Letter from Dr. Bianco

Dear Lower School Families,

October is filled with many fun and important school events. This week and next week are both four day school weeks. Yes, two four day weeks back-to-back. Faculty and staff will be on campus for professional development on Friday. (Classroom teachers’ focus is on Mathematics.) There is no school this Friday, October 10, and on Monday, October 13 - so enjoy the long weekend. I know a few families are heading up north to see the fall foliage.

Note: When we only have four days of school in our school week, the Lower School has an internal four-day-week schedule so children don’t miss certain specials. CAE personnel are also aware.

STEAMakers Open House

The Shorecrest Experiential and Lower Schools invite families with toddlers through fourth grade to STEAMakers Open House on the Shorecrest campus on Saturday, October 18, 10am-11:45am. Current students and parents can join in the fun alongside our prospective families. Several ES classrooms will feature hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math activities with some of your favorite Shorecrest teachers. Admissions information will be available at this open house event. RSVP here, invite your friends! 

Early Mathematical Development and Thinking in Kindergarten and First Grade 

If you attended our workshop on early literacy, I hope you will also attend this very special presentation on Early Mathematical Development and Thinking in Kindergarten and First Grade on October 9 at 8:10am. Special guest expert, Chase Piper, math coach and consultant, from Miami, will be leading this presentation. Please RSVP to LBianco@Shorecrest.org. You will NOT want to miss this parent presentation if your child is in kindergarten or first grade and you have questions about our math curriculum or how to support your child at home.

A Little Background Info on Bridges in Mathematics K- 5 

Bridges in Mathematics is a comprehensive math program designed to implement the principles and standards for school mathematics from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Bridges' curriculum is highly regarded, earning recommendations from math teachers across the country and internationally, and receiving high ratings from organizations like EdReports. 

Bridges is both rigorous and engaging, teaching students that math requires perseverance, collaboration, and a social approach which aligns with our approach to teaching and learning. 

Through this work in math our young mathematicians develop the key skills needed to solve complex and novel problems by utilizing visual models and manipulatives. The curriculum's activities are carefully sequenced, both within and across grade levels, to reflect how elementary students naturally make sense of and connect mathematical ideas and processes.

This intentional approach, which combines direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration, results in students developing a robust and deep understanding of mathematical concepts. 

Book Discussion

It is said that in an ever-changing world, raising strong and resilient kids is more important than ever. Resilience isn't just about bouncing back from setbacks; it's about developing the emotional and mental fortitude to navigate challenges with confidence and optimism. Our book club for parents this year is “Raising Mentally Strong Kids: how to combine the power of neuroscience with love and logic to grow confident, kind, responsible, and resilient children, and young adults,” by Daniel G. Amen, MD and Charles Faye, PhD (Faye is connected with Love and Logic). 

Jennifer Phelps, Director of the Center for Academic Excellence, and Kate Fierce, School Counselor, and I will be facilitating the meetings. Our first one is Wednesday, October 22 at 8:10 am. RSVP to LBianco@shorecrest.org if you think you might be interested in joining us.

Read the first three chapters: Healthy Brains, Mentally Strong Kids Live by Clearly Defined Goals, and Is Your Parenting Style Breeding Mental Strength or Weakness.

Homecoming Week Fun Days for ES and LS

Homecoming Fun Days are around the corner. 

10/20 - Pajama Day
10/21 - Crazy Socks Day
10/22 - Fun Hair Day
10/23 - Favorite Sports Team T-Shirt Day
10/24 - Class Colors 

Class Colors: In the spirit of school unity, all grades are invited to wear their class color on Class Color Day of Homecoming Week, which promotes class unity, and connection to older peers who share the same class colors. The class color travels with the student as they progress through Shorecrest. The colors assigned to be worn by each class are intentionally not Shorecrest green and gold, which are reserved for green and gold day celebrating ONE Shorecrest!

Class of 2034, 4th grade - red
Class of 2035, 3rd grade - purple
Class of 2036, 2nd grade - blue
Class of 2037, 1st grade -orange
Class of 2038, Kindergarten - red 

Shorecrest Spirited Competitions, Oct. 7 & 9

This semester a few lucky fourth and fifth grade students will compete for prizes during select home football and volleyball games.

