BLACKHAWKS BULLETIN
Week of May 31st
Congratulations to our CVL competitors!
PRINCIPAL PONDERINGS
Good afternoon,
We have an exciting week ahead. The Evacuation Drill and Co-curricular awards ceremonies both fall on Tuesday, June 2nd (the awards ceremony begins at 6 pm sharp) and the 8th grade trip departs bright and early on Wednesday, June 3rd for the Cape. I will be traveling with the 8th graders but am leaving you in very capable hands. I have complete confidence in Amanda Jewell and the PES staff to hold down the fort in my absence. Also, Silas St. James and Beth Bierwirth will be available to assist as needed.
This will be a good "dry run" for next week when I will be away again but this time for personal travel. My nephew, Nathan, who used to spend summers with me and work as a counselor at our very own MCC Camp, is getting married in Portugal on Saturday, June 13th. I fly out on Wednesday night (June 10) so I can get there in time for the pre-wedding festivities. Sadly, this means I will miss the last couple of days of school and graduation. I am especially thankful for the time I will spend with the 8th graders this week.
Please be sure to read the section re: the Evacuation Drill below. There are lots of important details. Of note:
- LHS riders will transfer buses at KUA. If they usually get picked up at PES with a younger sibling, you will just pick them up at KUA along with your PES student(s)
- P7 Riders who usually get off at Main Street & Chellis OR at Main Street and Campus Center Drive will be dismissed as walkers from the Flickinger Art Center AFTER all other dismissals are completed. The adults who usually meet students at the bus stop may plan to meet them outside of Flickinger instead. Please note, you will not be able to come into Flickinger to sign them out so please don't come early :).
Finally, as this year winds down and our planning for next year ramps up, I would like to share some important details about next year's staffing as follows:
- 1st grade - one lead teacher (Michelle Doody) with two classrooms and a minimum of three adults providing instruction and support during core instruction and most other times of the day. The class will be split into two smaller groups for essential arts classes. This is very similar to the model in place during the 25/26 school year.
- 3/4 - The 3/4 program will be taught by Mindy Taber and Jessica Kondratowicz. They will have mixed grade level homerooms who will be together for science, social studies, and essential arts. In addition to grade level specific math instruction (as has always been the case), students will receive ELA instruction by grade level. This is a better fit for reading instruction in these grades as well as for our ELA curriculum resources such as Fundations and Wit & Wisdom.
- 5th Grade will be taught by Hannah Cook who is looking forward to incorporating a co-teaching model for core instruction. The entire staff participated in co-teaching training with Demonstrated Success this year and have been leaning into opportunities to work collaboratively to design and deliver instruction in ways that support the needs of diverse learners. We will also pilot some co-teaching in essential arts this year as we continue to expand our focus on helping students make interdisciplinary connections.
- The front office will be staffed with 1.6 FTEs. This will include Amanda Jewell as a full-time, school year administrative assistant with some targeted responsibilities related to technology integration (namely the oversight of Alma registration and all student software access/integration). The .6 position will be a full-year position focused on principal's office functions like budget tracking, purchase orders, facilities requests, payroll, etc. The other ".4" capacity from this position has been redistributed.
- Finally, we have redistributed 1.6 FTEs of EA teacher responsibilities as follows:
- Josie Wolfinger will continue to fill the .6 art teacher position and will also pick up .4 tech integration responsibilities. She will be at PES full-time beginning next year.
- The 1.0 Media Library position will now be a .6 Media Library position. The tech integration responsibilities from that position have moved over to Josie.
All of the above is in keeping with the staffing budget approved at the District Meeting in March.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Audra
P.S. Don't forget about the Lego League Expo this afternoon at 5 pm and if you still haven't returned missing library books, it's not too late. Just bring them in tomorrow please.
