Dear Memorial Families,

Calling all Veterans! On the morning of Friday 11/8, all classrooms K-5 will celebrating Veterans Day in class. If you are a Veteran and would like to be involved in participating in your child’s class program, please reach out to Mrs. Flood (floodd@mersd.org) for more information. The children would love to see you. Thank you for your service!

A few families have mentioned that folks are bringing dogs with them on school property during arrival and dismissal. As much as we love our furry friends, dogs are not permitted on school grounds. Thank you for understanding!

Best,

John

Now that the academic year is in full swing, it’s common for children to experience anxiety about some aspects of school, such as an academic subject, shifting peer dynamics, or riding the school bus. Anxiety is a normal human emotion, just like happiness or sadness, and is not necessarily a sign of a bigger problem. As caregivers, there are things you can do to support your children when you are noticing signs of anxiety or worry:

• Showing empathy and validating their emotional experience—this doesn’t mean you have to agree with their behavior! Try to avoid blaming them or criticizing them for feeling nervous or scared. Express confidence in their ability to handle situations that might be eliciting anxiety. Example: “I understand that you feel anxious about going to school. Let’s talk about it. I’m here for you and I know you can do this.”
• You can teach your child ways to cope with situations that might make them feel nervous or worried, and you can model those coping skills yourself.
• For example, if you notice negative self-talk or a lot of “what if” questions, you can teach them to notice those thoughts and encourage them to think about other ways things could turn out.
• You can model that it’s normal to feel worried by talking about worries that you have experienced and how you have coped with them.
• Child-friendly grounding or breathing exercises can be found online and can give elementary school children a tangible task to help them calm their bodies when anxiety starts to ramp up.
• Remember to praise brave actions—positive reinforcement is a very effective way to encourage behavior that you want to see more often.

These strategies can go a long way in managing anxiety in your elementary school student, but if anxiety or worries start to get in the way of your child’s daily functioning or enjoyment of their activities, you may want to seek out support from a mental health professional.

If you need to change dismissal after 2:00 pm, please call the main office at 978 526-1908 ext. 5100.

Hi Hornets, I can’t believe we’re already halfway through October and fully immersed in Fall! I wanted to provide some information on a local support for the upcoming holidays. Action Inc., Wellspring House, and Pathways for Kids has reached out to MMES to remind families of the Cape Ann Kids Holiday Fund. The Cape Ann Kids Holiday Fund allows families to shop in their holiday store for gifts. This is open to families living in Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Essex and Ipswich. Applications must be in by December 1st and can be found at this link! Please reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or if you I can help with the process.

Ms. X’s contact information: xiarhosr@mersd.org or (978) 526-5233

Have a wonderful weekend!

• Ms. X

Welcome back!

Please remember:

· If your child is going to be absent or arriving late, please email the office: schmidtm@mersd.org, the nurse morrisseyj@mersd.org, and your teacher.

· If your child has a temperature of 100.4F or over, they need to be fever free for 24 hours (without the aid of Tylenol or Motrin) before re-entering the school.

· If your child is experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, we recommend that they are symptom free for 24 hours and can tolerate solid food before re-entering the building.

· ALL CLASSROOMS ARE PEANUT/NUT FREE

Physicals: Updated physicals are due for grades PK, K,1, 4, and all new students. Immunization records are due for grades PK, K, 1, and all new students. Physicals expire from one year of last visit. Please send me a copy when physical is complete.

Forms: Please return permission to medicate, health update, and emergency forms as soon as possible.

Change of season: With the change of season comes many viruses this time of year. Let's kick start the year with some healthy habit reminders. Frequent hand washing and keep up with drinking your fluids. Wash down surfaces often. Try to stay home when unwell to prevent the spread of illness.

Extra Clothing: Accidents happen! All grade levels should have an extra full set of clothing incase of a spilled drink, wet slide, falling in a puddle- the list goes on.

Thank you all for your cooperation, any questions or concerns please call or email,

Jaclyn Morrissey, R.N.

