Eagle Eye Tribune

Dear AES Families,

At Antrim Elementary, we are so grateful for the ways our community enriches the learning experiences of our students. This week, Cornucopia began working with our students to harvest crops and plant new fall vegetables in our school garden. One of my favorite moments came just this morning after a second-grade lesson. A student rushed to find me, holding garlic that she and her classmates had grown, and insisted I take some home. Her pride was contagious! What our students are able to produce and learn about nutritious food is truly remarkable, and these hands-on lessons provide valuable real-world skills that will serve them for a lifetime.

Our community partnerships extend far beyond the garden. The Lions Club will be visiting AES on October 7th for our annual Lions Vision Screening. This important event not only helps identify students who may need further medical screening for vision concerns, but through the Lions Sight for Kids program, has also connected families with resources to provide glasses for students in need. We are so thankful for their ongoing support. Additionally, Antrim Fire and Rescue will lead us in activities for Fire Safety Day on October 9th.

Looking ahead to next week, our Open House on September 25th will be another opportunity to celebrate and connect with our community partners. Families will be able to visit classrooms, meet staff, and explore the resources provided by the many groups that partner with AES. In addition, fingerprinting will be available that evening for anyone interested in volunteering or chaperoning field trips this year.

We are all excited to welcome you into our school, celebrate the learning already underway, and strengthen the partnerships that make AES such a special place. Together, we help our Eagles soar!

As always, if you have any questions or would simply like to check in, please feel free to reach out to me at bgibney@conval.edu or 603-588-6371.

Beth Gibney

Principal, Antrim Elementary School

9/22 - Picture Day 📸

9/25 - Annual Title I Family Meeting 5:00-5:30 pm

9/25 - Open House 5:30-6:30 pm 🏫

9/26 - Community Meeting 8:50 am - 3rd grade presents

10/7 - Lions Vision Screening

10/9 - Fire Safety Day

We are once again fortunate to have the generous support of the Knights of Columbus, who are providing free winter coats to all students!

If your child is in need of a winter coat, please reach out to:

• Sarah Edwards, Administrative Assistant – sedwards@conval.edu

When contacting us, please include:

• Your child’s coat size

• First and second color choices

Please reach out by next Friday, September 26th

Stay warm! ❄️🧥

Title I Annual Meeting for Families prior to Open House, 5:00-5:30. Your input is invaluable, and the feedback you share helps guide the types of programming, training, and resources we provide through our Title I funding and school plan. Together, we can shape the supports that help children thrive both at home and at school.

I'm planning to work with students this fall (and again in the spring!) to continue making our Secret Garden a beautiful, welcoming space. To help bring this project to life, I’m asking for support from our school family. I’ll be reaching out to local businesses and organizations for additional support, but I wanted to start by asking here first.

If you’re able, donations of any of the following would be a huge help:

• Gardening gloves (kid or adult sizes)
• Small hand tools (trowels, spades, etc.)
• Soil, compost, or mulch
• Bulbs, seeds, or plants (natives preferred)
• Watering cans
• Garden decorations
• Of course, anything else garden-related is always welcome!

🌷 Mrs. Lofstedt

Kindergarten celebrated our 15th day of learning this week! Mrs. Petersen’s class has been very busy building our classroom community and working on letter and number formation. They have also learned the sight words I , a, am and the! We are building our sound wall and noticing the movement of our teeth, lips, tongue and vocal chords. They have so much to be proud of! Folders go home on Fridays for Kindergarten so please be sure to check them. Don’t forget picture day is on Monday. I look forward to seeing you all at Open House next Thursday evening!

We’ve been working on writing sentences in our journals. We’re practicing penmanship, spaces between words, sounding out words, and getting our ideas on paper. We’ve also been working on addition and learning what addition means.

This week, we began harvesting vegetables from our school garden and even had the chance to taste some of the food we have been growing! The students loved seeing their hard work pay off. Along with harvesting, we also learned about the different parts of a plant and how each part plays an important role in helping plants grow. It was so much fun to connect our classroom learning with hands-on experiences in our garden.

This week we created our Hopes and Dreams for the year and started coming up with classroom rules that will help everyone do their best learning and feel safe. In math, we continued working with bar graphs, and in reading and writing we practiced words with the soft g and soft c. We’ve also made it halfway through the cursive alphabet and really enjoy practicing new words in cursive. Each day we’re getting better at our routines, and we’re excited to show you what we’ve been working on at Open House next week!

I began visiting classrooms this week for classroom counseling lessons. This wee we reviewed the role of a school counselor, previewed the topics we would be covering during lessons this year, and did some About Me activities.

What is Intentional Child Time?

Intentional child time is a focused effort to build a positive relationship with your child by letting them take the lead. Intentional time is an excellent way to build a strong relationship with your child. Intentional time is different than spending time together, which is also important.

When you practice setting intentional time together, you focus on the good things that you see and let them lead the activity. Your goal is to be present and create positive moments instead of pointing out behavior you don't like or commands to do something. By showing your child they have your full attention, you can learn more about them, which increases their confidence. Practicing this also helps your child build listening skills and can help with them following your directions.

How Do I Get Started?

• For a younger child, you can let them know that you’d like to spend special time together, but they don’t have to. You can tell them the time limit, or even set a timer, which may help them transition in and out of the activity.

• For older children, you may just say you want to spend a little time together. It should feel authentic, not like you’re trying to check something off your list.

In addition, you’ll want to remove distractions. Put your phone down, set aside the dinner prep and turn down your music. Show your child that this time is completely for them. If you have multiple children, this can be challenging. Try finding an activity all the children enjoy like playing a board game or I-spy together. Or take turns giving each child special time as you are able.

How Much Time Will it Take?

Try to commit to five to 15 minutes a day to start. Of course, some days that won’t work and that’s OK. Find a time frame that works best for you and your child. As you get into the habit, expand the time toward 15 minutes. Some activities and children will require longer times than others.

What Should We Do During Intentional Time?

• Start with something that the child wants to do or is already doing. Are they playing with building blocks or watching a funny video? Ask if you can join.

• You can work with them to make a list of things they’d like to do with you or use the ideas below to help get you started.

• Kids may like some activities more than others. They may want to do the same thing every day or mix it up.

• Is there an activity that you really don’t want to do? If it causes you stress, suggest a different activity.

• When possible, try encouraging activities that don’t involve a screen, but let your child choose that if you don’t think they’ll do much else with you. Over time, you can try to shift to more interactive activities.

Now What?

• Watch and notice what they are doing. Observe the activity and let them know you’re engaged. If the child is younger, you should respond that you see what they’re doing (“We’re stacking the blocks by color.”) For older kids, let them pick up on the fact that you’re fully engaged even if you’re not giving them a verbal play-by-play. Even saying something like, “I can tell how much you enjoy this” shows them you’re paying attention.
• Praise what they’re doing and what you notice about how they think. For example, “I saw you pause and think through how you were going to score that goal.”
• Try not to ask too many questions. Let them tell you what they’re doing or tell you what to do and then just participate. Asking them a bunch of questions could shut them down.

We have a short amount of time to be fully in their world so try to stay really engaged. Even if your child does something negative, try not to point it out during this time. Keep things positive. Praise is great for their mental health.

Intentional child time is all about meeting your child where they are and giving them your full attention. It can also improve their mental health and make it easier for them to follow your directions. Spending quality time together can also strengthen your relationship and boost their confidence.

Adapted from The Kids Mental Health Foundation

10 School Street

Antrim, NH 03440

Phone: (603) 599-6371

Email: aesoffice@conval.edu

Web Page: https://aes.conval.edu/en-US

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