Marathon Memo

Friday, December 6

Marathon School Council 8:00 AM via Google Meet

Agenda with Google Meet Link

December 16 - December 20

Spirit Week

Full Week of School

December 23 - 31

December Recess: No School

Wednesday, January 1

New Year's Day: No School

Thursday, January 2

School Resumes

Welcome Back!

Thank you for your help in the successful breakfast launch at Marathon!

On our first day, we served 155 students and finished at 9:07 a.m. The first few days, we tweaked things to improve the process, such as having two student lines and shifting from the kiosk to a table for grab-and-go ease from each side. This has greatly improved efficiency.

To date, the number of students getting breakfast has ranged from 155 to 208, and our time has improved, often finishing at 8:59 or 9:00 a.m.

Students choosing breakfast have had their student ID cards ready. This helps facilitate the line and ensures we follow all allergy restrictions. If your child needs an ID replacement, visit: Replacement ID Options.

If you have any questions about breakfast, please contact Michelle Condakes, the Hopkinton Public Schools' Director of Food Services, at mcondakes@hopkinton.k12.ma.us.

December 16 -20 will be Spirit Week at Marathon. This will be a fun way to encourage school spirit, a positive culture, and unity among students and staff. Note that the Friday before break is a regular, full school day.

Mad About Plaid Monday:

Wear plaid clothing or accessories!

Caring Tuesday:

Wear Red, and say something sweet to a friend.

Winter Wonderland Wednesday:

Wear your Winter Accessories: Hats, scarves, or snow-themed attire.

Tacky Sweater/Sock Thursday:

Wear a silly winter-themed sweater and/or fun socks!

Last School Day of 2024:

Come extra comfy in your jammies or snuggly clothes to enjoy your last day before break.

Marathon School Musicians are excited about all the new things they are learning in music class. Your children have been moving, singing, clapping, dancing, coloring, and listening to music in creative new ways. Music instruction at Marathon School is varied and comprehensive. Your children have fun as they learn!

All the children were delighted with the fun singing game “Pumpkin, Pumpkin Round and Fat.” They were all giggles and joy when they noticed that every time they turned away from their original partner, they would have a new friend to dance with. We transferred this same circle dance process to another favorite: “Bow, Wow, Wow, Whose Dog Art Thou?”

They also love the singing game “Bluebird, Bluebird, Through My Window”. After the children fly through the windows, they choose a new bird to join their ‘bird family’ with each repetition. (For Thanksgiving, we replaced ‘bluebird’ with ’’Turkeybird’!)

Kindergarten children love our fingerplays (‘Where is Thumbkin?’ ‘Arabella Miller,’ ‘Fuzzy Little Caterpillar,’ ‘Eensy Weensy Spider,’ ‘Creep, Creep Mouse’). In all grades, we enjoy discussing the rhyming words in songs and nursery rhymes. The Kindergarten students are so proud that they can write the rhythms of nursery rhymes using quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. The children in first grade are also proud: They are composing their first song! This song is based on a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson: The Swing. They have learned to write both the rhythm and pitches on the staff!

Grade One students enjoyed their study of French music as they listened to the musical story, Danse Macabre, by Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921). They loved this descriptive ‘spooky' music and were intrigued as to how the composer used instruments to tell the story. Soon, your Grade one children will be learning about the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeaus Mozart.

Kindergarten Musicians loved the story, Peter and the Wolf, by the famous composer from Russia: Sergei Prokovfiev (1891-1953). He composed this delightful story as a way to teach children all around the world about the sounds of the instruments of the orchestra.

Now that your children are getting more comfortable with our routines in music class, many classes are starting to challenge themselves by learning to play a variety of our beautiful percussion instruments and xylophones. We will also continue to build upon our repertoire of many new songs (several from other cultures) and fun, creative movement activities!

Preschoolers recently learned about "community helpers." This curriculum theme introduced students to different professions contributing to their community through activities designed to help them understand the roles and importance of these individuals in their daily lives. Students met real-life community helpers and learned about their work firsthand from special visits from Hopkinton firefighters, SRO Santoro, and our school nurses.

Hopkinton SEPAC is excited to announce the start of our new program called Project SHARK.

What is Project SHARK?

SHARK is an acronym for: SEPAC Helps Add Resources for Kids

SEPAC has asked our Marathon Elementary School special educators, related service providers, and paraprofessionals to make a wish list of items that would be helpful in their work with students with special needs. (Example: therapy supplies, items for the classroom, equipment for learning ADLs, or anything that would be helpful to students). The goal is to provide enriching materials that further the work that our educators do every day. Similar to how a PTO provides additional educational items and supplies, Project SHARK hopes to add materials and supplies that enhance and add to classroom materials.

SEPAC is proud to support our amazing teachers. We hope that this project spotlights special education, the phenomenal work of our educators, and the different needs of students with disabilities.

Donate to Marathon Elementary School Project SHARK in 2 ways:

• Amazon.com Wish List – search “Hopkinton SEPAC” or use this link here.

• Don’t forget to include a note of thanks to our wonderful educators in the “Gift Message.”

• We want to thank families that donate! – Optional: Click “Share your default shipping address.”

• Donate the following gently used items (Email ESeekell@gmail.com to arrange delivery):

• K-1 Intensive Learning Specialist Classrooms

• Flexible seating

• Sensory equipment

• Sensory materials

• Toys for K-1

• Games

• Fine motor activities

• Speech Therapy

• Games

• Occupational Therapy

• Board games for children age 3+

• Fine motor toys and activities for ages 2+

Dear Hopkinton Parent/Guardian,

We invite you to take this opportunity to recognize your child(ren)’s teachers in a unique way -- by making a donation to the Hopkinton Education Foundation. Each teacher honored by a donation receives a personalized card with artwork from a Hopkinton student, thanking the teacher for their work and including the name of your child (although not the amount of the contribution). Contributors receive an on-line receipt for tax purposes.

The Hopkinton Education Foundation has been advancing innovation in the Hopkinton Public Schools for over 30 years. During that time, we have awarded over $1,500,000 to fund over 350 grants to Marathon, Elmwood, Hopkins, HMS and HHS. Some recent examples are listed below.

To participate in the Thank-A-Teacher program and to find out more about how you can help support Hopkinton’s teachers and schools, donate online at hopkintoneducationfoundation.org or scan the QR code above. Please complete your donation by December 13.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Hopkinton Education Foundation

Contact us at: moffice@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Arrival Procedures

Dismissal Procedures

Lauren Dubeau, Principal

Eric Mitchell, Assistant Principal

Mark Campbell, Administrative Assistant

Rosemary Tabakin, Administrative Assistant