Waddle's Weekly Update

The Everyday Hero award is a wonderful way to recognize an NGES staff for all that they do to support and celebrate our students each and every day!

Everyone has their perspective on this; in previous years, nominations have included a diverse range of individuals, including paraprofessionals, teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, specials teachers (such as media, art, music, PE), support staff, students, and members of the community.

Flyer (Full Details): CLICK HERE FOR FLYER

Nomination fee $25 - Pay here: https://everyday-heroes-2025.cheddarup.com (waived if a student is making the nomination)

Nomination Form to be completed (REQUIRED): https://forms.gle/YUzxdAjdBdTuAcGR9

Any questions, please email: graftonsepac@gmail.com

Even if you can’t attend the event on April 5th, you can still participate in the silent auction, which is now live! Over 70 items including 3 baskets put together by our NGES staff! Auctions end at 8:30PM on April 5th, and all items are local pickup only at the EcoTarium in Worcester, MA. Explore and support our efforts to honor Anthony's memory. Click HERE!

Square1 Art is now available to order. Families will begin receiving their child's custom catalogs. Please note that Square 1 will be darkening the colors of some (they might look slightly faded on the sheet that comes home- that will be corrected).

Follow this link to view now.

Family order deadline online: 4/11/2025

All Orders *Ship FREE to Home

*Customers pay a small processing fee at checkout and order(s) will ship to home to arrive within 2-3 weeks of order date.

When your child goes for their yearly physical exam and immunizations, please send the updated exam and immunization records to the school nurse. The papers can be sent in your child's backpack in an envelope labeled 'School Nurse' or they can be emailed to Jackie Davis at davisj@grafton.k12.ma.us. We appreciate you helping to keep your child's school health record up to date.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires the following school screenings:

• Preschool: Vision Screening

• Kindergarten: Hearing Screening & Vision Screening

• Grade 1: Hearing Screening, Vision Screening and Height/Weight/BMI Screening

All screenings are conducted by school nurses. The screenings are used to identify potential medical conditions as soon as possible so as to enable all children to obtain the fullest benefit of their educational opportunities. These screenings are for referral for further care so should not be considered diagnostic and are not meant to replace an examination by a healthcare provider. Letters will be mailed home if follow-up is recommended. BMI data is available to parents by request to the nurse. All information is kept confidential.

Opt-Out: If you would like to opt your child out of school health screenings, please email Jackie Davis, School Nurse at davisj@grafton.k12.ma.us.

If you do not want to opt your child out of health screenings, you do not have to let the school nurse know.

If you do not want to opt your child out of health screenings, you do not have to let the school nurse know.

Please take a moment to read and respond to this FORM about the upcoming school year. It may still seem a ways off, however our teachers have already begun the planning phases of our placement process for the next school year. Your input is valuable, we hope you will take a moment to share!

Please note the following changes in dates for our preschool as we near the end of the year;

Preschool Last Day is now Wednesday June 11th (changed from June 10th)

Preschool Screening will take place at NGES in the AM on June 13th.

An amazing opportunity to support this amazing exhibit, a vision Anthony spoke daily about to friends and teachers. As part of this event, there will be a silent auction- with a "Best of Grafton" basket created by the staff here at NGES. More information on the auction to come, however we would love to see you at the event as well. Tickets on sale through next week.

Kindergarten registration is available HERE! Please remember that all registration paperwork should be completed prior to screening. A reminder that we ask that current pre-k students who are going to kindergarten complete the registration process, as there are updated forms (medical) that are required. Screening dates have been set for May 13 and 20! You can sign up your child for a time by clicking HERE. If you have any questions about registering for Kindergarten please reach out to the office at 508-839-5428!

This coming Friday, Trimester 2 report cards will be available through the powerschool portal. Your students have been working incredibly hard and our teachers are incredibly thoughtful and personal in the comments they share. We hope you will take time to review your child's RC and should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Please remember that our report cards provide end of year standards, and thus it is the goal for them to progress towards and meet the standards by the end of the school year!

As we approach Summer and yes...next year, Kidsborough has released links to registration for the following programs! If you are interested, click the links below:)

Grafton Summer 2025

North Street/North Grafton 25/26 Registration

Millbury Street/South Grafton 25/26 Registration

If your child (or you know of someone who has a child turning 5) is going to Kindergarten this Fall, please click HERE to register your child! A reminder that we ask that current pre-k students who are going to kindergarten complete the registration process, as there are updated forms (medical) that are required. Screening dates have been set for May 13 and 20! You can sign up your child for a time by clicking HERE. If you have any questions about registering for Kindergarten please reach out to the office at 508-839-5428!

Congratulations to Mrs. Bergstrom/Bond and Miss Malone's class for meeting the first Tower of Books Challenge! Over 80% of students in these two classes completed the first at home reading challenge! When we return from break, we will schedule a time for a Flashlight Friday Reading party in the gym!

ToB Challenge #2!

The SHELFIE Challenge! It's oh so simple! Once your child completes a challenge, take a "shelfie" and we will add their picture to our tower/shelf of books board! Students love to see their "selfies" posted, so complete a challenge and email a pic to Notestonges@grafton.k12.ma.us!

The Tower of Books Challenge is an on-going challenge throughout the remainder of the school year! Each time your child completes a challenge, we will encourage them to take a new one to bring home. There are 5 challenges in all and they can be completed in any order! Or, if your child likes a particular challenge they can keep doing that one over and over again! There is power in choice and our hope is to support your child's choice in what they read/listen to so that they build their love of reading!

