ESS Gazette
3/1/2024
Dear ESS Families,
March is National Reading Month! To celebrate and promote the importance of reading we will be participating in Read Across America Week and our 4th school-wide Read-a-Thon!
During Read Across America Week our students will be listening to diverse books that teach our students about inclusivity. We continue to develop a love of reading at Enfield Street School by creating opportunities for our students to see themselves (mirrors), learn about others and their experiences (windows) and immerse themselves in another place or time or another person's experiences (sliding glass doors). We want all of our students to feel welcomed at ESS.
Best,
Mark Lord
Bethany Calado
Important Dates
March:
3/5- Spring Picture Day (see flyer below)
3/8- Report Cards sent digitally
3/11-3/25- School-wide Read-a-Thon
3/13- Early Release @ 1:50pm (Professional Learning)
3/22- Assembly @ 2:15pm (Rms. 7 & 12 Spotlight)
3/27- PTO meeting @ 6pm
3/29- No School (Good Friday)
April:
4/2- No School
4/8-4/12- Spring Vacation
4/22- Assembly @ 9:30am (Rms. 6 & 15 Spotlight)
4/23-4/24- Book Fair
4/24- Early Release @ 1:50pm (Professional Learning)
4/24- Book Fair Night and Ice Cream Social 5-7pm
May:
5/22- Early Release @ 1:50pm (Professional Learning)
5/24-Assembly @10:15am (Rms. 1, 2 & 13 Spotlights)
Kindergarten: Mrs. Carroll
Room # 10 had a busy month of February! We celebrated Groundhog Day, the 100th Day of School, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and Black History Month! We were also featured in the February Assembly, and we sang and signed We Are A Family by Jack Hartman with Room # 9! All these celebrations have kept us inspired and motivated to continue our learning! We are looking forward to Read Across America Week, the first week of March!
Grade 1: Mrs. Fritz
Students in Room 13 have learned about and celebrated so MANY special events in February; Groundhog’s Day, the 100th day of school, World Read Aloud Day, Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, President’s Day, and Black history month! For the 100th day of school students counted 100 objects and wrote clues for classmates to try to guess what was in their bottles.
Grade 2: Miss Maier
All throughout February, Room 19 has been reading biographies about important black women and men for Black History Month. We focused on people who have changed our society (like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks) and people we can look up to (like Mae Jemison, Jackie Robinson, and Lonnie Johnson). Students have been discussing and writing about why these influential women and men are important.
Art: Ms. Martin, Mrs. Delisio, & Ms. Gallo
Art classes are engaged in ideas and personal connections with art media. Kindergarteners are starting to express what they know and care about through bookmaking, portraits and self-portraits. We are using tips and tricks to improve our drawing. First grade is bending and shaping wire to create whimsical sculptures. The art experience widens when we move our bodies, wires and paintbrushes to make different lines. Second graders are practicing grit and endurance by trying to build or assemble using found items. Many artists incorporate random objects into their work we looked at Louise Nevelson and Deborah Butterfield. We welcome donations of clean yogurt cups and used greeting cards.
Read-a-Thon
The flyer below was sent home earlier this week to inform our families of the upcoming Read-a-Thon. An additional flyer with more information on how to donate will be sent home next week. Stay tuned!
ETC Mental Health and Wellness Coalition
ETC will be hosting a 3-part film series, featuring the Screenagers trilogy. Screenagers: Growing up in the Digital Age is a documentary featuring Delaney Ruston, MD and her daughter as they navigate the crazy world of smarts phones, internet use and its impact on youth. Delaney documents her journey as she determines if/when she should give her daughter a smartphone.
The following 2 films (Next Chapter and Under the Influence) follow Delaney as her child grow into teens and start facing different challenges. She uncovers the connection between social media, mental health and substance misuse with the support of various experts and research. These films depict the real struggles of not only youth, but their families as they figure out how to use technology in a safe and healthy way.
Join ETC as we unpack these documentaries together and strategize how to help the youth in our lives. Panelists with both professional and lived experience will be at each screening to offer their perspective and participate in discussion. To watch the trailers, click the link below.
School Pictures
Information from Previous Newsletters
Kindergarten Age Waiver Information
PTO Fundraiser
President: Jeanne Davis
Vice President: Melissa Birch
Treasurer: Kristina Boulette
Meets virtually each month. Please see meeting dates above.
Medical Information
Please do not send your child in with any over-the-counter or prescribed medications. Medications need to be dropped off to the nurse with the order from the doctor. In addition, please do not send your child to school with cough drops as they cannot self-administer them.
Please make sure any health information, especially in regards to medication, is emailed directly to our school nurse.
Morning Drop-Off
If you are walking your child to the main entrance, you must park in a parking spot and walk your child to the door. Cars cannot be parked along the curb as it impedes those parents who are utilizing the carline to drop off their child(ren). If you are dropping your child off at the crosswalk, please have your child exit the car on the passenger’s side.
These procedures are in place to keep traffic flow moving appropriately and to maintain safety in the parking lot. Thank you in advance for following these very important safety procedures.
Drop-off Issues
After the 8:55 final bell, all parents must sign their child in at the office. We do not have staff outside after the bell, and it is unsafe for the students to come to the entrance by themselves. We will be calling parents who do not adhere to this rule as it is a significant safety concern.
Afternoon Pick-Up
If you are picking up your child during afternoon dismissal you must park in a designated parking space. Cars cannot be parked along the curb as it impedes any cars or emergency vehicles needing to enter the parking lot. We appreciate you adhering to our important dismissal safety procedures.
Placards
Please be aware that once someone comes to the school with a placard, we will release the matching student. Please make sure you know who has the placard to at all times.
Attendance Letters
Per district attendance procedures, attendance letters will be sent out for all absences, excused or unexcused, following this schedule:
5th absence – 1st Letter
9th absence - 2nd Letter
10th absence – 3rd Letter
Additional letters will be sent after every 5th absence. (ex. 15th, 20th, 25th)
Regardless of the content of the letters, if the majority of absences are excused as defined in the student handbook, we will most likely not reach out unless there are a large number of absences.
If the majority of the absences are unexcused as defined in the handbook, an administrator will be reaching out to offer available support to make sure your child comes to school on a regular basis.
March Lunch Menu
PowerSchool
Make sure that all information in PowerSchool is accurate. We use this information for emergency contacts and pick-ups. We will not release a child to anyone not in PowerSchool without your written or verbal permission.
iPad YouTube Option
This year you have the option to restrict access to YouTube on your child's iPad. Please note that this may not block all access, but most. Please also note that it will take about a week for the changes to go into effect. Please complete the survey below if you choose this option.
KITE
CHC
Board of Education
We thought it would be helpful to show the dates and a link for future Board of Education meetings. They are a great way to stay involved and informed throughout the school-year.
All meetings are planned to begin at 7:00 PM
March 12, 26
April 9, 23
May 14, 28
June 11, 25
Enfield Street School
Assistant Principal: Bethany Calado bcalado@enfieldschools.org