The RES Reporter: Oct. 29, 2026
Important Dates
October 29
Kindergarten Field Trip to Portsmouth Music Hall
October 30
Halloween Parade and Assembly (8:30 AM)
Kindergarten to Webster at Rye (10:15-11:30 AM)
November 3
Teacher Conference Day (NO STUDENTS!)
PTA Meeting (6:30 PM)
November 4
Penguin Lady Visits Grades K-4
Fun Sock Day!
November 5
Picture Retake Day
PAC Meeting (8:00 AM)
November 6
Veteran's Day Assembly (8:30 AM)
November 9
Haven Visits (see below)
November 10
Haven Visits (see below)
November 11
No School
November 12
John Schu Author Visit
November 13
Lyons Club Vision Screening (see below)
IMPORTANT FAMILY DATES THIS YEAR!
*These are dates that are NOT on the school calendar and may require an adjustment to your work/life calendar in order to attend? I will say that dates are subject to change due to weather days/conflicts but we will do everything we can to keep them!
December 10: Mall in the Hall (1:00-2:30 PM, holiday shopping for families)
January 15: Music Concert (Grades 3 & 4 only from 8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
April 9: Music Concert (Grades K-2 only from 8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
April 16: Earth Day Assembly (8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
May 14: French Assembly (8:30-9:00 AM, Families Invited)
May 18-20: NH State Testing for Grades 3 and 4
May 28: Field Day Grades K-4
June 15: Kindergarten Picnic on the Commons (10:00 AM, no rain date)
June 16: Last Day for Kindergarten
June 17: Grade 4 Moving On Ceremony (9:00 AM)
Celebrations of Growth (Grade 2 at 2:00 PM, Grade 3 at 1:15 PM and Grade 1 at 10:15 AM)
A Note from Mrs. Pitts
Dear Families,
I want to truly highlight the important notes for you as this is a VERY busy time of year and I know it only gets busier.
1. On November 13, a free vision screening will be offered to your child by the members of the Rye Lions Club using the Spot Vision Screener. In PowerSchool there is a screening permission form. If you have filled that form out or said yes to health screenings, you do NOT need to fill out this form. However, if you do NOT want your child to be screened for vision, you can fill out this form. If this form is not received by 11/9, we will revert to the PowerSchool permission you have already filled out.
2. Invite a veteran in your life to our assembly on November 6 at 8:30 AM!
3. Read the letters and information being sent home about Haven.
4. Consider signing up for a conference with a UA teacher to learn more about something your child is talking about at school.
5. Collect your Halloween candy and consider donating it to veterans on Monday.
6. Conferences are November 3. We hope you have signed up for a time but we want you to be aware, this non-school day is a conference day! We hope to have very high family participation.
At this conference, teachers will review STAR Early Literacy or Reading/Math assessment results. We use a wide range of assessments to determine the need for intervention, enrichment or continued instruction, as well as daily observations and interactions with each student.
Warmly,
Michelle Pitts
Dear RES Families,
This letter is to notify you about presentations that HAVEN will be providing to all of our classrooms (K-4) on November 9th and 10th. HAVEN’s program, entitled Personal Body Safety, is part of their Safe Kids Strong Teens violence prevention education. Our main goal of bringing HAVEN’s programming to RES is to keep kids safe and to help prevent child abuse. Specific objectives of this program include differentiating good, hurtful and confusing touches; identifying what makes secrets safe versus unsafe; and encouraging children to ask for help from a trusted grown-up if they are touched in a hurtful or confusing way. Your child’s classroom is chosen as a safe environment in which to learn about such prevention skills.
Please note that this program is about safety and not about sex or sexuality. The HAVEN educators conduct the presentations classroom by classroom rather than assembly style. Puppets are utilized to present the material in an entertaining, non-threatening format that encourages discussion and participation. Opportunities are provided for students to actively respond and communicate with the puppets in order to integrate the concepts they have learned. Worksheets and material for families will come home with students on the day of their presentation. This information provides parents and guardians with language and guidance when having important conversations at home. You can learn more about the Education Department at HAVEN by visiting their website: https://havennh.org/.
HAVEN has been providing violence prevention education in NH seacoast area schools for over 30 years, and also offers support and advocacy for victims of violence throughout Strafford and Rockingham counties. You can find more information about HAVEN in Schools by contacting The Education Department at HAVEN at (603) 436-4107 or visiting their website: Education@havennh.org. If you have any questions about their visit to RES, please contact Lori Arsenault at larsenault@sau50.org or call (603) 436-4731.
Thank you,
Lori Arsenault
RES School Counselor
-Adults bringing food for children when they visit for lunch has become a challenge, as there has been sharing of food and students who do not have the opportunity to enjoy lunch from an outside restaurant or with a family member. We want to keep this tradition so please only bring food for your own child and do not share with other children. In addition, the smaller the "spread" of food the better. The alternative would be to have our visitors buy school lunch or bring lunch from home. This is what our students do so it is a great alternative!
As we continue to navigate a time when many families across our country are feeling the effects of financial and emotional stress, we want to acknowledge how challenging this can be. Rising costs and economic uncertainty can bring added strain to households and affect many aspects of daily life.
