JW Killam Principal's Corner

Week of March 19, 2023

At Killam, we strive to ensure our students are present and at their best to engage in the learning. One way we work to create a strong learning environment is by partnering with our families to help our children attend school regularly. Whenever a child is going to be absent or late to school, parents/guardians are required to call the students' school to report the absence or tardiness. The absentee line is available 24 hours a day. This is an important way to assure school personnel that parents/guardians are aware of their child’s absence or tardiness. If we do not hear from a parent/guardian, an automatic phone call will be sent home. For more information about Attendance Policies, please refer to the School Committee Policy Manual Section J. Parents/guardians must notify the school of an absence, tardy or dismissal by phone, or email. Here is how you can reach us at Killam (781)-944-7831 or JWKabsences@reading.k12.ma.us.

Attendance letters will be going out over the next few weeks. The Reading Public Schools, pursuant to M.G.L. c. 76, § 1B, will notify the parent or guardian of a student who has at least 5 days in which the student has missed 2 or more periods unexcused in a school year or who has missed 5 or more school days unexcused in a school year. This policy requires that the school principal, or a designee, make a reasonable effort to meet with the parent or guardian of a student who has 5 or more unexcused absences to develop action steps for student attendance. The action steps shall be developed jointly and agreed upon by the school principal, or a designee, the student and the student’s parent or guardian and with input from other relevant school personnel and officials from relevant public safety, health and human service, housing and nonprofit agencies. Here is a link to our Reading Public Schools’ attendance policy and quick guide. We thank you in advance for helping us make sure your child attends school regularly.

Stay well,

Ms. Leveque

-Monday, March 20th: Elementary Report Cards and Progress Notes emailed home

-Tuesday, March 22nd: Ramadan begins

School Hours:

Monday-Thursday, 8:15-2:45 (8:10-11:30 for half-day kindergarten)

Friday, 8:15-12:45 (8:10-12:45 for half-day kindergarten)

Reading Public School Calendar

The Mass Art Ed. Association launched the 2023 Virtual Statewide Youth Art Month Exhibit. There are several teachers in Reading who have submitted student work for the exhibit, including our own Mrs. Hussey. Each gallery also includes a link to send a fan letter to the artists. Join us by celebrating our amazing Reading artists!

Mark your calendars! The testing window has been set by DESE and we are planning for the following MCAS test dates at Killam. Please note that students will take 2 days of tests per content area (English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Gr. 5 Science and Technology). Please refrain from vacations or unnecessary absences on these dates.

We are excited to share that the Board of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has voted to invite Reading to partner with the MSBA in conducting a Feasibility Study for the Killam Elementary School. This next step invites the Town to work with the MSBA to explore fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solutions to the problems identified at the school site. The Feasibility Study, which will be conducted pursuant to the MSBA’s regulations and policies, requires the Town to work with the MSBA on the procurement of an Owner’s Project Manager and Designer, which will help bring the Town’s Feasibility Study to fruition. We will keep the community informed as this exciting process starts to move forward.

Our district-wide celebration of the Arts is just about a month away and there is excitement in the air! Our three-day event is scheduled for Monday, April 10th; Tuesday, April 11th; and Wednesday, April 12th at RMHS! Some of the great things to look forward to include Visual arts and media on display down RMHS Main Street and the main lobby and musical performances from so many groups across our schools. Please see the attached e-postcard invitation and e-flyer (with the schedule of events) for more information. We welcome our entire community to come support our Reading students as we celebrate how the Arts bring us together as a district and as a larger community!

RPS has started the process of developing a multi-year District Strategic Plan to outline what’s ahead for our district. As part of this process, we are seeking teacher and parent participation on the steering committee for our “Family and Community Engagement” work within the District Strategic Plan. Please see this link for more information Please email Alissa Gallegos, principal of Barrows Elementary school @ alissa.gallegos@reading.k12.ma.us if you are interested in lending your voice to this work. We look forward to engaging our community as the process of developing our District Strategic Plan moves forward.

BMI SCREENINGS – 2023

Heights and weights are being conducted on students in Grades 1 and 4 during the upcoming weeks. Families of first and fourth graders should have received an email explaining this screening. If you did not receive the email or if you have any questions or would like to opt your child out, please contact me.

Thank you,

Sharon Grottkau, School Nurse

On behalf of Parker and Coolidge Middle Schools, we would like to share with you the following welcome letters, which contain important upcoming middle school transition dates as well as links to other helpful information. Please read the letter that pertains to your child’s future school. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Principal Sarah Marchant (Coolidge) or Principal Rochelle Rubino (Parker).

• Parker Middle School Welcome Letter
• Coolidge Middle School Welcome Letter

Reach out with any questions to Principal Rochelle Rubino, Parker (Rochelle.rubino@reading.k12.ma.us) and Principal Sarah Marchant, Coolidge (Sarah.marchant@reading.k12.ma.us).

