Hawk Talk

The Monthly Newsletter for the Patricia A. Duran School

A Message from Mrs. Davis

It's hard to believe that the month of March is here! For me, this month often feels like the longest month of the year--especially since we are waiting for the warm weather and arrival of spring. Because this month can sometimes drag along, we've planned a number of fun activities to keep our students engaged and having fun while learning. We've decided to design a number of fun experiences for students around reading, as the month of March is designated as National Reading Month. At the Duran School, reading is integrated into our daily school lives in a variety of ways. In addition to our regular reading activities, we have planned a variety of ways to celebrate reading:

1. Dr. Seuss Spirit Week: Dr. Seuss's birthday is March 2, and his birthday kicks off Read Across America Week. Read Across America Week is the beginning of our month-long celebration of reading. We will start the week off with a fun Dr. Seuss-inspired spirit week. See below for the themes.

2. Reading "March Madness:" We are continuing the Dr. Suess theme for our March Madness with books. All students will read a variety of Dr. Seuss books and vote on their favorites. We will have March Madness brackets displayed in the 4th grade hallway as we narrow down our favorites.

3. Bikes for Books: We will start our reading challenge on March 4. The process will look a little differently compared to years past. Instead of individual slips, students will have a chart to fill out and submit to their teacher for a chance to win a new bike. More information will be coming home soon!

4. Community Reader Day: We always look forward to this tradition! We will be bringing in members of our community to read stories to our students.

We are excited for the fun things we have planned for the month of March--and excited that spring is on its way!

Melissa Davis, Ed.D

Principal

Reading Challenge and Book Character Day

Below is information about our reading challenge and book character day.

Hawk Club Winners

We are excited to recognize our Hawk Club winners! These students were excellent examples of our school expectations: be safe, be respectful, be responsible, be kind and caring.

Willow Johnson

Abigail Estes

Amelia Duplessis

Saige Thayer

Beckam Smith

Riley Bourdon

Emma Fox

Aida Patasa

Eva Martin

Jackson Kenney

Dominic Dube

Kora Greener

Luke Boyd

Beckett Brookings

The G.O.A.T Award

At each assembly, we award a staff member with the "Greatest of All Time" (G.O.A.T.) Award. We are awarding Mrs. Holly Scott with this award. She is amazingly kind, caring and knowledgeable. She goes above and beyond for her students each day. We are very lucky to have Mrs. Scott at the Patricia A. Duran School. Thank you for all you do!

March 5th: Remote Day

This is just a friendly reminder that March 5th is a remote school day, due to the Town of Hermon's voting. Your child's teacher will be reaching out with expectations and work for this day.

PreK and Kindergarten Registration Has Begun

Registration for fall PreK and Kindergarten have opened. Applications are available in the main office during school hours or on our school website. In addition to the application, parents should provide updated immunization records, an official copy of the child's birth certificate, and proof of residency documentation. Please note that proof of residency must be a utility bill, lease or property tax bill (etc.) We are unable to accept driver's licenses, cellphone bills, etc. We look forward to meeting all of our new families!

Winter Clothing Reminder

Thank goodness spring is almost here! Unfortunately, we are still experiencing winter temperatures out at recess. Please make sure to send your child with winter clothes (mittens, hats, snow pants, etc.). We are also dealing with wet snow at times, so packing an extra set of clothes would be helpful for those wet days!

Spring Concerts

Our Kindergarten and first grade students had a wonderful concert and curriculum night this past January. While we were excited to share this performance, we did receive feedback from people regarding audience etiquette that I thought would be helpful to mention for our upcoming performances. We have reviewed how to be a respectful audience member with all grades this year for assemblies and performances--and our students have received so many compliments from visitors on their behavior. I want to make sure that we show them the same respect.

When attending concerts or performances at the Duran School, we ask that all audience members:

1. Remain seated for the duration of the performance. Getting up and moving around, going up front to talk to students on stage or with their classmates, or running up to take a picture can be very distracting to our young performers. If you must leave, please do so between musical numbers.

2. Keep young audience members with you. We had a number of students running around behind the seating or scaling the bleachers during the performance. Please ensure that children are seated and respectful to the performers. We ask that parents and children are seated, and that the area behind the seating remains open for an exit route.

3. No side conversations please. Please put your phone on silent and conversations to a minimum. Our gymnasium does not have the best acoustics for a performance. The more quiet the audience is, the better everyone can hear.

4. Show your appreciation for the performance by clapping. We love to celebrate a job well done!

Planned Absences

Families, as a reminder, an absence that is planned and not due to illness or a medical appointment needs to be pre-approved in order to be excused. Click here for the planned absence form.