The Pulse of the Pride

Lyme School Friends,

We have had a great start to school after our break. Students have settled into their routines well and we have had a good week.

Please remember that tomorrow January 11th we will have strategic plan focus groups at 10AM at the school. These groups are designed to hear community input to inform the strategic planning committee's work in the development of the new strategic plan. We hope you can make it. Light refreshments will be served.

Please see this link to the superintendent search committee survey. If you have not had a chance to take the survey, please do so this weekend as the committee continues their work on finding the next Superintendent.

The ski program should be starting up next week. Stay tuned on that.

Typically, the school would be closed for the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday on January 20th. Please know that this year we will have school in order to finish the year earlier for work to begin on the asbestos abatement project in the lower school wing. If for some reason your child will be absent, please let the office know.

Have a fabulous weekend! The next newsletter will hit your inbox on January 24th.

As always, please reach out if I can be of assistance.

Regards,

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Dates:

We Will Have School - Monday, January 20, 2025

Peter and the Wolf 2nd Grade - Friday, January 31, 2025 @ 8:20AM

MS Activity Night - Friday, February 7, 2025 @ 7PM

Lyme School Spotlight - Monday, February 10, 2025 @ 1:30PM

February Fun Fest - Friday, February 13, 2025

The Lyme Middle School Yearbook Club wants your art on the cover of the new yearbook. Please submit a drawing in the provided space, which may be selected to go on the cover of the 2024-2025 yearbook. Please outline your drawing in a pen or black marker so it comes out nice and clear on the yearbook. Also, preferably add color to your drawings so they POP! After all submissions are collected by January 15, they will be reviewed by Yearbook Staff judges. While this challenge is optional, the winner whose art is chosen for the front cover, will receive a FREE YEARBOOK! So please, submit your artwork!

Please give submissions to Mrs. Waterman by January 15, 2025. Thanks!

See attachment!!!

There have been a number of recent models for parent/teacher conferences in the last few years. Most recently, we have settled on a day dedicated to conferences. Teachers then work with families if that day doesn't particularly work. Our middle school is currently doing team conferences where it is an opportunity for parents to meet with the entire team.

We always appreciate the opportunity to conference with you about your children no matter the model. Please remember that you are always welcome to reach out to teachers if you have questions or concerns.

We will be administering Track My Progress this month for students. Please know that Track My Progress is a progress monitoring tool that we use internally to check student academic growth in ELA and math. The assessments are short and measure your child's mastery of the Common Core State Standards at their grade level.

In the final weeks of 2024, students in grade K-5 selected their top book(s) to recommend as their favorites. This was a nice way to reflect on all the books we all read and enjoyed in 2024. Book recommendations are on display on the boards in the stairwell outside the commons.

The winner of the 2024 Ladybug Picture Book Award is…

To see Lyme School votes/results, click here.

For a full list of state-wide votes/results, click here.

You can browse the 2024 Ladybug Picture Book Award Nominees in the Lyme School Library Catalog List. CFL also has a list of Previous Ladybug Picture Book Award Winners.

Hello Lyme Families!

Happy New Year and welcome back!

Even though we're maybe hoping for some more snow… we'll pause to think about SUMMER, specifically, CAMPS!

Here are some UV Camps to check out for your students - broken down by activity. If there are any that you would refer to families that are not on this list, please let me know so I can include them.

Listen also offers a wonderful opportunity for kids ages 6-14 whose families might not be able to afford the cost of camp tuition. Check out Listen's Summer Camp Scholarship Website.

To qualify for scholarships:

• Your household income must be at or below the current guidelines for USDA program eligibility which are attached to this email "Referral Flyer".

• If you believe that your family qualifies for camp scholarships and would like to apply, please reach out to me via email or phone to get on the referral list.

• Let me know if your student(s) have any special needs, concerns, or interest in day camp or overnight camp, or specific camps in mind to note on the referral list - this will help them get priority

HERE is a list of camps around the Upper Valley that Listen provides scholarships for - also a great resource for anyone looking for camps this summer.

