Cheetah Pride Press

Families,

We wrapped up another fantastic week with the annual PTO-sponsored Jog-A-Thon. It was a tremendous success. Thank you to the EHEPTO for their impeccable planning and execution. It ran smoothly, everyone had a blast, and a generous amount of money was raised to provide future programming at Memorial and Center Schools. It is hard to believe that October is only a few days away! September has flown by!! I hope you’re all able to enjoy some fall fun this weekend.

Picture Day is next week. Get those smiles ready!

Thank you for your partnership,

Joey and Andrea

Congratulations to Sue Freeman, Physical Therapist, and the entire Unified Sports team, for successfully renewing the national recognition of our program. We are a “Special Olympics National Unified Champion School!” This national recognition indicates that our program meets the 10 standards of excellence developed by a national panel of leaders in education and Special Olympics. Thank you to everyone who helps make our Unified Sports program a success, especially our amazing athletes!

Thank you to the EHEPTO, and to the many volunteers, for facilitating another fabulous Jog-A-Thon. This amazing fundraiser is enjoyed by all, and provides Memorial and Center Schools with an abundance of support for future enrichment events.

Memorial Models are chosen weekly by their teacher. These students have excelled all week in taking care of themselves, others, and things. The recipients will dine at a VIP table during lunch every Friday!

A PAWsitive office referral is submitted when a staff member recognizes a student who is going above and beyond to exemplify one of our three school rules - taking care of others, taking care of self, & taking care of things.

Mrs. Glaude is a paraprofessional in our Reading and Math departments. She is flexible and willing to do whatever task or job is needed at Memorial School. Her hard work is truly appreciated!

Congratulations to Ms. Peggy on her retirement from the Memorial School Cafeteria. We will miss you Ms. Peggy!

Welcome to Art!! The beginning of this school year has brought such adventure and fun to the art room! And, as Autumn is my favorite season, I always look forward to this time of year, and it's finally HERE! I love sharing the beauty of these next few months with the students during art class! There is so much to explore, observe, create and imagine during art!. Below, you will see what each grade level has been working on and learning during art class in September, and what’s coming next!

PreK and Kindergarten students spent the month of September learning what art is, and what artists do! They started by observing themselves! They used mirrors to look closely at their own unique faces, and created mixed media self portraits! They selected colors that closely resemble them, including skin tones, eye colors, hair colors. They added yarn and other art supplies, including buttons, sequins, and fabric, to embellish and enhance their portraits!

Next we will be going outside and gathering leaves to create fall inspired works of art!

First grade students spent this past month learning about artist Pablo Picasso, and how he created abstract art. We learned that art doesn’t have to be REALISTIC to be appreciated, admired, or loved. We discovered that abstract art has unique qualities where shapes, colors, and lines get weird, wacky, crazy, and wild! Then students created their very own ABSTRACT self portraits while mixing up our facial features and changing realistic shapes into unique and imaginative ones! To complete our abstract self portraits, we used oil pastels to learn the process of 1. Color, 2. Blend, and 3. Outline to create a bright and vibrant work of abstract art!

Next we will be learning about different types of leaves and identifying them based on their shapes. This will inspire our next project!

Second grade students have explored the work of Frida Kahlo, and her realistic self portraits. She created over 55 self portraits in her lifetime, and we admired how she took the time to make her work look just like her (realistic). To create our own realistic portraits, we learned that there is a difference between “cartoony” and “realistic” art. We focused on refining our skills by looking closely in the mirror for realistic shapes, colors, and details while sketching our own REALISTIC self portraits! We are finishing up our work by turning our sketches into paintings, working with the three primary colors as well as a neutral color palette in order to mix and create the most realistic, natural colors for ourselves!

Next we will be creating an autumn inspired work of art using mixed media, including watercolor and pastel.

Third grade students spent the past month working on:

1. Creating a portfolio to store our work. This portfolio will be sent home at the end of the year with all completed student work.

2. Creating a sketchbook where we will plan and brainstorm our artistic ideas

3. Creating a portrait of a new creature or Pokemon! We learned about a group of japanese artists who juxtaposed their own portraits of famous pokemon with portraits and works by artist Vincent Van Gogh. These works were most recently on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, to help younger generations become aware of the incredible works by Van Gogh, and to inspire art making in new ways. Students then sketched and planned their own new species of creature or pokemon and used watercolor techniques to complete them. There are endless possibilities!

Next, third graders will be transitioning to “choice art”, which is a type of art class that students design, plan, and create their own projects based on specific media and criteria. We will be planning our first “choice art” project starting in October, and we can’t wait!

Please note that during the next month, all students will have completed a work of art to be sent in for “Art to Remember”, Memorial School’s annual art fundraiser! More information will be sent home via Parentsquare soon!

Please reach out anytime with questions about what's happening in the art room! These little artists have worked so hard this month to settle back into school routines and have fully ignited their imaginations! It’s going to be an amazing year filled with endless creative expression!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Vining

Art Teacher, Memorial School

M.S in Art Education

860-365-4020 ext 124

School Meals are a great value to our students! Prepayment is expected for all cafeteria purchases. Families eligible for free and reduced meals may qualify by completing an application online on [easthampton.familyportal.cloud]Easthampton.familyportal.cloud or by paper application here: Application for Free and Reduced School Meals(also available in the school’s Main Office). Families with children enrolled in HUSKY or Temporary Family Assistance programs will have their status transmitted directly by the State of Connecticut to the District.

To deposit funds on your child’s account, please visit [easthampton.familyportal.cloud]Easthampton.familyportal.cloud . Our Cafeterias also accept checks made payable to “East Hampton Cafeteria Fund”.