Audra Bucklin, Principal
603-469-3250, x223
8TH GRADE END-OF-YEAR EVENTS
WEEKLY HAPPENINGS
UPCOMING EVENTS
May
26- Memorial Day Assembly (school sing included in this) Parents/Guardians Welcome, 8:15
26- School Board Meeting, 5:30 Library
26- PTA meeting, 7pm Meriden Library
27- 8th grade Ted Talks, 10-11:30
27- Destination Imagination, 2:50
27- Basketball Open Gym, 2:5031 - LEGO League 26/27 Organizational Meeting - 5 pm - (See details below in Co-Curricular)
JUNE
2- K to 4 School Sing – 8:05 am Lobby – Parents/Guardians Welcome
2- Co- Curricular Awards Ceremony, 6pm Gym
2- Emergency Evacuation Drill, 1:30-2:50
3- Destination Imagination, 2:50
3-Open Gym, 2:50
3-5- 8th grade graduation, trip
9- K to 4 School Sing – 8:05 am Lobby – Parents/Guardian
9- 8th grade step up day, 11am LHS
9- 5th grade, 3pm Northern Stage, Bridge Up
9- School Board Meeting, 5pm Library
10- Kindergarten Field Trip, 12:10
11- Celebration of Learning, 8th grade- 11:30
11- Semi Formal Dance- PES, 7:00-7:30 (8th grade only), 7:30-9:30- 6-8th grade
12- 8:30-10:30 Graduation practice- KUA, Early Release 12:50- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
12- 6pm- 8th grade graduation, 6pm KUA- Flickinger Arts Center
LUNCH MENU
"COLD" Options: (offered daily)
Assorted Pre-made Deli Sandwiches, ham and turkey. Sunbutter/Jelly sandwiches
Yogurt Parfait with Fruit and Granola
Fresh Fruit and Veggie Bar with Dinner Roll
NOTE - The second week menu is coming soon. There was an error. Please note, lunch on the last day of school - Friday, June 12th - will be a BAGGED LUNCH.
OFFICE NOTES
Evacuation Drill - June 2nd
Every three years, schools are required to conduct an offsite evacuation drill to practice and evaluate our plans for getting our students and staff safely offsite and reunited with families in the event our building sustained some kind of damage (e.g. weather or fire) or was otherwise deemed unsafe by our local emergency first responders. Here are a few things to know as we prepare for our drill on June 2nd.
1. All plans are made by our PES Safety Committee in collaboration with emergency first responders, town officials, and our partners at Kimball Union Academy.
2. Our offsite evacuation plan includes Kimball Union Academy as we convene our students in the Flickinger Auditorium and set up attendance and first aid locations in the building as well.
3. Students WILL be aware throughout the event that it is a drill and only for practice.
4. In the event of a real emergency, the decision to evacuate would typically be made by our first responders.
5. Our plans flex with any number of emergencies and prioritize the following:
- Attendance taking protocols at several different points throughout the drill
- Protocols for safety and supervision (along our walking route, in the event of weather events, upon arrival at Kimball Union, and during dismissal from an offsite location)
Speaking of the latter, next week's drill is timed to allow us to practice dismissing from an offsite location. The drill will begin at approximately 1:30 pm giving us plenty of time to arrive on campus, take attendance, load busses and then do parent pick up, all from Kimball Union Academy within our normal dismissal time frame (2:50 to 3 pm)
Here's what we need from you:
- Follow all instructions you receive that afternoon via our alert system. We will issue notifications as part of our practice.
- Make sure your child has comfortable shoes for walking. Unless it is thundering and lightening, we WILL be walking. In the event of forecasted thunder and lightning, we will transport via buses.
- Please update Pick-up Patrol NO LATER THAN 12PM on June 2nd
- If your child is leaving early for an appointment, please plan to get them before 1:15 pm
- If your child is returning from an appointment, please be sure they are able to get back to school before 1:15 pm OR plan to keep them home for the rest of the day. (NOTE: In the event of a real emergency, an all-school alert would be sent advising parents and visitors that the school is closed and to await further instructions for reunification with students.)
- If it is something your child does on a regular basis, and if it makes sense for your family, please have your child take the bus home that day. This will help limit the amount of car traffic at pick-up at KUA
- If you plan to pick up via car at KUA, please see traffic pattern above and note the following:
- You are NOT PERMITTED TO GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLES.
- We will bring students directly from Flickinger Auditorium to their vehicle.
- All vehicle MUST enter Campus Center Drive from Main Street. Busses will be lined up to go out the access road from Chellis so please do not come in that way.)
- Students who typically get off of P7 on Main Street in Meriden, will be dismissed as walkers from Flickinger. Adults may meet their children on the patio facing the green. There is no need to arrive before 3 pm as they will be dismissed last after all buses and car traffic has been cleared. You will not be allowed into Flickinger.
- Students who typically walk or bike home from PES will take P7 back to the school where they may walk or bike home as usual. They may be a little earlier or later than usual depending on how things go with our drill/dismissal.
