Duval Dispatch

Hello Duval Community!

Friday was 😀 World Smiley Face Day 😀! Students came to school in their smiley face gear and with big smiles! We also handed out smiley face stickers. During lunch, we hosted fun trivia to celebrate. Did you know the black on yellow smiley face was designed in 1963??

Prior to that fun event on Friday, we sent home an email to families letting them know of a "false threat" on Thursday afternoon. Some folks have asked us to clarify a few things to ease some concerns. 1) The idea of a threat was made up by a student. There was NEVER a threat made by anyone. It was a made-up story. 2) Administrators reacted to the report immediately and were able to determine it was a made-up story within a couple of minutes. 3) Following our protocols, we communicated with the SRO and Superintendent quickly, and then set the record straight and eased concerns with affected students and staff right away, and then followed up with the general community. 4) Follow up with the students occurred and is ongoing. 5) Any actual threats or urgent concerns will always be communicated to families as quickly as possible. As always, safety is and remains our number one priority!

A reminder that this Friday, October 11, is an Early Release Day. We will begin dismissal at 12:10pm. If you need to change the dismissal plan for your student, please inform the teacher with a handwritten note in your student's folder on Friday morning. Please don't rely on a phone call or email during the day being enough to let us know.

Bruins Opening Day celebration on Thursday!

Have a great week everyone!

Dr. Marcus and Ms. Craig

Our teachers have many ways to check your child’s reading and mathematics development and growth, including our District’s reading and mathematics screening tools. Please note, we are required by law to screen students in grades K-3. Our district screens students K-8, using the following tools:

• DIBELS 8th Edition for elementary students.

• i-Ready Diagnostic in reading and mathematics for K-8 students.

Both of these assessments are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Your child will be screened three times during the school year. Your child’s results from the first screening can be accessed following these instructions: i-Ready Diagnostic Letter to Families 24-25.pdf. All students receive a 35 minute "What I need Block" (WIN) four times each week to develop their strengths and work on areas of need identified by these screeners. In addition, all students have their i-Ready Path which uses the results from i-Ready Diagnostic to create a personalized path of online lessons at their independence and instructional level in areas where they need the most support.

CORRECTION: The i-Ready Diagnostic information will be available by 10/21. My apologies, Dr. M.

We still need a Lunch Aide for the next two weeks. Hours are 10:45-1:45 each day, helping run a comfortable, safe cafe experience for our kids. This is a PAID position. If you are able or interested, please call or email Dr. Marcus ASAP!

Speaking of lunch and recess, we are also looking for volunteers to come to recesses and help coach the more active games, or even teach good old playground games. Folks are welcome to come to as few or as many recesses as possible, with a brief training from Dr. M ahead of time. This is a great volunteer opportunity for folks who'd like to help make recess an even more fun and enjoyable experience for all! Email Dr. M if you're interested.

Rainy Day. It looks like we could have another rainy day dismissal this week. We thank you for your patience! Remember, No passing anywhere on campus driveways.

Please do not arrive for Parent Pick Up before 3pm. Thank you!

Buses. Please be outside or clearly visible to the bus driver at least 5 minutes before expected pick up or drop off time. We continue to have children returned to school daily because there is no one outside to pick them up. We've only had a couple days total where a child hasn't been returned to school.

October News from Nurse Melissa. Check it out HERE.

Oct. 8- PTO Meeting and Papa Gino's Night

Oct. 10- Wear Black and Gold to celebrate Bruins first home game!

Oct. 11- Early Release Day

Oct. 14- No School

Oct. 15- School Council Meeting 3:45pm

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Calendar Items for the Year. We'll have a link HERE permanently and update it frequently.

Happy October Duval,

The Monster Mash is just over two weeks away on Friday, October 25th and families have done a great job of returning their ticket forms. As a reminder, the forms and payment are due back by this Friday, October 11th.

** We are desperately in need of volunteers to run a smooth event. As of now only 13 of the 56 slots have been filled.** We are only asking for a half-hour of your time so you are free to enjoy the rest of the night with your families. If we do not have enough volunteers to run a station, it will need to be closed early. Please see the Sign-Ups here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090849A8AC2EA5FA7-45106037-monster#/

Your teachers should be sharing your classroom themes for the November Basket Raffle soon, if they haven't already. We will be asking for small donations to fill the baskets. Please see the flyer below for more information.

• Families can log into Infinite Campus for classroom information. Need an Infinite Campus Parent Portal Account? Please contact the Technology Department at 781-618-8100

• YMCA Before/After School Care Information

• The WHRSD and Duval School PTO Facebook pages are excellent social media resources for staying connected and informed.

• WHRSD Academic Calendar includes holidays, vacations, and early release date.

John H. Duval Elementary provides a safe, supportive environment where children are able to reach for the stars!

Email: john.marcus@whrsd.org
Website: https://whd.whrsd.org
Location: 60 Regal Street, Whitman, MA 02382
Phone: 781-618-7055
Twitter: @DuvalElementary