The Penguin Post

November 23 - Half day of school and P.B.I.S. Orange & Brown Day

November 24-25 - No school: Thanksgiving break

December 9 - Sock Hop (in school event)

December 12 - 4th Grade Winter Concert 6:30 p.m. AJHS

December 13 - P.T.O. Meeting 6:00 p.m.

On Friday, October 28, Phelps students and staff participated in our first ever "Phelps Family Time." Each classroom partnered with a different classroom in the building to complete a fun activity. We will be holding Family Time activities regularly throughout the year to open up the walls of our classrooms. All staff members jumped in the action too!

Please try to avoid any changes in dismissal plans after 2:30 p.m. It can be difficult to receive and deliver messages to all staff at the last minute. Thank you for your understanding.

We are looking to start having some parent volunteers in our school at events, in the library and in other capacities to help our staff and support our students. Volunteers need to have passed a CORI check and complete a short training with our lead teacher, Mrs. Domina.

Mrs. Domina will be running volunteer training on Monday, November 21 at 9:30 a.m.

If you are interested in attending, please email sdomina@agawamed.org.

As a reminder, CORI checks can be completed any time by going to Central Office at the Agawam Junior High School.

Let’s have some classic fun with a kindness twist! Phelps is having our first ever Sock Hop on Friday, December 9, where students and staff can dress like it’s the 1950’s (not required). On this day, we will also be collecting NEW socks to donate to a local shelter. Socks are one of the most requested clothing items, but are typically the least donated item received. Let’s help do our part this winter season with a Sock Hop sock drive.

This year Benjamin Phelps Elementary School will, once again, be participating in Rock

102’s Mayflower Marathon Food Drive. Bax and Nagle of Rock 102 will be broadcasting

live from outside the South End Market at MGM Springfield from November 21nd-23rd.

Their goal is to fill three, moving trucks with non-perishable food donations for the Open

Pantry of Springfield– but they need our help! Last year Phelps School was able to

donate almost $4000 worth of food. Let’s try to beat our record and collect $5000 worth

of food...and here is how:

Starting Monday, November 7th through Friday, November 18th , we will be collecting

non-perishable food items at the school. To participate, simply send your child into

school with your donation (you can place donations in your child’s backpack or in a

separate bag...whatever is easiest for you). A student council member or myself will

come around to the classrooms each day to collect donations. This is a great way to

teach our children to not only be thankful for all they have, but also how important it is to

give back to our community whenever we can.

Let’s show Bax & Nagle and the whole Rock 102 crew just how generous and caring the

students and families of Benjamin Phelps Elementary School are! If you have any

questions, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your donations and willingness to help out such a worthy cause.

Phelps School Ninth Annual Fourth Grade Winter Concert⛄

When: Monday, December 12, 2022 at 6:30pm

Where: Agawam Junior High School Auditorium

1305 Springfield Street Feeding Hills, Massachusetts

Fourth grade students should arrive to the Junior High Auditorium no later than 6:10

Attire: Students should dress for success (Dresses, dress pants, nice shirts, preferably no jeans.) Students are also encouraged to wear festive hats, lights, bells or anything else that is fun, so be creative!

Questions: Email psawyer@agawamed.org

Congratulations to Melania for winning this year's 4th grade t-shirt design contest. This year every fourth grader submitted a design - making it very difficult to choose just one! Mrs. Domina and Mr. V. are so thankful for all of the time and effort that went into each drawing. We can't wait to see this year's shirt when they come in.

After Halloween, two of our students, Londyn and Aspen, collected leftover Halloween Candy for our troops. We are excited to share that Phelps collected almost 50 pounds of candy to deploy to soldiers and veterans! Thank you so much for your generosity!

The October staff Crystal Apple Award goes to Mrs. Murray!

Mrs. Murray is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. She goes above and beyond to learn about different cultures and is able to relate to her students. They are so lucky to have her. In addition, Mrs. Murray has been instrumental in supporting staff with a number of new English learners at Phelps. In addition to her working with students, she makes sure that staff have the appropriate tools and technology to effectively communicate with each student. Thank you Mrs. Murray for all you do.

