The Penguin Post

Wednesday, February 4 - Global school play day

Friday, February 6 - PBIS Football Friday

Tuesday, February 10 - PTO meeting (6:00pm, Phelps Library)

Wednesday, February 11 - PTO Giveback Night - Classic Burgers (5:30-8:30pm)

February 16-20 - No school - February vacation

Monday, February 23 - School reopens

Saturday, February 28 - Agawam Night at the Springfield Thunderbirds

Wednesday, March 11 - Half day for students: staff professional development

As we wrap up January, it is hard to believe we have officially reached the halfway point of the school year. Our students have made tremendous progress, and we are proud of the effort, growth, and perseverance we see each day at Phelps. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we head into the second half of the year. We are excited for what is ahead and look forward to keeping the momentum going together!

Mr. V.

On Wednesday, February 4th, Phelps School will be participating in the Global School Play Day.

Global School Play Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide—typically on the first Wednesday in February—that encourages schools and educators to give students time for unstructured, screen-free play during the school day.

📌 What It Is

Global School Play Day is a one-day celebration of play in schools where students are invited to engage in self-directed, creative, and social play activities without screens, formal lessons, or adult-led instruction for some of their day.

🧩 Why It Matters

Free play helps children develop:

• Creativity and imagination

• Problem-solving and critical thinking

• Social skills and cooperation

• Emotional regulation and confidence all through play rather than traditional instruction.

All students at Phelps will have a designated time to engage in play with their classmates. Students are encouraged to bring their favorite board or card games. Screens/video games are not permitted.

On January 21, students at Phelps completed the first round of our RTI blocks. Our RTI block is a 30-minute period dedicated to providing each student with targeted support in an area identified through benchmark assessments and/or ongoing curriculum-based assessments.

Over the next couple of weeks, testing teams will support teachers in completing our mid-year benchmark assessments. Once all students have been assessed, each grade level will meet with our coaches, interventionists, special education staff, and administration to review the data and form groups for our second round of RTI, which will begin on Monday, February 23.

Phelps wants to thank Mrs. Robinson for everything she has done for our students for the first half of the school year! It was so great to see students creating so many projects with all different types of mediums. Mrs. Robinson will be heading to Sapelli School for the rest of the year. Don't forget that you can purchase your child's artwork as gifts or momentos through our Phelps Artsonia page (linked below).

With Mrs. Robinson heading to Sapelli, we are excited to welcome Ms. Conklin back to Phelps for the remainder of the year! Ms. C. is our amazing Science teacher who will see students twice each week to explore various topics! Ms. C's Google site is also linked below so you can see all the cool things your child will be doing in her class.

Over the last couple of months, we have welcomed a handful of new paraprofessionals to Phelps!

Please join me in welcoming the following staff to our amazing community!

⭐ Ms. Roderick

⭐ Mrs. Avalone

⭐ Ms. Velez

⭐ Mrs. Bortolussi

⭐ Ms. Rahilly

Believe it or not, planning is already underway for the 2026–2027 school year! Notices have gone home to families to begin thinking about the enrollment process for our incoming kindergarten class. To enroll in kindergarten this fall, students must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2026.

Kindergarten Information Night will take place on Thursday, March 12 at the Sapelli School.

As we get closer to April, forms will be sent home to all families of students in grades K–3 to help us with classroom placement for next year.

On Tuesday, January 20, Massachusetts education officials honored 63 schools of recognition during a ceremony at the State House.

Phelps was one of 55 Schools of Recognition identified through the state accountability system for demonstrating high achievement, significant improvement, and/or high growth!

Next week, students will participate in NetSmartz safety presentations focused on making smart, safe choices online. Students in grades 1–3 will take part in the NetSmartz program, which teaches the importance of protecting personal information, being kind and respectful online, and knowing what to do if something feels unsafe or uncomfortable. Students in grade 4 will participate in the Social Media & Gaming Safety presentation, which will focus on safe online communication, responsible decision-making, and strategies for staying safe while using social media and playing online games.

We encourage families to continue these conversations at home and remind students to reach out to a trusted adult if they ever have questions or concerns.

This program is presented by our partners at the Hampden District Attorney's Office and is also supported by high school students on their Youth Advisory Board, who help deliver the presentations. One of our board members is a former Phelps Elementary School student and is especially excited to return and share this important information with current students.

We’ve noticed that our afternoon car line is taking longer than usual to move through all of the cars. To help keep dismissal running smoothly and efficiently, we are asking that parents remain in their vehicles whenever possible.

We understand that some students ride in car seats or boosters and may need extra support with buckling. Student safety is always our top priority, and we want to ensure every child is securely fastened before leaving. If you do need to assist your child, please do so as quickly as possible so the line can continue moving.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in helping our dismissal process run safely and smoothly!

As we entered a new calendar year, students had an opportunity to reflect on what they wanted to do differently in the new year!

