The teachers and I have designated Friday, October 18th as Caring Awareness Day at ISD.  The purpose of the day is to focus on the impact that kind gestures have when enacted toward another person, whether it is another student, a staff member or a family member.  In addition to classroom conversations about "caring", one of the IB Learner Profiles, a variety of classroom activities will also take place that are developmentally appropriate for their grade level.  We are also asking the event be extended into the weekend with families taking the time to talk about caring and kindness and also to encourage extra acts of kindness toward others, whether family members or others that students come in contact with.  With all the talk of negative behavior recently, we wanted to take a positive spin on behavior and have that be on the forefront of our students' conversations.   To reinforce the sense of community with the students, we are also asking that students wear red, white and blue.  We hope you support us in these endeavors.

As part of their IB unit on expressing themselves, our grade 3 students have been working hard with the staff from Connecticut Ballet on the creation of their dance stories during their physical education classes.  The students not only acquired knowledge about dance but also engaged in creative expression while working collaboratively in teams.  The process has been very productive and will culminate with a dance presentation to the school and the parents this coming week.  

Our upper grade students have been busy using the laptops that were purchased by the PTA.  Their use encompasses a wide variety of tasks and activities, while also strengthening basic computer skills.  This is an important and timely feature, as these students will be taking the new test, the SBAC, in the spring, which is entirely computer-based.

Lastly, I want to thank Ursula Howard-Sneyd and Sree Vaid for co-hosting the PTA New Parent Social this week.  It was a wonderful event and I was pleased to see so many of our parents there in joining the ISD community.  Have a wonderful long weekend.