Fire safety and prevention

     October is Fire Safety and Prevention month! SMART START students celebrated here at school both this and last year. Emergency awareness is crucial and we are pleased to incorporate it into our curriculum. Each year as an extended unit of study, a local fire department visits our school for an on-site field trip! 

Read below to see what our 2018 and 2019 fire safety and prevention units entailed:

     Our themed display featured an assortment of items supporting fire safety and prevention. The table was host to fire engines, firefighter figurines, informative books, magnetic scenes and more. This served as the ideal spot for our young learners to begin comprehending the essential components of fire safety.

2018 

2019

     Fire safety friends focused their attention on themed reading materials. Our prekindergartners were able to sound out and identify numerous words such as, fire and truck while preschoolers grasped the subject matter through illustrations. We are grateful to our local libraries for supplying our school with an abundance of books- an excellent resource for fire safety and prevention!

2018

2019

     Firefighter Francesca, gathered the crew for a safety storytime. Pupils listened intently and their minds were ablaze. The group acquired an exorbitant amount of knowledge from the literature.  

Here is some information we learned:

• There should be a smoke detector on each floor of a building
• An escape route and safe meeting place should be established at school and at home
• In an emergency you should call 911
• Leave a building immediately if you see smoke or fire
• Stay low to the ground if there is smoke in order to breathe

2018

    2019

     Future firefighters free played with a variety of related toys. This designated time provided students the freedom to creatively build on the curricular content, choose which classmates to interact with, express their thoughts and emotions and so much more!

2018

     2019

    

     Students engaged in a pretend play activity in our outdoor classroom.  SMART START firefighters left the station to act on an emergency "fire". All cooperated to safely handle the situation by taking turns using fire hats, fire chief costume, hose, megaphone, fire extinguisher, ladder and school made fire engine. Imaginations were ignited throughout this realistic hands-on scenario. 

2018

2019

Click below to watch our 2019 dramatic play fire emergency!

     Peers practiced what to do if their clothing ever catches fire..."Stop, Drop (cover face) and Roll!" 

• STOP where you are
• DROP to the ground and COVER eyes and mouth with hands
• ROLL over and over and back and forth until flames are out

Click below to view our young learners executing how to stop, drop and roll!

2018

   2019

     Last year, Andover Fire Department arrived in a fire engine eager to participate in Fire Safety and Prevention. The professionals instructed on the technicalities of the truck and allowed the children to wear their gear, sit in the engine and hear the sirens!

    This year, Matt Davis from North Andover Fire department came to teach an educational fire safety and prevention course. The class learned firefighter specifics such as, the effects of smoke and how to formulate an evacuation plan. All were amazed as firefighter Davis demonstrated how quickly the crew needs to put on their uniform! A few weeks later, members of the N.A.F.D. crew brought a fire engine for all to explore!

     Both of these on-site field trips reinforced aspects of our learning here at school. It is an honor to have community heroes share their expertise and resources with us. Thank you to our SMART START families for the continues support of our on-site field trip program. 

2018

    2019

     We hope you enjoyed our Fire Safety and Prevention journey at school and continue the learning process at home. It is the duty of educators and caregivers to teach children how to remain safe in an emergency situation.

🔥Click below to see more fire safety highlights🔥
2018

   2019

   

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SMART START Community Drives

     Throughout each year, SMART START participates in charitable drives for local organizations. This provides our school the opportunity to support and give back to the community while also promoting family involvement within the classroom. We hope these gestures of service foster in our students a sense of compassion, connection to their surroundings, high self-esteem, group cooperation and that they can make a difference in even the smallest of ways!

Read below to see our young learners engaging in acts kindness.

     Recently, we had the opportunity to partner with Cradles to Crayons. Molly, a representative from this organization visited our school and explained about how clothing was needed for children. Molly also read an inspirational story to the group and provided them a large box to decorate. She gave each student a purple donation bag to take home to fill with clothing that they may have outgrown or no longer wore. Future humanitarians brought back their generously filled bags of clothes and placed them in the decorated box.
     Once the box was entirely full, Molly came back to bring the multitude of bags to their Giving Factory. Older prekindergartners assisted in piling the bags into Molly's "Cradles to Crayons" vehicle. Molly was amazed at the class effort and grateful for all of the items gathered.
   

