Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? - Mary Oliver

As many of you know by now, I'm a fan of quotes. And Mary Oliver is one of my favorites. She has a way of making every day tasks and scenes spring to life with new meaning. For instance, setting goals and establishing plans is something schools do all the time. We have the Board's Strategic Plan, our annual school goals, learning targets, lesson plans, and events and activity calendars, to name just a few.

We LOVE goal setting :). And our goals bring meaning and direction to what we do on a daily basis. But the quote above reminded me that in all the planning, we must not lose sight of the preciousness, the curiosity and sense of wonder, the "wild" happening thanks to and sometimes in spite of our goals and plans. We will continue to use this space to update you about our plans and hope you will make sure to read the newsletter thoroughly so you and your family do not miss out on a single opportunity!

In that spirit, we have a week full of precious, wild and sometimes just necessary events ahead as September comes to a close:

• 6th Graders are looking forward to their overnight trip to Hulbert Outdoor Center on Lake Morey;
• 3rd through 5th grade parents are invited to curriculum night on Wednesday;
• Students continue to work through their fall NWEA testing;
• The PTA and class of 2024 are teaming up for the Annual 5K Trail Run (next Sunday); and
• On Thursday, the ENTIRE school is taking a hike and we hope you will join us!

Complete details for these and many more events can be found in the Weekly Happenings and Office Notes sections below. Please take note of the following reminders and requests:

Plainfield School Directory - Back by popular demand! After a mediocre response to the online directory permissions in Alma, we have decided to once again print the directory. I completely understand people’s desire to have the handy booklet form…I still have some dating back to 2004 in my possession 🙂.

Please complete the Directory Form to indicate whether or not you give permission to have your parent contact information printed in the directory next to your child’s name by Tuesday September 26th. This will be the final date to do this, as they will be printed and coming home this week.

GOOD NEWS - After School Program: After a long wait, and a lot of work by Tracee Barden, our regional director for Boys and Girls Club, we are pleased to announce that things are looking VERY hopeful for the return of an After School Program for students in K through 5 at Plainfield School. The program typically runs from dismissal to 6 pm. They believe they can have their newly hired site director and staff fully hired and trained by early November.

In order to finalize staffing, the Boys and Girls Club would like more concrete information regarding possible interest. If you would be interested to participate in an after school program, please fill out this After School Interest Form no later than Friday September 29th so we have an idea on numbers.

K through 4 School Sing is undergoing a “remake” of sorts. To allow time for the final touches, it is on hold until Tuesday, October 3rd. This year it will be held in the music room and be led by Coach McKittrick and Mrs. Lizotte. It should be loads of fun. Please plan to sign in with the office and join us promptly at 8:05 am on October 3rd. It will surely be the best 10 minutes of your day!

FAST/Ski Program Update - Believe it or not we are already planning for Winter. As noted in the handbook on page 22, we are no longer operating the “Friday Afternoon Special Time” as an early release. Instead, in hopes to optimize community participation and collaboration, skiing will now be offered as an “after school” program and we will identify a single day in the winter for the entire school to enjoy winter fun in NH. Stay tuned for those details as parents and community members will definitely be invited to participate!

In the meantime, during late fall, students in grades K-8 will be invited to enroll in the ski program which occurs on Friday afternoons for six weeks (conditions permitting). The program takes place at Whaleback. The family cost includes fees for lessons, lift tickets, rentals, and transportation. The school helps coordinate the transportation and chaperone sign-up/assignment. We are still working out the specifics with Whaleback and a volunteer corps who will oversee logistics but there will be skiing at Whaleback this winter. I hope this helps folks make decisions regarding season passes.

And now, as I am lucky enough to have both of my adult children in town for the week, I'm going to go spend some precious time with them :). Speaking of which, I am taking a personal day on Tuesday and will not be at school. Christine Downing, our new Director of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment was a principal for years and is looking forward to filling in for me for the day. It will give her a great opportunity to get to know Plainfield School!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Audra Bucklin, Principal

603.469.3250, ext 223

abucklin@plainfieldschool.org

Curriculum Night

Wednesday, September 27 Babysitting is provided by the 7th grade class in the music room (Donations are welcome to benefit the 7th grade class).

• 6:00-6:25- Grade 5
• 6:30-6:55- Grades 3-4

September 27-29 Hulbert Trip – 6th Grade Class

First Annual Full School Trail Day: Thursday, September 28th we are planning to have all students and teachers participate in our first annual "Plainfield School Trail Day." We would love for parents and extended family members to join the fun as follows:

• K to 2 - Hiking to the "Top of the World" in Cornish, NH

• 3/4 - Hiking French's Ledges here at PES

• Grade 5 - Hiking Gile Mountain in Norwich, VT

• Grade 6 - Will do a hike at Hulbert that day

• Grades 7/8 - Cardigan Mountain

By now you should have received an email with more detailed information about departure times and expectations from your classroom teacher(s). Please reach out directly to them with any questions. If you have not gotten your permission form in, please do so by Monday September 25th. We want to be sure everyone can participate!

ATHLETICS:

Our soccer season is in full swing! Don’t forget to check the website under Athletics for the most up-to-date practice and game schedules!

For the most up-to-date information, please be sure to see the Events Section of the website which includes athletic/co-curricular practices and games. If you download the website app on your phone (bottom right corner of the website for instructions), you can update the settings to it will alert you when events or news items are added.

