Ben-Hem Bobcats

Next week is our first school vacation of the school year. I hope you all find time to celebrate with families and friends and enjoy the change of pace. We look forward to partnering together in the new year.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy winter break,

Karen

• WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY: Today we came together as a community to listen to our amazing 4th graders as they performed their 4th grade Winter Concert. We were able to celebrate the ways we Take Care of Each Other by sharing our total contributions for the Natick Service Council. We collected:
• Kindergarten: 42 boxes cereal
• First Grade: 40 bottles of shampoo
• Second Grade: 78 packages (258 bars) of soap
• Third Grade: 39 packages (155 rolls) of toilet paper
• Fourth Grade: 81 jars of peanut butter

• MORNING DROP OFF HELP: Our morning drop off line depends on the parents in our community. We are looking for the parents of Kindergarten and 1st graders to help our students out of the cars and to the right place. Live drop-off starts at 8:05 and volunteers are asked to be there from 8:00 to 8:20. Please Sign up here!

• DATES TO REMEMBER:
• Tuesday, January 2: School reopens
• Monday, January 15: No School - Martin Luther King Day
• Wednesday, January 24: Early Release Day

• 4TH GRADER CHORAL KALEIDOSCOPE OPPORTUNITY: On Saturday, January 27th, our Ben-Hem 4th grade chorus has the opportunity to perform at NHS. The Lilja, Wilson, Kennedy, and Natick High choirs will be joining together for a relatively new town initiative: the Choral Kaleidoscope concert! For this January concert, our dress apparel will consist of our Ben-Hem class shirts. If you have not yet put in your order for your class shirt, please do so by filling out this form (due December 8th). Please keep your eyes peeled for more information about the Choral Kaleidoscope very soon.

• SEEKING LUNCH MONITORS AT BEN HEM: We are seeking two lunch monitors to support students in our lunchroom Monday through Friday. The position is three hours a day (10:30 - 1:30 pm). If you are interested or know someone that might be a good fit, please have them contact me at kaghilani@natickps.org.
  

Review of the 'Gifts to Staff' Law

As the holiday season approaches, we generally receive many inquiries regarding the policy on providing gifts to staff members.

You may or may not know that there is a state law requiring all Massachusetts public employees to receive a copy of conflict of interest regulations and to receive mandatory training on this topic and--most importantly--follow the law. While it is unlikely that teachers receiving tokens of appreciation from students and their families was the impetus for the state government’s emphasis on conflict of interest legalities, our employees must comply with their legal responsibilities. The purpose of the law and accompanying regulations is to avoid any perception that a public employee might display some type of favoritism due to the influence of a gift.

While parents often give gifts to our teachers and assistants at holiday time and/or the end of the year as an expression of gratitude for their hard work, I would appreciate it if parents who choose to do so would adhere to the following guidelines to avoid putting our educators in an awkward position.

Massachusetts General Law Chapter 268A and State Ethics Commission rules prohibit all public employees from receiving personal gifts of “substantial value,” which according to the regulations is $50 or more. This includes meals, tickets, services rendered, holiday gifts, etc.

The Ethics Commission recently created an exemption to permit class gifts to teachers. A teacher may accept a gift, or several gifts during the school year, from public school students and/or their parents and guardians, with an aggregated value of up to $150, if the gift is identified only as being from the class, and the identity of the givers and the individual amounts given are not identified to the recipient. Gifts received according to this exemption are not required to be disclosed.

The law and regulations apply to any single, personal gift to a public employee from an individual or group. An employee may accept multiple gifts from different parties as long as each gift complies with the regulations.

Contributions for educational supplies, the purchasing of books or curriculum materials for the classroom, or a donation to a PTO or organization such as the Natick Education Foundation in the educator’s name are not subject to the limit.

Natick's families traditionally have been generous to our educators, and all of us in the School Department appreciate all the time, effort, and financial support that you provide. We ask that you follow these guidelines. If you have questions about the law and regulations, please contact me at kaghilani@natickps.org.

Thank you to all our volunteers at the book fair and donations for the holiday breakfast! We appreciate our Ben Hem community and all that you do to make our school a better place.

Best,

the Ben Hem Faculty and Staff

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5