Literacy News
Scholars are settling into the routines of their school and classrooms. Kindergarten and first graders are building habits that strong readers and writers need. Kindergarten students are building their stamina to explore texts independently and with a partner. They will interact with different genres of books to learn about their world. First graders are working on their Small Moments unit in writing. The goal is to slow down their narrative to develop each part and bring those scenes to life with details. Second grade readers are well into their first reading unit, Second Grade Reading Growth Spurt. During this unit, students learned to take charge of their reading by using strategies to read unknown words, understand author’s craft, and build big ideas about the books they read. Third graders are learning about Building a Reading Life: Stamina, Fluency and Engagement. This unit supports students’ transition into third grade readers' workshop and helps students begin to take on determining the main idea, retelling, and summarizing what they have read. Students also worked on building stamina for reading, thinking, talking and writing about what they read.
Students have been working on writing personal narratives. They will begin to use strategies to revise and edit their pieces to support the publishing process. Published work may be written or typed and students often add illustrations to support the creation of their stories. You may even find some of their published pieces at our Writing Celebration at the end of the school year! If you have a child who wants to continue narrative writing at home, help get some ideas flowing by talking about fun fall activities they have recently done. Some ideas include:
Going on a hike
Carving a pumpkin
Trick or Treating
A sporting event they went to/participated in
Apple/pumpkin picking
School Meals are a great value to our students! Prepayment is expected for all cafeteria purchases. Families eligible for free and reduced meals may qualify by completing an application online on [easthampton.familyportal.cloud]Easthampton.familyportal.cloud or by paper application here: Application for Free and Reduced School Meals(also available in the school’s Main Office). Families with children enrolled in HUSKY or Temporary Family Assistance programs will have their status transmitted directly by the State of Connecticut to the District.
To deposit funds on your child’s account, please visit [easthampton.familyportal.cloud]Easthampton.familyportal.cloud . Our Cafeterias also accept checks made payable to “East Hampton Cafeteria Fund”.
In September, students can enjoy fresh apples from Beckett Farms of South Glastonbury and carrots from Cold Spring Farm of Colchester. Keep an eye out for upcoming celebrations!
If you have questions, please contact Director of Nutrition Services, Kate Caselli at kcaselli@easthamptonct.org or 860.316.7324.
Please allow me to share a little bit about myself with you. I know that outside of the home, the school is one of the most influential environments for our children. As a mom who has two children in elementary school, I know how this time of year can be overwhelming. You want everything to go right and smoothly for your little one(s), but most of all you wish you could attend the first days with them. We, at Memorial, all agree that it’s supposed to be a happy and exciting time as the new school year is upon us. As the nurse, I hope to offer you and your child(ren) some comfort and reassurance while they are with us for our 2024-2025 school year!
On behalf of the Memorial School staff I want to extend a warm welcome to every parent and student! Feel free to contact me by phone or, better yet, email with your questions and concerns. My goal is to collaborate with you and help make this school year a healthy and enjoyable one. I would like to offer a little guidance from the health office. Below you will find some answers to frequently asked questions.
Communications
If a student is seen by the nurse or nursing assistant, they will receive a “Nurse’s Pass” ( or Pink Slip) with a brief review of their visit. However, Parents/Guardians will receive a phone call in the following circumstances:
The student needs to be picked up from school
Follow-up at home is required or recommended (ie doctor visit, continued observation at home, or the such)
Any significant injury to the head, new marks on face
Further communication is needed regarding student Health Office visit
Please note that the above criteria are made with Registered Nurse assessment, observation, and judgment. If a parent would like calls for any nurse visit or in specific situations, please communicate that to the Health Office specifically and your child’s chart will be updated.
We are Pro-Communication!!! ☺ If you have any concern please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail us, but email or Parent Square is best, and please include both Ms. Michelle and I on your outreaches. We want the best for your child(ren) and we want you to feel secure in their health and safety at school.
Medications
Every medication that is brought into school requires a “Medication Authorization” form to be signed by the student’s doctor and parent/guardian and the medication in original packaging with prescription label is to be brought in by a parent/guardian, not in the child’s backpack. No child may carry their own medications at the Elementary level. Please use a large ziplock bag for the medication plus the medication order, and label the bag with your child’s name before dropping off. Any controlled medications will need to be counted and signed off with the RN and parent so please allow for a few extra minutes at drop off.
Please note: COUGH DROPS count as medications and are not allowed in school. All over-the-counter medications also need a medication order from your provider.
Food
We have several students with severe food allergies, therefore we highly recommend non food items to share for birthday celebrations. We ask for at least 48 hours advance notice. A great resource for allergy free snacks is the Safe Snack guide at https://snacksafely.com/safe-snack-guide/. We appreciate your assistance in keeping our school safe.
Health Concerns:
If your child has a new health concern which you would like to speak to the nurse about e-mail kwilliams@easthamptonct.org and mlemire@easthamptonct.org at any time. Please let us know if your child is diagnosed with any illness or injury (such as strep, flu, pink eye, fracture/broken bone, etc.) as the nurse office tracks illnesses and sends notification letters home if there are 2 or more cases in a specific classroom.
If you have any specific concerns that arise during the school year (such as stitches, concussions, broken bones/fractures, etc) it is best that you send in a doctor’s note with dates, guidelines and restrictions, so we can all be on the same page and keep your child safe.
Respectfully,
Katie Williams, RN
and Ms. Michelle Lemire
kwilliams@easthamptonct.org, mlemire@easthamptonct.org
Your Health Office Team
Memorial Elementary
Phone 860-365-4020
Fax 860-365-4024
October/November
October
14th- Indigenous People Day- No School
16th PTO-Pie and Cookie Orders Close
21st- PTO Meeting at Center school 5:30pm
25th- Cheetah Pride Assembly- Wear Your Cheetah Gear!
30th- Picture Retakes
November
5th- No school Professional Learning Day
11th- No school Veteran Day
14th- PTO sponsored Dinner
20th & 21st- Early Dismissal Parent- Teacher Conferences
27th- Early Dismissal Thanksgiving Break
Students, parents, and community members have access to an anonymous tip line on the front page of the school district website to report self-concerns, mental health concerns of a friend, or concerns of violence. Simply click here or view on the website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/.
Memorial Elementary School Contact Information
Email: jbauer@easthamptonct.org
Website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/o/memorial-school
Location: 20 Smith Street, East Hampton, CT, USA
Phone: 860-365-4020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ehmemorialschool