Welcome Back Letter 2019-2020

Dear Families,    
                                                                                                                                
I can’t believe summer is almost ending and the new school year is beginning. It was nice to see some families out and about this summer and also to hear from students via postcards. My family and I did a little traveling this summer to Madeira Beach where we did some beach combing for shells and family time. I hope that you and your families enjoyed some family time and relaxation this summer as well.

We have so many wonderful things to look forward to this upcoming school year including some new staff members, the continuation of reader’s workshop in grades one through three and the Fundations program in grades 1 and 2.  In addition, we are going strong with our Envisions math program and the use of chromebooks and tablets for appropriate instruction. We also have the new Pearson science program that we are adopting this year in all grades. As a school we will continue with our focus on kindness and incorporating our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) matrix and lesson planning.  The PBIS matrix and lesson plans will be intertwined throughout all school areas. Some of you may recall last year students received paws for showing respect, resilience or responsibility. This practice will continue during the school day and students will also continue to bring home the "Ask me Why I am Pawsome" note.  We have also incorporated our Pawsome Picnic Grounds on Mondays. A classroom is selected on Fridays who are displaying exemplary Pawsitive behavior in the lunchroom and they have a picnic on Mondays for setting a great example.  The students loved this new initiative last year! For more information on PBIS or current up to date happenings, please see the principal blog at  http://shawsheenschool.blogspot.com/ and/or you can also follow the school on Twitter @shawsheenschool. You will learn more about your classroom schedules and curriculum during the open house, which will take place on September 19th. A schedule will be sent out with time slots once the year begins.

We will be purchasing our Shawsheen School t-shirts through our PAC for all incoming first graders and new students in September. For all the students who already received a shirt last year, we will be sending out a notice in which you can purchase another one if you wish.

Some other great things that we are excited to highlight this year is personnel relationship building with students and spreading that to our families.  We will do this by using our twitter accounts, email, blogger and social media to highlight PBIS and other amazing things our students and staff do. Please be on the look out for #Shawsheenschool, #pawsitivetuesday, #pbis. This will be an ongoing goal to help encourage and support students in learning the 3 R's and implementing them across settings.  This year we will also continue with our birthday book cart. When it is your child's birthday they will be able to pick a book from the brand new book cart which will be filled with many genres and levels.  

We have been continuing to add many new books to our classroom libraries  to build up our variety of reading materials for students.  Last year we were also extremely fortunate to have received a Kindness Bookshelf filled with over 50 books on kindness and much more that is housed in the library for teachers and students to check out.  

Also,  Mrs. Gibbs last year worked with local associations to help to bring a Buddy Bench to the Shawsheen School. Now we will be able to start the year with the bench. Please feel free to watch the video located on the principals blog and below. 
 Watch Buddy Bench on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/301309770  password is 0302 
Mrs. Gibbs will continue to work within the classrooms on social thinking and be available to support students as needed. Please reach out to Mrs. Gibbs with any social/emotional concerns you may have regarding your child.

In addition to the wonderful social emotional learning that already occurs we have materials from our mindfulness curriculum grant. Included in this grant are yoga mats, breathing techniques, literature for adults and students, games, dvd's, materials and much more. We also just received another grant based on the app and program called Mightier. The Ipads and the apps work together with a heart monitor to help students regulate emotions based on their own heart rate. Students can utilize this for 10 minutes a day for about 6 weeks to see improvements. Students will be selected on an ongoing and as needed trial. Looking forward to using this new tool! For more information, please feel free to go to https://mightier.com/. Thank you to the WEF for funding this innovative technology grant.

Switching gears, we have had many staff changes happen during the summer.  We have been able to fill all the positions and upcoming positions.  Since we have had so many new staff enter, I have added a bio on all the new staff.  Please see the below document. 
staffing updates

As part of our tradition in the elementary schools, we welcome students and families to visit the school the evening before school starts to view their classroom. We find that seeing familiar faces, knowing where their desk is and how to get to their classrooms helps to alleviate stress and/or anxiety prior to returning to school. This will take place on August 26th from 5:00-6:00. Teachers are not required to be here, but you will have an opportunity to meet them during Open House scheduled for September 19th. More information will be sent out once the date gets closer.  We hope to see families on August 26th and for the first day of school on the 27th!

Please note that bus routes are normally posted one week before school begins on the district website. Also, if your child is going home by a different means of transportation for the first day we will need a note. Any transportation changes will always require a note. Please view the car rider procedures on the blog. It is essential that families follow these so that all students can enter the building efficiently and exit to allow the buses to get through. https://shawsheenschool.blogspot.com/p/car-rider-procedures-updated-2017.html The first week of school all teachers will be outside greeting all children and taking them to class. Kindergarten teachers will be here to greet their past students off the buses. Please also note that on days when it is a 1/2 day and their is no CARES traffic for pick up takes more time as we have an increase in car riders. Also, the first week will also take time until everyone understands the process. Please be patient.

Please remember that the school calendar is posted for the year on the blog and accessible at the https://www.wpsk12.com/shawsheen link. This current year we have a 1/2 day on the first day of school. No lunches will be served and all students will be dismissed at noon. In addition, there is no school on that Friday as usual. Also, please go into Aspen if you have not already to review emergency cards and sign off on all permissions. You must do this every year even if nothing changed. You should have received an email from the technology department with the information. You will only receive additional emails on this if it has not been completed. The direct link to the Aspen Parent Portal is:   https://ma-wilmington.myfollett.com.   However you may also find this link, FAQ, and tutorials on the WPS website: https://www.wpsk12.com/aspen.  If you require additional assistance or if you did not receive your log-in information, please email aspenhelp@wpsk12.com. When emailing Aspen Help, please be sure to include your student’s name so they are able to quickly locate your record/account. 

If any families need assistance with back to school supplies or backpacks, please let me know. This information is kept confidential. We have other resources as well provided by different local organizations where we act as the liaison. So, please reach out if anyone needs any support even temporarily.

As always we look forward to a fantastic year and to see all the students entering into their new grade. If anyone needs any assistance prior to school beginning or during the year please do not resort to social media and feel free to contact me or the school directly.  We are always happy to clarify or answer any questions you may have. 

Lastly, I would like to send a special thank you to the PAC, especially the board, who took time out of their summer to come into the school and redo the teachers lounge. I cannot thank you all enough for organizing, planning, painting, designing and putting the time in to make our staff feel great when returning to school. I also want to thank our custodians who have worked tirelessly all summer helping to prepare for the opening in the fall. Also, I would like to thank my office staff for helping to prepare for the start of the school. Saving the best for last I would like to thank my teachers and staff for making their classrooms look inviting and ready to go for the first day of school. All these efforts are much appreciated and have not gone unnoticed. 

Enjoy your last few weeks of summer,


Mrs. King