The chicks are hatching!
We have been quite enamored with them here in the front of the building.
NO STUDY HALL IN JUNE
PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY
TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY FOR YEARBOOK ORDERING!
Yearbooks are now on sale through June 1st 2026. Please print this form out (or grab a form in the foyer in the office) and give it to the office with your check.
Checks should be made out to Plainfield School.
Memo: Yearbook (students name(s)
Four Winds
Do you know a grandparent or other family member who wants to spend more time with your child? Would you like to help out in your kids' classroom and learn who their classmates are?We are looking for volunteers for grades K-4. The Four Winds program at PES teaches about science through observing and playing in nature. Volunteers attend five training workshops and then go into the classroom to teach the kids what they learned. Examples of subjects we have learned include clouds, water, flowers, wind, insects, birds, and much more. Kids love seeing their family members in the classroom and always look forward to the fun lessons the Four Winds Institute plans.
If you are interested or know of a family member interested, please contact Kathleen Maslan.
LOST & FOUND
2025-2026 Lost and Found…please bookmark the link below for access to our lost and found site. We amass quite the collection over the course of the year! Items are kept in a nicely organized "display" of sorts in the lobby just past the lunch area on the right.
PTA UPDATES
Thank you to everyone who came to our final PTA meeting of the year on Tuesday! We are excited to announce our new PTA officers for the 2026-2028 term:
President: Madison Wainwright
Co-Vice Presidents: Olga Demidova and Candace Lord
Treasurer: Brandi George
Secretary: Open
Help us garden over the summer! Signup here [signupgenius.com] to cover a week of watering, weeding and harvesting in the PES garden during the summer months. This entails stopping by the garden to water plants during dry spells (i.e. no rain for >2-3 days), weeding once during the week (or more if you want) and harvesting/enjoying produce that is ripe. Likely 1-2 hour commitment total during the week. We will hold an orientation & have instructions in the garden so you know what to do. Many hands make light work! Many weeks are still available. We will also be holding a community workday or two over the summer, so be on the lookout for more information.
CO-CURRICULAR NEWS
LEGO LEAGUE 26/27 - Organizational Meeting - 5 pm
CURRENT 5th to 7th Grade Students - Please join us on Sunday, May 31st to hear about some exciting new developments with the PES LEGO League, including:
- The Club will be held primarily during the school year and co-led by Mr. Jack Maling along with past coaches Joe Bretton, Brandi George and Mrs. Thompson. We are excited to expand the club's focus on team building and coding skills instruction.
- We are hoping to schedule some exploratory sessions to see what the club is all about and get the robots built over the summer.
- As we get closer to competition in the fall, there will be some longer, out-of-school, sessions to prepare for the competition. Coach Joe Bretton will bring his years of experience to these sessions!
Hope to see you on the 31st!
CVL MEET RESULTS - CONGRATS ATHLETES!
SPRING TRACK
The PES Track & Field team had a busy week with 2 meets! The Girls team placed 3rd at Windsor and 2nd at Lebanon, and the Boys team placed 4th at Windsor and 4th at Lebanon. Top finishers for each meet are:
Windsor Meet (5/18):
Girls:
100m Hurdles: Ellis Underhill 2nd place, Lyla Darak 4th place
100m: Carter Antol 1st place
Congratulations to the PES Track & Field team for competing at the Connecticut Valley League (CVL) Championship Meet Thursday afternoon. It was a HUGE meet (21 teams) with the toughest competition the team has seen all season, and the team rose to the occasion, with several athletes PRing and some placing!
A special congratulations to Carter Antol, who placed 2nd in the 100m and 200m, earning a spot in the NH State meet in both of those events! Below are the athletes that placed:
Girls:
100m Hurdles: Lyla Darak, 4th place
100m: Carter Antol, 2nd place
200m: Carter Antol, 2nd place
4x200m relay: Plainfield 4th place (Maisie Boynton, Ellis Underhill, Lyla Darak, Carter Antol)
Boys:
Shot Put: Michael Counter 4th place
High Jump: Sam Ferri 6th place
Discus: Zain Kelly 6th place
Congrats to all who competed!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Plainfield Fishing Derby
Saturday, June 6th, 2026
BASKETBALL OPPORTUNITY
Noble Hoops, based in Grantham, NH, is offering a low to no cost girls basketball program for:
3rd & 4th Grade Girls
5th & 6th Grade Girls
Our goal is to provide an accessible, positive environment where girls can grow both on and off the court—especially for families who may not have access to more expensive AAU or travel programs.
