Principal's Note
Dear Keller Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Today, as we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day we pause and remember his life, legacy, and reflect on the impact of this leader who we honor today. As we empower students to be changemakers, we look for learning opportunities to extend beyond today. Education.com shares ideas with families as to how we can engage in these conversations and continue to honor Dr. King's legacy.
As a school community, we believe wholeheartedly in professional development and collaborative learning opportunities for Keller educators and aspiring teachers learning their craft.
We are very excited to share that Keller will be welcoming two pre-practicum students from Framingham State for the spring semester. They will each be here one day a week, for twelve consecutive weeks. This teaching experience will begin the week of January 22, 2024 and end in early May. Thank you to Mrs. Papadopoulos (Grade 1) and Miss Zeilor (Grade 2) for welcoming student teachers for the spring semester.
Recently, Keller also welcomed an Occupational Therapy Assistant student from Quinsigamond Community College for an eight-week internship. Thank you to our Occupational Therapy staff, Ms. Brenneman and Dr. Teselle, for their mentorship and sharing their expertise.
This month, Keller will host educators from Leominster and Northborough/Southborough as they learn more about Illustrative Mathematics at the elementary level. I thank our math specialists (Mrs. McIntyre and Mrs.Young) and classroom teachers (Mrs. Callahan, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Cahill, Mrs. Papadopoulos, Mrs. Pozner, Mrs. Auld, Mrs. Dandurand, Mrs. MacRury, and Mrs. Renaud) for sharing their practice, curriculum knowledge, and building a collaborative bridge with educators within our state.These professional learning experiences are so valuable and make an impact on student learning.
As a reminder, tomorrow is an early release day with an 11:45 AM dismissal.
Tomorrow's half-day professional development session for elementary educators will focus on mathematics and data analysis. An ST Math Massachusetts' Team Leader will be be facilitating professional learning for teachers to dig deeper into school data with a focus on ST Math usage and alignment to state standards. We look forward to engaging in this professional learning experience and using this data to create next steps to further support students' mathematical learning.
As winter is upon us, thank you for sending students to school equipped with the proper outdoor winter gear. The weather can change throughout the course of the day, but we always check playground conditions, "feels like" temperatures, and consult with the Health Office as we make decisions regarding outdoor/indoor recess. We are ready to pivot at any time!
Wishing everyone a great week!
Warm Regards,
Keri Busavage, Principal
Singing Aiken Drum!
Daily Announcements!
Keller Kids check out the morning slides upon arrival!
Only 7,531 more ST Math puzzles to go to reach half a million! Great work Keller Kids!
Walkers
Each day, students walking home are escorted by a staff member, via the crosswalk, through the parking lot to the Lincoln Street path.
It is important that students do not leave this group and walk to meet a parent/guardian parked in the upper lot. With active traffic coming and going and in some instances with snow banks blocking visibility, it is a safety concern.
If you are picking up your child by car, please enter the active pick-up line or park in the lower lot and meet your child after walking up the sidewalk.
We thank you for your cooperation with these dismissal guidelines in order to ensure the safety of all students.
Thank you for participating in the Keller Coat Drive. Keller families donated 100 coats to the Coats for Kids and Families Coat Drive sponsored by Anton's Cleaners and Jordan's Furniture.
Thank you to Keller Fifth Grade Student Council Representatives for assisting with the coat collection each morning at arrival.
Thank you to Coach Nordberg for delivering our donations to Anton's Cleaners!
The Keller Yearbook is available for purchase! Thank you to our dedicated team of parent volunteers working on this project!
Yearbooks ordered on or before Wednesday, May 1st are $25 each. Please use the QR code in the attached form, or this link to order online directly from Pixami, https://tinyurl.com/Kelleryearbook. Alternatively, orders can be made using this form.
All yearbooks will be delivered to students in June.
A limited number of yearbooks will be available after May 1st.
Yearbooks ordered after 5/1 are $35 each while supplies last.
Below are dates for Franklin Spring 2024 MCAS testing.
ELEMENTARY
April 2 and 3, 2024- Grade 4 ELA
April 8 and 9, 2024- Grade 3 ELA
April 10 and 11, 2024- Grade 5 ELA
April 30 and May 1, 2024- Grade 3 Math
May 7 and 8, 2024- Grade 4 Math
May 9 and 10, 2024- Grade 5 STE
May 15 and 16, 2024- Grade 5 Math
MIDDLE
April 2 and 3, 2024- Grades 7 and 8 ELA
April 9 and 10, 2024- Grade 6 ELA
May 1 and 2, 2024- Grades 7 and 8 Math
May 8 and 9, 2024- Grade 6 Math and Grade 8 STE
HIGH
November 8 and 9, 2023- ELA Retests
November 14 and 15, 2023- Math Retests
February 6 and 7, 2023- Science Retests
March 26 and 27, 2024- ELA
May 21 and 22, 204- Math
June 4 and 5, 2024- Science
If your Keller Student would like to participate, please sign up using this link. We invite Keller 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students to sign up! We will continue to add grade levels!
