Hello Spartans!

I hope everyone had a wonderfully winter weekend in the beautiful snow. Here over the border in Maine, we were fortunate enough to wake up to a splendid looking, snow-covered yard. My 1-year-old son was so very curious about the white coating outside. Whether you enjoy this wintry weather, or your heart is with the sunshine, I hope you all can find some joy and calm during this season. Looking forward to another fabulous week here at Strafford School!

In partnership,

Mrs. Blackington

Beginning this week, students have been earning "Super Spartan Tickets" for being positive members of our school community. Students who earn this ticket from a staff member can bring their ticket down to the office to be entered in a drawing for a Super Spartan Bracelet, and be celebrated over the announcements on Friday! We have a school goal to connect all our tickets at the end of the year to wrap around the school building!

We had well over 100 students receive Super Spartan Tickets this week. The winners in K-4 were...

PK/K: Maeve Robertie

1/2: Dax Bostrom

3/4: Grayson Morrissette

Kindergarteners had their annual "Nutcracker" field to the Rochester Opera House. They had a fantastic time!

Ms. Claire from the Hill Library visited recess this week (in this bitter cold brrrr) and let K-4 students experiment with her robot, Botley!

It's true - watching movies can help you read better!

Reading comprehension is such an essential skill, and children begin developing it long before they enter Kindergarten! Conversations about your child's school day, the games they play with friends, or even retelling their favorite TV episodes all contribute to building this critical skill for learning: comprehension.

A fun way to practice comprehension at home is by exploring film shorts! These amusing little clips, often shown before children's movies, are usually silent—giving your child the perfect opportunity to get creative. Encourage them to write or act out a script for the film, make predictions about what might happen next, or even imagine future clips!

For more ideas, check out this insightful article from a teacher that takes a deeper dive into using film shorts to boost comprehension skills!

https://awalkinthechalk.com/1389/using-short-films-to-teach-comprehension-skills/

We would love to help support our Strafford families with whatever they need during the holiday season. Please fill this form out if you would like to be added to our list! (Staff members, this also applies to you!)

**Please note: This information will be kept confidential and limited to need-to-know staff members who are helping to collect or distribute items**

• Nicole.alley@strafford.k12.nh.us
• Laura.milner@strafford.k12.nh.us

Now that we have had our first delay call, we wanted to share how you can receive a text notification for these "All Call" notices.

• Log on to your Alma account and click on the green circle with your initials
• Choose “My Info”
• Click on the box with your phone number and make sure “Can SMS” is checked
• If not, click the box and click “Save”
• Click the green circle with initials again
• Choose “Notification Preferences”
• Under Emergency Notifications, choose Text Message

***Although you will receive a text alert, a phone call will also follow the text message. It will be the exact same message that you received through the text. This is an Alma safety measure and Strafford School cannot change that setting.

We want to thank all the community members who came together to discuss the future of our playground here at Strafford School. We discussed important information such as fundraising, logistics, and other ways we can support play on the playground. Our next meeting will be at 6 PM on December 18th in the school library. Any and all community members are encouraged to come! More information on this and future meetings to come in future newsletters!

It's time to order your yearbook! Use this link to order TODAY!

2024-25 School Calendar

December 11, 2024

K-4 Holiday Shop

December 16-20, 2024

Winter Spirit Week

December 23, 2024-January 1, 2025

NO SCHOOL Holiday Break/New Year's Observance

Every Friday is HAT DAY! Students may wear their favorite hat to school all day if they bring in $1! Thank you for supporting the 8th grade class!

Get your Spartan blankets anytime at the main office or by sending in money with students! These are super soft and make excellent gifts!

National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is collecting non perishable food items for Strafford families in need this holiday season. Items can be dropped off in the main office anytime. Cash/check donations are also accepted. Please make checks out to Strafford School. Thank you!

Do you have gently used, unwanted knick knacks and yard sale type items? We will take them! Nothing bigger than a toaster, no clothes and no stuffed animals please! These items are used for our K-4 Holiday Shop! Students purchase little goodies for family members for the holidays and it's a Strafford School tradition! We are also in need of gift bags, wrapping paper and tape! Items can be dropped off to the main office at any time!

If interested in coming in to help students wrap and shop please sign up HERE.

Hill Library Youth Programs

Registration for the January-February session of Library Club opens December 16! Email cbeihl.hl@gmail.com to get on the Library Club email list. We also have some fun and festive events happening the third week of December, make sure to check them out!

Upcoming Events at Hill Library

Polar Bear Party

Wednesday, December 18

3:30pm-5pm

Drop in for some fun polar bear crafts and games!

The deadline is Feb. 1.