HOT LUNCHES (All are served with a veggie and milk)

HOT LUNCHES (All are served with a veggie and milk)

MONDAY: Dress your own burger and oven baked french fries

TUESDAY: Beef Nachos and Garden Salsa with Rice Pilaf and Corn

WEDNESDAY: BBQ Pulled Pork with hand cut french fries

THURSDAY: Cheesy Bake Ravioli Bake with Cauliflower and Breadsticks

FRIDAY: Cheese, Pepperoni, or Veggie Pizza with garlic breadsticks and Garbanzo beans

"COLD" Options: (offered daily)

Assorted Pre-made Deli Sandwiches

Yogurt Parfait with Fruit and Granola

Fresh Fruit and Veggie Bar with Dinner Roll

See Abbey Group Website for full details and to upload funds.

LOST & FOUND

The Lost and Found site is up and running again! Please check the site for any items that may belong to your student(s).

Please review this brief summary of the most up-to-date CDC Covid protocols. PES follows the NH DHHS guidance which is currently one and the same as the CDC guidance. There are a lot of viruses going around right now. While Covid numbers have been low here at PES so far, please be reminded you must still test when symptoms are present A positive Covid test requires 5 days quarantine and 5 days of additional masking. Let’s work together to keep our numbers low and our attendance (for both staff and students) strong by preventing the spread of Covid to the extent possible. We have covid tests available in the main office and nurse’s office. Please remember sick absences/notices need to be sent to schoolnurse@plainfieldschool.org as well as office@plainfieldschool.org. Nurse Beth will contact you if further information is needed.

Amanda & Katie

603.469.3250

office@plainfieldschool.org

Girls 5/6

• Monday, September 25th, 3:30 pm - PRACTICE
• Tuesday, September 26th, 5 pm - GAME vs. Mascoma (Home)

Boys 5/6

• Tuesday, September 26th, 5:00 pm - GAME @ Mascoma
• Wednesday, September 27th, 5:00 pm - PRACTICE
• Friday, September 29th, 5:00 pm - PRACTICE
• Saturday, September 30th, 2:30 pm - GAME vs. Cardigan (Home)

Girls 7/8

• Monday, September 25th , 4:00 pm - GAME vs. Lebanon (Home)
• Tuesday, September 26th, 3:30 pm - PRACTICE
  
• Wednesday, September 27th, 3:00 pm - PRACTICE
• Thursday, September 28th, 4:00 pm - GAME vs. Hanover (Home)

Boys 7/8

• Monday, September 25th, 5:00 pm - GAME vs. Lebanon (Home)
• Wednesday, September 27th, 5:00 pm - PRACTICE
• Thursday, September 28th, 5:00 pm - PRACTICE
• Saturday, September 30th, 2 pm - GAME @ Cardigan

Hello Families!

As we look to the end of September (already!) we will be spending the last few weeks talking about Respect! We define respect as "Seeing value in all people and things & treating them with care." Respect is one of the three traits that falls under Be Kind! All students will have the opportunity to develop and practice skills like perspective-taking, leadership and conflict resolution!

Looking ahead to October, we will move into Responsibility! See you there!

-Mrs. Foley

Teens are finding energy drinks an easy way to keep their energy up and make it through the school day and after school sports obligations. These energy drinks are gaining popularity among our adolescents due to colorful packaging, candy-like flavors, targeted marketing, and are easy to obtain. But energy drinks can have serious health concerns due to harmful effects on the adolescent body.

The main, energy-boosting ingredient is caffeine. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics the current recommendation for adolescents (ages 12-18) is less than 100 mg of caffeine per day. Each energy drink can have upwards of 170 mg of caffeine, per serving, whereas a cup of coffee typically contains 75-95 mg of caffeine. These energy drinks are typically more than one serving, but the teen is drinking the whole can… 340+ mg of caffeine! With some teens drinking 1-2 cans of energy drinks a day they are consuming 2 to 4 times the recommended amount of caffeine per day. This leads to increases in blood pressure and heart rate and also causes the jitters and insomnia. Then insomnia perpetuates the cycle and they drink even more to get the same boost the following day. Before you know it, you have a teen who is addicted to caffeine as they have developed a dependence on the high that excess caffeine provides. Trying to break that cycle can cause withdrawal symptoms like headaches, mood instability and depression. A slow reduction in daily caffeine is the recommended method of breaking the cycle of addiction.

Additionally, there is a high concentration of sugar in these drinks which can initially improve energy, but when the sugar wears off, they crash. The sugar can give a short-term boost of energy but has no nutritional value and can cause major fluctuations in blood sugar levels. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends less than 25 grams of sugar per day for children over 2 years old. A two-serving can of an energy drink can have upwards of 50 grams of sugar.

You can help your teen to make informed choices by reading labels with them in the store. Identify high caffeine drinks by discussing the information on the nutrition labels. Look at the serving size and number of servings per container and do the math to calculate how much caffeine and sugar are in a particular drink. Approach the conversation with honesty and be sure to not focus exclusively on the negatives but assist your teen in identifying safer sources of caffeine. And lastly, focus on natural energy boosts such as adequate protein intake, exercise, and good sleep hygiene practices.

Hello PES Community!

As we embark on a new school year, we have many great events coming up for the community. Our first PTA meeting of the year will be this Wednesday, September 20 from 6-7pm in the PES Music Room. Everyone is welcome, hear about what we have coming up this fall, give your opinions on topics of interest for parent forums, and be actively involved in the co-curricular community here at PES.

The first opportunity to support a great event is at the annual 5K and Fun Run fundraiser happening on Sunday 10/1 beginning at 9:30am with the kids fun run. Signup to support this fun community event by providing snacks and supplies or volunteering for the various stations (course guides, registration table, etc.). We hope you will come out to support and/or run in this fun community event! Volunteer Sign-up here: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/70A0F45A4AA29A3F58-20233

Race Sign-up here: https://raceroster.com/events/2023/78721/pes-family-fun-run-and-5k-trail-race-2023