Weekly Wednesday

10/31 - Bresnahan Costume Parade, 8:50 AM (see details below)

11/5 - Early Release - Preschool/PreK at 11:15 & Kindergarten - Grade 3 at 11:40

11/6 - Parent Teacher Conferences (scheduled with classroom teacher)

11/8 - Honoring Veterans 8:45 - 9:15 (More information below)

11/11 - No School (Veterans Day)

11/20 - Parent Teacher Conferences (scheduled with classroom teacher)

11/27 - Early Release - Preschool/PreK at 11:15 & Kindergarten - Grade 3 at 11:40

11/28 & 11/29 - No School (Thanksgiving Break)

Screenings

The following state mandated screenings take place at the Bresnahan annually. These screenings will take place in the fall. If you do not want your child to participate please write a letter and send it to the health office. Please specify which screenings you are choosing to opt out of.

1. Vision- Preschool through Grade 3

2. Hearing- Kindergarten through Grade 3

3. BMI-(height and weight) Grade 1

You may request a screening at any time if you are concerned your child has a problem with vision, hearing or growth.

To celebrate the season, we are excited to host an outdoor Costume Parade on Thursday 10/31st at 8:50 am! Parents and guardians are invited to attend! Please stand behind cones set up along the rider area, bus area, and walker areas. Students will exit door 1, parade outside along the sidewalk around the entire building and re-enter the building through Door 4.

When preparing for this exciting event, please be mindful of costume choices. Students need to be able to move/walk on their own (for example, some students struggle to walk on their own in inflatable costumes). We also ask that students refrain from wearing full face masks and costumes with weapons.

We will have a parade alternative in the library for students who do not wish to participate in the parade. Please email your classroom teacher directly if you would like to opt-out of the parade.

On Friday, November 8th from 8:45 - 9:15, we will host an assembly to honor our Veterans. If anyone in your family (parent, grandparent, or other close family member) is a Veteran, they are welcome to attend the assembly. Our students would love to sing to you and thank you for your service. Please RSVP on this Google Doc we can plan seating for our guests.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our school principal, Jamie Sokolowski (jsokolowski@newburyport.k12.ma.us).

Our veterans and guests do not need to go through the CORI and Fingerprinting process but will need to sign in through the Main Office/Door 1.

Please be aware that if your child has missed 5 or more days of school you will be receiving a letter regarding the attendance policy. The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has made attendance one of its statewide priorities and requires us to be in communication with families about this. As a school it is our responsibility to know that children are safe and accounted for during the school day. Please know that we understand there are times where children are sick and/or extenuating circumstances occur; we are here to support you as you support your child to be as present as possible.

Our Bresnahan school family is looking forward to welcoming visitors and volunteers into the building.

This is a friendly reminder ALL visitors and volunteers must provide a current, driver's license before gaining access into the building. There will be no exceptions to this district expectation as the safety and security of our school family is our #1 priority. Thank you in advance for doing your part to keep us safe.

CORI Process

• All volunteers must have an up-to-date CORI on file with the Newburyport Elementary Schools.
• Bring the completed CORI form along with your driver's license to the Administrative Assistant at our school office.
• Please note CORI's are only valid for three years; after that you must reapply.

Fingerprinting

In keeping with Newburyport's continued focus on safety, volunteers/parents are required to be fingerprinted in two instances:

1. If you are going on a day or overnight field trip and will have direct and unmonitored contact with children;
2. If you are a lunchroom volunteer and will be bringing children out to the playground. Parents who volunteer in the classroom DO NOT need to be fingerprinted, if there will always be another adult present.

Massachusetts has contracted with MorphoTrust for fingerprinting. To book an appointment, visit the Massachusetts IdentoGO Website.

Please be aware there is a $35 fee for fingerprinting. Fingerprinting does not expire.

Forms and Information

• CORI Form
• Fingerprinting Info

Important Dates:

Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election Day Bake Sale @ Senior Center

Saturday, Nov 9: Newburyport Education Foundation Auction Event

Wednesday, Nov 13, 6:30pm: November PTO Meeting at the Bresnahan School Library

Coming Soon:

PTO Holiday Spirit Wear Sale - Kicks off on Wednesday Nov 6th!

Holiday Raffle Calendar!

CALLING ALL BAKERS - We still need a couple of dozen donations for PTO Election Day Bake Sale. Please sign up here to donate! This is a fun and easy way to help make a huge impact.

Want to enjoy some sweet treats and help fund the scholarships for the 8th grade Philadelphia trip?!? Join the PTO at the Senior Center on Tuesday between 8am and 6pm on Election Day. You can enter straight through the front doors and find us!

The NEF Auction will be held on Saturday November 9th! Get your tickets and register to bid on their website: Newburyport Education Foundation’s Annual Lighthouse Auction The PTO donated a basket filled with spirt wear and unique opportunities, including two Kitchen Tour Tickets, throwing the first pitch at the Spring Fling dunk tank and leading the Readathon parade!

Ongoing Fundraiser: PTO EcoBins

Did you know that the EcoBins (large yellow donation bins) at the Bresnahan and Nock generate funds for the PTO? There are two bins at the Bres, three at Molin/Nock. The bins take all textiles including stained/torn items, pillows, stuffed animals, shoes, so please drop off your unwanted items.

Do You Want to Get Involved?

We are currently seeking to fill PTO Board positions:

• Vice President

• Molin Teacher Representative

• Communications Co-Chair (Social Media)

Email us at newburyportpto@gmail.com to join the PTO Board or ask questions. Not sure, join us at our next meeting.