978-526-1909

2024-2025 Calendar

October

23 - Early Release, PD 11:45 am

29 - School Picture Retake Day

29 -30 – Spring Book Fair

30 - Grade 4 Field Trip to Harvard Museum of Natural History

November

8 - Early Release, PD 11:45 am

11 – Veteran’s Day, No School

18 – Author Visit Hena Khan

27 – Early Release, 11:45 am

28-29 – Thanksgiving Recess No School

December

5 - Early Release, K-8 Conferences, 11:45am

6 – K-8 Conferences, No School

11 - Early Release, PD 11:45am

Winter Recess December 23-January 3: No School

MCAS Testing Windows - Please be mindful when planning family absences

ELA Testing Window - March 24 - April 18

Mathematics Testing Window - April 28 - May 23

STE Testing Window -April 28 - May 23

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We would like to extend a warm invitation to all members of the Manchester Memorial Elementary School (MMES) community to attend the upcoming MMPTO Meeting. This is a great opportunity to meet other families, learn about what we do, and find ways to get involved in supporting our school and making every student's experience memorable.

Date: October, 21
Time:8:30am
Location: First Floor Multi Purpose Room

Whether you are new to MMES or have been part of our community for some time, we welcome your participation and input. Your involvement makes a difference, and together, we can create amazing experiences for our children.

Hope to see you there!

For the 2024-2025 school year, the PTO has partnered with Square 1 Art for the annual art fundraiser. This new company offers a number of advantages - simple online ordering (no complicated paper forms to fill out!), free shipping directly to your home, a fun catalog featuring your students' actual artwork to choose from, and a free set of stickers of your child's artwork. Keep an eye out for order packets to come home during the week of October 28th. Ordering will be open until November 13. Please email coordinator Becky Stephenson at treasurermmpto@gmail.com with any questions!

As a valued member of our Manchester Memorial school community, we invite you to make a meaningful impact on your child's educational experience by contributing to our PTO Annual Appeal. Your donation will directly fund essential programs, events, and resources that benefit all students, from classroom materials and technology to arts and music programs. Every contribution, big or small, counts and is tax-deductible. You can donate easily via Venmo (@manchesterpto), online through our website, or by check payable to MMPTO. If you need information for company match or organizational donations, please contact us at mmptopres@gmail.com. Your support will help us continue to provide a world-class education for our students. Thank you for considering a donation to our Annual Appeal!

MERSD elementary students now have access to the iReady "My Path" program at home. This aspect of iReady is an online tool that provides students with learning activities and practice geared towards their individual skills and needs. Below you will find information regarding accessing this tool at home for extra skill practice in reading and mathematics.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qhiOnoPCkyzwb8HLql0PdEgwNC_tiKcN/view

Friends of the Library’s 2nd Annual Falling For Art Exhibit and Sale

Friday, October 18 - Sunday, October 20, 2024

Times: Friday 6pm-8pm, Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Sunday 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Opening Party: Friday, October 18, 2024, at 6:00 PM

The Friends of the Manchester Library are thrilled to announce the 2024 Falling For Art event, taking place at the Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library. This highly anticipated event will feature a diverse collection of over 100 pieces of artwork from many local artists, making it an unmissable celebration of creativity, community, and support for the library.

The Falling For Art event is more than just an art show—it’s an opportunity for the community to come together, appreciate the immense talent of local artists, and support the Library. 50% of all proceeds from the event will directly benefit the library, funding essential programs, services, and improvements that enhance the experience for all patrons.

The Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum's Autumn Art & History Saturday morning (11 AM to 12 noon) children's workshops will be as follows: on October 5th, participants will learn about Manchester's Fishery heritage and draw and paint a sea creature. On October 19th, we will look at the museum's collection of Charles Hopkinson's portraits, and then will draw and color a portrait. On November 2nd, we will learn about the Cape Ann Sea serpent, viewed by many people in the 1800s, and then put together a sea creature assemblage. On November 16th, we will look at paintings of Singing Beach, and then adapt our own version of beach activities. These workshops are made available by The Hooper Fund.

Saturday workshops are geared toward ages 5 to 12.
To register for one or more, please visit mbtsmuseum.org/autumn-art.

Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum10 Union St. Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944

Manchester-Essex Travel Basketball Grades 5-8 registration for the 2024-2025 is now open. For more information and to register please visit www.MEtravelbasketball.com

• Mobile Markets will then run from 2:30-3:30pm through January on the first Wednesday of each month.
• Mobile Market will run on an early release schedule of 11am-12:15pm on the first Wednesday of each month in February, March, May, and June.