Maple East Elementary
The Lion's Pen Bi-Weekly Newsletter- December 20, 2024
William P Bohen, Ph.D, Principal
Greetings from Maple East, and Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones! Below you will find a number of school updates for you this week:
Community Outreach
This month, our students were able to make cards and artwork that were sent to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amberleigh, and Cantebury Woods to brighten up everyone's spirits. Take a look at pictures of this initiative in the "Videos and Pictures" section of today's edition.
Clothing and Gift Drive
Thank you to all those who donated to our annual Clothing and Gift Drive benefiting underserved school communities in the Buffalo area. This year, we partnered with School 45 and the Harvey Austin School in the city of Buffalo. The school communities were very much appreciative of our efforts and we have already received many notes of thanks. Thank you again to everyone who donated for your generosity and support!
PTA General Meeting
Please join us for our next PTA General Meeting on January 15, 2024. Our Guest Speaker will be Mrs. Linda Ruest, WCSD Director of Professional Learning, who will be sharing information about DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs in the District.
Just Announced: PTA Ice Skating Night
Please join us for our annual PTA sponsored Ice Skating Night on Friday January 31 at the Northtown Center from 4:00-7:00 PM. The event is free. Rentals will be available for a small fee.
New Social Worker
Please join us in welcoming Ms. Nichole Klatman to Maple East as our new School Social Worker. Ms. Klatman comes to us with successful experience as a School Social Worker at Maple West and Williamsville East. We are excited to have her join the Maple East team. To learn more about Ms. Klatman, please see the Wellness Update in today's edition.
Winter Break: No School
As a reminder, we will have no school starting tomorrow, Saturday December 21. School will resume on Monday January 6.
Reminder for Pick Up
Please remember to always have ID when coming into school as you may be required to provide it when picking up your child.
Visitor Sign In Procedure
Recently our district implemented the new Raptor System for visitors coming into the building. With this new procedure, you will need to provide photo ID that will be scanned into the system. Once you are scanned the first time, subsequent visits will only require us to sign you in with your last name.
Attendance Reminder
If your child will be out sick, please be sure to contact the Attendance Office via WITS Mail or by calling 716-626-8800/option 1.
Dismissal Reminder
If there is any change to your child’s regular dismissal routine, please call the MAIN OFFICE at (716) 626-8801 as teachers may not always get the message in time for dismissal.
Parking Lot Reminders
Just a reminder that cars are NOT allowed in the Bus Loop in the morning to drop off students. Please remember there is no entering the Bus Loop BEFORE 8:30am or AFTER 1:30pm. Cars are also NOT allowed in the Handicapped section of the parking lot unless you have the proper parking tag. When parking there, be sure to have your tag displayed in clear view if you’re using those spots.
Joelle McCormack, RN, School Nurse
Respiratory Illness Health Reminders
As the cold and flu season continues and we experience an increase in cases of COVID, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza (the Flu) and other respiratory illnesses, please take a few minutes to review the health information below which outlines important information to keep your family and the school community as healthy as possible.
Stay up to date with Influenza and COVID-19 vaccines.
Stay home from school, work, daycare and other activities if you are sick.
Consider wearing a mask that covers your nose and mouth if you have symptoms of respiratory illness – coughing, stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat.
Staying hypervigilant, especially for those who live with higher risk individuals: infants, older adults, pregnant people, and people born pre-term or those with underlying health conditions.
Wash your hands often with soap and hot water for least 20 seconds to protect yourself from germs and avoid spreading them to others.
Do not cough or sneeze into your hands. Instead, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Teach and remind children to do this, too.
Carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol to use when soap and water are not available.
Respiratory illnesses can cause mild to severe illness. Most cases will resolve on their own within seven to ten days, but some cases may require hospitalization.