At school, we understand that financial pressures can impact both children and parents in different ways. Please know that we are here to support our students and families, not only academically but emotionally and socially as well. If your family is experiencing stress related to finances, or if you notice that it’s affecting your child emotionally or academically, I encourage you to reach out. I can help connect you with local resources, offer emotional support, or simply provide a safe space to talk.
Together, we can make sure our students continue to feel secure, cared for, and ready to learn — even during difficult times. Please call or email Lori Arsenault, RES School Counselor (larsenault@sau50.org) or Michelle Pitts, RES Principal (mpitts@sau50.org) and trust that we will respect your privacy and support you in any way we can.
With warmth and encouragement,
Lori Arsenault ❤️
Community Resources for Support
GATHER
Learn more about this amazing organization and the support they provide with Pantry and Mobile Markets HERE. You must be a member of GATHER before signing up for their holiday distribution, so please SIGN UP HERE if you have a need. The holidays are approaching, and we will provide more information about the support offered through this seacoast resource in the weeks to come.
End 68 Hours of Hunger
If your family is experiencing food insecurity, END 68 Hours can help. This program provides children with food for the approximately 68 hours between when that student has lunch on Fridays at school and returns again on Monday for a school meal. If this support could be helpful to you, please contact Lori Arsenault (larsenault@sau50.org), RES School Counselor.
Free & Reduced Lunch Program
Your family may qualify for free or reduced lunch costs. The USDA requires completion of an application that you can access through the RSD website or by contacting the school. Lori Arsenault, RES School Counselor, will be happy to assist you in this process.
Other Resources:
Womenaid - short term financial assistance
Community Action Partnership - assisting Southern NH with economic independence
Greater Seacoast Community Health - family programs and community networking
Mainspring - Seacoast Social Services Collective
Halloween is coming and here is some important information!
1. Parade and Assembly:
We would love to invite families to an 8:30 AM parade and assembly. Students in grades Preschool-Grade 4 will be parading outside of the school. These are the two events that all family members will be invited to attend during the day. PLEASE know we will be checking parents in and lining everyone up for the OUTDOOR parade starting at 8:10 AM. We are going to have our parade OUTSIDE and our students are going to START in the gym.
2. Costumes:
Students may wear costumes, but weapons (even toys) are not allowed. Gruesome costumes depicting blood are also not allowed. Masks are ok but should be appropriate and not scary for our youngest children who are in the parade and at the assembly.
It is that time of year when we start to invite family members to lunch at RES. This is very optional and we don't want families to feel pressured to attend. This is an occasional event as we do want children to build independence and social skills in the cafeteria, a perfect time for this! Please know that this opportunity is very unique to RES and we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines out of respect for our staff and safety protocols.
- Email resoffice@sau50.org if you would like to attend with the date/time. It is important to anticipate who will be in the building. We love these opportunities for students and their family members but we will always put safety first.
- one family member at a time to have lunch with their child(ren) as we really do get quite tight at certain lunches.
- Adults must bring their own lunch and can bring lunch for their own child but not other students. If you would like to order school lunch, please tell us in your email and we can charge it to your child's account.
- We do have a focus during this time...eating for energy and brain power!
- Family members must meet the child in the cafeteria and leave from the cafeteria BEFORE we line up all the children.
- Days for family visits are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
- Lunch times are:
Kindergarten-11:45-12:10
First Grade-12:15-12:40
Second Grade-12:15-12:40
Third Grade- 11:15-11:40
Fourth Grade-11:15-11:40
SAU 50 Connections
In an effort to create a ONE STOP SHOP for families, we publish the RES and RJH newsletter on Thursdays and share the link in one place:). We will also include any SAU 50 Newsletters and School Board Reports as well.
Thank you to everyone who made our Trunk or Treat a wonderful success on Sunday! Whether you helped with setup and takedown, hosted a trunk, or donated a basket, your efforts brought so many smiles to our students' faces. We had a great turnout, and it was wonderful to see everyone there!
A special shout-out to Lindsay Goodspeed for her incredible help organizing the baskets and raffle tickets. Managing the raffle is a huge undertaking, and we could not have done it without her!
ASE Session 2 Sign-ups
Session runs from November 2nd through December 18th.
Sign-ups open until this Friday, October 30th and there are still spots available!
ADDED: Second Cooking with Miss Hixon on Wednesdays & Second Nature Immersion on Mondays
You can view the programs and sign up ASE SESSION 2
Election Day Bake Sale Tuesday, November 3rd
We are hosting a bake sale table outside the voting area on Tuesday, November 3rd. This is a great way to raise funds for the PTA, and voters love seeing students at the table! Registration is currently low, so please consider helping out.
- Volunteer at the event: HELP AT EVENT
- Donate baked goods here: DONATE BAKED GOODS
Rye Riptides Merch
Incase you missed the big sale at Trunk or Treat, the discounted prices will run for the rest of the month on all of your favorite Rye Riptides Apparel.
Order online and have it personally delivered to your front door!
While supplies last!
- Shop & Order here: SHOP RYE RIPTIDES
- Date/Time: Tuesday, November 3rd at 6:30 PM
- Location: GOOGLE MEET
Happy Halloween!
Best regards,
Sally Henderson | PTA President | ryenh.pta.president@gmail.com
Contact Information
Email: mpitts@sau50.org
Website: https://res.sau50.org
Location: 461 Sagamore Road, Rye, NH, USA
Phone: (603) 436-4731