March News
March 7, 2017
Dear Members of the J. Turner Hood School Community,
The year is passing by like the wink of an eye. March began with a wonderful celebration of Literacy. We marked Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a renewed focus on literacy. Our students immersed themselves in Suessville and we welcomed many community guests to read with our children. Thank you to our amazing school community for the wonderful day that we had the pleasure to enjoy. The student hats and the creative staff outfits certainly contributed to the high level of enjoyment. An additional thank you goes out to our Reading Specialist, Mrs. Hegarty and our Teachers who worked collaboratively to develop our Read Across America plan.
Our annual Fine Arts Night was also held on March 2nd as well. It was a great opportunity to see our students shine in multiple ways. The performances were amazing and the displays of student work were perfect. A special thank you to Ms. Comeau, Ms. Dye & Mrs. Taylor for all of their efforts to make the evening so special.
Please be reminded that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week will be half days for parent conferences. Student dismissal will be at 12:10. After school enrichments will not be held during these days.
Food Pantry-Our Hood School Girl Scouts are collecting for the North Reading Food Pantry throughout the month of March. Please donate non-perishable items, such as kid's snacks for school, canned soup, juice boxes, pasta, bake mixes, ketchup, canned tuna, boxes of Mac and cheese etc. There is a drop-box in the lobby of the school. Thank you. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Social media and Twitter in particular, is fast becoming an important tool in the world of education. Teachers are using it to connect with other professionals around the world to enhance their learning and break down the walls of their classrooms. Administrators are using it to enhance their leadership skills and connect with parents and other members of the school community. Stay up-to-date on the latest happenings at the Hood School! Follow the Hood School on Twitter @jthoodelemen.
March and April are important months for teaching and learning. Here are a few ways that you can prepare your children to make the most of their learning opportunities:
- Make sure that your children get adequate sleep. There is research-based evidence that elementary age children require 10-12 hours of sleep each night.
- Physical activity is a great stress release, helps children sleep better at night, and improves concentration and learning. Research indicates that children receive the most benefit from 20 minutes of sustained aerobic activity on a daily basis.
- A good breakfast that contains a source of protein improves concentration and learning. Healthy snacks and lunches provide the ‘fuel’ children need to sustain their efforts throughout the day.
- Make sure that your children arrive at school on time. It is stressful for them to arrive late and quite disruptive for the rest of the class.
Lastly, Attendance and Tardiness- Thank you families, for following guidelines and keeping your children home when they are ill. Please continue to keep your children home if they are sick, but please also ensure that they are in school each day they are healthy.An undesirable number of our students are arriving late. Below is some information relative to the impact that tardiness has on children.
Implications for students arriving late:
- miss part of the academics of their class lessons
- require special attention and take time that could be used otherwise
- develop behavior patterns that are undesirable in school and later in work
- may receive social pressure by peers that can lower their self-esteem
Research has shown:
- attendance problems correlate directly to achievement problems
- attendance problems are associated with lack of preparation to enter the work force
Please be reminded that our School day begins at 8:55 AM.