Thoreau Elementary School
*Belonging *Excellence *Engagement *Inclusion *Innovation
Family Updates - December 2023
Home of "Henry Husky"
Quote of the Month
Spirit Week - Beginning 12/18
Principal's Message
As we approach the halfway mark of this year, I wanted to take a moment to extend my gratitude to each and every one of you for the incredible partnership we've forged thus far. Your support and active involvement have been instrumental in fostering the thriving learning community we have here at Thoreau Elementary. Together, we've embarked on a journey that prioritizes joy, excellence, and connectedness. Your dedication to ensuring your child's attendance, engagement in learning activities, and encouragement at home has made a significant impact on their educational journey. It's because of our collaborative efforts that we're witnessing the progress and achievements of our students every day. Your trust in our educators, active participation in school events, and feedback have been invaluable in shaping our strategies and enhancing the overall learning experience for students. Your commitment to fostering a supportive and nurturing environment both at home and within our school walls truly embodies the essence of a strong partnership. As we move forward, I want to reassure you that our commitment to providing an enriching and safe learning environment remains steadfast. Together, we will continue to inspire, motivate, and empower our students to reach their fullest potential. Thank you for your continuous support, collaboration, and trust in us. Together, we will continue to create a positive impact on the lives of our students and uphold the spirit of excellence that defines our school community. Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season filled with warmth and happiness!
I've highlighted some additional information below for your convenience.
* The week of 12/18, we will have school sprit week and the themes are detailed below.
* Here's the CHA grounds survey that will be open until 12/15: https://forms.gle/14n69vNMGmVNjDRP6
* Thoreau Elementary School will host a feasibility study presentation on 1/17 at 7pm in the auditorium. CHA will present initial findings and solicit input from stakeholder groups. We hope to see you there!
* Thank you to all those who donated recess equipment!
* Follow the CMS building project here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2fpPBwFhOs&list=PL1TTzrWEKOOn8BIb14q1wF4vVwGxBizLg
* Concord Ed Fund: https://concordedfund.org/
* The recent Student Council video link can be found below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2fpPBwFhOs&list=PL1TTzrWEKOOn8BIb14q1wF4vVwGxBizLg
* In every grade level K-5, students have a dedicated snack time. Please send your child with a snack every day.
* SEPAC info: https://concordsepac.org/
* We all love our family pets but have had a couple of recent unsafe incidents on campus involving dogs. As a general safety reminder, during school hours, access to school grounds is limited. If you're picking up your child with a dog, please keep them on the sidewalk, or at a distance from the school and students. We have students in our school who have anxiety, triggered by animals, and additionally there are allergy concerns to be considered. I appreciate your attention to this.
* If changes to student dismissal occur, please send an email to the classroom teacher and secretaries (emails below) as early as possible. A note in the child's backpack can also be helpful. We ask that all changes take place prior to 2PM. If your child attends the Concord Rec program and there are changes made, please alert Concord Rec and the school. All visitors must ring the buzzer and check in at the main office with our secretaries for safety reasons. Thanks for your assistance with this.
* As you may be aware, our school district has welcomed many students from the homeless shelter. If you're interested in supporting the shelter's efforts, you can donate here: https://www.cccommunitychest.org/2023/03/14/emergency-shelter-for-families-experiencing-homelessness%EF%BF%BC/
* The following staff members and contact information may be of interest to you.
lcanale@concordps.org - Administrative Assistant
kbyrne@concordps.org - Administrative Assistant
rlevesque@concordps.org - School Counselor
jbasler@concordps.org - Assistant Principal
ssequeira@concordps.org - School Nurse
With Gratitude,
Principal Sparks
School Attendance
Husky Attire
Get Your Husky Swag
The Boosterthon Fun Run Is Coming!
