The Pulse of the Pride
August 19th, 2022
Lyme School Friends,
Not sure what has happened to our sun? We have been persevering through a lot of rain lately and this, of course, poses problems for such things like outdoor learning and recess. Despite the weather, we continue to have many smiles. And, the weather looks better ahead!
As May and the coming months unfold, there are a number of tasks that must be completed. We must solidify a schedule for next year. We will need to hire some new staff. We will need to transition plan for students moving to the next grade or to high school. We will also need to celebrate the school year and its successes. These are just some of the reasons why this time of year at schools are so busy. Educators and students want to end the year on a high note and accomplish their goals.
I am looking forward to the concluding events of the school year and experiencing what have been described to me as traditions. I look forward to what the May Pole is all about, attending the DC trip with our 8th graders, and recognizing our 8th graders at the end of the year. It is these happenings that make all schools unique in their own ways.
We have had a number of concerns raised by families around cell phones, texting and social media. As such, we felt it important to share some resources with all. We have done so below in the news, dates, information, and announcements section. Feel free to reach out if you have questions or concerns around technology and your child.
We hope you will encourage your child to participate in Spirit Week next week sponsored by the PTO. I have plenty of ties if a student needs to borrow one for either Wednesday or Friday ;-).
The next newsletter will hit your inbox on May 19th.
Have a great weekend!
Regards,
John P. D'Entremont, Principal
Want Lyme School Gear?
The Lyme School Apparel Store has a variety of apparel and accessories all customizable with a variety of school logos. The Lyme School PTO earns 12% of all sales. Thank you for supporting our school and go Lions! #LYMESCHOOLROCKS
Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives. What is Mental Health? A very basic definition that I share with younger students is your ability to handle life’s ups and downs, (big or small), being a good friend to YOURSELF, and recognizing things that aren’t working well for us, and what we can do about it. This is something we should look after and check in on and get help with - it’s just as important as our physical health! Whether people are still struggling with maintaining their mental health or recovering from or managing a mental health disorder, we want to create a welcoming space where students and families can talk about mental health and access the resources they need for support. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are 1 in 5 adults in America living with a mental illness, and yet, a stigma still exists, causing people to feel like they may be the only ones. Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity for people everywhere to come together and create change - helping to break the stigma.
Throughout the year In Stanton Time, we are having conversations about our feelings and emotions - being able to identify and express them in a healthy way to help us get what we need. We explore empathy and compassion not only towards others’ feelings and emotions but our own, too. All feelings are OK, and feelings CHANGE! Feelings are how we respond to what happens to us. Research shows that this early intervention and prevention method can support youth and their mental health. Our school will continue to be a healthy, happy place to learn and grow if we remind students, staff, and parents that they are ENOUGH, VALUED, and that they BELONG. We are so glad you and your students are members of our Lyme School Community!
Here is a TOOL KIT from Mental Health America you can use to find other ways to observe this month and spread awareness as well as check on your own mental health and wellness and encourage others to do the same. We cannot fill from an empty cup.
Here are two calendars (calendar 1 & calendar 2) for families of ways to check in on your mental health, have discussions with your family or make small changes to your environments to improve your mental health.
As always, if you have concerns about your child’s mental health, please be in touch with anyone at school for support. We’re here to provide help and resources!
With care,
Mrs. Stanton
PS!
YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID - FREE COURSE
UNH Extension provides free training that teaches adults how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. This training gives adults the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to children and adolescents (ages 6-18) who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.
Trainings are FREE to participants through federal funding. We would encourage anyone who works with youth to take this course.
YMHFA - Dates - June 7th and August 2nd - 9-3:30pm
Writing Samples and Tracking Progress
Twice this year in November and in March, teachers collected writing samples from the Grades 1-8 students. As parents, you may have seen your student’s writing sample at parent conferences. These samples are typically written in class to a common grade level prompt. Students in Grades 1-3 handwrite their pieces, while Grades 4-8 produce their work on their Chromebooks.
Having a common prompt, scoring guide, and set classroom parameters allows for our scoring of writing samples to be as standardized as possible. These samples are scored by our teachers using common rubrics and/or scoring guides aligned to the Writing Revolution approach. Teachers rate the students’ writing proficiency in several areas. The paragraph level writing skills tracked as a school this year were: topic sentences, detail sentences, concluding sentences, and conventions (spelling, grammar, and punctuation).
Teachers record the results of individual students as well as the class trends in writing. As a school, we look at the data across grade levels to see where we are hitting the mark with writing instruction and where we need to improve our approach or practice.
One annotated student sample (from a typical student) from each grade level is scanned and archived into our shared documents in both November and March so that we may refer back to these samples in subsequent years. These typical samples also help our teachers who are new to a grade level or to the school calibrate their expectations for student writing achievement in their class.
Cinco de Mayo Week! by Mr. Harkins
This week in Señor Harkins' Spanish classes, students discussed the Mexican holiday "Cinco de Mayo". Friday, May 5th commemorates the day a small group of weary Mexican soldiers defeated a larger group of French soldiers as the French were attempting to take over Mexico. While Cinco de Mayo is often confused with Mexican Independence Day, Lyme students know this is not the case! 5th graders (with a little help from the 4th graders) performed our annual Cinco de Mayo skit at this week's morning meeting and did a great job.
