To the families of Tamarac Elementary School,
I hope this weekly update finds you well. We would like to remind parents dropping students off in the morning to please have their child wait at the curb for the crossing guard for a signal to cross. Students should not be entering the crosswalk in the parking lot without being sent or assisted by the crossing guard. The crossing guard ensures student safety, particularly when busses are pulling out of the parking lot. Due to the size of our young students, they may not naturally be in the eye line of our bus drivers; so it is critical that they wait for the crossing guard to signal them before crossing. We want a safe start to the day for our little Bengals!
We are thrilled to announce that we are planning an in-person winter concert for our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders in band and chorus. Save the date for December 21, 2021 at 7 PM! Additional details will follow regarding seating capacity, protocols and student performer drop-off times.
We would also like to update you on the social-emotional learning activities taking place this year, led by our new school counselor, Erika Farley. As you may recall from one of my earlier updates, I had shared that we were seeing more issues with student behaviors and conduct toward one another, such as an excess of pushing, inappropriate comments, or actions that we hadn't been seeing in the past - it was like our students had forgotten, because of all that has transpired the past year and a half, how to be students. This is an area which Mrs. Farley can assist our students. Her focus in the elementary building is to support strengthening the social-emotional competencies of all students through explicit instruction in social-emotional learning (SEL). Erika has been providing whole-class SEL instruction in classrooms, and she has had an early and positive impact on our students.
You may be wondering, “What is SEL? Why is this important in school?” The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or “CASEL” defines SEL as “the process through which children, youth, and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” There is a body of research supporting that effective SEL is linked to student well-being and better school performance outcomes. We are thrilled to have Erika on our team and to be offering SEL instruction to all of our students, and we look forward to providing you with additional updates on SEL programming in our school!
Just a reminder that we have next Wednesday, November 24th as a vacation day ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Please enjoy this additional time with your family. Our best wishes for a peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving.
Sincerely, Kelly Onorato and Rich Pogue
Tamarac Elementary School Administration
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