December 2024
The Carillon 12/7/24
the Carillon
car·il·lon /ˈkerəlän,ˈkerələn/
your weekly update from Carrollton Elementary
12/7/2024
From the Desk of Mr. Brennan…
As a lover of words, I look forward to this time of year when organizations such as Oxford University Press announce their annual top terms. This year certainly doesn’t disappoint as Oxford revealed its pick after considering public input, a broad vote, and usage data; the winner for 2024: brain rot. • “Brain rot” is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging; also, something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.” According to Oxford University Press, their experts noticed that “brain rot” gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The term increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024. While the first recoded use of the term “brain rot” is found in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden – he was bemoaning “society’s tendency to devalue complex ideas” way back in 1854 – in 2024, “brain rot” is used to describe both the cause and effect of low-quality, low-value content found on social media and the Internet, as well as the subsequent negative impact that consuming this type of content is perceived to have on an individual or society. (Skibidi Toilet, anyone?) • As an educator and parent, I am increasingly concerned about the potential negative impact that unfettered exposure to valueless online content might have on young people’s mental health. Sure, the adults of my childhood warned of the dangers of watching too much TV, but television fare could go nowhere close to the depth, extend, and consuming nature of what is constantly available on screens stared at by kids today. • Speaking about this year’s selection process and the their winning word, Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said, “Looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, you can see society’s growing preoccupation with how our virtual lives are evolving, the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about. Last year’s winning word, ‘rizz,’ was an interesting example of how language is increasingly formed, shaped, and shared within online communities. ‘Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time. I find it fascinating that the term ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to. These communities have amplified the expression through social media channels, the very place said to cause brain rot.” In true Oxfordian fashion, Grathwohl concluded, “It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited.” • What Oxford finds cheeky, I find chilling.
Find out more about Oxford's Word of the Year shortlist for 2024
and see their top words from the last two decades.
Let’s Grow!
Mr. B.
Mr. Brennan
Cardinal Kudos
We have a brand-new school mascot costume thanks to the extremely generous donations of Dr. David Wallace and our PTA Executive Board! I can’t wait until the kids get a look at our updated Casey the Cardinal!
Help Wanted
From Lynn Briggs, IWCS Director of Community and Media Relations:
Isle of Wight County Schools is currently participating in the federal government's Impact Aid Program. Impact Aid is a federal grant program designed to help pay for the education of federally connected children. The amount of funding is based on the number of IWCS students whose parents are connected with the federal government. To determine if our school system is eligible for funding, each school will need to conduct a survey. The information from these surveys will be used to support our request for Impact Aid funds. The forms are being sent home with each student's report card. A copy of the form is also attached to this e-mail. All information that you provide on the Impact Aid Program Survey Form will be treated confidentially.
Please return the signed form to your child’s school by December 9, 2024.
Thank you for your assistance with ensuring we have proper documentation for our Impact Aid application.
If you’re purging any holiday decorations (pumpkins, turkeys, Christmasy stuff, etc.), we will gladly give those things a new home here at school.
Caregivers often ask how they can support the school staff and one way would to provide items for staff incentives; here’s an Amazon link for such items: Ways to Encourage the CAES Staff
Good to Know
CAES currently has close to $3,000 of cafeteria debt accrued by students who overcharge food. While no student is allowed to get snacks without paying for them, the division’s policy is to not deny a student a meal because of non-payment. This debt will have to be paid and I hate the idea of losing funds for instruction to cover the cost. If you received communication from the IWCS Food Services Department about your child’s meal debt, please respond before December 19; they will gladly let you pay in increments if that’s helpful. Reach out to our cafeteria manager, Ms. Butts ([email protected]), Food Services tech Mr. Ruffin ([email protected]) or the Food Service Director Mrs. Couch ([email protected]) if you have questions or concerns about your child’s food debt.
Our PE teacher, Ms. Sutphin, is planning to convert the gym into a big glow room Dec. 11-18 and students are encouraged to wear neon to add to the flashy fun!
Lost & Found items will be outside of Door 1 for your convenience and then donated to local charitable organizations Dec. 18.
Blackwater Regional Library is sponsoring a coat drive for new and gently used coats. If you know anyone in need of a winter coat, contact Ms. Terry Andrews at the Smithfield Branch of the Blackwater Regional Library. She can be reached at 757-357-2264 (ext. 343) for more information.
A note from our librarian Mrs. O’Byrne: Notes were sent home with students with any overdue library books. Please take some time to look through backpacks, cars, and homes for any library books needing to be returned. If you received an overdue note, this is not a fine. Books are only considered lost, and a fine may be assessed at the end of the school year. The overdue notes are a proactive step to help students keep track of their books. If you have any questions or concerns about overdue books, please reach out.
Reminder: Only five (5) parent notes are excused per semester. Please communicate with the teacher whenever your child is absent.
Lots o’ Links:
Our school’s handbook: CAES Family FAQ ('24-'25)
Information about the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) and the division’s new language arts curriculum, myView, is linked here: Virginia Literacy Act and here: IWCS Language Arts Info
Here is our school counselors’ referral form.
All students enrolled in Isle of Wight County Schools are given an opportunity to apply for free and reduced-price meals. Applications may be completed privately and securely online at www.schoolcafe.com, and forms can be obtained at any school's cafeteria or main office.
Cafeteria menus are posted monthly on the IWCS website at IWCS Cafeteria Menus ('24-'25)
Here’s the link to an “online note” that you can use to report your children’s absences: CAES Absence Noteand information about IWCS All Things Attendance
A copy of the school division’s calendar: 2024-2025 School Calendar
Bus info: IWCS Transportation Information
Reminders:
If you would like to eat lunch with your child, please reach out to the teacher at least 24 hours in advance to schedule the visit; this will allow the teacher to communicate if there are any changes to the lunch schedule and to notify the office of your upcoming visit.
Early pick-up ends at 3:15 daily. From 3:15 to 3:35, students are receiving valuable instruction, at recess, or transitioning between classes, so your support is appreciated.
Here’s a link with more information: CAES Afternoon Pick-up Procedure
From Blue Dominion (www.
School photos can still be ordered and 20% of the net profit will go directly back to support the school.
Photo Website: https://www.
Mark Your Calendar
12/9 Signed Federal Impact Aid forms due back to school
12/13 Festive Sweater Day!
12/10 Second-quarter progress reports come home
12/19 IWCS Parent Resource Center rep on campus
12/17 Pajamas Day!
12/19 Dress as Your Favorite Winter Character Day!
12/19 Fine Arts Department’s mini-musical, The Nutcracker Suite (6:00 p.m.)
12/20 No school: Winter Break begins for students! (return 1/6/25)
File attachments:
Youth Event 2024.pdf
The Carillon 12/14/24
the Carillon
car·il·lon /ˈkerəlän,ˈkerələn/
your weekly update from Carrollton Elementary
12/14/2024
From the Desk of Mr. Brennan…
Last week I shared that Oxford University Press chose brain rot as their top word for 2024 and defined the term as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging; also, something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.” According to Oxford University Press, their experts noticed that “brain rot” gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. “Brain rot” speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time. For those who hope to prevent their children from becoming victims of this mental malady, I highly recommend Dr. Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Mind. I read the book this summer and there are very few of the 300+ pages on which I didn’t highlight a profound thought with underlining, a circle, a star, or an exclamation point. It’s no easy read: not because of an intensely intellectual tone but because of the hard truth that Haidt lays out for those willing to face it. Because I hope you’ll get a copy this December, I won’t share too much, but I will give you a few pointers from the chapter entitled “What Parents Can Do Now.”
For children from birth to 5 years old
- Enjoy your children. Not every interaction with your child has to be “optimized,” special, or educational. Parenting is about establishing a relationship, not teaching a class.
- Avoid using screens as pacifiers, babysitters, or to stop tantrums.
- Turn off screens and remove them from bedrooms 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
- Let kids play!
For children ages 6 to 13
- Limit the time of screen-based recreational activities to no more than two hours daily.
- For younger children, the recreational screen time should be educational and the devices should be used in a common area where adults can control the content.
- Learn how to use parental controls and content filters. (CommonSenseMedia.com is a good resource for this.)
- Delay the opening of social media accounts until 16. (Remember, you're the adult so you make the rules!)
- Consider a “digital Sabbath” each week where no devices are used.
- Look for signs of screen addiction or problematic use. (I’ll gladly share the list of signs if you would like them.)
There’s so much more guidance and wisdom that Dr. Haidt shares – and ample research to back it all up – but I’d rather you quit reading this and go enjoy your kids doing something screen-free right now!
Let’s Grow!
Mr. B.
Mr. Brennan
Cardinal Kudos
On behalf of a very grateful, very full faculty, thank you so much to all who made yesterday's holiday lunch possible! The food was delicious and the cafeteria monitoring allowed teachers to sit in a quiet space to enjoy the meal. We appreciate the generosity of all who contributed and we appreciate the PTA Executive Board for their organization.
Help Wanted
If you are planning on making charitable donations before the end of the year, please consider contributing to the betterment of what we do here at school; you can do this easily through the Online School Payment (OSP) site.
- OSP link for general donations: OSP: General Donations
- OSP link for specifically for music and art donations: OSP: Music & Art Donations
- OSP link for CAES: is: OSP: Carrollton Elementary
- OSP link for the county: OSP: IWCS
From Mrs. Waibel: Whenever we have spare time at the end of Engineering class, the students like to watch domino competition videos, which can be found in abundance on YouTube and are really quite mesmerizing. I would like to collect as many dominoes as I can to give the students the opportunity to make some runs of their own. I am not in a rush, and they do not need to be new. If over break you find some you’re willing to part with, please send them my way. Thank you so much!
If you’re purging any holiday decorations (pumpkins, turkeys, Christmasy stuff, etc.), we will gladly give those things a new home here at school.
Caregivers often ask how they can support the school staff and one way would to provide items for staff incentives; here’s an Amazon link for such items: Ways to Encourage the CAES Staff
Good to Know
Here’s a link to a collection of resources to help you keep your children engaged with reading over the winter break and beyond: VLP literacy opportunities
CAES currently has close to $3,000 of cafeteria debt accrued by students who overcharge food. While no student is allowed to get snacks without payment, the division’s policy is to not deny a student a meal because of non-payment. This debt will have to be paid and I hate the idea of losing funds for instruction to cover the cost. If you received communication from the IWCS Food Services Department about your child’s meal debt, please respond before December 19; they will gladly let you pay in increments if that’s helpful. Reach out to our cafeteria manager, Ms. Butts ([email protected]); Food Services tech Mr. Ruffin ([email protected]); or the Food Service Director Mrs. Couch ([email protected]) if you have questions or concerns about your child’s food debt.
For your convenience, Lost & Found items will be outside of Door 1 each weekend and then be donated to charitable organizations next Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Blackwater Regional Library is sponsoring a coat drive for new and gently used coats. If you know anyone in need of a winter coat, contact Ms. Terry Andrews at the Smithfield Branch of the Blackwater Regional Library. She can be reached at 757-357-2264 (ext. 343) for more information.
From our librarian, Mrs. O’Byrne: Students in pre-K and kindergarten will be able to check out a Lit Kit from our library. These kits include a nonfiction and fiction book pairing along with manipulatives to compliment the kit theme. Lit Kits are meant to be a shared experience between student and caregiver. If your student brings home a kit, I encourage you to make it a family activity and enjoy the kit together. Please let librarian me know if you have any questions or concerns at [email protected].
Reminder: Only five (5) parent notes are excused per semester and the semester ends Jan. 24. Be sure to communicate with the teacher whenever your child is absent.
To ensure that our Family FAQ handbook is as comprehensive as appropriate, I added the information below…
Safety guidelines for drop-off and pick-up:
- No vehicle should be driven in an unsafe manner.
- No vehicle should pass or attempt to pass another vehicle.
- No driver should use a phone while navigating through the parking lot/car loop.
- A child should not be in the driver’s lap when the vehicle is in motion.
- At pick-up, vehicles should not switch lanes.
- At pick-up, all vehicles must be turned off before students can be released from the sidewalks.
- At pick-up, caregivers should remain by their vehicles as opposed to walking through the line to retrieve their child.
- Caregivers are expected to be mindful of the staff on duty, following their guidance and treating them respectfully.
- Smoking is not permitted on our campus, even in private vehicles.
Lots o’ Links:
Our school’s handbook: CAES Family FAQ ('24-'25)
Information about the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) and the division’s new language arts curriculum, myView, is linked here: Virginia Literacy Act and here: IWCS Language Arts Info
Here is our school counselors’ referral form.
All students enrolled in Isle of Wight County Schools are given an opportunity to apply for free and reduced-price meals. Applications may be completed privately and securely online at www.schoolcafe.com, and forms can be obtained at any school's cafeteria or main office.
Cafeteria menus are posted monthly on the IWCS website at IWCS Cafeteria Menus ('24-'25)
Here’s the link to an “online note” that you can use to report your children’s absences: CAES Absence Noteand information about IWCS All Things Attendance
A copy of the school division’s calendar: 2024-2025 School Calendar
Bus info: IWCS Transportation Information
Reminders:
If you would like to eat lunch with your child, please reach out to the teacher at least 24 hours in advance to schedule the visit; this will allow the teacher to communicate if there are any changes to the lunch schedule and to notify the office of your upcoming visit.
Early pick-up ends at 3:15 daily. From 3:15 to 3:35, students are receiving valuable instruction, at recess, or transitioning between classes, so your support is appreciated.
Here’s a link with more information: CAES Afternoon Pick-up Procedure
From Blue Dominion (www.
School photos can still be ordered and 20% of the net profit will go directly back to support the school.
Photo Website: https://www.
Mark Your Calendar
12/19 IWCS Parent Resource Center rep on campus
12/17 Pajamas Day!
12/19 Dress as Your Favorite Winter Character Day!
12/19 Fine Arts Department’s mini-musical, The Nutcracker Suite (6:00 p.m.)
12/20 No school: Winter Break begins for students!
1/6/25 First day back to school
File attachments:
Youth Event 2024.pdf