page background

CH School News & More - 1.28.25

CH School News & More - 1.28.25

Claypit Hill News and More

January 28, 2025

Hello Claypit Caregivers,


Yesterday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Tomorrow is the Lunar New Year. Here at Claypit, yesterday was the 91st day of the school year which means we have officially started the back half of the year. Fifth graders in a music workshop class are working on songwriting. In a brainstorming session they shared their aspirations and hopes for the future. Generally, our students want to live in a world where there is less violence and far more care for one another and our planet. As adults, we must take responsibility for ensuring that our children never forget the atrocities of the past. We must all work hard to raise children who spread kindness and stand up against hate. Our thoughts are with our families who are preparing for a period of celebration, with a renewed sense of positivity. Let's all set out to finish strong, leaning into our family values, which are likely captured in Claypit’s PAWS values.


At Claypit we:


Practice Empathy

Act Responsibly

Work Hard and

Spread Kindness


Please take a moment to reflect on these values in your homes. How are these values important to your family? We will spend some time focusing on these values and what they look like on school buses in our upcoming All School Meeting. Our students struggle most in unstructured settings when it comes to living our values. If your student is a bus rider, can you make your family's values and expectations clear? Our buses can be peaceful places where all students feel welcome and safe if students work to live their values on the bus.


Please emphasize:

  • At Claypit we call children by their names and ONLY their names because anything else is unkind.

  • At Claypit we keep our hands to ourselves.

  • At Claypit we act responsibly by staying seated on the bus and creating a safe environment for all.


Our children are our hope. Teaching them how to behave at school will set a strong foundation to build upon in the years ahead. Mistakes will be made. Lessons will be learned. Our students will grow. Let’s join together in cultivating the kinds of little humans we’ll all be proud to see running the planet!


To our families celebrating Chinese New Year: We wish you a joyful Lunar New year full of hope, happiness, and prosperity.


Sincerely,

Marie, Kate, and Naomi

Absences and Tardies

We just passed the 1/2 way mark on the 2024-25 school year. It is a good time to take note of your child's total tardies and absences. In the next week or two we will send letters home to notify families when a child has been tardy 30+ times. Receiving such a letter will mean that your child has been tardy greater than 1/3 of the school year to date. You'd be astounded by just how many children fall into this category.


Being tardy to school is a difficult way for your child to start their day. Entering a classroom where learning or even a morning meeting is already happening can be very difficult for some children. At the very least, it is disruptive to the learning going on. The teacher and students already engaged in learning will have to pause as your child gets settled in and joins the group.


If your child has 6 or more absences, they are in great danger of being considered chronically absent unless their attendance patterns improve. Please do not plan family trips during the school year. We only get 180 days to build relationships and create meaningful learning experiences. We don't want to miss out on a single day!


As a reminder: Classes begin at 7:55. Students are marked tardy when they arrive after 8:00 a.m.

Wayland Kindergarten Pre-Registration

February 1 - 14, 2025

Families with children that will be 5 years of age by August 31, 2025 may pre-register their child(ren) for Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year.


The pre-registration link will be accessible on the Kindergarten Information website starting February 1, 2025. We request that you pre-register your child by February 14, 2025 so that we may start to determine school placement, class size, and transportation needs for the incoming Kindergarteners. NO registration documents are needed at this time.

Notes:

Families interested in the Spanish Immersion Kindergarten program still need to pre-register their Kindergarteners.



Families unsure of their Kindergarten enrollment decision at this time may still pre-register.

Please encourage your child to ride the bus in the a.m.!

There are many reasons to encourage your child to ride the bus into school.


  • It is an opportunity to chit chat with friends. In this digital age, socialization in the absence of any technology is a great opportunity to develop and practice essential skills.
  • You ALWAYS get to school on time on the bus!
  • You get to play outside with friends for ten minutes before school when the weather is nice! That equals 10 minutes of extra RECESS!
  • You can hang inside with friends when the weather is really cold (feels like 20 degrees or colder).
  • Having less cars dropping off will give families who do not qualify for the bus to drop off on time with greater ease!

