Colchester Elementary School

Dear Families,

As we begin the month of February, we are excited to share some activities that we have planned for Black History and Kindness Month. Our goal is to have Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) featured and celebrated in our classrooms throughout the school year in the books we are reading.  With that being said, we’d like this February’s Black History Month to feature and celebrate BIPOC in our classrooms. 

What will we be doing as a CES Community to Celebrate Black History Month and promote kindness?

• Each week on the morning announcements, Mrs. Amado will highlight influential African Americans. We will focus on celebrating the positive contributions of black individuals in a variety of areas. As discussions take place in classrooms throughout the month, students may discuss how their identity and race is different from others, and these differences make us all unique and make our community diverse and special. At CES, we celebrate the differences in all of our students!

• We have a school-wide collaborative project that we will do to bring our school together.  The focus of the month of February will be “Kindness Makes Us Bloom.”

Empathy is a strong part of our C.A.R.E.S.  curriculum. Learning to display kindness and compassion for others is a critical  and ongoing developmental process and an important part of young children’s  evolving social skills. One of the most important social skills a child can learn is  empathy. Being able to understand how another person is feeling and recognizing their needs helps people connect to one another. 

Here are a few examples of instructional strategies that promote a kind and supportive learning environment: 

• Classroom meetings which are used to foster social skill and behaviors i.e.;  greeting others, discussing issues, establishing rapport, and promoting  community 

• Modeling and practicing acts of kindness in our classrooms, school, and the  community 

• Sharing and discussing literature about kindness and empathy

• Providing students with a variety of ways throughout the day to encourage  self-regulation, introducing and modeling ways students can self  assess/reflect on their feelings in a situation, and building strategies that will  help develop perspective taking which will result in a supportive learning  environment and ultimately increase student engagement in learning. 

CES community’s commitment to providing a supportive learning environment is apparent in our school-wide motto, “Soar to Success at CES; A community that  C.A.R.E.S”. The acronym C.A.R.E.S. stands for Cooperation, Assertion, Respect,  Empathy, and Self-control.  

As always, we thank you for your continued support and partnership. CES looks forward to celebrating Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) this month and throughout our school year. 

Be well,

Judy O’Meara                 Meghan Amado

Principal                       Assistant Principal

CES NEWS and EVENTS

Virtual Illustrator Visit with Chris Eliopoulos from the I Am series: Order I am Muhammad Ali or I am Malala Yousafzai that he has illustrated: Order form

Lego Donation: Donate legos to out lego room to help our students innovate.

New LOST and FOUND Items: Take a look at the lost and found items located in the CES lobby

COLCHESTER YOUTH SPORTS

Registration for Colchester Youth Lacrosse is Open! Do your kids like to play basketball, soccer, or hockey? Lacrosse combines skills from all three sports. The spring 2022 season runs from March until the beginning of June. The program is open to boys and girls from Kindergarten thru 8th grade. Follow the link for more information and to register online. colchesterlax.org

CES PTO NEWS

January Newsletter

Valentine's Day Grams: send a Valentine's Gram to a friend, due by Feb. 4th

Free Family Science Night: Join us Wednesday February 2nd from 6-7:30 pm 

 Birthday Grams:Celebrate your child's birthday and support the PTO at the same time.

ES Spirit wear flyer: It's time to order your CES spirit wear!

Join the PTO: Membership Form