The graph above represents the percent of students in each class to have completed their first ToB challenge! Our goal is for each class to reach 80% prior to Wednesday. The classes that reach 80% will get to participate in a special flashlight fun reading with friends. The ToB challenges are a great way to support your child with their reading, to read to them and in general to create a connection between home and school which will last them for many years to come! A copy of the first challenge for those who have not yet completed it is below!

Do you know a child or family with a child who will be 5 prior to the start of next school year? Let them know to save the date- because Kindergarten Registration will go live on March 1st!

Check out our ToB graph! So many challenges have been completed and we are only a few weeks in! The current challenge is for 80% of each classroom to complete their first challenge by Tuesday, February 11th! If you haven't started, there is plenty of time! The ToB challenges are a great way to engage with your child around reading at home, learn about different interests they have and introduce them to ones they might not have known they like!

As some of you may know, earlier this month was the one year anniversary of Anthony's passing. Special thanks to Mrs. Murray for considering how to remember Anthony during the week, in one of his favorite spaces here at NGES- the library:). A truck themed week was the perfect way to honor Anthony's memory with a topic he held near and dear. Mr. and Mrs. Putnam shared the finalized invitation to the "Change the World" celebration on Anthony's birthday as part of a fundraiser for the exhibit inspired by and in his name. If you are interested in attending this event, please click on the QR code above.

This coming Monday and Tuesday, Mrs. Largesse is hoping to bring all of our K and 1st grade students on a snowshoe hike through the trails behind the school! The temperatures look to be up over 20, which also means we will be outdoors for recess! Please make sure to pack your child a bag with all 5 things (hat, jacket, mittens, snow pants and boots)!

This past Wednesday, for those receiving a progress report, they were shared via the power school portal. Should you have any questions regarding the report, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher to discuss. Our goal is to ensure that the connection between school and home is strong and that together we work to support your child(ren) as best we can to have a successful year! Prek reports cards were due to be shared on Friday, however due to an issue with uploading will be shared early this week!

February 4, 2015, was the first annual Global School Play Day for students in schools around the world. In year one, over 65,000 students participated! Since 2015, over a million students from 75 Nations were given the gift of unstructured play time.

NGES and SGES will be taking part in Global School Play Day for the third time on Wednesday, January 29th. Each grade level will enjoy the day in different ways, but ultimately looking to offer more opportunities for free play throughout the morning! We hope you will engage in a playful manner with students, question and encourage their curiosity and enjoy the day!

In our first two weeks we have had 75 students complete their first Tower of Books Challenge! Each time a challenge is created, the students form is graphed on the board for them to track and see! There are 3 different challenges to choose from as well! Soon enough there will be 5 different challenges! We are looking forward to hopefully seeing all classes reach 80% of students having completed their first challenge prior to February break!

Friendly reminder that this Wednesday, January 29th is a 1/2 day. Dismissal will be as follows;

AM and full day Prek: 11:30am

Kindy/1st grade: 11:50am.

**If you would like to order a bagel lunch to be sent home on the 1/2 day, please email Notestonges@grafton.k12.ma.us or your child's teacher.

Please join me in welcoming Ms. Jackie (Davis) and Ms. Tabatha(Park) to NGES! Both are very familiar with our school already, as Jackie has been in district for many years and Tabatha has been covering here at NGES over the past year. While we will certainly miss Mrs. Sudbey, we are happy to know we are in good hands with this dynamic nursing team!

Mrs. Largesse is hoping to take all classes on a snowshoe hike sometime this winter during their PE class, if/when snow conditions and temperatures allow! She would appreciate several parent volunteers from each class to assist with helping the kids put on their snowshoes and to come along on the walk. If you have some time to volunteer, have a CORI check on file with the school, and would like to help, please email her at largesser@grafton.k12.ma.us. If you want to help but do not yet have a CORI on file, please see Mrs. Henault (SGES) or Mrs. Tauras (NGES) in the main office as soon as possible to process the form.

Mrs. Largesse will be in touch when it looks like conditions are right. Thanks in advance for your support of this wonderful opportunity for the students!

Also, please remember to send sneakers with your child every day so he/she can participate safely in PE class! Thank you!

This past week, your child brought home their first Tower of Books Challenge! We hope you will make time to listen to and read with your child to complete the first challenge! There are 6 total challenges, which the students can choose from once they complete the first challenge! This home to school ready challenge is on-going, so students can participate as much as they want from now until the end of the school year!

This is the last call for Yearbook Cover entries! You can submit through the website or send them in! We will collect them up until Wednesday, January 15th!

As you know, this past week, students in k/1 participated in the NGES PBIS Passport event! Students did an outstanding job demonstrating their understanding of our school wide expectations throughout the school. And while our prek students were not part of the Passport event, as you can see from above, George and his friends continued to learn and practice as well in their prek classrooms! The pride our staff and students take in teaching and learning about being kind, safe and responsible is all that we hope for and we will continue to reinforce throughout the year!

This coming week, your child will bring home a flyer explaining our Tower of Books Challenge. This home to school reading challenge is on-going from now until the end of the school year and one that all students, prek-1 can participate in by reading or being read to! Our first challenge will be throughout the month of January and leading right up to February break. The goal will be for 80% of students in each class to complete Challenge #1! The classrooms that meet the challenge will earn the opportunity to join a huge flashlight reading party just before the break. Last year, this was a HUGE hit! The Tower of Books Challenge is a great way to engage with your child at home and connect with them around a love of reading, we hope you will join your child in participating!

