The Woodland Weekly

We are looking forward to next week’s Turkey Trot and are hoping this beautiful weather continues!

As a reminder, anyone wishing to be inside the field during the event must be a registered PTO Turkey Trot volunteer and have a completed CORI check on file. We encourage all families to come cheer on our runners from outside the fenced area and enjoy the excitement of this wonderful school tradition.

You’ll also find two helpful links below. The first will take you to our Woodland School webpage, and the second to our Woodland Weekly (S'more/Newsletter) archive. The archive can be a convenient way to revisit previous newsletters without having to search through your email.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our families for the support, encouragement, and partnership you provide throughout the year. Your involvement helps make our school a welcoming and caring place where students can learn, grow, and thrive.

On behalf of our entire school community, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful Thanksgiving filled with happiness, gratitude, and meaningful time together. Whether you are traveling or celebrating close to home, we hope you enjoy a safe, relaxing, and memorable holiday break.

Warmly,

Emma Rood, Principal

Kayla Brady, Assistant Principal

erood@stgrsd.org

kbrady@stgrsd.org

413-569-6598

https://www.stgrsd.org/community/calendars/s_t_g_r_s_d_calendar_of_events

November

11/19 Turkey Trot (Rain Date 11/23)

11/25 Thanksgiving Break Half Day (12:00 PM dismissal, no PM PreK)

11/26-27 Thanksgiving Break No School

December

12/4 PTO Winter Craft Night

12/10 PTO at PMS Cafeteria @5:30

12/11 PJ Day

12/15 School Council

12/18 Winter Concert (Snow Date 12/21)

12/22 Author Visit

12/23 Half Day

12/24-1/4 No School Holiday Break

Our preschoolers will continue learning about their five senses. This month, we will explore the senses of touch, smell, and taste through fun and engaging activities.

The children will keep participating in daily Heggerty lessons, where they practice identifying rhyming words, blending and segmenting syllables, and isolating beginning and ending sounds in words.

In math, we will be introduced to the numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10, while reviewing numbers 1–6. Children will also practice showing numbers 1–10 on their rekenreks.

In writing, preschoolers will continue practicing the proper way to hold crayons, tracing letters, and writing or tracing their names.

We are also enjoying plenty of playtime! The children continue to build friendships and strengthen social skills as they engage in play during centers and recess.

ELA

Over the next month, kindergarten students will learn about what makes a community. We will read books about the people and places in a community, and the ways in which we all work together to make a community strong. Children will practice identifying and producing rhyming words, identify story elements such as character, setting, and topic/main idea. In small reading groups they will engage in foundational reading skills such as blending and segmenting sounds, sound spelling, and apply those skills into word reading.

Math:

Students will continue to work in Unit 2 of our math curriculum. This unit will have students answer “How Many” questions, count out, and compare groups of objects within 10. Students will also learn to write a number to represent a quantity. For example, a student will learn to write the numeral 4 next to a group of four objects.

Science and Social Studies:

We begin our next Unit of Animals and Habitats. In the first portion of the unit, the students will engage in play and exploration activities that allow them to learn and study aquatic habitats. Students will learn about the life cycles of frogs and fish, as well as create their own representations of aquatic life and habitats in Blocks center and Dramatic Play. At the discovery table kindergarteners will investigate how fish move in water.

Students in Grade 1 continue to be hard workers!

In ELA, we are working on blending and decoding short vowel words with digraphs (two letters that make one sound) sh, wh, th, and ch. We have just started our new reading module all about animals. Both our reading and science texts will relate to the essential question of “How do animals' bodies help them to grow and survive?”

In writing, the students will write an informational booklet about an animal that they are interested in. Then, we will share and teach others all about it!

In math, we continue to read, discuss, and solve number stories. Students are showing their thinking through drawings and equations, both in addition and subtraction. First graders are learning to solve for the unknown part in a story, as well as show their thinking in stories that compare numbers.

In social studies, we are exploring fairness and justice within our family and school communities. We are also learning about elections and leadership. Students continue to follow and expand their understanding of Woodland CARES. This month we are practicing teamwork and sportsmanship, and we had just a chance to go to a Springfield Thunderbirds game to watch it in action!

