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Good Evening Dunning Families,

We hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. There is a lot of excitement around the solar eclipse happening Monday, April 8. Please see our note below for more information.

Congratulations to our fifth graders on completing their first week of MCAS! This coming week our fourth graders will take their two days of ELA MCAS. Please see our notes below about tips for MCAS mornings at home. We thank you in advance for ensuring all students get on their busses or to school promptly, our hope is to start all MCAS tests by 9:30 am.

In this newsletter there is lots of information about upcoming PTO events and the upcoming art contest! See below! We will also have our separate spring PTO newsletter published tomorrow.

Let's have a great week! Five more days until April vacation!

Kathie & Kate

Kathie Lasky, Principal klasky@framingham.k12.ma.us

Kate O'Leary, Assistant Principal koleary52@framingham.k12.ma.us

Please check this calendar each week as new dates may be added.

April

Care & Share Collection - Spaghetti

Monday, April 8

• School Council Meeting (Rescheduled to Monday, April 29th 4:15-5:15)
• 4th Grade ELA MCAS Session 1

Tuesday, April 9

• 4th Grade ELA MCAS Session 2

Wednesday, April 10

• Parent Information Night - Walsh Middle School 6-7pm
• 3rd Grade ELA MCAS Session 1

Thursday, April 11

• 3rd Grade ELA MCAS Session 2

Friday, April 12

• Fresh Start Friday

Monday, April 15- Friday April 19

• No School Spring Break

Tuesday, April 23

• Keep Framingham Beautiful Art Contest Entries Due

Wednesday, April 24

• April PTO Meeting
• 5th Grade Math MCAS Session 1
  

Friday, April 26

• Yearbook Ad Fundraiser Due Date
• 5th Grade Math MCAS Session 2

May

Saturday, May 4

• 5th Grade Pasta Dinner

Wednesday, May 15

• Parents Night Out - Jack's Abby

We know there is a lot of excitement with the solar eclipse taking place tomorrow, April 8th. The eclipse will begin at 2:16 p.m., with the peak at 3:29 p.m. during our dismissal time. The eclipse provides an excellent opportunity for classrooms to engage in learning, conversation, and exploration. All educators have had solar eclipse resources and a link to watch the eclipse live with NASA shared with them.

In order to ensure safety for all of our students and staff members, we will not be organizing opportunities to view the solar eclipse outside. All recesses scheduled after 2:00 pm will take place indoors. Looking at the sun, even during a total eclipse can cause damage to your eyes. As our students and staff members do not have NASA approved safety glasses, we have shared various ways that the eclipse can be viewed safely as outlined in the Solar Eclipse S'more that was sent out to all district staff members and families: Solar Eclipse Resources. The safety and well being of our students and staff members during this exciting event is our priority.

When students leave school during the afternoon dismissal, we will be encouraging students to not look directly at the sun by saying, "While our eyes are meant to take in sunlight, direct viewing of the sun during this time can hurt our eyes. That's why it is very important not to look directly at the sun when you leave school today."

• FPS Smore- Families

• DESE Resources for the Eclipse

• Tips for Eclipse; the district cannot endorse the use of solar eclipse glasses for liability reasons, but pinhole viewers are okay!

• Here are some instructions through Scholastic.

• 4th Grade ELA MCAS Monday and Tuesday
• 3rd Grade ELA MCAS Wednesday and Thursday

• Make sure your child goes to bed on time so he or she is well-rested.
• Keep your routine as normal as possible. Upsetting natural routines may make children feel anxious or unsure of him/herself.
• Be positive and confident knowing your child will do his/her best.
• Plan ahead to avoid conflicts on the morning of the test

• Please have students leave all cell phones and electronic watches/devices at home. Electronic devices are not allowed during testing time.
• Get up a few minutes early to avoid rushing and make sure your child arrives to school on time.
• Have your child eat a nutritious breakfast (or encourage them to eat when they get to Dunning).
• Have your child dress in comfortable clothes.
• Be positive and communicate that this is your child’s chance to show what he/she knows. The most important thing is they try their very best!

It is important for all students to be IN ATTENDANCE and ON TIME.

Thank you for your continued support!

Organized by some Dunning fourth graders
Entries are due Apr 23, 2024- Please do not bring in entries before then!

