Dear MMES Families,

Is is time for Spring Conferences! Well, it doesn't feel very much like springtime yet, but I am hearing a rumor about 60 degrees on Saturday! Fingers crossed that the kids can all get outside and play in the fresh (and relatively warm) air!

Spring conferences are a great time to do a mid-year check in with your child's teacher to learn about their progress and goals as we are just about at the halfway point in the school year. If you haven't had a chance to sign up for a conference yet, please reach out to your child's teacher and they will let you know what is available.

Make sure you check out the photos below of our first graders celebrating the 100th day of school. It is such an exciting day as they have been working and playing hard for 100 days already. The year is flying by and we are so impressed with all of our students' growth this year!

Have a great weekend!

John

In Library class, we love to learn about different cultures and traditions and February offers several opportunities for celebrations! This week, first graders focused on Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year. We learned the holiday lasts for fifteen days and is not just celebrated in China - many other Asian countries and communities like South Korea, Vietnam and Chinatowns throughout the US celebrate the beginning of the new lunar year with lots of sweet treats, the color red and fireworks and parades. This month first graders will also be celebrating Black History in Library class!

Memorial Elementary has an opening for a new recess monitor! Ms. Hersey has joined our staff in a full time position. This is great news for our staff as a whole, but now we are in search of another fantastic individual to round out our recess crew. Please spread the word. Interested candidates should contact Ms. Schmidt in the Memorial office: 978 526-1908.

2023-2024 Calendar

February

14 - Early Release, K-8 Parent/Guardian Conferences, 11:45 Dismissal

February 19-25 - President's Day/ Mid-Winter Recess

March

6 - Early Release, Professional Development, 11:45 Dismissal

14 - Grade K to Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

20 - Grade 1 & 3 to North Shore Music Theater

21, 22, 23 - Grade 5 Musical - The Phantom Toll Booth Jr.

April

3 - Early Release, Professional Development, 11:45 Dismissal

10 – MCAS ELA G3-5 Session 1

11 – MCAS ELA G3-5 Session 2

April 15-21 - Patriots Day/Spring Recess

May

1 - Early Release, Professional Development, 11:45 Dismissal

15 – MCAS Math G3-5 Session 1

16 – MCAS Math G3-5 Session 2

20 – MCAS STE-5 Session 1

22 – MCAS STE 5 Session 2

27 - Memorial Day

31 - HS Graduation

June

3 - Field Day

5 - Early Release, Professional Development, 11:45 Dismissal

6 - Last Day Kindergarten

11 - Crossing the Bridge, Grade 5

12 - Last Day, No Snow Days

19 - Juneteenth

5k Committee Volunteers Needed!

We are so excited to bring back Hit the Street for Little Feet 5k, and we are looking for volunteers to help plan out the festival portion of the event. Reach out to mmptopres@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out!

Save the Date!

Fun-a-thon - March 6, 2024

Hit the Street 5k - May 17, 2024

Field Day - June 3, 2024

Be on the lookout...

Enrichment Event Berkshire Hills Music Academy on January 25th! The pto sponsored event is always a crowd favorite.

Schedule of Monthly PTO Meetings:

The following are dates for the 2023-2024 PTO Meetings:
• Wednesday, February 28
• Friday, March 29
• Friday, April 26
• Wednesday, May 22
All meetings will begin at 9 am, and will be located in the Project room on the first floor of the school. All are welcome...we hope to see you there!

Reminder - No phones or smart watches during school day: Please note that there are no phones permitted during the school day.

CORI requirements - We love having volunteers and mystery readers back in the building. Please note that all adults must have a completed CORI on file before filling volunteer or mystery reader positions and will not be admitted without one. Please plan to come in at least one week before your scheduled volunteer time to complete your paperwork. CORIs are good for 3 years. Please contact the office to see if yours is valid.

Absence, Late Arrival, and Early Dismissal:

Please plan to email your student's teacher, Nurse Seaman (seamanj@mersd.org), and the office (schmidtm@mersd.org) with all attendance updates: Absence, Late Arrival, Early dismissal. This will allow us to coordinate with your teachers.

Students who need to be dismissed early, must be released to a parent or guardian from the main office. When possible, please notify the office and your child's teacher ahead of time. When you arrive for early dismissal, your student will be called from the classroom. Please be prepared to show your ID if we are not familiar with you.

Physicals:

Current physical and immunization records are due for grades 1 and 4. Please do not make a new appointment. Send me the most current and then send me a copy of the new physical when it is completed.

Extra Clothing: ALL GRADE LEVELS

It is officially getting colder outside. Just a reminder we are out for recess unless the real feel temperature is below 20.

Occasionally a spilled drink, a fall in a puddle or even a ride down a wet slide occurs, if each child could have a change of clothing (head to toe) that would be great.

Just a few reminders:

1. If your child is going to be absent or arriving late, please call either 526-1909 or 526-1908 to let us know.

2. If your child has a temperature of 100. F or over, they need to be temperature free for 24 hours (without relying on Tylenol or Motrin) before re-entering the school.

3. If your child is experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, we recommend that they are symptom free for 24 hours and can tolerate solid food before they return

4. If your child has a contagious illness such as conjunctivitis or strep throat, it is the school policy that they are on medicine for 24 hours before re-entering the building.

5. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL CLASSROOMS ARE PEANUT/NUT FREE

Thank you for your co-operation and continuing support.

Any questions or concerns please call or email

Joanne Seaman, R.N.

978-526-1909 Fax 978-526-5209

seamanj@mersd

• Mobile Markets will then run from 2:30-3:30pm in October and November on the first Wednesday of each month.
• Mobile Market will run on an early release schedule of 11am-12:15pm on the first Wednesday of each month starting in December for the balance of the school year.