The 4th grade Student Council is anonymously handing out kindness notes! When students receive them, they write their name on it and post it on the bulletin board by the main office. Students or staff who receive a kindness note then take a blank kindness note to anonymously pass it along to another student or staff member at Phelps.

On Friday, April 29, Phelps will celebrate Zones of Regulation Day. To celebrate, we are asking students who want to participate to wear a "Zones of Regulation" color (blue, green, red and yellow). The chart below shows the different emotions and the "zone" they fall under.

Zones of Regulation is our social emotional curriculum that creates a systematic approach to teach students regulation by categorizing the different ways we feel and state our experiences into four concrete colored zones. Zones help students build skills in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functioning and social cognition. The framework is designed to help students move toward more independent regulation while also honoring and respecting each student and themselves.

Just a reminder, when calling your child absent or to notify of an early dismissal, please dial "1" to leave a voicemail. Mrs. DiLullo will take the information down and if necessary, notify our school nurse. You can also email absent/dismissal notification to Mrs. DiLullo at mdilullo@agawamed.org. We ask that you try to send in a note in the morning if your child will be dismissed early, but we understand that sometimes plans change during the day.

Thank you for your understanding.

We have an exciting opportunity coming to Phelps from the members of the Agawam High School National Honor Society. On April 26, members will be coming to Phelps classrooms to read a story. Teachers have the opportunity to request books for the class to hear or the students will read a book of their choice.

Room 14 filled their pom-pom jar and earned a movie day!

The class filled the pom-pom jar by being a respectful, responsible, and safe class!

Teamwork makes the dream work!!

On April 5 & 6 students in grades three and four completed the English Language Arts MCAS.

Just a reminder that students will complete their Math MCAS sessions on May 17 & 18.

The Phelps Elementary School is looking for two new parent representatives for the School Improvement Council (SIC). The SIC assists the principal in writing the School Improvement Plan, identifies ways to spend the school's gift account and gives valuable feedback and a parent voice towards decisions being made in the school. The SIC meets once every month after school. The term for a parent representative is two years.

Parent representatives to the SIC are elected to the position. The election for the fall will take place at the PTO meeting on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m. If you are interested, please email avillamaino@agawamed.org or phelpspto@gmail.com.

On Wednesday, May 4, Mr. Scherpa will be visiting fourth grade students at Phelps to talk about joining the band program at Doering! In his visit, Mr. Scherpa will be demonstrating the different instruments that students can play. This is different from years past when the demonstration would happen in the fall at Doering. Students will pick the instrument that they would like to play this spring so that they can hit the ground running in September! Students will come home with a permission slip for them to sign up as a member of the band. What a great opportunity for our 4th grade students!

If your child takes medication at school, this is a reminder that you will need to pick it up at the end of the school year. Medication can not be left over for the next school year or it will be disposed of. Medication can also not be sent home with students- and will need to be brought in by an adult at the beginning of the year. Be on the lookout for paperwork regarding what is needed for your child in the fall. More information will also be shared in the May Newsletter for Families.

• Field day: Tuesday, June 7 (Rain date: June 8)
• Moving-Up Ceremony for 4th grade: Thursday, June 16 (Rain date: June 17)

Be on the lookout for more information soon!

Any parents who have not submitted complete registration packets for their new kindergarten student should submit them to the Phelps office before the last day of school (June 22). After June 22, all missing materials must be brought to the Family Resource Center at Agawam High School. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or email Mrs. DiLullo at 413-821-0586 or mdilullo@agawamed.org.

The staff recipient of the Crystal Apple Award for March is Ms. Boucher!!!

Ms. Boucher was selected as the March Crystal Apple recipient because she goes above and beyond in everything she does. Ms. Boucher is dedicated to making connections with students from all grade levels and it is apparent how much the students trust and enjoy working with her. The students are genuinely excited to be around Ms. Boucher. Her kind demeanor and positive attitude make everyone feel welcome, valued, and supported. Ms. Boucher has the ability to anticipate what is needed for students and teachers and offers help without being asked. We know that we can rely on Ms. Boucher for anything at all and her incredible work ethic makes such a difference in our school community. Phelps School would not be the same without Ms. Boucher!

Thank you to all who came out for our first BINGO for Books event! It was so great to see so many of our Phelps families in attendance! We are already excited for next year's BINGO night.

The Agawam apparel order has been placed. Be on the lookout for pickup information in early May.

• Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-6th. If you are interested in helping, please email phelpspto@gmail.com

Have a great April vacation!

Mr. Villamaino & Mrs. Ludkiewicz

Email: avillamaino@agawamed.org
Website: https://www.agawamed.org/o/bjp
Location: 689 Main Street, Agawam, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 821-0586