It's been a great few weeks at our school! Although there are daily challenges, the programs we have put in place are making a difference. Last week we started our Binx Buck’s incentive. Students can earn $2 per Binx Bucks and each Friday the “Hop and Shop” will open for students to either buy prizes or bank their money. Students earn these bucks by going above and beyond, and demonstrating our core beliefs of ROAR. So far, most of the older students have banked their bucks so they can earn larger prizes. This incentive for students is based on our tiered system of our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies) program. It begins with Tier 1 which is an individual recognition program. Tier 2 includes our PAWS system where students earn coins as a class and will receive a classroom reward like extra recess or a pajama day. When they fill their jars with PAWS, they bring them to the office where we'll celebrate their classroom accomplishments. When our large PAWS container is filled (hopefully by the end of the school year), we’ll have an all school, themed celebration. This system works well because it recognizes all students and classrooms.

In order to have a safe and compassionate community, we are working diligently to hold all of our students accountable for unexpected behaviors. If you have an older student, you may receive a phone call from him/her about incidents that occur at school. We feel it’s important for students to have restorative conversations with the parties, and then talk to their parents about the issues when appropriate.

Don’t forget that Wednesday night is our annual Open House event. We’ll start with pizza at 5:00 followed by classroom visits. We hope to see you there!

With love and appreciation,
Mrs. MacQueen

*Lunenburg KEAP session 2 starts soon! If you have not registered yet, use the link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1G4NlLfOEYCvE26mnBCSkqifnag9uj-j9mIjomB_-eiI/viewform?edit_requested=true

*Breakfast ends at 8:00 am so if your child wants to eat breakfast, please drop him/her off by 7:45 am

*The weather is getting chillier by the day so please make sure to send your children with appropriate fall clothing like mittens, jackets, boots, etc.

KESD Families,
the following are reminders as we approach Halloween to ensure a safe and positive experience in our schools and communities. KESD’s District Equity Policy says, “The Kingdom East School District is committed to the success of every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, family economics, class, geography, ability, language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or initial proficiencies.” We never want any of our students to feel marginalized in our schools and or communities, and Halloween costumes can sometimes send hurtful messages either on purpose or unintended. I would suggest everyone view My Culture is Not a Costume video and review the items below to support a safe, fun and inclusive Halloween.
Thanks, Sean McMannon-KESD Superintendent

• Dress Code: Costumes if worn in school should be appropriate for school and follow the school's dress code. Please review the KESD Dress Code)

• Safety: Costumes if worn in school should not hinder vision, and masks are not allowed. Costumes with realistic weapons are prohibited.
• Inappropriate themes: Costumes should not feature inappropriate themes or characters, reference to drugs or alcohol, and not gory, threatening, or offensive.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Costumes if worn in school should be culturally sensitive and not offensive or reinforcing of stereotypes. Avoid stereotypes by not wearing a costume that plays off stereotypes about a group of people. For example, dressing up as Pocahontas can be offensive because it presents a whitewashed version of a group of people who have been victimized. Here are other considerations when designing and choosing costumes
  • Don't darken your skin: Don't darken or color your skin for a costume.
  • Consider the meaning: Think about whether the costume would show honor or disrespect for a group or person. For example, tribal markings, headdresses, and turbans are inappropriate because they are tied to a specific ceremony or religious meaning.
  • Research the culture: If you're not part of the culture, it's important to research it before making assumptions based on stereotypes.
  • Don't wear ethnic garb: Wearing ethnic garb can be a common cultural appropriation misstep.

October 30th -- Open House starting at 5:00 pm (pizza dinner at 5:00)

October 31st -- Halloween (appropriate costumes may be worn--no masks or weapons allowed)

November 5th -- Voting Day!

November 8th -- Early Release

November 11th -- Veteran's Day Breakfast

November 12th -- Picture Retakes

December 13th -- Holiday Meal (all families invited!)