R.H. Conwell Elementary Community Newsletter 10/25/2024

Dear Community:

Wasn’t the weather absolutely perfect this week? The students certainly enjoyed the various opportunities for learning outside while the weather has been perfect!

Students in Ms. Sam’s kindergarten class spent some time in the kitchen with Ms. Ashley. Together they prepped and cooked pear crisp. It was delicious!

Fire Drill: This afternoon at approximately 1:15, we had an unannounced fire drill. Fire Chief Dondiego said that the students did an amazing job evacuating the building and listening to their teachers. A big thanks to the Chief and his staff for helping our school practices these drills!

CAR POOL: Are you a school choice family? Looking for drop off and pick-up help in a pinch? Need less driving on half days? Mallary Crossman, parent of three R.H.Conwell students, is volunteering to connect families with one another to create a list of school choice carpoolers who live nearby. She’ll map everyone’s address to find other families who live near you. Then she’ll create a list and make it available leaving you to compare schedules and make plans should the need to carpool arise. Email Mallary at: [email protected]

Please provide the following in your email response:

Parent name(s): Parent email (a):

Parent phone number(s): Physical Address:

Name and age of children/children attending R.H.Conwell:

Whether or not your child uses a car seat what kind and if so are they forward or rear facing:

Harvest Festival Sign -Up: PTO has a great afternoon planned for the students but they cannot do it without your help. Please SIGN-UP HERE to help. Cider doughnuts, apples and apple cider will be available to all volunteers.

Please see the attached flier from preschool: Winter Gear 2024-2025

After-School Program Updates; New DESE grant!: Last week the program was awarded an additional grant from the Department of Education through the Massachusetts After-School Partnership (MAP). The grant is an After-School and Out of School Time Grant (ASOST). The goal of the grant is to strengthen the quality of and increase access to learning and enrichment programming that improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for youth. This grant will help fund our instrument lessons. our spring running programs, and other social-emotional activities.

Instrument Lessons: The program offers free private and small group instrument lessons for grades 4 to 6 on Fridays! We have saxophone, flute, clarinet and percussion lesson spots open. The program has instruments your child may borrow or the program can lease an instrument at no cost to students. If you are interested in having your student try out an instrument or have additional instruction time with an instrument they currently play email Shannon.

Program will be closed on Halloween: The program will be closed on Thursday, October 31st. If your student attends the program on Thursdays please email Shannon to let her know your student’s dismissal plan.

Summer Program 2025: Save the dates! The After-School Program’s Summer Program will run from Monday, July 7th to Thursday, August 1st. Students enrolled in R.H. Conwell in grades K to 6 are eligible to attend (K to 6 during the 25-26 school year- next school year’s grades). There is no fee for attending the program due to funding through the DESE 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant. Students must enroll/attend for the 4 weeks. This is a grant and program requirement. More information and registration forms will be available in February.

Contact Information for the After-School Program: Shannon Madden, Out of School Time Coordinator, [email protected]

Family Thanksgiving Lunch: We invite you to a Thanksgiving Family lunch on November 22, 2024.

From The School Nurses: Free Covid-19 tests are available! You can now go HERE to order your 4 free Covid-19 at-home tests. USPS will deliver them to your mailbox in a matter of days.

From The Cafeteria: This week I had the pleasure of working with the kindergarten class. They came to the kitchen and prepared a pear crisp. Pears are the HOTM for October. They cut and mixed and put together the crips and it was served as the fruit for lunch! Thank you Kindergarten it was enjoyed by all!

Also this week we sampled Pepino Melons, a sweet, warm weather fruit that grows from an evergreen bush native to Peru. They taste similar to a ripe honeydew or cantaloup with a little more crispness like a cucumber. We also tried Kiwi Berries grown by Nurse Meg! They are small grape looking fruits that taste just like a Kiwi! We also sampled a kiwano melon, an entire fruit cocktail in one, with flavors primarily similar to lime, melon, passion fruit and banana. The October menu can be found here. If you have any questions please email Ashley @ [email protected]

Upcoming Events: