News from Memorial
December 6, 2024
Happy December! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with joy and connection. December is a special time for many, marked by cherished holidays, traditions, and the magic of the season. Our first snowfall added even more excitement for students—and perhaps some early-morning scrambling for snow gear in your household, as it did in mine!
As 2024 comes to a close, we’ve officially completed one-third of our school year. I’m so grateful for the strong partnership between families and our dedicated staff, all focused on supporting and educating our students. I hope family conferences provided valuable insights into your child’s learning and some helpful strategies to support them at home. During recent student data meetings, we were thrilled to see so much progress across the board—proof of the incredible efforts of our students, staff, and families. If you’re looking for more ways to support learning at home, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.
Of course, the year hasn’t been all work—there’s been plenty of fun, too! From reading celebrations to a special Thanksgiving recess, our first grade 2 and 3 fall harvest day, and creative classroom activities, our students have been engaged in a wide variety of experiences. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in the months ahead to ensure every child’s success.
Have a great weekend,
John Kelley
Principal
Early Release Next Week
Lost and Found Items to be donated
Thank you to all who browsed our Lost and Found iduring Family Conferences. Many items remain, including stylish hoodies, jackets, and more!
Any unclaimed items will be donated after school on 12/20/24.
School PJ Day
On 12/20 our school will have a School Pajama Day! Students are welcome to wear pajamas or comfortable clothing. Please do not send your students in slippers so they can engage in outdoor recess and walk safely through the building.
School Sing Along
Student Arrival and Dismissal Safety: Important Procedures
Ensuring the safety of our students and families during arrival and dismissal is our top priority at Burke Memorial. With hundreds of cars and several school buses navigating the campus each day, it is essential for everyone to follow the procedures below. These guidelines are designed to minimize risk and maintain a smooth and secure process.
We greatly appreciate your cooperation. These procedures are in place to protect our students and families while keeping arrival and dismissal systems efficient for everyone. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our school community safe.
Arrival Procedures:
Dismissal Procedures
Medway District Review by D.E.S.E.
Earlier this summer, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) notified us that Medway Public Schools had been selected for a required district review.
The goal of this review is to look closely at the systems, policies, and practices that drive our day-to-day work. At the end of the process, we will receive a written report that highlights our strengths, identifies areas for growth, and makes recommendations to help us improve and better support our teachers and students.
The visit will take place the week of January 13. We will be looking for 4–6 family representatives from all levels—elementary, middle, and high school—to participate in the family focus groups. Additional details will be provided in an upcoming community update.
Dress Warm
As colder temperatures settle in and days grow cold, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has a coat or jacket for outdoor recess. We go outside as often as possible, unless it’s too cold, rainy, or snowy. Students will need snowgear to play in the snow and field, while students without it can still play on the playground blacktop. If you need assistance in obtaining winter clothes, please don't hesitate to call the office or let your student's teacher know.
Class T-Shirts - IT IS NOT TOO LATE!!
Each class is given a color and class t-shirts are an elementary tradition. Class t-shirts are used for building class community, special event theme days, field day and field trips. Our goal is that every child at both elementary schools has a t-shirt. We do not want any child to feel left out on these special days.
The cost of the shirt is $6. We will collect payment through the office, cash or check (check made payable to Burke-Memorial Student Activities).
Please complete this survey ASAP as we will be placing the order very soon.
Even if you are not ordering a shirt please fill out the Google form below. If you have any questions please call the main office at 508-533-3266
Family Resources
Free English Classes for Adults
Last year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced the launch of MassLinks, the first fully virtual educational option for Massachusetts adults statewide who are seeking their high school equivalency or English language instruction. MassLinks classes are free for all adults, and Mount Wachusett Community College, in partnership with DESE’s Office for Adult and Community Learning Services, will deliver the instruction.
Parent/Guardian Webinar Recording: Executive Functioning
Earlier this month, Dr. Alex Hirshberg joined a Medway SEPAC meeting to present about how to support students with executive functioning. He was kind enough to record the video for Medway families to view. Please click the link below.
Parenting Solutions Library
For the last several years, Medway Schools have collaborated with the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth (MPY) to provide professional development for our staff. MPY now offers a library of 10-minute videos and handouts for parents. Over 24 offerings include tips for parents regarding school success, student mental health, and more. The library can be accessed for free by clicking here.