Starting on September 26, students at Phelps have started each week with the Monday Morning Broadcast. This is a video version of our morning radio show. Students lead the school in the pledge of allegiance, we celebrate our birthdays for the week, school-wide news and announcements are shared, and we have a special guest appearance.

Every Monday morning, we will share the link with families so that you can join in the fun! You can also subscribe to the Agawam Public Schools YouTube channel where you will find past episodes of our broadcast.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 gluten free ice cream cones
• 1/4 c. dairy free chocolate chips, melted
• 1 c. fresh fruit and berries
• 1/3 c. store-bought dairy free whip cream recipe (like So Delicious)
• basil or mint for garnish, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Coat the tops of the ice cream cones with thin layer of melted chocolate. Allow to cool on wax paper (you can freeze to set quicker).
2. Stuff cornucopias with 1-2 Tbsp. dairy free whipped cream, add the fresh berries and fruit, and top with basil or mint.

• One in 10 kindergarten and first-grade students nationally are chronically absent, missing nearly a month of school. Emerging research shows even higher rates among preschoolers.

• These early absences correlate with reading difficulties and poor attendance patterns in later years. One California study found that only 17 percent of students who were chronically absent in both kindergarten and first grade were reading proficiently in third grade, compared to 64 percent of those with good attendance.

• The effects of poor attendance are particularly pronounced among low-income children, who need more time in the classroom to master reading and are less likely to have access to resources outside of school to help them catch up. Unfortunately, low-income children are four times more likely to be chronically absent.

• Students can begin to reverse their academic difficulties if they improve their attendance.

• Parents are often unaware of the corrosive effects of absenteeism and how quickly absences add up to academic trouble in the early grades. Some face challenges with health, transportation or housing that contribute to absences.

We are thrilled to inform you about an exciting program in our school. Over two decades of research have helped us understand the critical roles social and emotional skills play in each child's success in school, community, and, eventually, in higher education and the workplace.

Our classrooms are using Inner Explorer to help build students’ social and emotional skills that target students' ability to focus and increase self-awareness, self-control, and resilience. Inner Explorer is delivered in various classrooms. It is a 7-10 minutes program that takes place during normal transition times without changing the regular school curriculum. The sessions focus on breathing, relaxation, and awareness of senses, thoughts, emotions, choices, and connection to others.

Inner Explorer has advantages for families, too. APS offers free access to the program so you can enjoy the benefits at home. The program is designed to be easy, requires no preparation or previous experience, and can be incorporated into any part of the day.

To set up your account:

1) Click on the link: https://innerexplorer.org/compass/Agawam

2) Be sure to click on the "FOR FAMILIES" tab on the registration form.

3) Select your school in the dropdown menu. You will be asked to enter your name, email address, and smartphone number.

Once you click "REGISTER," you will receive an email in your inbox confirming your account is ready with step-by-step instructions on how to download the app and get started.

To learn more about this program from Inner Explorer, please visit them at

www.InnerExplorer.org.I f you have questions or concerns, please contact Polina Jitov at 413-523-0463. If you would like further information about the program, please contact Marlene DeJesus at mdejesus@agawamed.org.

Our PTO would like to thank everyone who helped with our Trunk or Treat! This event was enjoyed by so many of our Phelps families! We are excited to begin planning for next year!

The holidays are right around the corner. Don't forget to order your fresh holiday wreath through the PTO. These 22" wreaths are provided by Granny's Place. Support our school as well as a small local business!

Wreaths - $18.00

Bows - $5.00

ORDERS DUE BY NOVEMBER 18th! Please send in cash or check made out to Phelps PTO.

Wreaths will be ready for pickup on Friday, December 2nd from 5:00-6:30 at Phelps!

The 4th grade committee is selling raffle tickets for a 50 inch Smart TV! Proceeds will go toward the 4th grade field trip and year end activities. Drawing will be held on January 10th. You can't win if you don't play!

1 ticket = $5

3 tickets = $10

10 tickets = $20

• Be on the lookout for our upcoming Holiday Events!

• Join us Tuesday, November 15th for our monthly PTO meeting at 6pm in the cafeteria. Hope to see you there!

Mr. Villamaino & Mrs. Domina

Email: avillamaino@agawamed.org
Website: https://www.agawamed.org/o/bjp
Location: 689 Main Street, Agawam, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 821-0586