February 2020 Newsletter

As we enter the second half of the year and winter is upon us, please pay careful attention to the weather for school delays and closings. Announcements regarding school closings and delays will be sent via a School Messenger call as well as listed on WBNG and our local radio stations. Please remember that breakfast will not be served on days where there is a weather delay. Our teachers are continuing to prepare students for grades 3-5 NYS Assessments. The ELA assessment will be computer based again this year for all grade levels and the math assessment will be computer based for 4th grade only this year. Our Father-Daughter Sweetheart dance will take place on February 14th, I hope to see you there!

UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, February 14 Sweetheart Dance – 6:00-8:00 pm in the old gym. Tickets are now $9.00 if you have not already purchased one ($2.00 each additional student). Monday, Feb. 17 – Friday, Feb. 21 President’s Day Recess- No School

20 Reasons to Read Aloud to Your Child (shared by Mrs. Scuorzo) 1. It develops a child’s listening skills. 2. It activates the imagination. 3. It provides interesting family conversation topics. 4. It provides important language modeling. 5. It develops a child’s ability to think critically. 6. It enhances a child’s ability to think symbolically. 7. It stimulates writing abilities. 8. It’s fun! 9. It’s an inexpensive form of entertainment. 10. It increases a child’s attention span. 11. It provides a peaceful family activity. 12. It develops a child’s desire to read. 13. It models a rewarding lifelong habit. 14. It gives a child the sense of language rhythm. 15. It helps to pattern neural pathways that are developing. 16. It expands a child’s vocabulary. 17. It increases a child’s ability to concentrate. 18. It gives a child needed practice in predicting information. 19. It expands a child’s world view. 20. It’s the single most important thing a parent can do to help a child succeed in school.

Afton Odyssey of the Mind Team (submitted by Ms. Najarian) Odyssey of the Mind is a creative thinking program that allows 5 to 7 students to work together as a team without adult input to solve a problem that will be presented and judged at a regional competition. This is the first time in many years that Afton has had an Odyssey of the Mind team. Afton’s Odyssey team, made up of a group of 5th grade students, has worked hard starting in November to solve their team-chosen problem involving a hairy bigfoot, an effective detective, and a large bird they call Annabelle. They will be presenting this problem to a group of judges at the Odyssey of the Mind competition on February 15th, 2020 at the Regional Competition taking place at Harrold Campus DCMO BOCES. Wishing the best of luck to our Afton Odyssey team!

Afton Elementary School

from the PTO:

The Ninth Annual Sweetheart Dance sponsored by the Afton

PTO will be held on Friday, February 14th from 6-8 pm in

the Old Gym. Flyers have been sent home in Friday Folders;

more are available in the Elementary Office. We hope to see you all there! Have a very

happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day

If your child is bringing in Valentine’s cards, please make sure they have one for all their classmates. A list of students will be sent home in Friday folders.

Knights of the Month Pre-K: Donnie Vincent Kindergarten: Gabriel Romero 1st Grade: Driss Aababouch 2nd Grade: Briella Fendick 3rd Grade: Isaiah Hopkins 4th Grade: Daniel Hubbard 5th Grade: Chance Smith

Great Effort Awards Connor Konz Molly Hosier Ivan Lans McKenna Carpenter Owen Rogers Madelynn Hauptmann Carter Silvernail Briella Fendick Faith Latsachack-Lockwood Raiden Gove Mia Spry Riley Ray Krysta Olshefski Bradley Spry Sophia McCumber

Perfect Attendance, Second Marking Period Driss Aababouch

Aiden Baxter Anna Baxter Hunter Brett

Trenton Buterbaugh Katelynn Chamberlain

Kaley Copeland Dominick Cutting Grady DeGaramo

Kayden Harris Isaiah Hopkins Logan Hosier Kenneth Hoyt

Matthew Hutton Madison Joslin Justin Kehoe

Gavin Matthews Aubrey Patrick

BrookeLee Patrick Curtis Poss

Isabella Ragusa Kaysysmaely Rodriguez

McKenna Ross Mason Sherwood Cornelius Vroman

Cooper Warren Hannah Woodruff

Outstanding Walker Awards Aralynn All & Ivan Lans

Safe Bus Rider Awards Cole Sheikowitz & Briella Fendick

4th Grade High Honor Roll Cavin All Derriana Bell Katelynn Chamberlain Gavin Matthews Aubrey Patrick Isabella Ragusa McKenna Ross Hunter Scott Alaysia Thomas

