Family Newsletter

The Academy of International Studies- Elementary aims to develop internationally minded global citizens who take action for a better, more peaceful world. We are committed to providing equity, excellence, and success for all through high-quality educational services.

Core Values:

Demand Equity

Foster Inquiry

Promote Excellence

• December 15-19, 2025- School Spirit Week
• December 19, 2025- Picture Retake Day
• December 23, 2025- Early Dismissal (12:00pm) No aftercare
• December 23, 2025- School Assembly 9:20-10:00 am
• December 24, 2025 - January 6, 2026= Winter Break (No School)

We want to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our families for everything you do to make our school community stronger and better each day.

From helping your children prepare for school each morning, to the warm greetings you share with our staff, your support and kindness make a tremendous difference.

We truly appreciate the partnership we share with you and the positive energy you bring to our school. Together, we are building a joyful, welcoming, and thriving community for all of our students.

Thank you for being such an important part of our school family!

At International Elementary, we understand that sometimes families may need a little extra support — whether it’s related to food assistance, mental health resources, housing, or community programs. We want you to know that help is available.

Our CREC Family and Community Engagement Specialist (FACES) team has created a Family Resources Page that connects you with a variety of community supports and services that can make a difference during times of need.

You can explore these resources by clicking the link below:
👉 Visit the FACES Resource Page

We encourage you to take a look and share this information with anyone who may benefit. Our goal is to ensure every family feels supported and connected.

If you have any questions or need additional help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, your FACES representative.

Toussaint Careathers

CREC Academy of International Studies Elementary School

Family and Community Engagement Liaison

625 Chapel Rd, South Windsor CT 06074

tcareathers@crec.org, Office: 860-291-6001, Cell: 860-878-8682

We are so grateful to our entire school community for making PJ Day for Children’s Hospital such a huge success. Your generosity and participation helped us raise funds and awareness for children and families at the hospital.

Together, we showed not only our school spirit but also our compassion and commitment to helping others. Thank you for being part of this joyful and impactful event.

We will be holding Picture Retake Day on Friday, December 19th from 9:30–11:30 AM.

This is a great opportunity for students who were absent on the original picture day or who would like a retake. This is the new date from the previous rescheduled picture day.

Please note, if you already signed up for a retake, you do not need to sign up again.

We’re excited to celebrate Winter Spirit Week from Monday, December 15th through Friday, December 19th!

Each day will feature a fun theme to bring joy, creativity, and school pride to our community. Please see the attached flyer for details on the daily themes.

Let’s make this Winter Spirit Week a time to come together and show our spirit.

Winter has arrived! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately each day for the cold weather, including items like hats, gloves, snow pants (when there is snow), and warm coats. Most classes will continue to have outdoor recess daily when temperatures are above 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Appropriate clothing is also especially important for children waiting outside at bus stops.

If your family needs assistance obtaining cold-weather gear, please don’t hesitate to contact us—we’re here to help.

Per CT State Guidelines, ALL children enrolled in Pre K must receive the influenza vaccine annually. Documentation of the flu vaccine must be submitted to school by December 31, 2025.

Children who do not meet the requirements for a medical exemption or do not receive the required influenza vaccines will be excluded from school for the duration of the influenza season (December 31-March 31st) or until they receive at least one does of the influenza vaccine.

If you have any questions, please contact the nurse's office."

Attached is an important newsletter from our Health Services Team with tips on how we can proactively keep students healthy this season.

To help keep our dismissal process smooth and safe for everyone, we kindly ask families not to park in the upper grade valet line during pick-up. If you need to get out of your car to meet your child, please use one of the designated parking spaces.

Parking in the valet line causes traffic congestion and delays for other families. Let’s work together to keep things moving efficiently and ensure a safe environment for all students.

Thank you for your cooperation and continued support!

• Daily dismissal changes- DISMISSAL CHANGES NEED TO BE SENT VIA Email to aiseofficestaff@crec.org before 2:00 p.m. (on a full day) 11:00am (on a half day)

• Please note: the email only has to be sent if your child’s normal dismissal arraignment will be changing.

At last Friday’s assembly, we proudly announced a new partnership with the Hartford Yard Goats baseball team to celebrate and encourage strong student attendance!

Starting October 1, any student who misses 4 or fewer days over a 3-month period will receive:

• 🏅 A special certificate

• 🎁 Free Yard Goats SWAG

• 💳 A chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card

• 🐐 And possibly a surprise visit from Chompers, the Yard Goats mascot!

We’re also excited to introduce our monthly All-Star Attendance Certificate, which began in September. Each month, students who have missed 1 or fewer days will be recognized as Attendance All-Stars during our school-wide assembly. These students are setting the standard and showing that every day counts!

Let’s keep the momentum going and celebrate every step forward—because showing up makes a difference!

This year, our school is focusing on improving student attendance—and we need your support to make it happen!

We know the past few years have been challenging. Many students missed school for reasons like illness, transportation issues, travel, or family emergencies. But when a student misses 18 or more days in a school year, it can be hard for them to keep up with learning and friendships.

We understand that some absences are unavoidable. If your child needs to miss school, please contact the school office at, aiseofficestaff@crec.org.

If you’re experiencing any barriers that make it hard for your child to attend school regularly—such as transportation, scheduling, or family-related challenges—please reach out to our Family Engagement Liaison, Toussaint Careathers at tcareathers@crec.org. We’re here to help.

Our goal is to help every student succeed. That’s why we’ll keep families informed about attendance throughout the year.

At our school, we use Restorative Practices as our primary response to student behavior. This approach focuses on repairing harm, fostering responsibility, and building a positive school community.

In addition to this, we use the Second Step program school-wide to proactively teach and support the development of social-emotional skills in our students. This curriculum helps students learn critical skills like empathy, emotion management, and problem-solving, which are essential for their personal and academic success.

Here’s how Restorative Practices and Second Step work together:

• Second Step (Proactive Approach): The Second Step program helps students build a foundation of social-emotional skills that reduce behavior issues and promote positive relationships. By teaching these skills early, we aim to prevent conflicts and challenges before they arise.
• Restorative Practices (Responsive Approach): When a behavior issue does occur, we use Restorative Practices to address it. This includes:
• Conferences where we hold open discussions with students to help them understand the impact of their actions.
• Reflection and Reset Time which gives students the opportunity to calm down, reflect on their choices, and reset before returning to the classroom.
• Repairing the Harm by guiding students to take responsibility for their actions, make amends, and learn how to avoid repeating the behavior in the future.

Our goal is not just to address behavior reactively but to support students proactively in developing the skills they need to be successful and emotionally healthy.

Restorative Practices

https://onefamilyhwl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Restorative-Practices-at-Home.pdf

For more information, please email Ms. Ashley Ramsey Powell

This December, we are celebrating students who embody the PYP attribute of being Reflective.

Reflective learners thoughtfully consider their own learning and experiences. They recognize their strengths and areas for growth, and they set goals to continue improving. By being reflective, our students show resilience, responsibility, and a commitment to becoming the best versions of themselves.

Email: aiseofficestaff@crec.org
Website: https://intere.crecschools.org/
Location: 625 Chapel Road, South Windsor, CT, USA
Phone: 860-291-6001
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InterMagSch