New Manchester Elementary School

A new year is upon us bringing a time of reflection and excitement for what lies ahead. January is a great time to talk with your child about the goals she/he set at the beginning of the school year. Take this opportunity to ask your child how they are succeeding toward their goal and if they need to make any changes. Perhaps your child would like to set a new goal. Whether the goal is large or small, new or improving on an old goal, discuss the steps involved in reaching their goals. Encourage your child to celebrate progress being made toward their goals and not to be discouraged by a step backward, but to learn from it. Through dedication, hard work, and support, your child can achieve their goals! I am very excited about starting this New Year and look forward to hearing about all of the great things the students have done over the holidays!

1/5 School Resumes from Christmas Break

1/5 - 1/31 STAR Middle of the Year (MOY) Benchmarks for ELA & Math & SAEBRS

1/8 4th Grade Financial Literacy Program with HCSB

1/15 End of the 2nd Grading Period

1/15 "Bouncing Into a New Semester" activity for students

1/16 NO School for Students - Professional Learning Day and Faculty Senate for Staff

1/19 NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1/20 Beginning of "Show the Staff Some Love" Coin Wars

1/22 AR Reward

1/22 Report Cards will be distributed

1/30 Family Read Aloud

Grab & Go and Lunch menus can also be found on our school website page under the tab "food service".

Pre-K: Olivia & Wesley

Kindergarten: Cole & Kansas

1st Grade: Avarie, Lively, & Leona

2nd Grade: Richard & Barrett & Tinlee

3rd Grade: Ava & Ella

4th Grade: Mark, Alaina, & Tristan

One student per classroom will be chosen each month by the teacher to be recognized for our "Student Spotlight". The student will have their picture posted to our front lobby bulletin board, will be recognized in our monthly newsletter, and will receive a token of appreciation for their efforts at our PTA meetings.

• Criteria for selecting the Crew Chiefs will include (but is not limited to) the following

  • Effort
  • Character through compassion, honesty, trustworthiness, optimism, and responsibility
  • Behavior and self-control
  • Attitude toward others/learning
  • Good citizenship
  • Leadership and integrity
  • Demonstrates responsibility.
  • Respectful to peers and teachers
  • Significant progress in the classroom and/or marked improvement in grades

New Manchester Elementary School follows the Expected Behaviors in Safe and Supportive Schools – Policy JG. A condensed version is found in the New Manchester Elementary School student handbook. A complete copy can be obtained in the Hancock County Board of Education office or our school office.

The Character Trait for our "Guidelines for Success" for January is "You Can Be Somebody". This trait focuses on encouraging our students to become the best versions of themselves. We want our students to know that we are working together to give them the academic, social, and emotional support to be whatever they want to be. To help children become the best version of themselves, consider the following tips:

• Praise their efforts: Encourage children to value the process of learning over the end result. You can do this by praising their hard work rather than just their outcomes. Remember to be their biggest fan, not their harshest critic.
• Model resilience: Demonstrate resilience by acknowledging your own struggles and sharing how you have overcome them.
• Teach your child patience. Help them to develop patience by teaching them to wait, which can in turn help the to regulate negative emotions.
• Encourage hobbies. Help your child discover hobbies that bring them happiness. Sometimes a hobby can turn into a lifetime joy or even a career.
• Involve your child in healthy activities. Engage them in walks or exercise to set a positive example.

Coming back to school after a long break can be difficult for students and families. Here are a few tips to help ease the transition back to school.

• Don't let coming back to school "sneak up on you". Set up a calendar countdown to engage students into preparing for the first days back.
• Get back to routines, especially sleep routines. Getting enough sleep is crucial for students' ability to learn. Set visual schedules/reminders and set your child's bedtime back 15 - 20 minutes each night leading up to school until they are back on their typical bedtime.
• Have conversations with your child about what they are looking forward to when they go back to school. Talk about upcoming school events.
• Remind them of the friends they will be seeing when they return to school. Try to set up a time for your child to see their friends prior to going back to school.
• Avoid the trap of putting off important school tasks. Planning your child's outfits, lunch choices, and working on any homework tasks due when they return will be helpful.
• Know it is okay if your child is "not okay". Going back to school after spending many days at home with family can be difficult for students. Let them know it is okay to feel nervous or sad.

https://parentguidance.org/

We understand that parenting is a challenging and oftentimes overwhelming experience. This program connects you with a free parenting coach and therapist-created content to help you navigate the ups and downs with confidence.

