EAST WARD COUGAR NEWS - NOV '25

Hey Cougars!

I cannot believe November is here already. We thank you for your support of all things East Ward!

From Kindergarten to Fifth grades, our students are engaged in the curriculum. Meeting learners where they are and growing them is important. To that end, we use many resources to measure students' learning and provide the most appropriate intervention. Caregivers can log into infinite Campus to view their children's iReady benchmark scores. We use this and more in our work with students. As a reminder, if you have questions, there is a great deal of information that can be accessed at https://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/. I recommend caregivers become as familiar with this fun educational tool. You can also email your child’s teacher if you have additional questions.

Thank you to those who have taken the time to share their feedback on the PA Climate Survey. If you have not yet submitted a survey, please consider sharing your feedback with us. We want to hear from as many caregivers as we can to help us identify areas to celebrate and areas to improve upon. The survey should take about 3-5 minutes and it is open until November 20. Here is the link to the parent/guardian survey: https://tinyurl.com/bdd2pm3u . Thank you!

DASD Parent/Caregiver Speaker Series (click to visit the webpage) hopes to further its commitment to promoting healthy communities by featuring speakers and presentations that support our mission of providing wellness opportunities for our families. This month, the Cartwheel Webinar Series continues with Student Assessments and Evaluations: When to Seek Them, What to Know, and How to Make Sense of Them will be November 12 at 12 PM. Click on the link to register.

Our Home and School Association will be meeting at East Ward on Wednesday, November 12 at 7PM in the library (2nd floor). Attendees will hear all about the good work that is being done to support our school community and how to become involved. I will be giving a presentation about school attendance, and how caregivers can support learning.

East Ward is preparing for our Family Heritage Night! We would love every family to attend. You can learn about the heritages of our diverse school community. Every year, I learn so much! Please try to make it to EW on Thursday, November 13 from 5:30-7:00.

The DASD Preschool Outreach Group will be holding a series of free events throughout the year for preschool students who will be attending DASD Kindergarten next year. Click on the link to visit the Preschool Outreach webpage. Fitness, Movement, and the Most Fun Way to Learn and Grow (My Gym) will be November 17th (Lionville Elementary) and November 18th (Beaver Creek Elementary). See the flyer below. Please choose 1 night that works for your family.

The end of the first trimester is fast approaching. We have conferences on November 24th and 25th. At conferences you will hear about your child's progress toward our year-end standards. You will also hear a few glows and grows, or areas they are doing well in and areas they need to continue to improve upon. The stronger our partnership is between home and school, the better your child will find success in learning. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude for our wonderful East Ward community. Your support and involvement make a significant difference in our students' lives. Thank you for being an essential part of our school family.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Your Proud Principal,

Dr. Argonish

As part of its ongoing commitment to fostering belonging across the district, the Downingtown Area School District (DASD) proudly recognizes Native American Heritage Month and Indian Heritage Month throughout November. While Indian Heritage Month is not federally recognized, DASD celebrates its importance by honoring the rich cultural traditions and contributions of South Asian communities—particularly meaningful in a district where the Asian population represents its largest minority group. Native American Heritage Month is a time to honor the history, culture, and enduring contributions of Indigenous peoples across the United States. It serves as both a celebration of Native heritage and a reminder of the resilience and influence of Native nations throughout America’s past and present.

East Ward is excited to present our first ever Hall of Heroes for Veteran’s Day! This wall features 44 Military Veterans who are family and friends of our students and staff. We are immensely proud of our many decorated Veterans!

Congratulations to our October Cougars of the Month!!!

Respectable, Responsible, Safe and Kind

Congratulations to our September Cougars of the Month!!!

Respectable, Responsible, Safe and Kind

We have been here for a few months now, and there are a lot of things in our lost and found. We will continue to encourage children to look in the lost and found during school, but I wanted to suggest caregivers stop at the lost and found when at EW. We will keep things in the lobby until winter break before donating.

Writing your child's name or initials on the tag is most helpful. We return items when they are identifiable.

