Broadmeadow Buzz

Email the Office

School Dismissal Manager

Broadmeadow Families,

I want to start with a thank you to all of the Broadmeadow community members who stepped up to be considered to serve on this year’s School Council. It was great to see so much engagement in the process and voting. Congratulations to Katie Dittmer, Shani Wilkes, Mia Khera and Julie Venables for being elected to the council. They will join Steve Piela, David Chiu and Amanda Doran as parent representatives. Helen Hays, a student at the high school, will serve as the community representative. Melissa Camhi and Stephanie Hamel will represent the faculty.

The first School Council Meeting is Friday, October 11th at 7:45. This is an open meeting. However, participation is limited to members of the School Council.

Please remember that Wednesday, October 9, 2024 is an early dismissal day. Please remember to update your child’s dismissal plan in School Dismissal Manager.

Do good. Be kind.

• Community members who visit Broadmeadow must enter and exit through the front door. Please ring the bell to your left when you arrive. All visitors must check-in at the office and sign our visitor log.
• After ringing the bell, families who arrive to drop off student materials are asked to label all items with their student’s full name and teacher name and place them in the bin on the office counter. The office will facilitate getting materials to the student’s classroom.
• Families who arrive to pick up students early will be asked to wait outside for their child to exit the building.

Any adult who volunteers at a school event will be required to complete the CORI review process at least 4 days in advance of their visit. Completed CORI and Confidentiality forms (linked below) can be dropped off at the office or emailed to Roberta Redpath.

• CORI FORM: Please complete both sides of the CORI form being sure to include the last 6 digits of your social security number. A copy of a license or passport is also required order for the CORI to be processed.
• CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT: In addition, please return a copy of a completed confidentiality form with your CORI documents.

In order to assure that you (and/or other adults in your family who do not have an online portal account) are set up to receive these important email communications, we urge you to log into your account on the PowerSchool parent/guardian portal and make sure that all adults who should receive email are set up as “contacts” who receive emails. While adding or reviewing these contacts, please also take the time to add or update cell phone numbers for parents/guardians and anyone else who is identified as an emergency contact. All of these tasks can be accomplished by viewing the instructions provided in this VIDEO or by referring to the following instructions:

1. Log into your account on the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

2. Click on “Forms” in the left-hand margin.

2. Under the “All Forms” tab, click on Student Information

3. Scroll down to the “Enter Contacts” section.

• Review contacts and update information. (click on the blue pencil to edit/update the contact)

• Be sure to add or update emails and cell phone numbers if necessary. IMPORTANT: If you would like the receive all school email communications, please select the option “Receives Mail” when adding an email address

4. New contacts may be added by clicking on the “ADD” button located under the “Enter Contacts” section. IMPORTANT: Please make certain that if the contact wants to receive all email communications, to select the option “Receives Mail.”

Please note that If you have not created a Parent Portal account, or if you have forgotten your login or password, please email Roberta Redpath for assistance.

Andy Garlick, Principal

Chanit List, Assistant Principal

Laurie Blakely, K-2 Guidance

Katie Lizotte, 3-5 Guidance

Jacqui Murphy, Connections Guidance

COMMUNICATION

• Urgent information- always call the main office and inform the staff and they will find me
• Nonurgent information- email or phone call
• The nurse will inform a parent when a medication is given but the child does not need dismissal (tylenol, ibuprofen, inhaler) so you know when to administer the next dose if indicated
• The nurse typically will NOT inform a parent of health visits unless vital information needs to be shared

KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME IF:

• Fever greater than 100 degrees within the past 24 hours; student should be fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of fever reducers
• Vomiting within the past 24 hours
• Uncontrollable diarrhea within the past 24 hours
• Unable to tolerate usual diet
• Unable to sustain concentration for full school day
• Uncontrollable coughing that interrupts sleep and/or disturbs usual activity
• ER visit in past 24 hours
• Narcotic use
• Unable to manage secretions (sneezing, runny nose)
• Rash- new
• Pink eye with discharge
• Not “themselves”

INJURIES

Please let the nurse know about:

• injuries including stitches, sprains, strains, concussions, broken bones, anything requiring a splint, boot, crutches or cast, exclusion from physical education and/or recess.
• A note from your child’s provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, hospital) is required if he/she needs exclusion from physical education for more than 2 consecutive classes or needs any accommodation (elevator, limits at recess, quiet rest in health office)
• A note from the provider is also required when limitations are lifted.

The Needham Human Rights Committee and Needham Diversity Initiative are Co-hosting the 2nd Annual Needham Multicultural Festival on Sunday, October 20th, 2024, at Needham High School from 1-5 pm. Co-sponsorships include the Needham Resilience Network, Needham Council for Arts & Culture, and Needham Rotary Club. More than 20 countries will be represented with information tables, food, and live performances. This event is free, and all are welcome. If you are interested in volunteering to host a culture table, perform, or help run the event, visit https://NeedhamMulticultural.org/ to sign up. If you are on Facebook, please mark your interest in the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1018144513033059/

The Mindful Community Speaker Series, a collaboration between the Needham Community Council, Needham Youth and Family Services, and the Becca Schmill Foundation is offering a free in-person workshop titled "Everyday Strategies for Regulation: How to Use Movement and Play". Elizabeth Warner, Ed.M, Psy.D who has 40 years of experience as a licensed psychologist working with children and families will lead the discussion. The presentation will be for parents and caregivers of preschool and elementary school aged children and will take place on Thursday, Oct. 24th from 7:00-8:30 pm at the Center at the Heights, 300 Hillside Avenue. Here is the registration link. https://bit.ly/MindfulOct24

Any questions, please reach out to Cathy Wong@needhamcouncil.org or Christine Weitzel, cweitzel@needhamma.gov.

The Needham Education Foundation (NEF) is accepting applications for small grants, up to $5,000, and large grants, up to $15,000, to fund innovative or enriching programs in the Needham Public Schools. Educators, administrators, or community members — including students and parents — are eligible to apply. All applications are due by Friday, October 18, 2024. There will be two additional opportunities to submit applications this year: January 17th and April 11th, 2025.

The NEF also encourages schools to copy a grant that was funded at another school through the Express grant program, or to work together with multiple schools through the Multi-School grant program, which offers up to $3,000 per school.

Contact Sarah Winig at swinig@nefneedham.org or talk to your NEF School Rep (found on the Board of Directors page at nefneedham.org) if you have any questions or would like guidance. To learn more about the grant process, see what the NEF has funded in the past, and to apply online, please visit: www.nefneedham.org/grants.

Needham Baseball offers instructional programs for Kindergarteners through competitive programs for 16-year-olds, click here to learn more about each program. To register for the Spring 2025 baseball season, click here. Players born between 09/01/12 and 08/31/16 must register by October 7th!

Please join us for our 11th Annual Jog Your Memory 5K Run and 1.5 Mile Walk for Alzheimer's on Sunday, October 6th, 2024 at 9:00 AM, starting and finishing at the Mitchell School in Needham (187 Brookline Street)! This is a wonderful family-friendly event that brings our entire community together against an important cause. Please visit www.jogyourmemory5k.org to register, donate, and for more information!

Citizens for Needham Schools (CNS) is a great source of information for what’s happening in the district, including School Committee meetings, budget updates, and district-wide initiatives. We believe that communication and collaboration between educators and community members is essential to providing high-quality, innovative education to Needham students.

• Website & newsletter: CitizensForNeedhamSchools.com
• Facebook: CNSNeedham