Art Update by Mrs. Girdwood
Kindergarten just wrapped up clay birds, revisiting their pinch pot form. I hope they made it home safely! First grade students are working on drawing villages, thinking about how to draw 3D and adding all the magical details. We joyfully revisited the Beautiful Oops concept (my tree is now a volcano! Can we make it into a map? We are studying maps in the classroom!) and every single one is as unique as each of your children. In grade 2, groups are hard at work creating dioramas to show their classroom research on climate and biomes. Each detail is carefully considered and contains a little gem of research. In grade 3, we are working on a BOT JOY project, designing robots to bring joy to our community. This is based on a collaborative community art project by Gary Hirsch. In grade 4, we are learning about form by shading and drawing portraits. We looked at the differences between Greek and Roman Art. In grade 5, we are finishing up clay bobble-heads and about to launch into the Animal Adaptations Unit with Ms. Burns. Middle School Electives session 5 just finished up. Printmaking and Sculpture students worked to finish their projects and hopefully some of them have made it home!
8th Grade Health by Mrs. Damren
As our eighth graders move through their final course material in our adolescent health classes, we were fortunate to have Dr. Bill Hudenko serve as a guest speaker to address the topic of mental health.
Dr. Hudenko is not only a clinical psychologist, a professor at Dartmouth College, but he also has been a CEO of five companies as he continues his work to help people learn and manage mental health issues. He also happens to be a Lyme resident.
We feel fortunate to have our local resources so close by and Dr. Hudenko is no exception. His vast experience in working with adolescents and his desire to help others spans across the globe. Dr. Hudenko has spoken to Lyme students and parents in the past and recently, we were fortunate to have him land back into our health class.
Dr. Hudenko talked with our students about psychology, the brain, the mind, and behavior. He outlined several aspects of stress - the positives and negatives and the importance of reaching out for help when stress, anxiety, and depression become bigger than us .
We are always grateful for those who are willing to come and speak to our students, those who have expertise in their field and are willing to share their knowledge, and those who truly care about the well being of others.
Thank you so much, Dr. Hudenko !
Elite Fitness Elective by Mrs. Damren
This week began the last hurrah of electives. Several students signed up for elite fitness and I am so happy that several are repeats, which shows their commitment to their personal fitness. This is true for the new arrivals as well.
Students are expected to warm up, run a mile, and then go through a series of circuit training activities that utilize the components of fitness, which include cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility. We have had some great mile run times to start and I am excited to see where this group goes as their times will no doubt, decrease .
I am always proud of our students and our elite fitness participants are no exception!
Grade 5 Health by Mrs. Damren
Students in grade 5 have been immersed in our adolescent health curriculum. Recently, we began the study of the human reproductive systems.
To keep things light, students colored in body parts as they were presented. We are proud of how students were invested and involved in this lesson! Nicely done, fifth graders!
Women in Engineering Day
Save the date! The Society of Women Engineers will host
Women in Engineering Day at Dartmouth THIS SATURDAY, MAY 6TH from 9:30 am - 1:30 pm!
Grades 5-11 Registration Form: https://forms.gle/96HykF1dc1vNMoaG8
Registration closes Thursday, May 4th at 11:59 pm.
Dartmouth Student Volunteer Form: https://forms.gle/WnF7Wxtz4uqSirZFA
Please reach out to abigail.c.hughes.25@dartmouth.edu with any questions or concerns!
Event Schedule:
9:30 am: Welcome and refreshments
10:00 am: Activity Circuit #1 (20 minutes per station)
11:00 am: Meet & Greet Lunch
12:00 pm: Activity Circuit #2 (20 minutes per station)
1:00 pm: Women in Engineering Panel and Q&A
1:30 pm: End of day
Activity Circuit Stations:
Civil and Structural Engineering: Marshmallow Challenge
Hydraulics/Buoyancy: What Floats Your Boat?
Graphics and Multimedia Design: Laser Cutting
Chemical Engineering: The Science of Slime
Sustainable Energy and Electrical Engineering: Hydrogen-Powered Racecars
Automotive Engineering Technology: You AUTO Know: Dartmouth Formula Racing Demo
Lebanon Recreation, Arts, and Parks Department, in collaboration with Lebanon Theater Kids, presents Jungle Book KIDS!
Program: Lebanon Theater Summer Camp
Grades: Entering 1st - 6th Grade
Dates: July 10 - July 14, all campers must attend one of the following auditions: May 23 3:30 -5:30 OR May 24 3:30 - 5:30 Location TBA
Days: M-F
Time: M-Th 9:00AM - 3:00PM, Friday 12:30 - 7:00 PM (ending in performance)
Location: Lebanon Opera House
Fee: $215
Minimum: 20 Maximum: 30
Performance Date: Night of July 14th - 6:30pm (30 minutes)
Program Supervisors: Heather Baker-Morris and Emma Woodruff
We are thrilled to bring young Lebanon stars into the spotlight this summer with Lebanon Theater Kids production of The Jungle Book KIDS! All registered campers will be cast in the play no matter what, but auditions are important for us to cast the play, hand out scripts, and give information in regards to preparation for the camp. Any campers unable to attend auditions will be cast as an ensemble member. Please email Heather if your child wants to audition but needs to set up an alternative day or time. Since this camp culminates in a musical theater performance it is vital that all campers are available to attend every single day and minute of camp. Campers will spend their day rehearsing the play, learning songs and dance, playing theater games, taking breaks to run around the park, and making friendships and memories that will last a lifetime! Please email heathermariebaker@gmail.com with any questions. Register at https://secure.rec1.com/NH/city-of-lebanon/catalog
OUR VALUES
● Fairness ● Acceptance of Others ● Integrity ● Responsibility
● Perseverance ● Individuality ● Compassion ● Courage
John P. D'Entremont, Principal
Elise Foxall, Academic Director
Geoff Tomlinson, Student Services Director