It's really truly here! This coming week we will likely spend some time indoors, but please remember that all students go outside if the "real feel" is over 20 degrees. We talk about how to be prepared for the weather and when it is this cold, a hat, mittens/gloves and hat are needed! Additionally, once there is snow on the ground, boots and snow pants are required to play in the snow. You can support your child at home by having them practice to get their winter gear on independently. Click HERE for a video on the "preschool flip" method for getting their coat on!

A friendly reminder for our prek students what the day looks like when there is a delay. If there is a 2 hour delay in Grafton, there will be no AM preschool. The PM class will attend at the regular scheduled time. The Full Day students will arrive at 12:30pm, with community peers leaving at their regularly scheduled 2:00pm time.

For our K/1 students, school will begin at 10:45am. Arrival procedures will be the same. If your child takes the bus, please plan to be outside waiting 2 hours form the typical time!

As we head into the final week of school for the 2024 school year, we wish all who celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah next week a safe and joyous holiday season filled with laughter, love, and light. To all of our students, as we head into a new year, we look forward to watching you continue to grow and learn!

A friendly reminder that we are on break from December 21- January 1st. We will return to school on Thursday, January 2nd, 2025!

This coming week, we will enjoy every minute with Mrs. Sudbey, our amazing school nurse as she finishes her rotation here at NGES! Please join me in thanking her for the countless temps, boo'boo's, headaches, bee stings, sad moments and so much more she has helped our students through in her years here in Grafton! As she heads off to retirement, we wish her all the best and thank her for all she has done for our staff and students at NGES! As we head into the new year, Miss Tabatha (aka Ms. Park) and Mrs. Davis will keep things moving and groovin' in the nurses office!

This past Friday, we had our final fire drill of the 2024 year. Our students did an outstanding job leaving the building in a quick, efficient and safe manner. While it was a chilly morning, they followed the procedures and waited quietly outside while the fire department completed their checks and then we returned inside within just a few minutes. Practicing is important and helps to train our brains in the event we ever experience an actual fire whether it be at school, home or in our community.

Please help support our students efforts to create holiday baskets for those in need, right here in Grafton. All items must be brought into school by the 19th! Baskets will be delivered to the food bank on Friday morning. Thank you in advance to all who have been able to share an item for the class basket- every bit counts!

Adding this LINK also as an option to respond! Your feedback is valuable in helping us to know where things are going well and where we need to consider different ways to teach our students! We are looking for feedback from families on what your child shares about our school expectations at home. Please take 1 minute to complete this brief 2 question survey! Click on the QR code to respond!

Are you a holiday type of card family? If you have an extra, please send one in to the office! We love to display them from here on out! The students love looking at them while in the office. Instead of "Where's Waldo?" they love to play "Where's my teacher/students?" choosing from everyone they know!

NGES is once again teaming up by classroom, to create dinner baskets for the Grafton Food bank and those locally who are in need of support this holiday season. You should have received (or will on Monday:) a flyer like the one above, with a specific item for your child to bring in, as well as $1. We hope that as many families as can will join in to not only support local families in need but also to support teaching our youngest students the power of service and support in our own community!

We are excited to once again be a Frosty Stop this coming Sunday during Grafton Celebrates the Holidays! We hope you will stop by and enjoy festive crafts and the best pancakes in town! If you are interested in volunteering to help out, click HERE!

Our December Scholastic book fair is this week! Kindergarten and first graders will visit the fair with their classes twice - once to preview and make a wishlist and once to shop. Parents, including preschool parents, are welcome to stop by 9-12 Tuesday - Friday. The Fair will also be open during the Pancake Breakfast next Sunday from 8 am - noon. We are looking for volunteers! Please click HERE if you would like to sign up to help out! For more information, including information on how to send money using the eWallet, visit the website: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/ngesbookfair!

Good Afternoon Families,

Last Wednesday was World Kindness Day, a reminder of the incredible kindness that fills our community. Today, we witnessed this firsthand as our community rallied around the Bagu family, who recently lost their beloved husband and father, Roberto. Roberto was a dedicated soccer coach for GYSA and a familiar face at NGES, coaching our Kindy students on Fitness Fridays. It was truly heartwarming to see our community come together to support the Bagu family during this difficult time.

In another instance of community support, an NGES family recently experienced a house fire and is currently displaced. To show our solidarity, we encourage all students and staff to wear their graphic t-shirts or sweatshirts with kind messages. If you'd like to contribute a donation, please send it in a labeled baggie or envelope to your child's teacher. All donations will be collected and given to the family at the end of the week. Thank you for your generosity and support.

As we head into the Thanksgiving break, I hope you all have a wonderful time with your loved ones. Let's take this opportunity to reflect on the many things we have to be grateful for. Please note that this Waddle's Weekly will serve as an update for both this week and next.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Julie Flynn

We hope you will consider supporting this food drive being coordinated by former NGES alumni! Please see flyer above and feel free to send into school next week with your child!

Good morning NGES rookery,

It was so nice to see so many of you come in for conferences this past week. We hope that you walked away feeling like you got a good overview of all that is happening here at school! Our teachers prepare to ensure that they are sharing highlights, strengths as well as areas for growth and our hope is to continue our collaboration with you throughout the year on progress.

As we head into another short week, we look forward to celebrating World Kindness Day on Wednesday! We invite students to wear graphic t-shirts that highlight kindness, bring a book in to share that highlights being kind or to bring a story to share at lunch about ways they or someone in their family has recently showed kindness. The importance of showing kindness to ALL is a foundational skill we look to impress upon our students daily and we love to highlight it as often and as much as we can!

