QUASHNET SCHOOL

It’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years--Abraham Lincoln

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.--Leo Aikman

Remember to click on the page tabs at the top of this blog, particularly "This Week" to see this week's scheduled happenings.

GROWTH MINDSET: WITH TIME AND EFFORT I CAN IMPROVE!

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. Never stop challenging yourself.

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." Maya Angelou

I need to be seen. I need to be heard. I need to be respected. I need to be safe. I need to belong. When all of my basic needs are met. . . then. . . I’m ready to learn. (Anonymous)

REMINDER: IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY, PLEASE CHOOSE A PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE APPOINTMENT--CLICK ATTACHED LETTER FOR THE WEB ADDRESS:

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE SIGN-UP LETTER

Dear Quashnet School Community,

We hope that our Quashnet families and staff are adjusting to the end of Daylight Saving Time and that you stayed safe and warm during our windy and snow-flurry-filled Sunday. I hope this is not a sign of a snowy winter!

Yesterday's annual Quashnet School Craft Fair was wonderful. A special thank you to Colleen Austin who was in charge of this event. Thank you also to Renee Geiszler, Erika Baron, and Amy Rullo for all of their work on this event. Thank you to the many other parents, staff members, and students who also volunteered at/supported this event. This is the PTO's major fundraiser for the year. Our school community is so grateful for all the ways they provide support to our school and for all that they do to make our school better.

Last week's bus evacuation drill went very smoothly. Our sixth grade helpers did an excellent job of helping everyone calmly and safely exit the bus.
Thank you to Amy Rullo and her team of volunteers for providing our students and families with an outstanding Scholastic Book Fair experience. We greatly appreciate the amount of time Amy gave to this event. Our Book Fair breakfasts were well-attended and gave families an opportunity for a little extra time to spend together.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR PLANNER FOR THIS WEEK:

PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LEFT-OVER AND DONATED HALLOWEEN CANDY FOR OUR COLLECTION FOR TROOPS SERVING OVERSEAS.

MONDAY, 11/3: BOOK FAIR--FINAL DAY
MONDAY, 11/3: HALF DAY FOR STUDENTS—11:30 AM DISMISSAL; STAFF PD IN PM
TUESDAY, 11/4: STATE ELECTION DAY—VOTING AT QUASHNET
TUESDAY, 11/4: NO BEFORE OR AFTER-SCHOOL STUDENT ACTIVITIES
WEDNESDAY, 11/5: QUASHNET PARENT COFFEES (7-7:45 AM and 5:15 – 6 PM)
FRIDAY, 11/7: FANCY DRESS DAY AND/OR WEAR RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
FRIDAY, 11/7: VETERANS' DAY ASSEMBLY AND LUNCHEON (10 – 12 NOON)
MONDAY, 11/10: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS; STAFF PROFESSIONAL DAY
TUESDAY, 11/11: VETERANS' DAY--NO SCHOOL
     We honor and give thanks to our veterans and the brave military men and women who protect our freedoms and our way of life. Please take time on Veterans Day to say “THANK YOU” to all serviceman and women, past and present. We are grateful for their sacrifices and those of their families.
Helping to Make our School and our Community Better
      We continually strive to create a school environment and a community that is free of bullying. MARC, the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, affliliated with Bridgewater University, provides bullying and cyberbullying research, programs, and resources to help with this goal. ( http://marccenter.webs.com/ )
        Important to the process of creating a kinder, more supportive and safe environment for our students—free of bullying—is to address “gateway behaviors” by using a quick and easy intervention. Gateway behaviors are negative and unkind verbal and nonverbal actions. A couple of examples are laughing at someone when it is not appropriate or rolling one’s eyes in response to what someone is saying or doing. All adults, at school and outside of school, need to reinforce with our children that gateway behaviors are offensive and not allowed. We can change our culture by noticing every single gateway behavior and by addressing the gateway offender. Take one or two seconds to notice the gateway behavior. Then take another 5-7 seconds to let the offender know that you find the behavior offensive—that it bothers you. It is a quick and to-the-point response—no debating. We can make our Quashnet School community and the Mashpee community a better place by working together to eliminate gateway behaviors. Don’t ever forget that all adults in a child’s life serve as role models—molding tomorrow’s leaders. Think about the lessons we teach our children as they observe our own behaviors.
Family Literacy Month
In Massachusetts, November has been declared “Family Literacy Month.” Parents are a child’s first and most influential teachers. Family literacy stresses the word “family,” as family members are essential in supporting learning at home, at school, and in the community. Parents play specific roles in children’s literacy development: creating a literacy-rich environment, sharing reading and writing activities, acting as reading models, and demonstrating positive attitudes toward education. A strong educational environment at home can be a major factor in reinforcing the home-school connection. Some suggested activities for families: Set aside time each day for literacy related activities—read for 20 to 30 minutes; share and discuss current news, sports, cultural, or school events, make regular visits to a library, create family portfolios reflecting pictures, stories, poems, and drawings with captions, and use everyday activities to incorporate literacy—develop shopping lists, read signs, count money, cook together, and discuss book versions of movies you watch together. Students of all ages do better in school when they are reading, writing, and participating in literacy and other learning activities with their families.
"The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” Mark Twain
“There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.” Frank Serafini
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Gandhi