PTG Annual Appeal
Photos From November
Turkey Trot Photos Linked Below
All K-2 Students Have A Lexia Core 5 Account To Access From Home
Freckle Program
Freckle K-5
Resources:
Webinar Videos:
- Smart Start Guide: Freckle
- How-to Webinar: Freckle Getting Started
- How-to Webinar: Freckle Interpreting Data
- How-to Webinar: Freckle Enhancing Instruction
Literacy Resources
* As we continue to build our collective understanding of best literacy practices, I want to share a link to the MASS literacy guide, which is a great resource, albeit a little overwhelming. We're so fortunate to have such amazing ELA and reading specialists right here at Thoreau to support all your great literacy work!
https://www.doe.mass.edu/massliteracy/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2fpPBwFhOs&list=PL1TTzrWEKOOn8BIb14q1wF4vVwGxBizLg
CASEL
Shelter Support Needed
Donate to the shelter
Please click HERE to view fall/winter donations for
families at the Concord Shelter.
Podcast
Raising Grateful Children
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6CQpofQWWdWu3MbJPHE37U
What does it mean to raise a grateful child? @AndreaHussong of @UNC joined the Harvard EdCast to share how parents and caregivers can create opportunities for children to experience gratefulness. Tune in for new episodes every Wednesday. https://x.com/hgse/status/1727313480074596675?s=51&t=qcCLdRXD2Zgu6WgRTDJ7bQ
Growth Mindset
A Message From Mrs. Levesque - TES Guidance Counselor
Growth Mindset
The practice of building a child's growth mindset in school has been happening for some time now. But as a parent or caregiver you might wonder, what exactly is a growth mindset and how can I promote it at home? Here is a helpful article that addresses these questions:
Encouraging a Growth Mindset in Children: Resources for Parents
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Rachel Levesque and I am the school counselor at Thoreau. I support students emotionally, socially and behaviorally. I also help connect families with community resources and financial support. Please feel free to reach out to me at rleveque@concordps.org.
The start of the school year is very exciting and a time when a foundation is laid for growth. Some families wonder about the new year ahead and what it will mean for their child. The following is a link to a guide from Responsive Classroom which outlines common developmental traits for children ages 4-14 in three different areas.
Responsive Classroom Developmental Traits
A more detailed version of this can be found in the book Yardsticks by Chip Wood.
Here's the town resource guide as well: https://concordma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/31959/2021-Resource-Guide
MCAS Schedule
Entry Plan
Building Request Form
Workshop Opportunity
Raising Healthy Kids In A Digital World
Watch the replay and download conversation starters
Weren't able to join the webinar? Watch the webinar replay and access conversation prompts to start meaningful conversations with your kid or teen about healthy technology and social media use.
Many thanks to those who were able to attend! We hope you'll join us for future webinars, including Parenting Strategies for Kids with ADHD on December 6 at 7pm ET. Registration link to come. Visit here for a list of other upcoming webinars.
About this webinar series: This virtual workshop was offered as part of a webinar series hosted by our mental health partner organization Cartwheel. Each webinar is designed to support parents and caregivers with practical skills to feel more confident in connecting with the children in their lives.
About Cartwheel: We partner with school districts to provide students and families with rapid access to mental health assessments, evidence-based therapy, medication management and consultation, and parent/guardian guidance. All of our services are via telehealth with licensed clinicians. We are committed to providing affordable care for everyone - including uninsured families and those covered by Medicaid. To learn more about Cartwheel's services, please contact a member of your school’s counseling or guidance team.
DEIB
From Our DEIB Director
A message from The Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Dear Colleagues, Students, and Families:
The first installment of Mr. Nyamekye's DEIB Newsletter is now available. Pages 9-14 highlight important DEIB-related updates as we begin the 2023-2024 school year. CLICK HERE to access the newsletter via Canva OR CLICK HERE for the PDF version of the newsletter via Google Drive (no sign-in required). A shared vision and commitment to our DEIB work is critical to sustaining our efforts across the school community. Our coalition requires continued collaboration, partnership, introspection, input and feedback. To facilitate this, we encourage you to continue using the DEIB Feedback Form, accessible via the following link: https://forms.gle/r1DfUvdMSNJSzrLH9. Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Nyamekye if he can be of any guidance or assistance.
