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Green Meadow Weekly Update
May 23, 2024
Contact Us
Principal, Robert Rouleau - rrouleau@maynard.k12.ma.us
Assistant Principal, Karen Lindquist - klindquist@maynard.k12.ma.us
School Nurse, Maria Bourgeios - mbourgeios@maynard.k12.ma.us
Absentee Phone Line - (978)897-0310
Please remember to call the absentee phone line if your child is going to be absent for any reason.
Important Dates
5/31 - Kindergarten Family Picnic, 1:45 - 2:45
6/4 - Field Day (rain date, 6/6)
6/4 - PTO Family Movie Night
6/7 - Last day for PreK, regular dismissal
6/7 - Grade 1 Family Picnic, 11:00 - 12:00 (rain date 6/10)
6/10 - Last day for Kindergarten, regular dismissal
6/10 - Grade 3 visits Fowler, 9:30 - 10:30
6/11 - 6/13 - Kindergarten Screening, more information to come
6/12 - Grade 2 Family Picnic, 11:30 - 12:15
6/13 -- Grade 3 Moving On Celebration, 9:00 - 9:45
6/14 - Last day for Grades 1-3, 11:45 dismissal
Green Meadow Assistant Principal Announcement
We are delighted to introduce Kate Murray, a dynamic addition to Green Meadow, as our Assistant Principal starting July 1, 2024. Her recent visit to our school demonstrated her excellent ability to connect with students, staff, and families and showcased her remarkable ability to build relationships. Her extensive experience in curriculum implementation and her unwavering dedication to student and staff development are qualities that we believe will greatly benefit our school community.
Ms. Murray brings a wealth of experience to Maynard Public Schools, having served in various educational capacities for 25 years. Currently, she is the assistant principal at the McKay School in Fitchburg, following a similar role at the South Street Elementary School. Her tenure in Fitchburg was marked by her support during a redistricting project and a school relocation. Prior to this, she was the Director of the Extend Day program in Acton-Boxborough, where she also taught vocational education classes, served as a community liaison, and was a member of the Somerville School Committee.
Ms. Murray holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. She has also completed the Massachusetts School Administrators Association Leadership Licensure program.
Many thanks to the staff members and parents who participated in the assistant principal search committee. We had 30 applicants and interviewed five candidates before selecting two finalists. We appreciate the feedback provided by staff and parents during the process.
Curriculum and Assessment Updates
Grade 3 to Grade 4 Transition
On June 10th, current 3rd-grade students will be visiting Fowler. The students will receive a personalized peer-to-peer tour with teacher supervision during this visit. Additionally, there will be a mini band and chorus performance to help the students better understand these options.
On June 10th, Mr. Snyder and I will host a remote session from 12:30-1:30 for all caregivers. During this session, we will provide an overview of "A Day in the Life of a 4th-Grade Fowler Student" with Q and A time included. The presentation will be recorded and shared for those unable to attend. We are also available to respond to any questions outside of this meeting.
August 21st, “Rising Grade-4 Student Revisit Day.” Information will come out during the summer.
Fowler School Administration Contacts:
Mr. Kinney (Principal): kkinney@maynard.k12.ma.us
Mr. Snyder (Assistant Principal): dsnyder@maynard.k12.ma.us
Welcome to the Counselor's Corner!
Green Meadow students have been busy learning and talking about identity during SEL lessons this past week. We celebrated differences, shared commonalities and discussed the uniqueness of each and everyone one of us. We generally want to be accepted and understood for who we are. Here are some tips about how parents can help their kids feel seen and how you can help your neurodiverse child thrive. Enjoy this delightful song, The One and Only You, together with your child! Additional SEL resources can be found on the Green Meadow Social Emotional Learning Resources website.
Questions or feedback? Please contact Julie Danforth at jdanforth@maynard.k12.ma.us
PTO Updates
Get caught up on all the latest PTO news by visiting the Green Meadow PTO website! https://greenmeadowpto.membershiptoolkit.com/
This month the PTO meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 11, at 7:00 PM.
