The Salem Source

As we step into November, I want to take a moment to say thank you to our incredible Salem families! It was wonderful to see so many of you at our Halloween Parade. We loved celebrating with our students and seeing our school community come together for such a fun tradition.

A few November reminders: Our Salem Swag Store is open again through November 14, so be sure to grab your Salem gear! Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held November 12. Please watch for information from your child’s teacher and sign up for a time to meet. We value this opportunity to connect, celebrate your child’s growth, and work together to support their continued success.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am especially grateful for our Salem Elementary community. I am thankful for our amazing students, our dedicated teachers and staff, and the families who continually support and encourage us. It truly takes all of us working together to make Salem such a special place where everyone belongs.

There will be no school November 25–29 for Thanksgiving Break. I hope your family enjoys a restful break filled with good food, laughter, and time with the people you love most.

Thank you for being such an important part of our Salem Star family.

Every ⭐ matters, and we are grateful for each of you!

School Swag available until Nov. 14th

Click here to access

The Salem Elementary Parent Handbook

Counselor's Corner

For my November Counselor Classroom Lesson, I am teaching our Salem Stars the tool I call Big Deal/little deal. This skill ties closely to what I taught last month about how the “amygdala alarm” in our Downstairs Brain can’t tell the difference between a BIG DEAL/ emergency type situation and a little deal/“burnt toast” type situation. A critical component of emotional intelligence is the ability to “turn off” that alarm system. Sometimes just reminding ourselves “this is a little deal, just brunt toast, no need to panic” is enough to do the trick.

The remainder of my monthly counselor classroom lessons will be spent focusing on tools that help us move back into our Upstairs Brain-where we regulate emotions, problem solve and make informed, intentional choices based on possible outcomes; among a myriad of other emotional intelligence and well-being skills.

In an elementary school setting, most often the “alarming” situations are things like:

-perceived injustices (Johnny cut in line, that’s MY spot)

-unfairness (My new favorite game is Miss Blasini’s That’s not fair!)

-expectations of prosocial behavior and academic stamina that feel too hard

ALL little deal situations!

A much more nuanced component of Big Deal/little deal is the ability to recognize the disparity of having a Big Deal reaction to a little deal situation and then self-reflect as to why that may be. This is a much higher-ordered executive functioning skill than most elementary aged students are capable of; their brains have just not developed enough yet. However, it is very helpful for parents to be able to recognize this disparity and then guide their student through some reflective questioning:

-does this assignment feel “too hard” because you just haven’t learned the material YET? (Reframe)

-is it possible that Johnny doesn’t want to play with you at recess because he doesn’t like the game you are playing? (Check Your Story)

-would things feel different after a good nights rest or some Mindfulness? (Gimme 5)

All things we will learn as we continue to explore Mrs. J’s Toolbox of Skills.

The PTO would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our fundraiser this year! We are so grateful for the incredible generosity of our Salem community—from the many donations to the wonderful volunteers who gave their time to help make the event such a success. Because of your support, we are excited to give back to our school and help provide meaningful opportunities and experiences for our students and staff. Thank you for being such an important part of our Salem Star community!

If you would like to get involved with the PTO, we would love to have you! Our next PTO meeting will be on Tuesday, November 17th at 9:15 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. PTO meetings are a great way to learn more about how we support our students and staff, hear about upcoming activities, and find ways to help—whether you have a little time to give or would like to be more involved. We would love to see you there!

We are also thrilled to announce that Salem Elementary will be performing Disney’s The Lion King Jr. this spring! Auditions are happening this week, and we invite any students who would like to participate to join us.

If your child would like to audition, please sign up for an audition time using this SignUpGenius link. For the audition, students will simply need to share a joke and sing a short song such as “Happy Birthday” or “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Please note whether your audition time is on Monday, November 2nd or Tuesday, November 3rd.

All students who would like to participate in the musical—either as part of the cast or stage crew—will also need to complete this Google Form. Please complete the form before your child’s audition.

If you have any questions, please contact the PTO at salemutpto@gmail.com.

We are so grateful for our amazing Salem families and all you do to support our school. We look forward to seeing you at auditions and at our upcoming PTO meeting!