MHS/WES NEWSLETTER

WES Curriculum/Parents' Night (Grades 2 - 5)

Thursday, Sept 12th

Cafeteria mix and mingle 6:00 - 7:00

Session 1: 6:00 - 6:30 (Grades 2, 3)

Session 2: 6:45 - 7:15 (Grades 4, 5)

• Grade level teachers give a presentation on their curriculum and an overview of their year to parents/guardians. During our cafeteria mix and mingle, stop by to talk with school adjustment counselors, the PTO, Scouts, The Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Excellence, SEPAC and more...

MHS Open House (PreK - 1)

Thursday, October 3rd

5:30-6:30 p.m.

The entire family joins in on the fun. Students give their families a tour of their classroom and building.

Did you know that MHS/WES is on Instagram? Check it out!! principalkt24

September 12: Thursday ~ WES Curriculum/Parents' Night 6:00 - 7:15 PM (See more info. above)

September 16: Monday~ Preschool Pictures (M,W, F classes)

September 17: Tuesday ~ School Pictures for MHS and WES (Preschool-Grade 5)

September 18: Wednesday ~ Noon Dismissal, Professional Development

October 3: Thursday ~ MHS Open House 5:30 - 6:30 PM (See more info. above)

October 9: Wednesday ~ Nature's Classroom 5th Grade Parent Only Informational Meeting; 6:30 PM WES Caft.

Second graders have done a wonderful job adjusting to the “big school” and have worked hard to learn many new routines. Each classroom is spending time building their classroom communities. We look forward to seeing those of you who are able to attend our annual Curriculum/Parent’s Night. It is tonight, 9/12 from 6:00-6:30 for second grade parents.

Tomorrow, Friday, September 13th we will celebrate International Dot Day. The Dot is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to make her mark. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper, becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing. Second graders will spend the day creating colorful dot art and focusing on what makes them special and unique. Students are encouraged to wear clothes with dots on them.

Students transition from Seesaw to Google Classroom as their on-line learning platform in third grade. Tiffany Davis, our instructional coach, visited our classrooms to teach students how to use Google Classroom and transition from lower elementary to upper elementary Chrombook use. Students learned how to use Google apps, such as Slides, Docs and Google Classroom. They also learned how to use the OrbitNote Chrome extension. They created collages in Google Slides that include favorite memories and favorite things. Students will be able to refer to their collages for writing topic ideas.

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I hope everyone had a happy, healthy, and fun-filled summer. I am very excited to be back with the students for my fourth year! I have worked hard this summer to improve upon the Physical Education curriculum and add many new activities for the students!

Classes have been going great so far. For the first few weeks, we have worked on establishing classroom routines and participated in cooperative games with all grades. I learned some new challenges/games over the summer that I am excited to share with the students, especially during the first few weeks of school! Starting this week, we are also getting outside for class and the students are loving the fresh air!

Starting soon, we will be getting into our first units. Grades K+1 will be working on Throwing and Catching while grades 2-5 will start Flag Football. In the Throwing and Catching unit, students will learn how to throw underhand and overhand, how to throw different distances, how to throw with accuracy and the proper form for catching. This unit will help develop students' hand eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, as well as their spatial awareness which are all building blocks to the skills we will learn throughout the year.

In the Flag Football unit, students will review and build upon skills learned last year, such as proper throwing and catching techniques, throwing lead passes, strategies for creating space on offense/scoring, and defensive skills. Students will work on skill development and we will also play small sided lead up games at the end of the unit. This is a great opportunity to develop teamwork, communication and problem solving skills.

I also encourage you to be active at home! Play a flag football game in the yard, go apple picking, rake leaves that are sure to be falling soon, or play pass. Not only will this be good practice for students to master skills learned in PE class, but it is also a great way to spend time together!

I am looking forward to another great year filled with lots of movement and physical activity!

Grade 5 Nature's Classroom at Camp Cody 2025

Monday, May 19th - Friday, May 23rd

Each year our 5th grade students travel to Camp Cody in Freedom, NH for an outdoor classroom experience. The trip is 5 days/4 nights. Next year we are going the week of May 19-23rd. We want to prepare families that the cost of this trip has increased and is estimated to be about $450-475 per student. Please note this trip in your calendars, more information will go home with students in a few weeks.

