JW Killam Principal's Corner

Weeks of December 18, 2022 through January 7, 2023

It is hard to believe that we are approaching the end of December already! We have seen such growth in our students since the start of the year. Our focus on the social-emotional and academic goals continue to be our priority. We are very proud of the effort and successes we are seeing in our students. Thank you for your support at home.

We want to remind everyone that attendance and getting to school on-time matters. Of course we recognize that there is a potential increase in absences due to illness, and we thank you for your vigilance and understanding in helping to keep everyone safe. We also have seen an increase in unexcused absences, especially around extended vacations. We are required to share your childrens' absences and tardy data, which you can see on the ParentPortal and on the report cards. It's important that we communicate this information to you. For students who have 5 or more unexcused absences this year, we send out letters throughout the year informing you of this information and requesting communication on how we can work together to make sure your child is attending school regularly. It's important that we set your children up for success and consistency is one way to do so.

This will be my last newsletter of 2022. I will be celebrating the holidays with my family in Florida and will not be sending out another newsletter until the week of January 8th. I wish you a wonderful break and a happy new year!

Stay well,

Ms. Leveque

-Sunday, December 18th: First Night of Hanukkah

-Monday, December 19th: 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)

Reading Public School Calendar

Dear Families,

As always we are working to keep our students, staff, and community healthy. Leading up to the winter break, there are many opportunities for gathering and consequently, many opportunities for illness to spread.

Presently we are seeing some respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses at Killam. Please keep your child home for:

• Fever (>100.0 Fahrenheit/ 38.0 Celsius)
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

• Make sure your child is fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication before returning to school
• A covid antigen test is recommended before returning to school if your child has been home ill. We have test kits available; please let me know if you need kits for home
• Masks are also recommended to control the spread of the viruses

Please consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s symptoms and if their symptoms persist. Please reinforce proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette with your child.

Thank you,

Sharon Grottkau

Thanks to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), The Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Public Health for working with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as we provide at-home COVID-19 tests to all students and staff in RPS who would like them. These tests are intended for use by students and staff to support the return to school process after Winter break. We will send the test kits home with the students when we receive them.

Latest SEPAC Update (12/13/22)

The Reading Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) 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! See attached flyer for more information.

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.

IMPORTANT! The Department of Elementary and Special Education (DESE) is currently conducting a Special Education and Civil Rights review in Reading. Special Education Family input is critical. Please look for an email survey titled: Public School Monitoring needs your feedback - it was sent on 12/1.

Coming Soon: Special Needs Planning with Attorney Lisa Cukier of Burns & Levinson on Tuesday, January 17th at 7 pm. See attached flyer for more information.

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

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 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.

Our Occupational Therapist, Michelle Goldner, has put together some great activities for families to try at home. These help children build strong dexterity and muscles to help them grow in all settings.

Tips

Backpack Wearing Tips

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