Colonial Park Weekly News
September 16 - 20
Principal's Note
Dear Colonial Park Families -
I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and taking advantage of the beautiful weather. I am definitely looking forward to the cooler fall temperatures, but it has been lovely!
I want to thank our PTO for sponsoring such a successful Back to School Picnic on Friday. So many Colonial Park families came and enjoyed the evening, and it was a really fun event.
We also launched ST Math on Friday and had a visit from Jiji the penguin, the official ST Math mascot. Our students were so excited to see Jiji at morning arrival, and she got plenty of hugs. Some students asked me about my Jiji t-shirt, so I promised I would share the link to the Jiji storefront. Here it is!
https://store.mindresearch.org/collections/jiji-store
Our next school-wide event is our Back to School Night, scheduled for Thursday, September 19, from 6:15 to 7:30. For families new to Colonial Park, Back to School Night begins with parents and guardians gathering in the gym for a welcome from me, Mrs. Hahesy and a representative from the PTO. School Resource Officer Emily DelloRusso will also be in attendance. You are then invited to your child's classroom, where you will meet the teacher and hear about your child's school day. Each session is 20 minutes, with 5 minutes in between for moving between classrooms. The evening concludes at 7:30 pm. Please reach out directly to your child's teacher if you are unable to attend, and he or she will send home any important information shared during the evening.
We are continuing to work on making arrival and dismissal safe for all our Colonial Park families. We do not allow motorized bikes during arrival and dismissal. We received several phone calls recently regarding motorized bikes on the property, and given the ages and mobility issues of our community, it is a safety concern. Thank you in advance for keeping our sidewalks safe.
Our first early release day is Friday, September 27. On early release days, our preschool students are dismissed at 11:40, and students in grades K-4 are dismissed at 12:00. I am attaching the 24-25 school calendar, and you will notice the early release days are all highlighted in yellow.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Best,
Rosa Flynn
Donations Appreciated!
Thank you to everyone who asked about donating items to our office, nurse, and support staff. Below please find a suggested donation list, and thank you in advance for your continued generosity and support!
Attention Third and Fourth Grade Girls!
We are so excited to offer Girls on the Run again this fall to girls in Grades 3 and 4. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based positive youth development program (PA-PYD) dedicated to empowering girls through engaging, dynamic lessons and physical activity. Girls on the Run inspires girls to build confidence, set goals and use their voice to become leaders.
This fall, the team will meet every Monday and Thursday, beginning September 23, from 2:45 to 4:15. Each day targets specific life skills (competence, confidence, connection, character and caring), and begins with a brief "Getting on Board" activity. The team then participates in warm-ups and physical fitness activities that connect to the life skills being addressed. The big culminating event is a celebratory, non-competitive 5K on Saturday, November 16. Over the course of the program, the girls set running goals which help prepare them for crossing the finish line.
Attached to this newsletter, please find a flyer with details regarding the program fee and the registration process. Confidential financial assistance is available via the online application if requested.
A Note from Nurse Lapery
If your child has the need for an inhaler, epipen or any other medication at school, please make sure you send in an updated action plan from the doctor and a new supply of medication to be kept at the nurse’s office. These both are required to be renewed at the start of each new school year.
All grade 4 and Kindergarten students require a 2024 physical with updated immunizations. Please submit as soon as possible.
Please note the following guidelines as to when to keep your child home due to illness.
When to call your child out sick:
A child with a temperature of 100 degrees or greater needs to stay home from school until they are fever free without medication for 24 hours.
A child with vomiting or diarrhea needs to stay home from school until they are symptom free and able to keep down food and fluids for at least 24 hours.
If your child develops a rash, please have your child seen by a pediatrician before sending them to school. Your child may return to school with a note stating that the rash is not contagious.
If your child is diagnosed with a communicable disease such as: covid, flu, strep throat, conjunctivitis, impetigo, chicken pox, or pertussis, please notify me.
If your child is seen in the ER, is diagnosed with a concussion, or has a hospital admission, please get a note from the doctor to let me know if there are any activity limitations or restrictions.
If you have any questions, please email me at klapery@stonehamschools.org or call me at 781-279-3865.
Katie Lapery RN
PTO News
*PTO Meeting – Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first meeting on 9/10, it was a wonderful crowd and great to see familiar faces and some new faces as well! Our next meeting will be October 8th at 7pm at Evviva Trattoria! Join us for appetizers, social time, and to learn more about what the PTO is up to. All are welcome and we would love to see some new faces (and who doesn’t love free food?!)
*Halloween Committee – Volunteers Needed! Do you love Spooky Season?! We are beginning to plan our school-wide Halloween celebrations! This usually includes a Trunk or Treat event outside school time and a Pumpkin Patch for all students during school time. Our first meeting will be held Wednesday, September 18th at 7pm via Google Meet. We have a great group of volunteers so whether you can commit your time or just want to learn more please join us! meet.google.com/rnd-eixa-zmp
*Room Parents Needed! --Room parents are caregivers who step up in each classroom to help support their teacher and class. Room Parents also serve as the liaison between PTO and their classroom, helping to spread information and increase engagement. We are looking for Room Parents for our RISE classes, both of our 3rd Grade Classes, as well as our 2nd grade classes! Please use this link if you are interested! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvvrk0ILtOyCX3AyRchqaUZd1UcH73j5Tyqse8CWx5ATFQkw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
*Mabel’s Labels - Support the PTO when shopping for labels! Go to www.campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for “Colonial Park PTO” and we will earn 20% of your total order. This can be combined with all coupon codes and deals on their site!
*Join Goldie's Group -- Throughout the year, PTO has a number of volunteer opportunities and we need the help of our community to get things done! As opportunities come up, we’ll send an email with what we need help with, you email us back if you can help. It’s as easy as that! Click here to sign up!