All students have a bus number assigned to them as well as stops. Please click on the button at the end of this newsletter to see your child's bus number and stop. HOWEVER, if your child is going to be a parent pick up, walker, walker to MHS, or going to extended day, it is VERY IMPORTANT to send in a note with your child's first and last name to the school. One note is sufficient for the year with their schedule, but if it changes at all, we need to know. The safety of your child is our priority. Thank you

Emergency Early Dismissal Policy

In the event of an unforeseen emergency that necessitates the dismissal of students prior to the end of the school day, parent notification will be provided through the automated phone and email system. Typical emergency situations that may precipitate an early dismissal include, but are not necessarily limited to, severe weather conditions, fire and absence of heat or water.

Since it is impractical for school officials to personally contact every parent in the event of an early dismissal, parents and particularly the parents of elementary age children, are encouraged to develop a clear and well-defined plan with their children in case of an early dismissal. Since children will be dismissed to their home, it is imperative that children know how to gain entry into their home and how and whom to call once they are there.

ABSENCES: Please call WES (978-874-2043) or MHS (978-874-0163) when your child will be absent or late for school. Please state your name, your child’s name, teacher, and the reason for absence. If you must speak to someone, please call after 7:45 AM. This system is to ensure the safety of your child. If we do not hear from you, we will contact you at home or work, and if we can’t reach someone we may send a school resource officer to the house to do a well child check. Absent notes are required when children return to school.

AM Arrivals: Bus drivers do not let children off the bus until 8:20 a.m. There is NO Supervision before 8:20 a.m. Walkers/students being dropped off should not arrive before 8:20 a.m. School starts at 8:30 a.m.

PM Dismissals: The school day ends at 2:55 p.m. The office needs to know your dismissal plan. If your child is a car-rider, you will be given a sign to display on your car dashboard to be used each day. Car riders will be dismissed to the cafeteria and called outside in the order cars line up. Please remain in your car. Signs will be posted. If you would like your older sibling to walk from WES to MHS pick-ups for dismissal in the afternoon, please send a note to the office and your child’s teacher.

If your child needs to be dismissed early, please send a note to his/her teacher stating the time and reason for dismissal. Early dismissals will be handled through the main office.

NOTES: Please use student’s (and parent’s) last names in all notes to the teacher/office. Please also date all notes so that we can be sure we are dealing with current messages. Notes are required for any change in dismissal. You may also email a note to mhsoffice@awrsd.org (MHS) or wesoffice@awrsd.org(WES).

MEDICATIONS: ALL Medications must be brought to the nurse by an adult at the beginning of the day. Medication is NOT TO BE TAKEN by any child on his/her own. The school nurse under the following circumstances will administer medication:

• A signed and dated note from a doctor and a parent is sent with the child’s name, dosage, reason for medication and time to be given.

• The prescription bottle is sent with only the amount which will be needed for the administration at school. (Pharmacies will dispense in two bottles if you ask.)

School Announcements:

Please make sure all phone numbers and email addresses are updated throughout the school year to ensure you receive all messages sent from the school or district.

RESTRICTIONS: Please provide the office with any LEGAL DOCUMENT which indicates any legal restrictions on the release of your child as per district policy. These restrictions CANNOT be honored unless we have a copy of the legal documents in your child’s file. Please remember that it is MOST IMPORTANT that your child knows who he/she is allowed to leave school with and restrictions of the same.

TARDINESS: It is important that your child be at school on time. Tardy students need to stop at the office for a tardy slip when they arrive later than 8:30 a.m. If excessive tardiness continues, it will be necessary for the parent and child to meet with the Principal so that we may remedy the situation.

ARRIVAL

8:20 - 8:30 AM

DISMISSAL

2:55 PM

HALF DAYS - DISMISSAL

12:00 PM

AM Session 8:45-11:10 AM

PM Session 12:00-2:30 PM

Full Day Session 8:45-2:30 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday)

Please reach out with any questions you may have. We are happy to help!

• MHS - Kathi McCarthy 978-874-0163 ext. 0
• WES - Liz Maillet 978-874-2043 ext 0

Hey fourth graders! See America’s natural wonders and historic sites for free.

https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm

General Ashburnham-Westminster Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) membership is open to all AWRSD parents/guardians of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans and other interested parties. We need volunteers to help plan workshops, staff tables at local school and community events, become future leaders, assist other parents, and plan new activities and projects. Learn more about us and our work on our website https://sites.google.com/view/ashburnham-westminster-sepac. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashwestsepac.