The Penguin Post
Benjamin Phelps School - January 2024 Newsletter
Reading logs for the Stick to Reading campaign in partnership with our Springfield Thunderbirds are going home in backpacks today. Students should track their at-home reading time. At the end of the program, students can turn in their logs for a ticket to an upcoming Thunderbirds game. More information will be going home in the coming school days.
As we quickly approach the halfway point of the school year, we just want to remind families about the importance of regular attendance in school. Recently, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education launched a campaign to improve attendance statewide.
Massachusetts defines chronically absent as missing at least 10 percent of days enrolled (for instance, 18 days absent if enrolled for a typical school year of 180 days), regardless of the reason for the absence. Being chronically absent can have a significant impact on a student's academic progress and their ability to access the variety of academic and non-academic supports that schools provide.
Chronic absenteeism grew during the COVID-19 pandemic and, as of the 2022-23 school year, had not returned to pre-pandemic rates. Almost 1 in 4 Massachusetts students missed 18 or more days of school in 2022-23.
Help Your Child Succeed in School - Build the Habit of Good Attendance
DID YOU KNOW?
• Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
• Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
• Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks.
• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
• Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine. • Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before. • Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots. • Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts. • Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent. • If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
Visit Attendance Works at www.attendanceworks.org for free downloadable resources and tools!
As part of our school wide initiative to increase writing skills, we are going to introduce a weekly journal entry in our Monday Morning Broadcasts. This is optional for our students, but a great way to incorporate writing and conversations at home. Some things to consider when helping your child:
K and 1 - draw a picture and write a sentence or two
2nd grade - goal is 3 or 4 sentences.
3rd and 4th - try to write a solid paragraph and even explain not just what you like to do, but why you like to do it. We would even like to challenge you to try typing your responses at home.
Our first writing prompt is: What do you like to do when it snows?
Believe it or not, we are starting to get things ready for next school year!
If you have a child that will be 5 years old PRIOR to September 1, 2024 we want to meet you!
Learn about the screening process
Receive enrollment information
Learn how to prepare your child for K
Meet educators and principals
Wednesday March 6, 2024
at James Clark School
6:00-7:00 PM
As a reminder, students at Phelps had art two days each week from the start of the school year. Mrs. Robinson will be finishing her time at Phelps next Friday, January 26 and heading over to the Sapelli School for the remainder of the school year. Mrs. Robinson will be back at Phelps in the fall for the start of the new school year. We thank Mrs. Robinson for everything that she has done for our kiddos this year - including giving families and friends the opportunity to buy student artwork through our new Artsonia webpage. Starting Monday, January 29, Phelps welcomes back Ms. Conklin who will teach Science to students two times each week for the remainder of the year 🔬🥼.
At the start of this school year, teachers at Phelps were given the opportunity to create a design for their dream classroom. After getting input from their students, participating teachers presented their ideas to a panel of judges. We are excited to share with you that Ms. Bushey's classroom was selected as the winner and new furniture and supplies are ON THE WAY! Some upgrades include: new whiteboard tables, flexible seating for all students, whiteboard surfaces throughout the room, light covers, a new cart for the Samsung Flip to defront the classroom, and MORE! Be on the lookout for pictures once the renovations are complete!
