Dear R.H. Conwell Families,
Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend and the fall weather that is upon us!
National Custodian Day: October 2, 2021 is National Custodian Day. Students at Conwell wrote personal cards to thank Mr. Wolf for all he does at Conwell. We are very appreciative of all his hard work and keeping the building in tip-top shape! Thank you, Mr. Wolf!
Hitchcock Center: During the month of October, the district is partnering with the Hitchcock Center. A qualified teacher from the Hitchcock Center will teach STEM related lessons to all grade levels. Below are the grade-level themes and lessons students will learn about. These lessons will take place every Wednesday during the month of October. Make sure to ask your child about their science lesson!
PreK- Nature Connection
Lesson 1) Rainbow ‘Round Me
Lesson 2) Interesting Insects
Lesson 3) Camouflage Fun
Lesson 4) Getting Ready For Winter
PreK- K-Seasons Changing
Lesson 1) Colors and Changes
Lesson 2) Sorting Leaves
Lesson 3) Close Leaf Observation
Lesson 4) Leaves in the Fall
Grade 1-2 – Crawling Critters
Lesson 1) Meet the Insects
Lesson 2) Meadow Sweeping
Lesson 3) Friends in the Forest
Lesson 4) Perfect Pillbugs
Grade 3-4 – Animal Habitats
Lesson 1) What is a Habitat?
Lesson 2) Who Lives in a Habitat?
Lesson 3) Humans and Habitats 1
Lesson 4) Humans and Habitats 2
Grade 5-6 – Wonders of Water
Lesson 1) Who Lives Here?
Lesson 2) Get to Know Your Stream
Lesson 3) Water Wheel 1 Challenge
Lesson 4) Water Wheel 2 Challenge
Parent/Teacher Emails: Please note that teachers ARE NOT expected to return emails during the weekends. Teachers will check their school emails on Friday afternoon and then again Monday morning before school begins. Teachers have a 24 hour expectation to return an email during the work week (Monday-Friday). If there is an emergency or an immediate need to speak to a school member during the weekend or holiday vacation, please call my cell phone at 413-695-7893. Thank you.
Social Skills: The District is partnering with TDS from Amherst. TDS has 30 years of experience building a dynamic program that uses acting and rehearsal as a platform for engaging students, building character, and strengthening social skills.
Their curricula includes the Acting with Purpose social emotional learning program developed in the TDS clinics, TDS designed behavioral supports and modifications, structured practice for conversation and discussion, and integrated mindfulness exercises. Brian, our social skills facilitator, will visit classrooms every Wednesday.
Hilltown Mobile Market:
On Thursday, the Hilltown Mobile Market gifted each 3/4th grade student a $3 voucher to shop at the Market which is parked across from the Town Hall every Thursday from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.. Students in Mrs. O’s class learned about the business side of the Mobile Market, the farmers they contract with to get their produce, and how the organization contributes back to the Hilltown communities.
Check out their website: Hilltown Mobile Market – Hilltown Mobile Market
MCAS: Students in grades 3-6 will take the MCAS test in April and May. Please see the tentative dates for the Worthington students to test this school year.
- ELA: April 5 and April 7
- Math: May 3 and May 5
- Science: May 10, 2022
Preschool News:
- Preschool Paraprofessional: The district is seeking a paraprofessional for the preschool classroom. Preschool runs from 8:15 – 3:30, Tuesday – Friday! Please contact me at gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org for more information.
- Lunch Volunteers for Preschool: We are seeking one volunteer every day from 12:00 – 1:00 to help preschoolers with lunch and getting settled for rest time. This will allow for the preschool teachers to take a lunch break. Please email me at gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org if you are interested.
Substitutes: We are looking for classroom substitutes. Please contact the main office for more information.
Lunch: Until further notice students will eat snacks and lunch outside.
- Friday lunch: Caregivers are welcome to join Friday lunch. We are limiting lunch to three caregivers per class. The K-2 lunch begins at 12:00 and the 3-6 lunch begins at 12:35. Please sign up to attend Friday lunch using the following link. The next family lunch will be Friday, October 8, 2021. Please come to the front door and sign in at the office first.
- If you (the caregiver) will be purchasing lunch please include this into the comment section when you sign up. (Lunch on October 8 is: Meatball Potato Bowl, Green Beans, & Garlic Knot) School lunch costs $4.00. While attending family lunch, we expect that caregivers will sign in at the front office, will wear a mask while they are inside, and find a spot outside with their child. At that time, we ask that families be mindful of social distancing since masks are not required while outside.
Classroom Celebrations: Classroom celebrations surrounding birthdays, holidays or other special occasions are encouraged. If your child’s classroom teacher allows birthday celebrations or any other celebration involving food, please see the attached Food Share Policy for acceptable items to be brought in. Please let the school know if you have any questions regarding this policy.
Updates from the Nurse’s Office:
Instructions for returning to school while exhibiting illness symptoms / covid symptoms were sent home to all families this week. Please save this paper and refer to it if your child(ren) are exhibiting any symptoms of illness, even mild ones. Communication is key to keeping our school community healthy. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this notice sent home. You can find an electronic copy on the nurse’s office page of the school website.
Covid Update:
| R.H. Conwell Elementary School | |
| Covid-19 Dashboard | |
| As of September 30, 2021 | |
| Positive Cases in School | 0 |
| Internal Close Contacts | 0 |
| External Close Contacts in Quarantine | 0 |
| BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Tests Conducted (last 7 days) | 2 |
| Positive Cases in Worthington (last 7 days) | 0 |
| Positive Cases in Hampshire County (last 14 days) – Updated 9/30/2021 | 582 |
| Positive Cases in Massachusetts (last 14 days) – Updated 9/30/2021 | 22,175 |
Wellness Committee: The Wellness Committee will be starting up meetings again soon. The purpose of the Wellness Committee, in accordance with Massachusetts law 105 CMR 215.000, is to recommend, review, and help implement school district policies addressing school nutrition, nutrition education, physical activity, and related issues that affect student health. The Wellness Committee will meet 4 times per school year (dates TBD). If you are interested in sitting on the wellness committee, please fill out the attached survey with the days and times that are best for you by Friday October 8, 2021. Wellness Committee Survey
Upcoming Events:
October 4, 2021: 3:30 – PTO meeting PTO agenda Meeting 0ct 4 2021
October 7, 2021: Pizza Pick Up is from 3:10 – 5:00 p.m.
Virtual Curriculum Night and Open House at 6:00
October 11, 2021: No School
October 12, 2021: No School: Full Day Professional Development for all Faculty
October 14, 2021:
- 3:30 – 5:30 Equity Advisory Committee
- 6:30 School Committee
Have a wonderful weekend!
Gretchen Morse-Dobosz
Superintendent/Principal
gmorsedsobosz@hr-k12.org