Principal's Newsletter

We are seven school days away from our Holiday Break and WOW is it busy! The transition to winter has been abrupt and I'm sure our ski and snowboarders are happy to see that the snow is sticking around. This Tuesday a representative from Mt. Sunapee will be at the school at 2:00 p.m. to do ski and ride fitting for ski club students. This past Wednesday's unexpected snow accumulation came as a surprise to most of us! Historically we don't do last minute early releases as it is hard for most parents to change work schedules or find childcare on such short notice. The most important thing is for everyone to be safe and we will continue to try to get changes to our schedule out as quickly as possible.

Last Saturday I attended the PTO Craft Fair and enjoyed chatting with the talented members of our community and picking up a few gifts. Our days leading up to break will be filled with story telling, crafts, class parties, dress up days and our annual Holiday Concert! Please continue reading, as we will be organizing things a bit differently this year.

I want to continue to thank the parents of our bus riders who have been timely in responding to us about transportation needs/changes and flexible regarding our schedule! I have been able to work with our transportation manager to get the schedule out to parents a week in advance and our van and SUV drivers (Mr. Tim ,Mrs. Child's and Ms. Shepard) continue to work closely with myself and Ms. MacIntyre each afternoon to plan the most effective routes to get our students home! This is no small feat but so far we have been able to provide transportation to all the children who need it on days when there is no driver for our bus. If your child needs transportation and was not on our original list, please contact the school.

As we prepare for our upcoming holiday concert, we kindly ask for your support in creating a respectful and joyful atmosphere for all performers and guests. We will be addressing multiple concerns about volume, oversight of students before after their performance and audience distractions reported from previous performances by doing thing a little different on our end this year. Our concert is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. in the gym and Mr. Tim, Ms. Lipkin and Ms. Bailey have arranged it so that it will only run about an hour. The PTO will hosting their Pancake "Breakfast" for Dinner for families prior to!

This year all elementary students (K-4) will be dropped off by their parents in the 4th grade wing at 5:45 p.m. Ms. Lipkin may use some of this time to warm them up! The 4th grade will be dropped off in their regular classroom, Kindergarten and 1st graders will go to the art room and 2nd and 3rd graders will go to the music room. Once to audience is seated, the elementary classes will be led in by their teachers who will sit with them on the floor in front of the chairs. Elementary students will remain sitting with their teachers for the duration of the concert and brought back to their drop off classroom at the very end to be picked up by parents.

Please help us ensure that every child’s hard work can be heard by remaining quiet during songs and speaking softly and only in-between performances if necessary. It is also expected that families stay for the entire concert so all students have a full and appreciative audience who remains seated during the program to allow everyone to enjoy the show. We were very intentional in planning this on a Friday night! Your cooperation helps make this a special and memorable event for our students, families and community members—thank you for celebrating with us!

It's finally here! Read Across Lempster "Spirit Week" begins on Monday! Each day from December 15th-23rd we would like our students to "get creative" and find inspiration inside a good book! This year we have paired each literacy day with an accompanying dress-up theme and are looking to see which class will show their love for literacy by showing the most "spirit!" This year's dress-up themes are:

Monday, December 15th -"Heading Into The Holidays" (wear a holiday hat/dress like a tree topper)

Tuesday, December 16th - "Flannel Day" (get out your plaids and don't be afraid to mix and match)

Wednesday, December 17th - "Freeze Like Frosty" (wear white, silver and/ or icy blue!)

Thursday, December 18th - "Holiday Colors" (red & green, blue & gold or any other holiday combo!)

Friday, December 19th - "Holiday Characters" (Santa, elf, snowman, a candy cane, The Grinch)

Monday, December 22nd - "Ugly Sweater" (This does not have to have a holiday theme!)

Tuesday, December 23rd - "Pajama Day" (wear your PJs to school!)

We can't wait to see everyone show their spirit!

12/15-12/13 Read Across Lempster Spirit Week!

12/16 - Ski Club Equipment Fitting (2:00 p.m., cafeteria)

12/17- Kindergarten Alphabet Parade! (2:30 p.m.)

12/19 - PTO "Breakfast for Dinner", Holiday Concert!

12/24-1/5 Holiday Break!