Jaguar Tracks
May 3rd
Dear Jaguar Families!
Happy May! May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month! At JE our students are engaged in reading books, working on projects and learning more about the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have played in our shared history.
We had a wonderful week at JE! The Gaga Pit returned to recess, a petting zoo came to Kindergarten, celebrated our spelling bee winners with a special lunch and our 4th and 5th graders prepped for their upcoming MCAS testing. Our students are wrapping up the year on a strong note and showing our Core Values consistently, which is rewarding to see!
Curriculum night is on May 16th! The event will take place from 5:30-6:30. If your child is in second grade and participating in the Wax Museum, students should come at 5:15 to prepare. We are excited for the opportunity for our students to display all of their great learning and hard work this year!
As we move towards the home stretch of the 2023-2024 school year, we wanted to reach out to share more information regarding school supplies for the fall so you can plan ahead. Over the past two years, we have used school and district funds to support the purchase of school supplies for all families. For the 2024-2025 school year, the schools will provide many supplies students will need, but will also look to families to purchase some supplies. Please be on the lookout for grade level supply lists in the last couple of newsletters of the year.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We look forward to a wonderful spring and positive end to the school year.
Caitlin Shelburne
Follow us on Instagram at "JE_Jaguars": We have so many wonderful pictures and videos of learning in action and those small moments that make our days! This gives a nice window into the day in the life of a Jaguar!
Bike & Scooter Reminder
Please be reminded, per our Student Handbook, that all bicycles, scooters and skateboards (and anything "ride-on") MUST be WALKED when on school property. This helps to ensure the safety of all our students. Thank you for your cooperation.
MCAS Update
METCO Kite & Bike Festival
Lost & Found
Our Lost & Found is overflowing!! Please stop in this week to see if anything belongs to your child/ren. Anything that has a name in it will be returned at the end of next week. Everything else will be donated. Please remember to label all items!!
Mark your calendars!
May
6th - Grade 5 Panoramic Picture
9th - PTO Adult Social
16th - Elementary Open House - 5:30-6:30
20th - Kindergarten Screening
23rd - Boosterthon Fundraiser
28th - 31st - Scholastic Book Fair
27th - Memorial Day - No School
From the Desk of our PTO Co-Presidents
PTO Update
📌Joshua Eaton Fun Run - May 23rd! Register Your Student Now!
This year’s big spring fundraising event will be held during school hours on Thursday, 5/23. Our goal this year is to raise $25,000 for enrichment programs, field trips & school improvements.
Our in-school kick-off will start 5/14, with exciting daily videos and curriculum to get everyone excited for the big event.
Get online and register your student(s) now at MYBOOSTER.COM!
As an additional incentive for pre-registering online early, anyone who registers on the website between 4/30 - 5/13 will be entered to win one of the following sweepstakes prizes:
$25 gift card to Cal's Creamery
$25 gift card to Whitelam Books
Any questions, please feel free to email jefundraiser@gmail.com.
📌Spirit Wear is Here!
Spirit Wear has arrived & will be sent home in student’s backpacks this week!
Thank you to Amy Greco for assisting with distribution, and to Melissa Fitzmaurice for coordinating our spring merch sale!
If you have any questions, please email mfitzmaurice0901@gmail.com.
📌JE Golf Scramble THANK YOU
We were lucky to have perfect golfing weather for the 2nd annual JE Golf Scramble, held at Meadowbrook Golf Club on Monday, April 29th!
A huge thanks to this year’s sponsors - we are so grateful for your support of the JE PTO!
REMax Harmony (Team Ladner)
Condon Sullivan Wealth Management & Planning
CommLink Integration
📌Open Executive Board Positions & Social Chair Spotlight!
The following PTO Executive Board positions are open for the 2024-2025 school year:
Vice President(s)
Fundraising Chair(s)
Social Chair(s)
Each week, we will be highlighting one of our open positions. This week, we are again highlighting the efforts of our amazing Fundraising Chair, Melissa Berg!
Melissa has been serving as the Fundraising Chair for the past 2 years. Her 4th grade twins are nearing the end of their time at Joshua Eaton, so we are looking for some new volunteers to take over the fundraising role for 2024-2025.
The Fundraising position includes coordinating restaurant nights, BoxTops, the Fall & Spring Calareso's gift certificate campaign and working on a big Spring fundraising event for the school (ex. past BoosterThon Run/Dance Event).
