Eagle Eye Tribune

"Your wings already exist. All you have to do is fly."

Let's soar together! 🪁

January 9, 2026

Dear AES Families,

Happy New Year to all! I hope you had time to relax, be with family and friends and enjoy the holiday season. The school year has been smooth and continues to show that Antrim Elementary is a wonderful place to learn and grow. We look forward to 2026 being an even better part to the school year.

It’s benchmark assessment time! It is hard to believe we are already half way through another school year. Students will begin assessments next week and will continue over the next two weeks. Please take a moment to talk with your child about getting a good night's sleep and eating a healthy breakfast at home or at school each moring. Assessment result reports will be sent home after the benchmarking window closes, so please look for those reports around the first or second week of February.

Additionally, the dyslexia screener is being administered this month to all K-3 students, as mandated by state policy. If any students are flagged in this round of screening, a letter will be sent home indicating that one or more areas have been identified as a risk for reading challenges in foundational reading skills. If this applies to your child, their teacher or I will follow up with an intervention plan that either is already in place or will be implemented if needed.

As we settle into the rhythm of the semester, I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued partnership in making Antrim Elementary School a place "where students learn to soar".

Together, we’re building a fantastic year ahead, full of learning and achievement.

Here’s to continuing our journey of growth and success!

All the best,

Beth

Beth Gibney
Principal, Antrim Elementary School
bgibney@conval.edu • 603-588-6371

1/15 @ 5:30pm: Community supper at First Presbyterian Church

1/16 @ 8:50am: Community meeting - 4th grade

1/19: No school

1/23: Eagle groups

1/30 @ 8:50am: Community meeting - 3rd grade

2/9-2/13: Kindness Week

2/23-2/27: No school (Winter recess)

Cold Weather Recess
We go outside whenever possible. Outdoor recess occurs unless it is below 10 degrees on the thermometer or the "feels like" temperature, including wind chill is below 10 degrees. Please send warm gear labeled with your child’s name. Along with the winter season, boots, coats, hats, gloves, and snow pants are getting lots of daily use. Please help us keep our hallways happy by routinely washing your child’s winter items. A quick refresh every week or so can make a big difference. Thank you for helping our school stay clean, comfortable, and healthy for everyone!

Helping Hands
If your family has extra winter gear (new or gently used), the school is happy to receive donations. We’ll share them with students who need them.

Cough Drops

For student safety, please remember that students may not carry over-the-counter (OTC) medications at school, including cough drops. These items can pose a safety risk if shared with other students. If your child needs cough drops during the school day, a parent or guardian must bring the medication package directly to the school nurse and complete the district medication authorization form. Thank you for helping us keep all students safe and healthy.

School District Policy JLCD – Administration of Medication in Schools

The annual Conval VS Souhegan Claws for a Cause event will be held Friday, January 16th during the womens basketball game. The benefit game will help support End 68 Hours of Hunger and the food pantries in each of the Conval community towns. Please bring a nonparishable food item to donate at the game. Tip off is at 6:00 PM. See you there!

Skate Night Tonight!

Come to Skate Night tonight, January 10th from 6:00PM to 9:00PM.

Ms. Voorhees's First and Second Grade Class

We began our new year by talking about what a “resolution” is. Students then began their new years resolutions writing pieces that will be finished (hopefully) next week! In math my first graders are learning ways to solve for mystery numbers when we only have 1 part and the total known. My second graders are working on strategies to add and subtract double digit numbers. In science we have begun a unit on sound and learned how sound is energy that travels through vibrations and can even travel through objects. Next up is light energy!

Ms. Revaz's Second Grade Class

We are so excited to be back from winter break and settling into our classroom routines! This week, we spent time reviewing expectations and procedures to help everyone transition smoothly back into learning. Our second graders have done a beautiful job adjusting and showing responsibility, kindness, and focus.

We’ve also had a lot of fun discussing and writing about our winter break experiences. It has been wonderful hearing about the special memories, adventures, and time spent with family and friends. The students were eager to share their stories and express their ideas through writing. Keep up the great work!

Mr. Morris's Third Grade Class

We began the new year by sharpening our math skills and learning how to round numbers to the nearest ten and hundred. Using number lines and thinking about multiples of ten and one hundred helped us decide which number was “closest.”

In reading and writing, we learned how to separate the two words that make up a contraction and how to combine them again using that fancy apostrophe. We’ve enjoyed spotting contractions in our reading and using them in our own writing. In science, we’ve been learning about the life cycle of a Brook Trout in the wild and comparing it to the life cycle of a Brook Trout raised in a hatchery. We learned the stages from egg to alevin, fry, fingerling, adult, and finally spawning adult. We’re very surprised that our trout eggs have not hatched into alevins yet, but we love checking on them each day and watching the eyes and spine slowly take shape through the egg wall. The waiting is hard, but the learning is exciting!

