PUBLICATION INFORMATION – Please submit any submissions for the Community section to: [email protected] by Wednesdays at 1:00. Online attachments must be compressed (less than 500KB) and in PNG format. Call x100 with any questions.
SCHOOL HOURS
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GRADE
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DROP OFF
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PICK UP – M-T-TH-F
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PICK UP - W
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Pre-K
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8:25
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½ day-12:30
Full day- 2:45
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11:30
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K-6
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8:15
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3:00
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1:05
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DATES TO REMEMBER
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Deadline to enter information for the Student Directory @ https://ses-directory.org/
September 24, 2021
Dear Families,
We are ending the first week of Autumn with a rainy day! Everyone seems ready for a weekend break! Lots of learning and hard work has been occurring and brains are tired.
A big thank you to the PTO for orchestrating the wonderful mums sale! They sold 240 mums! The profits from this fundraiser will continue to help SES with important things--like our Artist-in-Residence program!
Congratulations and THANK YOU to Darcy Rathbun and Jeanne Brown who were the two parent/guardians interested in being on our SES School Council! The School Council is not the School Committee. This council meets once a week and the main focus (though there are several) is to create a new school improvement plan. The first meeting of the School Council will occur in October. The committee consists of me, SES staff members Jody Brush and Debbie Lee, parent/guardians Darcy and Jeanne and a community member (TBD).
We are requesting that families not arrange playdates afterschool using bus transportation, particularly if students would be riding a bus they do not normally ride. We are trying very hard to keep assigned bus seats, distancing and bus cohorts consistent. This will help us if we need to contact trace for a COVID positive student who may ride the bus. Having other students on buses complicates this process, and also we can't guarantee there is enough space to adequately seat extra bus riders safely. We thank you for your attention to this request.
We had a few attendees last night at our COVID testing informational night. We currently have almost 65 students and 25 staff members signed up for the program. If you have continued questions around the program, please contact Katie Harrington (Nurse Katie) at harringtonk@shutesburyschool.org We have reattached the letters outlining the process and directions to sign up to this RTN for your convenience.
Next week we will hold our VIRTUAL Open House on Wednesday September 29th*. Classroom teachers will meet with families for 25 minutes to discuss some of the learning and expectations of their grade. We will stagger some of the times so that families will be able to attend older and younger student meetings.Teachers will be sending out an email invitation with a google meet link next week.
6:00-6:25 Kindergarten & 1st Grade
6:30-6:55 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade
7:00-7:25 4th Grade and 6th Grade
*Please note, the 5th Grade Open House virtual meeting was held successfully on Wednesday, September 22nd
Last Friday, a Nature's Classroom program came to SES to spend a day working with our 5th and 6th graders outdoors in our fields and woods. Students spent the day playing games, making mini-catapults, creating shelters and making mini civilizations. We have included a few awesome pictures for you to enjoy below.
Have a great weekend,
Jackie
Nature’s Classroom Photo’s 9/17/2021
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6th Grade Catapult
9/17/21
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Moose Cafe Lunch Menu
September 27- October 1
Monday: Korean Bar-B-Que Chicken with Potatoes & Vegetables or Lentil Burgers with BBQ Sauce
Tuesday: Pork Fried Rice with Vegetables or Veggie Fried Rice
Wednesday: Chicken Filet Sandwich with Cheddar or Falafel with Fries & Vegetables
Thursday: Chicken or Bean Burritos with Spanish Rice & Corn
Friday: Cheese Pizza with Salad
Breakfast and Lunch remain FREE for all students until June 2022. No snacks are being offered this year.
Salad, fresh vegetable and soup included with meal; alternate includes sides with meal
**Deadline for the Student Directory is this Sunday!**
Every year the PTO puts together a Student Directory so that parents and students can stay connected. All the information you need for playdates and parties is in one convenient place! It is very handy. If you would like your child’s contact information in the Student Directory, you must go to the directory website and enter your child’s information. The web address is https://ses-directory.org/ Please enter your information by September 26th.
If you have any questions, please contact me by email [email protected] or phone 413-336-1616.
Thank you,
Melissa
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REMINDER:When writing checks, please be sure to make them out to “Town of Shutesbury” and then in the memo line you can write in what it is for i.e., “Moose Lodge Club” or “Strings program” etc.
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The school year is off to a great start with many classrooms making use of our track in the upper field. Although we have not organized an official Moose on the Move Walking/Running club like we have had in the past, we encourage all staff and students to rack up "moose miles" by taking time each week to walk or run on the track duringschool hours. Teachers can report the amount of laps completed by students to Nurse Katie who will record them in our software system. Students and staff can earn prizes for milestones they've completed! We encourage participation and competition with oneself rather than with others. This is a great way for students to learn healthy habits and begin to understand how exercise can increase energy levels, stamina and positivity. Keep racking up those miles!
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During recess, we will be setting up traffic cones from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday and from 11:45 AM until 12:45 PM on Wednesday to eliminate any vehicles turning around near the playground areas. Thank you!
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Dear SES Families and Caregivers:
As we begin this new school year, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is needed now, more than ever, to address the needs of the whole child. SEL is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
SEL has been proven to increase grades, attendance, and focus, while reducing aggression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other issues. The program we have adopted, Choose Love for Schools, plays an important role in promoting students' social and emotional wellbeing and academic and personal success. We will be meeting with each class individually for targeted Choose Love lessons and the classroom teachers will incorporate Choose Love throughout their days and weeks with the students.
Students will learn how to thoughtfully respond by choosing love. The program’s foundation is a formula: Courage + Gratitude + Forgiveness + Compassion in Action = Choosing Love. We use courage daily to choose love over fear. Practicing gratitude helps us focus on what we have. Forgiveness is the key to healthy relationships and compassion in action helps us connect with and help others.
