Eagle Eye Tribune

"Your wings already exist. All you have to do is fly."

Let's soar together! 🪁

Dear AES Families,

At Antrim Elementary, we are focused on joyful learning, strong relationships, and the routines that help each child feel seen and successful. This week, classrooms were filled with curiosity, collaboration, and kindness. Students worked hard to meet their goals, celebrate one another’s progress, and practice perseverance, all while keeping our Eagles SOAR values in action.

As we move into the coming weeks, we look forward to continued learning, upcoming fall celebrations, and opportunities to connect with families. Thank you for all you do to support our school community. Together, we help every student learn to soar!

As always, if you have any questions or would simply like to check in, please feel free to reach out to me at bgibney@conval.edu or 603-588-6371.

Warm wishes,
Beth Gibney
Principal, Antrim Elementary School
bgibney@conval.edu • 603-588-6371

Do you need photo retakes? On Tuesday, November 4th the photo companywill be coming again to take pictures of any student who was absent or if you would like you child's picture retaken. Please return the photos the day of retakes and your child will receive a new set of photos.

Our Fall Halloween Parade will be a PreK through 4th grade celebration!

The parade will begin at 1:30 PM at the gym lobby door and all students loop around the GBS parking lot, where the middle school students will cheer on our AES Eagles.

• PreK students will complete the GBS loop and then return inside the building.

• Kindergarten through 4th grade will continue the parade route down Summer Street to Main Street, then turn up West Street, re-entering the building through the main entrance to conclude the parade.

Families and community members are warmly invited to line the parade route and cheer for our students as they celebrate the season together.

Please remember:

• Costumes should come to school in a bag, labeled with the child's name and will be put on at 1:15.

• No masks or weapons are permitted.

• If your child needs assistance getting a costume, please contact the school—we’re happy to help!

Do you have someone special in your family who is a veteran?
This year, Antrim Elementary School is proud to honor our veterans with a special Veterans’ Breakfast followed by a Community Meeting dedicated to them.

If your family includes a veteran you’d like to recognize, please complete the RSVP form — even if your veteran is unable to attend — so we can honor them as part of our celebration. If you have more than one veteran in your family, please include all of their names on the form.

Scan the QR code in the image or [click this link] to submit your response by Wednesday, October 29th.

Hello everyone! My name is Nurse Vanessa Dallemand, and I’m so excited to be part of this wonderful school community Please feel free to call (ex. 6453) or email me at vdallemand@conval.edu. . I look forward to working with all of our amazing students and supporting their health and well-being throughout the year. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns, I’m here to help!

10/13: Columbus Day (no school)

10/31: Eagle Groups (9:15-12:00) and Halloween Parade (1:30)

11/4: Picture retakes

11/10: Conference Day (no school for students)

11/11: Veteran's Day (no school)

11/26-11/28: Thanksgiving Recess (no school)

Last Friday, we began our rebuild of the Secret Garden with the first planting. Nick Everhart, owner of Everhart Landscaping and Design, donated his time and materials to help each student to plant a bulb in the garden. It was wonderful to see the pride each student showed as they planted and the excitement and pride they already have to see what plants grow in the spring. We look forward to continuing the rebuild throughout the year and years to come.

Many community members and families have donated materials and have reached out to volunteer their time. We will be holding a meeting before the end of November to organize our efforts and plan the install. Bringing the community together to work with the students is truly wonderful and this project will leave a lasting mark for years to come.

If you did reach out to volunteer, please know we will contact each of you and if you still want to help do not hesitate to contact Beth Gibney or Vanessa Lofstedt to get on the list.

Kindergarteners in Mrs. Petersen’s class have been busy finishing our weather science unit and doing a couple of mini units about bats and spiders. We continue to add to our sight word list and have been recognizing these words on signs in the hallways, in books and in our Morning Message. I will be sending a key ring of these words home for some extra practice so be on the look-out for that. We have also been working super hard on writing the letters that we have learned so far as well as practicing the sounds they make(m, a, s). In math, we continue to work on numbers to 10 and using them in a variety of ways. We have created number posters, practiced sorting all sorts of fun things, played matching games and coloring by number code. Cooperative Play is still a favorite time of the day and Kindergarten has really shown how well they work together. These are some amazing students that work so hard!

This week, we worked on learning the FLSZ rule in phonics. People also recognize this rule by the names of the Floss Role or the Doubling Rule. Words with this rule have 1 syllable, 1 short vowel, and have an f, l, s, or z at the end. That’s when you double up the letter at the end of a word. Some examples are hill and sell. We’ve also read several books about bats. We learned about facts and opinions and we are currently writing some facts we’ve learned about bats! We will also complete a bat project! It’s getting BATTY around here!

On Friday, we had our last Raptor lesson with Kara from the Harris Center. We got an up-close look at mounts of the hawks we’ve been learning about—seeing their feathers and wings, talons, and beaks in real life was amazing! Now we’re moving on to a brand-new adventure. We’ve welcomed two painted turtles to our classroom for the winter months! We’ll be “head-starting” them, which means helping them grow strong and healthy before they return to the wild. Each week, we’ll weigh and measure the turtles and share our data with other classrooms who have turtles from the same nesting site. We’re excited to learn all about their life cycles, diet, habitat, and adaptations. This special project is made possible through New Hampshire Turtle Rescue and the Harris Center—what a wild and wonderful way to learn!

This week, we worked on team-building skills, learning how to collaborate effectively while valuing each group member’s contribution. We focused on communication and active listening.

