NewBrook Families,
This past winter storm was intense. The snow creates a lot of work and expense, and the cold can create stresses as well. Please reach out if you need a hand.
Our Winter Activities programming continues tomorrow! Thanks to families for preparing the children, thanks to our staff for supporting them, and thanks to West River Transportation for their prompt and safe bus travel. Please have a look on Facebook for our smiling faces!
January is a busy month for our teachers here at school. We have almost completed our Winter Benchmark Assessments, and now we are working together to prepare our report cards. While we originally planned to send them home on Friday, due to the snow day, we are now sending them home on Monday, February 2. You can expect to receive the results of our Benchmark ELA and Mathematics testing with your child's report card.
It is my intention to communicate the information that NewBrook families need to know in this newsletter. Please offer me your suggestions about our methods of family communication. And do not hesitate to call or email me to set up an appointment if you have any questions or concerns. Please let us know when difficulties arise. We would love to help and we all have time for you!
Scotty Tabachnick, School Principal
We are a community of kind, responsible learners.
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Jan 28 - Third Day of Winter Activities
Feb 2 - All School Sing 8:30 AM
Feb 2 - Family Input Group meeting 9:30 AM
Feb 9 - 13 - Spirit Week!
Feb 11 - Fourth Day of Winter Activities
Feb 13 - Estimated 100th Day of School
Feb 18 - Fifth Day of Winter Activities*
Feb 23 - Mar 2 - Winter Break no school
Mar 4 - Sixth Day of Winter Activities*
Mar 9 - All School Sing 8:30 AM
Mar 9 - FIG Meeting (AKA PAC) 9:15 AM
Mar 18 - Final Day of Winter Activities*
Apr 2 - Spelling Bee Fundraiser 6:00 PM
* See note below about our Winter Activities
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All School Sing - Our next All School Sings will be on Monday, February 2, at 8:30. We hope to see you there!
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Family Input Group - Every month, right after our All School Sing, the Family Input Group meets in our multi-purpose room. Please follow this link to our agenda.
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Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Update: This month, we are focused upon earning pennies with our “sharing,” hoping to earn a school-wide celebration: Winter Wonderland Recess with Hot Cocoa. Thanks to our generous and hardworking PTO for collaborating with staff to create this incentive event! When we meet the goal, earning 24 "falcon bucks,” our generous PTO will then donate real money to the Windham County Humane Society. Nice!
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Winter Activities Update - Our Winter Activities schedule is a little complicated this year. We have always offered our students six experiences, and we need to plan around the "black out dates" at Stratton. On February 18, we will plan activities at NewBrook for all of our JISP students. On March 18, we will plan activities at NewBrook for all of our Gymnastics and Ice skating students.
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Working Hard: The PTO is currently planning multiple fundraisers and events. These include a Read-a-thon, Cocoa Recess PBIS Celebration, Teacher Appreciation Week, Spring Flower sale, and more! Join our mailing list or come to a meeting to find out how to be involved.
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5th Grade Collaboration: We are working together with the 5th grade class to help them earn money for field trips. They'll be taking the lead on some bingo nights in the future, and potentially participating in other fundraising projects.
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Next Meeting: Join us on Thursday, February 12th at 8:30 AM - bring your coffee cup and your ideas! And, and always, email newbrookpto@gmail.com to reach us.
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How Parents' Calm Can Impact Child/Teen Behavior - Calm adults matter to kids of all ages, including tweens and teens. Young people need secure spaces to understand their thoughts and feelings. As a parent, you are a constant role model. Pretending nothing ever upsets you misses a chance to show your child how to manage stress. It’s powerful to name how you calm yourself: “I’m too upset right now to decide or give consequences. I want to think instead of react. I love you, and we’ll talk when I’m ready.” Then take care of yourself and return grounded - modeling the skills you want your teen to learn. Keep reading.
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Parents: Your Voice Matters! - If you have a child in grade 6-12, please take a few minutes (about 5) to complete our anonymous survey on youth mental health and substance use. Your feedback will help us share valuable insights with parents and guide future programs and resources for our community. Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Fall25WCPP. Your voice matters, thank you for helping make a difference.
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Health Reminder - If your child has a fever of 100.4 or greater, they need to remain home from school. They may return to school only after being fever free (without the use of fever reducing medications) for 24 hours. If your child has been vomiting or having diarrhea, they need to remain home until they have been 24 hrs with no vomiting or diarrhea. For further information on the schools health policy please visit our website at https://nbes.windhamcentral.org
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After School Planning Reminder - Please be sure to communicate your after school plans to your child’s classroom teacher and Priscilla Halvey, our Administrative Assistant (phalvey@windhamcentral.org). We need documentation (either email, phone call, or a written note) for any changes to your regular plan prior to 2:00 PM daily. We will follow the regular plan unless we have received notification directly from the family.
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Recess-Ready Reminder - Here at NewBrook, we spend time outside almost every day! Please send your children to school with clothing and outerwear that is appropriate for the weather. This time of year, the temperature varies widely throughout the day, so please keep that in mind! Thank you! If your child comes home with clothing that is not yours, please launder it and send it back to school so we have clothing and outerwear to lend. Please try to label your child’s clothing…our lost and found is getting bigger and bigger!
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THANK YOU to the NEWBROOK PTO! - Again, a HUGE thank you to our PTO for all that they have done for our programming and our students! The NewBrook PTO are truly incredible in their organization, their diligence and their efforts to make our school a great place to learn and to work.
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Calendaring - You can find our Google Calendar on our website. If you would like to add it to your Google calendar, so you can overlay it with calendars you use, go to the bottom righthand corner of the calendar, and click the Google button. If you need a hand, please send me an email, or give me a call.
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Family Support - We know that, at times, things get tough for our families. I encourage you to call or email us, if you or your family are in crisis. Our understanding of the assets available in the community make us a wonderful resource for families who need a hand. We are here to serve you. Please reach out to Carrie Towle, our School Counselor at ctowle@windhamcentral.org, Bre Madison, our School Social Worker, at bmadison@windhamcentral.org, or Scotty Tabachnick, our School Principal, at stabachnick@windhamcentral.org
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Curriculum and Instruction - Our Curriculum and Instruction web page outlines the curriculum we employ, and the standards that we teach. All of our programming is intended to create cohesion among schools in the WCSU, while respecting and enhancing the professionalism and creativity of our instructors.
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Volunteering Opportunities @ NewBrook - Our school community is enriched by the volunteer efforts from our families. Please consider offering your time. Our PTO meets once a month (remote/ in-person). Contact Sara Webb for more information. Our Family Input Group (FIG) meets monthly (after our All School Sing!) to discuss issues important to NewBrook students, staff and families. Contact Scotty Tabachnick for more information. Our Farm to School team meets several times throughout the year to plan educational and social events that revolve around sustainability, local procurement, and place-based and environmental education. Contact Amy Duffy to learn more. If you enjoy books, our Librarian, Monica Sullivan, is looking for help shelving books and organizing our library collection. If you are interested, please contact Monica Sullivan.
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School Meals - NewBrook offers universal free meals for all students. Lunch Menus are available online at our school website, and will also be sent home in physical form prior to the beginning of each month. Please send your children with water bottles; we have a bottle filling station here at school.
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