Bancroft Community Newsletter

First Grade started off the year with writing New Year’s resolutions for 2026. They wrote about what they would like to learn or improve in the new year. Some goals were learning to tie their shoes, improve their math or reading skills and cleaning their room at home.

We also learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream for peace. The first graders discussed how we are all alike and different in many ways. After listening to the story “Two Eggs, Please”, the kids created a plate of how they like to eat their eggs. Many like their eggs scrambled, sunny side up and hard boiled.

Thanks to the hard work from Mrs. Condello, First Grade was awarded a mini grant from the Kennett Education Foundation to purchase hands-on tools, games, and activities that would help our young learners strengthen their phonics and reading skills. They have had fun using pop-its to blend new words, make word ladders, and play headbands with partners. Thank you KEF for your generosity!

As the month comes to a close, we are starting a new Science unit on Land and Water. February will be filled with many fun activities of celebrating the 100th day of school, Valentine’s Day and much more!

2026 is off to a great start! The students have been working very hard to show their understanding of and commitment to our classroom and school expectations. We are delighted to hear the students using kind words and showing respect to others. Working with others is such an important part of the learning process, and your children are showing great initiative, problem-solving skills, and focus to reach shared goals. Students have enjoyed playing math games together involving money and time. We will soon start exploring three-digit numbers and solidifying understanding of place value concepts!

Some students have also been showing off their incredible theater skills by presenting Reader’s Theater! While they work on their reading fluency and expression, they are also becoming more comfortable presenting in front of a group, following a script, and making the character their own. Our next Reading and Language Arts unit will focus on inventions! We look forward to helping the students conduct research on inventors and understanding how inventions help us solve problems. Students will continue to work on identifying the main topic and key details of a text. Thank you for your continued support at home to help your child enjoy reading!

This is a great time of year to snuggle up with a book and read together! Kids can read to stuffed animals, real pets, siblings or with friends. The shared reading experience makes kids want to read. Again, thank you for all you are doing to support this effort with your child. We appreciate you!

Third grade students were excited to return after winter break and transitioned back to school routines smoothly. They quickly remembered our school rules and expectations and have truly shown what it means to be Bancroft Proud.

We kicked off 2026 with an engaging science unit on the Water Cycle, learning how water moves throughout our planet. Students demonstrated their understanding in creative ways by designing water cycle projects. Some built 3D diagrams, others observed condensation on classroom windows, and some created their own water cycle books. Their creativity and curiosity were wonderful to see!

As January comes to a close, students are preparing for two exciting projects in February. In honor of Black History Month, students will work individually or in groups to research and celebrate an important activist. Leading up to the project, students have been watching videos, listening to stories, and reading about influential historical figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges. Together, they will research, write, and create a final visual display to share their learning.

One of the most anticipated events for third grade is our annual Third Grade Law Day. Students will begin learning about the branches of government and then participate in a mock trial. Through this readers’ theater experience, students will take on courtroom roles and decide whether a student on trial is innocent or guilty. Every third grader will have a role, and we warmly invite all third grade families to join us on February 20th to see the courtroom in action!

Our 4th grade team is grateful to have received a Kennett Education Grant to expand our classroom libraries with Spanish-language and bilingual books. These new titles will be shared across the entire grade level, giving all students daily access—both in their homeroom classrooms and when working with our ELD teacher.

By adding engaging and authentic Spanish and bilingual texts, we hope to:

• Celebrate bilingualism and biliteracy as strengths that support learning and academic success
  

• Provide books that reflect our students’ cultures, languages, and identities
  

• Ensure equitable access to high-quality literature in the languages represented within the Bancroft community

This investment in our classroom libraries supports literacy growth while honoring the rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds of our students. Most importantly, it helps foster pride, connection, and a lifelong love of reading for every child. We unveiled our two new book carts with a grade-wide presentation about the social, cognitive, and (brain) health benefits of bilingualism.

Thank you to the Kennett Education Foundation for their support!

Well Done 5th Grade!

This month, our 5th graders at Bancroft explored natural disasters through hands-on research and collaboration. Each group selected a natural disaster to study, applying their knowledge of Earth’s Systems while learning about causes, effects, and ways people can prepare. Students then showcased their learning on large poster boards and wrote their own speeches to present their work. They proudly shared their projects with family and friends at the Science Fair on January 30th!

In PE this month, we have had a lot of fun learning the underhand serve and how to bump pass during our volleyball unit. We are so impressed with how well everyone has executed these skills! Another big thank you to our PTO for their generosity in purchasing nets for our school. Our 5th graders put their skills to use during their house tournament!