After you connect with me, you will contact Bise Wood at Listen and make an appointment to finalize the process (this will be over the phone).
Appointments can be scheduled starting Jan 13 - March 1st.

The number to call to schedule an appointment with Bise Wood:

603-448-4553

But what if my family doesn't qualify and we need funds for camps?
Pearl Dimick Foundation camp grants are available to families. Please be in touch with me if you would like to apply for these grants as well to help off-set the cost of summer camps for your family.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can help with.
As a former camp counselor and camper, I feel these are some of the best experiences we can offer to kids in addition to their traditional educational experiences!

We can think SUMMER, but let's enjoy some more SNOW 🙂
Mrs. Stanton

Today, the 5th grade students went on their 3rd visit to the Hood Museum of Art. They toured the exhibit Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art. Our museum educator, Katie, brought us through the Museum, asking the students to think and wonder about different works of art. The students split into small groups and looked carefully at "their" piece of Art and then presented their thoughts to the whole group. We then went to the art studio and created some printed papers to make into flower collages. The students have been very insightful and connected to this idea of flowers as having cultural stories and anchoring us to memories, places, times of the year, or rituals. What stories does your family have about flowers?

Introducing the Lyme School Spotlight. February 10, 2025 at 1:30PM is the 4th - 8th grade talent show. Permission Slip Link (a hard copy also went home with all 4-8th graders today).

We had a great first week back! January is 5th Grade Song Pick Month. 1st-5th graders will learn about musicians chosen by our fifth grade class.

Middle School Band had a great first rehearsal!

Students in grades 3-5 wasted no time getting back into the swing of PE after our school break. In addition to reinforcing their eye-hand coordination skills, they have been learning the skill of volleying. This skill prep work is to help prepare them for a net sports unit, where they will be utilizing their skill work in a lead up game to volleyball, called “ Newcomb”. This team oriented game is a modification to volleyball, where they can utilize the set to loft the ball over the net and keep the ball in play. Their hard work will certainly pay off as we move into this next sport activity, which is new and fun!

As we ring in the new year, I would like to introduce Ms. Emily Kofous to the Lyme School community. Emily is a senior at Plymouth State University and is part of the teacher certification program in the health and human performance department. She joins me as a student teacher, the final stage of the university’s teacher certification program. I will be serving as her mentor from now until mid May.

Emily’s responsibilities include conducting observations of my PE and health classes, creating lessons, team teaching with me, and eventually leading lessons in both discipline areas. She is very excited to be working with our students and is looking forward to being a member of our school family.

Fourth and fifth graders learned about Tió Nadal, a unique tradition from Cataluña, Spain, involving a pet log kept by many families during December. After reading about this tradition in Spanish, watching video clips, viewing pictures, and participating in class discussions (all in Spanish), each class created their own Tió Nadal. Ask your students what kind of surprise their logs gave them!

Additionally, before leaving for winter break, fifth graders learned about the New Year’s Eve tradition celebrated across the Hispanic world of eating 12 grapes at midnight. Each grape is eaten with each chime of the clock as it strikes twelve. Students engaged in readings and games in Spanish to learn more about this fascinating tradition.

Happy Friday, Families!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break!

Thank you to everyone who helped plan, organize, wrap gifts, and donate items for the Kids' Holiday Shop at Jingle & Mingle on December 22nd at the LCC. A special shoutout to Emily Battles for her fantastic planning and to all the Holiday Shop Elves who made it such a success. Thanks to your generosity, the PTO raised $300 to support our school!

Looking ahead, we’re excited to share an opportunity to come together for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Local organizations are hosting an MLK Day Volunteer Potluck Social on Monday, January 20th, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the Lyme Congregational Church. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated by Congress as a national day of service—a "day on, not a day off." This is a chance for all of us to answer the call to action. We invite you to end the day with this special potluck, where you can share your experiences of service and explore new ways to make a difference in our community. The PTO will be joining and we hope you can as well!