23rd Annual SOUPer Bowl of Caring

Claypit Hill’s SOUPer Bowl of Caring food drive is back! We will be collecting soup and other dry goods to donate to the local food pantry, My Brother’s Table. We will collect items through Friday, February 12, 2025.


Food items can be brought to school and placed in a collection box in the lobby. Be sure to put your donations in the box labelled with your grade. Staff may place items in the box that corresponds to the grade with which they teach. Just like the Super Bowl, we will compete to see which team of grades will donate the most items. Listen to the morning announcements for more information!


Please participate in this worthy Claypit tradition and help our neighbors in need.The SOUPer Bowl of Caring happens around the same time as the NFL football Super Bowl. Whether you are a football fan or not, please consider donating to bring comfort to people in our community! LET’S GO!!



Suggested Donations:

Canned soup

Pasta

Canned vegetables

Rice

Canned tuna

Mac and Cheese

Canned chicken

Peanut butter (plastic)

Fruit juice

Jelly (plastic)

Applesauce

Cereal

Dried beans

Granola snacks

Bingo Night at Claypit

Bring the family for a fun BINGO night in the Claypit Hill cafeteria from 6-7:30 THIS Friday 1/31 (siblings are welcome)! Connect with others in the community while enjoying games, prizes and a few fun surprises! Cafeteria space is limited, so please RSVP early as there are only spots for 50 families. Pre-order pizza when you RSVP if you would like to have food at the event. Email Amanda Gale (Acmgale@gmail.com) with any questions. Hope to see you there!

Science Fair and STEAM Discovery Night

The Science Fair and STEAM Discovery Night is 5-7pm NEXT Wed 2/5. Bring the family for a fun science evening - kids can share science fair projects (on any topic that inspires them) and enjoy interactive activity stations featuring experts on this year’s theme: Weather!



We’re thrilled to have several weather experts (A meteorologist, storm chaser, MIT Lincoln Lab team and NE Sci Tech) lined up to share their expertise with our kids both at the Science Fair as well as during bonus in-class weather science sessions in early February!


Thanks!

STEAM team (April, Elaine, Gigi, Heather and Janice)

Staff Appreciation Soup Lunch - Donations Needed

Let's celebrate our Super Staff at Claypit Hill the day after the Super Bowl by treating the teachers and staff to an all-star lunch! Did you know there are over 110 staff members that keep our school running? This hearty lunch will feed all the adults who care for our kids each day.

Sign-up here to contribute: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44A8AA2CA0F4C16-souper

Store-bought or homemade items are great!

Please drop off:

  • Non-perishable items at the front office any time before Monday February 10.

  • Soup and perishables on Monday, February 10 by 8:00am. Please label any crockpots, soup ladles, or serving pieces that you need returned. Your items will be on the benches outside by 2pm for you to grab at pickup.

Thank you! Email marissaanndavis@gmail.com, katienobleharris@gmail.com or allison.bellingrath@gmail.com to coordinate earlier perishable drop-offs and we can store things in our fridges.

MCAS Dates are Finalized

The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provides districts with a testing window. We have scheduled our assessments late in the window to provide for as much time for teaching and learning as possible before the assessments. As a result, there is little time provided for make up tests. It is imperative that travel not be scheduled during the MCAS testing days. Please support our school by planning accordingly.


3rd Grade

ELA - March 25th and March 27th

Math - May 13th and May 15th


4th Grade

ELA - April 3rd and April 8th

Math - May 19th and May 21st


5th Grade

ELA - April 1st and April 4th

Math - May 14th and May 16th

STE - April 30th and May 2nd

Upcoming Dates for Your Calendar

  • Tuesday, Jan .28 - 4th Grade Field Trip, Ms. Wood, Ms. Dodakian and Ms. Tobin

  • Wednesday, Jan. 29 - Lunar New Year - NO SCHOOL

  • Friday, Jan. 31 - Family Bingo Night

  • Wednesday, Feb 5 - STEAM Night 5:00pm

  • Thursday, Mar. 20 - Talent Show

  • Wednesday, Mar. 26 - Art Show

  • Tuesday, May 20 - 5th Grade Play

  • Wednesday, Jun. 4 - Spring PTO Meeting, 7:00pm

Carol Reynolds
Claypit Hill News and More