• Over the next two months, counseling iDesign lessons and classroom Second Step lessons will be focused on emotional regulation. We all have feelings, sometimes big and sometimes small; acknowledging that and beginning to learn skills for managing those feelings in a healthy and effective way will help to set our students up for an emotionally healthy future. Here are some things to think about when you talk to your child(ren) about feelings:

  
  

  • All feelings are ok; it's the way we handle the feelings that can be problematic.
  • Normalize conversations about feelings. Talk about your own feelings and wonder out loud about their feelings (i.e. "It looks like you might be mad right now. Is that right?").
  • Have conversations about what some of those heavy feelings feel like in their body and sound like in their brain. Recognition of a feeling is the first step towards being able to cope with it.
  • Sometimes the best time to talk about feelings is after the big feeling has passed. In the middle of the big feeling, focus on reducing/managing that emotion.
  • Have a game plan: what works for them when they are upset? Involve your child in coming up with their own coping toolbox. Do they like to draw? Use putty? Listen to music? Write in a journal?
  • Emphasize that they have a team of support people, both at home and at school, who can help them to manage big feelings. Feelings are not shameful and it's better for us to talk about them than to bottle them up or hide them.

Counseling lessons this month align with the social-emotional topic of emotional regulation in an effort to have consistent language and focus across the school day. You'll find linked the take-away note that will be posted to Class Dojo after each lesson.

K - Anger

1st - None this month

2nd - Bullying

3rd - Worries

4th - Flipping Your Lid

5th - Emotional Baggage

Five Finger Breathing: Use the index finger of your dominant hand to trace up and down each finger of your other hand. Breathe in as you reach the top of the finger, and breathe out on your way down.

Dr. Katie Rastetter, School Counselor

krastetter@dasd.org

610-269-8282 ex 23040

Monday, November 3-Thursday, November 13: Community Food Drive

Tuesday, November 4: No School For Students

Thursday, November 6: Spirit Day

Thursday, November 6: Early Band Rehearsal 🥁 7:45 AM-8:45 AM

Monday, November 10: Early Chorus Rehearsal 🎤 8:00 AM

Monday, November 10: Picture Retake Day 📸

Tuesday, November 11: Early Orchestra Rehearsal 🎻7:30 AM-8:45 AM

Wednesday, November 12: Third Grade Field Trip 🐟

Thursday, November 13: Family Heritage Night 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Friday, November 14: Early Band Rehearsal 🥁 7:45 AM-8:45 AM

Tuesday, November 18: Early Chorus Rehearsal 🎤 8:00 AM

Wednesday, November 19: Spirit Day

Wednesday, November 19: Early Orchestra Rehearsal 🎻7:30 AM-8:45 AM

Monday, November 24: 2-Hour Early Dismissal / Conferences

Tuesday, November 25: No School For Students / Conferences

Wednesday, November 26: No School For Students

Thursday, November 27: No School - Thanksgiving Recess 🍂

Thursday November 27: Turkey Trot (See event below) 🦃

East Ward is preparing for their fourth annual Family Heritage Night on Thursday, November 13 from 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.

This event is dedicated to celebrating the variety of cultures within our school community. The event feature displays, food, games, music, and more, all showcasing the diverse backgrounds of our families. We would love for your family to share your culture with the East Ward Community!

If you are interested in having a table at Family Heritage Night, please go to https://tinyurl.com/ewheritage25 – Any questions, please reach out to Dr. Kessler – jkessler@dasd.org

Our community is facing hunger at this time and “Ella’s Gifts” is holding a community food drive and we’re bringing it to East Ward!

MOST NEEDED:

• Granola Bars/Trail Mix
• Cereal
• Spices/Cooking Oil
• Gluten Free Foods
• Pet Food
• Baby Food
• Powdered Milk
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Toilet paper, Toiletries, Soap, Feminine Hygiene Products
• Soups, any shelf stable items, ramen, chili, heat and eat meals
• “Meal in a bag” – all ingredients, self stable in a Ziploc bag with a recipe included.

Nice to have items:

• Treats, cookies, candy (think after Halloween sales)
• Coffee, tea
• Birthday Box – cake mix, frosting, sprinkles in a disposable baking pan

Please consider donating food. Any amount helps. If you’d prefer to donate financially, please donate at www.ellasgifts.org.

Donations will be given to the Lord’s Pantry on 11/14. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Cougar Families, let’s keep our kids healthy and ready to learn! 🐾 Please make sure immunizations are up to date to avoid school exclusion. Send in any new physicals, diagnoses, or allergy updates to the nurse’s office, and remember all medications require a doctor’s order. If your child is feeling sick, please keep them home to rest and recover. Thank you for helping us care for our Cougars! 💙

A simple trip to the grocery store can turn into a real learning experience for your child. Below are some easy ways to build literacy and math skills while getting your shopping done at the same time!

