The Roderick Review

As we embark on a new academic year, I want to extend a warm welcome back to all our Roderick School students and families, both returning and new. I hope you had a restful and enjoyable summer, filled with memories and time spent together.

We are excited to see the hallways buzzing with energy and enthusiasm once again. Our dedicated Roderick School staff has been working tirelessly to prepare for a year filled with learning, growth, and success. This year, we are committed to not only academic excellence but also to fostering a positive and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and supported.

We understand that the start of a new school year can bring a mix of excitement and nerves, and we are here to support you every step of the way. Our goal is to work together as a community to ensure that each child has the opportunity to thrive.

Please stay connected with us through our monthy Roderick School newsletters, WPS website, and WPS social media channels for updates and important information. We look forward to partnering with you to make the 2024-2025 school year a wonderful experience for all.

Thank you for your continued support, and let’s make this school year the best one yet!

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Martes

Principal

On Tuesday, August 27, Roderick Elementary students and their families are welcome to visit their new classroom between 12:30-1:15. Students can say hello to their teachers and classmates and drop off school supplies.

Our Wrentham Elementary PTO will have an ice cream truck from 12:00-2:00 on the grassy area behind the Delaney School (off the bus circle) during the Meet and Greet.

Please adhere to parking in the bulleted areas listed below that have been designated for this event:

• Delaney School Parking Lot

• Taunton Street (parking only on the school side of the street)

• St. Mary’s church parking lot

• Parking lots behind and adjacent to Sweatt Field

• While the bus circle will be blocked off, there will be some parking available on the road that leads to the Roderick School

• Please consider carpooling to reduce the number of cars.

Thank you for your support and cooperation to help make this a successful day.

We are delighted to welcome some new faces to our team this year and congratulate existing staff on their changes of position. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Roderick School staff members in new roles this school year!

Paige Coffey- Literacy Specialist

Jamie Amidon- Special Education Teacher

Jessica Huot- Grade 4 Teacher

Sarah Sachdev- Grade 5 Teacher

Kylie Merriott- Grade 6 Teacher

Mathew McDonough- Special Education Teacher

Laurie Ellis- Math Specialist

Judy Stanford- Art Teacher

Juliana Hermanegildo- ESL Teacher

Shealyn Clifford- Long Term Substitute (Grade 4)

Deb Malloy- Paraprofessional

Britni Thibodeau- Paraprofessional

Wednesday, September 18th

Grade 6: 5:30-6:30

Grade 5: 6:00-7:00

Grade 4: 6:30-7:30

* Parents/Guardians will meet in the cafeteria for the beginning of each grade’s time slot. The remaining time will be spent in the classrooms. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher or building principal with any questions.

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school! For those of you who are unfamiliar with us, we are a volunteer

group made up of parents, teachers, administrators, and staff who are all dedicated to the

successful education of our students. The PTO works hard to help make the school year

both enjoyable and exciting for students, teachers, and parents alike! The purpose of our

organization is to aid the students and staff by providing support for educational and

recreational needs, as well as school spirit and pride. The PTO uses its resources by

fundraising for our schools and students.

We look forward to meeting with other parents, families and beyond that would like to get

involved with our PTO this school year. Everything we do is based on volunteers. Please

consider joining us at a PTO meeting to discuss events, help plan a fundraiser to enhance

our school, or to share any ideas! Attending a meeting does not mean you have to

volunteer.

You can volunteer as much or as little as you are able. There are so many ways to help

and many can be done right from home. No need to be at every event or meeting to be

involved! And we do not collect yearly dues. We want to build a sense of community with

each other and have an avenue to connect with each other.

Throughout the year the PTO sponsors a variety of fun events and fundraisers. Some of

these include the Fall Fun Run, Trunk-O-Treat, Spring Scholastic Book Fair, Teacher/Staff

Appreciation Week, Special someone events, and much more. All money made at PTO

events and fundraisers goes back into the PTO fund to allow for more events and school

support.

