Mindess School Weekly Update

Dear Families,

We are excited to share that we’ve made it through our first full week of school! Students are settling into routines, and the energy in our classrooms has been wonderful to see.

This month, we will begin our fall iReady assessments. Each grade level will have one full day dedicated to ELA and one full day for Math. These assessments are an important part of our preparation for MCAS this spring. The data gathered from iReady will guide our instruction and help us provide targeted interventions to best support every student throughout the year.

The schedule for iReady testing is included below. If a student is absent on their scheduled day, they will have an opportunity to make up the assessment on another day.

In addition, our 3rd grade teachers will begin administering the DIBELS assessment, which serves as our early dyslexia screener. This screener is mandated by the Department of Education and is administered to all students in grades K–3. The information gathered will help us ensure that students are receiving the right supports at the right time.

The results of both the iReady and DIBELS assessments will be shared with families during Parent-Teacher Conferences the week of October 27th.

Back to School Night is coming up soon! Grade 5 parents are invited on Monday, September 15th, and Grade 3 and 4 parents on Thursday, September 25th. Both events will be held from 6:00–7:30 pm and are adult-only events. Presentations will begin in the cafeteria with an introduction from myself and Ms. Jones. Following that, families will visit their child’s classroom to hear from the teacher about classroom routines, expectations, and what to expect throughout the year.

We would also like to share an upcoming parent opportunity: The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts will be hosting a Webex Webinar titled Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online: A Project Safe Childhood Presentation for Parents. The webinar will take place on the evening of Wednesday, October 22nd at 6:30 pm, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations’ Digital Forensics/Child Exploitation/Cyber Crime Unit.

The session will raise awareness about the dangers children face online and provide parents and caregivers with practical strategies to keep kids safe. Please note that the webinar will not be recorded, and advanced registration is required. The registration flyer is attached. If you are unable to attend on October 22nd, the U.S. Attorney’s Office hopes to host several more sessions throughout the school year.

Thank you for your continued support at home—we are looking forward to a strong year of growth and learning!

Warmly,
Kate Altman
Principal

• Back to School Night for grade 5 will be 6:00-7:30 on September 15th. We will start in the cafeteria for a grade level presentation and then families will be dismissed to their child's classroom. This is an adult only night.
• Back to School Night for grades 3 and 4 will be 6:00-7:30 on September 25th. We will start in the cafeteria for a grade level presentation and then families will be dismissed to their child's classroom. This is an adult only night.

• Chorus will be starting the week of September 22nd. If your child is in 4th or 5th grade and is interested please see the attached letter from Mrs. Fontaine, for information on how to sign up. Please note that if your child is in band, they will not be able to participate in chorus due to scheduling conflicts.

• KNO dates are scheduled and will be October 24, February 6, and May 1st. Students MUST HAVE a signed permission form from a parent/guardian in order to attend. Please see the attached flyer below with more information.

BOY: Beginning of year

MOY: Middle of year

EOY: End of year

When you enter our school, students are welcomed each day with a cheerful birthday message displayed on the tv screen that is located in the front lobby! After the initial “Happy Birthday” message, the screen highlights the names of students celebrating birthdays that month, along with their classroom teacher and the exact date of their special day. We love that this allows our students to feel recognized and celebrated on their birthday!

• Grade 5 Back to School Night: 6:00-7:30, we will begin in the cafeteria.
• Grade 3 and 4 Back to School Night: 6:00-7:30, we will begin in the cafeteria
• No school September 23rd
• No school October 2nd

Welcome back Mindess parents! Hope you and your child are transitioning back to school well. September is quite and overwhelming month but we will make it!

The counselors here at The Mindess School visit classrooms for weekly Social Emotional Learning lessons. Our lessons focus on different themes of the month: September's theme is Safety. We also will be reviewing the Zones of Regulation during our lesson (see below). Our SEL corner will give you updates about what your children are learning and will also include articles to help reinforce social emotional skills at home.

Finally, please see below a letter explaining additional services our counselors offer for students. Look forward to seeing you all at Open House!

Dear Parents/Guardians:

In addition to developing academic skills, school is a place where children work on social skills. The Mindess School Counseling Department offers the opportunity for students to meet with a school counselor or psychologist to help enhance their overall social and emotional adjustment in school. These meetings will be held during lunch or during Morning Meeting - but students will not be missing academics to meet with a school counselor.

As counselors, we will be meeting with students individually or in small groups to help facilitate positive interactions between peers. Sessions are geared toward encouragement of and practice in the areas of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making, and optimistic thinking. Meetings may be held weekly or intermittently throughout the year depending upon the specific needs of the child. Students will be placed in groups with other students working on similar skills. Our goal is creating groups students enjoy being a part of and want to attend.

If you have any questions or concerns about our program or would like to opt out of having your child receive any services provided by our school counselors, please contact one of us to let us know..

Sincerely,

Mrs. Amanda Walker, School Counselor Grade 3

awalker@ashland.k12.ma.us or (508)881-0166x3

Ms. Melissa Mespelli, School Counselor Grade 4

mmespelli@ashland.k12.ma.us or (508)881-0166x4

Mrs. Meghan McGuire, School Counselor Grade 5

mmcguire@ashland.k12.ma.us or (508)881-0166x5

Don’t forget to visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Flyers where we feature announcements and events offered by organizations, clubs and teams throughout our community that serve to enrich the lives of our students, families, faculty and staff.