Again, thank you for your collaboration in making your child's early learning experience as positive as possible!

Julie

This year's yearbook theme is "Here We Grow"! please check out the flyer below and share your child's entry! The yearbook cover winner wins a free yearbook and everyone else has their entry shared within the yearbook itself! Looking forward to the creativity (and independence:) in your children's entries!

Throughout the month of November, students in the library have the opportunity to share something or someone they are thankful for. If you happen to be at NGES, stop by and see whet our thoughtful students and staff have shared on the tree- it will warm your heart for sure!

If you have some great photo's to share for the yearbook, please share! Think 1st day of school, Fun Run or Character Parade! Please share them!

The make up day for pictures at NGES will be this Thursday, November 7th. All make up pictures will take place first thing in the morning 9:15-10am. If your child attends PM Prek and you would like a retake, you can stop by between that time to have your child's picture taken.

The colder weather is upon us! Please make sure your child comes to school each day with the appropriate clothing to go outside for recess! As long as the real feel is over 20 degrees, we will be outside! We do have a collection of "extras" (coats, pants, mittens, hats) when needed. If your child is in need of any warm winter clothing, please reach out to Miss Talambekos, our school adjustment counselor and she can assist in getting what your child needs.

Parent-Teacher conferences are coming up on November 5th (day) and 7th (evening). We hope you will take time to meet and learn all about your child's transition to school this year and all that they are working on each and every day! As proud as you are as parents, our teachers are also incredibly proud of your children and love to share all of that with you! Classroom Teachers have shared via email a link to sign up- if you need help signing up, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Should you want to schedule a meeting with one of the following specialists, please click on their link below. Please note that our special education and reading specialist will join in with classroom teacher meetings!

Kate Runne (Art): Click HERE

Jodi Casperaites: Click HERE

Robin Largesse (PE): Click HERE

Kym DuFault (Technology): Click HERE

Sarah Keith (Speech/Language): Click HERE

Tracey Padula (Speech/Language) Click HERE

Samantha Hendrix (Speech/Language): Click HERE

Kristina Talambekos (Adjustment Counselor): Click HERE

Jenna Pilski (School Psychologist): Click HERE

This past week, we held our first book club with parents reading The Anxious Generation. As we discussed technologies that students at our age have access too, a question came up about what technologies students have access to at school, as part of learning. Below you will see a brief overview of app's that students may access in the classroom and/or programming used in technology. Students time using an ipad for instructional purposes can range from 0-2 rotations each day (8-12 minutes), depending on the groupings and what is going on in the class that day. So for example, your child may not participate in ipads during independent math time on Monday but may use it for a rotation on Tuesday.

Kindergarten: Letter School,

1st Grade:

Technology Class: The year starts with students learning how or reviewing how to login to Clever. Clever is a platform in which all school based programming is located. From there, they work on learning and refining mouse skills using websites such as:

- thisissand.com

-jacksonpollock.org

-weavesilk.com

The next software introduced is Wixie. They learn to click, drag, and drop and are introduced to the tools. Once they’ve mastered the tools (paint can, paint brush, shapes, spray paint) they start creative projects. Also, throughout the first 6 weeks of school students learn about digital citizenship, Media Balance, Digital footprint, and in general online safety.

Former students Violet and Ben are conducting a food drive in November to support our local food pantry as part of their DECA project at GHS. We hope you will consider donating items listed in the flyer above. Please note- we will start collecting the week of November 18th!

This Tuesday is picture day at NGES! All students will have their picture taken and the option to purchase pictures (a proof will be sent home later in the week). These pictures are also used for your students lunch/id card. Pictures will be taken first thing in the morning, and again when our afternoon prek students come in just after 12:30pm.

We are excited for the upcoming Fun Run on Wednesday! Families are invited to come cheer their child(ren) along during the posted times below. There will be 2 tracks set up for running, music, a visit from Waddles and so much fun to be had! Please note that this past week, all students should have received a lanyard, a keychain and a sticker about this weekends challenge as part of the event. During out lunch times, we share different videos about the Fun Run to get the students excited for it. The Fun Run is a team event that all students can participate in (whether signed up or not) and the videos discussed different character traits such as focus, self-awareness and respect. As a class, students will work together to create a team Flag which they will carry out to the walk on Wednesday. On Tuesday, we will announce the Principal's Challenge! If we meet our challenge, every student at NGES will have the opportunity to participate in the surprise after the Fun Run! It's not too late to sign up at www.mybooster.com

September was a fantastic month at NGES! Your children are truly amazing, quickly learning about our classroom and school expectations, procedures, and routines. They are eager to demonstrate their kindness, safety, and responsibility to their teachers and classmates.

This week, our word of the week is "self-control," a particularly fitting theme for this age group. Self-control is a crucial skill that we will continue to develop throughout our students' early years, from pre-K to first grade and beyond.

At this age, teachable moments for self-control arise almost daily. Whether it's impulsively pushing or hitting someone, throwing a material, knocking over someone's blocks, or running to be first in line, our teachers are skilled at conducting social conferences to teach students about the impact of their actions.

We're thrilled with all that our students have been learning this past month. Our prek friends are becoming more confident in their classroom routines and playground expectations! In Kindergarten, students just wrapped up their learning on how to be play experts in their classrooms! And in first grade, students have learned all about tools as well as the habit of character to help them be successful in their work. Make sure to connect each day with your child to see what it is they are learning and working on! While you may only get snippits in response, it sets the foundation for sharing about school so that when they are 15 years old you still get those snippits!

