McGovern News

As fall settles in, teaching and learning are in full swing at our school. We are thrilled to see our students making remarkable progress every day, embracing new challenges and growing in their understanding. The energy in the classrooms is palpable, and it's exciting to witness students' achievements as they continue on their educational journey.

Have a great weekend!

Best,

Amy McDonald, Principal

There will be an early release on Wednesday October 23rd, with all preschool students being dismissed at 11:30 am and kindergarten and first grade students being dismissed at 12pm.

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a major Hindu celebration symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Observed over five days. This year it is celebrated on October 31st-November 1st.

Families decorate their homes with oil lamps (diyas), create colorful rangoli patterns, exchange gifts, and enjoy festive meals. Fireworks are common, and prayers are offered to the goddess Lakshmi for prosperity and success. Diwali is also celebrated by Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists, each with their own traditions and meanings tied to the festival. Happy Diwali to those celebrating.

The week of October 21st all students will visit the book fair during their library time.

Quick Links & Tips for a Seamless Experience:

• Payment Options - We highly recommend using the eWallet for our students, please click the button below for details on how to set up. We do also accept cash, credit, and checks.

• Volunteer Opportunity - Would you like to be a part of your child's Book Fair experience? Sign up here to volunteer and assist their class. Please note that all volunteers must have a current CORI clearance, which expires every academic year. If you have any CORI-related questions, feel free to reach out to amrice@medwayschools.org for clarification.

Explore our dedicated Scholastic Book Fair website for book trailers, online purchases, and setting up an eWallet.

We are thrilled to embark on this literary adventure during the Book Fair Week and deeply appreciate your support in fostering a love for reading among our students.

As we have done in the past, we are planning to host a Community Safety Webinar on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. This event will highlight the district’s safety efforts to date and also provide a look forward as we continue to engage in efforts to maintain the highest level of attention on these vital practices. Registration will be required, please click below to register.

We could not have asked for a more beautiful fall morning to have as we participated in our annual to walk to school! The students were so excited to be able to join their peers and teachers along with their families to all go to school together. We look forward to this event each year, and please see some of the pictures below that were shared from that morning.

Medway Public Schools is partnering with Wayside Youth & Family Support Network to offer parenting workshops this month. One workshop will be to introduce strategies to help navigate through challenging behaviors. The other workshop will help give understanding to the early development stages of children from birth to five years. Both workshops will be virtual, please see the flyers below for dates and times. To register please contact Jill Lofchie from Wayside at Jill_Lofchie@waysideyouth.org

The Medway Middle School Department of Performing Arts is proud to announce their fall play, The Jungle Book! In this family friendly, action-packed adaptation of the classic adventure story, precocious Mowgli grows up believing he's as fierce a wolf as any of the members of his pack. When he learns he is actually a human, he must discover how to reconcile these very different identities, and decide whether to remain with the pack, or return to the human world from which he was born. What will he choose? And will he be trained in the Law of the Jungle in time to defeat Shere Khan, the most feared animal of all?

Performances will be held at Medway Middle School on Friday, October 25, 2024 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now at www.mmsperformingarts.com

Don’t miss out on the Medway High School Theatre Program’s production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Come jump down the rabbit hole and enter this magical world with Alice on Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 & 7:00 p.m. Tickets are now on sale online, and will also be available to purchase at the door.

Last year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced the launch of MassLinks, the first fully virtual educational option for Massachusetts adults statewide who are seeking their high school equivalency or English language instruction. MassLinks classes are free for all adults, and Mount Wachusett Community College, in partnership with DESE’s Office for Adult and Community Learning Services, will deliver the instruction.

Dr. Alex Hirsberg will be presenting to parents and caregivers on how to support student executive functioning on November 6 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. This information webinar will help parents and caregivers better understand how they can support their students to organize their mind and their backpacks in order to achieve academic success. For more information about the event and to register, please click here.

Please remember that approximately twice a month there are no preschool classes as it is an "Arena day". This is when we complete assessments for students in an IEP evaluation cycle, hold IEP meetings, and/or conduct training. Upcoming arena days are:

• November 1
• November 15
• December 6
• January 10
• January 24
• February 7
• March 7
• March 21
• April 4
• May 2
• May 23
• June 6

We welcome all students and staff to participate in the following special Theme Days we have coming up:

Special Dates:

October 31st - Wear Orange & Black Day

November 1st - Cozy / PJ Day

Fall Brochure

We are delighted to share our latest program offerings with the Medway community, as well as with our neighbors in nearby communities! It is time to celebrate autumn with friends and families - join a sports program or gather with friends for a fun night of crafts, wellness and laughs. Many new programs are offered, plus our popular all-time favorites!

The fall brochure may be viewed here with registration access to Arbiter using the following links - Youth & Teen Programs and Adult Programs. Registrants may use the UniPay link for program payment. Questions with registering? Please contact Community Education at communityed@medwayschools.org or call 508-533-3222 option 4.

