MHS/WES Newsletter

May 5 ~ WES Creation Celebration 6:30-8:00 p.m.

May 18 ~ School Improvement Meeting at 4:15 p.m. & PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.

May 16-20 Staff Appreciation (See flyer in this newsletter and more info. coming home next week)

May 25-27 ~ Nature's Classroom three day trip for 5th Grade

May 30~No School Memorial Day

June 3~Half Day of School

June 17~Last Day of School~Half Day (the original last day was the 13 of June, which will now be a full day of school)

Deciding when to keep a sick child home is not always an easy decision. We understand Covid tests may be negative but if your child is unwell we recommend them staying home. Please do not hesitate to reach out to one of the school nurses if you need any assistance.

Tick season is here so please check your child for ticks nightly. If you are uncertain how to remove a tick you can read here How to Remove a Tick for more details. Any questions it is best to refer to your physician.
Monitoring for ticks is a useful practice all summer as children spend more time outdoors.

Water Bottles: With the warm weather approaching, please remember to send a refillable water bottle to school with your child

Physical Exams

Please continue to send in your student’s physical exam documentation from their medical provider. AWRSD requires that all kindergarten and third grade students have a current physical exam on file in the nursing office.

Bridget Hurley RN BSN

Meetinghouse School

Bhurley@awrsd.org

Jessica Heffernan RN BSN

Westminster Elementary School

Jheffernan@awrsd.org

What’s new in Kindergarten?

This year for Kindergarten Orientation we are excited to share that our students will be role models for the incoming kindergarteners. Incoming kindergarteners will have an opportunity to explore a kindergarten classroom, listen to a story, have a chance to play and learn about kindergarten from our current students. We look forward to a great morning!

In June, we are off to Davis Farmland for our end of the year field trip! We want to remind parents to send in permission forms and payment as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

As always we thank you for your support at home with practicing math fact fluency cards, sight words and cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.

~The Kindergarten Team

Mark your calendars for Friday, May 20th.

Information will be sent home on Monday May 2. Remember to check backpacks.

Please sign up for Colonial Day WES 2022! We are looking for item donations and volunteering.

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Copy and paste this link to go to our invitation page on SignUp.com and find the list of items needed or to sign up to volunteer. https://signup.com/go/udGfWjO
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

• Thank you for all your donations for staff appreciation week. We can't wait to show everyone who works at MHS & WES how grateful we are with a week full of treats. We encourage you to send thank you cards to staff to kick off the week on May 16.
• We hope you can join us for our last PTO meeting of the school year on Wednesday, 5/18 at 6:30 in the WES Library.
• Upcoming PTO sponsored events:

- May 2- 5th Grade Plimoth Patuxet Museum Traveling Workshop

- May 20- Third Grade Colonial Day & 4th Grade Plimoth Patuxet Museum Traveling Workshop

We have just wrapped up our first round of MCAS testing (ELA) . The students put their growth mindset to work and showed off their perseverance and hard work. Math and Science are still to come!

All the fifth grade classes are piloting the ELA program Wit & Wisdom. This builds knowledge of key topics in history, science, and literature texts. By reading and responding to stories and nonfiction texts, this program allows students to dig deeper and have meaningful conversations. In the unit, “ Cultures in Conflict" we will ask what it means to belong to a culture. How do the beliefs associated with a culture guide the actions of its people? And what happens when different cultures come into conflict?

Fifth graders will be starting the novel “Thunder Rolling in the Mountains” to enhance the discussion of cultures in conflict.

As the year winds down, students can look forward to

• Art Show May 5th

• Nature's Classroom May 25-27

• OMS tour Monday June 6th

• Promotion Night Drive Thru

• .. and other fun activities

Next Thursday, May 5 is the “Creation Celebration!” (Art Show)

Come see artwork created by the students of Westminster Elementary School, grades 2-5 from 6:30-8:00pm. It is “Open House” style, so come whenever you can! There will be “Community Art Walls” for all to participate in throughout the first floor of WES.

