AKF Bear Bulletin

Dear AKF Families,

There is an extra sense of excitement throughout our school as we approach Election Day! Our students are learning about the importance of voting, making choices, and having their voices heard. It has been wonderful to see these lessons come to life in our classrooms.

Most recently, our first graders participated in their own special vote to decide which administrator they would like to have read to their class. I had the pleasure of visiting several classrooms throughout Thursday and Friday to share stories with our young voters. It was such a joy to be part of this experience!

Ask your student about their own experiences learning about voting and elections.

Warmly,
Anne

aduke@akfcs.org

508-854-4800 ext 4122

This school year, we are transitioning from DIBELS to i-Ready Literacy Tasks to accompany the iReady Diagnostic that measures your child’s reading progress. While the tool is changing, our commitment remains the same: we are still measuring essential foundational literacy skills—like phonics, word recognition, and reading fluency—to help guide our everyday instruction and meet your child right where they are. To give you a clear look at their overall learning journey, you will receive an i-Ready Family Report emailed form your classroom teacher. This report is a great indicator of how your child is doing in school, showing their strengths, areas for growth, and progress toward grade-level goals so we can partner together to support their success.

We are excited to share that Ms. Gutierrez will be serving our district in a new capacity, supporting special education programming for our middle school students. While her office will no longer be housed in the elementary school, our AKF Elementary community will still see her smiling, fun-loving face throughout the school year!

Our elementary school continues to be supported by a strong administrative team. Mrs. Stockwell, Ms. Burns, Ms. Hippert, Ms. Martunas, and I will continue to greet families during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, ensuring that familiar faces remain available to welcome and support you.

As always, Mrs. Stockwell and I are available to answer questions about your child’s education, listen to your concerns, and work in partnership with you to ensure every student feels supported and has the opportunity to thrive. We are grateful for Ms. Gutierrez’s continued service to our district and wish her the very best in this exciting new role!

Join us for our next Goodies with Grownups on Friday, October 30th, from 7:45–8:15 a.m. in the AKF cafeteria! Pull your car right into the car drop off line and come on in! This is a wonderful opportunity to spend a little extra time together before the school day begins, enjoy a morning treat, and connect with other members of our AKF family. We look forward to welcoming our students and their special grownups for a fun and festive start to the day. We hope to see you there!

Our young artists are hard at work creating their very own Art to Remember masterpieces! Each student is turning their creativity and imagination into a special piece of art that families can treasure for years to come.

🖍️ What’s Next?

• November 2: Personalized order forms will be sent home with your child.

• December 14: Orders are expected to arrive—just in time to make wonderful holiday gifts!

❤️ Your Purchase Makes a Difference!

When you order a keepsake featuring your child’s artwork, you’re doing more than celebrating their creativity. Our school receives 25% of the profit, helping support our AKF community!

We can’t wait for you to see the amazing creations our students are making. Keep an eye out for those order forms in November!

Questions? Please reach out to Mrs. Roy at sroy@akfcs.org or call 508-854-8400, ext. 4306.

Elementary School (K-3)

Personal electronic devices of any kind including but not limited to laptops, tablets, and smartwatches, are not allowed on school premises, during field trips, or on school buses without expressed permission of appropriate school personnel. Any such device found on a student will be confiscated and held until a parent comes to the school to pick it up. However, cell phones may be brought to school but must be turned off and kept in the student’s backpack while on the bus and on school property. Cell phones may not be used at any time on school grounds or school buses for any reason. If the cell phone makes noise or is taken out of the backpack at any time, it may be confiscated and held until a parent comes to the school to pick it up. In addition, Abby Kelley Foster is not responsible for lost or stolen property.

Dear Abby Kelley Foster Staff and Families,

The Board of Trustees is forming an Internal Search Committee to help select our next Executive

Director, who is expected to begin in July 2027 for the 2027–2028 school year. We want this

search to be open, equitable, and clear, with opportunities for members of our school community

to participate.

The committee will include:

· Kathleen Greenwood, Search Committee Chair and Trustee

· Nicole Mikucka, Trustee

· Karina Abeddy, Trustee

· Two senior administrators

· One high school teacher

· One middle school teacher

· One elementary school teacher

· One Parent

· One Community Partner

· One student

Serving on the committee will require a significant time commitment. Meetings will take place

primarily in the evenings throughout the school year. Some meetings will be via Zoom while others will be in person. The committee will work with Sarah Ferguson from vChief Executive Search Firm.

If you are interested in serving, please email: ed-search-committee@akfcs.org

with your name and a brief explanation not to exceed two paragraphs as to why you would like to participate by October 14, 2026. We will review the expressions of interest and notify everyone who is selected.

We look forward to hearing from you and working together on this important decision for our

school.

The Board of Trustees

Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School