Using the most common forms of litter, create an art project that inspires people to protect our planet.
Suggested items to use: plastic bags, plastic bottles, food containers and cutlery, snack wrappers from your own house or school

Entries will be displayed in the front lobby from April 23-26 and highlighted at the Dunning Community Meeting on April 26th. Judges will select 10 entries to display at Framingham's Cooler Communities Event on Saturday, April 27th for final voting. Prizes will be awarded in a number of categories including:

• Most Creative Use of Paper

• Most Emotional Display

• Funniest Message Delivery

• Most Colorful

• Tazia Mafira Award- Most Creative Use of Plastic

(She is waging war on plastic bags)

• Afroz Shah Award- turned the most trash into art

(He organized the world’s biggest cleanup)

• Sasina Kaudelka Award- “bring people together” message

(She is a community activist in Thailand)

• Stiv Wilson Award- art that tells a story

(He is an ocean activist that works at The Story of Stuff Project)

Criteria:

1. Entries must be no bigger than 13” wide and 13” tall
2. Entries must use mostly trash or recyclable materials that have been cleaned/rinsed
3. Entries must use the new KFB poster somewhere in the project- doesn't have to be the whole poster.
4. Your name, grade, and title of your project must be listed somewhere on your entry

Questions? Email Leigh Moore at lmoore@framingham.k12.ma.us

Fresh Start Fridays are back!!!! Join us on April 12, May 15 and June 7 for some coffee and treats at school drop off.

Please join us for this fun family fundraiser where our 5th graders will serve you dinner!

100% of the proceeds from this year’s pasta dinner go to fund our 5th graders’ field trip and other end-of-the-year activities. Reserve your seat at the “Dunning Trattoria” for just $5 per person or $25 per family. To sign up, return the form (that will be in backpacks this week) to your student’s teacher by Thursday, May 2nd withyour check made payable to: Charlotte Dunning PTO.

The sneaker drive is going well so far! The boxes will be setup in the hallways for the remainder of the year, so keep the shoes coming. We will also be sending home a flyer with more information this week. Thank you to all those who have donated so far!

Did you know that your gently worn sneakers could help the 5th Grade Dunning Class?
Well, they can and here’s how… We are participating in a fundraiser where there is nothing to buy or sell; All we need is your support and your gently worn, used, or new sneakers!

It’s hard to believe that an estimated 600 million pair of shoes go into America’s landfills every year! 100% of these shoes can be recycled and the majority of these shoes can still be reused. That’s why we have decided to start a sneaker drive fundraiser with GotSneakers. The sneakers that we collect through the GotSneakers program will help us raise much needed funds AND will keep sneakers out of landfills. Talk about a win-win!

Here’s how you can help:

Start in your and your family’s closets and gather as many pairs of sneakers that you no longer want; maybe you’ve out-grown them, they’re out of style, or out of season. If you and your household have 20 pairs, great! If not, don’t worry. You can ask your neighbors, friends, co-workers, and anyone in your social networks to help out. Every pair counts!

The sneakers that we all collect will help raise money to support our 5th graders' end of year activities AND will help our environment by keeping sneakers out of landfills.

Can we count on you?

Send your sneaker donations into school with your student. They will place them in the donation box outside their classrooms and the 5th Grade Parent Volunteers will pick them up!

• April: Spaghetti
• May: Juice Boxes
• June: Tuna

The Character Trait for the month of April is ACCEPTANCE!

Please keep your child home if they are sick. Children who are sick do not do well in school. They need to be home resting. Here are some reasons to keep your student home:

• Fever over 100.0

• Nausea or Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Coughing, not related to asthma

• Cannot stay awake

Over the last two weeks our school read the story A Day With No Words by Tiffany Hammond and engaged in a discussion about the story and its message. This colorful and engaging picture book shares what life can look like for families who use nonverbal communication, using tools to embrace their unique method of speaking. The story is written from the boy’s first person perspective and highlights the bond between mother and child and follows them on a day where they use a tablet to communicate with others. The book normalizes communication outside of verbal speech and provides an affirming representation of neurodiversity and autism.

Below are some important considerations to highlight in order to make this a learning opportunity for your child and your family.

1. People with Disabilities and the Tools they Need - Talk with your child about what they learned about the boy as they read the book. Explain/elicit that the boy does not use his voice to communicate. Share that the boy has a disability called autism and that is why he does not use his voice and uses a tablet to communicate with others. You can share that autism is a disability and explain/ elicit that the term disability means “a mental or physical condition that restricts an individual’s ability to engage in one or more major life activities (e.g., seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, communicating, sensing, breathing, performing manual tasks, learning, working or caring for oneself).” Explain that people with autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may have challenges with social skills (being and communicating with others), repetitive behaviors (doing or saying the same thing several times), speech and nonverbal/nonspeaking communication. People with autism/ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention. Emphasize that not everyone with autism is the same. Talk with your child about how the boy uses a tablet to share his thoughts with others and discuss how he uses the tablet because he does not use his voice to communicate. Explain that people with disabilities often need different tools so they can easily and comfortably participate in all of life’s experiences, including at school, home, clubs, games, work, activities, etc. Explain that people with disabilities (in this case, the boy who has autism) needs a tool like the tablet so he can communicate and share his thoughts with others. Talk with your child about other kinds of disabilities and the tools that people with disabilities need, which can include braille, a wheelchair, forearm crutches, ramp, hearing aid, captioning, American Sign Language (ASL), fidget tool, etc.