Our 4th grade scientists recently wrapped up their third and final Earth Science/Engineering for Erosion Control lesson with Miss Kara from the Harris Center. Working in teams, students became landscape engineers, and used natural materials we collected in the woods to design landscapes that would protect a house from flooding and torrential rain. Through designing, testing, reflecting, revising, and testing again, our learners explored how thoughtful engineering can help mitigate the effects of natural forces on human structures. Fantastic teamwork, flexible thinking and great enthusiasm were on display throughout the project! We are so grateful for our hands-on experiences with Miss Kara from the Harris Center!

Many children will experience the death of a parent, sibling or other close person in their life before the age of 18. Grief, the emotional pain and distress one experiences after a loved one’s death, is one of the most common disruptive experiences in childhood.

How Grief Varies Based on Age

Grief responses can look different across development. Here are some common grief reactions ranging from preschoolers to young adults:

• Infants: Increased clinginess, sleep and wake more frequently, more crying, hyper/energetic
• Preschoolers: Irritability, developmental regressions (e.g., bed-wetting, thumb-sucking, baby talk), acting out, fear of separation, increased nightmares, showing little to no concern and quickly returning to play when talking about death
• School-aged children: Anxiety, denial, guilt, withdrawal, anger, drop in grades, difficulties paying attention, fear of own death, changes in sleep, physical symptoms (e.g., stomachaches, headaches)
• Adolescents/ young adults: Many similarities to school-aged children with addition of risk-taking, increase in peer and family conflict, ongoing search for spirituality, pressure to take on more responsibilities

Supporting Grieving Children

It is important that bereaved children feel safe, loved, and supported. Below are some tips for parents/caregivers to best support children who are grieving:

• Maintain routines and continue setting limits for behaviors. Many children lose a sense of control when their loved one dies. By maintaining routines and setting limits for behavior, children are given a sense of normalcy and control in a world that may no longer make sense.
• Facilitate open and honest discussions with your child about death and grief. It is important to use simple, clear and honest language with the child. When children do not receive direct and honest language about death, they are left to their imaginations, which sometimes results in increased worry. Also, for younger children, assuring them there is nothing they did to cause the death can increase comfort. When your child asks questions, give them honest answers but know that it is OK if you do not have all the answers. If your child asks a question, you do not have the answer to, you can encourage them to think out loud about it, “That’s a good question. What do you think?"
• Normalize and validate all emotions. It is OK to feel a range of emotions when grieving including sadness, frustration, anger, relief, etc. Assure your child that we often feel more than one emotion, even when they are conflicting. For example, your child can feel angry his father died from a serious illness but relieved he is no longer in pain. Some children are afraid to feel happiness when grieving as they feel they should always be in pain. Let your child know it is okay to experience joy even while sad.
• Model healthy grieving. You should feel comfortable expressing some of your sadness, anger, and other emotions in front of your child. By modeling healthy grieving, you are giving the child permission to express his or her emotions and thoughts around you. Children benefit from role models on how to cope with grief and may appreciate opportunities to engage in coping strategies (e.g., taking a walk, drawing, listening to music) alongside their loved ones who are similarly grieving. When children do not see their parents/caregivers grieve, they may feel guilty for the emotions they are experiencing or feel as if these emotions may be a burden to those who are already hurting and thus may withhold from expressing them.
• Talk to your child about common myths of grief. Many myths about grief exist that can sometimes complicate a child’s coping with grief. Remind your child that not all deaths/losses are the same; there is no timeline to follow; everyone grieves differently; and grief is not linear and will ebb and flow over time.
• Give your child the choice on whether they would like to participate in funeral and memorial services. Help children feel empowered by offering them the choice to attend the memorial. Sometimes, caregivers/parents fear attending the memorial will be more harmful than helpful, but many children find it beneficial for closure. If the child decides to attend the memorial, help them prepare by educating them on where the service will take place, who will be there, what the casket will look like (e.g., open vs. closed), and how people may respond and interact with the child at service.
• Collaborate with teachers when the bereaved child returns to school. Going back to school after experiencing a close death can be challenging. Parents/caregivers can help promote the child’s adjustment back to school by asking the child what he or she would like shared with teachers/classmates, making a difficult day safety plan, planning drop-off and pick-up routines, and providing anticipatory guidance on how to handle potential changes in friends’/classmates’ behavior (e.g., unsure how to comfort child who is grieving).
• Share memories, create rituals, and find ways for the child to continue his or her bond with the deceased loved one. An important part of grief is continuing ties to loved ones. Even though the person is no longer physically present, continuing bonds with them allows the child to still feel connected to their loved one. This may look like sharing your favorite memories about the loved one, looking at scrapbooks, wearing their clothing item, carrying their picture, celebrating their birthday, eating their favorite meal or including them in annual holiday traditions.
• Monitor how your child’s grief is impacting their functioning. While it is normal to feel a range of emotions following a loved one’s death, some children may experience prolonged or complicated grief. If you suspect your child is experiencing prolonged grief (symptoms one year following loved one’s death), reaching out for professional support may be helpful. Symptoms of prolonged grief include:
  • avoiding reminders of the person who has died
  • loss of identity
  • troubles accepting the loss
  • feeling life is meaningless
  • Inability to return to everyday activities

Grief is a challenging and complex emotion for children. Despite the difficult emotions associated with grief, this emotional pain is a sign of how much the child loved their family member and/or friend, and this can always be a helpful reminder when the child is feeling overwhelmed by their grief.

References and Resources

https://kidsgrief.ca/

https://www.siblingsupport.co.uk/

https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/grief/

https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/topics/bereavement-2/

Adapted from https://www.kidsmentalhealthfoundation.org/mental-health-resources/grief-and-trauma/helping-children-grieve-a-death

10 School Street

Antrim, NH 03440

Phone: (603) 599-6371

Email: aesoffice@conval.edu

Web Page: https://aes.conval.edu/en-US

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