As we move into October, we're excited to host the NGES Fun Run, our Book Parade and to continue learning, laughing and enjoying everything there is to love about school!

That right- the FUN RUN is back! This event is our biggest PTG fundraiser of the year- helping to support so many amazing opportunities that PTG organizes! Our goal is for ALL students to sign up for the race and then to try to raise $50,000 (in conjunction with NSS) to offset the costs of all school enrichment events, field trips and so much more! Please take a moment to sign up HERE!

This coming Tuesday, our Prek students are heading to Houldon Farm here in Grafton to enjoy a hayride and pick a pumpkin to bring back to school to learn all about! If you have not already, please sign and send back your permission slip and use the QR code below to pay for the trip! We must have a permission slip on file for your child to attend!

Next month we will hold our parent-teacher conferences. These meetings are a great opportunity for parents to connect with teachers and hear about how your child is adjusting to school and to hear about all they are learning about at school. Please see below for the time frames in which conferences will be offered. By the end of this week, your child's teachers will have emailed out a link to sign up for a time that works for you. Additionally, I will send out an email for specialists conference links. We strongly encourage all families to make the time for these important meetings, as they set the stage for a strong connection between home and school.

Tuesday, November 5th: 9:00AM-3:00PM

Thursday, November 7th: 5:00PM-7:00PM

What is the SAC? A School Council is a representative committee composed of the principal, parents, teachers, and community members of a particular school. A council is required under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 59C. Together we support the school towards achieving it's goals for each school year! We meet once a month virtually and are currently in need of both a community representative and parent representatives.

Still interested? Email flynnjy@grafton.k12.ma.us

If you are dropping off or picking up (or even driving around town:), a friendly reminder that you SHOULD NOT ever drive around/past a school bus or van that is parked in front of you. While they should always have their sign up/out, lights on, we ask that while on school property you wait until they are done loading/unloading students and then follow the school bus/van out of the driveway. In the same way, we ask that you do not pull around any car parked in front of you at the pick up/drop off line, but rather wait for the car in front of you to load/unload their child and follow that car out. This is for the safety of all of our children!

North Grafton Families!

We're excited to introduce this year's main fundraiser, the North Grafton/North Street Fun Run. Our goal this year is to raise $50,000 for enrichment and field trips to benefit ALL students at North Grafton/North Street Elementary Schools.

We’re excited for this fundraising experience because it offers 3 important things to our school community: a user-friendly fundraising platform, a character enrichment program and a fitness-focused event that includes ALL of our students.

As a family, you will work together asking friends and family to donate on your student’s Donation Page at MyBooster.com. The best part is, you can still support our school just by SHARING about the fundraiser!

Students will also experience an amazing character enrichment program called “Castle Quest”, teaching students about how to be brave and live with character.

Thank you so much to everyone who reached out to be a room parent! Today, I reached out to all to share information about the role and next steps. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to all of the celebrations this year!

A few friendly reminders with regards to attendance;

1. Please consider taking family vacations during scheduled vacation weeks. If not, understand that your child will miss key instruction when they are out for a week or more, and it is not expected that teachers provide work ahead of time. Particularly at this age, nothing can replace their time in the classroom!

2. Please do your best to have your child at school before 9:00am. We begin accepting students at 8:45am. Teachers begin morning meeting at 9:00am and so if your child is late they will likely feel rushed trying to settle into the day as their classmates are already in the midst of an activity.

3. Please try to limit early dismissals. Our students are engaged right up until dismissal at 3:20pm.

That said- we understand illness will still happen and we thank you in advance for being mindful of keeping your child(ren) home when they are ill.

Hello NGES Rookery!

Thank you so much for joining your children for Know Your School Night at NGES this past week! We truly enjoyed hosting you and hope that you left feeling as much pride in our small school as your children do!

This coming Wednesday is the first 1/2 day for the district. Dismissal will be as follows;

AM and Full Day Prek: 11:30 dismissal

K/1 Parent Pick up: 11: 55am

K/1 Buses: 11:55am

Please let us know if anything is shifting in your child's after school plan with the half day.

Again, thank you for the excellent turn out at KYSN. Your participation in your child's education will go a long way and it all starts now! Looking forward to a great week ahead,

Julie

We are in need of room parents for the following classrooms:

Prek: Miss Buckley's PM class (needs 2)

Kindergarten: The following need 1 more! Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Martel, Mrs. Berg/Bond

Grade 1: The following need 2: Mrs. Denomme, Mrs. Gieser. The following need 1 more:Mrs. Guyette

If interested, please review the Room Parent FAQ! If after reading through the fabulous hopes and dreams of how you can support your child's class, if you are all in, please email me at flynnjy@grafton.k12.ma.us.

Friendly reminder that this Wednesday is a 1/2 day of school. If your child needs a bagel lunch please email Notestonges@grafton.k12.ma.us by the end of the day on Monday. The brown bagged lunch will be sent home in their backpack.

Interested in some NGES swag? A t-shirt, a hoodie? Check out our NGES spirit wear sale, HERE! We love to have spirit days here at NGES so order a t-shirt and wear Waddle's!

We are excited to welcome you yo Know Your School Night this Thursday! We will start promptly at 5:30pm in the cafeteria (for K/1) and Prek will start in their classrooms at 5:30pm.

Are you interested in supporting our school? Volunteering comes in many forms! Please review the volunteer guide that came home this past week and return the slip by September 27th!

