Blackhawk Bulletin

Congratulations to the Math Team for taking 1ST Place at their first meet of the year last Thursday in Windsor. And to John Rendahl who took first place with a PERFECT SCORE! (More info below)

I hope our Trunk or Treaters stay warm out there today. My first Halloween in the Upper Valley (in 2001) it actually snowed, which was in sharp contrast to the Halloweens my children had experienced to that point in Atlanta, Georgia. We lived on River Road at the time which was also in sharp contrast to our suburban Atlanta neighborhood (I think our entire subdivision of 300+ homes could have fit in our new front yard!) Still, the most memorable part of that first Halloween in town was "trick or treating" at McNamara Dairy where we stopped and had popcorn and apples with Hazel McNamara. It was one of the many times I knew we had landed in a very special place.

Speaking of Halloween, we are looking forward to the annual Halloween Parade on Tuesday afternoon. Students in grades K to 2 may bring their Halloween costumes (NO masks, NO face paint, and NO weapons.) They will change into costume in the afternoon and will be invited to join the Halloween Parade at approximately 2 pm. Parents are more than welcome to come take pictures and join in the fun!

WHAT: Halloween Parade

WHO: Students in grades K to 2

WHERE: Around the perimeter of the school (In event of rain - Inside Hallway)

WHEN: Approx 2 pm

NOTE: No masks, No face paint, No weapons.

Some teachers and older students might choose to allow costumes for classroom specific events (Students should check with their child's teachers.) Please refrain from costumes that could scare our younger students. In addition, the No Masks, No Face Paint, No Weapons rule applies to everyone.

We look forward to seeing you later this week for our Fall Parent Teacher Conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear about your child(ren)'s progress related to the curriculum expectations in their grade(s.) You will receive your child(ren)'s NWEA test reports, view work samples (including classroom assignments and assessments) and hear how the instruction in your child's classroom provides important opportunities and supports for their learning and growth. Most importantly, this is a critical opportunity for partnership between you and your child(ren)'s teacher(s.) You are encouraged to ask questions and find out how you can best support your child(ren)'s learning. If you have not already done so, please be sure to sign up using the links in the "Parent Teacher Conferences - Sign Up" section below.

The newsletter is full of information. Please be sure to read all the way through!

See you in the morning!

Audra

P.S. We sent hard copies of the Quaglia Survey permission form home with students missing this information in Alma. Thanks in advance to those who already returned them. If your child does not have one in their backpack, they are all set (it means you completed this info in the back-to-school registration paperwork in August.) THANK YOU!

Audra Bucklin, Principal

603.469.3250, ext 223

abucklin@plainfieldschool.org

We are thrilled to invite you back to Whaleback for an exciting winter season! Please take a moment to review the following information before registering your student, as we've made some important changes to the program this year.

Plainfield Elementary Mountain Days: 1/5, 1/12, 1/19, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9

Registration Options

You can sign up your student for one or more of the following options:

• Lessons

• Free-Ride (no lessons)

• Snack

• Rental Gear

Lessons

Our lessons run for 60 minutes, starting at 4:15 PM and ending at 5:15 PM. We create lesson groups based on ability levels to ensure success on the mountain. We understand that some young snowsport enthusiasts may find it challenging to work on fundamentals on shorter trails, especially when there's a lot of mountain to explore. However, this step-by-step approach is crucial for building confident and skilled skiers or snowboarders.

The number one cause of injuries and disinterest in snowsports is when riders progress too quickly without the skills to navigate safely. So, we ask both you and your child to be patient with our program's gradual progression. Our goal is to create lifelong snowsport enthusiasts rather than overnight Olympians.

Freeride

If your student is in fifth grade or older, can confidently handle intermediate (blue) trails, stop when needed, and safely use chairlifts, they can participate in the freeride option. Please note that freeride doesn't include formal lessons, and students won't be supervised by Whaleback staff on the slopes. The freeride block begins and ends in congruence with the lesson block.

Snack

We offer a snack option for purchase. Please be aware that it's not a full meal but a mix of items that vary from week to week.

