Monday, February 1, 2021

February Newsletter 2021


February 1, 2021


Dear Talbot Parents and Guardians,

We are looking forward to seeing you at our virtual parent teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday this week. You should have received a link to your child’s conference on their SeeSaw or Google Classroom account. To help the process run smoothly, please login to your conference 5 minutes before it is set to begin. When you login, you will be in a virtual waiting room and the teacher will be able to see that you are there and will let you in for the conference. Students are welcome to attend.


One topic that teachers will discuss with you is how to support your child when learning at home. Attending hybrid or remote online classes at home, or a combination of both, can be challenging and stressful for everyone involved. Our PK-2 students have ipads, and the students in grades 3-5 are getting new Chromebooks for at home learning soon. There are many ways you can help children learn at home especially with the new technology. The following strategies are meant to help you support your child with at-home learning while staying connected and engaged with your school community:


Create a schedule and routine for learning at home

• Limit distractions from siblings, television shows or other video games that may take your child’s attention away from learning. Set up rules for everyone at home to try to be as quiet as possible while your child is engaged in online learning.

• Review assignments and expectations from the school, and help your child establish a reasonable pace for completing their schoolwork. You may need to assist your child with turning on devices, reading instructions, and submitting their work. Please do not do the work for them! We want to see what they can do independently.

• Plan for flexibility in the schedule—it’s okay to adapt based on your day! Consider designating an amount of time each week that allows for more flexibility in your child’s learning schedule.


Consider your child’s individual learning needs

• If your child has special or intensive support needs, consider increasing the structure and consistency of the learning routine. Increase the frequency of reminders about expectations and share positive feedback or other rewards when they are met. Consider spending time at the end of each day of at-home learning to talk with your child about the progress they made toward their goals that day.

• For younger children or children who have trouble focusing, allow for more frequent breaks and use a timer to indicate the end of a break. You may also consider providing breaks as rewards for completing more challenging activities.

• For younger children or children with sensory needs, sitting at a table for long periods of time may prove challenging. Consider alternatives such as floor space, floor pillows, or a yoga ball.


Content source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children.html


Friendship Day (AKA Valentine’s Day!)

Due to Covid-19, we have to apply some safety protocols to the tradition of students passing out friendship cards to classmates for Valentine's Day this year. According to the school nurse, if teachers are going to have a valentine’s exchange happen at school on the Thursday/Friday before February vacation it should be handled so that students are not directly passing out cards to each other. Students should bring their signed cards early in the week and distribute into individual designated bags in the classroom. Teachers will set individual bags aside in a safe place to "quarantine" before they are given to friends to take home later in the week. For cohort A students, they need to bring cards in on Monday, February 8 and for cohort B students bring in their cards on Tuesday, February 9. Any valentines that have individual pre-packaged treats attached are allowed, but any unwrapped or homemade treats are not. It is not expected that you have your students participate in a Friendship Day card exchange. Please check with your child’s teacher if there will be a Friendship card exchange happening in their class.


CLYNK for Schools Challenge$ 2021 – Gerald E. Talbot Community School
Raising Funds and Environmental Awareness

The CLYNK for Schools Annual Challenge$ is on and we need your help! During the 2021 recycling Challenge$, February 1 – March 31, our school will earn an additional $.50 for every $1 raised through bottle and can redemption at CLYNK, plus the opportunity to earn other cash prizes while promoting recycling and environmental awareness in our community. Recycle, redeem and raise funds for our school.

It’s easy to help.

1. Discuss recycling and protecting the environment with your child. Sign our Green Team Pledge and commit to increasing your family’s recycling. Pledges may be proudly displayed at school.

2. Fill a CLYNK collection bag tagged with our school’s account information with your cans and bottles.

3. Drop filled bags at the closest CLYNK drop location (at your neighborhood Hannaford Supermarket)

4. Already a CLYNK family?

- Attach our school’s CLYNK tag to your next family’s CLYNK bags

- Assign your family’s CLYNK collections to our school during the Challenge$ (February 1 – March 31) or all year round.

5. Not yet a CLYNK family?

- Enroll in CLYNK online at https://www.clynk.com/register/enter-card/ It’s quick and easy and there is no cost to begin. You will receive ten free CLYNK collection bags with your enrollment.

- Direct your CLYNK account to benefit our school during the Challenge$ or year-round.

6. Ask your family, neighbors, co-workers, teammates, walking buddies, book club… everyone to help.

- Share CLYNK bags or school CLYNK tags with you network

- Offer to collect their CLYNK bags for redemption during the Challenge$

- Post on your Facebook page. Share a picture of your family CLYNKing on Instagram.

Together we can make a difference for our students, our school and our environment and we need your help. Contact our school PTO for additional supplies at rvrpto@portlandschools.org. Let’s CLYNK for Schools… recycle, redeem and raise funds for our school. Visit www.clynk.com/fundraising or call the CLYNK Customer Service team at 1.866.228.8454 with any questions.


Box Tops

Box Tops! Clipping Box Tops is now a thing of the past. Box Tops makes it easy to earn for our school. All you need is your phone! Download the Box Tops app and link up to our school (still listed as Riverton Elementary), shop as you normally would, then use the app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app will identify Box Tops products on your receipt and automatically credit our school’s earnings online. If you have any questions, reach out to the Talbot PTO at rvrpto@portlandschools.org. Follow us on Facebook as well @ Gerald E. Talbot Community School PTO for videos and earnings promotions!


Upcoming Events

February 3 and February 4: Parent Teacher Conferences

February 15-19: February Vacation, NO SCHOOL

February 24, PTO, 5:00


Thank you for all you do to support Talbot School! Please remember to call us at 874-8210 if you have any questions.


Sincerely,

Ann Hanna

April Newsletter

  April 5, 2021   Dear Parents and Guardians,   We continue to work on developing our plans to bring hybrid students back for increased in-p...