Over the past two weeks, we have made several phone calls at/after dismissal has started as students have shared that they are taking bus (instead of pick up or Kidsborough) or vice versa. In some of these cases, the students bus had already left. Please understand, that if your child's dismissal plan is changing for a day, you must call or email Notestonges@grafton.k12.ma.us to let us know. We will not go solely on your child's word, as at this age, there are many factors into what they might be thinking! In order to ensure that all students arrive where they are expected, please complete the Transportation Form (if you haven't already) and please, send in a note or call if your child's dismissal plan is different on any given day.

Throughout the year as a school we learn a new vocabulary word each week. The focus of the words, is on the work we do around social emotional learning. We begin our Word of the Week by learning about the acronym C.A.R.E.S. which is part of Responsive Classroom which our teachers use to frame the community building of their classrooms and our school. Each week, we will follow a predictable schedule for the introduction of new words and you can engage and encourage your child as well. The WoW will be shared in Waddle's Weekly down below!

Monday: Introduce the word and it's meaning

Tuesday: Review the word and use it in a sentence

Wednesday: Wear the word Wednesday! All staff will wear the word and engage students around it.

Thursday/Friday: Find the word throughout the school! The scrabble board in the as well as all throughout the school the word can be found!

This past week, students across all three grade levels learned about the importance of exiting the building, should the fire alarm sound. Students were taught to stand up, walking quickly and quietly to the the outside and/or nearest door and to walk out with their teacher and remain quiet until further directions were given. As a school, we practiced the drill, without the actual alarm going off. The students did an amazing job! Within the next two weeks, the Grafton Fire Department will join us to practice with the alarm.

This coming Wednesday, all students will transition from their cars or their bus to what we call "Bus Community Meetings". During this time, students meet with two teachers and the students for whom they ride a bus with, or as a group of students who ride in cars to discuss the ways in which they can "Be Kind. Be Safe. and Be Responsible" when arriving and dismissing from school. Together, teachers will model and students will practice, and they will create and signed off on a set of expectations which we will present to each bus this coming week. Consider asking your child- How can you be safe, kind and responsible during arrival and dismissal?

Throughout the year, you might visit your child's classroom as a Mystery Reader, as a room parent or maybe to support our Book Fair. Please note that when visiting the building, you will need to provide your license as part of our signing in system. When you enter the office, please give your id to Mrs. Tauras and she will help you to scan it, and retrieve your personalized sticker!

Time has flown! Your children have transitioned nicely to school this fall! We’ve been busy establishing routines and expectations to help our school run smoothly. Our focus is on creating a positive, supportive environment where everyone feels safe, kind, and responsible.

To get a better sense of your child's first few weeks, try asking them these questions:

Q. What does it look like to be safe in the cafeteria A. Bottom on the bench, feet under the table. Only eat/touch your own food. Walk slowly when lining up. Use please/thank you!

Q. What does it mean to be responsible in the classroom? A. Take care of materials, use them as you have learned. Raise your hand to gain an adults attention. Follow the group plan.

Q. What does it mean to be kind on the playground? A. Invite others to play. Use kind words with all students.

Those are just a few ideas for questions! Each of the lessons teachers use to explicitly teach your child how to engage in routines and procedures in the school will focus around the goals of being safe, kind and responsible. As we begin our Word of the Week later this month, several of the words will align to our 3 goals! As you can see, we firmly believe that the social learning is as important as the academic learning. Teachers and students will be spending a significant amount of time in the next few weeks as well as throughout the year learning all about how to be a productive member of the NGES rookery!

We hope that your initial days of being back to school have gone smoothly as well! Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us!

A few reminders for our new to NGES/kindergarten students;

- Please pack 2 waters/drinks. A water bottle to have in the class and a drink for their lunch. Students do not travel from recess back to their classroom so they will need a drink in their lunch.

- Please LABEL lunch boxes!

- Please send in a labelled bag with a spare set of clothes!

- If your child's dismissal plan is changed for the day, please email Notestonges@grafton.k12.ma.us. We will not go by your child telling us of a change, we require an adult to let us know!

Please note that Picture Day for NGES is Tuesday, October 15th! Keep your eye out for a flyer in early October!

Drop off and Pick up has gone very well in the first week! Please note that as we head into next week, we will have fewer staff outside to assist. Last week was "All hands on deck" however we will now move into our typical schedule for staffing. Parents- please remain in your vehicles. Also- please do not pull your car out to leave until the car in front of you does, or a staff directs you to do so. Lastly- it is incredibly helpful to the safety of our students if you please have your child position to sit/get in on the curb side (behind the passenger seat). If you have not yet received a name card and you are a frequent pick/drop off- we plan to get you one this week! The best place to see it (as the person on duty) is attached to your visor- flipped down so it can be seen from outside.

For those families that are driving your 1st grade child to/from school, you must adhere to the following in order to make arrival/dismissal a safe and smooth process.

• When you arrive, please pull alongside the road as you travel in and stop prior to turning into the circle. Whether it is arrival time or dismissal, please stop and wait for us to wave you over.

• If there is a bus stopped along the road already, you may pull next to it, but do not pass it. We ask everyone (cars and buses) to stop on the opposite side, so that we can assess who to bring to the curb next. We typically try to bring the buses first, as they have a route schedule to keep. Look at the staff and they will let you know when to come forward.

• This also applies once you have dropped/picked up. It is against the law to drive by a school bus when their lights are on and the stop sign is sticking off of the bus. You must wait and then can follow the bus out as it leaves.