Field Day Volunteer Sign-up
We are looking for volunteers to help with our Field Day event in June. Kindergarten and Grade 1 will have their Field Day in the morning. Grades 2 & 3 will have their Field Day in the afternoon. If you are interested in helping, please sign up using the link below.
Family Movie Night
Please join the Green Meadow community for Family Movie Night at the Maynard Fine Arts Theatre, Tuesday, June 4. This year's feature is Migration. The doors open at 5:00. Tickets are required but the event is free. You can register for tickets at www.gmpto.org.
District Resources
Join SEPAC
Maynard Special Education Advisory Council is looking for new members and volunteers. There will be a virtual meeting on Wednesday June 5th at 12pm.
SEPAC Monthly Board Meeting
Wednesday, June 5 · 12:00 – 1:00pmTime zone: America/New_York
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/iyk-xjes-inr
Or dial: (US) +1 413-961-2458 PIN: 183 252 533#
College Savings Information
Saving for College
Would you like to get started with saving for college or would you like to learn more about it? Please check out these resources to get on track with planning for this future expense.
The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) is hosting
Saving for College webinar on Tuesday May 28th at 12pm.
This webinar is for parents with children of all ages and will describe information and resources that families can use to put a college savings plan in place. MEFA will answer questions such as:
Why and how much should I save for college?
When and how should I start?
What is the best way to save?
How will saving affect college financial aid?
Sign up to learn how to prepare best for college costs. Live transcription will be available. MEFA records their webinars so a recording will be available after the webinar.
Estimate Future College Costs with the College Cost Projector
If you would like to get started right away follow these steps to open a 529 UFUND College Investing plan (managed by Fidelity-you can open a 529 in any state across the country however opening one in MA offers state tax advantages) :
Gather needed information
The account owner/You need
your Social Security number
date of birth
phone number
email address
legal/mailing address
For the child/beneficiary you'll need:
the name
date of birth
Social Security number
Apply by phone: (800) 544-2776 or
Apply online https://www.fidelity.com/529-plans/massachusetts
Click Open a 529 Account
Follow the instructions
Make it automatic
Set up automatic investments from a bank account- log back into your account 2 business days after the account is opened.
you'll need the account and routing numbers for the bank the money is coming from
MEFA Podcasts
Financial Advice on College, Debt, and Retirement
Saving for College with the UFUND
For those with newborns or newly adopted: $50 from the BabySteps Savings Plan
The BabySteps Savings Plan provides a $50 seed deposit into a U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan account for all Massachusetts residents in the 1st year they are born or adopted. Parents simply need to open a U.Fund account within a year of the child's birth or adoption to be eligible. https://www.mass.gov/babysteps
Community Resources
Plant Sale
The Maynard Community Gardeners Annual Plant Sale is Saturday, May 18th, 9AM - Noon. This event funds all of the organizations programs and beautification efforts around the town. Curious to join us? Members will be on hand all morning to answer questions about the club's activities, including volunteer clean-up in town, flower buckets around downtown Maynard, member garden tours and social events. If you have plants in mind to donate, please email our Digging Coordinator Steve Smith stevensmith@kw.com before May 5th.
Boys & Girls Club
BASEC Summer Program
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth Resources
MPY ANNOUNCES NEW PARENTING SOLUTIONS LIBRARY
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new, free MPY Parenting Solutions Library. Parents can watch or just listen to experts who get right to the point solving big and small challenges. The 24 library presentations focus on the topics below. Each presentation includes a 10-minute videos and handouts. The Home Parenting Library may easily be accessed using the link on MPY’s home page (www.mpyinc.org). No log in or passcode is needed.
Community Food Pantries
The Open Table Food Pantry (www.opentable.org; 33 Main St, Maynard) is open on Tuesdays, 3:30 - 6:30 PM and Thursdays, 1 - 4:30 PM and offers free bags of groceries 1x/week. Open Table also allows families to pick up frozen meals for family members weekly.
The Maynard Food Pantry (www.maynardfoodpantry.com; 82 Main St., Maynard) is open on Mondays from 10 AM - 12 noon 1-2x/month
Maynard Advantage
Interested in learning more about the Maynard community and the many wonderful things happening around town? Check out the monthly Maynard Advantage Newsletters by subscribing at maynardadvantage.org