December 8, 2023 Volume 11 Issue 13

Do Good December

This month, try carrying out small acts of kindness.

"Self-regulation skills are one of the biggest keys for success for students in the classroom. These are some of the skills that help students focus during lessons, wait their turn to share in group activities, transition to a new task when time is up, and start tasks right away. Self-regulation skills are extraordinarily important in the classroom, especially as we continue to place more and more demands on children and teens.

What is Self-Regulation?

Self-regulation can be defined as the ability to manage our own thoughts, feelings, and actions. This means regulating our emotions by staying calm in times of stress. It also means regulating our behaviors by making positive choices even in times when we really want to do something else (raise our hand instead of shout out).

The good news is that research tells us that self-regulation skills are malleable. They can be modeled, practiced, and improved over time (Tominey & McClelland, 2011)." https://www.thepathway2success.com/15-classroom-practices-to-build-self-regulation-skills/

Over the next several weeks we will review one strategy at a time.

"Developing an inner-voice is one of the backbones to strong self-regulation skills. By expressing our inner thoughts out loud, we can convey our strategies and techniques to learners.

For example, before a transition, an adult might say, “I know that we’re going to switch from art to reading in just a few minutes. How can I get ready for that? I’m going to start putting my art materials away. Even if I’m not done, I’m going to put them away until a later time.”

The best part is that think alouds work with all skills and subjects, from academic content like math or reading to social skills."

Give this a try this week!

Atlantic Prevention Resources (APR) is sponsoring a FREE Educator Academy with Frank Kros. The webinars will cover a variety of topics on trauma responsive care, childhood adversity, substance misuse in and around a student, depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc. Frank Kros, MSW, JD, is a visionary child advocate, educator, and consultant with a deep commitment to trauma and resilience. Please see the link below for more information on the next webinar in the series. Here is the link to register- www.capeassist.org/EducatorAcademy. APR will have access to the recordings for two months after each webinar. So, you could watch it later if that works better for your schedule, but you’d still need to register so APR could send the recording to you.

If you need mental health, financial, legal, or other assistance, try out our EAP. Your participation is totally confidential.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Updated Resource to Support the Inclusion of Children With Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

The U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the release of an updated joint-policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The joint statement sets the expectation that inclusion continues as a child transitions into elementary school, emphasizes the need to increase public awareness and understanding of the science that supports inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs, and reinforces the legal foundations that support inclusion.

The HHS-ED Policy Statement on the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs includes a renewed commitment and urgency, as children with disabilities continue to face barriers accessing and fully participating in inclusive early childhood programs. (policy statement is linked below)

Hello Hamilton Township School District Team,

Your Clever Integration has now launched! All teachers and students are rostered in the Educator Portal. Students can be viewed on the Manager Students Page. Based on our Eligibility Guide, students cannot access Learning Ally Audiobooks until they are qualified in the educator portal. Please review and share the resources below:

• Logging in through Clever:
  • Educators: Access the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution Through Clever
  • Students: Access the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution Through Clever
  • Families: Access the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution Through Clever
• Video - Making a Student Eligible in the Educator Portal
• Video - Adding a Student to Your Dashboard

Our district is full of fabulous educators. Here are some of the most fabulous! Congratulations to our amazing Educators of the Year!

Shaner

Paraprofessional of the Year- Carmen Arroyo

Educational Support Professional of the Year- Karen Fink

Teacher of the Year- Kim Russomano

Hess

Paraprofessional of the Year- Rebekah Mannix

Educational Support Professional of the Year- Samantha Wilson

Teacher of the Year- Maria Sarno

Davies

Educational Support Professional of the Year- Danielle Pulli

Teacher of the Year- Ed Aleszczyk

• Shout out to Mark K. and the Davies students for another excellent episode of the Dragon Student News!
• Shout out to Heather B. and Toni C. for inviting me to read to their class for Inclusive Schools Week! Love the cards the kids sent me the next day, especially the one that says, "I love your reading skills." Out of the mouths of babes!

Membership

Don't forget to join the PTA! For just $5 for the year, you can support our wonderful PTA! Click on this link - https://hamiltontownshippta.memberhub.com/store#.

Grants

Here is a link to the PTA Grant form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyq902otUMJT5nLl3ktAAetrQpfB01YVrLCAfAEUGgBrKTVQ/formResponse

The Hamilton Township School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, affectional or sexual orientation, ancestry, disability, age, or social or economic status in its programs and activities.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Marylynn Stecher

Affirmative Action Officer

609-476-6313

stecherm@hamiltonschools.org

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

For further information on notice of nondiscrimination, visit https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr for the address and phone number of the office that serves your area, or call 1-800-421-3481.

September 1, 2023

September 8, 2023

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September 29, 2023

October 6, 2023

October 13, 2023

October 20, 2023

October 27, 2023

November 3, 2023

November 17, 2023

December 1, 2023