In Health 4th grade students are moving through our body systems unit. We have discussed the nervous system as well as the skeletal and muscular systems. 5th grade students are currently working on a non-communicable disease research project. 3rd graders have identified the importance of proper nutrition, sleep and getting exercise and are gearing up to learn about the heart while 2nd grade is discussing feelings and how to handle strong emotions and 1st grade is discussing teeth and good hygiene!

As in past years, January is the start of trout season as we welcome a new set of rainbow trout eggs to watch hatch and grow. Third grade is closely observing and learning how to care for the trout and our Pennsylvania creeks and streams. Today’s count, with all eggs hatched, is 104 rainbow trout. Fourth grade is continuing to grow lettuce throughout the spring, but we are studying coding and robotics. Fifth grade is busy wrapping up their independent projects by presenting their project design. First grade has been studying shadows. Second grade is working on a cardboard arcade and a study of the force of magnets.

Finally, we’re excited to share that our district will be hosting our 4th annual Family STEM Night! This event is designed for students and families to learn together through fun, hands-on activities focused on science, technology, engineering, and math. This year's event has many new stations and will host over 24 community partners who share our passion for fun, hands-on learning. This year, we are also welcoming The Science Guys for presentations at 6:10, 6:40, 7:05, and 7:40. The 6:40 show will be in English and Spanish!

The event will take place at Kennett Middle School on March 5th from 6-8 pm. The first 350 students in grades K-8 will receive a swag bag with a surprise. All students will receive a raffle ticket for exciting prizes. We'll also have a book room for students to choose a book to take home and new STEM Night stickers to collect.

Family STEM Night is a great opportunity for families to see how learning happens beyond the classroom and to discover simple ways to support STEM skills at home and with our community partners. All activities are interactive, kid-friendly, and meant to spark curiosity and confidence.

Events like Family Stem Night help strengthen the home/school connection and show students that learning is something we do together. We hope to see many of you there! If you have any questions or would like to join as a community partner, please contact Jen Braunstein at jbraunstein@kcsd.org.

2026 is off to a great start with lots of art!! First grade is learning about texture and created polar bears and heart paintings inspired by Jim Dine. Second grade is traveling to Ancient Egypt to learn about mummies, pyramids, and pharaohs. Third grade learned about Chinese New Year and created a dragon to scare away the bad luck and start a fresh new year! Fourth grade is learning about Japan and enjoyed painting bamboo and drawing nature patterns. Fifth grade has started construction on their paper mache animal sculptures. We are making lots of progress and are excited to share our final projects when they are finished.

Music has been busy this month in the music room! 1st grade has been working on identifying Sol Mi patterns on a two line staff, and learning how to use xylophones properly.

2nd grade has been identifying Sol La Mi patterns, reading rhythm patterns, and listening to music inspired by the winter weather. 3rd grade has been learning all about the instrument families, and we are rounding out our families with percussion this week. In 4th and 5th grade, we have been spending time learning about playing the recorder, and how to read the musical staff. It has been a challenge, but we are learning so much!

It has been wonderful having all students back in the building after a long winter break! Teachers have been reviewing Bancroft expectations and students have done a great job transitioning back. This month we are looking forward to our Kindness Week, which will be the week of February 9th-February 13th. We will be enjoying a variety of fun activities, including a spirit week, morning announcements, kindness activities in the classroom and will end the week with a school-wide gathering.

Tip of the Month

In addition to focusing on kindness for others this month, we are also going to focus on having kindness and compassion for ourselves. Do you have a child who is hard on themselves or has a difficult time recovering after making a mistake? Helping your child develop self-compassion is an important tool in your toolbox. How can you do this?

-Model making mistakes. This normalizes that everyone makes mistakes. You can do this by talking through a mistake you made out loud and modeling positive self-talk in the process.

-Encourage your child to talk to themselves like they talk to their friend. Ask your child, “What would you say to your friend if they were in this situation?”

-Create a list of positive affirmations together.

Sample Positive Affirmations:

“Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Mistakes are a sign of learning and growing.”

“I am not perfect and that’s okay!”

“I can do hard things.”

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns!

Emma Termini, NCC

School Counselor

etermini@kcsd.org

610-925-5714

During cold winter months, respiratory illnesses become more common.

When to Stay Home:

• Fever - a temperature of 100 degrees or higher: Must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication (like Tylenol/Motrin) before returning to school.

• Vomiting/Diarrhea: Must be free from episodes for 24 hours before returning.

• Strep Throat/Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye): Must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning.

• Flu Shot Reminder: We encourage all family members aged 6 months and older to speak with your doctor about the annual flu vaccine and if it is right for you and your family.

• Basic Prevention: Reinforce good habits: frequent hand washing, covering coughs/sneezes, and avoiding touching the face.