2. Nonverbal/Nonspeaking Communication - Talk with your child about how the boy in the book communicates with his family and others. Share that communicate means “to share thoughts, feelings or information to another person or group.” that the boy does not communicate by speaking (using his voice) and he does communicate using his tablet. In the book, the boy says, “I was born like this. No voice from my lips. I am Autistic.” Explain that the boy uses his tablet to communicate because he has autism and does not speak. For different reasons, many people who can and do speak also use other ways to communicate besides speaking (verbal communication). Talk with your child about the ways people communicate without using their voice. Examples may include: Using ASL, texting, using a tablet, drawing, using their face (facial expressions), using their body (body language), pointing, using their hands etc. Ask them if they have communicated today (or yesterday, or this week) not using their voice and share your own examples. To learn more, read together some or all of “A Note from the Author” at the back of the book on page 40. It is also important to share with your child that while people use nonverbal/nonspeaking communication every day, it is a different situation from the boy in the story and others who must use nonverbal/ nonspeaking communication due to their disability, in this case autism.

3. Acting as an Ally - Talk to your child about what happens when the boy and his mom go to the park and playground. Ask what they notice and wonder, and discuss how the other children do not play with the boy and one of the other moms says, “That boy is handicapped.” If you child doesn’t know, explain that calling someone “handicapped” is considered to be mean, rude, prejudiced and hurtful. Engage your child in a conversation about this by asking: How do you think boy feels when this happens? How does the boy’s mom feel? How do you know? If you were on the playground, how could you support him or help? Talk to your child about whether they have ever seen or experienced name-calling or prejudice/bias because someone has a disability, as the boy in the book has (he has autism and for some children with autism, they don’t verbalize/speak--see #1 above). Point out that in the book the boy’s mom said, “My son does not speak, but his ears work just fine. The words that you say go straight to his mind.” By saying this, she is acting as an ally. Explain that an ally is someone who helps or stands up for someone who is being bullied or the target of bias. Share ideas for ways they can act as an ally when they see bias, bullying or teasing and share your own thoughts and experiences about what you have done to intervene as an ally when you see bias or bullying take place. Make sure to emphasize there are many ways to act as an ally, including saying or doing something (as his mom did), reaching out to the target, not judging people, not participating in the bullying or bias, etc.

Whether you read the book aloud with your child or your child reads it on their own and you discuss it later, you can use these open-ended questions to deepen the conversation. Remembering not to judge their responses, listen thoughtfully and engage in a give-and-take that will help them expand upon their understanding of the book and its themes.

• What happens in the story?
• What does the boy say about the voices around him? What is your favorite or most memorable way he describes different people’s voices?
• When the boy shares that “I do not speak,” what did you notice? What did you wonder?
• What do you learn about why the boy does not speak?
• How does the boy let others know his thoughts and feelings? How does he communicate?
• What kinds of things does the boy like to do in the park? Do you like to do any of those things?
• What happens with the boy goes to the playground with his mom? How do the other children and moms react?
• What happens when one of the moms says about the boy, “that boy is handicapped.” (Explain that that woman assumes that the boy can’t hear what she’s saying and elicit/explain that the word “handicapped” is considered to be a rude, mean, hurtful and harmful term for people with disabilities, which your child might not know. Use “people with disabilities” or “has a disability” instead.)
• How does the boy’s mom feel when the other mom says this? How do you know?
• Why do you think the author wrote this book? What is the message in the story?

The following are other resources on people with disabilities, accommodations, ableism and identity.

• 6 Ways to be an Ally https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/6-ways-be-ally-en-espanol
• Ability, Disability and Ableism Educational Resources https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/ ability-disability-and-ableism-educational-resources
• Children’s Books About Ability, Disability and Ableism https://www.adl.org/education-and-resources/resources-for-educators-parents-families/childrens-literature?f%5B0%5D=topic%3A1576
• How Can I Help Children Appreciate Diversity? https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/howcan-i-help-children-appreciate-diversity
• How Should I Respond when Children Notice Differences in Others? https://www.adl.org/resources/toolsand-strategies/how-should-i-respond-when-children-notice-differences-others
• People with Disabilities and the Accommodations they Need https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-andstrategies/people-disabilities-and-accommodations-they-need-en-espanol
• The Tools I Need: Disability and Accommodations https://www.adl.org/resources/lesson-plan/tools-i-needdisability-and-accommodations

Dunning is PILOTING a COMPOSTING program and our students need your help. If you are able to assist our young learners in the cafeteria, on how to separate trash and compost, and you care about the future of our planet, please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!