• Please place your name placard either 1. On your visor facing out, or 2. Front Right corner window.

Teachers will be compiling a class email list as a resource to you throughout the year. This is a great way to make connections for playdates, birthday parties, etc. If you do not want your email included in the class email distribution list, please let your child’s teacher know by Friday, September 6th.

In addition- please take time to review the NGES student Handbook HERE and please take time to update your demographic info, directions how are HERE! (This includes important info for if we need to reach you as well as your sharing permissions for photographs to be taken!)

If your child completed the Summer BINGO activity, please send in the completed BINGO sheet by Wednesday, September 4th!

While completing the online forms during registration, we ask parents for permission to take share pictures of students through SeeSaw (families in the class only) and on our school Facebook/Twitter site. I noticed this year we had a significant increase of people opting out of pictures. While this may be the actual response, given the high number, I will be reaching out via email to confirm with you! We are of course more than happy to ensure your child's picture is not shared however the significant increase to the number, we just want to double check!

Students at NGES love to get outside and play on the structure and playground. We ask that you please have your child wear closed toe shoes to school, so that your child(ren) can run, play and not have to worry about mulch in their shoes, and scrapes that can occur when wearing sandals. If you are wondering what the playground is all about, please review the "Playground Rules" that came home in your folder with your child. Recess staff and classroom teachers have been working to teach the students how to safely use the playground.

Students also love riding the bus to school. We talk at school about how riding the bus is a privilege. Students are learning the expectations for safety on the bus and you can help by reviewing our “Bus Rules” at home before they get on each day!

If your child is not attending school for the day or you have a change to their dismissal routine, call the school office at 508-839-5483 or send an email to Notestonges@grafton.k12.ma.us. Learning and adhering to school routines is an essential skill for our youngest students. Arriving late or leaving early can result in your child missing important community building and academic instruction.

Please refer to the Grafton School Committee Attendance Policies Below:

JE Attendance K-12 JE-R1 Student Attendance K-12

And just like that, we are heading back to school!

We look forward to welcoming our Kindergarten and 1st grade students during Open Door Day tomorrow! For our kindergarten friends who will be practicing the bus, please be mindful that the only "bus run" of the day is for Kindergarten students, so likely your pick up time will not align with the time posted on the Bus routes online! Tomorrow, the buses are scheduled to leave NGES around 8:30am, so all pick ups will happen between 8:30-9am. As soon as your child gets on the bus, parents should drive to school so that you can be there as the bus arrives to join them for Open Door Day. Grade 1 students- we look forward to your visit as well at 9:45am!

Prek Students- we look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday at your classrooms Open Door time!

For students who have recently registered- we are working with the bus company to ensure your child's bus stop is added prior to the first day of school. Mrs. Tauras will be in touch with you on Monday as soon as she has a confirmed stop!

Lastly, due to some construction on Waterville, the NGES phone system is currently down. There are plans in place to address the phones first thing tomorrow morning, but if you are in need of support and your call does not go through, please email taurasn@grafton.k12.ma.us or flynnjy@grafton.k12.ma.us

Looking forward to welcoming all tomorrow!

Julie

Please have your kindergarten student wear their penguin name tag the first week of school. If you were not able to make it to the popsicle social, their name tag will be on their desk at Open Door day! After the first week, please tie it to their backpack! It is helpful as students transition to and from cars!

Top 3 Items often forgotten the first weeks of school!

1. Two separate bags for SNACK and LUNCH! This includes two drinks- a water bottle to drink throughout the day and a drink in their lunchbox.

2. Spare set of clothes: it doesn't matter what grade your child is in, please send in a labelled bag with a spare set of clothes. It could be a milk spill, water on a slide or an accident. While we have clothes in the nurses office, students often prefer their own:)

3. Kindergarten: Name tags! Please have your child wear their penguin name tag on the entire first week (including Practice Day) and then tie it to their backpack after that!

Please click HERE to see a video of what our drop off and pick up looks like for Kindergarten! 1st grade looks the same- except you will drive into the larger circle! Please pull up and wait along the side until a staff waves you over! Our buses share the same space and we will typically try to pull the buses up prior to cars! A few helpful hints for dropping off and picking up;

• Students can be dropped off starting at 8:45am and parent pick up will begin at 3:20pm

• Please have your child sitting behind the passenger’s seat, with their backpack ready. They will exit out the back passenger side right onto the curb.

• Adults should remain inside the car. Your child will get in/out on their own, with support from our staff. Please follow this rule so that we can keep the line moving.

• Teach your children to buckle and unbuckle themselves. Start practicing now!

• We will provide you with a sign to post in your passenger side mirror for pick up. This will keep the line moving quickly!

• Please remain on the curb until the cars in front of you pull away and then pull away in a single line. This will help to avoid accidents!

• Picking up is exactly the same! Drive up and park along the curb. We will call your child via walkie talkie and they will walk out to your car. If they are able to buckle independently great, if not, we will help!

• Cars MUST NOT pass a bus that has it's "stop" sign out and lights on! If there is a bus in front of you (in the Grade 1 circle) you must wait until the sign has been pulled in and the lights are off before passing on the left.

Free Breakfast and Lunch: We are pleased to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students this year. This initiative ensures that every child has access to nutritious meals during the school day, supporting their learning and overall well-being. If you would like your child to receive breakfast, we ask that you please click HERE to sign up so that we can plan accordingly for the numbers!

Snack Times: In addition to the free breakfast and lunch, we have designated snack times for our younger students to ensure they stay energized throughout the day. We kindly ask that you send a healthy snack with your child to enjoy during their designated snack time. Please be mindful that we ask that snacks for the classroom be but free.

