• November 2019 
    Principal's Corner - Dan McDonald

    Can you believe it is November already?  We’ve traded warm days and barbeques for cooler weather and shorter days.  As we inch closer to Thanksgiving, so too comes the end of the first trimester.  Parent Conferences will be held on November 25th (night conferences) and the 26th (day conferences) just before we leave for Thanksgiving break.

    We are excited to roll out the Bus of the Month program at EC.  Each day, the bus drivers have the opportunity to write compliments to riders who display safe behaviors on the bus.  These compliments, written on yellow bus shaped cards, will be displayed in the main lobby. Select compliments will be read during the morning announcements.  Bus compliments will be tracked in a lobby display case and the bus with the most compliments at the end of the month will be awarded “Bus of the Month”. The winning bus will proudly display a magnet identifying it as the EC Bus of the Month.  Riders for the winning bus will be included in a celebration for their achievement.   

    While this program is new, we have already had a number of compliments pouring in on a daily basis.  This is proof that EC students are good citizens. We hope that a focus on positive behaviors will help to support these actions and reinforce our pride in the students when they do the right thing.  At the end of the month, compliments written for your child will be sent home so that you can share in celebrating the great things they do every day.

    I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving.  I hope that your homes are filled with warmth and the company of loved ones as we enter the holiday season.  EC is a very special place, filled with wonderful people. During this season, I am thankful to be a part of such a great school community.

     

    BELIEVE, ACHIEVE, SUCCEED

     

    The Mission of the East Coldenham Elementary School Community, where children are treasured, is to foster a love of learning in an innovative, collaborative environment which empowers all students to be competent, productive, caring and responsible citizens. At East Coldenham, we strive to believe, achieve and succeed in all that we do.

     

     

    We can be reached by phone, fax or e-mail. Our contact information is:

                  

                           Main Office: 845-457-2400 X12501

    Attendance: 845-457-2400 X12507

    School Nurse: 845-457-2400 X12700

       Principal’s Secretary: 845-457-2400 X12511

              Fax Number: 845-564-1554

     

    Please check our website for important information : www.vcsd.k12.ny.us

     

    Breakfast and Lunch Prices

     

        Breakfast                   $1.85

        Lunch        $2.85

        Reduced                  $ . 25

     

    “Bus of the Month” Program

                  Drivers will have the opportunity to write compliments for their students (or the entire bus).  These compliments (to be written on bus shaped cards) will be displayed in the main lobby and select compliments will be read during morning announcements.  Each bus will have a graph tracking the compliments.  The bus with the most compliments will be awarded the title of "Bus of the Month" and a celebration will be held.  

    So boys and girls start earning your compliments!!!

     

    MARK  YOUR CALENDARS  

                             

                                  November 1 - “Second Cup of Coffee” in the lobby                                                    

    November 5 - Conference Day – No School for Students

    November 11 - No School - Veterans Day

    November 12 - BOE Mtg 6:30 pm CO

    November 18 - 22 - American Education Week

    November 19 - PTA Picture Re-Take Day

    November 25 - Evening Parent / Teacher Conferences 6 - 8:30 pm (Report Cards)

                   November 26 - Parent / Teacher Conference Day - No School for Students (Report Cards)

    November 27 - 29 Thanksgiving Recess - No School

     

    Whenever a student is absent, parents are requested to call the Attendance Office at 457-2400 x 12507 with a brief explanation of the absence.

                  New York State Law mandates that a written excuse, signed by the parents be sent to school      explaining the nature of each absence IN ADDITION to calling the Attendance Office.

    Students are late after 9:15 am, and must be signed in to school by an adult at the front desk.  A written excuse is also requested when a student is late getting to school.

    National research shows that chronically absent kindergarteners demonstrate lower academic     performance than their peers once they move into higher grades.

    “One in 10 kindergarten and 1st grade students miss at least a month of school every year national

    research shows.” Unexcused absences at all grade levels become a bigger problem in secondary school. It is

    the bad attendance habits in the beginning years that lead to skipping school at the secondary level.       

     

    Health Office, Mrs. Webb

    Now that we are in fall and winter is fast approaching, so is the dreaded flu season.  Please remind your children to wash their hands frequently.  They should cough or sneeze into their elbows and blow their nose into tissues.  Those tissues should be thrown out immediately.  If your child does have a fever, they need to stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.  This will help them to recover quickly and prevent the spread of illness.  Please notify the attendance line of your child’s illness at EXT 12570 and send a note upon their return to school.

     

    The cooler weather is also coming quickly.  We try to go outside for recess as much as possible. Please make sure your children are dressed appropriately for outside recess each day.  We do encourage using layers in the classroom, such as a sweater or sweatshirt over a t-shirt.  Some children are hot while others feel cold in the same room. 

    MATH- Mrs. Boriello

    Parents and guardians have incredible opportunities to shape their children’s mathematical futures. Each month will be a new tip to help transform your child’s thinking about math.


    Tip #1: Encourage children to play math puzzles and games!