Primary responsibilities include coordinating with vendor contacts, marketing and communication for events and project managing events to completion. The role only takes a few hours a week during busier Fall and Spring times.
Melissa has enjoyed getting to work with the staff at JE on fundraising events and has loved being able to have a positive impact on the JE community to see us continue to offer exciting enrichment programs/field trips and school improvements.
This role can be done solo or as a team. With a team, we may even have the opportunity to take on more exciting opportunities to raise even more funds! Creative new ideas are always welcome.
Melissa is happy to provide guidance and answer questions next year to assure a smooth transition!
Please note that the JE community will have the opportunity to vote on the exec board in June.
If you are interested in learning more about any of the PTO exec board roles, please email jeptopresident@gmail.com.
📌PTO Events Calendar
The updated 2023-24 JE PTO calendar of events can be found here.
📌Check out our PTO page on the JE Website!
You can find lots of helpful information about the PTO here, including the minutes from our most recent meeting!
📌Follow us on Facebook
For the latest PTO updates, follow Joshua Eaton PTO on Facebook!
Jessie Tran & Sarah Fuller
PTO Co-Presidents
SEPAC News & Updates
SEPAC Update
The Special Education Parent Advisory Council works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized support). Watch this brief introductory video to learn more!
Follow SEPAC on Facebook or Instagram
The New IEP Presentations:
Reading Public Schools will implement the new IEP in the fall. Please join us for an opportunity to learn what changes to expect and to ask Student Services your questions. The presentation will be held both in person and virtually.
More information about the new IEP can be found here.
If you have a child on an IEP, we recommend that you take a moment to familiarize yourself with what the new IEP form will look like.
Understanding the New IEP Form in Massachusetts: Article Published by Mass General Hospital for Children and Lurie Center
Wednesday, May 8th, 6PM (In Person - Location: Distance Learning Lab at RMHS)
This will be a presentation for families to review DESE's NEW IEP Improvement Project to include the school’s timeline for rollout, what the new forms look like and what to expect for any adjustments to the team meeting process.
Location: Distance Learning Lab at RMHS. This room is on the 4th floor. Parents will take the elevator to the 4th floor and follow signs to the Distance Learning Lab. We will also have people directing until just after 6pm.
Please register for this presentation so we can be prepared with how many families will be attending as we need to be sure to accommodate a large crowd if needed.
Please Click Here to Register for the May 8th In-Person Presentation.
Thursday, May 9th, 12PM (Virtual)
This will be a presentation for families to review DESE's NEW IEP Improvement Project to include the school’s timeline for rollout, what the new forms look like and what to expect for any adjustments to the team meeting process.
Registration required to receive the zoom link.
Please Click Here to Register for the May 9th Virtual Presentation.
Tuesday, May 14th, 11-1PM (In-person at Northern Bank’s Community room or join virtually)
Come have lunch with other SEPAC families and some members of the Reading SEPAC Board. SEPAC will provide cheese pizza. Feel free to bring optional potluck sides or your own brown bag lunch, especially if you or your loved one has a special diet. Please bring your own non-alcoholic beverages if you will be joining us.
A picnic blanket will be set up with toys for any kids who want to join and don’t need a chair. Feel free to bring other toys your child wouldn’t mind sharing with others.
This will be an informal monthly gathering on the 2nd Tue of the month just to hang out with other SEPAC families.
Space is limited to 8 adult seats in person and unlimited virtually.
Please Click Here to Register for the May SEPAC Lunch Meetup.
We reviewed the survey results at our last meeting. Thank you to everyone who was able to complete the survey. If you did not get a chance yet, it’s not too late to submit as we will use this as a reference point to plan for next year.
Past Events:
Recorded events that’s available on the Reading SEPAC Website:
Transition Presentation
For parents and caregivers whose child has an IEP and will be transitioning (between schools, grades, levels, or are new to the school district)
Extended School Year (ESY) Presentation Recording
MCAS & Students with Disabilities Presentation
Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Presentation Recording Available on the Reading SEPAC Website
Review tiered system of supports and provide examples
Outline effective communication channels with your team and school
***Should you wish to reach out to Reading SEPAC anonymously, please use this form
Reading Public Schools is a METCO District
"Since its founding during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, the METCO program has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students of color in predominately white school districts, creating the opportunity for those districts to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially and ethnically diverse setting."