It is with deep sadness that we include in this week's edition of the Pierce School Weekly Newsletter, that a car accident involving three of our ConVal High School students took the life of Damien Cronan. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the Cronan family, and the entire ConVal community. In the wake of this tragedy, we send our condolences to Damien’s family, the injured students, their family and friends, and all who have been affected by this catastrophic event.

To help our students and staff cope with the impact of this tragedy, we will have support resources available at our school on Monday for any students or staff affected by this loss.

Below are some additional resources to assist you in supporting your child through this difficult time:

• NAMI NH
• River Center
• Grapevine
• Monadnock Family Services
• Monadnock Community Hospital
• SAMSHA
• National Association of School Psychologists

At the elementary level, we will not discuss the accident with students in the classroom, but will make our counselor, Mrs. Kotwicki available for any students who might need additional support through the day. Please reach out to either Mrs. Kotwicki or Ms. Hansen-Proulx if your family or student need anything additional during this challenging time. We stand together as a community to navigate this grief and find strength in each other.

“It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!” — Winnie the Pooh

With fall officially here, please send your student to school with an extra layer, something warm for the cooler mornings, such as a sweatshirt or light jacket, as we are outside several times per day. We want students to be warm during the cooler mornings and recess times. Thank you for your help with this!

Happy fall! 🌰 🍂

This Week:

*Throughout the week: Students will participate in NWEA testing in grades 1-4. This test helps teachers pinpoint where each student stands academically in reading and math, so please help your student get to bed early to get a good night's sleep.

Monday, 9/23 - 1:30 - 3:00 - Gr. 4 - Field Trip to Bruce Edes Forest with Susie Spikol

Wednesday, 9/25 - 8:45 - 9:30 - Gr.2 - Cornucopia Gardening Program (Wk.4/7)

Thursday, 9/26 - 5:30 – 6:30pm - Open House at Pierce School (Fingerprinting on site for family interested in chaperoning/volunteering this year)

Friday, 9/27 - 8:30am – 12:30pm- Pierce School Picture Day (Photo package information coming home Monday, 9/23 to be purchased online)

Week of 9/30 to 10/4:

Wednesday, 9/25 - 8:45 - 9:30 - Gr.2 - Cornucopia Gardening Program (Wk.5/7)

Friday, 10/4 - 8:45 - 1:45pm - 2nd, 3rd, 4th Grade Field Trip to Kate DiCamillo - Concord Capital Center for the Arts (Please return signed permission slips)

*If you would like to attend the Kate DiCamillo field trip, we have some extra tickets to attend as a chaperone. We ask that chaperones pay their $8 ticket fee themselves and need to have their fingerprinting and background check information completed prior to attending. You can complete fingerprinting at our Open House this week on Thursday, 9/26!

Coming Up:

Thursday, 10/17 - 5:30 - 6:45pm - Title I Family Engagement Night/Harvest Dinner at Pierce School (Students Cook the Dinner, partially from our school garden...menu to come!)

Tuesday, 10/29 - 8:30am – 3:00pm - Gr. 4 Field Trip to Great Bay Estuary

Tuesday, 11/5 - Teacher/Family Conference Day - No School for Students (Conference times to be announced by each teacher)

Join us at Pierce School to learn about what's happening in your student's class this year. There will be a scavenger hunt during the Open House, along with various organizations present for questions and an opportunity to hear about the great things available to the Bennington community.

We will also have Denise McLenon from the SAU at Open House doing fingerprinting on site, if you are interested in getting that done to be eligible for volunteering and chaperoning throughout the year. We hope you'll come and take part in this section to help support your student's classroom this year. We can't wait to see you for Open House on 9/26, Thursday, 5:30 - 6:30 pm.

On Tuesday, our kindergarten class released a Monarch butterfly that hatched from a chrysalis in the classroom. They have one chrysalis left that is still in process of hatching into its new form, and we are eagerly awaiting the change. Students brought it outside with their teacher, Ms. D'Agostino, who proudly helped students set it free. Students did an incredible job of being patient, kind with the new life, and watched as it flew up into the sky and over the trees. Best of luck on your long journey ahead, little butterfly!

Students in 1st and 4th grade read about their work during our assembly on Friday, 9/20. Then, Mrs. Tarr rolled out the Golden Spoon Luncheon initiative that will begin this week for students who demonstrate expectated behaviors in the lunchroom from Mondays to Thursdays each week, and they can be invited to a special lunch on the stage on Fridays. They will receive a golden spoon as the invitation, for doing the right thing at lunch through the week.

Expected behaviors in the lunchroom:

• Raise their hands to get up and get something
• Ask a teacher by raising a hand to go to the bathroom/leave the lunchroom
• Keep a low level voice, no yelling
• When a teacher says, "Show 5", students stop talking, focus attention on the teacher, and put a high five in the air to show they are listening to directions
• Sit at the table to eat lunch, have a safe body at the table

These are the expected behaviors that will earn students a golden spoon invitation to a decorated table on the stage on Fridays. A different teacher will sign up to host the luncheon each Friday.