What's Bruin at Pierce School?

Next week we welcome Mrs. Neilsson for Music!

We would like to thank everyone who came out to support the Title I program at our Annual Meeting. Your input is crucial in shaping decisions and designing programming that best meets students’ needs. It was also wonderful to see families and guests exploring the building during the scavenger hunt and celebrating all of the students’ hard work. I am so grateful to be part of the Pierce community.

Our fourth graders recently traveled to the Capital Center for the Arts, where they had the exciting opportunity to hear author Tui Sutherland speak. Sutherland is the creator of the beloved Wings of Fire series, and students were inspired by her stories and insights into the writing process. They even took home a book from the series.

What's Happening in Fourth Grade...

This year, our specialists join the 4th grade from the start of Morning Meeting through math class.

This week, Mr. LeGraw was at Pierce for PE and each morning participated in our daily greeting, sharing, game, and morning message prior to the start of math.

Fourth graders were assigned spelling words this week and went home in their homework binder.

The spelling words are chosen based on their beginning of their year spelling assessments.

During WIN, students study and do word work with their words using Vocabulary A-Z. The program includes a pretest to introduce the words and interactive ELA games to practice their weekly spelling words in different contexts. Please have your student show you their words each week and find time to quiz your child prior to Friday's spelling test.

Lastly, 4th graders have been encouraged to be positive role models for their kindergarten buddies at lunch and recess. Receiving praise and encouragement from older students promotes a supportive and caring community at Pierce School.

Hello friendly faces!

During our first meeting in September we voted in our chair members: Melinda Adams as Vice President. Devon Hubert as Treasurer. Leslie Holcombe as Secretary, and Tanisha Lowell as President. Next we discussed the open house to include Crotched Mountain Ski Club sign up, and Melinda Adams will be running the program again this year! Please contact us if you have any questions about signing up, or have financial difficulties that might prevent your child from participating. Melinda and the team are working to help everyone attend this awesome program. We also voted to spend $500 on the toys for the students to keep in the shed and use at recess. We have ordered six sleds and many other items that will arrive on Oct. 10 from Ace Hardware in Antrim. If you have any gently used and safe kitchen utensils to use for sand play, please drop them off at the front office. Thank you to everyone who has supported Pierce School with your financial contributions.

How are we already in October?? Bennington Recreation is hosting a Trunk or Treat on October 25th, so come and visit us at our booth and enjoy the new and fun ideas Bennington Rec is creating.

Looking to November, mark your calendars for our HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR being held on Nov, 15th!!!! Crafters can rent spaces for $25 and a donation to the raffle tables. Do not miss out on this awesome event!

The Pierce PTO can't do all this great stuff without your support. We look forward to bringing fun events, needed items, and support to our awesome school throughout this school year. Please join us at our next meeting October 8th at 6pm, entering the school at the cafeteria doors. Come to one meeting or come to many! You can contact us at ptopierceelem@gmail.com if you have any questions or ideas you'd like to share. We appreciate you all!

Tanisha M. Lowell

Pierce School PTO President

What a Fun time at Open House this week! Thanks to all the parents who attended the Annual Title l Meeting and gave your feedback! It is greatly appreciated.

Kindergarten Families... Be On The Lookout for a set of Alphabet Cards to use at home to practice learning Letter Names and Sounds. The cards will feature the Letters to Name, a Key Picture that your child can name and use to "unlock" the Letter Sound. A simple routine, repeated daily, for 5 minutes or so, will help your child (or children) learn these skills. For each picture, practice 1) Naming the Letter, 2) Naming the Key Picture and then, 3) Saying the Sound the letter/picture makes. At first, you can provide the Letter Name, Picture and Letter Sound, and then have your child repeat after you. Keep up the practice and watch your child shine with their letter name and sound knowledge,

If you have any questions, please email me at apope@conval.edu

and I will be happy to show you how I do this routine!

Along with the cards, I will send a tracking sheet for you to record your efforts.

When you fill up the sheet with all your practice opportunities, send it back to school for me to see. Your child (or children) can take a trip to the treasure chest and also show their work on our Literacy Leaders Wall of Flame!!

The materials will go home next week!

Enjoy!

Mrs. Pope

Hello and welcome to Pierce Elementary School. My name is Sarah Kotwicki, and I am the school counselor at Pierce, Francestown, and Temple Elementary Schools. I am at Pierce three days a week: Monday, Thursday, and Friday. This year I will be supporting the Second Step curriculum with the classroom teachers. Second Step is a social emotional curriculum that focuses on understanding and recognizing emotions in yourself and in others. We will work on developing strategies to respond in healthy and productive ways. The Second Step program helps our students develop skills for getting along with their peers and finding success in school. In addition to these lessons, I will be meeting individually and in small groups with students throughout the year. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me any time. I look forward to getting to know your children and you!

Every fall, students take time to create their hopes and dreams for the school year. They reflect on what they would like to accomplish and then work together to form a class compact—a shared agreement about how they will support one another so everyone can learn and grow. Once the compact is complete, students sign it and display it in their classroom as a reminder that they are a team working together toward a successful year.

Find the hot lunch menu below or follow this link.

• Friday, October 3
• 4th Grades goes to see Tui Sutherland author of the Wings of Fire series

• Tuesday, October 7

• Friday, October 8

• Wednesday, October 8
• 6:00-7:00
• All are welcome!

• Thursday, October 9
• 5:30-6:30

• Friday, October 10
• Teacher Professional Development Day

• Monday, October 13
• Columbus Day