Cunniff Connections: Oct. 4, 2024

Dear Cunniff Families,

What an awesome week! It was so wonderful to see so many of you (and our students) on Tuesday evening. We hope that you all enjoyed visiting the school and seeing how our students spend their day.

Today, the Watertown Fire Department held grade-level assemblies to teach our students about fire safety. Our students did a great job listening, and we are so grateful to the WFD for coming out and helping us learn!

We have Morning Meetings with Grownups starting up next week, and conferences towards the end of the month. Please read through for details on these events, as well as lots of other fun happenings and opportunities to connect and get involved!

As always, please send questions our way.

Julia & Susan

The Cunniff School reading teachers are excited to share our first ever monthly reading challenge! Our goal is to encourage students and families to read at home as much as possible in whatever ways work for you.

Students will receive a reading Bingo board with different ways to engage in reading, whether that means with an adult, another child, or independently. Students should try their best to complete as much as possible and return the Bingo boards to their teachers by November 1st. If we receive 80% of students’ boards, there will be a school-wide celebration! Happy reading!

We started a new tradition today with Cool Cougar Fridays! Students and staff showed their Cunniff pride by wearing green and white and lots of Cunniff (and cougar!) gear! It was so fun to see everyone showing up for the Cunniff!

Next Friday, October 11: Dancing Shoes!! Wear your favorite pair of shoes and get ready to dance! We will have a surprise whole school dance…be prepared! It could happen at any moment!

Over two weeks in October, we are excited to welcome families to join us in classrooms for Morning Meeting. Morning Meeting (MM) is a daily occurance in our classrooms designed to build community, belonging, identity and connectedness. MMs are brief, usually lasting about 15 minutes. You are invited to join your child's classroom to fully participate in MM, and then join Assistant Principal Carle and Principal MacEwan for a brief meet-and-greet in the Learning Commons. Classroom teachers will also include information about this in their monthly newsletter. Please see below for the date your child's grade will be holding their Morning Meeting with Grownups!

Kindergarten (Andreola and Dioli) and Pre-K: Friday, October 11

Kindergarten (Campbell): Monday, October 21

1st Grade: Wednesday, October 16

2nd Grade: Wednesday, October 9

3rd Grade: Thursday, October 10

4th Grade: Tuesday, October 15

5th Grade: Tuesday, October 8

Families will gather in the Main Lobby at 8:15a, and will then be escorted to classrooms.

We look forward to having you with us!

• Tuesday, October 8 - Cunniff PTO Meeting (@ Cunniff AND via Zoom)
  
• Thursday, October 10 - Cunniff DBC Meeting (via Zoom)
  
• Monday, October 14 - No School Indigenous Peoples/Columbus Day
• Friday, October 18 - School Picture Day
• Tuesday, October 22 - Early Dismissal at 12:15; Caregiver Conferences
• Thursday, October 24 - Evening Caregiver Conferences
  
• Saturday, October 26 - TRUNK OR TREAT! Cunniff Parking Lot, 3 - 4:30p
• Tuesday, October 29 - Evening Caregiver Conferences
• Friday, November 1 - Early Dismissal at 12:15; Caregiver Conferences
• Tuesday, November 5 - No school for students; professional development day

Hello Families,

The PTO is still looking for classroom reps for Ms. Campbell (K), Mrs. Lacy (2) , Ms. Hallisey (3), Ms. Coveno (5) and Ms. Pulizzi (5). The main responsibilities of a classroom rep include sharing PTO messages and reminders (usually 1-2 per month) with your class roster. The PTO will always provide a message template for you to use. The classroom rep is also responsible for collecting (optional) contributions for a class gift for your teacher around the winter holidays and at the end of the school year. If you are interested in becoming a classroom rep please email the PTO at cunniffpto@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Our next PTO will be held Tuesday, October 8th at 7pm in person at the Cunniff and over Zoom. We hope to see you there!

Thank you!
Cunniff PTO

Please do not park or idle in the staff parking lot during arrival or dismissal.

This is a safety concern - students should not be walking into or through the parking lot at any time. Thank you.

The Watertown Free Public Library Bookmobile is will be back at Cunniff on Friday, October 4!

Visit the bookmobile during school dismissal and pick up some great reads for the whole family.

Dates: 10/4, 10/18 & 11/15

Time: 2:30 pm to 4:30pm
Location: On Warren St. outside of Cunniff

Announcing Watertown's Got Talent, a partnership between Arsenal Yards and the Watertown Community Foundation, is BACK for a third year! Please save-the-date for a fun-filled evening of talent, entertainment & more.

Open to all ages, and Talents must be family-friendly.

When: Thursday, October 10th

Time: 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Where: The River Green at Arsenal Yards

Applications are due no later than Friday, September 27th.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Watertown Community Foundation.

For more information and to sign up, visit https://www.arsenalyards.com/events/29144/watertowns-got-talent-2024/

The Department of Children and Families is seeking to keep Watertown children in their

schools and communities. In order to accomplish this, DCF is looking for Watertown parents

who would consider opening their homes and hearts to a student in need of short-term

care.

Please complete this brief survey if you are interested in opening your home and your

heart to a student in need.