Winthrop Weekly

Dear Winthrop Families,

Curriculum Nights- 9/17 and 9/19

We are looking forward to inviting all families back to school during curriculum nights. Our curriculum nights will consist of 3 opportunities to connect:

• General Session – Meet with the administration to review school goals, initiatives, and procedures. You'll also hear from the counseling staff, school nurse, after-school program, and World Language teacher.
  

• Classroom Sessions- Meet with your child's teacher(s) in their classrooms as an introduction to your child's new grade level. An overview of the curriculum, grade-level objectives, and classroom expectations will be shared.

• Specialist Sessions – Visit the gymnasium to meet your child's specialist teachers and learn about art, library, music, and physical education programs. Special education staff, as well as reading and math specialists, will also be available to speak with during this time.
  

Curriculum nights follow a rotating schedule that provides families time to participate in all 3 sessions. Please see the schedules below.

Warm regards,

Amy B. Sullivan

Wednesday, September 11th: FRIES meeting, 6:30 PM, Winthrop Cafeteria

Thursday, September 12th: Early Release, PK dismissed @ 1:30 PM, K-5 dismissed @ 1:50 PM

Tuesday, September 17th: Grades 3-5 Parent Curriculum Night @ 6 PM

Wednesday, September 18th: School Picture Day

Thursday, September 19th: Early Release, PK disimissed @ 1:30 PM, K-5 dismissed @ 1:50 PM

Thursday, September 19th: PK-Grade 2 Parent Curriculum Night @ 6 PM

Thursday, September 26th: Early Release, PK disimissed @ 1:30 PM, K-5 dismissed @ 1:50 PM

Are you interstested in serving as a parent represetntative on the Winthrop School Council?

What is a School Council?

A school council is a representative, school-building-based committee comprised of the principal, parents, teachers, and community members that work together to establish goals, shape the policies and programs of the school, and improve student achievement. The school council assists the principal in:

1. Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards

2. Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school

3. Reviewing the annual school building budget

4. Formulating a school improvement plan

School councils also serve as a voice and sounding board for the school community. Each member of the council is available to hear concerns and suggestions from parents, teachers, students, and the community at large.

The Winthrop School Advisory Council consists of parent representatives, teacher representatives, administrative representatives, and one community representative. The mission of the School Advisory Council is to develop the school improvement plan through monthly meetings with input from all different representatives involved in the school: parents, teachers, administration, and community members.

The Winthrop School Council typically meets once per month on a Tuesday at 7:00 PM alternating in-person and via zoom. Our first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1st at 7:00 PM in the Winthrop Cafeteria. All school council meetings are open to the public and all parents are welcome to attend. Here is a list of the dates for the year:

• 10/1
• 11/5
• 12/2
• 1/7
• 2/4
• 3/4
• 4/1
• 5/1
• 6/3

If you are interested in joining the school council, please fill out this Google Form.

Should there be a larger interest than spaces avaialble, elections will be held during Curriculum Nights and the information provided in the Google Form will be made public.

Geskus Studios will be at Winthrop on Wednesday, September 18th for school pictures. Hard copies of order forms were sent home is student folders today.

You can preview packages at geskusprints.com. Enter the code X6R57BWU. Hard copies of order forms will be sent home next Wednesday. If you feel your family would qualify for a financial voucher, please confidentially reach out to Principal Sullivan at asullivan@ipsk12.net.

Winthrop Directory: Have you provided your info for the Winthrop directory yet? Our directory is a great resource for families looking to get in touch with one another for playdates, birthday parties and more. Please note - if your contact info is the same as last year, you are all set! Here is a link to the Google form where you can add your information.

FRIES Mums Sale: Our annual Mums Sale raises funds to support Winthrop FRIES, in partnership with Country Gardens. Pre-pay for your mums by September 17 and pick them up on the 21st. Find out more and help support Winthrop FRIES here.

Winthrop FRIES - First Meeting of the Year! Join us tonight for our first Winthrop FRIES meeting of the year. We will be in the Winthrop Cafeteria at 6:30pm - come share your ideas, meet new parents and help us plan our year.

The Winthrop Green Team is excited to hit the ground running this school year!

Who are we? All students (pre-K - 5), parents, friends, family, and fans of Winthrop School who help make our community cleaner and greener. While the Student Leadership Council (SLC) Green Team includes a group of student leaders who work hard on initiatives during the school day, the Winthrop Green Team provides an opportunity for all Winthrop families to get involved with events and initiatives in our community, often after school hours.

What do we do? Host annual events, seasonal programming, and year-long initiatives to help our community make sustainable choices that support our environment.

What are some examples of Winthrop Green Team events and initiatives?
Harvest of the Month - bringing local produce to our school cafeteria
Green Team ACE programs (4 weeks in fall and 4 weeks in spring)
Holiday Toy and Clothing Swap (late fall/winter)
Gardening Clubs
Earth Day - Community Clean-up (spring)
Waste Reduction Awareness/Composting
Eco-bin for recycled clothing
Ipswich No Idling Campaign

What are some initiatives we are working on right now?

Black Earth Composting

The Winthrop and Doyon Green Teams have worked with town officials and the food services director over the past few months to switch Ipswich Public Schools composting contract to Black Earth, a company that will collect food waste from our schools' cafeterias and transform the resource into a high-quality compost that will help rejuvenate our local soil. Green Team volunteers will be educating students over the next couple of weeks on how to avoid contamination of our new compost bins.

Harvest of the Month - Friday, September 20

Harvest of the Month is back thanks to Winthrop Green Team's collaboration with the food services director and the Doyon Green Team. The first HOTM is coming up on Friday, September 20. The recipe is going to be a tangy-crunchy Pico De Gallo with farm-fresh local tomatoes and cilantro! (PICO DE GALLO). Students will have an opportunity to try this delicious treat during their lunch periods!

How can my family get involved?

Email Molly Dugdale at mduffy345@gmail.com to join our mailing list and learn more about upcoming events!

Children in grades 1-5 who genuinely enjoy reading are invited to register for Ipswich Public Library

Children’s Room after-school monthly book clubs that run from October through May.

• Radical Readers is for children in grades four and five, and meets once a month on a Monday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Children read an assigned chapter book in advance of the meeting and then come together to discuss it, have a snack provided by that month’s host, and socialize. The host also reads aloud the questions and calls on their peers to answer.
• Book Buddies is for third graders, and meets once a month on a Thursday from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. Children read a fun age-appropriate chapter book in advance of the meeting and then join with their peers to discuss it, have a snack provided by that month’s host, and socialize.
• Second Grade Junior Great Books is a program designed specifically for second graders using the Great Books curriculum of outstanding stories. Children read a story prior to the group meeting (alone or with a caregiver) and come to the library once a month on a Wednesday from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. to discuss it. A snack is provided by the library.
• First Grade Junior Great Books, which meets one Wednesday a month from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m., is a similar program using excellent picture books, which we read together, and also involves a simple craft. Children do not need to know how to read to participate in this program (but they should enjoy stories!). A snack is provided by the library.

Register for any of these programs at www.ipswichlibrary.org/events by going to the month of October and clicking on the appropriate link. Please note that some programs may have more than one session, depending on enrollment.

Email: winthrop@ipsk12.net
Website: https://www.ipsk12.net/Domain/185
Location: 65 Central Street, Ipswich, MA, USA
Phone: 9783562976