Student Pick Up Procedure

If you arrive earlier before the dismissal bell rings, please wait on the sidewalk and not on the playground area. No one other than staff and students should be on the playground area during the school hours.

Dismissal Changes:

If you need to make a change to the dismissal plan during the school day or if you are going to be late to pick up, please call (not email) the school office. They will get the message to the teachers/staff.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL

For students going home by bus or van:

At dismissal time, students riding a bus or van will be called to line up at their designated bus/van location. Once lined up, students will be lined up while they await their bus to be called for loading. Each bus location will have staff members to take attendance of students riding the bus on that day and escort them to the bus.

For students who will be Parent Pick Up or Walking home:

There will be four dismissal locations for walkers or parent pick ups. At 3:30, we will begin calling students by their dismissal location one at a time. Parents should meet their child at that location at 3:30. Once students have been picked up, we ask that you leave school property promptly so that we can ensure proper social distancing, as well as keep the flow of dismissal moving quickly. Please note that all playground areas are closed during dismissal.

• Kindergarten (Door #15) - Kindergarten and siblings Parent Pick Up

• East Rear Door (Eastside Door #14) - Parents can park on Frost or in the front parking lot.

• Walsh Door (Eastside Door #12) - Back east wing door (room 18) parents can park in the Walsh parking lot. There will be a staff member on duty to release students to parents or escort walkers to the walking path to Walsh.

• Cornell Door(Westside Door# 7) - Back west wing door (room 33) parents can park at Cornell cul-de-sac. There will be a staff member on duty to release students to parents or escort walkers across the play area to the stairs leading to Cornell.

Early dismissal:

Signs at Dunning will inform family members picking children up early from school to pull up by the office, remain in their cars, and call the office. Ms. Pierson and Ms. Azevedo will answer your call and notify the homeroom teacher. Children will come out to you.

We are using a platform called Remind to help keep you informed! In addition to getting messages about our school, you may also be invited to join your child’s class for updates. Remind is a free service that allows you to get messages directly on your phone and to communicate easily with your child’s teacher(s) in almost any language.

Joining our school and your class on Remind is easy. You can choose whether you prefer text messages or smartphone notifications.

Signing up for text messages

1. Text our school code @dunningfps to the phone number 81010. (Be sure to include the ‘@’ symbol)

2. Reply to the text messages from Remind.

Signing up for smartphone notifications

1. Download the Remind app on your Android or iOS device. Click here for a link to the apps: rmd.me/a

2. Open the app and create an account (or log in if you already have one).

3. Tap the + by classes joined and enter our school code “@dunningfps”. (Be sure to include the ‘@’ symbol)

That's all you need to do to start receiving messages!

A few other things you might like to know:

• Remind allows for two-way communication in your preferred language! If you create your account with the Remind App and choose your preferred language - you can send and receive messages in your preferred language - even if your teacher is communicating in English!

• Our personal contact information (like cell phone numbers) will not be visible on Remind.

• You will always hear from me or your teacher(s) at the same number so you can save that number in your phone.

• All of our messages will be recorded in communication logs that you can access and download.

Here is a video demo to see how Remind works. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I'm looking forward to connecting with you!

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Estamos empleando una plataforma llamada Remind para mantenerlos informados. Además de recibir mensajes sobre nuestra escuela, seguramente les invitarán a unirse a la clase de sus hijos para recibir noticias. Remind es un servicio gratuito que permite recibir mensajes directamente en el teléfono celular y comunicarse con los maestros de sus hijos en casi cualquier idioma.

Es muy sencillo unirse a nuestra escuela y a su clase a través Remind. Puede escoger si prefiere mensajes de texto o notificaciones en el teléfono inteligente.

Cómo registrarse para recibir mensajes de texto:

1. Envíe un texto con el código de nuestra escuela @dunningfps al número de teléfono 81010. (Asegúrese de incluir el símbolo @)

2. Conteste a los mensajes de texto del equipo de Remind.

Cómo registrarse para recibir notificaciones en un teléfono inteligente (smartphone):

1. Descargue la aplicación (app) de Remind en su dispositivo Android o iOS. Oprima aquí para un enlace a la aplicación: rmd.me/a

2. Abra la aplicación y cree una cuenta (o inicie su sesión si ya tiene una cuenta).

3. Toque el signo + al lado de «classes joined» (clases matriculadas) e introduzca el código de nuestra escuela @@dunningfps. (Asegúrese de incluir el símbolo @)

¡Eso es todo lo que tienen que hacer para comenzar a recibir mensajes!