Randomly chosen fourth graders will get to do a Punt and Pass Challenge at halftime at the Varsity Football game on Thursday, October 9. The game starts at 6:30pm. 

Fifth grade students were chosen randomly to compete in a Serve Challenge between sets at the Middle School Gold Team Volleyball game on Tuesday, October 7. The game starts at 4pm. 

Six boys and six girls from each of the grade levels will compete for prizes, silly Sparky photos and more. Everyone is invited to come out and cheer on our Shorecrest athletes and our Shorecrest Lower School and Middle School students!  Look for more fun competitions throughout the year at various sporting events. 

These halftime competitions are generously sponsored by SPOCS Orthodontics, Dr. Ahmed Mansour. 

The Kind Mouse

On Friday, October 17 we will introduce the work of Kind Mouse to our students at town meeting. Monday, October 20 we will start collecting food for The Kind Mouse. This is a partnership we started seven years ago. We will end the food drive the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Break, November 19. Let’s join together and give our students the opportunity to help others in need and show them what we can do as a community who cares about each other and the well being of others.

Starting October 20 we are collecting the following: 

Fourth grade -- jars of baby food for the Mouse Babies distribution.

Third grade -- Vienna sausages, single-serving pasta, tuna pouches or Beanee Weenees.

Second grade -- pudding cups, jello cups and single-serve peanut butter cups.

First grade -- granola bars, protein bars, and cracker packs (such as Lance).

Kindergarten -- fruit snacks and individual size cereal.

Picture Retake Day - October 29 

Families should have received a link to view photos directly from Mr. KamraMan, the yearbook photographer. Purchases may be made online. 

Every once in a while photographs from Picture Day do not come out well, or students are absent on picture day. We will have picture retakes on Wednesday, October 29. A registration link for retakes will be sent later this week directly from Mr. KamraMan, and if your student was absent they will be registered to be photographed on retake day automatically.

Schoology

Each week read your child’s teachers’ pages on Schoology to learn about what’s happening in the classroom. Read the Specialists' pages as well: Art, Music, STEAM, PE, Spanish, SEL and Library.

Final thoughts…

Community is at the heart of our school, and almost every Friday morning we gather to celebrate it. Our Town Meeting starts at 8:15 AM, and we warmly welcome you to join us any time. Of course, we especially hope you can make it when your child’s class is leading the gathering.

This isn't just a meeting; it's a vital community time where we greet each other, recite our pledge and school motto, sing, and share the exciting learning happening in our classrooms. It's also a time for incredible bravery, as students stand before hundreds of people to present. Through this shared time, we truly get to know one another and learn from each other. At the end of each share, students charge each other to "work hard, have fun, and take care of each other."

Please note that we skip our gathering if it's raining, or if there is a grade level show or another special school event planned. A coffee cart will be present to help you start your day!

Now that the weather is cooling down, it's the perfect time to connect with Shorecrest friends and join us. It truly might be the best part of your day!

How to Order Yearbooks 

If you or your child would like a copy of the 2025-2026 Crestviews Yearbook, which features the full Alpha-Grade 12 school, please place your online order using the link below. Yearbooks are $80. (Families of seniors do not need to order yearbooks. They are a part of the senior fee.)

Early Experience with Shorecrest College Counseling 

The Shorecrest College Counseling Office offers comprehensive programming to support students and families throughout the college search and placement process. While many College Counseling events are tailored toward particular grade levels, all interested Shorecrest families are invited to:

The Shorecrest Advantage: Exploring Shorecrest's Upper School

Wednesday, October 15 at 7pm via Webex: https://shorecrest.webex.com/shorecrest/j.php?MTID=m0d08fe0733fce505e03a908b517cccca 

A virtual event for Shorecrest parents/guardians geared towards 7th and 8th graders to learn more about the opportunities ahead in 9-12th grades at Shorecrest. During this event, families will hear from members of the Upper School Administration and the College Counseling Office about the various academic and extracurricular opportunities available for students in the Upper School and the benefits of Shorecrest's four-year college counseling program.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

All-School Calendar

Lower School Contacts