Focus on reading skills

Lots of grocery items come in different flavors. Ask your child to help you find a particular flavor by reading the labels. For example, can she find the low fat milk? The tuna fish packed in water? She’ll be using her reading skills to find the right item.

Put your child in charge of the grocery list. As you put items into the cart, ask your child to cross it off the list. If you buy an item that wasn’t on your list, ask him to add it. This provides an opportunity to practice writing skills.

Focus on vocabulary skills

Take a trip down the pasta isle to see the different boxes. Ask your child to compare and contrast the various noodle in terms of length, width, shape, and size. Choose one box and challenge your child to come up with descriptive words for that type of pasta.

The produce section is a great place to hear new interesting words. Words like rhubarb, asparagus, artichoke, and kiwi are fun to say, and fun to eat. As you introduce each one, use descriptive words to help your child learn. “A kiwi has a fuzzy outside, but the inside is bright green with black seeds!”

Focus on math skills

Look for geometric shapes (e.g., spheres, cubes, cones) as you go through the store. Play a game with your child. Find a shape, such as the cube shaped box of tissues, and then look for other items with the same shape.

Show your child the unit pricing labels on various items. Help them learn to compare prices using these tags. Ask your child, “Which size container is the better deal? Why?” Discuss the sale items too. What does “Buy one, get one free” mean? If frozen peas are 10 for $10, how much would four bags cost?

You don’t have to do all of these things each time you’re at the store, but while you’re there, find creative ways to turn your grocery store into a fun place of learning.

For more ideas, visit Reading Rockets’ Reading Together section: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/c442/

Happy Fall East Ward! The Home & School Association is moving along with all of the fun, Fall events! We hope you have been able to join us or will for our upcoming events!

On Saturday, October 25th, we hosted our annual Trunk or Treat! It was a blast! The HSA wants to thank everyone who hosted a trunk and donated candy to make sure we all had a great time! You also had a chance to vote for your favorite trunk, and we have the results to share. The winner of this year's Best Trunk is....Inside Out! Congratulations to the Cicitta family! You can see a picture of their creative trunk below!

• Our Scholastic Book Fair was a success! Thank you to all of the parent volunteers and our Book Fair Committee for making sure the Book Fair is enjoyed by all!

• November HSA Parent Meeting: Wednesday, November 12 at 7pm in the East Ward Library

• All are welcome to join us to hear about the latest Home & School Association updates and events. We love to hear from caregivers on how things are going and how we can support you and your child at East Ward!

• Learning Express Shop & Support: Week of November 17 - 21

• Start your holiday shopping early and support East Ward! The Learning Express in Lionville is hosting a “Shop & Support” ~ purchases made by EW families during this week will benefit our school! Look out for the flyer and more information in ClassDojo.

• MaGerk’s Pub Dine & Donate: Tuesday, November 18, All Day

• After you finish your shopping at Learning Express, you can stop over to MaGerk’s Pub in Lionville to grab dinner! Sit down and takeout will support East Ward! Look out for more information in ClassDojo.

• SAVE THE DATE ~ Donuts with Santa: Saturday, December 6, 9:30am-11am in the East Ward LGI

• A favorite start to the holiday season is our annual Donuts with Santa! Enjoy a donut, hot cocoa, writing letters to Santa, crafts & games. Also, Santa will be visiting from the North Pole!

• Holiday Cookies for Teachers: December 10 - 12

• If you enjoy baking or have a favorite holiday cookie you would like to share, please look out for more information on our Holiday Cookies for Teachers! To show appreciation to our wonderful teachers and staff, the HSA will host a cookie exchange where teachers can sample holiday cookies made by EW caregivers.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EastWardHSA

Instagram: @EastWardHSA

Website: https://linktr.ee/eastwardhsa

Join The Campus during the school year for skating, amazing ropes course, sports on a recently built turf field and other activities at a brand new state-of-the-art facility. Pickups from school after early dismissals are also included!

Email: ewinfo@dasd.org
Website: https://ew.dasd.org/
Location: 435 Washington Ave, Downingtown, PA 19335, USA
Phone: 610-269-8282
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dasdew
Twitter: @dasd_ew