Principal Newsletter 9/2

Thursday, September 2, 2021

  • There is NO school tomorrow, Friday, September 3.  Monday, September 6 school will also be closed in observance of Labor Day.  We will reopen at 8:25 to welcome students back into school on Tuesday, September 7th.

  • Please send your child in with a water bottle.  We only have water bottle filling stations.  We no longer have a fountain to get a drink.  

  • Next week, I’ll share the names of students who’ve made our Wall of Fame for turning in their summer reading log!  Yay!  If you still have it at home, there’s still time, bring it in after the long weekend.

  • Staff have noticed a lot of ‘fidgets’ that students are bringing in from home.  The school, with the assistance of our Occupational Therapist, has school appropriate fidgets for students on 504’s and IEPs.  Here is a note from Ms. Linda Gordon, OT for the Gill-Montague Regional School District to shed some light on these tools, not toys:

Fidgets are self-regulation tools to help with focus, attention, calming and active listening.  A fidget is an object preferably small enough to fit in one hand that can be manipulated in some  way (squeezed, stretched).  The use of these items in the classroom should be limited to students who require tactile input, movement and self-regulation to enhance their learning.  Fidget tools should be quiet so they do not distract others in the classroom.  Fidgets can be used to increase on task behaviors, controlling emotions, sitting still in the seat to free up their brains for critical thinking, reading, communication and getting thoughts on paper.  

 

The following rules should be followed when using fidgets in the classroom. Using a fidget is a privilege, one you can lose if you are not respecting other students around you when using it.

 

  • Only use the fidget tools during times approved by the teacher.

  • Hand fidget tools are meant to be held, not thrown, tossed, dropped, or bounced

  • Fidgets should be used just for you, don’t distract other classmates or interfere with their learning

  • When not in use, you need to keep them out of sight and put them back (inside their desk or in a fidget box)

  • Choose when to use the fidgets wisely, only use the item if it will help you focus, pay attention, and be more productive.

 

A good fidget tool:

  • Is quiet and safe

  • Can be used without looking, so the user can focus on the lesson

  • Can be used out of other children’s eyesight to eliminate distraction

  • Meets your student’s sensory needs (some prefer certain textures while others avoid them)

  • Fits your student’s physical abilities (they must have the fine motor skills or strength to use the tool

  • When not in use, you need to keep them out of sight and put them back (inside their desk or in a fidget box)

  • Choose when to use the fidgets wisely, only use the item if it will help you focus, pay attention, and be more productive)

Examples of appropriate fidgets are:  Putty,  Marble fidgets, stress balls, silicone squares, small bean bags, therabands, velcro on desk.

Examples of INAPPROPRIATE fidgets are: action figures, spinners, snapper tools, cars, anything requiring two hands to manipulate.

Used properly, fidget tools can make a world of difference for some children in a busy classroom environment.

  • Our busses pick students up behind the school.  The drivers are very concerned about the vehicles that are parking along the ballfield.  They are nervous they may clip a vehicle.  When picking up your child in the afternoon, please park in a designated parking space.  If the parking lot is full, consider parking on either Crocker Ave or Marshall Street.

  • Save the date, School Pictures will be Thursday, September 23.  Ordering forms will be forthcoming.

 

Have a fantastic extra long weekend!  

Warmly,

Melissa Pitrat, Principal