How it works . . .
Every Friday at 2 o’clock, students signed up for that week, will meet with principals to set up their display in the main hallway. Students will also pick up their collection from the previous week.
Each student will have half a shelf to display their items
Bring a name tag to be displayed (folded index card, piece of paper, etc.)
Bring 5-7 items to display that tell your story!
In addition, here is the full SY 23-24 Franklin Public Schools, 6-Day Elementary Calendar linked here. In the event of a school closing, the cycle days remain as identified on the calendar.
Mark your calendars! Bag Bingo is back on March 15! Join us for an evening of fun, games, and fantastic prizes.
The next PCC meeting will be January 18 at 7:30.
Please join us! Zoom Link
As always, if you have any questions please reach out to us at: helenkellerpcc@gmail.com
~ Hayley Doucette, President
~ Lianne Chelman, Vice President
~Thea Charles, Treasurer
~ Ali McDonald, Corresponding Secretary
~ Jennifer Micalone, Recording Secretary
~ Ally Bowser, FACE Coordinator
Winter weather is here!
This is a friendly reminder that students need to come to school properly dressed for the weather.
As the weather gets colder, students need to have the following items: winter hat, mittens/gloves, scarf/neck warmer, winter boots, snow pants and a proper winter jacket.Despite the cold weather, we will be going outside at recess for 20 minutes, unless the guidance states it is too cold.
Thank you to our lunch volunteers for giving your time and assisting in the cafeteria!
If you are interested and would like to volunteer in the lunch room please click the February Link which will bring you to the Sign-Up Genius.
Lunch volunteers help students with opening food packaging/drinks, wiping tables between grade-level lunches, and sweeping floors if needed.
Please remember that a CORI Form must be completed before volunteering.
Thank you to Mrs. Doenges for assisting with the creation of sign-ups!
Many have stopped by the office to complete their CORI form paperwork - thank you!
CORI forms need to be completed annually and prior to volunteering in the building or chaperoning a field trip. If you are chaperoning an upcoming field trip, please be sure to stop by the Keller Office to complete a form.
Completing a CORI form can be done at any time. Just bring this completed form to the Keller Office, or fill one out when you arrive. Also, please have with you one form of photo identification.
The elementary lunch menus are linked here. Students do not need to pre-order lunches but should be aware if they are getting breakfast and/or lunch at school, or if they are bringing lunch from home.
Students should come to school with a snack and water bottle.
Franklin Public Schools has partnered with the Franklin Food Pantry to provide food to students who might benefit from this support. Together, we will gather, package, and provide bags of food for students during the school year to take home over the weekend. Students who participate in this program are kept confidential to appropriate school personnel. Names are not shared with food pantry personnel. Packaged food is sent home on Fridays throughout the year. This is a free program for all participating families. The backpacks will contain a variety of child-friendly foods. Some examples are snacks, canned fruits, and macaroni and cheese. Backpacks will be distributed to students in a discreet and caring manner.
If you are interested in receiving the Backpack or have questions about the program, please call the Keller Health Office, at (508) 553 -0322, Ext. 3609 or 3421. You may also print and sign this letter and return it to the School Nurse.
January
16 - Early Release Day - Dismissal @ 11:45 AM
18 - PCC Meeting @ 7:30 PM (LINK)
23 - School Committee @ 7:00 PM
February
2 - Early Release Day - Dismissal @ 11:45 AM
15 - PCC Meeting @ 7:30 PM (LINK)
19 - 23 - No School - February Break
28 -- Early Release Day - Dismissal @ 11:45 AM
March
5 - Early Release Day - Conferences - Dismissal @ 11:45 AM
6 - Early Release Day - Conferences - Dismissal @ 11:45 AM
28 - Early Release Day - Dismissal @ 11:45 AM
29 - No School - Good Friday
You will find archived Keller Connections and related school information.
Contact Information
Ellen Trott, Assistant Principal - trotte@franklinps.net
Kathy Dacey, Secretary - daceyk@franklinps.net
Website: https://www.franklinps.net/helenkeller
Location: 500 Lincoln Street, Franklin, MA, USA
Phone: 508-553-0322