RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School

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Over the past week, we celebrated our Grade 5 students, as they transition to their next adventure! From the Grade 5 Moving Up Ceremony on Wednesday, to the new Grade 5 Social on Thursday, to their Self-Evident Education Event on Friday afternoon...they were busy and had lots of fun!

We wish them the best now and in the future and know that they have left a lasting legacy here at RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School!

We would like to offer a HUGE thank you to the following members of our community who have supported this event and our Grade 5 students including, but absolutely not limited to:

• Our RKFRR PTO and Board for all of their fundraising, time, love and support - these folks are part of making every single event at our school a reality - from our field day to our Grade 5 Social - Shannon, Liam, Tom, Sofiya, and Emily are beyond involved and supportive.

• Mrs. Madden has an exceptional amount of love for this Grade 5 class and our entire community.

• Tish Serrani and Vanessa Van Stee who supported countless events this year and for many years past.

• Stacia Potter and Jill McGovern who organized the beautiful flowers for our move up ceremony and Alissa Marotto, who came early to help setup and make sure the move up ceremony was ready to go!

• Gina, Jarrett and the entire Krosoczka family for all of your help organizing events this year, including our social and 5th grade ceremony!

• All of the caregivers who attended our Grade 5 planning events

• And all of our amazing RKFRR staff, including our Grade 5 Team, Ms. Minton, Mrs. Michon, Ms. Keillor, Mr. Barnes and our custodial team, and Ms. Rocky.

Jarrett Krosoczka, national award winning author and illustrator AND member of our school community, came in to visit all classrooms at RK Finn Ryan Road!

Jarrett shared his story of how he became a published author and illustrator, including how he persevered through many trials and refusals. Students were able to ask Jarrett questions and he walked us through his process to create new characters and bring them to life on paper!

Thank you very much Jarrett for coming in to spend time with us and for inspiring our students with your story and work!

As this year closes, a few of our staff will be changing positions or leaving the school for new adventures:

• Katie Pefaur - Mrs. Pefaur will be moving this summer to southern Connecticut. We would like to thank her for 7 wonderful years of kindness, fun, and learning in her classroom and across her Grade 2 team and our school. We will miss her VERY much!
• Rocky Mariani-Prall - Mrs. Rocky Mariani-Prall will be retiring this year. We are grateful for all of the creativity, inspiration, and fun she brought to all of our classrooms and the Techknowledgey Lab! We wish her the best in her retirement and will miss her greatly!
• Ms. Jean Flegenheimer - Ms. Flegenheimer will be retiring at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. She has been a teacher in our district for the past 20 years, having worked as a preschool teacher and then special education teacher at our school. We will miss her as well and wish her a wonderful retirement!
• Rebecca Natale - Mrs. Natale will be starting as our new Grades 3-5 Math Interventionist in September!
• Amy Sidoti - Mrs. Sidoti will be transferring to the open Grade 2 position.
• Bridget Pelis - Mrs. Pelis will be transferring to the open Grade 2 position.

New Staff: Please join us in welcoming these new members of our school community:

• Grade 1 Classroom Teacher - Lauren Lawrence-Riddell - Mrs. Lawrence-Riddell has worked in the district for 12 years as a Grade 1 teacher at Leeds Elementary School and brings an immense amount of positivity, joy for learning, and instructional expertise!
• Grade 3 Classroom Teacher - Leah Drabek - Mrs. Drabek recently completed her student teaching practicum at our school in Grade 2 and has worked as a 1:1 paraeducator for our students in past years. We are thrilled to have her join our community and know that her commitment to all students and desire to engage in school wide collaboration will make her a wonderful member of our staff!
• Kindergarten Special Education Teacher - Mrs. Becky Cellucci - Mrs. Cellucci has most recently worked as a Grade 3 paraeducator in our school. She is a licensed Special Education teacher with extensive teaching experience and abundance of calm, flexibility, and kindness!
• Tech Integration Specialist - Greg Baker will be replacing Mrs. Mariani-Prall as our Tech Integration Specialist. He will be coming to us from Gateway Regional School district and brings an extensive background in experiential learning.

The Northampton Public School District is participating in the Summer Food Service Program

known as Summer EATS. Summer EATS is a federally-funded, state-administered program that allows all children and teens (18 and under) to enjoy free, healthy meals on site at the following locations, dates and times throughout the summer. Free meals are served to all children present at the time of service, no need to sign up or register in advance!

FREE MEALS will be will be provided daily beginning 07/10/2023 through 08/03/2023 (Monday-

Thursday – No Friday’s), at a first come, first serve basis, at the sites and times as follows:

• Meadowbrook Apartments Community Room, Bridge Street, Florence - Lunch 11:00-12:00
• Hampshire Heights, Outside Unit 19C, Jackson St. Northampton - Lunch 12:00-12:30
• Florence Heights, Unit 8D, Florence Rd, Florence - Lunch 1:00-1:30

Northampton Public Schools will completely transition to the use of Parent Square starting at the beginning of the 2023-2024 School Year. Parent Square is a unified communications platform that keeps parents and guardians informed and makes engagement with school easier. It provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, office staff, and parents to:

• Send and receive school and class information

• Share pictures and files

• See calendar items

• Sign up to volunteer

• Schedule parent-teacher conferences

• Digitally sign permission forms

• and much more . . . all in one centralized place!

Caregivers — Getting Started Video

Parent Square Tips

Many of our classrooms and teachers have already transitioned to using Parent Square and so far we are pleased with the ease of use and many different functions existing in one platform!

For questions or troubleshooting please reach out to the main office during the summer/start of the new year!

Please email the RKFRR PTO @ryanroadpto@gmail.com if interested!

Stay up to date with all of our school activities on our School Website’s Calendar!

• http://www.northamptonschools.org/rk-finn-ryan-road-calendar/

Upcoming Dates:

• June 21 - Last Day of School (1/2 Day - 11:30am Pickup)

As always, we hope that all families and caregivers feel welcome, comfortable, and valued at our school. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. I am happy to meet with any of you or we can talk on the phone anytime.

Karen Albano, Principal

RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School

Email: kalbano@northampton-k12.us
Website: https://northamptonschools.org/project/rk-finn-ryan-road-school/
Location: 498 Ryan Road, Florence, MA, USA
Phone: 413-587-1550