Second graders are enjoying the autumn season and continuing to progress in their learning! The current module in reading is Module 3: Meet in the Middle. During this module, students are learning about working out conflicts and disagreeing with others in a respectful way. They have read about compromise and explored ways to settle differences. In writing, students are wrapping up work on opinion writing and will next explore imaginative writing.

In math, students are finishing Unit 2: Adding and Subtracting within 100. The next unit is Unit 3: Measurement. In this unit, students measure and estimate lengths in standard units and solve measurement story problems within 100.

Second graders are currently wrapping up a science unit on properties of materials. This unit corresponds to the engineering standards for grade 2. Over the last few weeks, students have used the engineering process in a variety of hands-on activities that required them to use what they know about properties of materials to select the best materials for an intended purpose. For example, they were tasked with designing and building model sails for sailboats, and roofs for chicken coops!

At the completion of this science unit, students will explore accountable talk. This aligns with speaking and listening standards and provides students with direct instruction on and opportunities to practice conversation skills.

Math learning doesn't have to happen with a worksheet or flashcards! Some of the best opportunities to build strong math skills happen during everyday activities at home. Cooking, playing games, sorting toys, setting the table, shopping, and even talking about numbers can help children develop a strong foundation in mathematics. Here are a few fun ideas for your developing mathematicians.

Preschool and Kindergarten:

Children are exploring numbers and learning how to count and compare groups.

1. The Number Detective Hunt

Preschool: Choose a number 1-5; Kindergarten: Choose a number from 1–10. Challenge your child to find that many objects around the house. Now make a group that has more. Fewer.

• Find 5 spoons, 7 blocks, or 3 books.

• Can you arrange them in a different way and still have the same amount?

• Can you show that number using your fingers?

• What happens if we add one more? Take one away?

First Grade:

First graders are building their understanding of addition and subtraction within 20. They are learning that numbers can be broken apart and put together in different ways and that addition and subtraction are connected.

1. Make a Ten!

Use two-color objects, such as red and blue Legos, coins, or cereal pieces.

Challenge your child to find different ways to make 10.

• How many different combinations can you find?

• If you have 7, how many more do you need?

• What if you start with 4?

• Can you show 10 using your fingers?

Second Grade:

Second graders are strengthening their understanding of two-digit numbers and learning how tens and ones work together.

1. Grocery Store Math

Use a grocery store trip, grocery flyer, or pretend shopping game to practice addition and subtraction.

• Find two items and estimate their total cost.

• If you have $50 and spend $18, how much money would you have left?

• Which items cost more? How much more?

• Can you find two different combinations of items that cost about the same amount?

Most importantly, keep math positive and fun! Every child is a mathematician, and every opportunity to explore numbers helps build confidence and a positive math identity.

Helping Children Learn to Accept "No"

One of the most important life skills young children learn is how to handle hearing the word no. Whether it's no to another snack, a new toy, or more screen time, disappointment is a normal part of life. For children in preschool through second grade, these moments can feel especially big as they are still learning how to manage frustration and regulate their emotions.

As parents, it's natural to want to make our children happy and avoid tears or upset feelings. However, parenting is often about long-term growth rather than short-term comfort. While saying "yes" may stop a tantrum in the moment, helping children learn to cope with hearing "no" builds resilience, flexibility, and self-control, skills that will benefit them for years to come.

When your child is upset, acknowledge their feelings while keeping the limit in place. Phrases such as, "I know you're disappointed," or "It's hard when we can't have what we want," help children feel understood without changing the expectation. Over time, children learn that disappointment is manageable and that they can move through it successfully.

As your child practices accepting limits, be sure to notice their efforts. A simple comment such as, "You didn't like the answer, but you stayed calm," or "That was great flexible thinking," can go a long way. Learning to accept "no" takes time, patience, and practice, but each opportunity helps children develop the skills they need to succeed at home, at school, and in life.

Research suggests that learning to tolerate disappointment and delay gratification in the early years supports the development of self-control, emotional regulation, and resilience.

