• Build Confidence: Support your child’s passions. When children feel secure in their own talents and interests, they are less likely to be negatively affected by the opinions of others.

• Teach Empathy: Discuss how actions impact others. Helping children see different perspectives is a vital step in preventing unkindness.

While we strive to give children the tools to solve problems independently, bullying requires adult intervention. If you suspect your child is being bullied, please take the following steps:

1. Listen and Validate: Let your child know you believe them and that they were brave to tell you.

2. Contact the School: Reach out to your child’s teacher, the ES Administration, or our School Counselors immediately. We can help investigate the situation, support your child, and ensure the behavior stops.

3. Work Together: We view this as a partnership. We will work with you to develop a plan that ensures your child feels safe and supported in our learning environment.

We all play a vital role in creating a safe, respectful, and resilient community. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school a place where every child can thrive.

Warmly,

The ES Admin Team

We are continuing to collect parent feedback for the 2026-27 classroom placement process. Your insights into your child’s unique learning needs are a vital part of our complex task of building balanced classrooms where every student can thrive.

If you haven't yet, please complete the Parent Input Form by Thursday, February 19th.

As a reminder, our goal is to create the optimal learning environment for the whole class; therefore, we cannot consider requests for specific teachers or peer groups. Thank you for your partnership in this process!

As a school, we value our mission to guide us: "Together, we create opportunities for compassionate learners to embrace challenges, value perspectives, and become resilient global advocates". To truly embrace challenges and become resilient, our children need more than just academic knowledge; they need the cognitive "control center" that allows them to manage themselves and their learning. In the world of education and psychology, we call this Executive Functioning. As successful adults, you likely use these skills every day without a second thought. But for an elementary student, these skills are still under construction.

What is Executive Functioning?

Think of executive functioning as the air traffic control system of the brain. It is a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. These skills help us:

• Focus and Shift Attention: Moving from one task to another without losing momentum.

• Organize and Plan: Figuring out what steps are needed to reach a goal.

• Regulate Emotions: Staying calm when a problem arises so we can think through a solution.

• Self-Monitor: Checking our own work or behavior to see if we are on the right track.

Children are not born with these skills, but with the potential to develop them. They take modeling and practice to become automatic.

How We Support Executive Functioning at School

In our classrooms, we don’t just expect students to be organized; we teach them how. Our approach is rooted in our belief that learning is driven by "agile instruction" that enables all students to achieve success.

• Self-Directed Learning: To help students become self-directed, our teachers involve them in the assessment process through self-reflection and goal setting. This requires students to look back at their work (reflective thinking) and plan for their next steps.

• Providing Tools: Teachers use tools like visual schedules, timers, and graphic organizers to support students to manage their attention, emotions, and time. 

• Targeted Support: For students who need more targeted help, our teaching teams work on specific "organizational and study habits," providing the scaffolding needed for students to eventually manage these tasks independently.

• Modeling Accountability: We teach students to take responsibility for their actions and understand the impact of their decisions. Whether it is managing their digital footprint through our Responsible Use Policy or resolving a conflict on the playground, they are practicing the self-regulation that is central to executive functioning

How You Can Support Growth at Home

You are your child’s first teacher, and the home environment is the perfect "laboratory" for practicing independence.

• Embrace the "Struggle": Our mission encourages learners to "embrace challenges". When your child gets stuck on something, give them time to struggle through it. If we are constantly solving our children's problems, they will not learn to solve them themselves. 

• Establish Predictable Routines: Executive functioning thrives on structure. Consistent routines like our daily reading expectations and chores help children learn to plan their time.

• Use External Tools: Just as we use cubbies, Google Classroom, and folders to organize school life, you can use checklists or visual schedules at home to help your child track their responsibilities.

• Prioritize Play and Downtime: We view weekends as essential for developing social skills through play. Unstructured play is one of the best ways for children to practice flexible thinking and problem-solving in real-time.

By working together, we ensure that our students are not only achieving "academic excellence" but are also developing the internal tools they need to lead thoughtful, independent lives.

The Learning Center invites you to watch the following book talk specifically curated for Elementary School.

ES Book Talk

Counting down to Monday’s Book Trivia!  Best of luck to everyone competing. 

See you there!

Get Ready to Celebrate Reading Week! 📚

From February 8–12, let’s dive into the magical world of books together! We have an exciting week planned to celebrate our love of reading:

• Themed Dress-Up Days: Show your spirit all week long by participating in our daily dress-up themes! Whether you’re a hero from a graphic novel or a favorite animal from a storybook, let your imagination shine.

• Book Trivia Challenge: On February 9th, put your story knowledge to the test! We will be hosting a special trivia event to see who knows their favorite books best.

Be sure to check the daily schedule on this flyer for all the dress-up details. Let's make this a week to remember!

Fact-checking in action! Ms.Black is guiding our 5th graders as they learn how to identify high-quality, credible sources for their research topics. We’re so proud of these critical thinkers and their dedication to finding the truth!