LAW Families' Summer Update

Summer is dwindling away and you can almost hear those school bells ringing. As always there are events and activities that occur before the opening of school. We have compiled the information in this handy dandy newsletter.

In addition, we have made some changes in staffing (see below) and improvements to the building. Many rooms and hallways have been repainted and we will be working on the playground Aug. 6th to add more activities for the students to engage in during their recess period (I sent out a newsletter earlier in the month with this info. if you are interested in volunteering for the Playground Fix -up Day - it is not too late info: https://www.smore.com/a526hq).

It was good to get feedback from the parents via the recent survey. Many of you are asking for more family social events and opportunities to volunteer. As long as we do not experience any interruptions from Covid or other outbreaks, we are ready to make this happen! We will start the year with a family picnic just prior to the start of Open House on September 22nd! Mark your calendars.

Grade Level Teaching Staff for the School YR 2022-2023:

* Boldfaced and underlined indicates a change in staffing.

Grade K - Kim Rock, Val Hillier, Kathleen O'Brien

Grade 1 - Melissa Strazzullo, Jillian Pinard, Val Carpentier

Grade 2 - Kelly Spagnuolo, Heather Anderson, Mary Lance

Grade 3 - Courtney Martineau, Shannon Dunn, Hannah Fleming (Montemagno)

Grade 4 - Marianne Zimon, Stephanie Hemenway, Brian LaPointe (4/5 Science/Social St.)

Grade 5 - Erica White, Ken Dow, Amy Cirrone ( Gr. 4/5 Math)

Additional Information:

Laurie Collins formerly a grade 2 teacher will be come a special educator.

Katie Swenson is the new music teacher taking the place of Mrs. Farrow.

Andrea Thurlow will be the new technology teacher.

Jessica Juszkiewicz - Grade 5 Special Educator

Monica Groulx - is the new school psychologist and will be working along side Dr. Garrett (this is a new position and we know it will be helpful in supporting our students social emotional well-being).

Nurse Ashleigh Barter- will take Nurse Langston's place.

Megan Healy - Reading/Math Interventionist

Christine Mitchell - Permanent Building Sub.

Stacey Vaillant - Paraprofessional

Valerie Sexton - Paraprofessional

Rachel Doherty - Parapofessional

See you soon,

Beth Lewis, Principal

Courtney Noll, Assistant Principal

Coming Up:

Week of Aug. 1st - You will receive your child's teacher assignment during the week of August 1st. Please look for it in the mail.

Aug. 17th - Aug. 26th- Pick up "Parent Pick-Up" mirror ticket (see info below)

Aug. 17th- Incoming Kindergarteners' Popsicle Party and Bus Ride - 2:00 p.m. (invite was sent end of July https://www.smore.com/qx6gc) This is for Kindergarten only.

Aug. 17th- Building Tours 12:30-2:00 p.m. and 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Aug. 23rd - Principals on the Common 1:00 p..m

Aug 31st- First Day of School for Grades 1-5

Sept. 1st - Kindergarten Orientation (https://www.smore.com/qx6gc)

Sept. 2nd and 5th - No school

Sept. 6th - First Day of Kindergarten

On the horizon:

Sept. 14th - 90 minute Early Release - 1:45 p.m. dismissal

Sept. 22nd - Open House Night and Family Picnic

Parent Pick-Up (after school)

Here's how it works:

• Parent pick up will take place in the back parking lot where morning drop-off occurs.

• You will enter from Lancaster Rd. in much the same way as parent drop-off in the morning.

• You will follow the arrows painted on the surface of the parking lot to assure a safe pick up path.

• Your rear view mirror ticket number (see below for rearview mirror ticket info.) will correspond with your child’s name on the dismissal clipboard monitored by a staff member. Your child will be waiting inside and be summons to come to the pick-up spot.
  

• You will arrive at the pick-up spot where a staff member will be waiting with your child.

• Your child will wait behind barriers until you pull up to the designated loading spot.Your child will load on the right side of the car.

• We ask that your child if capable open the car door. If they need help we will assist.

• You will not be able to get out of your car.

• If your child cannot buckle we ask that you pull forward to the "buckle spot" to avoid tying up the car line.

• When you exit the parking lot you will only be able to make a right turn.

1. No child will be allowed to enter a car without an identifiying number hanging from the rearview mirror issued by LAW.

2. Parents without a rearview mirror number or parents with a change of pick up plans for the day will need to park on School Street and approach the main office to sign their child out.

3. Note if your child's pick up plans have changed for the day it should be determined earlier in the school day with a note or phone call to the school administrative assistant.

Parent Drop -off ( Morning)

Drop- off in the morning will remain much the same. Enter the back parking lot from Lancaster Rd., follow the arrows, look for school staff, stop let your child out and staff will direct them to the building door they need to enter. Students eating breakfast in K-5 will enter near the cafeteria and K students not eating breakfast will veer left and enter the 1936 brick building to begin their day.

IMPORTANT!!! Your parent pick up mirror ticket needs to be renewed every year!

How to Get a Parent Pick-up Ticket:

Every school year you will need to obtain a new rearview mirror ticket in order to pick your child up in the car pick up line after school. You can obtain these tickets from our administrative assistances. between Aug. 17th - Aug. 26th. If you are using multiple cars for parent pick-up, you can receive more than one ticket. Last year's mirror ticket will not be acceptable and you will need to obtain a new one.

Come join Mrs. Noll and Mrs. Lewis for a read aloud on the Shirley Historic Common. Bring a blanket and picnic/snack while you enjoy our rendition of the book, "School is More Than a Building" by Kelly Donner. We'll also have a short sing-along. We will be situated somewhere around the old meeting house.

After the read aloud, we would like our students to tell us what they love about going to the Lura A. White School. They can do this by completing the attached fun project we provided below for your child to work on at home and bring to school on their first day. We will proudly display their writings in the main lobby!

For those of you who cannot make it to the common, we will share a video of Mrs. Noll and Mrs. Lewis reading the book for your child to enjoy at home. The video will be sent after August 23rd.

Project to Bring to School on your child's first day:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1knGhUqxKl-4bBYB27Yd8fvxJXVhrSmUz/view?usp=sharing

Rain Date: August 24th

Address: The Shirley Historic Common is off of Brown Rd, Center Rd. and Parker Rd.

Scenic, challenging, and satisfying the Holdenwood Trail Run has been delighting walkers, joggers and runners for over a decade. The course flows through mown grass fields, dirt trails, cool forests, cobblestone bridges and rural roads.

The Holden family and the Shirley community invite walkers and runners of all ages to join them on the trails for the 13th running of this early-fall charity run that benefits the Ayer-Shirley Education Foundation (ASEF).

Link:

https://www.running4free.com/RaceDetails.aspx?raceid=382

We will be conducting two building tour sessions on August 17th. The first session will run from 12:30 p.m to 2:00 p.m. and the second session will run from 4:30-5:30 p.m. These tours will be conducted by some of our older students. Please come to the front entrance on School St. The tour should last for about 20-30 minutes. Students who are new to the school may benefit from these tours. However, anyone who wishes to tour the building is welcome. Masks are optional. Siblings are welcome and they will need to be tended to by a parent or guardian throughout the session.

LAW Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mission Statement:

At the Lura A. White Elementary School we value diversity, equity, and inclusion. We celebrate the uniqueness of each individual, embrace diverse backgrounds and respect differing points of view to build a strong inclusive community. As we learn together, we draw on the differences in who we are.