Please monitor your child for the following symptoms:
- fever or feeling feverish/chills
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuff nose
- muscle or body aches
- headache
- fatigue
- some may experience vomiting and diarrhea
Children experiencing the following symptoms require immediate medical attention:
- fast breathing or trouble breathing
- bluish skin color
- not drinking enough fluids
- very sleepy or lethargic
If your child develops the above symptoms, please do not send your child to school. Instead, please contact your child’s health care provider, for a prompt and proper diagnosis and treatment. Young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and those with chronic medical conditions such as heart and lung disease, asthma or diabetes are at higher risk for a more severe illness and complications such as pneumonia, ear infections, and dehydration. A child with a respiratory illness may return to school 24 hours after the child’s last fever and when the child is well enough to learn. For return to school following a diagnosis of COVID, please refer to CDC isolation guidelines at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html
The best way to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses is to wash your hands frequently with warm soap and water, refrain from putting your hands to your face and mouth, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school nurse or your child’s health care provider. For additional information, please visit the NYS Department of Health website at
https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/respiratory_syncytial_virus/understanding.htm
DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and SDM (Shared Decision Making) Committees Update:
Check out our new Heritage Wall, a collaborative project among our DEI and SDM Committees at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPpKQ-z3pQs
DEI 2024-2025 Members:
William Bohen, Principal (Chair)
Amanda Komaromi, K Teacher
Amy Newkirk, 1 Teacher
Shannon Maranto, 2 Teacher
Nicole Famiglietti, 3 Teacher
Rebecca Milne, 4 Teacher
Kristen Rauth, Special Education
Clare Hart, School Librarian
Katie McFarland, ESOL
Linda Kane, School Counselor
Laura Beauregard, Parent Representative
Maria Chavan, Parent Representative
DEI Meeting Dates: 10/29, 12/17, 3/25, 5/20
DEI Update: We met on December 17,2024. At this meeting, our third grade representative shared with us a new project that was done at the grade level this month. Third grade students researched a custom, holiday, or special family tradition and presented to classmates and parents this week at Maple East. We had dozens of parents visit the school to see these presentations. Feedback from students, faculty and parents was very positive and the team hopes to make this an annual tradition. We also discussed plans for our upcoming Heritage Month in March 2025. Finally, we reviewed a teachers guide that will include lesson plans for teachers to have class discussions about our Heritage Wall.
SDM 2024-2025 Members:
William Bohen, Principal
Kristy Giardina, Assistant Principal
Katie McFarland, Teacher (Chair)
Jennifer Grohusko, Teacher
Jennifer Wulf, Teacher
Kimberly Beck, Support Staff
Elizabeth Astridge, Parent Representative
Dana Moore, Parent Representative
Kara Buscaglia, Parent Representative
SDM Update: We met on Thursday, November 14 to continue our discussion on our new Heritage Wall and start the development of aligned lessons for students. We started the development of a "Teacher's Guide" for our Heritage Wall, that will eventually contain lessons for elementary students that are aligned with our social studies, ELA, SEL, and DEI initiatives and programs. We will also be adding a QR code survey for new families to add any country and/ or language that is important to them. We hope to develop a pamphlet for new families that contains the QR code, and background information about our Heritage Wall. Any new countries and/ or languages will be added to the Heritage Wall for families that fill out the survey. We will meet again in January to finalize the Teacher's Guide.
SDM Meeting Dates: 9/25, 11/14, 1/22, 3/18, 5/7
District News:
Extracurricular Information
Community Education Programs at Maple East, click on link below:
https://www.williamsvillek12.org/departments/community_education/index.php
Calendar: December 2024/January 2025
Every Friday is Wear Blue (or Bills) Spirit Day!
Monday, December 23 - Friday, January 3rd
Winter Recess/ NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, January 15
6:30pm PTA General Meeting
Friday, January 17 - Thursday, January 23
PTA Book Collection for Used Book Shop
Thursday, January, 23
PTA PARP Begins
Friday, January 24
PTA Used Book Shop (during school day)
Friday, January 31
4:00-7:00pm PTA Ice Skating Event
Grade 3 & 4 NYS ELA & Math Testing
Thursday, May 1 - Friday, May 2 ELA Gr. 3-4 Testing Window
Thursday, May 8 - Friday, May 9 Math Gr. 3-4 Testing Window
Main Office:
William P Bohen, Ph. D, Principal
Kristy Giardina, Assistant Principal
Laura Mietz, Senior Clerk Typist
Cynthia Carlino, Clerk Typist
Kimberly Beck, Part Time Clerk Typist
Phone: 716-626-8800
Fax: 716-626-8808
Attendance:
Jennifer Thompson, Attendance/ Health Office Aide
Phone: 716-626-8800, Option 1
Health Office:
Joelle McCormack, RN, School Nurse
Phone: 716-626-8810
Fax: 716-626-8831
School Website:
https://mapleeast.williamsvillek12.org/
Class Dojo:
Address:
1500 Maple Road
Williamsville, NY 14221