Smith News

October 2, 2020

Achieving Excellence One Student at a Time

A Message from Our Principal

It’s hard to believe but we have finished our first four-plus weeks of school! It has been a truly rewarding experience to see our students online and in school performing up to their potentials. I am amazed at how the students take each day in stride, tune out the noise around them, and focus on bettering themselves each and every day. You should be proud as families of how well your students have adjusted to hybrid learning.

Our teachers have also been working non-stop to find ways to enhance their instruction and fully utilize all of the digital resources available. This is no small feat as the technology options are almost limitless! I am confident that each week it will get easier to navigate for both our students & teachers.

I also want to thank our students who have been GREAT about wearing their masks, following sanitation procedures, and working to keep our school as safe as possible! It is so nice to see the Smith community come together the way we have.

I look forward to the months ahead and moving forward!

Stay Healthy and Stay Safe!

Andrew Herre, Principal

Mrs. Christine Davis

Supervisor of K-8 Education and Student Welfare

It is starting to feel like fall, but that is about the only thing that is familiar this year. Students, teachers, and parents are beginning to feel more accustomed to the new hybrid or remote schedules and we are all developing new routines. Students learning from home is a new concept for everyone, and it’s essential to a child’s success that parents and teachers work collaboratively to help them during these brand new times.

It’s also important to remember that middle school students may not have developed all of the executive functioning skills needed to manage the tasks that teachers would typically assist with at school. We will all be working on these skills throughout the school year to help students with organizational strategies, work habits, and managing school during these unprecedented times. We continue to learn and grow together, and I thought I would share a few tips to help your middle schooler develop important skills to be successful with online learning.

Teach time awareness: Becoming aware of the passage of time—especially without the help of bell schedules or seeing their peers hustle to class—is tough for kids when they’re learning from home. Have your child use digital calendars and printed schedules and set alerts for class start times. (Edutopia, September 2020)

Help kids get organized: Keeping track of things like assignments and even school supplies can be particularly hard for some kids at this age—and without a teacher’s personal oversight, even kids who don’t normally struggle with organization can have a hard time. Have your child create their own learning space at home, if that’s possible, so that kids have a spot “that feels like school,” (Edutopia, September 2020)

Encourage students to self-advocate: Encourage your child to ask their teacher or you for help. Share stories of when you struggled and asked for help.

And, remember, anything new takes time.

From the Desk of the Instructional Coaches

Mrs. Carolyn Chakmakjian, Humanities Instructional Coach

Education looks a bit different these days, and between maintaining complicated schedules, and managing at-home school work, parents may be wondering what else they can do to support their children academically. One answer, that will always benefit your child-- encourage more reading at home.

Reading has been shown to help students academically in all subject areas, improving comprehension, developing critical thinking skills, and enhancing writing skills. Additionally, reading strengthens concentration and focus, important attributes for students growing up in a digital age. Reading also helps develop traits like empathy, providing students with a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. The benefits make it clear that despite the many changes and challenges brought about in 2020, reading must remain a constant.

With smaller social calendars, and less extra-curriculars, now might be the perfect time to prioritize reading at home. Here are some tips to make that happen:

Schedule reading time- With new routines and schedules, this is a great opportunity to make reading a scheduled part of the day. Scheduling time for reading not only ensures that reading will happen more often, but also shows that reading is valued and an important part of “what we do” on a regular basis.

Engage in conversations about reading- During a time when kids might feel a bit disconnected, conversations about reading can help kids to reconnect with their world. Talking helps kids to think more deeply about what they have read and uncover deeper meanings that help them relate to their reading. It also builds their confidence in themselves as readers!

Read together - Kids never outgrow the magic of read-aloud--even middle schoolers! With many families spending more time at home together, why not dedicate some of that time to reading? Sharing the experience of reading can help kids feel connected to their books, and to the people around them. This could also be a great way to engage with other family members or friends by bringing everyone together for a virtual read-aloud!

Have books available - Kids are more likely to continuously read if they have books readily available to them. This means that when they finish one book, they have the next one waiting on the shelf. Kids need help with this, especially if books are being collected outside of school. Plan ahead, try setting up “Book Pick Up” days, or create “Books to Read” lists together. Most importantly, do what you can to keep the momentum going!

Create a reading space - Just like we have spaces for cooking, for sleeping, for eating--why not also have a space for reading? Creating a comfortable and inviting space that is designated for reading is one more way to model that reading is important. We make time for reading...and we also make space for it!

Making reading a priority at home will help to develop life-long readers--a gift that will benefit our kids today and in the future.

Smith Rams Shining Moments!

7th grade readers in Ms. Johnson and Ms. Millitello's enjoy a crisp Fall morning

The Smith Physical Educators certainly hit a "goal in one" with their soccer golf!

IMG_0561.mov

Students in Mr. Baeira's class getting hands-on experience with money management

Students in physical education using workout videos to get their much-needed dose of activity in for the day.

Ms. Callendar, Mr. Poage, Ms. McPartland, and Mr. Martone ready to greet students each morning as they begin their school day.

Digital Design students testing out 'Bloxels' before diving into designing their own unique game

Want to see more and stay involved with Smith happenings? Follow us on Twitter @RSDsmithschool

Health Update from Our Smith School Nurse

CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. Getting a flu vaccine during 2020-2021 will be more important than ever.
Flu vaccines will not prevent COVID-19, but they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, and help reduce the strain on healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information please visit

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccinations.htm#when

Consider supporting the cause!!

https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-support

If you have specific questions, contact Laura Spiegelman

Phone: 201-785-2314

Email: lspiegelman@ramsey.k12.nj.us

Click Here for Smith School Reopening Resources

Information on the health questionnaire, hybrid schedule, basic guidelines, information from the school nurse, and more.

Need Technology Support for School-Issued Devices? Click Here to Complete a Student Help Desk Ticket

How to Access Back to School Night 2020

Our Back-To-School night was on Thursday, September 10th in a virtual landscape. To access all of the recordings from the evening, click here. Simply find your student's teacher and enjoy their presentation.

Thank you once again to our Smith teachers and staff at large for your hard work and flexibility!

Parent Book Club Books (September, 2020)

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to our library media specialist,

Kasey Kelly:

kkelly@ramsey.k12.nj.us

Smith School Parent Book Club 2020-2021

Parent Book Club is a group where interested parents and guardians of Smith students are invited to join the library media specialist once a month to read and discuss popular, young adult literature in the Smith School Media Center. In these unconventional times, we are developing new ways to connect and engage, and that applies to the proud tradition of the Parent Book Club here at Smith School. This is the 23rd year that the Smith library media center has invited parents to participate in our book club, and the first to be conducted in a virtual landscape.

The club will be hosted through Facebook, joining is as simple as ¨liking¨ our page, Smith School Parent Book Club 2020-2021.

Each month, there will be a choice of three books all sharing a common theme, you may choose to read all three or pick from this list the ones that interest you most. This month, our theme concerns young adults dealing with anxiety, further details and the choice of books are already available on our Facebook page. We will post weekly discussion prompts for each book to engage in conversation concerning the books, and each month there will be a Zoom meeting to conclude the reading of the books and engage in a full discussion. You are welcome to participate as much as you would like and are able to!

Smith School Supply List 2020-2021

View the 2020-2021 Supply List

Supply Lists for the 2020-21 school year are now posted. Please remember that all personal belongings should be labeled, such as pencil cases, binders, and backpacks.

iPad/Chromebook Insurance

iPad/Chromebook Insurance is Due Now....Register

FamilyID is now open to parents to agree to policies and pay for iPad insurance for the new academic year. Please click on the headline for more information, including instructions for payment and account information.