We provide a lot of assistance to the school throughout the year, including:

● New teacher set up of $100 per teacher

● Purchase agendas for all Roderick grades

● Purchase lanyards for incoming preschool and Kindergarten students

● Purchase Wrentham Wildcat folders for all students

● Purchased Wrentham Cinch bags and school supplies for Kindergarten students

● Teacher appreciation events that happen throughout the year

● Playground equipment...and a $30k donation to the new Delaney playground!

● Donations for snacks, waters and clothing for school nurses

● Ice cream truck for 6th grade graduation

● All buses for field trips!

● And MORE!

2024- 2025 PTO Meeting dates:

We will have our first PTO meeting of the year on Monday, September 9th at 7pm

in the Roderick Cafeteria. We are holding this as a social event where you can meet

other parents, hear what we have planned for the upcoming year, and sign up for events

you may like to volunteer at. We will have refreshments and a relaxed atmosphere.

Our other dates for the year are as follows. All meetings will start at 7pm. Location for all

meetings (besides the first meeting) will be at the Roderick Library.

October 7th, December 9th, February 3rd, March 3rd, May 5th, & June TBA.

We have some exciting events planned for the year! *

*Some dates and times are TBA and subject to change

There will be additional restaurant fundraisers held each month as well!

August:

● Meet and Greet and Ice Cream truck; 8/27 from 12pm-2pm

September:

● Teachers welcome back to school! Breakfast catered by Tasty’s

● Curriculum nights - Wrentham Spirit Wear will be on sale!

○ Roderick - 9/18

○ Delaney - 9/19

October:

● Fun Run - our biggest fundraiser of the year!

○ Kick off - 10/16, Main event - 10/25

● Trunk or treat (prek-3) - 10/18

November:

● Hoedown dance (Roderick students drop off event) - 11/8

● Wrentham sign fundraiser

December:

● Staff holiday thank you celebration

● Parent social event

January:

● Chuck E Cheese social event and fundraiser

● Box Tops contest

● PBruins

February:

● Grades 2 & 3 Family Social Event - 2/7

● Cupcake Charlie’s fundraiser

● Altitude event

● Book fair

March:

● Red sox fundraiser

● Book Fair - during reading week

● Someone Special event (bowling) Grades 4-6

April:

● 4-6 Someone Special dance

May:

● Principals day

● Staff appreciation Week

● Grades K & 1 Family Social Event

June:

● Pre-K Family Social event

● End of year teacher appreciation

● 6th grade graduation celebration

● End of year parent social event

Ongoing monthly fundraisers:

Bay State Textiles: We have partnered with Bay State Textiles for an

ongoing textile recycling fundraiser. There is a large, white recycling

bin in the parking lot by the Janelli Annex. We generate a rebate of

$100 per ton of textiles collected. An easy way to help! Clothing,

shoes, linens, stuffed animals as well as many more items can be

recycled in the bin. Visit www.baystatetextiles.com to see a detailed

list of what can be recycled.

Box Tops: Help us earn money for our schools each month by

downloading the Box Tops app, select Wrentham Public Schools as your

school and scan your digital or paper receipts after shopping. It’s that

easy! Please see the link below for more on this and to scan the QR code

and download the app to start using today!

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ats78z1R96V1gV5r43IjAmhVCVML

We have teamed up with Minted to offer an exclusive deal! With the below

code, you will receive 20% off Minted orders....and Minted will in turn

donated 15% back to the Wrentham PTO! Its a win-win. Use our code:

FUNDRAISEWRENTHAM.

Please feel free to contact us with any interest in helping or questions you may have.

Thank you in advance for helping us make the 2024-2025 a great school year!

● Email: wrenthampto@gmail.com

● Facebook: @WrenthamPTO

Arrival Information

• The arrival time for students in grade 4 through grade 6 is from 8:10-8:20. Families may drop-off students at Roderick any time in that window.

