The Penguin Post
Benjamin Phelps School - September 2024
At Phelps we pride ourselves in creating opportunities for student leadership. We believe that our core values of being safe, responsible, and respectful members of the community go beyond our work in the classrooms.
Prior to this school year, we did this through our work with our 4th grade student council. There have also been opportunities for students to be featured in our Morning Broadcasts, and by encouraging them to help out with small tasks around the school. Whether it's tidying up, organizing supplies, or assisting their classmates, these activities teach important life skills and promote teamwork. Some other ways we do this at Phelps is by having classroom jobs, helping wipe the tables in the cafeteria, returning books to the library, and helping organize the outdoor recess materials.
This year, we are excited to share with you the creation of a new Phelps Student Government. Our newly elected members will be working hard this year to get feedback from classmates, bring ideas to meetings, prioritize what we want to do, make a plan and make things happen!
This month, we will begin vision and hearing screenings for the students in our school. If you wish to opt out of this state mandated screening, please nurse Taunya know. A copy of a current screening completed by a specialist is required for this opt out. Please email me at tjasperson@agawamed.org if you wish to opt out of this screening. If a current screening by a specialist isn't provided, your student will be screened per state guidelines.
And just like that, trimester one comes to a close on Wednesday, November 27! Report cards will be emailed home to families on Friday, December 13. As a reminder, if you have not created your PowerSchool account, you will not receive an email. If you need help activating your PowerSchool account or linking another child to an existing account, please contact the main office at Phelps.
We are still working through some formatting issues as we transition to new standards on our report cards. This first report card of the year will look a little different (and is 4 pages or so), but we are creating a new look for our 2nd and 3rd trimesters.
We know that showing up matters, and that when students show up to learn, they are more likely to be able to stay on-track, stay engaged and meet major educational milestones. We are at just shy of 97% average daily attendance as a school.
As we prepare to take time off from school for the Thanksgiving break, we are grateful for everyone who has helped to restore a routine for showing up to school while supporting students and families.
Please take steps to keep your child healthy and send them to school unless they are truly sick.
Every day of school is an opportunity for students to connect to peers and their teachers, and to develop personally, socially and academically.
Each year, Phelps participates in Rock 102’s Mayflower Marathon Food Drive.
This year, Phelps donated 5,267 items! Congratulations to room 24 for collecting over 900 items and winning this year's pizza party.
Thank you to all of our families for your generosity. The reception we received when dropping off the items was AMAZING.
Phelps is going to have some classic fun with a kindness twist! We are having our annual Sock Hop where students and staff can dress like it’s the 1950’s (not required). On this day, we will also be collecting NEW socks, hats and mittens to donate to a local shelter. We are going to do our part with a Sock Hop, sock and mitten drive.
We’re excited to announce new grade-level and content-specific websites designed to enhance the connection between school and home! These online resources will provide students and families with helpful tools, activities, and important updates to support learning both in and outside of the classroom. Be sure to check out your child’s grade-level page to explore all the great resources we’ve made available to help foster a fun and engaging learning experience at home. Stay tuned for more updates!
To find your website - head over to https://www.agawamed.org/o/bjp and click on MENU. All of our new sites are published here!
Our new sites are a work in progress and will continue to be updated throughout the year.
⛄ Phelps School Eleventh Annual Fourth Grade Winter Concert ⛄
When: Monday, December 9, 2024 at 6:30
Fourth grade students should arrive at the Junior High Auditorium no later than 6:10pm, students must stay with caregivers while at the performance.
Where: Agawam Junior High School Auditorium (1305 Springfield St., Feeding Hills)
Attire: Students should dress for success (Dresses, dress pants, nice shirts, preferably no jeans.) Students are also encouraged to wear festive hats, lights, bells or anything else that is fun, so be creative!
Donations: This event is free to attend however we are taking donations at the door to offset the cost of hiring a police officer for the night.
Questions: Email psawyer@agawamed.org
Benjamin Phelps Elementary School
Email: avillamaino@agawamed.org
Website: https://www.agawamed.org/o/bjp
Location: 689 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001 USA
Phone: (413) 821-0586