
JW Killam Principal's Corner
Ms. Leveque's Weekly Newsletter
From the Desk of Ms. Leveque
Week of December 11, 2022
Throughout the month of December, our Kindergarten through fifth graders have been learning how to program during their library class time as part of our annual Killam Hour of Code. They have been using various coding programs such as Code Monkey, Angry Birds, Star Wars, Minecraft, and Dance Party coding, as well as two new coding sites created this year through a collaboration with NASA- Space Jam and create your own Space Invaders game. We have also been programming with our BeeBot robots and mats that the PTO has generously helped purchase using funds raised through the Fun Run. To use any of these coding sites at home for free, please visit https://hourofcode.com/us/learn. Congratulations to the students and Mrs. Adamo on the incredible coding work. See photos below from our class work!
Stay well,
Ms. Leveque
Killam Upcoming Dates
-Friday, December 16th: Killam Spirit Day- Killam Gear or School Colors
-Monday, December 19th: First Night of Hanukkah
-Killam Spirit Day- Snowman theme, wear white and blue, scarf and/or hat optional
-Tuesday, December 20th: Killam Spirit Day- Team sport clothing
-Wednesday, December 21st: Killam Spirit Day- Pajama Day
-Thursday, December 22nd: Killam Spirit Day- Killam Gear or School Colors
-Friday, December 23rd: 11am dismissal for all students.
-Spirit Day: Wear a winter or holiday sweater or shirt
-Saturday, December 24th - Monday, January 2nd: December vacation
-Sunday, December 25th: Christmas
-Monday, December 26th: Kwanzaa
-Monday, January 2nd: New Year's Holiday
-Tuesday, January 3rd: School resumes
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)
Killam Happenings - Festival of Trees Killam PTO Tree
PTO Corner
SEPAC News
The Reading Special Education Parent Advisory Council, in collaboration with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be hosting a parent orientation to learn about the upcoming Special Education and Civil Rights review in our district. The parent orientation will be held virtually via zoom (click here) at 7pm on Tuesday, December 20th. Please join us!
You may contact Allison Wright at Allison.Wright@reading.k12.ma.us with questions about the parent orientation or the review. More information on Reading’s TFM can be found on our district website.
Special Education Families should also look for, and respond to, an important survey emailed from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Check your SPAM folders!
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
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION
In this update, you will find information on the following (use links to jump ahead)
⭐ Tiered Focused Monitoring (TFM): Survey and December 20th meeting
⭐ SEPAC Tree for the Reading Festival of Trees:THANK YOU!!
⭐ From Student Services: Office Hours
⭐ Tiered Focused Monitoring (TFM): Survey and December 20th meeting
IMPORTANT! The Department of Elementary and Special Education (DESE) is currently conducting a Special Education and Civil Rights review in Reading.
Special Education Families should have received an email with the subject heading “Public School Monitoring needs your feedback!” from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with an important parent survey. Parent input is critical so please respond to that survey. Check your SPAM folders!
In collaboration with DESE, we will be hosting a parent orientation to learn about the Special Education and Civil Rights review. The parent orientation will be held virtually via zoom (click here) at 7pm on Tuesday, December 20th. Please join us!
You may contact Allison Wright at Allison.Wright@reading.k12.ma.us with questions about the parent orientation or the review. More information on Reading’s TFM can be found on our district website.
⭐ SEPAC Tree for the Reading Festival of Trees:THANK YOU!!
Our REF Festival of Trees, Many Colors, One "PAC," proudly showed the community what our SEPAC does and highlighted a wide variety of disabilities and diagnoses that are represented in our SEPAC.
Our tree gave us the opportunity to reach families who don’t know about us but that could benefit from what we do.
THANK YOU to all who contributed to our tree by submitting diagnoses and disabilities, purchasing items to make our tree eye-catching and desirable, or creating the decorations for it.
Special thanks to Taiana Dos Anjos and her family for receiving all the deliveries and helping set up the tree!
