The last day of school for kindergarten students is Wednesday, June 5th and the last day for grades 1-4 is Friday, June 14th (early release day)

Our Specialist Showcase for Grades 1-4 was a success. Thank you to everyone that was able to attend as our students did an amazing job!

Despite the change in venue due to the weather, the students and staff did an awesome job at our annual Fun Run.

PTO Elections took place in May. Please see the message below about next year.

The Garden Club is having a plant sale. They are also looking for weekly volunteers to maintain the garden during the summer.

Student Council's Spirit days are coming. Please see the Whale of a Week flyer below.

Willett Families!

Please hear us say a HUGE “Thank you!” to our students, staff, and donors for this incredible Willett Fun Run fundraiser.

Here are our final stats:

• 💲 We raised $19, 224 for a fence for the garden and an outdoor classroom pavilion. This will directly impact our students and staff!
• 🤯 Our students completed 9030 minutes combined to help our school!
• 🥳 We celebrated our community coming together and created unforgettable memories at our Fun Run event.

Thank you for your support of our school. We’re grateful for our Willett community!

P.S. Giving will remain open for one more week. If you’d like to continue to give and share, head to MYBOOSTER.COM today.

We are thrilled to announce the new lineup of dedicated individuals who will be leading the charge for the 24/25 School year. Each member brings unique skills and enthusiasm to their respective roles, ensuring that our organization continues to thrive and serve our school community with excellence.

🌟 Meet Our New Board Members:

🔹 Kait Nardini, President

🔹 Erica Little, Vice President

🔹 Darcie Schillinger, Treasurer

🔹 Andrea McCaughey, Secretary

🔹 Erin DiBacco, Fundraising Coordinator

🔹 Molly Cornetta, Volunteer Coordinator

🔹 Cindy Kenney, Content Coordinator

🔹 Meghan McHealy, Book Fair Coordinator

🔹 Cindy Selinger, At-large Member

But wait, there's more! We're always on the lookout for individuals who want to join our team and contribute to our mission of creating a vibrant and supportive school community. There are countless incentives to becoming a member of the PTO. Not only do you get to create meaningful connections and build a sense of community, you also get to engage in rewarding work that directly benefits our students and school.

If you're interested in joining our team and/or attending our upcoming Summer planning meeting where we'll brainstorm ideas for the upcoming school year, we would love to hear from you! Reach out to us at willettptopres@gmail.com for more information.

Together, let's make this upcoming year the best one yet for our students, our school, and our community!

Warm regards,

The Willett Elementary PTO

• New this year, all eligible students, including Kindergarten and First grade, who wish to ride the bus to/from any of the Attleboro Public Schools MUST complete the Transportation Application to secure transportation. The only exception to this is for those with specialized transportation needs listed in an IEP. Families should refer to the email sent on May 3, 2024, or visit the APS Transportation website for details: https://www.attleboroschools.com/o/apswc/page/transportation

Updated Guidance for Respiratory Viral Illnesses

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has updated recommendations for schools and the general public to prevent the spread of any respiratory viruses. There are no longer any statewide isolation or quarantine requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19. This aligns with the March 1, 2024, updated guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The new guidance applies to any respiratory viral illness such as Covid, Flu or RSV. Symptoms of a viral illness include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache.

The new guidance states that even with a positive Covid test, individuals may return to school/work and resume normal activities when:

● they have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) AND

● symptoms are improving.

For additional information – please refer to the student handbook under “School and Illness: When your Child Should Stay Home.”

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school nurse.

Join us on May 28, 2024, for a presentation on the Basic Rights in Special Education and Meaningful Parent Participation. This presentation will provide an introduction to parents' rights and responsibilities under current federal and state special education laws, along with tools to help parents participate in their student’s education. Multi-lingual captions will be available. Please see this flier for more information

Register now: http://tinyurl.com/APSBasicRights24

May

27 - No School - Memorial Day

June

3-7 Student Council - Whale of a Week

5 - Kindergarten Students Last Day

7 - Field Day (Grades 1-4)

10 - PTO Ice Cream Social (6:30)

14 - Last Day for Students Grades 1-4 (12:25 Early Release)

Please enjoy reading this year's Annual Report Card for the 2023-2024 school year.

• Any resident of Attleboro or student attending the Attleboro Public Schools (through a guardian) can access the William James College INTERFACE Referral Service. The INTERFACE Helpline helps individuals in subscribing communities become connected with outpatient mental health and wellness resources.
  
  Through the Helpline that operates from 9 AM- 5 PM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 8 AM- 6 PM on Tuesday and Thursday, callers will complete an intake which takes about 15-20 minutes and then within a day or so of their call will be assigned to work with a Resource and Referral Counselor who will help them navigate the challenges of finding mental health services, including obtaining a referral match to an outpatient provider, as well as information and resources related to mental health and wellness. Please see What to Expect When You Call the Helpline or visit interface.williamjames.edu for more information.
  
  The INTERFACE Helpline is not an emergency service. If you or the person you are seeking to assist requires a crisis response to meet immediate safety needs, please call 988, 911, go to your local emergency room, or find your local crisis services by calling 833-773-2445 and asking for crisis support.

Sebastian, Nora, Liana, Elyssia, Anissah, Liana

If your child has medication in school this year, you will be receiving a packet of forms for next year. Please do not have the physician write medications orders until AFTER July 1st so that they are valid for the 2024-2025 school year.

All student medications in the health office must be picked up by an adult. The health office will be open on June17th until 2:30pm for medication pick up. Medication that is not picked up by June 17th must be discarded.

Thank you and have a wonderful Summer!

Please see these important newsletters for information about our Title I programming.

Title I Home School Compact

Title I Family Engagement Plan

Students have begun wearing smart watches in school. What follows below is the language from page 27 of the Student Handbook.

Students are not allowed to capture photos, voice recordings, or video images of any person(s) in the school building at anytime. This includes film and digital cameras, laptops, the video component of a video phone, photo, or video recorders, or through the use of any other technology used to capture photos or record video images. Exceptions can be made for students fulfilling the requirements of an activity assigned by a teacher.

The secret use of sound or videotaping devices is illegal (MA General Law Chapter 272 section 99). Videotaping or sound recording a class or individual without the permission of everyone involved is a criminal offense with severe penalties. Students engaging in such activities will be subject to disciplinary action. The inappropriate use of a video or picture cell phone is prohibited at all times; and may also be subject to the Cyber Harassment Policy.

All personal devices must be stored in backpacks and accessed only with permission of the educator for educational purposes. Personal devices are the responsibility of the student to keep safe and operational.

Please note that even though meals will be free for all students this school year, it remains essential for families who believe they qualify to complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2023-2024 school year. Visit our Food Services page to learn more and Apply Online: https://www.attleboroschools.com/o/aps/page/food-services2

New School Year Information

Please check out this highly informative back to school information from the district.

https://www.attleboroschools.com/o/apswc/page/for-families-aps-welcome

Free / Reduced Lunch Applications

Much like the transportation application process, we will not be sending home paper copies of the SY 23-24 Free/Reduced Lunch applications this year. We will be sending out a series of notifications to families with this information and it is included in the New School Year Information document above. We will send a small number of paper applications to each building so that you have them available if they are requested. Lunch applications can be completed online and are found on the Food Services webpage here: https://attleboropsma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/aps/page/food-services2