I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday and a restful break. We are hoping that this break allows everyone to get healthy so that we can start off strong in January! Please take a look at this newsletter, as there are some important updates. Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

Have a great holiday!

~Kelli Colarusso

Please use the link below to review our snow clothing protocol. Also, please LABEL ALL jackets, snow pants, hats, gloves/mittens, and boots with your child's name or initials. We have quite a few students with the same or similar clothing so it is extremely helpful to be able to look at clothing left behind to identify whose it is. Your child is welcome to leave belongings at the school as long as this is communicated with your child's teacher. It's also helpful to leave an old pair of sneakers if you happen to have them just in case students forget their shoes. Thank you for your help with this!

December 22nd-30th - Holiday Recess - No School

January 9th - Washington School Board Meeting 6:00pm in the art room

January 11th - Early Release for Students - Dismissal starts at 1:05pm for Bus 73 (Bus 1), followed by parent pick up at 1:10pm and Bus 74 (Bus 2).

January 16th - MLK Jr./Civil Rights Day - No School

February 1st - Early Release for Students - Dismissal starts at 1:05pm for Bus 73 (Bus 1), followed by parent pick up at 1:10pm and Bus 74 (Bus 2).

February 14th - Washington School District Public Hearing and Board Meeting - 6:00pm

February TBA - Many of you have asked about a holiday program. We are not quite ready to perform at this point in time, but I do have plans to showcase what we've been learning in music some time in February. I will keep you updated!

There is a new calendar on the hdsd.org website that includes events from each of the SAU #34 schools. You can click on/off the schools that you want and subscribe for updates. To learn more go to: https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Domain/8 and scroll down to the calendar. On the left, there is an "About" section that explains how to use the calendar. You can also find the calendar on the Washington homepage: https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Domain/200

Thanks to the Duncan-Jenkins Trust, WES received funding for some exciting events for our students. Some of these events include performances or family nights so I wanted to give you the dates WAY ahead of time so that you could mark your calendars. More detailed information about the events will come closer to the dates.

April 7th - Circus Residency Demo Show - Families will be invited - 1:00pm

May 5th - *Tentatively* Children's Stage Adventures Performance - This theatre residency program includes each student in our school. Children's Stage Adventures is a long-standing tradition at WES but was rescheduled multiple times due to Covid-19. There have been some changes in the company but it is our hope that we will be able to have this residency May 1st-5th. If that happens, the show will be the evening of May 5th.

May 25th - Creativity Family Event - We were very fortunate to receive a grant that includes a visit from author Peter Reynolds, workshops for students, teacher professional development, and animation software that will be used during students' specials time. This programming also includes a family event on the evening of May 25th. Please save the date!

Thank you so much for your cooperation in our recent "no Pokemon card" rule. This has eliminated many arguments and allowed us to focus on learning. Thank you again for your help with this.

Schools in New Hampshire are required to have a certain amount of emergency drills throughout the year. Six of these drills are evacuations and our students are extremely familiar with this process. The other 4 drills practice response to other types of emergencies.

SAU #34 has adopted the Standard Response Protocol for emergency situations. Please review the handout below to learn more about the types of drills we may be practicing this year. Feel free to talk with your children about these drills, and please reach out to me with any questions.

We will have a "HOLD!" drill next week and teachers have already talked about this with their students. Any time we do a drill other than a fire drill (EVACUATE!), students will be notified that it is a drill at the moment of the drill. Teachers debrief in an age-appropriate manner with their students after drills as well.

During November and December, students will be learning about Habit #1 - Be Proactive and Habit #3 - Put First Things First. Here is some student-friendly language to help you reinforce the habits at home:

Habit 1 - Be Proactive:

• I take initiative.
• I am a responsible person.
• I do not blame others for my mistakes.
• I choose my actions and attitudes.
• I am a Transition Person. (Students will learn what this means during specific lessons.)

Habit 3 - Put First Things First:

• My spend my time on my highest priorities.
• I say no to time-wasters.
• I make a schedule and stick to it.
• I get assignments done on time.
• I am organized.

Be on the lookout for HOWLer awards brought home by your students. In recognition for following any of our 7 Habits, staff members will give out HOWLer awards at each whole school morning meeting on Fridays. These are great awards to hang on your fridge at home!