After School Programs - W.I.N. Support & Enrichment

We look forward to sharing exciting plans with families for fall programming within our schools. Additional details to follow include Academic Support programs beginning the week of October 8; Enrichment programs beginning the week of October 21; Early Release Day programs on October 23, November 20 and December 11; 4th Grade Musical Instrument Lessons, start date to be determined.

MEPTO is our Medway Education Parent Teacher Organization. Please click on the link below for their newsletter.

As a reminder to all families, when picking up your child, you will need to bring your license or identification with you to the main office. Not only is this for safety reasons, but we also have new staff in the front office. Please understand that you will be asked to retrieve your ID from your car if you forget to bring it in. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Children need healthy meals to learn. Medway Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. As you may know, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the recent passage of the state budget, will again allow local districts to provide breakfast and lunch for all students at no cost.

However, families who submit an application for free or reduced lunch which is approved based on income guidelines may qualify for discounts on specified school fees, including but not limited to athletic fees, transportation fees, and preschool tuition. A district cover letter, the application and instructions can be found here.

A copy of the approved 2024-2025 school year calendar can be found here.

Medway Schools has partnered with Care Solace, which offers mental health care coordination services and can help connect you, your child, and extended family members with appropriate community-based providers. Whether it's counseling, therapy, or other mental health services, Care Solace can assist you in finding the support your family may need. To access Care Solace's coordination services, simply reach out using the following options:

1. Call 888-515-0595: Their multilingual helpline is staffed 24/7/365.
2. 2. Visit www.caresolace.com/medway: On their website, you can explore mental health providers independently or click "Book Appointment" for personalized assistance through video chat, email, or phone.

English

To open the SMORE newsletter, click on the link above. Then, to translate the SMORE newsletter, click on the “Translate” button at the top of the page. Use the drop-down menu to select your language. The newsletter will then be translated.

Portuguese

Para abrir a newsletter SMORE, clique no link acima. Em seguida, para traduzir a newsletter SMORE, clique no botão “Traduzir” no topo da página. Use o menu suspenso para selecionar seu idioma. O boletim informativo será então traduzido.

Spanish

Para abrir el boletín SMORE, haga clic en el enlace de arriba. Luego, para traducir el boletín SMORE, haga clic en el botón "Traducir" en la parte superior de la página. Utilice el menú desplegable para seleccionar su idioma. Luego se traducirá el boletín.

Arabic

لفتح النشرة الإخبارية SMORE، انقر على الرابط أعلاه. وبعد ذلك، لترجمة نشرة SMORE الإخبارية، انقر فوق الزر "ترجمة" الموجود أعلى الصفحة. استخدم القائمة المنسدلة لاختيار لغتك. سيتم بعد ذلك ترجمة النشرة الإخبارية.

Haitian Creole

Pou ouvri bilten SMORE a, klike sou lyen anlè a. Lè sa a, pou tradui bilten SMORE a, klike sou bouton "Tradwi" ki anlè paj la. Sèvi ak meni ki dewoule a pou chwazi lang ou. Lè sa a, y ap tradui bilten an.

Medway Public Schools believes it is important that families and the broader community are provided with information about the important work going on in our schools. There is a great deal of communication that happens in the district. You can expect the following:

• Community Update from the Superintendent, monthly
• McGovern News from me, bi-weekly
• Teacher newsletters, bi-weekly

All community updates and the McGovern News will be emailed and can also be found on the district and school websites or through our Medway Public Schools app which can be accessed through the QR Code below. Teachers will email their newsletters directly to their class.

McGovern Elementary School:

Twitter: @McGovernElem

Facebook: @mcgovernelem

Instagram: @mcgovernelem

Monday October 21st: Book Fair (day 1)

Tuesday October 22nd: Book Fair (day 2)

Picture Retake Day

Wednesday October 23rd: Early Release

Preschool Dismissal at 11:30 am

Kindergarten & 1st Grade Dismissal at 12 pm

Thursday October 24th: Book Fair (day 3)

Friday October 25th: Book Fair (day 4)

Monday October 28th: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm MEPTO Meeting in Middle School Cafeteria

Friday November 1st: Arena Day (No Preschool)

Sunday November 3rd: Daylight Savings, turn the clocks 1 hour back

Tuesday November 5th: Election Day (No School)

Monday November 11th: Veteran's Day (No School)

Thursday November 14th: Parent-Teacher Conference Night 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Friday November 15th: Arena Day (No Preschool)

Wednesday November 20th: Early Release

Preschool Dismissal at 11:30 am

Kindergarten & 1st Grade Dismissal at 12 pm

Wednesday November 27th: Early Release

Preschool Dismissal at 11:30 am

Kindergarten & 1st Grade Dismissal at 12 pm

Thursday November 28th & Friday November 29th: Thanksgiving Holiday (No School)