We also hope you’ll mark your calendars for our upcoming PTO meetings on Monday, February 10th, and Monday, May 12th, at 7:30 PM. These meetings are a wonderful chance to collaborate, brainstorm new ideas, and strengthen our school community together.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy start to 2025!

Happy New Year!

The Lyme School PTO

THE LYME SCHOOL PTO MISSION STATEMENT:

To support the school community through engaged involvement and raise funds for programs that enrich the student experience in a way that remains fun and sustainable for all involved

lymeschool.org/page/lyme-school-pto

Staffing:

The Nurse's office is staffed Monday-Friday by a Registered Nurse. Please email

nurse@lymeschool.org and/or call the Main Office 795-2125 if your child is absent from

school due to illness or injury.

Duties include Nursing care, Health Screening, Medication administration, First

Aid, Emergency care, Individualized Health Planning, Health Education, and

collaborative work with families, teachers, special education services, our

guidance counselor and behavioral coach.

Kati Miller RN BSN: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

Matthew Greenway RN BSN: Wednesday/as needed coverage

Celeste McCool RN BSN: Wednesday/as needed coverage

Medication Administration:

If your child requires emergency medications (epipen, inhaler, etc.) to be kept securely

in the Nurse's office, please contact nurse@lymeschool.org to set up a time to deliver

the medication along with an updated allergy or asthma action plan from your child's

Healthcare Provider.

Returning students need an updated allergy or asthma action plan at the start of each

school year.

For daily medication administration, please complete and return the forms below with

your child's Healthcare provider.

All medications need to be dropped off before the first day of school.

Authorization for RX Medication Administration

Medication or Procedure Order Form

COVID-19 Information:

Please review the provided link regarding COVID-19 recommendations from the Center

for Disease Control (CDC) if your child is experiencing respiratory illness symptoms or

has tested positive for COVID-19.

CDC Guidelines

The Lyme School Nurse's office is here to support you and your child and to promote

healthy outcomes for students and staff.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you or your student may have

regarding the upcoming school year.

We look forward to a new school year and appreciate your cooperation.

Kati Miller RN BSN

Lyme School

As of March, 1 2024 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance to provide "practical recommendations and information to help people lower risk from a range of common respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, flu and RSV."

We follow these guidelines. Please review the following links from the CDC for more information and reach out to me with any questions/concerns.

Thank you for your efforts in keeping our Lyme School students, staff, and families healthy.

Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick

Testing and Respiratory Viruses

Masks and Respiratory Viruses Prevention

The Lyme School Apparel Store has a variety of apparel and accessories all customizable with a variety of school logos. The Lyme School PTO earns 12% of all sales. Thank you for supporting our school and go Lions! #LYMESCHOOLROCKS

Hello Lymie's and Neighbors Beyond,

Do you have a child that is interested in trying ski jumping? The Ford Sayre Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined team is welcoming your child to their practices at Oak Hill to try out ski jumping FOR FREE.

We invite proficient downhill skiers to try jumping on Monday, January 13th or Monday, January 20th from 5:30 - 7pm at the ski jumps located at the Oak Hill Touring Center (Storrs Pond) in Hanover, NH. THIS IS FREE OF CHARGE! New jumpers begin on their alpine skis and ski down our smallest landing hill and progress at their own pace under the guidance of accomplished jumping coaches, including former international sensation and Olympian Joe Holland.

All that is required is that you RSVP via this Sign-Up Genius, fill out this waiver (we will have extras at the jumps), and bring your child with their alpine skis AND A HELMET (no helmet = no jumping!) to the practice session your chose.No need to bring ski poles.

Please respond to me with any questions (taradaktyl1@gmail.com). If these dates do not work for you, please let me know and we can work something out.

Best,

Tara McGovern

(ski jumping parent)

OUR VALUES

● Fairness ● Acceptance of Others ● Integrity ● Responsibility

● Perseverance ● Individuality ● Compassion ● Courage

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

Elise Foxall, Academic Director

Geoff Tomlinson, Student Services Director