We hope you will share in this journey with your children, asking questions about what they have learned and enjoying the benefits of the program as well. Please check out the Choose Love At Home Program for families and caregivers. www.chooselovemovement.org.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us for more information.
Choosing love,
Jessica Carlson-Belanger Amadee Meyer
School Adjustment Counselor School Psychologist
[email protected] [email protected]
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Shutesbury Library News
The Library has a small collection of passes to area museums and attractions.
The newest pass is to Mike’s Maze in Sunderland! The Maze is openFridays: 11am – 5pm(attractions and other extras are not available on Fridays),Saturdays, Sundays, & Columbus Day: 9am – 5pm
The Library has two passes that admit two people each.To make them available to as many households as possible, we are limiting checkouts to one per household per season and it is first-come, first-served.Email[email protected]or call 259-1213 to learn more.
Visit our website to learn about other passes.https://sites.google.com/site/mnspearmemoriallibrary/passes?authuser=0
Storywalks®
The Library has been placing new Storywalks® on the Town Common, in the field behind Town Hall and around the SES track, since April. We change the stories in the center of town every other week and the one at the track weekly.
Friends of the Library Clothing Drive
The Friends of the M.N. Spear Memorial Library are raising money for a new Shutesbury Library! Please donate gently used clothing, accessories and household linens. Bring your contributions to Town Hall, Sunday, September 26th, 10 am – noon.
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SHUTESBURY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
September 17, 2021
Dear SES Families,
Please see the attached letter from the state for information about our school’s participation in the statewide COVID-19 testing program. We hope to have these services up and running in the next two to three weeks. No students will ever be tested without parent/guardian consent.
To give permission for your student to participate in the program, please follow these steps:
- Click on this link
- Scroll down on the page until you see “Step 1: Select your school district”. On this scroll down menu, select ERVING.
- Under “Step 2: Select your school”, click on Shutesbury Elementary School from the scroll down menu.
- Click on “Sign Consent Form For a Minor.”
- Review and sign the consent form.
Let us know if you need a paper copy of the consent form.
We understand that families continue to want more information before making a decision regarding school based testing. We will be hosting a virtual information session on the COVID-19 testing program next Thursday, September 23rd, from 7:00-7:30pm . There will be a short informational presentation followed by time for families to ask questions. This meeting will be held on google meet and you will receive an email with the link next week.
Thank you,
Jackie Mendonsa, School Principal
Katie Harrington, School Nurse
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
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75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906 Telephone: (781) 338-3000
TTY: N.E.T. Relay
1-800-439-2370
Jeffrey C. Riley
Commissioner
September 17, 2021
Dear Families,
Thank you for your continued support as we kick off the 2021-2022 school year. At Shutesbury Elementary School, keeping your students safe and in school is our top priority. We have learned a great deal over this past year and our current guidance and procedures reflect the most updated recommendations from the CDC and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
For the 2021-22 school year, we are offering an extra layer of protection to prevent the spread of COVID-19, our COVID-19 testing program at school. This program has three components: symptomatic testing for students who show symptoms of COVID-19 at school, routine COVID safety checks to prevent the spread of the virus undetected among students who are not showing symptoms, and test and stay for students who may have been exposed while in school but are not showing symptoms. Each of these is a quick, non-invasive nasal swab that is collected under the supervision of a school nurse or trained health provider. Unlike COVID-19 tests of the past, these are not uncomfortable and easy for students to do themselves.
Students only participate with permission from a parent or guardian. It is important that you are fully informed regarding the process and that we can answer any questions that you might have in advance of asking you to sign the consent form. Below we describe each of the three parts of our testing program, how they are conducted, and what they are used for.
Symptomatic testing is used when a student is showing symptoms of COVID-19 during school; students should not come to school if they are feeling sick while at home. Some symptoms of the virus look identical to other illnesses like the cold or flu, and this test tells us whether a symptomatic student has COVID-19 or not. This is a rapid test, and we receive the results of this test within 15 minutes. If a student has minimal symptoms and tests negative, they can remain in school.
Routine COVID safety checks minimize disruption to learning by helping us catch potential spread of the virus before it starts. Each student administers the safety check on a weekly basis. Samples are collected at school in groups of 5-10 individuals. The samples are group together at school OR in the lab. Once the samples get to the lab, all the samples in the group are tested for COVID-19 together. In almost all cases, it will take less than 24 hours to receive safety check results. Students can continue to come to school while awaiting safety check results; they do not need to quarantine while awaiting results. If a safety check test is positive, the lab will automatically process each individual sample to determine which student(s) in the group
produced the positive test.
Test and stay allows students who have had close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 while at school to stay in school if the student is not showing symptoms. Instead of needing to quarantine and miss school, these students will take a daily rapid test while they remain in school as long as they are not symptomatic. Students participate in test and stay for at least five days after they may have been exposed.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they must isolate at home for the CDC-recommended ten days since symptoms appeared or ten days after the positive test before returning to school. The student must also be without a fever for 24 hours.
Although students who are vaccinated are much less likely to spread or contract the virus, it is important for us to create an inclusive environment for both vaccinated and unvaccinated students.
To participate in the program, you must sign the consent form HERE on behalf of your student. There is no charge for participating.
To learn more about our COVID-19 testing program, please visit
https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma?district=null. If you have additional questions regarding the program, please contact Katie Harrington at [email protected] or (413) 259- 1212.
It is our hope that these measures will work together to keep our schools safe and your students in school. Thanks again for your support during this challenging time.