CH School News & More - 11.5.24

Dear Claypit Hill Caregivers,

Today is an important day for our democracy. It is a day of heightened emotions and we imagine the days that follow will be, too. So much is at stake. Elections, particularly presidential elections, give us many authentic opportunities to teach students about the importance of civic engagement and the role it plays in our democracy. This is an excellent opportunity for families to discuss the election process, the significance of voting, the impact of government on our daily lives, and the importance of being an informed citizen who is able to engage in discourse when differences in opinion are present. As we move through the next couple of months, please know that you can count on your Claypit Hill Educators to:

• Present lessons that are developmentally appropriate
• Remain nonpartisan
• Remain neutral
• Present factual information
• Present diverse perspectives in a balanced way
• Avoid bias
• Use reliable sources

Our educators will use Wayland Public School Policy, our Claypit Hill Vision and Mission Statement, and our PAWS school values to guide our work.

We rely on our caregivers to teach many of the important lessons during the election season. In a developmentally appropriate way, please consider sharing how you decide who to vote for a particular candidate and how you decide to vote on the issues with your child. Help them to see that you consider your own values and each candidate's values when it comes to the issues you care most about. Help our students to understand how important it is for citizens to vote and how much you value your vote. Consider, if feasible, taking your child(ren) to the polls with you. Most importantly, be open to their questions and stay in the conversation as a family right through the inauguration. Should you be unhappy with the results of the election, please share the reasons why in a way that avoids rhetoric that may leave our young learners fearful. It will not serve them. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you think that we can partner with you by answering some questions at school.

Thank you for your continued partnership. We feel so fortunate to be doing this work alongside you!

Sincerely,

Marie, Kate, and Naomi

We continue to feel enormously proud to be leading Claypit Hill Elementary. In a previous newsletter we described the specialized programs unique to Claypit and how we love that our school is an inclusive environment where all students are celebrated and supported. In this newsletter we’ll highlight Wayland’s partnership with METCO and the gift that this program is to our school community. Boston resident students attend Wayland’s elementary schools, middle and high school. Currently, 21 of Claypit Hill’s 494 students live in Boston. Wayland has been in partnership with METCO since 1968. While our Boston families understand METCO, we want to ensure that Wayland families do too.

METCO, funded by Massachusetts state funds, aims to broaden educational opportunities, boost diversity, and reduce racial isolation by desegregating participating suburban communities with volunteer Boston resident families. Since its founding in 1966, METCO has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students in participating school districts and has provided the opportunity for students in those districts to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially and ethnically diverse setting.

At Claypit Hill, METCO students are directly supported by La Toya Rivers (METCO Director for Wayland), and DeVaughn Cooper (Claypit Hill’s METCO Academic Liaison). Boston and Wayland families both benefit when friendships, especially family friendships, are fostered. La Toya Rivers offers family engagement opportunities, such as last year’s successful bowling event in Boston and the Annual MLK Luncheon (See the save the date below). Feel free to reach out to DeVaughn Cooper (devaughn_cooper@waylandps.org) or your student’s classroom teacher if your child is friends with a Boston resident student and you and your family would like to be family friends and/or attend one of these great events! Similarly, reach out if your student who resides in Boston, has a Wayland resident friend, and you’d like to be connected with his or her family. Classroom teachers may also be phoning home to help connect families when they notice strong friendships emerge between students. We are happy to share that our Claypit PTO is working to partner with us to create additional access to events in Wayland for Boston families and additional opportunities for family friendships to be nurtured between Boston and Wayland families. Stay tuned!

Lastly, we encourage you to watch a brief 5-minute video produced by METCO, Inc., which we shared with staff. It provides valuable context and insight into METCO. Click the button below to view it.

METCO Director, La Toya Rivers invites you to attend the annual Wayland METCO Luncheon. The luncheon is held in Boston. Last year, many Claypit Hill community members were in attendance. It is a spectacular afternoon of celebration and community building. Everyone member of our Claypit Hill Community is welcome! Please consider attending.

Announcing our brand new Claypit Hill spiritwear, available for a limited time only!

Orders can be placed online only through this link between now and Friday, Nov 15, and will be delivered in 3-4 weeks, just in time for the holidays! No orders will be accepted after the deadline. Choose from a hooded sweatshirt, dri-fit style tee, and long and short sleeve tees in several color options, all with a new Claypit Hill logo! Youth and adult sizing available.

If cost presents a hardship for your family, we are happy to help. Please reach out to Marie Brigham (marie_brigham@waylandps.org). Any other questions, please reach out to Laura Mellen (mellen.laura@gmail.com) or Amanda Gale (acmgale@gmail.com).

GOT CANDY? DONATE IT!

Help Wayland Girl Scouts collect WRAPPED CANDY for our troops overseas.

Collection Dates: Now —November 8th

Dropoff Location: Outside the Office

The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provides districts with a testing window. We have scheduled our assessments late in the window to provide for as much time for teaching and learning as possible before the assessments. As a result, there is little time provided for make up tests. It is imperative that travel not be scheduled during the MCAS testing days. Please support our school by planning accordingly.

3rd Grade

ELA - March 25th and March 27th

Math - May 13th and May 15th

4th Grade

ELA - April 3rd and April 8th

Math - May 19th and May 21st

5th Grade

ELA - April 1st and April 4th

Math - May 14th and May 16th

STE - April 30th and May 2nd

Did you know that there is a Little Free Library at Claypit Hill dedicated to former teacher, Robbin Rossi? It’s located right at the front of the school at the edge of the garden fence. Feel free to take a book and leave a book, or more than one! If you have any donations that won’t fit in the library, please contact Ms. Moquin at jacqueline_moquin@waylandps.org to arrange a drop off.

Your contribution subsidizes field trips, provides cultural enrichment, art and playground equipment!

By donating to Gift Your Child, you provide your child(ren) a more enriching experience at Claypit Hill through in-school cultural enrichment and STEAM programming, subsidized field trip costs, our art room kiln, playground equipment and more.

Go here to donate: https://waylandpto.org/gift-your-child/

Thank you for your support!

Thank you to our cultural enrichment team (Larina Mehta, Jen Lux and Amanda Harpole) for bringing in the Amazing Nano Brothers, a Museum of Science program, for an engaging, fun and educational program last week!

• Monday, Nov. 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veteran's Day

• Tuesday, Nov 19 - 5th Grade Field Trip, Patriots Hall of Fame

• Wednesday, Nov. 13 - Super Wednesday Early Release, Dismissal at 11:30

• Thursday, Nov.21 - Grade 3 Field Trip - Plimoth Patuxet

• Wednesday, Nov. 27 - Super Wednesday Early Release, Dismissal at 11:30

• Thursday, Nov. 28 - Nov. 29 - Thanksgiving Recess

Moving forward this is where you will receive your all School News that was typically sent out on Wednesday's.

For this week's information about our School Committee, after school enrichments, community events, sports, fundraisers and more please click the orange box below to read this week's All Schools News.