Mental Health Resource for Families
Mental Health Resource for Families
Medway Schools has partnered with Care Solace, which offers mental health care coordination services and can help connect you, your child, and extended family members with appropriate community-based mental health providers. Whether it's counseling, therapy, or other mental health services, Care Solace can assist you in finding the support your family may need. To access Care Solace's coordination services, simply reach out using the following options:
Call 888-515-0595: Their multilingual helpline is staffed 24/7/365.
Visit www.caresolace.com/medway: On their website, you can explore mental health providers independently or click "Book Appointment" for personalized assistance through video chat, email, or phone.
Cartwheel
Parenting is challenging, and can become even harder if our children are struggling in any way. Cartwheel offers parents and caregivers the opportunity to engage in Parent Guidance sessions with a compassionate, licensed expert who can offer personalized advice, tools, and resources to help both you and your child thrive. If you'd like to work directly with a Cartwheel provider please reach out to a school counselor or the main office.
News From The Past
Family Support
Children need healthy meals to learn. Medway Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. As you may know, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the recent passage of the state budget, will again allow local districts to provide breakfast and lunch for all students at no cost.
However, families who submit an application for free or reduced lunch which is approved based on income guidelines may qualify for discounts on specified school fees, including but not limited to athletic fees, transportation fees, and preschool tuition. A district cover letter, the application and instructions can be found here.
ELEMENTARY HANDBOOK
Please read the 2024-2025 Elementary School Handbook as it has important information for both McGovern and Memorial Schools.
Bus Information
Per School Committee action, and in accordance with School Committee Policy EEAA, new for the 2024-25 School Year, free transportation will be offered according to the following guidelines:
Students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 who live 2 miles or further from their school
All students who qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch
Students who don’t qualify for free transportation can participate in the district’s Pay to Ride program. As previously communicated, new for the 2024-25 school year, the district will be implementing its new transportation registration and Pay to Ride program. Registration opened on April 1st. While the deadline for registration has passed, parents/guardians may continue to register students via the Parent Portal. (Instructions for the registration process can be found here.) Please note that students who do not qualify for free transportation and who were not previously registered but are registered now will be considered waitlisted.
Guardian and Student Information Review Process
MPS requests that all families complete the Online Registration process, better known as the “beginning of year packet,” within the Parent Portal. Please complete the application by September 7, 2023. Completing the online registration ensures we have the most accurate and up-to-date information for your child(ren) and helps us stay in touch with families. To access the Online Registration Process, please log in to the Parent Portal via a computer.
Click the bottom below or use this is the URL address: https://medwayma.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/medway.jsp then
- Click on Campus Parent
- Login,
- Choose MORE > Online Registration from the left menu.
- Follow the prompts to review and confirm the information we have on file.
Click on the link below to email Medway Schools IT Support👇
Reading at Home through Sora
SORA is an app that student have access to for digital books Thanks to the Massachusetts Library System, all students in the town of Medway have access to tens of thousands of children's eBooks, audiobooks, and from January digital Magazines! This is great news for all readers and some reluctant readers that could find a magazine of interest if books are a challenge. The most important action to support literacy is the practice of reading!
The popular magazines now available include:
Ranger Rick
Ranger Rick Dinosaurs
National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Little Kids
Sports Illustrated Kids
Highlights
Highlights High Five
Time for Kids
The Week Junior
Discover
How it Works
Bluey Magazine
Brainspace
Code Magazine
Eco Kids
Ancient History Magazine
And many more!
To discover and start browsing these digital magazines all you need to do is access Sora with this link, and sign in using your student's school email and Chromebook password.
Students have a loan limit of 5 books/audiobooks at a time but there is no limit to the number of magazines that can be checked out.
Please take advantage of these wonderful materials and have fun discovering something new this cold weekend.
If you have any questions please email Mr. Holt our Library Media Specialist : mholt@medwayschools.org If you have any email and password questions please email : parent@medwayschools.org
ID Required in Main Office
As a reminder to all families, when picking up your child, you will need to bring your license or identification with you to the main office. Not only is this for safety reasons, but we also have new staff in the front office. Please understand that you will be asked to retrieve your ID from your car if you forget to bring it in. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Medway App!
Medway Public Schools believes it is important that families and the broader community are provided with information about the important work going on in our schools. There is a great deal of communication that happens in the district. You can expect the following:
- Community Update from the Superintendent, monthly
- Burke-Memorial News from me, bi-weekly
- Teacher newsletters, bi-weekly
All community updates and Burke-Memorial News will be emailed but can also be found on the district and school websites or through our Medway Public Schools app which can be accessed through the QR Code below. Teachers will email their newsletters directly to their class.
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