Duval Dispatch

Duval Families,

Happy Official Start to Fall! 🍂

We are officially settling into the school year, and it has been wonderful to see! We’re seeing friendships and relationships grow among our students, while learning is really getting underway. We’ve loved visiting classrooms and seeing students’ excitement and curiosity as they dive into new learning!

This week is also Go Gold Week! 💛 We will be collecting donations to support childhood cancer research. Students can bring in donations throughout the week and place them in our Golden Boot in the office. To wrap up the week, we encourage students and staff to wear yellow or gold on Friday as we come together to show our support!

Have a great week,

Ms. Craig and Mrs. Salamone

A few helpful reminders to make lunchtime a smooth and positive part of the school day:

• Breakfast & lunch are free for all students!
• Eating first, chatting later! Please remind your child to focus on eating first so they have enough time to enjoy their lunch and connect with friends afterward.
• Students sit with their class. Some classes may share half of a table with another class.
• There is plenty of support! Mrs. Boulter and Mr. Fernandes are always in the cafeteria, along with other paraeducators from around the building, to help students as needed.
• Check the menu together! Reviewing the lunch menu (on the website) with your child can help them choose a meal they’ll be excited to eat.
• Lunch from home? Please label all lunch boxes, containers, and other items with your child’s name.
• Please don’t share food. For safety reasons, students should only eat the food that is provided for them or brought from home.
• Late arrival or early dismissal? If your child will be arriving late or leaving school early, please check their lunch time so you know whether they will have an opportunity to eat at school.

We have had several reports of unsafe bike behavior from our crossing guards. We would like you to review these expectations if your child is riding their bike to and from school :

• Wear your helmet every time. Keep it on until you reach your destination.
• Walk your bike across crosswalks. Stop, get off, and walk your bike across the street.
• Stop at all stop signs and traffic lights.
• Look both ways before crossing the street.
• Watch for pedestrians and give them space.
• Stay alert—no phones or headphones while riding.

As noted in our Elementary Handbook: The WHRSD Elementary Schools support and will enforce the Massachusetts General Law and Regulation of Bicycle Operations Ch. 85, Section 11B. Students 12 years of age or younger must wear a helmet when riding a bike. Failure to comply with this law will result in immediate and permanent loss of the privilege of riding a bike to school.

If you have a dismissal change from your child's regular routine, a note MUST be sent in ahead of time. Please DO NOT rely on an email or even a phone call during the day.

Please call the Duval main office at 781-618-7055 (Press 1), if your child is going to be absent or late. We take the responsibility to care for your child very seriously and we need to know your child is safe!

Each Dispatch, we have a section for Nurse Melissa to share the latest health news. Here is this month's update.

Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Hornstra Farms night! We appreciate the support from our community and Hornstra Farms! Our next dining partnership is with Napoli Pizza on September 30th and October 1st. Hope to see you there!

It's almost time for Monster Mash!

Join us for our annual Monster Mash (a Halloween party at Duval)! Summon your creativity and enter the Pumpkin Decorating Contest or the Spooky Snack Contest! All snacks and drinks are sold for $1 and all proceeds benefit our school's enrichment programs! We cannot run this event without volunteers!! Please sign up through the CheddarUp link when you're ordering your tickets! Ticket deadline is 10/8! Tickets are $3 for students and $2 for adults.

Did you know Duval has textile collection bins located in our parking lot near parent pick up? These collection bins support both Duval and our community. Please see the attached flyer for what items are accepted.

Upcoming PTO dates:

Napoli Pizza Partnership - September 30th & October 1st

Next PTO Meeting - October 13th

Monster Mash - October 23rd

Basket Raffle - November 6th

Please follow our social media pages for the most up to date information. We can also be reached via email at duvalpto@gmail.com.

Sept. 23 - Instrument Rental night 6pm in WMS Cafe

Sept. 23- School Committee Meeting 6:30pm WHHS

Oct. 5- Fall Picture Day

Oc. 12- No School. Indigenous Peoples' Day

Oct. 13- PTO Meeting 7PM Duval Library

Oct. 15- Early Release; PK-12 Dismissal 12:10

Oct 23- Monster Mash 6:00-8:00

Calendar Items for the Year. Click HERE.

• WH Elementary Handbook

• School Lunch Menus

• Infinite Campus Log In for grades, class info. Need help? Contact Tech: 781-618-8100

• School Status (emails, texts from WH or Duval)

• YMCA Before/After School Care Information

• The WHRSD and Duval School PTO Facebook pages.

• Anonymous Bullying or Harassment reporting: call 781-618-7086

John H. Duval Elementary provides a safe, supportive environment where children are able to reach for the stars!

Email: ashley.craig@whrsd.org
Website: https://whd.whrsd.org
Location: 60 Regal Street, Whitman, MA 02382
Phone: 781-618-7055
Twitter: @DuvalElementary