Why do we need books? Here are the students' answers!

• "To learn how to read, so we can remember things." -Hunter S, Kinder
• "Because we need to read because we need to learn letters because we need to sing the ABCs." -Will B, Kinder
• "To learn how to read so that if someone says, 'Can you read this to me?' we can read the whole thing to them." Madeline M, 1st
• "So you can tell stories." -Callie C, 1st
• "So you can learn new words." -Declan C, 1st
• "So people aren't on their phone all day." -Elvira L, 2nd
• "Because otherwise people would watch TV." -Skylar H, 2nd

In SEL lessons, Preschool students are just starting to learn about and recognize emotions such as happy, sad, scared, and mad. These cover each of our four Zones of Regulation! Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders are wrapping up units on identifying and understanding emotions. Students have been exploring the many different feelings we all experience and learning to categorize them as comfortable or uncomfortable feelings. We emphasize that all feelings are normal and okay; what matters is recognizing, understanding, and responding to them in helpful ways. Next, we will begin exploring calm-down strategies and how different strategies can help us manage the feelings and energy levels associated with each Zone. Stay tuned as we continue building these important emotional awareness and self-regulation skills!

From Your School Adjustment Counselors,
Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Crawford

The Turkey Trot is less than a week away and we're hoping for beautiful weather! This is the biggest fundraiser for the PTO, and the money goes directly to our schools, our programs, and our students. Not that I'm competitive, but I'd LOVE to see our Woodland family raise more money than Powder Mill!

Believe it or not, the children have already been working hard on their concert songs, and we can’t wait for them to show you their stuff at the concert! Below are the performance times and some important information to help the day run smoothly.

Concert Times

• AM Preschool 9:45-10:15

• Grade 1 10:30-11:00

• Kindergarten 12:00-12:30
• Grade 2 1:15-1:45
• PM Preschool 2:15-2:45

• Line up on the sidewalk heading toward the Rec Center.

• Enter through the side gymnasium doors.

• Exit through the back doors into the lobby after the concert.

• Line up for dismissal on the sidewalk to the left of the building, heading toward the woods/high school.

• Please plan for the weather, as entry and dismissal will both take place outside.

Dismissal Notes

We will send home a flyer for you to fill out if you wish to dismiss your child after the concert. If we do not have a permission slip or note in advance, you will need to sign your child out at the reception window.

Parent Pick-Up Process

After the concert, dismissal will follow our usual afternoon parent pick-up procedures:

• Form a line on the sidewalk to the left of the building (look for the sign).

• A staff member will collect pick-up numbers.

• Students will be paired with adults in the order numbers are collected.

• If you do not have your pick-up number, please call the office at 413-569-6598 for assistance.

Due to the large number of dismissals, the process may take approximately 10–15 minutes.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to make the dismissal process as smooth as possible. We look forward to an amazing concert and can’t wait to see you there!

The NHS Elves are REALLY busy this time of year! Our chapter would like to announce that our second drive we conduct every year — the Holiday Giving Tree — has begun!

Our NHS chapter is proud to continue the tradition of this holiday drive which was started many years ago to help ensure that students and families in need in our own STGRSD community would be able to have gifts at Christmas time.

If you are able to and would like to donate, we wanted to share the Sign-Up Genius link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508084EAAA92BA3F58-67502051-nhsholiday

You can go online and decide what you would like to donate -- whatever you are able to give will be so welcome! Our NHS students will be collecting the UNWRAPPED gifts at Southwick Regional School, Room #423. Please reach out to me or one of our NHS Elves if you have any questions.

All donations must be in by Friday, December 4 so we can deliver them to our families.

We appreciate your generosity -- and thank you for helping out the children and teens in our school community!

Woodland School needs substitutes and paraprofessionals for the 26-27school year. Being a substitute offers great flexibility, because you can choose the days you want to work! Being a paraprofessional allows you to be a part of a classroom community each day. Either way, you get to work with our amazing teachers and students here at Woodland. Interested? Have questions? Give us a call at 413-569-6598.