    “Award winning mathematician, Sarah Flannery reported that her maths achievement and enthusiasm came not from school but from the puzzles she was given to solve at home. Puzzles and games – anything with a dice really – will help kids enjoy math, and develop 1 number sense, which is critically important.”

    -Jo Boaler, Stanford University

    https://www.youcubed.org/resource/parent-resources/


    https://www.mathplayground.com/  A variety of math games, including Thinking Blocks, which

    helps kids practice drawing models for word problems.

    https://talkingmathwithkids.com/  Talk about math with your child as we and they encounter numbers and shapes in our everyday lives.

    Math Games with just a pair of dice

    Remember, EVERYONE is a mathematician!

    Student Council , Mrs. Guidry-Advisor 

    Congratulations to our 2019-2020 Student Council Classroom Representatives:


                          5th  Grade                               4th Grade

    Meghan Bishop                                     Avery Dinino

    Kara Johnson                                        Madison Jewett

    Jonna Jurgens                                      Giorgianna Landon                               

    Chloe LeBrun-Greeen                             Olias Tierney

    Mia Oberpriller

    Savannah Sullivan


    I am looking forward to working with all these amazing students! 
    For the month of November we would like to invite you to participate in an annual tradition here at East Coldenham. Each year the teachers and staff of EC donate turkeys and we ask the students to donate the fixings to fill Thanksgiving Baskets for those families in our community that may otherwise go without. Please help us make this a wonderful holiday for all!
    Here is a list of what we need:

    Kindergarten – Pie Crust and Pie Filling

    1st Grade - Instant Mashed Potatoes and/or Stuffing Mix

    2nd Grade - Canned Vegetable and/or Bread Mixes

    3rd Grade – Gravy, Broth (chicken/turkey) and/or Cranberry Sauce

    4th Grade - Mushroom Soup and/or French Fried Onions

    5th Grade – Fruit Juice, Canned Yams and/or Marshmallows

     Due by Wednesday, November 20th

    Yearbooks can only be purchased at online! 

    Don’t miss out…order your…YEARBOOK!
    This is a high quality, full color yearbook with 40 picture packed pages. Our front cover and back cover have been designed by some of our very own fifth graders!
     Get your order in today! Limited Quantity!


    The cost is $16.75 (plus tax) per yearbook. To purchase a yearbook please visit

    http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09875362


    NO CASH OR CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED

    Sale ends March 27th 

     

     

                                           From our Student Assistance Counselor, Allie Riker 

     

    My Support System

    A child’s support system consists of the people that can help them in their everyday lives.  Today’s youth are battling a crazy fast-paced world. With so many options and opportunities, school is just one part of their lives.  This month, the building theme here at East Coldenham is “My Support System.” Classroom guidance lessons will focus on having students identify their support systems both at school and at home.  Let’s look at the benefits of building a support system that will allow our children to flourish and grow.

    • It teaches children to trust others. Children must learn to trust and rely on other people, so when their parents or primary caregivers can’t be there, they feel comfortable being cared for by someone else.

     

    • It gives children a sense of independence. The first play date, the first school trip, the first sleepover. All these momentous occasions give children independence. They are not with their family.  They are out of their comfort zone. It is a big step. The more extended your child’s support system is, the more often they will step outside their comfort zone and will become confident and happy with a range of different people. Independence will help them in many social situations, at school and certainly later in life.

     

    • It gives children a feeling of safety. Things happen. Sometimes parents can’t always make school or bus stop pick-up. Occasionally, caregivers can’t get to where they need to be and kids need to know this.  But they should also know that there will always be someone to take your place and be at that bus stop or at that chorus concert.  

     

    • It gives children people to turn to for advice. If your child has a support system wrapped around their lives, they have much more than just the practicalities of getting them from A to B and back again. They have a group of people they can turn to for advice and support. Children are constantly developing. They have issues, fears and inhibitions. The more people your child can turn to, the better. And don’t worry if it isn’t you. As long as your child is talking to someone you trust, it is a good thing.

     

    • It encourages children to reach out and to offer support in return. A support system is not a take-take thing. It is about relationships, friendships, loyalty and trust. In order to make it work, people must offer support in return. These are brilliant values and lessons to instill in our children. It is ok to reach out for help when you need it, even for something as simple as a ride to a soccer game.  But always be there to return the favors. At the end the day, this is how the world goes round, so we may as well teach our children to spin happily on it now.

    Source: beanstalkmoms.com

    CITIZEN OF THE MONTH

    Tyler Ashcroft

    Isabella Barone

    Aiden Cotthaus

    Wyatt Cundiff

    Avery Dinino

    Meghan Fenner

    Tyler Gonzalez

    Damien Hall

    Karlee Hoffman

    Carter Jewett

    Liam Mitchell

    Silas Mitchell

    Davis O’Rourke

    Nor Petrarca

    Isabella Rico-Pittner

    Anntony Rodriguez

    Hunter Wilson

     

     

     

     

     
     
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