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Dance Party: Thursday, December 3rd
Thursday, December 3rd | 7-7:30PM
Please save the date for our upcoming School-Wide Dance Party on Zoom! Art Teacher Anthony Reynolds will DJ the event. We did this last Spring at it was a lot of fun! Get out those dancing shoes! Link will be sent out next week.Thanks! - Lissa
Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming!
Looking Ahead to the Week of November 30th
Whether your child is studying from home or in-person, the week of November 30th will include opportunities for you to connect with your child's teachers. During the week of 11/30, we will be holding caregiver/teacher conferences, which will give you and your child's teacher an opportunity to share impressions about how your child has been doing the first three months of the school year. Caregiver impressions on how your child is doing socially, emotionally, and academically are critically important as we work together to support all aspects of learning as we head into the winter months. Specialist Teachers (Anthony, Shelley, Amanda and Tom) will also provide times for you to touch base with them! This is time for caregivers to ask questions and learn more about those curriculum areas, how your child is doing, and get to know the specialists teachers!
As always, please feel free to reach out to Sue, Lissa, Allan or your child's teacher if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions.
Warm regards~
Nancy
 Math Coach Corner
By: Nili Pearlmutter, Haggerty Math Coach
We know that reading with your young child helps them develop a love of books and reading. What can you do to help your child develop a love for math? Play games! During these COVID times, where we are all at home with family, we have a great opportunity to play games together. This blog post recommends many different games you can play with a simple deck of cards. Over the Thanksgiving break, I hope you'll try some of them! Let me know if any become your child's favorite!
Enjoy!
Nili (AKA Ms. Pearlmutter)
[email protected]
Letter about Chromebook Use
Dear Haggerty Families,
We are writing with some concerns and some ideas about helping students to have social time with friends during the pandemic.
Last spring and this fall we've learned that some students are using Google Meet on CPS Chromebooks outside of the school day for social purposes. We understand that students want to see their friends, now more than ever. The challenge this poses is based in safety. The school staff have no ability to maintain internet safety and security after hours. In addition, we don't have any supervision of the students. As much as we believe our students would handle this unsupervised time well, we know that kids make mistakes. We also know that students have the biggest social challenges during unstructured times. In a typical year, arguing, fighting and hurtful comments, for example, occur on the school bus, before school, or at lunch and recess. The lack of structure during those times can be great for most kids, yet it also has proven to be challenging for many. All this to say, kids are kids and we're worried about what will come up in an unsupervised Google Meet on the weekend for
afterschool.
Please continue to be mindful of how your student is using their Chromebook, particularly outside of the school day. It's not reasonable or equitable to ask that caregivers use personal technology to allow their children to gather socially and we ask for your supervision and vigilance as we work to find ways to address this issue. I can't tell you not to allow your child to be social - that's not reasonable. I can warn you that there's risks in unsupervised social interactions after school, even at the elementary level.
We encourage you to help your students find other safe and supervised ways for staying connected with friends. Even a phone call can be a great chance to visit with a friend! Or meeting up with a friend outside at a park with masks and social distancing can be a fun way to visit and enjoy the benefits of fresh air at the same time. If you need any help connecting with other Haggerty families, please reach out to Lissa at [email protected].
We're working on a way to create contacts amongst caregivers so that you can help to make play dates. This has been hard without the needed consent forms, but we're working on a way to address that. Thanks for your help and patience as we work to address the need for socialization amongst your children. We're working on a strategy that offers an equitable response and we're hopeful that caregivers will remain vigilant while their children are using the internet for social connection. We'll be in touch with more strategies and information soon. Please reach out to Nancy, Sue, Allan, Kevin McGonegal or Lissa if you have questions or concerns.
Warm regards,
Nancy
 The Nature Fix
By Kathleen Fitzgerald, Haggerty parent
As this season grows darker and colder, it has become more and more difficult to get my third grader outside. But I've been trying my best to keep us grounded in the natural world, even on these too-short days, because I know how critical it will be for our well-being as we try to get through these long winter months of remote schooling, remote holidays, remote everything.
Just last year, scientists found that an investment of just 2 hours a week in a local park or green space - either in one outing or in several smaller outings over those 7 days - had a pronounced effect on stress levels, mood, cardiovascular health, and more. But one of the little-known benefits of being in nature is that it actually improves our children's minds. They focus more readily, are more creative, more curious, more highly literate, and are more enthusiastic about what they learn.
And so my daughter and I have begun taking what we call "noticing walks" in our neighborhood (or, if we're lucky, in larger green spaces.) Whether it's an hour or two spent near Black's Nook at Fresh Pond, or a handful of minutes in our small, shared backyard in North Cambridge, we spend what time we have just... paying attention. I let my daughter use the camera on my phone, and suddenly what seems everyday or trodden over is amplified. Through that small lens, I can see her perspective on the world: we talk about colors and textures; we learn about and name things together (through apps like iNaturalist); we witness some pretty amazing wildlife, even in the city; and we slow our busy minds and breathe the fresh air, if only for a little while. Here are a few of our favorite shots from our recent walks in and around Cambridge. In the months to come, we hope to share more about our local outdoor adventures, and hope you'll share some of yours, too! (You can email your photos or observations to me at [email protected].)
 Winter Clothing Exchange!
The cold weather is arriving! After the Thanksgiving break, I will begin our Winter Clothing Exchange.
Please send in your gently used winter coats, snow pants, winter boots, hats and gloves. I will push the clothing rack outside in the morning and at lunch
(when the weather cooperates) so that families can leave a donation and/or take what their families need.
Mental Health & General Health Resources
Movement/Physical Activity:
- Join Hike-A-Thon
Join your friends, neighbors and Mass Audubon from Friday, November 27 - Sunday, November 29 to see just how powerful time outdoors can be for our physical and mental health! Anyone can join Hike-a-thon from anywhere! Strolling around a neighborhood, exploring our wildlife sanctuaries including our universally-accessible All Persons Trails, or visiting a nearby park - it all counts. Learn more >>
- Literacy BINGO Game
For Cambridge families with children 0-4 years, play this fun at-home BINGO game (read books, play and learn!) and enter to win some cool prizes through the Let's Talk program. Learn more >>
Food, Nutrition & Home Gardening:
- 5 Ideas to Change the Way We Teach Thanksgiving
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it's essential that we teach true and rich history to our families. The specific strategies in this story build on these essential understandings to help deepen your teaching and bring more meaningful content about Native Americans to your current education setting--be that a dining-room table or a classroom--during Native American Heritage Month and throughout the year. Learn more >>
- Native Life & Food - find culturally appropriate activities for all ages! Learn more >>
- Recipe of the week
Enjoy these Gingered Green Beans as a side at your Thanksgiving table this year! View Recipe >>
Mental & Emotional Wellness:
- Holidays During the Pandemic
Tips for reducing stress, helping kids cope, and making new traditions from the Child Mind Institute! While they can't tell you what the right (or safe) choices are for your family, they provide some tips to make the best of holidays during the pandemic, whatever your situation. Experts provide advice about ways to minimize stress and help everyone in the family feel as good as possible about this unusual holiday season. Read here >>
Healthy Snack of the Week
 Here's Cambridge in Motion's Healthy Snack of the Week: Peanut Butter & Granola Apples: Slice apples, drizzle peanut butter over and top with granola!
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