Elementary School, in partnership with our families and community, will provide all students with a culturally responsive, student – centered, and equitable learning experience that celebrates our students’ diverse backgrounds, creative pursuits, and their academic, social, emotional success.

School Hours:

Regular school hours:

Monday through Friday: 7:45am to 1:50pm

Early Release (Grades 1-5) at 11:15am

PK at 11am

Kindergarten at 11:10am