Bancroft Community Newsletter

Dear Bancroft Families,

As I sat down to write this introduction, the words "joy" and "pride" filled my mind. By the time this newsletter is published, we will have completed 24 days, which is more than 10% of this school year!?! Each day, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to see our students entering our building, walking through our hallways, learning in our classrooms, and playing in our recess yard. The amount of joy and excitement our students give us is powerful. This holds true for every single member of our staff here at Bancroft as well. The level of care our staff provides each of our students is incredible.

Each day you trust us and send your child to Bancroft. Evidence of joy and pride can be found throughout our school, and we hope that this newsletter shares just a glimpse into the fantastic things happening each day.

We're also excited to introduce a new section in our monthly community newsletter this year, Fifth Grade Feature! Each month, we'll hear directly from two of our fifth-grade students as they share their perspective on what's happening at Bancroft and what they're looking forward to.

From completing our first school-wide assembly to a successful fall benchmark window, to celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a presentation by the local dance troupe, Mini Chinelos, to the amazing Jog-a-Thon that occurred this past Friday, there's so much happening in every corner of our building that showcases teamwork and dedication. Our teachers have created welcoming learning environments, and our students are modeling our school-wide expectations. Our PTO and community volunteers are ready and willing to assist in any way possible. And every time I visit a classroom, I am met with excitement and curiosity on the faces of our students!

We hope you take time to scroll through each section of this newsletter, as you'll find updates from every grade level, highlights from our departments, and those special fifth-grade perspectives that we hope you'll enjoy reading. Thank you for your continued partnership in making Bancroft such a special place for our children.

Sincerely,

Gerry Weinhardt

Principal

We're excited to introduce "Fifth Grade Feature." Each month, we'll randomly select two fifth-grade students to share their honest thoughts about life at Bancroft.

You'll find our first student right below this introduction. We're excited to share what they're looking forward to this month! Then, after you've read through all the amazing updates from our grade levels and departments, you'll meet our second student at the end of the newsletter with their reflections on what makes Bancroft special.

We've intentionally placed our Fifth Grade Features at the beginning and end as we hope their perspectives help bring to life everything else you'll read about our school.

Lastly, these aren't rehearsed answers. We hope you enjoy!

What's one thing happening at Bancroft this month that you're excited about?

The trunk or treat event coming up. It is a fun event where you get to see some of your friends. I would recommend this event to others.

If a new student joined our school tomorrow, what would you want them to know?

A lot of the teachers here are really nice. Also, as a new student, you have the opportunity to make new friends here.

What's something you're working on getting better at this year?

I am working on learning more of my math facts. This would help me with school and jobs in the future.

What's one way you'd challenge our fourth and fifth graders to be better role models for younger students?

To be quiet in the hallways. This way when the younger students see us, they will act like us now and when they are in fourth and fifth grade.

Our First Graders have been busy here at Bancroft making new friends and building classroom connections. They celebrated their 1st Bancroft Blue Day with their new shirts donated by our Fabulous PTO. First grade has been learning about our Kennett Square community and community helpers. We look forward to making many memories with our buddy classes, fun assemblies and learning here at Bancroft as we move into the Fall season.

Back to School has been fantastic in 2nd grade! Students and teachers have gotten to know about each other over the past month. We have learned routines and learned about being kind to friends. We began learning the pattern of “friendly letter” writing. This will be a focus skill for the 2nd grade year. Kids also reviewed nouns as they did their writing. In addition, students are reading about plant and animal habitats, researching animals, and writing about them too! In Math, kids are practicing different ways to add and subtract before moving into some graphing practice. The end of September brings the close of the community unit in Social Studies. Kids have learned about their own community and 3 different kinds of communities: rural, suburban and urban. Rocks and Soils exploration are coming up in science. We have had so much fun and so much more excitement to look forward to in October! Yay for Back to school time!

The first month of school has flown by for third grade. We have been focused on building classroom communities that are respectful, understanding and kind. We are not only enjoying getting to know each other, but we are also getting to know our Bancroft Buddies in other grades. It has been fun meeting with them and getting to see them as we pass in the hall. Third grade has also been busy researching influential people for Hispanic Heritage Month. We have enjoyed learning about people like Sonia Sotomayor, Ellen Ochoa, Roberto Clemente and Lionel Messi. Next month we are looking forward to celebrating the fall with our annual Third Grade Pumpkin Math and starting multiplication and division!

