The Penguin Post

Monday, January 5 - Schools reopen

Tuesday, January 13 - PTO meeting (6:00pm), 4th grade committee meeting (7:00pm)

Thursday, January 15 - Kindergarten enrichment - Bubblemania!

Thursday, January 15 - PTO Giveback Night - Nicky's Pizza

Monday, January 19 - No school - Martin Luther King Day

Thursday, January 22 - Half day for students (12:20pm dismissal) - staff PD

Thursday, January 29 - NAEP Testing (4th grade students only)

February 16-20 - No school - February vacation

As we head into December break, I want to take a moment to wish our Phelps families time filled with rest, joy, and meaningful moments together. Whether your days are busy or quiet, we hope this break brings you all the things that matter most, including connection, laughter, and time to recharge. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for the new year on Monday, January 5.

Mr. V.

To help keep classrooms focused and free from distractions, we ask that students leave personal toys at home. Small items such as action figures, dolls, cards, and other toys can interrupt learning time. Students are welcome to bring appropriate playground equipment (such as balls or jump ropes) for use during recess, as long as they can be safely stored during the school day. Thank you for your continued support in helping us create a positive learning environment for all students.

On Friday, December 12, Phelps held their annual Sock Hop to collect hats, mittens/gloves, and socks for the Springfield Rescue Mission. Our final totals were 620 pairs of socks, 90 pairs of gloves/mittens, and 74 hats. Way to go Phelps!!!!

In January, some of our 4th grade students will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a nationwide assessment that helps measure student learning in subjects such as reading and math. Results are reported only at the group level and do not impact individual students or schools. More information will be shared with 4th grade families when we return from December break.

🎶 The best way to spread holiday cheer is singing loud for all to hear! 🎶

Congratulations to Mr. Sawyer and the 4th grade class for two outstanding performances this month! Mr. Sawyer deserves a special shout out! The joy he brings to our school community is felt by everyone around him, and it absolutely deserves to be recognized. Thanks to his imagination, organization, and hard work, our annual Holiday Sing-A-Long has become a beloved Phelps tradition. It brings together our entire school in a heartwarming celebration of music, unity, and joy.

We are pleased to share that Phelps is continuing our partnership with Cartwheel, a provider of virtual mental health support, throughout this school year. To learn more about Cartwheel and the services they offer, please visit cartwheel.org.

We also invite parents and caregivers to join Cartwheel and Alex Hirshberg, Psy.D. for a free, live webinar on:

Building Resilience and Emotional Exposure in Kids

January 14, 2026
7:00 PM

During this session, parents will learn practical strategies to help children:

• Face uncomfortable emotions in healthy ways

• Build effective coping skills

• Grow confidence and resilience over time

Click here to register for this free event.

We hope you can join us for this valuable opportunity.

Sincerely,
The Counseling Department
Phelps School

Students used their Holiday Passports to explore winter holidays celebrated around the world from December through February.

Elementary-age children are still developing important skills such as self-regulation, attention, and healthy peer relationships. Smartphones can introduce distractions and online pressures that are often difficult for young children to manage independently. Research links early smartphone use to increased screen time, disrupted sleep, and challenges with focus and social interactions.

The Wait Until 8th pledge supports families in delaying smartphones until at least 8th grade, helping reduce social pressure and encouraging children to build strong in-person friendships, healthy routines, and independence. For families who need a way to stay connected, simpler communication options can meet that need without the added risks of smartphones.

Interested in joining or learning more? Visit www.waituntil8th.org to sign the pledge and see how other families are making this positive choice!

Every Day Counts at Phelps! In December, we saw a DECREASE in average daily attendance at Phelps - likely because cold and flu season has arrived! As we approach being half way through the year, almost 19% of students in grades 1-4 have PERFECT attendance!

Did You Know?

⭐ Missing just two days each month can add up to over three weeks of missed learning in a year.
📚 Students who attend regularly are more likely to read on grade level by third grade.
🌟 Strong attendance habits begin early and set the stage for future success.
😊 Arriving on time helps children start the day feeling confident, calm, and ready to learn.

We are now 13 weeks into our school wide sentence kernels. Every Monday morning, we share samples from the previous week during the broadcast. Be sure to ask your child about this week’s kernel!

As we head into January, each classroom will have an opportunity to create the weekly sentence kernel for the entire school to work on! We kickoff January with our 4th graders.

December 1 - The robot dances.

December 8 - The snow falls.

December 15 - The superhero saves.

Interactive PDFs from the Agawam Public Library:

I hope everyone enjoys their time off from school and stays healthy and safe!

Many of you may have noticed that illnesses are on the rise in the community and in our school. This time of year typically brings an increase in flu and flu-like illnesses and stomach viruses. Please monitor your child at home for the following symptoms: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea.

To help keep our school community healthy, please review the following illness guidelines carefully:

• Please keep children home if they have a fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.

• Students may return to school 24 hours after fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea have completely resolved, without the use of fever-reducing medications.

• Symptoms should be clearly improving before returning to school after any illness.
  
  

Good handwashing is the best practice to prevent the spread of germs. Keeping children home when they are sick also helps prevent the spread of illness. If you are unsure whether your child is well enough to return to school, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Please refer to the MDPH website at www.mass.gov/dph for additional resources on the seasonal flu.

Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our school healthy. I wish everyone a safe and healthy start to winter and a wonderful winter break.

Nurse Taunya - 413-821-9368 - tjasperson@agawamed.org

The staff Crystal Apple Award for the month of December is Mrs. Greenwood!!!

Mrs. Greenwood is someone who brings positivity and joy into our school every single day. She has a wonderful attitude, works closely with others, and always puts her students first. She is open to trying new ideas, learning alongside her students, and making her classroom a place where kids feel happy, supported, and excited to learn.

One of the things that stands out most about Mrs. Greenwood is her smile. It’s contagious. Even on days that may feel tough, she continues to show up with kindness, patience, and a sense of fun that her students feel right away. Her love of teaching shines through in everything she does and inspires those around her to be better educators and teammates.

Mrs. Greenwood is incredibly appreciative of everyone she works with here at Phelps and is truly loved by students and staff alike. We are so lucky to have Mrs. Alex Greenwood as part of our school community, and we are proud to honor her today with the Crystal Apple Award.

Congratulations Mrs. Greenwood!!!

Here are the students of the month for December! This month, we focused on students who model SELF CONTROL throughout the day!

It's never too late to join!!!

Ready, Set, Grow is a program set up to encourage children to start saving at an early age. If you wish to have your child participate in this program, simply complete and sign the application form and return it to the school or visit a branch.

Westfield Bank will be at Phelps every Thursday morning for students to make deposits.

Thank you to all our families and volunteers who helped make our December events a success!

Congratulations to the winners of our candy jar count! There were 247 Hershey Kisses in the jar!

Grand Prize Winner - Fatma - 4th Grade - 240

Top grade level winners -

K - Henry and Wendy - 100

1 - Haley - 267

2 - Jack - 200

3 - Des - 280

4 - Chester - 234

Congratulations to our raffle winners!! Thank you all who purchased tickets to support our Phelps 4th grade class!!

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.

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