Algunos datos más que les podrían interesar:

• Remind permite comunicación en su idioma en ambas direcciones. Al crear su cuenta en la aplicación Remind, elija su idioma –así podrá enviar y recibir mensajes en su idioma, ¡incluso si el maestro solo habla inglés!

• Nuestra información personal de contacto (como los números de teléfono celular) no estarán visibles en Remind.

• Todos los mensajes y comunicaciones, mías o de los maestros, siempre llegarán desde el mismo número así que puede memorizarlo en tu teléfono.

• Todos nuestros mensajes serán grabados en registros de comunicación que ustedes podrán acceder y descargar.

Aquí puede ver un video que muestra cómo funciona Remind. Si tienen cualquier pregunta, por favor, pónganse en contacto conmigo. ¡Espero conectarme con todos ustedes!

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Estamos usando uma plataforma chamada “Remind” para nos ajudar a lhe manter informados! Além de receber mensagens sobre a nossa escola, você também pode ser convidado para junta-se à turma de seu filho(a) para receber atualizações. “Remind” é um serviço gratuito que lhe permite receber mensagens diretamente no seu telefone e se comunicar facilmente com o(a) professor(a) do seu filho(a) em quase todas as linguagens.

Juntar-se à nossa escola e à sua turma no Remind é fácil. Vocês podem escolher se preferem mensagens de texto ou notificações nos seus smartphones.

Registro para receber mensagens de texto

1. Mande uma mensagem de texto com o código da nossa escola @dunningfps para o número de telefone 81010. (Não se esqueça de incluir o símbolo ‘@’)

2. Responda às mensagens de texto da equipe do Remind.

Registro para receber notificações no seu smartphone

1. Baixe (Download) o aplicativo Remind no seu telefone Android ou iOS. Clique aqui para acessar o link do aplicativo: rmd.me/a

2. Abra o aplicativo e crie uma conta (ou faça o login se você já tiver uma conta).

3. Clique o símbolo de ‘+’ ao lado de “classes joined” (turmas a qual se juntou) e coloque o código da nossa escola “@@dunningfps”. (Não esqueça de incluir o símbolo ‘@’)

Isto é tudo o que você precisa para começar a receber mensagens!

Outras informações importantes:

• O “Remind” permite a comunicação com outra pessoa na sua linguagem preferida! E se você criar a sua conta no aplicativo “Remind” e escolher a sua linguagem preferida – você pode mandar e receber mensagens na sua linguagem preferida – mesmo que o professor de seu filho(a) esteja se comunicando em inglês!

• A nossa informação pessoal para contato (como números de telefones celulares) não será visível no Remind.

• Você sempre receberá notícias minhas ou do seu(s) professor(es) do mesmo número, então você pode salvar aquele número no seu telefone.

• Todas as nossas mensagens serão gravadas em registros de comunicação que vocês poderão acessar e baixar.

Aqui está um vídeo de demonstração para mostrar como o Remind funciona. Se você tiver alguma dúvida, por favor se sinta à vontade para entrar em contato comigo. Eu estarei aguardando para me conectar com vocês!

Important Links:

• Change in Dismissal Form
• Formulário de mudança de saída
• Formulario para cambiar el plan de salida de la escuela
• Housing Help
  
• Resources if You Are Struggling to Make Rent or Mortgage Payments

First Day of School 20020 Picture Album

Dunning's Got News

Field Day 2019

Kindergarten Sing Along 2019

Fond Farewell 2019

Kindergarten Winter Sing-A-Long 2019

Winter Warm Up Family Night, 2020

Grade 3 Wampanoag Visit 2020

Winterfest 2019

Readathon 2019

Fifth Grade Mug Exchange 2019

Hour of Code 2019

Spaghetti Dinner 2019

Grade One - Ocean World 2019

Monster Mash 2019

Cardboard Challenge 2019

Fun Run Grade 5 2019

Fun Run Grade 4 2019

Fun Run Grade 3 2019

Fun Run Grade 2 2019

Fun Run Grade 1 2019

Fun Run Kindergarten 2019

First Week of School 2019

Third Grade Recorder Concert 2019

Fourth Grade Steam Morning 2019

Sweetheart Dance 2019

Fourth Grade Immigration Day 2019

Movie Night 2019

Passport to Learning 2019

Winterfest 2018

Spaghetti Dinner 2018

Cardboard Challenge 2018