Science: In Miss McDonald’s and Mrs. Myers’ science classes, students dissected a lily flower and discovered its various parts, including the pistil, stamen, petals, and pollen — while making discoveries about how plants reproduce. Up next in Chapter 2, students will shift their focus to the animal world, and learn how animals grow and change… stay tuned!

ELA: In Mrs. Karn’s and Mrs. Hill’s ELA classes, students wrote about their Hopes and Dreams for 4th grade. We worked through the Writing Process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Students worked hard and came up with some great goals to work on this school year. Next, we will be working on Animal Research Expository writing.

Fifth grade loves reading! In fifth grade, the 40 Book Challenge challenges students to read 40 books across different genres during the school year. Our hope is that our students will push themselves as readers and increase their confidence and reading motivation.

In math, our grade is diving into a fun and exciting Multiplication Challenge! Students are practicing their facts and building speed and accuracy through games, activities, and timed tests. The goal is to help everyone become confident and fluent with multiplication facts, which will support them in more complex math work throughout the year. You can support your child by practicing multiplication facts together at home — even just a few minutes a day makes a big difference!

Last Friday, Bancroft hosted the performance group La Comparsa Mini Chinelos de Mexico to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which began September 15 and will continue until October 15. The group shared the history and culture of their dance performance, which included the history of the steps and costumes. The students where very excited to participate in the dance, carry the Mini Chinelos flag, and try on parts of the costumes. We are extremely grateful to the PTO for sponsoring such a joyful and educational celebration of Hispanic culture. If your student is interested in joining La Comparsa Mini Chinelos de Mexico you can contact the Bancroft main office!

Art

Students are learning that art has value! Third and fourth grade students are practicing shading to create value and make their artwork look more 3 dimensional. Third grade is drawing fruits and vegetables to promote healthy eating and fourth grade is celebrating the artist Jeff Koons by drawing a balloon dog. First and fifth grade students are focusing on color theory and using the primary colors. They are advancing their drawing skills by looking at objects and drawing them from real life by carefully observing shapes. Second grade students are learning about the artist Paul Klee and painting a fish! We are focusing on brush control and painting inside the lines.

Health

This month in Health, our 2nd and 4th graders have been learning about nutrition! Students are reviewing the 5 food groups and practicing how to incorporate all the food groups to make healthy meal choices. 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders are exploring the topic of families, including who makes up a family, activities families can do together, and the many different types of families. We have been taking advantage of the beautiful fall weather with Mileage Club! Students are working on setting goals and pacing themselves while improving their cardiovascular health! Please remind your students to wear sneakers on their health day!

Information Literacy

Book exchange is off to a terrific start! The students love exploring the collection and are especially excited about some of our newer books. Thank you for encouraging your children to take good care of their library books, keep them safely in their backpacks, and return them on the next book exchange day. If you have any questions about book exchange, please contact me via Talking Points or email. I am looking forward to a wonderful year of reading together!

Music

Music class has been off to a busy start! 4th and 5th grade have started chorus, while Band and Orchestra lessons have begun. In 5th and 4th grade, we have been learning all about Hispanic Heritage Month and various types of music and musicians from Spanish speaking countries. In 3rd grade we are working to review rhythms, and basic musical concepts we learned last year. 2nd grade began listening to Vivaldi’s “Autumn” and reflected on how the music made them feel, and created a drawing representing it.

Finally, 1st grade has been busy with steady beat practice, and musical opposites! October will be full of fall songs and activities- we cannot wait!

Physical Education

It’s been an exciting start to the year in PE! Students are building fitness through warm-ups like our Deck of Cards workout, while 1st and 2nd graders have been practicing their locomotor skills. Together, we created a Sportsmanship Pledge and have incorporated closing circles to celebrate classmates with positive shout-outs! Classes have also enjoyed activities that highlight teamwork and strategy. Next up we will be kicking off our soccer unit! Please make sure your student is wearing proper footwear to participate safely in PE!

STEM

Our STEM value for the beginning of the year is collaboration. First grade is working as a team to talk, agree, and build. We have used loose pieces and Legos to build. Our second grade is working as a team to discover and create how seeds travel. We are collaborating in third grade to build a toy car out of recycled materials that can travel down a steep ramp. Fourth grade is collaborating to get the hydroponics system and garden outside to grow lettuce. Fifth grade is deconstructing an object to improve how the parts of the system work. It’s been a great start as teams from first to fifth grade have worked together to accomplish their goals.

Welcome to the Counselor’s Corner! We are off to a great start and it has been so wonderful seeing students back in the building learning and growing. We had a great time at our first school-wide assembly of the year and are looking forward to many more!