If you find yourself with a spare tree as you put away decorations, we would take it off your hands as we are already brainstorming for next year’s tree!
For photos/video of our tree, please visit our Facebook and Instagram pages (no account necessary but if you’re on social media, we encourage you to follow us!)
⭐ Special Needs Planning with Attorney Lisa Cukier of Burns & Levinson on Tuesday, January 17th at 7 pm
Details forthcoming; mark your calendars and save the date for this informative evening!
⭐ From Student Services: Office Hours
Student Services Administrators Dr. Jennifer Stys and Allison Wright offer office hours. Please find the schedule and sign up for the December and January Student Service Office Hours using this link: Office Hours Sign-up
The purpose of their Office Hours is to provide a time and space for families to connect with the District Student Services Department.
If you have specific questions regarding the implementation of your student's IEP, services schedule or any specific questions about how they are doing, you should reach out to your student's case manager or Team Chairperson.
If you have other questions or concerns regarding your student or if you have questions regarding the Special Education process, please use the link to select a time that is convenient for you.
⭐ Reminders
A Parent’s Guide to Special Education, written by the Federation for Children with Special Needs in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Education, is available in several different formats and three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
The Federation for Children with Special Needs hosts many Basic Rights workshops and other training opportunities for parents to educate themselves on the rights they have as the primary advocates for their children who require specialized education. If you missed the workshops that we advertised and/or presented this Fall, there are many other opportunities to attend these virtual trainings. See the FCSN’s full schedule here, and know that more trainings are scheduled as the year goes on.
The Bureau of Special Education Appeals offers Mediation and/or Facilitated Team Meetings which can be helpful for parents if they feel like their child’s IEP team is “stuck.” BSEA offers zoom information so families can learn more about these opportunities; Click here for information.
We still need SEPAC “Point People” at RISE, Coolidge, and RMHS. Email us if you’d like more information about what it would entail.
Adaptive Swim Lesson Survey is still available. The purpose of this interest survey is to understand the ideal times, ages group and abilities of those interested in participating. Once the sessions are set, a separate process will follow to allow for sign-ups. Responding to this survey does not guarantee that all of these options will be available.
Click here to sign up for Reading Rhythm, the newsletter for Reading’s Office of Equity and Social Justice.
Think about helping SEPAC with upcoming events and activities! See our handy-dandy SEPAC Events Planning Guide for suggestions. The Board can help a lot, especially with the bigger events, but we can’t sustainably do all of the legwork alone. THANK YOU to the members who have already volunteered! Because of them we will likely have a winter adult social and a winter family event! ☃️❄️😍
If you ever want to chat with the SEPAC board about something outside of an email, we host a monthly virtual office “half” hour on the second Wednesday of every month from 4:45-5:15, via zoom using this link. The next one is Wednesday, December 14th.
We share A LOT of parent/family opportunities on our Facebook page. Check it out!
⭐ Mark Your Calendars!
- RISE Preschool Screening: Fri. Dec. 9 (Register by Mon. Dec. 5). Click here for a flyer with information.
- Reading SEPAC office “half” hour. Wed., Dec. 14, 4:45-5:15PM. Click here to join.
- SEPAC Business Meeting with presentation by DESE about Tiered Focus Monitoring (TFM). Tues., Dec. 20, 7PM via Zoom (NO in-person meeting)
- SEPAC Business Meeting with presentation on Special Needs Planning with attorney Lisa Cukier of Burns & Levinson. Tues. Jan 17, 7PM. (More information to come)
- SEPAC Business Meeting with presentation by FCSN “Bullying: What Parents Need to Know.” Tues Mar. 21, 7PM. (More information to come)
Killam Change in Dismissal Form
Reporting an 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 KillamAttendance@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.
Occupational Therapy Activities
Speech and Language Ideas
Killam School Map
Parent PlusPortal Access
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 free 2022-2023
About These Services
Ms. Sarah Leveque, Principal
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