Care Solace
If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs regardless of the circumstance. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential service provided to students, staff, and their families by Concord-Carlisle Regional School District. Care Solace’s team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in any language.
If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:
Call 888-515-0595 available 24/7/365
Visit www.caresolace.com/concord and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.
Nearly one in five children in the United States will experience mental illness in their lifetime (source: Center for Disease Control). World Mental Health Day, honored annually on October 10, was created to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilize support to improve the mental health of people around the world.
This year’s theme, “Mental health is a universal human right,” highlights the importance of global well-being in all aspects of governmental policy. The last few years have been taxing on the population, and many global citizens feel their mental health needs to be more of a priority - especially in those countries where so many are displaced or surrounded by wars.
In the United States, barriers to mental health services remain a significant hurdle to getting support. Advocating for equitable mental health systems for all will lead the path to positive global outcomes.
Concord-Carlisle Regional School District is committed to raising awareness about mental health and equitable access to quality mental health services.
Concord-Carlisle Regional School District partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students, staff, and their family members. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help you quickly find mental health or substance use treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of circumstance.
If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:
Call 888-515-0595. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365
Visit www.caresolace.com/concord and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.
Mystery Science Video For Kids
Book Recommendation & Read Aloud
Important Dates
PTG News
PTG Meetings will be held (hybrid) between 12-1pm once monthly (no December meeting). PTG Events Calendar includes all meeting dates and agendas. Sept 22nd will be our first meeting date - we hope to see YOU there!
Interested in rolling up your sleeves with us? We always have room for helping parents - please reach out to committee chairs or the leadership team (PTG Roster).
Leaders Needed! This is a critical year for new volunteers in both the President and Vice President roles (we are both sadly in our final eligible year of service). No experience necessary and mentorship included! A fantastic way to immerse yourself in the parent and school community.
You can always reach the PTG President at ThoreauPTG@gmail.com as a place to start for questions if you aren't sure who to ask.
PTG Executive Board
Erin Sahacic - President
Natalia Sternberger - Vice President
Elizabeth Morrison-Howe - Communications
Sandeep Pisharody - Treasurer
* PTG Calendar - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17f-ptDvb2h7bCzI0UGigUbwleKC1sZD5uZwu5cz0xZw/edit?usp=sharing
* Sign-up for the PTG membership toolkit - https://thoreauptg.membershiptoolkit.com/
Important Links
* District Calendar -
https://www.concordps.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Combined-Calendar-R.O.-6.12.23.pdf
* Strategic Plan -
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1skF_EWEu8mbWEcrGa3VbF5WPJ0povA2b_wQDwmTT7mU/edit?usp=sharing
* Thoreau SIP -
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15p-fNTqFe-DtLmHIkcRSPhfWFIJFi8F00jQ5T9Ga28g/edit?usp=sharing
* School Site - https://thoreau.concordps.org/
* District Site - https://www.concordps.org/
* Supply Letter - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UURTycDj6cvVePJzUtMbZ7RRmG7BiFWkjFVBLYf8SNs/edit?usp=sharing
* DESE School Profile - https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general/general.aspx?orgtypecode=6&orgcode=00670020
Contact Information
Julie Basler, Assistant Principal - jbasler@concordps.org
Lauren Canale, Secretary - lcanale@concordps.org
Kellie Byrne, Secretary - kbyrne@concordps.org
Rachel Levesque, Guidance - rlevesque@concordps.org
Sara Sequeira, Nursing - ssequeira@concordps.org
Michael Bordonaro, Head Custodian - mbordonaro@concordps.org
Email: jsparks@concordps.org
Website: https://thoreau.concordps.org/
Location: Thoreau Elementary School, Prairie Street, Concord, MA, USA
Phone: 978-318-1300