JW Killam Principal's Corner

Week of October 30, 2022

Earlier this month, the Department of Education released the Grades 3-5 MCAS assessment results from last spring. We recognize that this is a snapshot of our students learning and want to celebrate the many successes that we see in the results. We are always proud of the work and concentration that our students show! As with all standardized assessments, we can also grow in our understanding of learning standards that were challenging for our students. By diving into the data with our staff, we can see where our teaching practices and implementation needs to be stronger and where we want to keep moving forward with areas that show promising results. While we use a variety of assessments to monitor student learning, MCAS helps us monitor broad systems and identify areas needing further investigation and attention. As such, data will be reviewed and analyzed with our staff to support our school improvement efforts.

To see more about the assessment and how our Killam students did on the Spring 2022 MCAS assessment, please click below.

English Version

Portuguese Version

Spanish Version

Swahili Version
Vietnamese Version

Another another note, we know many families celebrate Halloween at Killam. As you can imagine, it can be a very exciting day with lots of energy, which is why we held a spirit day ahead of time. Our PTO also hosts a Trunk or Treat event this Sunday. To help keep our students focused, we do not permit costumes on Halloween day. We want to encourage a consistent routine for our students as they head into a potentially long night ahead! Thanks for understanding.

Stay well,

Ms. Leveque

Friday, October 28th: PTO sponsored Dine-out, Mandarin Restaurant Reading, 4pm-closing (have to present flyer)

Sunday, October 30th: PTO sponsored Trunk or Treat, Killam Parking Lot, 2-4pm

Tuesday, November 1st: Killam PTO Meeting in the Library, 7-8pm

Tuesday, November 8th: No School - Teacher In-Service Day

Wednesday, November 9th: Killam Picture Retake Day

Friday, November 11th: No School - Veteran's Day

School Hours:

Monday-Thursday, 8:15-2:45 (8:10-11:30 for half-day kindergarten)

Friday, 8:15-12:45 (8:10-12:45 for half-day kindergarten)

Reading Public School Calendar

Our Parent/Guardian - Teacher conferences are right around the corner. Your teacher will communicate how to sign up for a conference. We look forward to sharing information about the transition into the school year.

Please note the conference dates and change in typical school schedules.

-Wednesday, November 16th: 12:45 dismissal for ALL elementary students (including half-day kindergarten); conferences from 12:45-3:10

-Thursday, November 17th: typical school schedule; conferences from 3:10-4:10 (if needed)

-Friday, November 18th: No school for students; conferences from 8:10-3:10

Dear Families,

I hope everyone is doing well as the school year is now well under way. As the colder months approach, we often see an increase in illness. Here are a few reminders to help keep your family healthy:

• Maintain a regular sleep schedule; consistency is as important as getting enough sleep
• Exercise – get outside when the weather is good; nature is great medicine
• Practice healthy eating habits
• Stay up-to date on immunizations
• Wash hands frequently to reduce the spread of germs

If your child is going to be absent from school, please be sure to call the main office at 781-944-7831 and include a reason for the absence.

During the winter months, there is an increased number of students who get dismissed for illness. Please update the Parent Portal with the best phone numbers and email addresses, and any emergency contacts.

We have seen a few cases of head lice in school. Please check your child’s hair and consult with your physician if you believe they need treatment for lice. As head lice are not a health hazard or a sign of poor hygiene and they do not spread disease, it is not the district’s policy to exclude children for head lice.

• Here is some public health guidance about head lice.
• Here is some additional information from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The next vaccination clinic is scheduled for 10/28/22. Please see the link below to sign up.

Vaccine Clinic Sign Up

Thanks,
Ms. Grottkau

Interested in learning more about the equity and social justice work taking place in Reading and around the area? Dr. Chatterjee, Director for Equity and Social Justice at the Reading Public Library, is going to be releasing a monthly newsletter from the Department of Equity and Social Justice (with help from PAIR) called Reading Rhythm. She’s taking signups now: https://www.smore.com/f85sv-reading-rhythm

Each year, we want to make sure that our families are aware of the school and district expectations. These are reviewed annually by principals and members of the leadership teams. Parents/guardians are asked to review this school guide which is a summary of our school’s common procedures, practices, and guidelines. These are found on the school website. We encourage parents to share this information with their child. In addition to the specific school guides, we have a Reading Public School District Handbook which outlines all the policies that our students and families are asked to abide by when participating in RPS events, including the school day. We ask all parents/guardians to review the handbook yearly and sign-off indicating that you are aware of the policies. The Reading Public School Handbook can be viewed here.

Please take some time to read through the policies and sign a Google form saying you are aware of and have reviewed the RPS Handbook, outlining the District policies.

There are now two ways to let us know if your child is going to be absent from school, stating your child's name and reason for the absence.

You can continue to call the school absence line and leave a message 24-hours a day. The number is 781-944-7831, option 1. Now, you can also email an absence to KillamAttendance@Reading.k12.ma.us. Either way, letting us know will help us make sure the Killam community is safely in the building or at home.

Our Occupational Therapist, Michelle Goldner, has put together some great activities for families to try at home. These help children build strong dexterity and muscles to help them grow in all settings.

October Tips

Backpack Wearing Tips

Our speech and language pathologist, Jackie Dunn, wants to share some language development activities you can try at home. Check them out.

Ideas

Curious where your student's classroom is located and where to connect for drop-off and pick-up? Check out the Killam School map.

As a parent guardian of a child in the Reading Public Schools, you have access to the Parent PlusPortal. The Portal will be used throughout your child’s academic career as it is where you update your child’s emergency contact information, view report cards, and beyond elementary school, see your child’s grades in real time. It also acts as a communication portal between you and your child’s teacher where oftentimes, different academic links, notes, or activities are shared.

If you are a returning parent, your account is still active. If you are new parent guardian and have not received access, please reach out to our school administrative assistant, Jackie Maglio at jaculen.maglio@reading.k12.ma.us. At that point, you will receive a separate email with your PlusPortal login information. The subject line of the email is Important! Killam School PlusPortals login. This is a confidential portal that is linked to your email account. You have 48 hours to activate your Portal account using the temporary password supplied through the email. Once you login, you can update the password and personal information.

School lunches are once again free for students in the Commonwealth. We look forward to providing nutritious meals for our students!

The Town of Reading contracts with William James College to offer a special service for our residents. The William James INTERFACE Referral Service maintains a mental health and wellness referral help line Monday through Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for individuals across the lifespan living in Reading. Callers are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database. Each referral meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller. Click here to learn more!

Email: sarah.leveque@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: http://reading.k12.ma.us/killam/
Location: 333 Charles Street, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-944-7831
Facebook: facebook.com/JWKillamSchool
Twitter: @Killamnews