Rentals

Gear rentals are available for all students in the program, including skis/snowboard, boots, and poles (if needed). Helmets are also available at no extra charge, though we can't guarantee every student will receive one due to limited stock. While we understand snowsports can be costly, we highly recommend purchasing a mountain-sports helmet, the most important safety gear.

Rental equipment won't go home with students. They'll pick up their gear at the beginning of the mountain visit and return it by the end. This helps us maintain our rental fleet and saves you from hauling gear around.

If you want rental gear you can use on non-program days, visit our friends over at Golf and Ski who can provide a full kit for the entire winter season.

Equipment Fit Days

If you plan to rent gear from Whaleback, please attend one of our equipment fit days in December. Our rental equipment technicians will properly fit your child for skis/snowboard and boots. This ensures a smooth transition during program days and maximizes your student's time on the slopes.

Chaperones

While Whaleback Mountain supervises students during lessons, Plainfield volunteers takes over outside of lesson times. However, we believe students benefit from adult supervision. If you're a skier or snowboarder, you can volunteer your time and receive a day pass to chaperone free-ride students or provide behavioral support in our lesson groups, allowing our instructors to focus on teaching. If you don’t ski or snowboard, we would still welcome you as a chaperone to help out with transitions and lodge logistics! Please complete the Whaleback Transportation & Volunteer Form below to indicate your interest in becoming a chaperone.

Financial Aid

Our mission is to keep snowsports affordable and accessible for everyone. We understand it can be expensive, which is why we offer a financial aid program to help ease the financial burden. Please use the provided link to access our financial aid application.

Link: https://www.whaleback.com/financial-aid

Transportation to and from Whaleback Mountain

Plainfield Elementary manages transportation to Whaleback Mountain as we do not provide this service. Parents MUST sign their children out to a designated adult by 5:30 pm. Please sign up through the Whaleback Transportation & Volunteer Form below arrange transportation for your student/child. If you choose to drop off or pick up your student, please sign them in and out with the Plainfield representative. This ensures everyone's safety and accountability. Last year, we had an incident where a student was picked up without checking out, causing unnecessary concern. We appreciate your cooperation with our check-in/check-out procedures.

Contact info

Whaleback Mountain

Phone: (603) 448-5500

Email: learning@whaleback.com

Address: 160 Whaleback Mountain Rd., Enfield, NH 03748

Director of Learning Programs: Max Harrison

Plainfield Elementary

Phone: (603) 469-3250

Principal: Audra Bucklin

Email: abucklin@plainfieldschool.org

Disclaimers

• No make-ups for missed program days due to weather or illness.

• Program fees are non-refundable.

• We reserve the right to revoke any pass due to reckless behavior, foul language, participating without a pass, skiing with someone else's pass, or any form of substance abuse.

Tuesday, October 31

• K to 4 School Sing – 8 am Lobby – Parents/Guardians Welcome
• Halloween Parade - 2:30 pm - Parents/Guardians Welcome (line up on parking lot side of Parent Pick Up)

• Early Release Day 12:50, Parent/Teacher Conference
• LHS - 8th Grade Parent & Student Info Night - 5:30 PM - Music Room

UPCOMING EVENTS:

NOVEMBER

November 8 PTA Meeting - 6 to 7:30 pm

November 9

• Veterans Day Ceremony, 8:00 am Student Council, and 11:30-1:00 Community Luncheon
• Math Team Practice - 2:50-4:00pm

November 10 No School - Veterans Day

November 13 Mandatory Class of 2024 Meeting - 6 to 7:00 pm in the Library

November 14 School Board Meeting - 5:30 pm in the Music Room

November 20 Picture Retake Day

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- Oven baked chicken nuggets with roasted potato wedges and homemade dinner roll

TUESDAY- Spooky Goulash, vampire garlic sticks and kale chips

WEDNESDAY- French Toast Sticks with real maple syrup with sweet and white home fries and sausage links

THURSDAY- BBQ Chicken sandwich with roasted fresh zucchini

FRIDAY- Cheese, pepperoni and veggie pizza with steamed broccoli

"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.

It’s getting to be that time of year when illnesses’ are starting to amp up. Please remember to let the office know either by emailing office@plainfieldschool.org or calling 603-469-3250 before 8:15. Letting your child’s teacher know is great, however, cc’ing the office is most helpful!