Tip of the Month: Having trouble getting out of the door in the morning? Is your child saying that they do not want to come to school? The beginning of the year is a difficult transition for many students and mornings can quickly turn into a battle. Here are some strategies that may be helpful.

• Plan Ahead: Do as much as you can the night before. Lay out clothes, pack lunches, and organize backpacks.
• Visual Schedule: Create a visual schedule so that your child knows exactly what they need to do each morning.
• Stay Calm and Hold the Boundary: Acknowledge the feeling and hold the boundary. “I know it feels hard to go to school some mornings. I am here for you and we still need to get dressed. Would you like me to stay in your room while you get dressed or give you some space?”
• Set a “No Screen Time” Policy”: Screen use can be difficult for a child to separate from. Institute a screen free morning policy to eliminate this added stressor from your morning routine.
• Share About You: Try sharing with your child how you felt going to school. This can be a great tool in your toolbox and can help your child feel less alone. You can say something like, “You know, when I was your age I was a little nervous before going to school too. Here’s what helped me.”

A reminder that the transition back to school is a big one. The first six-eight weeks are an adjustment and it can be typical for students to experience bigger emotions at home. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!

Emma Termini, NCC

School Counselor

etermini@kcsd.org

610-925-5714

To ensure the optimal health of our students, the school nurse screens all students as required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Every year all students in grades 1-5 have their vision screened as well as height and weight measured to track any changes. Students in grades 1-3 also have their hearing screened. Our dental hygienist performs dental screenings for third graders and any new students. These screenings do not take the place of seeing your healthcare provider. If you receive a letter from the nurse stating that your child failed their screening, please follow up with your healthcare provider and provide the school nurse with their results and recommendations.

Please contact Mrs. Carter with any questions!

What's your favorite thing about being a student here at Bancroft Elementary?

All of the nice teachers! Our teachers here at Bancroft always smile and support us.

What advice would you give to younger students at our school?"

Be respectful to all of your teachers. Be nice to each other. Being nice makes it easier to get along with people and helps with making friends.

What's something that happened this month that made you proud to be at Bancroft?

Other people were having trouble with their homework. I saw my teacher go over and help them. This made me feel good because the students got the help they needed and now know how to complete future homework on their own.

Which school expectation do you see your classmates doing really well with? How does that make Bancroft a better place?

Respectful and responsible are the top two! Both respectful and responsible make school a better place. We are respectful to everyone and students are doing great at being responsible with their materials.

Hello Bancroft Families,

This year we created a School-Parent Compact for our Title I program. It is a requirement for all Title I schools. The goal of the compact is to outline how our school staff, families, and students can work together to create a supportive environment where every child can succeed. We will revise our compact each year with parent input from the PTO to ensure it fits the needs of our school community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or to Dr. Jen Miller, our district Title I Coordinator at jenmiller@kcsd.org.

Thank you,

Alicia Naimoli

Title I Interventionist

Bancroft Elementary School

anaimoli@kcsd.org

The PTO has been busy during the first month back at school. The PTO hosted a luncheon to welcome our amazing Bancroft staff back the week before school started. Thank you to everyone that purchased a mum! Fundraisers like this, has allowed us to purchase new pickleball equipment for the PE department and sponsor an assembly with the Mini Chinelos for Hispanic Heritage Month (and that’s just in the first few weeks of school!).

We are looking forward to one of our largest fall fundraisers, the Jogathon, on September 26th. This event is always a fun day for our students full of movement and popsicles. Families are welcome to join us and cheer on their student from the sideline!

Looking towards October we have lots of volunteer opportunities and fun planned for our Bancroft community with our annual Trunk or Treat on October, 18th and the fall book fair (10/21-24).

Our next PTO meeting will be held on Monday, October 13th at 2:15PM. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions (ptobancroft@gmail.com) and we hope to see you soon!

We're excited to welcome parent volunteers as valued partners here at Bancroft Elementary! Your involvement makes a meaningful difference in our school community. To ensure the safety of all our children, we do require all volunteers to complete three background clearances,

• PA State Criminal Record Check
• Federal Criminal Background Check
• Child Abuse History clearance.

Click here to find out more information or access and upload the necessary documents. Please do not send any clearances to the school as all clearances must be submitted on the district website. Thank you for your willingness to be part of the Bancroft family!

Bancroft Elementary School

Location: 181 Bancroft Rd, Kennett Square, PA 19348
Phone: (610) 925-5711

Website: https://be.kcsd.org/