January 2026 Bryn Mawr Bulletin
Dear Bryn Mawr Families,
Happy New Year and welcome back to our wonderful families! We hope the winter break brought your family moments of rest, joy, and time together. As we begin this 2026 new year, our school is buzzing with energy and excitement, and we are ready to jump back into learning with renewed focus and purpose.
At Bryn Mawr, we believe that young learners rise to the expectations set for them. As we settle back into routines, our teachers are reinforcing classroom expectations, helping students refocus on listening, kindness, and doing their very best work. Consistent routines, both at school and at home, help our kindergarten, first, and second graders feel safe, confident, and ready to learn. Families play such an important role in supporting learning beyond the school day. Simple routines at home such as reading together, practicing sight words or math facts, talking about the school day, and getting a good night’s sleep, all make a meaningful difference. Thank you for being our partners in helping children build strong habits that support growth and independence.
As a reminder, safe and respectful behavior on the bus is an extension of our school day. Students are expected to remain seated and out of the aisle, use kind words, have quiet voices, follow the directions of the bus driver, and keep hands, feet, and objects to themselves. As a reminder that toys and snacks should not be brought on the bus. Students should always be respectful keeping things clean and doing their best to remember all of their things. It is a privilege to be able to ride the bus, and as we enter the 2026 school year a refresher of bus expectations with your children at home would be beneficial. Our drivers have a lot of responsibility ensuring that all of our students arrive to school and get home safely, and students should not be distracting them by misbehaving. Thank you for reviewing the bus expectations with your child regularly.
We are proud of the effort our students show each day and grateful for the support of our families. Together, we will continue to encourage curiosity, responsibility, and kindness as we move forward into this new year.
Thank you for being part of our Bryn Mawr community. We look forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and many moments to celebrate.
With appreciation,
Brooke Beverly
Principal, Bryn Mawr School
Learning to read is an exciting journey for young children, and one important part of that journey is learning sight words. Sight words and high frequency words are both are common words that children see often in books (ex; the, said, was, and because). Since these words appear so frequently, learning to recognize them quickly helps children become stronger, more confident readers. Sight words are words that a reader can recognize without sounding it out automatically, while high frequency words are words that appear most often in early texts.
When children know sight words automatically, they are able to read more smoothly and with better understanding. Instead of stopping to sound out every word, they can focus on the meaning of the story, enjoy reading, and build confidence. This is especially important in kindergarten through second grade, when students are learning to move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”
Practicing sight words at home, even for just a few minutes at a time, makes a big difference. We appreciate your help to find some pockets of time for short, playful practice. Learning to read and write sight words helps in the following ways:
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Build reading fluency
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Strengthen spelling and writing skills
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Gain confidence and independence as readers
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Develop a positive attitude toward reading
We truly appreciate the support families provide at home. Your encouragement, time, and involvement reinforce what students are learning at school and help make reading feel fun and meaningful. Simple activities like reading together, practicing sight words through games, or pointing out familiar words in everyday life all support your child’s growth as a reader.
Thank you for being such an important partner in your student's learning. Please know that your efforts at home matter and are truly valued. Together, we are helping to build strong, joyful readers!
Happy Winter, Bryn Mawr and Pak Students and Families!
The students at Bryn Mawr and Pak have been working hard to prepare their songs for our January Winter Concerts!
Although our concerts happen in the Winter season, our songs aren’t necessarily Winter-themed and feature many of the musical concepts our students are working on in their Music classes and focus on relatable topics, fun, or positive messages for all ages.
Kindergarten will present songs of snow and lessons of working hard and trying your best; First Grade will delight with a mix of songs about seasonal foods and tales of animals; and our fabulous Second Graders will present our third annual Pops Concert, featuring songs by artists of today and yesterday.
Below you will find links for your student(s) to practice their songs at home - or delight your family with a private concert!
Kindergarten Winter Concert Songs to Practice
First Grade Winter Concert Songs to Practice
Second Grade Winter Concert Songs to Practice
May you all have a great winter and a very happy season!
Ms. Garrow
Music Teacher
Pakachoag and Bryn Mawr
Happy New Year! Exciting developments are underway in our Technology classes this year. Over the past few weeks, we have been engaging in Science (STEAM) Units through the innovative program, Project Lead the Way, which is sparking creativity among our students!
We're wrapping up a unit across all grade levels focused on coding. The kindergarten students successfully coded animations for a character, while the first graders created animated stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. The second graders took on a more challenging project by designing games with controllers, allowing them to enjoy their creations with friends. This project is more complex due to the advanced coding required. However, students have been collaborating well, learning coding tips, and how to send messages to characters using Scratch Jr.
