Caregiver Update

Thank you to all of our 1st through 4th grade parents and guardians who attended last week's Curriculum Nights. We appreciate you partnering with us to learn about what your child's day looks like and what they will be learning this year. Please take a few minutes to give us some feedback about Curriculum Night by clicking this link.

We have been working on beginning of year assessments to help us with planning how best to support students. Students have been doing iReady reading and iReady math assessments. Students complete the iReady diagnostic three times a year. This week we are beginning to complete our beginning of year DIBELs assessments which focus solely on early literacy skills.

The PTO raffled off several special days during Curriculum Night. Here's the list of most of the winners. We are still waiting to hear who had the winning ticket for a ride to school in a police car. The winning number was: 757045

Please contact us at school if you have the winning ticket.

Here were our other winners:

Cafeteria Manager for the Day 1/2 - Freya Histen

Cafeteria Manager for the Day 3/4 - Clara Hardin

Gym Teacher for the Day 1/2 - Matthew Holden

Gym Teacher for the Day 3/4 - Josie Nudd

Principal for the Day 1/2 - Arleigh Tamble

Principal for the Day 3/4 - Ella Choiniere

Ride to School in a Fire Truck - Zachary Allard

Congrats to all our winners! We will reach out to the different families to schedule these special days.

Thank you to the PTO for a chilly, but awesome Clough Classic last Friday. So glad we were able to get this event in before the nor'easter hit us this weekend. It is a lot of work to put this event on, and the reward is that the PTO raised over $25,000 to support enrichment programs, field trips, special assemblies, and more!

We have a busy, full week of school this week. On Wednesday, we will have our first family meetings. K through 4th grade students are placed in small groups and meet once a month with a Clough staff member. We call these groups our Clough Families. Be sure and ask your child about family meetings. I know the students have anxiously been awaiting our first meeting.

We will also be conducting a safety/lockdown drill on Wednesday. I will send a separate email to parents/guardians explaining our process for practicing these drills.

On Friday afternoon, we will have our first all school assembly. We will be reviewing SOAR expectations and revisiting our Portrait of a Learner Superpowers. During these assemblies, we also sing our school song, Dennis Mathew's song "A Place to Belong." Friday is World Smile Day so we are planning a Spirit Day and we will talk about World Smile Day in our assembly. Students will be encouraged to either wear something with smiley faces on it, wear something with a positive message or image, or simply wear something that makes them smile. :)

Thanks,

Liz Garden

Principal

P.S. Friday is also Custodian Appreciation Day. We are grateful for our amazing custodians who keep our school looking so clean and help us with our messes that we sometimes make. I encourage students to make cards, write notes, or simply walk up to our custodians on Friday and let them know how much we appreciate them!

We tried something new last year during lunch and parents and guardians told us that they loved it and wanted to continue this year! We’re inviting parents and guardians to join us in the cafeteria to eat and chat with students. The goal is to model friendly conversation skills, appropriate volume, and positive lunchtime behavior—while building a stronger sense of community.

Parents/guardians will sit with their child but also engage the other students at the table in conversation. We’ll provide simple conversation starters to keep things fun and meaningful.

We’d love your help as we support students in practicing respectful, confident communication during lunch. We understand that schedules can be tight, but if you’re able to visit during your lunch break, we’d be thrilled to have you join us. This year, there is only one grade at a time in the cafeteria. We will stick with Wednesdays and Fridays like last year. Please sign up on this sign up genius link for your child's grade.

Please make sure you have an approved CORI form on file with us before you sign up.

Our spring creative writing contest was so popular, we decided to do another one this fall! See the flyer below for information and prompt options. This is open to all students, Kindergarten through 4th Grade.

We have created a handout explaining our SOAR expectations across various school settings. I have linked an electronic version below. Teachers will be handing out paper copies of these documents at Curriculum Night. We will also send home a paper copy to those who are unable to attend. After the Curriculum Nights, we will send home a yellow slip of paper for you to sign off acknowledging that you have reviewed the expectations with your child. Please sign and send it back into school. PK and K families will get the yellow slip after their Open House in October. Thank you for partnering with us to help all students understand the behavior expectations and our PBIS system (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports).

Again this year, across the district, we’re asking parents and guardians to help us with a special activity called “A Million Words or Less.” We invite you to tell us, in any length you choose, what makes your child special. You know their joys, challenges, quirks, interests, hopes, and what helps them feel safe and confident. Your insight helps us support them in the best way possible. We had several parents and guardians complete this last year, including many who did it during kindergarten screening. If you already shared information, you don't need to share again. But if you have not completed this, please take some time to help us get to know your child.

You can share in whatever style works for you—a few sentences, a list of bullet points, a poem, a note, even a song! The goal is simply for us to hear your voice.

We’ve created a form where you can type your thoughts. But we know writing isn’t the easiest or preferred way for everyone. You’re welcome to upload a photo, a short video, voice recording, or a document instead—whatever helps us get to know your child. If you would prefer to hand write your thoughts, you are welcome to do that as well and send in the information to us, that works as well.

October:

Oct. 2 - Whole School Assembly

Oct. 6 - Dean Bank Deposit Day

Oct. 9 - Half day. dismissal @ 12:05

Oct. 12 - No School, Indigenous People's Day

Oct. 19-23 - Scholastic Book Fair

Oct. 21 - PK/K Open House 6:00-6:30, Family Shopping Event at the Book Fair

Oct. 22 - School Pictures Day - Coffee Pond Photography

Oct 28 - Bus Safety/Bus Evacuation Day

Oct. 30 - Cardboard Creation Day! More info to come

Email: lgarden@mursd.org
Website: https://www.mursd.org/o/henry-p-clough-elementary
Location: 10 North Avenue, Mendon, MA, USA
Phone: 508-634-1580
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HPClough-Elementary-School-102887309160164
Twitter: @HPClough