Placentino School News & Updates

• Monday, March 31 - Eid al-Fitr - No School

• Tuesday, March 25 - Wednesday, April 2 at noon - Kindergarten Registration
• Wednesday, April 2 - Executive Functioning Skills Parent Workshop
• Wednesday, April 9 - Elementary PTO Meeting 7:00pm in the Miller/Placentino Cafetorium
• Wednesday, April 16 - UA Switch Day: Follow Friday UA Schedule
• Thursday, April 17 - Food Pantry Collection (Optional Participation)
• Friday, April 18 - No School in Observance of Good Friday
• Monday, April 21 - No School in Observance Patriot's Day
• Tuesday, April 22 - Friday, April 25 - No School, April Break

*Please note: all of these dates and more can be found on the Placentino Family Google Calendar.*

There will be no school tomorrow, Monday, March 31 in observance of Eid al-Fitr.

We have noticed an increase in the number of electronic devices, including smartwatches and cellphones, in the elementary setting. In particular, we have noticed an increased use of smartwatches in unexpected ways during school hours (i.e, texting, playing games, used as recording devices). Smartwatches should only be used as a watch when wearing them in school. Cell phones should be kept inside the students backpack and not used during school hours (including the bus). There should not be any texting, recording, or game playing during school hours. If a child needs to get in contact with a family member, they can come to the front office to make a phone call home. As per the school handbook, “No electronic devices are allowed at school during school hours or on the bus.” If your child’s smartwatch is interfering with the school day, a staff member will ask the student to remove the watch, turn it off, and place it in their backpack. If a student does not comply with these procedures the smartwatch will not be allowed at school.

Many smartwatches have a “Do Not Disturb” or “Schooltime" setting which prevents notifications from going off when in school.

To be eligible for kindergarten in the fall children must be 5 years old by September 1, 2025.

Registration Process and Timeline

• March 25 - April 2 - Online kindergarten registration for Holliston residents only. The registration link and a recording of the March 24th Kindergarten Information Session is posted on our website.

• April 2nd by noon - An online registration form and all required documents must be submitted to be considered a complete registration and for any potential Montessori or French Immersion lottery.

Parents can create an account on MySchoolBucks to view their child's breakfast and lunch transactions for up to 90 days. Please note that the system will display transactions as "breakfast" or "lunch" without detailing specific items selected.

Starting next month, Food Services will also begin providing breakfast menus for families.

Parents are encouraged to join our parent/community presentation on Wednesday, April 2nd from 6:30-8:30pm to learn how to improve executive functioning skills without the frustration. Executive functioning skills are crucial for acquiring academic skills. More importantly, they are essential skills that students need to accomplish tasks. Brain-based skills, such as task initiation, sustained attention, working memory, planning, organization, and goal-directed persistence, are vital for school success. While some students develop these skills naturally, many struggle with them. Dr. Peg Dawson, co-author of the books Smart but Scattered and Smart but Scattered Teens, will explain how these skills develop during childhood and suggest strategies parents can use to help their children acquire the necessary skills for success in school.

Next week, your child's custom catalog for the Square 1 Art fundraiser - featuring their own name and art on the cover, with FREE stickers of their art will be in their backpacks.

Get a head start and begin ordering keepsakes and gifts featuring your child's art online NOW, if you like! Simply search for your child's art using Art Search, and enter state, school name, and your student's name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order! NEW - *Ship to Home FREE. (*Customer pays a small processing fee at checkout and order ships to home.)

Order by: 4/9/2025

Upload additional art if you like, using Art Upload!

If you have questions, or need anything at all, contact customer care online.

Term 2 ROSPs (Report On Student Progress) and Progress Reports (Special Education and Multilingual Learners/MLL) are available to parents/guardians as of Thursday, March 20th through the Parent Portal.

Helpful How To Links:

• How to set up your parent portal.
• How to view Progress Reports and ROSPs.

During the month of March teachers and students in preschool and kindergarten will engage in a read aloud of That’s Not My Name by Anoosha Syed. Mirha is so excited for her first day of school! She can't wait to learn, play, and make new friends. But when her classmates mispronounce her name, she goes home wondering if she should find a new one. Maybe then she'd be able to find a monogrammed keychain at the gas station or order a hot chocolate at the cafe more easily.

Conversation Starters:

• How would you feel if people mispronounced your name?
• How did Mirha feel when people mispronounced her name?
• Why is it important to pronounce people’s names correctly?
• What do you like about your name?

During the month of March teachers and students in first and second grade will engage in a read aloud of JStrictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev. Today is Pet Club day. There will be cats and dogs and fish, but strictly no elephants are allowed. The Pet Club doesn't understand that pets come in all shapes and sizes, just like friends. Now it is time for a boy and his tiny pet elephant to show them what it means to be a friend.

Conversation Starters:

• Why were the boy and his tiny elephant excluded from the Pet Club? Do you think they should have been invited into the club? Why or why not?
• When excluded from the Pet Club, how does the boy react? What actions does he take to change how he is feeling? Have you ever been excluded from a group? What actions did you take?
• When the boy and his new friends start their own Pet Club, how is it different from the Pet Club he was excluded from?
• The sign on the new Pet Club reads, “All Are Welcome.” How do you think this message makes the other children feel?
• How can accepting others, that are different from you benefit you?

Please click the link below if you need to request an additional copy of your QR code. Your child's QR code is needed for dismissal in the car pick up and walker pick-up lines.

To translate or print the April breakfast menu, please click the image below.

To translate or print the April lunch menu, please click the image below.