NO STUDY HALL ON HALLOWEEN TUESDAY 10/31/23

Substitute Teachers Needed for 2023-2024 school year

The Plainfield School is seeking individuals who would be comfortable working with K-8th grade students in our building during the 2023-2024 school year. Applicants must be able to follow teacher substitute plans, be dependable, and enjoy working with children. If you are interested in applying, please contact Katie Lowery in the office at (603) 469-3250.

Paraprofessional Opening

Plainfield School is seeking a team player to work with teachers and other paraprofessionals to help students with diverse learning needs. Applicants must be solution focused, dependable, and experienced working with elementary and/or middle school aged children. If you or someone you know are interested in applying, please complete the application via SchoolSpring or contact Katie Lowery in the office at (603) 469-3250.

LOST & FOUND

Are you missing a sweatshirt, water bottle, hat? Please check the lost and found site for any items that may belong to your student(s). We are gathering more and more items!

PES Winter Store is now open through 11/12/23!

There are a variety of great items! Items will be here in time for Christmasand there is an option to have items shipped directly to your home! Link: http://PESWINTER23.ITEMORDER.COM

Amanda & Katie

603.469.3250

office@plainfieldschool.org

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.

Nurse Beth is in need of some things for the supply closet. We could use the following:

• Unused socks
• Shorts/pants in sizes 6 - 12
• Sneakers sizes 1-5 in unisex colors
• Mittens/gloves

Thanks,

Nurse Beth

schoolnurse@plainfieldschool.org

September and October have been very busy in the 3/4 Multi-grades! All three classes hiked French’s Ledges for Mountain Day. We had a surprise guest hiker, Mrs. Knight! The students were troopers as they followed the trail up to the Ledges. Unfortunately, the fog never completely cleared while we were on top. We were able to pose for our annual 3/4 class pic!

Our first science unit is on ecosystems and the PES grounds are the perfect place to do field, forest, and stream observations. We paired up with Mr. Bilodeau’s science classes to teach our students how to use microscopes. They were excellent teachers!

Another fun tradition during October is the reading of Stone Soup. This year our 3rd & 4th graders collected donations of vegetables from the lower grades and then made enough soup for K-4 students to have for snack. Thank you to Ms. Maslan for being our guest reader!

Plainfield School is looking forward to the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity for one:one conversations about your child’s performance and to learn more about the curriculum and supports available in your child’s classroom. We strive for 100% participation in conferences. Each teacher has an online sign-up form offering a variety of timeslots for meetings. Please complete the form at your earliest convenience. Appointments go quickly! If you don’t see a time that works for you to attend, please reach out to your child’s teacher directly.

Kindergarten

Lindsay McKittrick

1st Grade

Michelle Doody

2nd Grade

April Ellis

Grades 3/4

Jen Culligan

Jess Kondratowicz

Mindy Taber

5th Grade

Hannah Cook

Pam Hier

6th through 8th Grade

Larry Bilodeau

Phoebe Buckman

Joshua Hunnewell

Erin Mellow

Amanda Parker

8th Grade Families,

Please do not forget to join us for an information night with a panel of educators from Lebanon High School next Thursday, November 2nd at 5:30 pm in the Music Room>

Hope to see you there!

Felecia Foley, School Counselor

8th Grade Wreath Sale

Support the Plainfield School 8th grade class. Orders must be placed by November 1st. Variety of wreaths ranging from $20-40.00 (See flyer below)

Spaghetti Dinner

The 7th grade is hosting a Spaghetti Dinner this coming Saturday from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm (two "seatings" available. See flier below for more information.

Family Photos

Natalie Strout, paraprofessional at PES, is offering photos to local families (see flier).

4 Winds

4 Winds is a K-4th grade program; if you are interested or know of a family or community member who would like to volunteer, please contact Michelle Whitaker. mo.whitaker@yahoo.com or 585-690-3472

Attention Grades 6-8

Lebanon Middle School is offering wrestling for anyone in grades 6-8. Wrestling is for all levels of experience and it is coed. Come join one of the fastest growing sports in Lebanon. Wrestle kids your own size, all sizes are welcome. Please reach out to cwood@sau88.net or deerhead4@gmail.com.