• Roderick students will be dropped off at the Randall Road entrance to Roderick School, across from the Fiske Library. Please drop off your child only at the designated "Drop Off" area across from the Fiske Library.

• If you are dropping off your child as tardy, please park at the bus circle and walk your child into the building to sign your child in at the Roderick School Main Office. This procedure is new since the pandemic as we would encourage families to walk their child into the Main Office for the 2024-2025 school year.

Special Subjects

• Students will continue to have Art, Health, Library, Music, PE, and Technology for a 45-50 minute long block each week.
• Instrumental Music will be provided in the Roderick Band Room.

Early Dismissal Information

• Students may be dismissed from school for appointments and return to school after their appointment. It's important to write a note to the classroom teacher on the morning of the dismissal. Please also notify the school of the dismissal time and reason for the appointment by emailing the school at roderickdismissal@wrenthamschools.org. You may also complete the form on the website or complete the form on the WPS App. Please call the school office at 508-384-5430 when you arrive.
  
• No dismissals after 2:00 unless there is a family emergency.

Student Pick-Up Information

Families who pick-up students from school will have a school-issued placard in the vehicle windshield with the child’s name. Families will not leave their vehicles to meet their students.

• The dismissal time is 2:45

• Families who pick-up students from school will have a school issued placard to display in the vehicle windshield with their child’s name.

• Roderick families should line up in the designated "Pick Up" area on Randall Road and should not leave their vehicles to meet their students. Staff members will call for students to be dismissed as cars pull up in front of designated areas.

• Roderick students with siblings at Delaney will join the youngest sibling in their assigned locations so parents can pick up at one location.

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a fun and restful summer! I look forward to a new and exciting school year! Here are some updates from the nurse’s office:

Medications and Orders: All medications at school require a signed physician's order. Medications must be in the original container with a pharmacy label. Please visit the school website for the required paperwork. https://www.wrentham.k12.ma.us/Families/Nurse--Wellness-Info/index.html

Medication drop off will be during the meet and greet on Tuesday, August 27th. Please reach out to me if you cannot make this time.

Snacks and Water: Please send in a refillable water bottle along with a snack daily with your student.

Physicals and Immunizations: Updated physicals and immunizations can be emailed or sent in with your student. If your student has an immunization exemption due to religious or medical reasons, please send in a signed and dated letter.

Screenings: Screenings will begin at the beginning of October and run through November. Please keep an eye out for emails regarding when your student’s class will have screenings take place.

We are excited to remind you that our annual trip to Camp Bournedale is fast approaching! This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage in hands-on learning, explore the outdoors, and build strong bonds with their classmates.

Here are the key details:

• Dates: Tuesday, October 15th – Friday, October 18th

• Cost: $425 per student

• Paperwork: All necessary forms and information will be sent home with students on Monday, September 3rd. Please review and complete these forms promptly.

Important Reminders:

• Medications: Any student who requires medication during the trip will need a doctor’s order. Additionally, an updated physical form must be submitted.

• Chaperones: If you are considering chaperoning this event, please ensure you have an updated CORI check and fingerprinting completed.

We understand the significance of this trip and we are committed to making it a safe and enriching experience for all Grade 6 students. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Camp Bournedale Coordinators: Mrs. Diana Cederbaum at cederbaumd@wrenthamschools.org or Mrs. Lorrie Marbenas at marbenasl@wrenthamschools.org.

Thank you to recent King Philip High School graduate, Nathan Johnson, who led a team of volunteers to create a garden at the Roderick Elementary School for his Eagle Scout project! The overgrown area was first cleared out and weeded and he then coordinated volunteers to plant perennial plants to make the garden self-sustaining for pollinators. Finally, mulch was added to help prevent weeds and to help retain moisture. Thank you to Nathan and all the volunteers who helped improve the outside appearance of the Roderick School! We all wish Nathan the best as he will be attending Johnson and Wales University in the fall!