Program Details:
Workouts: Saturday mornings & Wednesday nights
Location: Grantham Village School
Games/Tournaments: To be determined
Cost: Low to no cost (sponsorship-supported)
We would greatly appreciate your help in sharing this opportunity with students and families in your school community. I’ve attached a flyer that can be distributed via email, newsletters, or printed for posting.
If families are interested or have questions, they can:
Email: jacob@noblehoops.com
Visit: www.noblehoops.com
Thank you for supporting opportunities that help young athletes stay engaged, active, and confident.
Coach Jacob Noble
603-667-8485
jacob@noblehoops.com
FROM STEPHANIE SCHELL
Community Resources are Available!
Due to the federal government shutdown and the suspension of the SNAP food benefits the town of Plainfield’s Community Resource Room & Food Pantry is ready and available to assist Plainfield, Meriden & Cornish residents during this unsettling time.
If you are without transportation or can’t physically attend these special pick-up times, please reach out and we will try our best to arrange for a drop-off at your home.
The Community Food Pantry is located at the Christ Community Church, 1259 Route 12A in Plainfield. Across the street from the Plainfield Fire Station.
The Community Food Pantry's regular hours are the 1st Thursday, 3rd Friday & 3rd Saturday of each month from 9-10:30 a.m. During these times any residents needing to stretch their grocery budget from Plainfield, Meriden & Cornish can access food.
We are here to help during these challenging times. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Plainfield’s Community Resource Director, Stephanie Schell at cr.director@plainfieldnh.org or 1-603-469-3201.
If people would like to make monetary donations to
Our local community food pantry they may do so by sending a check to:
The Town of Plainfield
P.O. Box 380
Meriden, NH 03770
In the check memo write: Food Pantry
IMPORTANT AREA EVENTS & RESOURCES
TOWN OF PLAINFIELD COMMUNITY SERVICES
See below for a full list of upcoming events and ongoing resources in our community.
Fuel Assistance
Any Plainfield or Meriden resident requiring assistance for housing, heating fuel assistance, electricity assistance, medication assistance and or nutritional support from the Town should contact the Community Resource Director, Stephanie Schell. Contact information: 603-469-3201 or email sschell@plainfieldschool.org. All information is confidential.
Food Pantry
Residents of the Town of Plainfield can access the following local services.
Note: The food pantry and clothing swap rooms are located in the Christ Community Church on Route 12A (across from the Plainfield Fire Department). The Food Pantry is open the 1st Thursday and the 3rd Friday and Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and warmly welcomes all Town residents.
Free Clothing Rooms
The Christ Community Church has (2) very well organized rooms that contain FREE clothing for adults and children. All clothing is donated and in great condition. In addition to clothing there are also Free household items, toys & books as well. These rooms are open to the Public each Tuesday morning from 9-11 a.m.
Free Fresh Veggies & Fruit
Free fresh produce provided by Willing Hands: please check the Town calendar for dates and times.
Fight 68 Hours of Hunger Care Package Program: A box of nutritious food is delivered to your home each Wednesday afternoon to help fight hunger. The box contains a variety of foods for the entire family to help stretch your grocery budget.
Willing Hands – FREE Fresh veggies, fruit, milk, eggs, bread & proteins Every Wednesday from 11:45-12:15 p.m. Cornish Town Hall is located on the fairgrounds. Everyone is welcome!
Southwestern Community Services: Claremont NH
Providing Heating Fuel & Electrical Assistance. They also have Rental or Mortgage Assistance programs. Completed applications for eligibility are needed. These programs are open to all Sullivan County Residents please call 542-9528 for more information.
Listen Community Services:
Providing Plainfield Residents with Heating & Electrical Assistance, Food Pantry resources, Holiday Gift Baskets, School Supplies Drive, Community Dinners, Housing Helper Grants, Summer Camp Scholarships and Thrift Store Vouchers for clothing & furniture.
Located at 60 Hanover Street, Lebanon
Call for an appointment to discuss individual needs: 1-603-448-4553
SPOTLIGHT ON BIKE SAFETY
Our second annual Bike Rodeo was a great success. Thak you to the Wellness Committee and the PTA!