• Grade 1: Snack time is scheduled for 9:30 AM.
• Kindergarten: Snack time is scheduled for 10:10 AM.

Lunch and Recess Time:

• Kindergarten Recess - 11:45 to12:15
• Kindergarten Lunch - 12:15-12:40

• Grade One Recess - 12:15-12:45
• Grade One Lunch - 12:45 -1:10

If you have any questions or concerns about the meal program , please do not hesitate to contact us. We are committed to supporting your child's nutritional needs and ensuring they have a successful and enjoyable school experience.

It was so nice to meet new families at the Kindergarten Popsicle Social on Thursday Night!

We wanted to take a moment to share how our Parent Teacher Group (PTG) makes a meaningful impact throughout the year and how you can be a part of it!

The PTG organizes various fundraising events to support the school. These funds help enhance educational programs via enrichment programs, support our teachers and staff throughout the year. Every dollar raised goes directly towards enriching our children’s educational experience. We host numerous events from fun community gatherings to educational workshops, our PTG hosts events that bring families together and foster a vibrant school community. These events not only create wonderful memories but also strengthen our school spirit.

Your involvement and support are invaluable. Whether you participate in our events, volunteer your time, or contribute to our fundraisers, you are helping to create a positive and enriching environment for our children. We meet the first Wednesday of each month at 7pm in the NGES Library. Our First meeting of the year will be Wednesday September 11th.

If you haven't already, please "Like" our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ngesptg Where we post all about upcoming events, fundraisers, our yearly calendar and happenings at NGES!

Thank you for your continued support and dedication. Together, we make a difference!

For those who have had a student come through NGES in the past, we have made a slight change to our "Practice Day". This year, Kindergarten students will have the opportunity to "practice" riding the bus and then will meet a parent at school for Open Door Day. Click HERE to see what it's all about!

If your child requires medication to be kept at school, Mrs. Sudbey our school nurse asks that you please drop it off on Monday, August 26th! Medication should always be dropped off by a parent and never sent in a backpack with your child. Thank you for considering the safety of all students.

There is a lot of action around NGES this week! Final touches are being made by both Mr. C's (yes- we have two Mr. C's now!), teachers have begun to pop by, and the start of the 2024-25 school year is starting to take shape! As you begin to plan for your child's start/return to school, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!

All families, please click HERE to complete a a quick form to share out your anticipated transportation needs for your child.

*Please note that typically the bus schedules are released the week prior to the start of school. Once released, I will send an email, post on our Facebook account and the district will also post online!

If you have had any difficulty logging into your child's powerschool portal to learn about their teacher placement, please give us a call in the office at 508-839-5483 and we would be happy to help you!

Hello NGES rookery!

I hope this letter finds you and your family enjoying the warm days of summer. As the school year quickly approaches, I’m excited to share some updates and introduce myself to those who may be new to the NGES community.

First and foremost, I’m thrilled to welcome back our returning students and their families! It’s always a highlight of my summer to reconnect with our alumni and hear about their adventures. I just returned from being at Franklin Pierce University and there were about 10 NGES alumni at camp- it was wonderful to see them and hear how they have been doing throughout the years!

For those of you who I haven’t met, my name is Julie Flynn, and I’m honored to serve as your child’s principal at NGES. Outside of school, I’m a proud mom of four wonderful children. While this summer was filled with cheering on our daughters at soccer tournaments, we also found time to relax on the beach and try plenty of new ice cream flavors! Salty Oreo might be my new favorite at the Smuggler!

I understand that the start of a new school year can bring both excitement and apprehension. Please know that I am here to support you and your child in any way possible. If you have any questions, concerns, or simply want to connect, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I encourage you to explore our newsletter for updates on exciting events and activities. It's a fantastic way to stay informed and involved in your child’s education. I can’t wait to see all of our students’ smiling faces on the first day of school! Let’s make this an incredible year together.

Sincerely,

Julie Flynn

For those of returning to 1st grade, you received your teacher placement on your child's report card (scroll to the bottom of the report card and under the narrative it says Next Years Teacher:). For those entering Kindergarten and Prek, we expect that teacher assignments will be released on August 7th. Teacher assignments will be shared through your Powerschool Portal. For those new to GPS, directions for accessing your portal will be EMAILED to you prior to the August 7th. It is critical that you begin to learn how to use the portal, as this will be how you access your child's progress reports, report cards and teacher placements in upcoming years!

Teacher Assignments for 2024

Prek: Mrs. Dumas, Mrs. Williams, Miss Buckley, Mrs. Chartrand

Kindy: Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Bond & Mrs. Bergstrom, Mrs. Minardi, Mrs. Martel, Mrs. White

Grade 1: Mrs. Carr, Mrs. Guyette, Mrs. Denomme, Mrs. Gieser, Ms. Malone

We welcome our incoming kindergarten students and parents to join the NGES PTG and Ms. Flynn on Thursday, August 22nd on the playground! Stop by at 5:00pm to meet and greet other students who will be starting kindergarten too!

Our first graders and a parent are invited to stop by and meet your teacher, see your classroom and connect with new classmates! Open Door Day for Grade 1 will be held on August 26th from 9:45am-10:15am. Please note that while our Kindy teachers will be looking forward to seeing your children around school on the first few days, this is not a time to stop by for.a visit as Kindy teachers will be meeting and planning for the first day! They promise to find their students on Day 1 for a hug and hello!