4th Grade Honor Roll Kassondra Beckwith Derrick Bell, Jr. Tabitha Charette Jackari Garipoli Tristan Gassert Justin Kehoe Emma Locke Aiden Masse Joshua Medina Lucas Mills Rebecca Nonnenberg Riley Ray Leah Sayman Jordan Strong

5th Grade High Honor Roll Daniel Anstey II Kate Baciuska Kiandre Bell Logan Hosier Emma Mueller Zoe Payne Julian Terrell Jenna Wilson Hannah Woodruff

5th Grade Honor Roll Sophia McCumber Vanessa Palmatier Abbey Paoletti Levi Russell Cooper Warren

Student Recognitions

In the ART room with Mrs. Sabol

5th grade students are drawing their state flowers in the style of Georgia

O’Keeffe. Students have been learning about the states in Social Studies,

computers and library, and are now making connections in art as well. The fourth-grade classes have been learning

about printmaking and creating their own series of prints. Third graders are taking inspiration from Burton Morris to

create a symmetrical cut paper tile, while the 2nd grade just completed

landscapes with symmetry, space and SPLATTER PAINT! We’ve been trying

different methods to paint in 1st grade and playing with shapes in

Kindergarten. Be on the lookout for all of the incredible art being created by our

students!

Counselor’s Corner (submitted by Ms. Brownell) Hi Families, Happy February! I hope that everyone has had a healthy and safe winter so far! I just wanted to share an upcoming event in case anyone might be interested. Hospice of Chenango County is holding an event for all school-aged children called “Valentine Making”. This event will involve making valentines while sharing any feelings and/or experiences regarding grief. Dinner and materials will be provided! This event will take place on February 12th from 5-6 p.m. This event will be located at the Hospice of Chenango County office: 21 Hayes St. Norwich NY, 13815. If you are interested in attending, please register by calling: (607)-334-3556.

Music News (from Mr. Bittner) Four students represented Afton Elementary School at the ACAMT All-County winter music festival on January 25th. The students were selected out of the best young musicians in Chenango and Delaware Counties. Pictured are Sophia M.(clarinet), BrookeLee P. (clarinet), Kate B. (flute), and Hannah W. (clarinet).

Violet the Goat (submitted by Mrs. Batsford) Mrs. James kindly brought in one of her baby goats for elementary students to visit during the afternoon on Friday, January 24. Several classes/grade levels, including Mrs. Batsford’s first grade class, took advantage of the opportunity to pet and learn a little about goats. This was a great opportunity for children. They learned that goats can be house trained, need their mother’s milk to survive when very young, and need shelter to keep warm. Thank you, Mrs. James, for sharing little Violet with us for the afternoon.

Counselor’s Corner (submitted by Mrs. Wurtz) Feeling Stressed? Unfortunately, stress is a part of everyone’s life. There is good stress and bad stress. Good stress can add to our lives by keeping us motivated or warning us when we encounter possible danger. Bad stress, on the other hand, can seem overwhelming and cause us to feel uncomfortable or even sick. Kids, like adults, feel stress too! Here are a few tips that can help with stress:

1. TAKE TIME TO BELLY BREATHE: Mindful breathing helps the body to relax by helping to increase blood flow to the brain, making our thoughts clearer and more defined.

2. MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY: Getting 8-10 hours of sleep each night can reduce feelings or irritability, anxiety, and even depression.

3. SAY NO TO THINGS YOU CANNOT FIT IN: Overscheduling can create one of the biggest stressors for kids as they are expected to pay attention in school for six hours, then excel in extracurricular activities, and complete their schoolwork. It’s okay to “say no” to some commitments.

4. SCHEDULE SOME “ME TIME” EVERY DAY: Even if it’s only 15-minutes, take time to “unplug” from everything and do something you really enjoy, or maybe even do NOTHING at all.

5. PREPARE IN ADVANCE FOR THE NEXT DAY: A stressful morning can lead to an even more stressful day, so do as much as you can to prepare the night before by picking out your clothes or packing your lunch or backpack. This will help your morning be less hectic or rushed!

6. SCHEDULE TIME TO ACTIVELY PLAY: Fun is the key! Having fun and laughing can re-energize and motivate us to keep going!

7. EXERCISE: Physical exercise enhances the brain’s ability to release endorphins that combat stress

8. MAKE A LIST: Writing down things that need to get done allows you to clear your thoughts and make priorities. What’s even better is getting to reward yourself by crossing off each completed task!

** Keep in mind that when it comes to stress, kids often use the strategies they see the adults in their lives using. Adults have the power to show children how to use these coping strategies in the most effective ways.

(This article was written with information from the National Center for Youth Issues, and the book by Julia Cook called “I’m Stretched.”)