Dear Families,

I want to thank you all for celebrating my birthday. I received a lovely bouquet of flowers and a heartfelt card, lots of hugs and words of thanks. This was a total surprise for me. The writing on the card made me cry.  They were tears of appreciation and love.  I am truly honored to have a wonderful group of loving parents who care about the future of our children and the programs we service.  Also, I  want to thank you for the wonderful Christmas presents and lovely cards I have been receiving. I am truly blessed to have each one of you in my life.

 I want to take this time to wish you and your families a Happy Holiday Season; may the New Year bring a new found wisdom of hope, happiness, love and peace. This is a time of celebration, appreciation and spreading love with

loved ones.  Happy Holidays!

Love Diadel

Session 3 programs

Hot off the Press!

Session 3 programs and Activity Forms for grades 2-5th.

1st graders have a New Program starting on  January 5, 2015.

1st Grade Parents must confirm their child will continue to attend Community Connections or fill out the Activity Form payment side.

Check out the forms on the Page Section of the Blog.

All Forms must be in by Tuesday, December 23, 2014. (to secure your spot)

Payment for Session 3 is due on January 9, 2015.

1st grade Program starting in January 2015

Dear Parents,

                  

  Welcome to one of the most incredible years your child will have in his/her school career!  First grade is an exciting time as children embark upon new adventures in the world of learning. This is a year of important transitions, as well as acquiring  new skills.  First graders develop fundamental work habits, appropriate social behavior, problem solving and decision making skills and of course academic skills.  This is why,I have decided to design a fun and learning program for CC first grade students.

Starting in January, we will offer our own 1^st grade program in conjunction with project based learning.  This program will be held in a classroom with extra time for fun and educational benefits.  We will be based in a classroom with two wonderful new teachers who have a background in early education.

I will be working closely with them on designing a program that will benefit and support students learning. Your child will grow and develop learning skills through art, dance, music, science, and interacting in new activities. Mostly, your child will be learning to become an effective learner, develop and extend their minds. These projects are inspired and driven by children’s interests and natural curiosities. Project-Based Leaning immerses youth in valuable team-building, problem solving, and community engagement experiences. By going on neighborhood field trips, having special guests and collaborating with community partners, these projects evolve as youth explore the connections between different aspects of the project. Each project culminates in an event that invites participation from families and friends to create an authentic community experience.

For the first week in January, student will walk up directly to the classroom assigned to CC first graders. Each day we will embark on a new skill to improve learning while having fun. CC time and schedule will change just a bit to acquire some skill building time. They will continue to have recess, snack and program time. The cost does not change. This will be a wonderful program for 1st grade students.

We look forward to working with your child and making this program a great learning and fun place to be. If you have any questions or concerns email me or call my office phone.

Sincerely,

Diadel Ortiz

Community Connections

Program Director

diadelO@mpsvt.org

802-225-8259

Bullying Lesson

What is Bullying?

Dear Parents or Guardians:

Last month we talked about what is bullying?

Bullying is when someone does something on purpose to make you feel bad or hurts you and it’s hard to make them stop.

•  Students asked questions to clarify information about the story and the situation.
• Students examined the details of the situation. We reviewed the facts with them.
• Encouraged the exploration of different perspectives(the bullied students and the students who bullies).
• Encouraged discussion by asking open-ended questions. Questions that will help them develop sensitivity, empathy and encourage them to treat others the way they would want to be treated.
• Help students explore possible solutions. Facilitate their effort to select the best solution (s). Ask them to select and rank the top three or four preferred solutions
• Role played.

At the end of each lesson, we review major points and decisions made during the session.

Books we have read:

1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- by Judith Viost
2. The brand New Kid-by Katie Couric
3. The secret Bully- by Trudy Ludwig

After reading each book, I asked the children the following questions:

1. Was there bullying?
2. Who was bullied?
3. Who was the bully?
4. What happen? (What type of bullying is there?)
5. How did the person being bullied feel?
6. What did they do in the book to stop the bullying?

Here is a helpful chart to review with your child.

What is bullying? • Acts that hurt someone. • Acts that are done on purpose. • It’s hard to make the bully stop. What does bullying look like? • Physical (hitting, kicking, biting, throwing things, etc.) • Verbal (name calling, teasing, taunting, insulting, etc.) • Relational (gossip, exclusion or leaving people out, telling people not to be your friends, not letting you play). • Cyber-bullying (mean text-messages or internet activity) How does bullying make people feel? • Bad. • Sad. • Mad. • Anxious • Afraid • Hopeless • Like no one likes them • Like they don’t want to come to school. Classroom rules against bullying. *You don’t need to include all of the rules, you should have 3-6 rules that you can post in your classroom. • Don’t bully other students. Don't tease, call each other names or put downs. Don't shove, kick, punch or hit. Help others that are being bullied by speaking out or getting adult help. Try to include all classmates in our activities. Listen to other's opinions and respect differences. • Treat each other with respect and kindness.