In Technology classes, we're also diving into the world of STEAM. Thanks to a grant from the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, we acquired various STEAM kits, which students have loved using to construct new projects. It's amazing to witness the creativity emerging from all grade levels.
With the start of the new year, we are looking forward to beginning lessons that aim to develop typing skills. Kindergarten students will be introduced to the keyboard, practicing to locate the keys. First and second graders will review their previous knowledge and dive deeper into proper finger placement and typing techniques to become proficient typists.
I look forward to the new year ahead!
Hi Parents/Guardians,
The students have been hard at work for our Marathon Mondays, scooter, and basketball skills units. The students were introduced to long distance running through Marathon Monday’s and played a variety of scooter games like pac-man and scooter hockey! Students worked hard on their manipulative skills through dribbling with their hands, passing, and shooting. The students did a great job continuing to follow classroom rules and expectations that align with being safe, responsible, respectful, and kind.
As we return, the students will be working on different manipulative skills through striking with an implement, striking with their body, and then moving onto jump rope. I look forward to continued progress as we enter the end of the year. After the new year, we will be starting floor hockey which is a brand new unit this school year! I look forward to everyone's continued progress and best effort.
I will be creating our “active at home“ bulletin board again in the New Year! Please send in pictures of your child being active outside of school! You can send in a picture or email one to print out. The students loved seeing themselves and their peers on the bulletin board last year! A reminder as we enter the cold winter months, please send your child in with a pair of sneakers on PE day for safety. I would also appreciate paper towel donations to help clean up the occasional water spills. Thank you for your continued support!
I hope you all have a wonderful, fun-filled winter vacation!
In good health,
Miss. D
Many exciting things are happening in art as students participate in hands-on projects that encourage creativity, self-expression, and confidence. Through playful exploration and guided instruction, students are learning to use a variety of materials and techniques while expressing their own ideas.
We are continuing our learning about the seven elements of art, which help students understand the building blocks of creating artwork. So far, students have explored line and shape, and we are now beginning to learn about color by mixing, observing, and experimenting. These lessons help students build important fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, and confidence as young artists.
In Kindergarten, students explored geometric and organic shapes through a variety of engaging, hands-on projects. They created Model Magic pumpkins, designed organic shape monsters, and made their own abstract shape artwork using paint sticks. These projects incorporated both geometric and organic shapes and were inspired by artists Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Joan Miró, and Wassily Kandinsky, all of whom used shape as an important element in their artwork.
We finished the trimester with a focus on fine motor skill development. Students created winter collage snowmen by tearing and gluing paper, then adding scarves, hats, or earmuffs using scrapbook paper. They also designed winter backgrounds, learned how to create trees using paint sticks, added snowflakes, and some students even challenged themselves by creating paper snowflakes to include in their artwork. Each piece was incredibly unique and full of personality. Students were very proud of their hard work, and I was truly impressed by how much growth they demonstrated in their fine motor and art skills. We continue to reinforce the importance of perseverance—learning that it is okay to keep trying even when something feels challenging at first.
First graders began their shape unit by going on a leaf hunt, where they examined the beautiful organic shapes found in nature. Students created leaf journals with watercolor leaf print covers and used them to explore leaf rubbings, prints, and observational drawings of the natural environment around them. They even personalized their journals by choosing a ribbon for the binding.
Next, first graders put their cutting skills to the test by creating Henri Matisse–inspired organic collages using a variety of scrapbook papers. They concluded their shape exploration by creating castles using sponge shape prints and snowy owls using pastels.
Second graders learned how to use a ruler as a straight edge and created drawings of castles or cities using geometric shapes inspired by Paul Klee. I was so impressed by their focus and effort—it was wonderful to see how proud they were of themselves as they successfully created straight, intentional lines.
We explored organic shapes by discovering that even a shoe print can be considered organic. Working with a partner, they traced their footprints and transformed them into animals of their choice using oil pastels, adding creative backgrounds to complete their artwork.
To finish the trimester, students created beautiful snow globe drawings featuring winter scenes of their choice. Using pastels, they practiced shading and blending techniques. Students worked very hard on these pieces and were excited to bring them home to share with their families.
Mindfulness Mondays
During Mindfulness Monday, students learned about snowflakes and the work of Wilson Bentley, the first person to photograph a snowflake. We discussed how no two snowflakes are alike and how this reflects the idea that each of us is unique. Students created their own snowflakes using coffee filters by coloring with markers, learning how to fold and cut, and then adding water with droppers to observe how the colors spread.
We displayed our creations as a “Blizzard of Uniqueness” in the art room window to serve as a reminder that we are all unique—just like snowflakes—and that is something to celebrate.