     Last year, pupils brought in gently used towels and blankets from their homes to give to Nevins Farm MSPCA in Methuen. Our collection assisted animals awaiting adoption living at this animal shelter. SMART START welcomed MSPCA staff member Danielle and her adopted dog, Tucker for an on-site field trip! Miss Danielle enthusiastically shared her love and knowledge of animals and animal safety with the class through an informational story and activity. She taught how to properly approach and pet strange/unknown dogs. Students were able to practice these new skills with Tucker.

     Miss Danielle was most impressed with the abundance of towels and blankets the children so thoughtfully gave. She explained how they would be used to provide warmth and comfort to the animals. 

     Last Holiday season, we discussed the importance of helping those less fortunate. Classmates used wrapping paper, ribbon, tulle and more to decorate a "Friends in Need" box to store non-perishable items they brought from home. 

     It was an honor to host Maureen from Lazarus House Ministries for an on-site field trip. She enlightened the children about community service and acting compassionately to those in need. Maureen was so touched by the genuine acts of kindness from our students and thanked them for their donations. She explained how the food collections will be used by families in order to celebrate the holidays. All were quite proud of their dedication to community service and agreed that sometimes giving is more rewarding than receiving!

Thank you to our SMART START families for supporting and participating in our community drives! We greatly appreciate your involvement and contributions! 

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Weekend with Barny the Barn Owl

     One of SMART START's mascots is Barny the Barn Owl! Barny participates in our daily lessons and happenings at school. In addition, as an extended unit of study, students have the opportunity to bring Barny to their home for a weekend! Siblings host Barny and his companion so each child has a friend to care for.

This assignment comes with the responsibility of following a detailed checklist which includes:

• read books 
• complete homework together 
• pick out a sharing snack for school
• use the packed activity 
• Help get ready for bedtime (dress in pajamas, brush teeth)

     After their special weekend with Barny, pupils present details to the class!

         This extracurricular activity promotes social and emotional development and provides our young learners with endless benefits such as, learning accountability, experience in nurturing and caring for something, public speaking skills and high self-esteem.

Thank you to all our SMART START families for supporting the "Weekend with Barny the Barn Owl" program! 

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Geology

     SMART START students were introduced to the field of Geology both this and last year. This S.T.E.A.M (Science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) related unit primarily focused on the earth's natural structures.

Read below to view what was discovered during 2018 Geology week and 2019 Geology day!
     Future scientists were intrigued by our Geological displays. Exhibited were an assortment of rocks, gemstones, geodes, guides and investigative tools such as, magnifying glasses. Young learners engaged their senses as they explored the materials. 

     The class joined together in our outdoor classroom for an informational storytime. Miss Francesca read from a geology manual while peers passed around various types of earthly matter. All were most fascinated by the volcanic rock and geode. 
Some knowledge acquired during this lesson includes: 

• Geology is the study of earth and its physical structures/substances
• gemstones are pieces of mineral
• earth's crust is the outer layer of the planet
• there are gemstones assigned to each calendar/birth month
• volcanic rock is created from erupted lava

     

      Last year, pupils practiced matching gemstones to their corresponding images in books and charts. This activity worked to reinforce the subject matter. This year, classmates decorated cases to store their own rock collections. All used stick on jewels and name tags to personalize their project. Afterwards, each child selected a few rocks to start off their collection.  

     SMART START geoarchaeologists experienced the great efforts of rock excavation.  Last year, the crew unearthed stones, minerals and more in the school's sand excavation site. This year, motivated minds worked to extract gems that were encased in individual blocks of plaster. Tools used during excavation included: brushes, picks, sponges, popsicle sticks, and magnifying glasses for further examination. All were amazed and confident in their findings. 

    

   

   To complete the excavation process, the group gathered to dig up some candy rocks in ice cream. All thoroughly enjoyed their delicious discoveries and were able to identify what minerals their treats resembled. The favorites were the "ruby" and "emerald" candies. 

     Last year, budding geologists took turns hammering open a geode. All were surprised to witness the sparkling crystals hiding inside the outer layers. This year, preschoolers and prekindergartners partnered together to pan for gold in buckets of water. These hands-on activities provide students the opportunity to experience the subject matter first hand and to comprehend it in a realistic setting.

              

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