Be on the lookout for Pre-K Registration for the 2026-2027 School Year. Pre-K Registration will be conducted online and will be open in February. It will be first come, first served in order to receive the spot that you want at the Pre-K location you want. Please remember that your child must be four (4) years old before July 1, 2026.

We have an exciting opportunity for Family Engagement occurring on Fridays with Mrs. Cole and Mrs. Gamble.

Our "Fluency Fridays" will be posted to Class Dojo the first and last Friday of each month to help you understand the importance

of the Science of Reading and Math fluency. These will be activities that you can do at home to increase fluency at home. The activities that will be explored have been recommended by Hancock County's Literacy and Numeracy Teams.

The first Friday of the month will be dedicated to Reading and the last Friday of the month will be dedicated to Math.
We are hoping for this to be an "interactive family engagement community" in which we can all benefit.
You will be able to receive feedback on any comments or questions you may have.

January is the first month of the new year! Let’s make this year the best one yet! Start new healthy traditions with your family such as eating together at the table for dinner. Eating together provides a time to be connected. This helps children feel loved, safe, and secure. Focus on enjoying each other’s company, not on what or how much each child is eating. Keep mealtime conversations positive.

Also, find ways to stay active as a family. Exercise provides many benefits that include improved thinking or cognition for children ages 6 to 13 and reduced short-term feelings of anxiety for adults. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.

Have a happy and healthy new year!

Since many adults set New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of each year, I will offer a few suggestions to include children this year.

Resolutions can help children build routines, self-confidence, and a sense of responsibility. For young children, resolutions should focus on small, concrete changes that are achievable and tied to daily life. They can be learning opportunities rather than pressure or punishment when children are involved in the process.

Additionally, it can be helpful to co-create resolutions with your child. Ask. “What is one thing you want to try this year?” Let them choose the rewards for when they reach milestones.

Measurable goals are better than nonspecific ones. “Reading for 10 minutes with an adult five nights each week,” makes progress visible and lets both the parent and child celebrate success. Just like with adults, bigger goals can be broken down into short-term checkpoints. Simple trackers like sticker charts or checkboxes can let children see their progress, which can reduce frustration while increasing motivation to persist.

Resolutions about kindness, patience, or managing emotions teach valuable life skills. Examples include, “Say something kind to a friend or family member daily,” or “Use a breathing break when upset.”

Lastly, phrase resolutions in positive terms. Instead of saying, “I will be less messy,” it would be better to say, “I will put away my toys before bedtime.” Remember, celebrate effort and treat setbacks as learning moments.

• The first Super Bowl was held on January 15, 1967.
• The term "January Thaw" is used to describe the brief period of warm weather that sometimes occurs in January.
• January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doors, gates, and transitions.
• January is typically one of the coldest months in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on location (along with February).
• The lowest temperature ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere was documented in January 1885 in Russia at -89.9 degrees F).
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday in January in the United States.
• January is National Soup month in the Unites States.

Use white yarn balls or old rolled up white socks to represent "snowballs". Label bins with numbers. Take turns tossing the white yarn balls into the bins (for instance each player tosses 3 "snowballs"). Count the total number of points. For a harder version, label the bins with place values (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.). The player with the highest total wins.

"It Takes a Team to Educate a Child"

Email: cyeater@k12.wv.us
Website: newmanchester.hancock.k12.wv.us
Location: 128 Frankfort Road, New Cumberland, WV, USA
Phone: 304-564-3242
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Elementary-School/New-Manchester-Elementary-School