(* please note: not all students chose to have artwork in the art show. For some kiddos it can be very stressful to put their creations up for all to see. Because “presenting” is part of the art curriculum, I do require students to display at least once before 5th grade. Sometimes the displays are just on my art room bulletin boards throughout the year. Please check with your child and ask if they have something in this art show)

The children took part in choosing a space on the wall to hang their artwork. Most students have one piece displayed and some students chose to collaborate with friends! You will see puppets, collages, paintings, drawings, weavings and more! (You might even see “Westminster’s Longest Finger Weaving” which reaches around the entire first floor!!!!!)

There will also be photo opportunities: have your picture taken in the “Mona Lisa” or “The Scream” or “American Gothic”. Use giant art props to pose for pictures with friends or family. Come inside the photo booth to be a “masterpiece”.

I am still looking for a few volunteers for the night of the art show. Contact me at abanning@awrsd.org if interested.

Hope to see lots of you there!

The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association designated today Friday, April 29th as “Police & Kids High Five Friday 2022." Our Westminster Police officers were here this morning to "High Five" our kids coming school. They brought lots of smiles and continued to forge positive relationships with our school community.

Emergency Early Dismissal Policy

In the event of an unforeseen emergency that necessitates the dismissal of students prior to the end of the school day, parent notification will be provided through the automated phone and email system. Typical emergency situations that may precipitate an early dismissal include, but are not necessarily limited to, severe weather conditions, fire and absence of heat or water.

Since it is impractical for school officials to personally contact every parent in the event of an early dismissal, parents and particularly the parents of elementary age children, are encouraged to develop a clear and well-defined plan with their children in case of an early dismissal. Since children will be dismissed to their home, it is imperative that children know how to gain entry into their home and how and whom to call once they are there.

ABSENCES: Please call WES (978-874-2043) or MHS (978-874-0163) when your child will be absent or late for school. Please state your name, your child’s name, teacher, and the reason for absence. If you must speak to someone, please call after 7:45 AM. This system is to ensure the safety of your child. If we do not hear from you, we will contact you at home or work, and if we can’t reach someone we may send a school resource officer to the house to do a well child check. Absent notes are required when children return to school.

AM Arrivals: Bus drivers do not let children off the bus until 8:20 a.m. There is NO Supervision before 8:20 a.m. Walkers/students being dropped off should not arrive before 8:20 a.m. School starts at 8:30 a.m.

PM Dismissals: The school day ends at 2:55 p.m. The office needs to know your dismissal plan. If your child is a car-rider, you will be given a sign to display on your car dashboard to be used each day. Car riders will be dismissed to the cafeteria and called outside in the order cars line up. Please remain in your car. Signs will be posted.

If your child needs to be dismissed early, please send a note to his/her teacher stating the time and reason for dismissal. Early dismissals will be handled through the main office.

NOTES: Please use student’s (and parent’s) last names in all notes to the teacher/office. Please also date all notes so that we can be sure we are dealing with current messages. Notes are required for any change in dismissal. You may also email a note to WESOffice@awrsd.org or MHSOffice@awrsd.org .

MEDICATIONS: ALL Medications must be brought to the nurse by an adult at the beginning of the day. Medication is NOT TO BE TAKEN by any child on his/her own. The school nurse under the following circumstances will administer medication:

• A signed and dated note from a doctor and a parent is sent with the child’s name, dosage, reason for medication and time to be given.

• The prescription bottle is sent with only the amount which will be needed for the administration at school. (Pharmacies will dispense in two bottles if you ask.)

School Announcements:

Please make sure all phone numbers and email addresses are updated throughout the school year to ensure you receive all messages sent from the school or district.

RESTRICTIONS: Please provide the office with any LEGAL DOCUMENT which indicates any legal restrictions on the release of your child as per district policy. These restrictions CANNOT be honored unless we have a copy of the legal documents in your child’s file. Please remember that it is MOST IMPORTANT that your child knows who he/she is allowed to leave school with and restrictions of the same.

TARDINESS: It is important that your child be at school on time. Tardy students need to stop at the office for a tardy slip when they arrive later than 8:30 a.m. If excessive tardiness continues, it will be necessary for the parent and child to meet with the Principal so that we may remedy the situation.