During Reading Workshop we...

• Looked at the cover, title, and pictures and thought - "how do the pages go together."
• Used our fingers to search out everything on the page.
• Looked for patterns in the pictures and words.
• Learned about how books are organized in our classroom library.
• Started practicing sight words - everyone has received his/her own sight word ring.

Shared reading is when the whole class reads together. Quite often, the reading is a familiar Nursery Rhyme or poem, or memorable text. We read the same piece each day, and by the end of the week the students are reading it on their own!  Our shared reading this week was Jack and Jill.  We found sight words in the nursery rhyme.  A copy of it should be in your child's Holmes School folder.  Feel free to practice!


During Writing Workshop we...

• Learned that we are all storytellers!
• We practiced telling stories and then putting our stories on paper.
• Learned that writers think of a story, draw their story, and add words or labels.
• When we're done we can...add to the picture, add to the words, start a new story!
• Chanted letter names, sounds, and pictures to match the sounds. 

During Math Workshop we...

• Used the math racks to build numbers.
• Sorted objects based on a rule - color, size, shape, type.
• Practiced our math centers routine.
• Used Dreambox in the computer lab!

Science/Social Studies - We learned about single-stream recycling.  We practiced checking the recycling chart to see what we can and cannot recycle after snack. 
We continued to practice our social skills - when someone is talking we listen with our "voice quiet, body still, eyes watching, ears listening."  Everyone has a body bubble (personal space) and we need to remember not to "pop" one another's bubbles. 


REMINDERS:
Walk-a-Thon• Children should wear blue and/or white or Holmes clothes on Friday, 9/26 for the walk-a-thon.
• We will be participating in the walk-a-thon at 12:20.
• The goal is to raise $10 child- please send in your envelopes

District-Wide Child Safety Parent Presentation

Friday, September 12th from 10:00am-Noon

Darien Board of Education Conference Hall, 35 Leroy Ave

Dear Parents,

Over the course of this school year, all Darien elementary schools will participate in the following child safety programs conducted by Kids in Crisis & The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education:   

SafeTalk (1^st, 3^rd, & 5^th grades)

• Comprehensive, child-friendly workshop designed to help keep children safe. 

• Uses the curriculum of the Child Assault Prevention Project.
• Focuses on empowerment & encourages children to be “safe, strong, & free”.
• Combines guided discussion with role-plays that focus on situations children frequently encounter, like bullies, strangers & known adults who may behave inappropriately.
• Teaches children how to recognize & respond to a potentially harmful situation & how to express their concerns to a trusted adult. 
  Feeling Safe (Kindergarten)
• The program promotes personal safety, teaching children how to be assertive & the importance of not keeping secrets that are scary, harmful &/or painful.
• The program is developmentally appropriate & conducted by Certified Sexual Assault Crisis Counselors.
• The workshops are completely confidential & respectful of the privacy of each child.
• “Feeling Safe” is safety education, not sex education. 
  Parents & teachers are partners in the process & we welcome your involvement.  To find out more about these programs, you are invited to attend a district-wide parent orientation meeting on Friday, September 12^th at 10:00 AM (Darien Board of Education Conference Hall, 35 Leroy Ave).
  The Parent Presentation will include:

• Introductions to Kids in Crisis & The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education
• Overviews of the children’s classroom workshops
• Role of the parent/family in prevention
• Suggestions for introducing & reinforcing prevention skills in the home
• Discuss warning signs & behaviors of child sexual assault & what to do if a child discloses to them
• & plenty of time for questions
   
  In an effort to promote the safety of all our children, we look forward to your participation in this very important event.
  Sincerely,
  Paula Bleakley
  Principal
  For more information, please contact:

Kristen M. Tomasiewicz Director, Community Services    www.kidsincrisis.org Kids in Crisis | One Salem Street | Cos Cob, CT 06807 phone:  203-622-6556 | cell: 203-274-1210 | fax: 203-622-8332 email: ktomasiewicz@kidsincrisis.org	Jessica Buchanan, Community Educator The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education 733 Summer Street, Suite 503, Stamford, CT  06901 203-348-9346     www.thecenter-ct.org Direct line: 203-487-0663    j.buchanan@thecenter-ct.org
Lavi Ben-Zvi, Coordinator for Student & Family Social Services Darien Elementary Schools       lben-zvi@darienps.org