Chestnut Street Monthly Newsletter

Dear Chestnut Families,

Your children are truly in full bloom with their learning! We are wrapping up our Push & Pull Science Unit, and the students have been fully engaged as young scientists. Be sure to ask your child about their pinball machines—and even better, invite them to show you the forces they’ve been exploring. A helpful question to spark their thinking is, “Why do things move in different ways?” We’ve included some of our “scientific” vocabulary below to support these conversations at home.

In Math, students are continuing to build strong understanding of both 2D and 3D shapes. We encourage you to have your child share their “school findings” and point out shapes they recognize in everyday life.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to all of you who supported our Community Helpers unit. Your involvement helped make this learning experience meaningful and memorable for our students. Be sure to check out photos on our website and ClassDojo accounts—THANK YOU!

We are excited to share that our recent field trip to see Pete the Cat at the Long Island Children’s Museum was a wonderful experience for our students. It was so special to see the story come to life and deepen their connection to the texts and author study we’ve been exploring in class.

Please be on the lookout for your child’s 3rd quarter report card, which will be sent home on April 24th. Our goal is to provide you with meaningful insight into your child’s progress, along with ideas for how you can continue to support their learning at home. We encourage you to use this information as you play, talk, and learn together, building on your child’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm.

In addition to their academic growth, students have been working hard on important social-emotional skills, particularly persisting and managing impulsivity. These Habits of Mind are essential for both learning and personal development. We value your partnership in reinforcing these skills at home, as working together helps children develop the self-regulation and resilience they need to succeed.

As always, we are grateful for your ongoing collaboration and the strong partnership we share with each Chestnut family. If you have any questions or need clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.

#WHe are always here to help!

Warm regards,
Dr. Lisa Minicozzi

• Play board games with your child(ren) to practice taking turns.
• When reading you can ask your student to guess the word by looking at the first sound and using the picture to help.
• Ask your child to identify sight words in the texts they see.
• When listening to music with your child, ask them to listen for rhyming words.
• Use a family calendar and show your child the date. Practice counting down to winter break or and upcoming family event.

• If your child will be absent, please call Nurse Angela before 8:30 AM at 516-390-3155
• Kindly ensure your child has a full change of clothes in the classroom.
• If there will be a change in your child's afternoon transportation, please write a note or email to the teacher. For last-minute changes, please call Mrs. Ventura or Mrs. White before 2:00 PM. 516-390-3150
• Please select your child's daily lunch order on the printed menu by circling or highlighting the choices and return it to school ASAP. The link for the menus is below. Please note, at times the item listed on the menu may not be available and your child will be offered an alternative option.
• Please do not block the driveways of the homes around our school. Our neighbors have reached out to express concern about their driveways being blocked during drop-off and dismissal. Thank you for your cooperation.

If you or someone you know has a child who is eligible for PreK or Kindergarten for 2026, please call Mrs. Ventura today at 516-390-3150 to find out about our upcoming registration. We still have some remaining spots for this year open. Eligibility requirements: resident of the WHUFSD and born between 12/2/2019 and 12/1/2020.

4/14: BOE Meeting @ 7:30 SS VCR Room

4/24: Report Cards Sent Home

The Habits of Mind are an identified set of 16 problem solving, life related skills, which contribute to creating a healthier learning environment. The habits are cross-curricular and applied throughout the West Hempstead UFSD, in all grades and levels. Currently in kindergarten, we are focusing on Managing Impulsivity.

This Habit of Mind is important for students to understand because it helps students recognize the control they have over their bodies and actions- and provides them with skills and solutions to help regulate some of their impulsive behaviors. Whether it be impulsive decisions or impulsive body movements, students benefit from explicit instruction in this Habit of Mind to ensure that they develop a deeper understanding of the fact that they are in control of their bodies and the decisions they make.

Impulse control is such an important self-management skill to teach children. Many kids need practice with these life skills. Linked below are some of my favorite videos for teaching self-control to kids. In this list, you'll find interactive activity and freeze dance videos, explainer videos, animated videos, videos with songs about self-control, and read aloud books for self-control.