Panda Press
November 9, 2023
Dear Thacher Families:
As a reminder, there is no school tomorrow in honor of Veterans' Day. We're incredibly thankful for all of the veterans who are a part of the Thacher/ELC community! We'd also like to thank the members of the Attleboro Police Honor Guard who led our parade. Please see below for a video of our parade and celebration.
Sincerely,
Frank W. Rich
Principal
World Kindess Day
Over the summer, the Attleboro community and the world lost a ray of sunshine, Olivia Grace Knighton, who was a student at Coelho Middle School. Olivia was 11 years old when she was tragically killed in a boating accident in July of 2023. After the accident, her family shared that as the news of the accident spread, support started pouring in from around the country and the world. It was evident that Olivia was loved by everyone who knew her and her family. As time passed, friends, family members, classmates, and strangers began to raise money through bake sales, lemonade stands, and other efforts to honor her special soul. Faced with the decision of how to distribute those funds in a way that would be meaningful to Olivia, her parents donated to a local animal shelter and local youth soccer team. However, it became clear that a more centralized effort was needed, and so The Olivia Knighton Foundation was launched last Friday, on Olivia's 12th birthday.
The mission of the Olivia Knighton Foundation is to honor Olivia’s short but beautiful life by spreading her light, love, passion, and kindness. The organization’s goal is to enable children to follow their dreams and make the world a better place by providing scholarships and grants, encouraging acts of kindness, and supporting the most important causes to Olivia: children’s welfare, animal shelters, and education. Olivia loved everything about school, inside and outside of the classroom. Throughout her life, and especially in recent years, she formed strong bonds with all of her teachers, loved learning, and participated in many clubs. To honor her passion for school, the foundation’s primary objective will be to award scholarships: first at Attleboro High School, which is in Olivia’s school district, and later at other high schools within Massachusetts. These scholarships will be offered to graduating high school seniors who are passionate about pursuing higher education but are facing financial obstacles. The remainder of the funds raised will be donated to charities that were important to Olivia: children’s welfare (especially those that focus on school readiness), animal shelters, and others at the discretion of the Board.
Olivia’s brother was a student at the ELC and as such, our Student Council will lead the TES/ELC community’s effort to support the mission of the Olivia Knight Foundation on World Kindness Day. Students and staff will be encouraged to do random acts of kindness throughout next week. Anyone who completes a random act of kindness will be given a teal butterfly (her favorite color) to fill out and then hang around the school. On Friday, we would like to collect $1 from as many students as possible for our Thanksgiving “Friends Helping Friends” fundraiser. In the past, money raised has been used to refresh recess equipment and purchase shoes and other necessities for students in need.
This Week in Physical Education
Students have wrapped up the new and exciting Thacher Hall of Fame Olympics! As we head into the holiday and the colder weather season, students have been working on some fundamentals of throwing and catching different types of equipment. Students were taught how to throw underhand and overhand by using some helpful cues, such as face target, and stepping with opposite foot. Students then participated in the pumpkin ghost challenge!!
Another skill we have started working on was striking an object with our hands and feet. Students learned when dribbling a soccer ball why it's important to keep it close to you, how to pass to a teammate, and how to trap a soccer ball. Students also learned some basic soccer cues like passing with the inside of your foot, following through your kick and stepping towards your target. Students participated in a few games such as soccer pin knockdown and soccer extravaganza. Students were able to work on individual skills and show off those skills in some team based activities.
Mr. Ryan Henry
Meet the Staff Mondays
We hope you had as much fun at Harvest Night as we did!
Please click the image above to see Project Connect's newsletter
Upcoming Important Information & Dates
Fee For Service (Bus)
November 10: No School (Veterans' Day)
November 13: World Kindness Day
November 13: School Council Meeting
November 13: ELC School Spotlight at School Committee Meeting
November 16: Picture Retake Day (NEW date)
November 16-17: Mobile Dentist at TES
November 20: PTO Meeting
November 22-24: No School for Thanksgiving Break
Thacher Elementary School
Email: frich@attleboroschools.com
Website: http://tes.attleboroschools.com/
Location: 160 James Street, Attleboro, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 226-4162
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thacherelementary