Some examples are featured below!

As we move through the winter months, we know this season can bring both beautiful moments and added stress—especially when time indoors and busy schedules pile up. We invite parents and caregivers to read a thoughtful article from our virtual mental health partner, Cartwheel, titled “Parent and Caregiver Stress Is at a Critical Level. Here’s What We Can Do to Help.” It offers insight, validation, and practical support during a time when many are feeling stretched thin. We encourage everyone to be gentle with themselves and one another, and to remember that support is available. If you would like help getting connected to Cartwheel or need additional resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here for you.

Every Day Counts at Phelps! In January, we saw a decrease in average daily attendance in some grades at Phelps - likely because cold and flu season has arrived, but as a school our average remained the same!

Also, almost 13% 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.

In January, classrooms have started to create our weekly sentence kernels!

January 5 - The shark bites. Created by room 18

January 12 - The fish swims. Created by room 20

January 19 - The telephone rings. Created by room 24

January 26 - An alien invades. Created by room 19

As many of you have probably noticed, illnesses appear to be at an all time high. I receive many questions on when kids can return to school after illness and what the current Covid policy is for the school district. Covid is treated as any other respiratory disease. There is no specific timeline on when to return to school, however, students should remain home until symptoms are improving and they are fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicines for at least 24 hours. Additionally, students with tummy issues should also remain home until they are free from vomiting and/or diarrhea for at least 24 hours. Students will be sent home for a temperature over 100 degrees fahrenheit, vomiting, and diarrhea. Students should wash their hands often and remain hydrated and hopefully we can all stay healthy!

On a happier note, we are already heading into February and inching closer to spring. Many of our students love to celebrate Valentine’s day and other special occasions with their classrooms. Here at Phelps, we have a considerable amount of students with food allergies. For this reason, we ask that any goodies for Valentine’s day be non-edible, consisting of small toys and trinkets. Candy should not be sent in for these special celebrations. Check with your classroom teacher prior to sending in any goodies. Please contact the nurse with any questions at 413- 821- 9368. Thank you!

The staff Crystal Apple Award for the month of January is Mrs. Carmona!!!

Mrs. Carmona has been an absolute asset to the Phelps School community through her outstanding support, dedication, and calm, steady presence. Even when she is not actively covering a classroom, she consistently goes above and beyond by stepping in to offer help and support wherever it’s needed. Her flexibility, patience, and professionalism make a meaningful difference for both students and staff.

Mrs. Carmona builds strong, positive connections with students and quickly earns their trust, something that can be especially challenging in the role of a building substitute. She is highly skilled at supporting behavior and learning in the moment, while also contributing thoughtful ideas and effective strategies for individualized instruction. She regularly collaborates with classroom teachers to brainstorm both classroom-wide and individual behavioral supports, and has created engaging activities, incentive systems, and routines that have had a real impact.

Always positive and solution-oriented, Mrs. Carmona is someone staff can count on without hesitation. Her willingness to collaborate, her instructional insight, and her genuine care for students strengthen the learning environment every day. We are very fortunate to have her at Phelps, and she is truly deserving of recognition for the value she brings to our classrooms and school community.

Congratulations Mrs. Carmona!!!

Here are the students of the month for January! This month, we focused on students who model a GROWTH MINDSET 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.

Phelps PTO is in need of a President and Vice President for next year!! The PTO provides enrichments for each of the grade levels and hosts family nights at Phelps, such as Bingo for Books, Ice Cream Social, and many more! All of these events occur thanks to the fundraising efforts of your PTO. If these positions are not filled, the students will lose out on these exciting opportunities. If you are interested, please reach out to phelpspto@gmail.com. We would like to begin shadowing as soon as possible!! Join us for our next PTO Meeting on Tuesday, February 10th @ 6PM for more information!

Your last chance to order Agawam Apparel is February 1st! Get your orders in now and support our 4th Grade Class!

Join us at Classic Burger for our next PTO Give Back Night on Wednesday, February 11th!

Agawam Night at the Thunderbirds is coming up!! Join us on Saturday, February 28th as the Thunderbirds take on the Charlotte Checkers @ 6:05PM. Tickets are on sale through the link below! Phelps students will be invited out on the ice prior to the start of the game to hold the big flag! We hope to see you there!

4th Grade Families - The 4th Grade Committee is looking for photos of your children for the year end slide show. They would like ONE baby photo, and ONE recent photo of each student. Please use the google link below to add your photos (you must have the Google App on your phone to access the drive). Simply click on the link, go to your child's classroom, click on your child's name, and use the plus sign in the lower right hand corner to add your photos! You can add additional group photos of your child from kindergarten through fourth grade with classmates using the respected folder! We would love for these photos to be submitted by March 1st in order for us to begin creating this slideshow! If you have any questions, please reach out to phelpspto@gmail.com.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1r01X0tz94zgZSLVWpM6nXmf3EVBAQtM8

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