From the Principal
Literacy Night
The Dunn School will be hosting a family Literacy Night on Thursday, April 2nd 6:00 – 7:30. As part of the evening Jason Lefebvre, a children’s author, will be reading the book Too Much Glue and talking about what it is like to write a picture book. Please see the flyer accompanying the Dunn Deal on how to order Too Much Glue. Jason will be available following his presentation to sign books. Pizza and other snacks will be served after the presentation and during the interactive stations that will be around the room. Please RSVP by using the QR code on our informational handout. We hope your family can join us as we look forward to a fun filled evening celebrating literacy!
MEA Testing
3rd and 4th grade students will be taking the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA). Assessment dates will take place between March 16th through April 10th. Classroom teachers will provide students and families with specific dates the classroom will be testing. This assessment of Math and Language Arts provides us with important information about how our individual students are progressing and helps us make curriculum and instruction decisions for the school as a whole. We encourage parents to make sure that their child gets plenty of rest, eats a good breakfast, and brings a snack and water bottle/drink to school to help students focus so that they may do their best on these important assessments. An additional snack will be provided on testing days.
Report Cards and Conferences
The 2nd trimester ends March 13th. Spring conferences will be the week of March 23rd. Report cards will be distributed at conferences. Please look for information from your child’s teacher regarding times to schedule a conference. This conference is a great opportunity to meet teachers, discuss your child’s progress so far, and take part in planning for the year.
Please contact me anytime at lburns@sad15.org or 657-5050. ~ Lisa Burns, Principal
From the Music Room
2020 Concerts & Art Show Schedule: There will be two separate seatings in the Dunn School gym on March 25 and April 8. Parents may attend one or both performances. Students are to please stay with parents before and after their performance. Students will need their recorders. Thank you!
Wednesday 3/25 Wednesday 4/8
6:30 Gillis, Raymond, Chouinard 6:30 Skilling, Gamage, Audette, Robash
6:50 Sinclair, Marzilli, Fecteau, Rogers 6:50 Doyle, Murray, Burrage
Patriot Parents
Our Patriot Parent reps are Maureen Gilbert (gilbertm@maine.rr.com) and Deb Carson (debcarson@me.com). Be sure to follow the Dunn Facebook page – Dunn School Patriot Parents – for event notifications & volunteer opportunities!
The Book Fair is coming! Purchases can be made during the school day on April 1st. The Fair will be open to the public on April 1, 3:00 to 6:00 PM and on April 2, 3:00 to 7:00 PM.
From the Health Office
Appropriate Dress: Just a reminder that students should come to school with appropriate clothing for outdoor recess. We are seeing many students without coats or warm clothing. Please be sure that your child is prepared for outdoor recess as we go outside most days.
Miss Lindsay’s Counseling Corner
This week, I am visiting all third, fourth and multi-grade classrooms to explore what anxiety is, how it might manifest in our bodies and what strategies students can try to manage their anxiety and big feelings. We are also exploring the different parts of our brain which helps to explain our big feelings and subsequent reactions. The strategies discussed this week will also come in handy for students as we enter into the MEA testing window later this month!
Together, students and I defined the term anxiety and discussed what clues our bodies give us during times when we are feeling anxious or are having big feelings like anger or sadness. Many students shared their own body clues: Heart beats faster, stomach starts to hurt, cheeks get hot, palms get sweaty, an urgent need to use the bathroom, and/or muscles may tense up. We talked about how these body clues can signal to us that we need to try a strategy or two soon to help ourselves calm down BEFORE we flip our lid or shut down.
I read students the book Breathing Makes It Better: A Book For Sad Days, Mad Days, Glad Days, and All The Feelings In Between by Christopher Willard and Wendy O’Leary. We practiced how breathing in and out once we experience anxious body clues can help shrink down our feelings and to allow them to come and go. After our read-aloud, students and I worked on a personalized plan that they can use in order to manage their anxiety and big feelings. First, each student identified their own body clues that they experience during times of anxiety and big feelings. We then talked through and practiced the below strategies that they can do to help themselves calm down once they experience a body clue. Students were asked to select the strategies that they would be most willing to try for their plan. Lastly, students identified three trusted adults in their lives (both at home and school) with whom they can “Talk It Out” with when they are feeling anxious, sad or mad. I encourage you to chat with your child about trying these strategies the next time they are experiencing anxiety and big feelings!
Strategies:
* Belly Breathing – Breathe in through your nose, breathe out through your mouth 3 times.
* 4×4 Breathing – Breathe in through your nose to the count of 4, hold it to the count of 4, breathe out through your mouth to the count of 4 and relax to the count of 4.
* Positive Self Talk – Say 3 positive things about yourself. Examples: “I will get through this. I am smart. I am kind. I can do hard things. I can shrink my worries.”
* Notice 5 things that I see in this very moment.
* Muscle Activation – Give myself a tight hug and squeeze tight while counting to 5. Let go, relax, wiggle your arms and roll your head slowly from one ear to the other.
* Muscle Activation – Hold on to the sides of my chair and squeeze all of my muscles tightly while counting to 5. Let go and relax.
* Ask a teacher if I can take a 5 minutes break. Examples: Visit a movement station, bring a clipboard and a piece of paper into the hallway to draw and doodle for 5 minutes, walk the interior perimeter of the school, get a drink of water.
* Talk It Out – Come up with a list of trusted adults in your life (at home and at school) who you can talk to for times when you’re feeling anxious or stressed.
* Use your Five Senses – Smell, taste, touch, see, hear – to take 1 minutes to notice what is happening RIGHT NOW. OR – use your five senses to design your happy place.
Mindful Minutes: As third and fourth graders begin MEA testing later this month, Dunn staff members will be reading mindfulness strategies during the Dunn Patriot News presented over the intercom each morning. Each day, the whole school will practice a mindfulness strategy together to help our brains and our bodies feel calm, ready to learn and ready to test. A copy of our Mindful Minute daily strategy schedule will be sent home in the coming weeks. The more students can practice mindfulness strategies, the more apt they are to use them when they really need them! I encourage families to practice Mindful Minutes at home as a way to reset and feel ready to take on the day. 🙂
~ Lindsay Friberg, Dunn School Counselor lfriberg@sad15.org
Dates to Remember
Mar. 18 Early release: 3rd and 4th grades dismissed at 1:00 PM, no preK classes
Mar. 25-26 Common Conference nights
Apr. 1 Book Fair: Dunn Library, 3:00 to 6:00 PM
Apr. 2 Book Fair: Dunn Library, 3:00 to 7:00 PM
Apr. 2 Literacy Night: Dunn Gym, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Apr. 7 Spring Photos
updated: 03-06-2020