We have had a great first half of the year in Reading classrooms! In the fall we completed the first grade Food Allergies unit just in time for Halloween, followed by our fourth grade Learning Disabilities unit featuring our amazing speaker Molly Sullivan Sliney, an Olympic fencer. During the winter we talked with fifth grade students about Emotions and Behaviors, sharing some tips and strategies to help us all manage big feelings. After the winter break we taught third grade students about Autism Spectrum and several of our schools welcomed our wonderful speaker for that unity, Gianna Hitsos, via Zoom into their classrooms.

For the past few weeks, we have been in the fourth grade classrooms again teaching students about Developmental Disabilities just in time for Developmental Disability Awareness Month this month. Next week we start teaching first graders about Physical Disabilities, and in May we will wrap up the year in second grade classrooms with our combined Hearing and Vision Disabilities unit.

Latest Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC)

Reminder that SEPAC events are open to all! For much more information about SEPAC and the opportunities mentioned above, click here for our latest newsletter.

We encourage you to join SEPAC's mailing list, follow SEPAC on Facebook, and follow SEPAC on Instagram

For much more information about the Special Education Parent Advisory Council, click here for our latest newsletter.

We encourage you to join SEPAC's mailing list, follow SEPAC on Facebook, and follow SEPAC on Instagram

It's that time of year to start thinking about our incoming kindergarten students for the 2023-2024 school year. To be eligible for admission to the Reading Public Schools, a child must have reached the age of five on or before August 31st of the entering year to begin kindergarten or have reached the age of six on or before August 31st of the entering year to begin grade one. We had a great turnout for a virtual incoming kindergarten information session on Wednesday, January 4th. Information on the school registration packet and links to the presentation are shared below and can be found on the Reading Public Schools district website.

Ongoing Information:

-Sign up to receive email updates during the kindergarten registration process by visiting: https://forms.gle/LK4esx7RoP7YxQ498

-To learn more and stay up to date, visit the registration website at Registration Forms - Reading Public Schools

Introduction to Kindergarten Presentation from January 4th:

-Here's the link to January 4th Introduction to Kindergarten Presentation in video form: Virtual Kindergarten Information Session-20230104_190233-Meeting Recording.mp4 - Google Drive

-Here's a link to the January 4th Introduction to Kindergarten presentation in English.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sK9kOUVIc0t58Mn9k4Jld725ULiwsiddo5Cav0A3l2k/edit?usp=sharing

-Aqui está o link para a apresentação de Introdução ao Jardim de Infância de 4 de janeiro em português.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Dyq75gPb2YB6MY3t2pUTSAJjbEseopwE-RHNSludJUE/edit?usp=sharing

-Aquí está el enlace a la presentación de Introducción a Kindergarten del 4 de enero en español.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GUKK3DNGRyIwMjQhzW1QY_AfA1YR65JbKBiyRgSK4lM/edit?usp=sharing

To help us make sure your child gets home safely, if there is a change in dismissal, fill out the attached form and send it in with your child. Thanks!

There are now two ways to let us know if your child is going to be absent from school, stating your child's name and reason for the absence.

You can continue to call the school absence line and leave a message 24-hours a day. The number is 781-944-7831, option 1. Now, you can also email an absence to jwkabsences@Reading.k12.ma.us. Either way, letting us know will help us make sure the Killam community is safely in the building or at home.

Our speech and language pathologist, Jackie Dunn, wants to share some language development activities you can try at home. Check them out.

Ideas

Curious where your student's classroom is located and where to connect for drop-off and pick-up? Check out the Killam School map.

As a parent guardian of a child in the Reading Public Schools, you have access to the Parent PlusPortal. The Portal will be used throughout your child’s academic career as it is where you update your child’s emergency contact information, view report cards, and beyond elementary school, see your child’s grades in real time. It also acts as a communication portal between you and your child’s teacher where oftentimes, different academic links, notes, or activities are shared.

If you are a returning parent, your account is still active. If you are new parent guardian and have not received access, please reach out to our school administrative assistant, Jackie Maglio at jaculen.maglio@reading.k12.ma.us. At that point, you will receive a separate email with your PlusPortal login information. The subject line of the email is Important! Killam School PlusPortals login. This is a confidential portal that is linked to your email account. You have 48 hours to activate your Portal account using the temporary password supplied through the email. Once you login, you can update the password and personal information.

School lunches are once again free for students in the Commonwealth. We look forward to providing nutritious meals for our students!

The Town of Reading contracts with William James College to offer a special service for our residents. The William James INTERFACE Referral Service maintains a mental health and wellness referral help line Monday through Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for individuals across the lifespan living in Reading. Callers are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database. Each referral meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller. Click here to learn more!

Email: sarah.leveque@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: http://reading.k12.ma.us/killam/
Location: 333 Charles Street, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-944-7831
Facebook: facebook.com/JWKillamSchool
Twitter: @Killamnews