At the end of the month, all students who received a HOWLer award will be put into a drawing to have lunch with our local police officers. We will be combining November and December because they are such short months. Moving forward, we will be choosing 1 student from each class for the lunches.

We hope this helps students understand that ANYONE can be a leader when they are following the 7 Habits of Wolf Leaders.

If your family is experiencing difficulties at home, we would like to provide additional support at school. We understand that you are not always able to give details and that's okay. If your student is coming to school after a difficult night, morning, or weekend, please feel free to send in a note that simply says "Handle with Care." This will let us know that your student may need a little extra time, patience, or help during the day.

Teachers will follow up with an update about how your student's day went but we do not need more information other than to know how your student is doing in the coming days. We hope that this helps bridge communication between the school and families in order to best support all children.

Each month I will highlight a different community resource. If there is one that you think would be particularly helpful for WES families, please let me know! Previous resources will be linked below so that you always have access to learning more if you'd like to.

August's Highlight: West Central Behavioral Health

September's Highlight: 211 NH

October's Highlight: Washington Welfare Office and Holiday Gift Program

November's highlight: Healthy Starts

This month's highlight: Sullivan County Conservation District

Sullivan County Conservation District

From their website: "Sullivan County Conservation District (SCCD) offers a variety of environmental resources and opportunities to help support Sullivan County schools, teachers, farmers, growers, and organizations & individuals related to conservation of natural resources and agricultural lands and place-based ecology education (PBEE).

​Our goal is to connect residents to our local lands and help each one develop an understanding of the natural ecosystems we are a part of, an appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us and the natural resources that sustain us, and foster a sense of place and stewardship ethic."

Sullivan County Conservation District works with our school closely to provide experiences for students as well as professional development for teachers. Families can get involved by attending board meetings, following them on Facebook and trying some of the activities they share, and/or attending an event that they sponsor. Check out their website for more information!

School lunches can be PURCHASED this year for the following prices:

Breakfast: $1.50

Lunch: $2.60

Milk: $0.40

Reduced Breakfast: $0.00

Reduced Lunch: $0.40

We encourage ALL families to fill out the free and reduced lunch application. This application helps our school obtain federal grant money which funds our Early Learning program, special programs for students, and training for teachers. Without this funding, these programs would not be possible with our current budget. If you do not think you would qualify or you do not want to use the free/reduced lunch service, we understand but still ask that you fill out the application.

You can apply online here: https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ApplicationScreen.aspx

A paper application is attached and will be sent home on the first day of school.

How to Pay for Lunch:

Each week, Barbara Jackson will send home envelopes with your child's balance written on it. Please return the envelope with cash or check payable to Washington School District with enough money for that week's meals. Please also indicate which days your child will be getting lunch to help Barbara plan. Thank you!

If you know of any new students in the area or incoming kindergarteners, please give them the information below about how to register. Our Early Learning Program currently has a waitlist but families can register to be added to the waitlist and to ensure they are on our list for next year.

If you need to reach the school for any reason, please call the main office at 495-3463. If someone does not answer, please leave a message. We check messages frequently throughout the day, but there is not always someone at the front desk, as we all wear many hats!

If there are changes to your child's dismissal routine, please make sure to leave a message on the office phone before 2:30pm, as opposed to emailing Dawn or the teacher. Our teachers often do not have time to check their emails throughout the day and may miss the message, so a phone call is best. Please do not leave messages about dismissal or absences on the school Facebook page or any staff member's personal Facebook page.

In the event that internet is down, our phones are also down. We do have one emergency phone to use if this happens. The number for that phone is 603-495-0187. There is no way to leave a message on this line. Please only use this number if you try the main line and it does not ring or gives you a busy signal.

If there's ever anything we can do to improve our communication, please let us know!

If you ever have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I typically get to school by 7:45am, and I stay until about 4:30 (sometimes later!). I teach on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays so you may not reach me right away those days, but if you leave a message, I will give you a call when I am available. Email is also a great way to get a hold of me.

Email: kcolarusso@hdsd.org
Website: https://www.hdsd.org/Domain/200
Phone: 603-495-3463
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Washington-Elementary-School-110720773888378
Twitter: @MrsColarussoWES