In September, students can enjoy fresh apples from Beckett Farms of South Glastonbury and carrots from Cold Spring Farm of Colchester. Keep an eye out for upcoming celebrations!

If you have questions, please contact Director of Nutrition Services, Kate Caselli at kcaselli@easthamptonct.org or 860.316.7324.

Please allow me to share a little bit about myself with you. I know that outside of the home, the school is one of the most influential environments for our children. As a mom who has two children in elementary school, I know how this time of year can be overwhelming. You want everything to go right and smoothly for your little one(s), but most of all you wish you could attend the first days with them. We, at Memorial, all agree that it’s supposed to be a happy and exciting time as the new school year is upon us. As the nurse, I hope to offer you and your child(ren) some comfort and reassurance while they are with us for our 2024-2025 school year!

On behalf of the Memorial School staff I want to extend a warm welcome to every parent and student! Feel free to contact me by phone or, better yet, email with your questions and concerns. My goal is to collaborate with you and help make this school year a healthy and enjoyable one. I would like to offer a little guidance from the health office. Below you will find some answers to frequently asked questions.

Communications

If a student is seen by the nurse or nursing assistant, they will receive a “Nurse’s Pass” ( or Pink Slip) with a brief review of their visit. However, Parents/Guardians will receive a phone call in the following circumstances:

• The student needs to be picked up from school

• Follow-up at home is required or recommended (ie doctor visit, continued observation at home, or the such)

• Any significant injury to the head, new marks on face

• Further communication is needed regarding student Health Office visit

Please note that the above criteria are made with Registered Nurse assessment, observation, and judgment. If a parent would like calls for any nurse visit or in specific situations, please communicate that to the Health Office specifically and your child’s chart will be updated.

We are Pro-Communication!!! ☺ If you have any concern please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail us, but email or Parent Square is best, and please include both Ms. Michelle and I on your outreaches. We want the best for your child(ren) and we want you to feel secure in their health and safety at school.

Medications

Every medication that is brought into school requires a “Medication Authorization” form to be signed by the student’s doctor and parent/guardian and the medication in original packaging with prescription label is to be brought in by a parent/guardian, not in the child’s backpack. No child may carry their own medications at the Elementary level. Please use a large ziplock bag for the medication plus the medication order, and label the bag with your child’s name before dropping off. Any controlled medications will need to be counted and signed off with the RN and parent so please allow for a few extra minutes at drop off.

Please note: COUGH DROPS count as medications and are not allowed in school. All over-the-counter medications also need a medication order from your provider.

Food

We have several students with severe food allergies, therefore we highly recommend non food items to share for birthday celebrations. We ask for at least 48 hours advance notice. A great resource for allergy free snacks is the Safe Snack guide at https://snacksafely.com/safe-snack-guide/. We appreciate your assistance in keeping our school safe.

Health Concerns:

• If your child has a new health concern which you would like to speak to the nurse about e-mail kwilliams@easthamptonct.org and mlemire@easthamptonct.org at any time. Please let us know if your child is diagnosed with any illness or injury (such as strep, flu, pink eye, fracture/broken bone, etc.) as the nurse office tracks illnesses and sends notification letters home if there are 2 or more cases in a specific classroom.

• If you have any specific concerns that arise during the school year (such as stitches, concussions, broken bones/fractures, etc) it is best that you send in a doctor’s note with dates, guidelines and restrictions, so we can all be on the same page and keep your child safe.

Respectfully,

Katie Williams, RN

and Ms. Michelle Lemire

kwilliams@easthamptonct.org, mlemire@easthamptonct.org

Your Health Office Team

Memorial Elementary

Phone 860-365-4020

Fax 860-365-4024

1st, 2nd, 3rd- Picture Day

4th- Summer Reading and Math Celebration

9th- CT Grown For Kids Day- Dress Like a Farmer

10th- Hope Walk - 5:30-7:30 @ EHHS

11th- No School - Professional Day For Teachers

14th- Indigenous People Day- No School

21st- PTO Meeting at Center school 5:30pm

25th- Cheetah Pride Assembly- Wear Your Cheetah Gear!

30th- Picture Retakes

The East Hampton Board of Education and the school community as a whole promote a secure and productive school climate, conducive to teaching and learning that is free from threat, harassment, and any type of bullying behavior. Therefore it shall be the policy of the Board that bullying and/or teen dating violence committed against a student by another student is prohibited. The Board believes that a school environment in which students feel safe, supported, engaged and helpfully challenged is optimal for learning and healthy development. The Board seeks an environment in which students and adults feel socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically safe; an environment that is free of harassment, intimidation, teen dating violence and bullying. Our website provides links to various policies and reporting forms including our Safe School Climate Plan. Hard copies are also available in our main office. If at any point you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to building administration for further assistance.

When considering the number of absences your student has accrued, keep in mind that a student must be present for 195 minutes in order for the day to count! When bringing your student in late, or signing them out early if they have not been in school for a 195 minutes the day will be recorded as an absence.

Memorial School Attendance email:

memorial_attendance@easthamptonct.org * there is an _ between memorial and attendance!

Please Review This Important Information Below.

Students, parents, and community members have access to an anonymous tip line on the front page of the school district website to report self-concerns, mental health concerns of a friend, or concerns of violence. Simply click here or view on the website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/.

Email: jbauer@easthamptonct.org
Website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/o/memorial-school
Location: 20 Smith Street, East Hampton, CT, USA
Phone: 860-365-4020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ehmemorialschool