Library with Ms. Brett

This week K-4 began learning about research skills. Kindergarten students learned how to find information in pictures. First grade learned about how to tell the difference between fiction and nonfiction. Second grade learned about generating questions to guide their research. Third and Fourth grade are learning how to find reliable sources for their research. First Friends is working on learning about wordless picture books and how to use the illustrations to tell a story.

Wellness with Mr. C

Students had fun with the giant ball at PE this week!

Kid’s Heart Challenge Wrap-Up: Thank You, School Community!

We’re excited to share a great update from our participation in the Kid’s Heart Challenge. Thanks to the incredible support of our students, families, and staff, our school community raised $1,355.97 in support of the American Heart Association and its lifesaving work.

This outcome reflects the strong collaboration and engagement across our school community. Family involvement played a key role throughout the process, reinforcing the connection between our school and the broader community.

We’re also happy to share that our post-event student prizes arrived before the holiday break, and we were able to distribute them to participating students. Thank you again to everyone who participated, donated, and encouraged our students—your support made a meaningful impact!

MuzArt with Mrs. Harvey

Kindergarten began painting the background for their “Aerial Snowmen” and have been working on Steady beat. Discovery block explored art making through stamp-making and using multiple medias.

First and Second grade are finishing up their “Cities in Winter” projects, these are being hung up as they are finished. On Music days we began learning about the instruments of the orchestra and instrument families before we start playing xylophones. In discovery block we brainstormed ideas for our murals and began designing them.

Third grade continued work on their “Cartoon Self Portraits” and everyone learned how to play a beautiful B on the recorder.

Fourth grade talked about the parts of the Ukulele and are excited to start playing next week.

Classroom Lessons

Mrs. Phaneuf's Class: We began Concept 3 - All The Zones Are Okay. Students learned the definition of PERSPECTIVE and SITUATION and identified a variety of emotions that may arise in different situations.

Mrs. Sullivan's Class: We continued Concept 4 this week (My Signals, My Zones) by focusing on the common body signals that may happen in the yellow and green zones. Students continued working on a "Me in My Zones" booklet, identifying the body signals they experience in these zones and drawing pictures to show where the body signals occur.

Ms. Voorhees's Class: We began Concept 4 this week - "My Signals, My Zones." In this concept we are learning about body signals- the sensations inside our body that help us figure out how we feel. Body signals are clues that help us to understand our emotions and notice if we are changing Zones. We do not all experience our Zones, emotions, or body signals the same way.

Ms. Revaz's Class: We continued Concept 4 this week (My Signals, My Zones) by focusing on the common body signals that may happen in the yellow and green zones. Students continued working on a "Me in My Zones" booklet, identifying the body signals they experience in these zones and drawing pictures to show where the body signals occur.

Mr. Morris's Class: We continued Concept 4 this week (My Signals, My Zones) by focusing on the common body signals that may happen in the yellow and green zones. Students continued working on a "Me in My Zones" booklet, identifying the body signals they experience in these zones and drawing pictures to show where the body signals occur.

Ms. Del Rossi's Class: No lesson this week

Let's Talk - Managing Indoor Boredom

When you are stuck inside, what can you do with your kids? Engaging in fun activities, using your brains to problem-solve and being creative is good for building mental health. Collect puzzles, books, crafts, building blocks, riddles and other brain games to have on hand.

Family Cooking

Cooking together is a great way to work on reading skills and teamwork! And making a family recipe while talking about your family traditions can help your child build a sense of belonging, which is good for mental health.

Depending on your child's age, they can read the recipe, gather ingredients, wash vegetables, learn how to do simple math and a lot more!

Consider letting kids select a theme. This could be around food from a certain country or region, or it could be based on a book they’ve read or a favorite show. For older kids, let each child make a dish of their own choosing and make a meal out of whatever everyone brings to the table.

Don’t want to run to the store? You can even find recipes online based on the food/ingredients you have in your house.

Board Games

Board games provide so many options for both fun and developing problem-solving skills! As children take turns and follow directions, they are learning valuable skills. Check out games that promote reading, math and money strategies.

Some libraries allow people to borrow board games. And some areas have gaming cafes where you can go and try a variety of games.

Art Projects

Try painting, drawing, coloring, clay and anything else you find! Many materials like play dough and silly putty can be made at home using simple ingredients from your kitchen cabinet.

Physical Activity

Just because you are stuck indoors, doesn't mean physical activity should fall by the wayside. Here are some ideas for physical activities:

Obstacle Course. Set up cones, stuffed animals, cups, etc. for kids to run around, jump over and climb under.
Circuits. Set up activity stations around the room featuring one activity (jump rope, sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, the hula hoop). Have your kids visit each station for 30 to 60 seconds.
Treasure/Scavenger hunt. Hide either one item with clues to follow or multiple items around the house. Be sure to make the hunt take the kids to different room, and have them searching high and low to get the most movement.

Dance Contest

Crank up the tunes and dance your socks off! We even put together a playlist to get you started.

Animal Moves

Have races, or just laughs, walking/moving around like different animals: