Whiz Kids

April Edition of Pier School Paper Out!

Check out 16 pages of sheer splendidness from Pier School students.

The third issue of The Mariners’ Catch, the official paper of the Pier School, is now out! This edition is 16 pages. The paper is produced by The South County Independent, and overseen by Cheryl Butler. Got questions about the paper or contributing to it? Send an e-mail to Cheryl at cb091987@aol.com. Want to be e-mailed when a new issue is published? Click the "keep me posted!" button below.

• Documents (1)

Family Tides

Important Information About Child Outreach’s Free Services

Child Outreach is a valuable and free service offered to children ages 3 to 5. Learn more about this important service that can truly help your child before Kindergarten placement.

Child Outreach is a free service offered to all children 3 to 5 years old. Child Outreach provides a brief assessment in five areas of development: vision, hearing, speech and language skills, social and emotional development, and general development, such as gross and fine motor skills and memory. Much like bringing your child to the pediatrician, children should be screened annually, at 3, 4 and 5 years old. Because the activities are based upon what is appropriate for your child's age and experiences at the time of screening, each screening provides families with an up-to-date check on their child's status. Child Outreach can help identify children who may need further assessment, intervention and services at an early age in order to …

• Photos (1)

Family Tides

Whatever You Do - Don’t Be Too Attached To The Outcome

Dreaming is OK, as long as we don't get too fixed on the exact outcome.

As I scurried through the store and rounded the corner I literally lost my breath when I saw it!   There it was—the most exquisite, perfectly designed 8 X 10 area rug I had ever laid eyes on. If ever an item screamed my name this lush, tropical masterpiece was it (well, excluding certain edibles like whoopee pies and pressed grape beverages). For those of you who have followed my yearlong quest to transform our home into a private Caribbean resort (Just because I have 8 kids doesn’t mean I can’t live an exotic life) I knew after brushing up against that plush, vibrant-woven hibiscus piece of incredible floor art that it would be the showstopper to my entire sultry project, and I just had to have it!  Of course, there was only one small …

• Photos (1)

Latest Pier School Paper Out!

Check out 16 pages of sheer awesomeness from Pier School students.

The second issue of The Mariners’ Catch, the official paper of the Pier School, is now out! This edition is 16 pages. Topics include a seal watch and walruses, interviews with Ms. Santucci and Ms. Chen, the boys’ basketball team and the always popular Cook’s Corner. The paper is produced by The South County Independent, and overseen by Cheryl Butler. Got questions about the paper or contributing to it? Send an e-mail to Cheryl at cb091987@aol.com. Want to be e-mailed when a new issue is published? Click the "keep me posted!" button below.

• Documents (1)

Talk of the Town

Miller Enriches Lives of Pier School Students

The Narragansett Pier Middle School offers a cutting-edge enrichment program to students, headed by teacher Vanessa Miller.

The Narragansett Pier Middle School offers students a well-rounded curriculum of English-Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies as well as a broad range of Specials such as art, foreign language, music and much more.  In addition, NPS also provides a cutting edge program to their students — Enrichment.   Vanessa Miller became the NPS Enrichment teacher in September 2009 and in this short period of time, she has already seen exciting growth and development within the program.   Miller explains that the philosophy of the enrichment program at NPS is based in the Renzulli Schoolwide Enrichment Program (SEM). The SEM was developed around a shared vision that "schools are places for talent development (Renzulli, 1994).” The goal of SEM…

• Photos (1)

Family Tides

Resolving To Live Like a Child

Well, we're nearly two weeks into the New Year. How are those resolutions working for you?

Once that mesmerizing bejeweled ball dropped in Times Square two weeks ago, New Year’s hugs, kisses, and unwavering resolutions were exchanged from one end of the country to the other.  Champagne toasts were giddily declared as well intending folks across the world embarked on what they hope will be their best year yet. Can I just say I’m not going there this year? – Absolutely not! Instead of banging out a list of my usual culprits that could use a little improvement:  Eat healthier, weigh less, find my true purpose, sell custom-made wonder girdles to help pay for eight college funds, learn to play a classy instrument like a viola or the harp, and finally — mastering the fine art of clipping our Pomeranian’s nails so that we don’t succumb…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Mom's Talk

10 Fresh Parenting Resolutions for 2013

Even if you hate the thoughts of making a single resolution for the New Year, our Gansett Moms' Council has 10 suggestions to freshen up your parenting routines in 2013.

Ah, a brand New Year is upon us once again!  This is such a pivotal moment in time for so many of us because it offers us a clean slate.  Goal-oriented individuals love this time of year because it’s a great opportunity to set personal resolutions that will be life-changing. It’s also just as refreshing for parents, because we want nothing more than to improve our parenting skills and make good on the major blunders that took place the year before.  In light of the fresh start that comes with a new year, here are 10 parenting resolutions from our Gansett Moms’ Council that offer up a way to lighten up and make this your best parenting year ever. Resolution #1: Be More Selfish Have you ever heard that analogy of parents placing the oxygen …

• Photos (1)

Family Tides

Unique Resolutions to Help Ring in the New Year

Whether you're the type of person who resolves to do better in the New Year or not--check out some of our unique resolutions that just may entice you.

Are you one of those steadfast types that love the tradition of making a list of motivating New Year’s resolutions each year?  Or, have you “been there – done that” one too many times and have decided that the only resolution you care to make is not setting yourself up for disappointment by breaking the list you made less than one week into it?  Go ahead, be honest! Most people are not going to keep their resolutions all year long. They’ll start out with the best of intentions but the worst of strategies, expecting that they’ll somehow find the willpower to resist temptation after temptation.  In an interesting report done by Roy F. Baumeister, a social psychologist at Florida State University and co-author of the book, Willpower, he and …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Cheryl Butler

8:30 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012

Thanks for commenting, Stephen. I hope the New Year ahead is happy, healthy and unique! Best.............Cheryl :)   more ›

Family Tides

Reassuring Our Kids After Tragedy

Dealing with the aftermath of the horrific Newtown, Connecticut school shootings.

Writing this piece in the aftermath of the unthinkable tragedy in Newtown on Friday, Dec. 14 is eerily surreal.  To learn that 26 innocent lives, 20 of them precious young children, were killed in a shooting massacre in their very own elementary school is just incomprehensible. As a mom of eight kids, the youngest who is 7 and in the first grade, I was stricken with immense grief and disbelief that sweet, trusting young elementary school aged children as well as their devoted and loving teachers and staff that cared and taught them were so brutally murdered. A tragedy of this magnitude is horrific, but knowing that so many helpless children were the victims takes the pain and horror to a whole new level.  I am not a certified professional …

• Photos (1)

Family Tides

Saved By YouTube

Think YouTube is only for listening to great tunes? Think Again!

I consider myself a reasonably creative person. Just last week, for instance, I created a winter wonderland in our living room with branches I found in the woods behind our house.  After dragging them several miles, I managed to spray paint them with shiny white paint, sprinkle them with snow glitter and then strung lots of white lights on them all without batting an eye.  It’s a shame no one in my family has noticed this festive venue yet, but the dogs and I certainly are enjoying it. Sure I can bring a dead tree to life, but ask me to assemble something like those UNICEF boxes the kids come home with for Halloween, and I break out into a cold sweat. Just because I’m good with a hot glue gun doesn’t mean I’m good with a set of written …

• Videos (1)