Bates Family Newsletter

What a week! We enjoyed two great concerts in one where we all got to be super fans of the students in grades four and five who sang and played instruments at our annual winter concert. Shout out to Ms. Berman, Ms. Puga, and the instrumental music staff for all their hard work in preparing the students for this show.

And...we flooded the hallways with lots of favorites, too. See below for some pretty cool photos. Enjoy your weekend, Bates families!

My best,

Ms. Smith

Thank you in advance for coming to pick up the car riders on time so teachers can get to their professional development sessions. Lunch will be served.

On Friday, February 14, we'll have a Red, Pink, and Heart-y Spirt Day in honor of Valentine's Day. Let's show some love!

While there were no formal Beacons this week due to the MLK holiday, we'd like to shout out all of our students in grades K-5 who showed exemplary Beacon behavior during our concert on Thursday. Way to go, Beacons! You were amazing audience members who engaged in active listening.

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.

Written by Ms. Amanda, Student Adjustment Counselor

This week we focused on Emotional Awareness!

One thing we often say to students is “All the emotions are okay, it’s just how we manage them that counts!” However, to be able to manage our emotions, we need to be aware of our emotions.

This week we had conversations and played some fun games in morning meetings to practice emotional awareness. One game involved having students pretend to be “Feelings Statues”. They were given a prompt “it’s the first day of school and you’re not sure where to sit” or “you just got a special surprise gift” etc…and the kids had to show on their faces and bodies how they would look if they had that experience (and emotion). It was SO fun, and they got to see that everyone may experience and express emotions a bit differently…and that’s okay!

Consider playing emotional awareness games at dinner, in line at the store, or while driving or walking to school. Tell them you are going to play “Feelings Faces” and then say “Show me your SURPRISED face!”, “Show me your LONELY face!”, “Show me your CONFUSED face!” etc) — Or, to go one step further, give them a scenario “I turned off your video game without warning you” and have them act out the emotion, then YOU have to guess the feeling(s)

This helps deepen emotional vocabulary and gives good practice for discernment of their own emotions and those of others as well! All of this goes a long way in enhancing social-emotional development.

Great job, musicians. We are so proud of your musical abilities!

Well, that was fun! So many different fan favorites were represented during our Super Fan Spirit Day!

Our goal is to keep our chronic absence rate under 19.5% this year. This week, our chronic attendance rate is at 18.3%. Again, we sent less students home this week, so we're hoping this trend continues and that you all stay healthy:) 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 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 -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